Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, has approved the dismissal of a police officer, Kabiru Odejimi, who allegedly shot and killed a 24-year-old generator technician, Idris Bakare on Sunday, May 28, in the Oregun area of Lagos State.

Odejimi, who was attached to Alausa Police Division reportedly stormed a party in the community alongside his colleagues.

The trigger-happy policemen were said to have harassed the partygoers and fired some shots in the process. One of the bullets, however, hit Bakare who later bled to death.

Investigations carried out by the police after the incident revealed that Odeyemi released the shot that led to Bakare’s death.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement made available to our correspondent, said the recommendation of Odeyemi’s dismissal was approved on Wednesday.

He added that the embattled officer will be arraigned on Friday.

The statement read, “The recommendation for dismissal of Inspector Kabiru Odeyemi was today approved. This paves the way for his arraignment which will take place on Friday, July 7, 2023.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Idowu Owohunwa, assures Lagosians of his unwavering determination to police the state within the dictates of rule of law, civility and respect for human life.”

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has approved the reconstitution of the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) in the state.

The members are:
1. Comrade Anthony Udeh – Chairman
2. Dr. Peter Aneke – Secretary
3. Hon. Chris Ezema – Member representing Enugu North Senatorial Zone
4. Prof. Sam Ugwu – Member representing Enugu East Senatorial Zone
5. Arch. Dennis Onyebuchi – Member representing Enugu West Senatorial Zone
6. Mrs Beatrice Abah – Treasurer representing Enugu North Senatorial Zone
7. Mrs. Scholastica Ugwu – Treasurer representing Enugu East Senatorial Zone
8. Mrs Anthonia Igwe – Treasurer representing Enugu West Senatorial Zone
9. Hon. Okechukwu Sydney Edeh – ALGON Chairman
10. Hon. Chukwudi Nnadozie – ALGON Vice Chairman
11. Hon. Pedro Nwankwo – ALGON Secretary
12. Mr Tony Okenwa – Accountant General
13. Mr Raymond Aneke – Revenue Monitoring and Inspectorate Unit
14. Mrs Fidelia Udeonu – Director of Finance, Ministry of Finance
15. Mrs Ogochukwu Nwankwo – Director of Finance, Ministry of Local Government Matters
16. Mrs Henrietta Ozoudeh – Director, JAAC Secretariat

In a swift bid to solve power failure in Southeast, US trained Professor of Engineering who doubled as Nigeria’s former Minister of Power and Chairman, Geometric Power Group, Prof. Bart Nnaji says the 188 megawatt Power plant in Osisioma Industrial Layout Abia State, will commence generation of electricity within two months.

Starting with one of its three General Electric brand turbines, the second will come on stream once the performance of the first turbine is declared satisfactory by the team of engineers led by KS Energy of Turkey and Engineer Ben Caven, MD of Geometric Power Aba Limited, and a former executive director of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) reputed to be the only person to have run the generation, engineering and transmission divisions of the state-owned utility.

“The generation of electicity from the Geometric Power plant will be a game changer in the socioeconomic development of not just Aba city but nine out of the 17 local government areas in Abia State serviced by Aba Power, a member of Geometric group”, Nnaji declared today to wildly cheering participants at the First African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Market Opportunities Conference holding at the Technology Incubation Centre in Aba, organised by the Continental Export Import (CONEX) Ltd.

“We have completed building four brand new power substations and refurbishing three substations inherited from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), in addition to providing thousands of kilometres of cables and wires, as well as world-class tubular poles available in only highly industrialised cities such as Tokyo in Japan and San Francisco in California.

“All that remains now is to provide fuel or gas to the Geometric Power plant through the 27-kilometre gas pipeline from Owaza in Ukwa West LGA in Abia State to the Osisioma Industrial Layout on the Aba outskirts.

“Oilserv, Nigeria’s foremost indigenous gas pipeline builder, is doing a good job”.

Professor Nnaji, also a former Minister of Science and Technology who held the title of Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the United States, disclosed that though work has been completed on the seven substations, thousands of kms of wires as well as tubular poles, the power infrastructure will be put in use only when the Geometric Power plant becomes operational.

The plant commissioning, he added, would bring about a dramatic improvement in not power supply but also its quality.

“The Aba Integrated Power Project is the only electricity company in Nigeria that generates and also distributes power”.

He disclosed that he chose to cite Geometric Power to catalyse Aba’s development as the headquarters of indigenous technology and manufacturing, noting that with “constant, quality and affordable electricity soon, the cost of doing business in Abia State will reduce significantly and this will, in turn, impact on the national economy”.

He advised Aba business people to embrace the African Continental Free Trade Area, as it will elminate multiple taxes by various local and state governments as well as the Federal Government.

Nnaji commended Aba businesses for excelling in textiles, leather products and metals which need large export markets.

Other participants in the two-day conference which will end tomorrow include the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the Nigerian Shippers Council, United Bank for Africa, and the African Export Import Bank (AFREXIM Bank).

The Ekiti State government has announced a ban on the planned three-day kissing marathon to set the Guinness World Record in the state. A group identified as Sugartee released an advert saying that on July 7 they will be embarking on the longest world kissing marathon in a popular amusement park in the state capital.

Reacting to the development, the state Ministry of Arts and Culture in a statement released today July 5, banned the scheduled competition of the marathon and warned all Hoteliers in the state not to allow their premises be used for such exercise. The state government warned that heavy sanctions will be placed on any hotel found to permit such an exercise in their facility.

The letter signed by the Director of Tourism Adebanji Adelusi on behalf of the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dele Ogunsemoyin noted that the planned event tagged ‘Kiss-a-thon ‘ was capable of denigrating the image of the state.

‘’Kiss-a-thon” as an event is not only absurd, unhealthy, immoral and capable of denigrating the image of the state, it is a programme that runs counter to the values of the people of the state and therefore capable of plunging our Youths morally backwards.

In view of the foregoing, the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism hereby prohibits the hosting of such event or any other events like it in any facility that wishes to continue to operate lawfully in Ekiti State.

To the above, you are hereby requested to convey the content of this Notice to the members of Ekiti State Hoteliers’ Association to effectively monitor their outlets against being used negatively to cause embarrassment to the Government and People of Ekiti State.”the statement read.

In response to the panic witnessed earlier in Enugu metropolis today, the state government has urged members of the public to discountenance the news making rounds on social media that Enugu is boiling, describing it as false from the pit of hell.

In a statement personally signed and made public on Wednesday by the Secretary to the state government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the government described the news as ‘Fake’ urging residents to go about their legitimate businesses with full assurance of security.

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Prof. Onyia while reassuring of government’s continued resolve to protect the lives and property of Ndi Enugu said “We must not succumb to the evil machinations of those, who have no stake in our state; those who mostly live, work, and educate their children overseas, while destroying the economy of our people and the education and future of our children at home.”

The government also reiterated that the ban on sit-at-home in Enugu State stands and will be enforced to the full extent of the law.

The statement maintained that all offices, markets, business premises, schools, among others, remain open and fully functional.

“Those who want to test the collective resolve and strength of Ndi Enugu will not only be defeated, but will be meted the full wrath of the law.”

The Federal Government has blamed some technical challenges for the delay in the payment of June salary to some government workers.

Director of Press, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Bawa Mokwa, made this known on Wednesday.

He said the Office is working round the clock to ensure that the problem is resolved.

Mokwa said the delay was caused by technical challenges with the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS), one of the salary platforms.

“As we speak, the directors and the consultant in charge of the platforms are in a crucial meeting, working round the clock to resolve the problem.
“Anytime from now, the salaries will start to drop.”

Meanwhile, some civil servants in Abuja have been lamenting delay in the payment of June salaries.

A civil servant, Uloma Offor, who said the salary is overdue, said: “I depend on this monthly salary to survive; I pay my debts and buy food items, but with the delay all these are not possible.

“I plead with the Federal Government to pay up so I can restock my home, my children are crying at home.”

Another civil servant, Jones Tolu, said the delay in the payment of salary, coupled with the removal of petrol subsidy, has made life difficult for the masses.

He said: “My friends in some parastatal and ministries received their June salaries, but not all of them.

“My children cannot go to school because I have outstanding payment to make and their examination comes up soon.

“The government is not even saying anything. They should take urgent steps to address the situation so that civil servants can meet their financial needs.”

On his part, a trader in Wuse market, Ibrahim Umar, said he experienced low patronage over the delay in payment of salary to workers.

“The market has been experiencing low patronage in recent times, and this is connected to the delay in payment of June salary to civil servants,” Umar said.