The price at which house agents, in conjunction with landlords and landladies, give out their houses in Enugu today is quite alarming.

The issue of accommodation is something the government should show interest in, because a good number of residents are finding it hard to cope with paying the huge house rents largely because many are living from hand-to-mouth and can barely feed.

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For some years now, the cost of housing in Enugu has been very high. It’s true that the cost of building materials is not for the faint-hearted, but getting a place to rest one’s head is becoming an uphill task in the city.

A public affairs analyst, Samuel Ugochukwu is asking the state house of Assembly to show interest in this regard.

Mr. Ugochukwu urged the house to make a law that will regulate the cost of house rents in the state.

“House owners should be made to stick to reasonable house rents that the people can afford no matter the class they belong to”.

An entrepreneur, Kelvin Onovo, said the
government can also try to build low-cost houses for citizens which should be made accessible to everyone. He advised that private estate developers springing up everywhere around the state should be strictly monitored, as many of them are robbing people of their hard-earned money despite the hardship being faced already.

Onovo is also calling on governor Peter Mba of the state to send an executive bill to the state Assembly that will harmonise the rents and streamline the activities of house Agents who often demand more than 50% of the house rents itself from potential tenants.

No doubt, many people are changing their habitation due to increase in house rents, shop rents as well as office rents.

To get a two bedroom apartment in GRA, Independence layout, Ogui Rd, New Haven or Uwani will cost not less than between N500,000 and N550,000 per annum. If you add the percentage for agents, lawyer fee and caution fee sometimes, it may get to as high as one million naira.

In areas like Agbani Rd, Emene, Abakpa, Obiagu and Coal Camp, one may see two bedroom apartment that goes for N300,000 – N350,000 per annum. You can get a room and parlour self-contained apartment for N250,000,
These prices are devoid of the agent fees and the rest. How would the ordinary masses cope?

Worst is, only few workers will be able to afford living in a reasonably decent apartment owing to the current hard time.

A landlord who spoke to Daily Gazette correspondent on the condition of anonymity said he just increased his house rent from N150,000 to N280,000. “It is not the landlord’s fault that getting an apartment is cumbersome. They are house owners with the intention of making money.”

Many landlords fail to even acknowledge the fact that as much as they own their houses, the tenants also have some rights according to the law.

Some of them make outrageous rules like “no generator from a certain time of the day till another time, no visitors and many other inhumane rules.

With the high cost of feeding, the priority of most homes is to place food on their table, provide other necessities like clothing and education for the children, before talking about having enough to ‘save’ for other essential needs.

It is time for the government to act !

An expert in security management, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere, says Nigeria is capable of taking out Niger coupists within 24 hours.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Agbomhere who is a certified expert on security management and strategic operations from the International Institute of Professional Security, expressed shock and disappointment over the reaction of some Nigerians to the planned restoration of civil rule in Niger Republic.

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He said through the instrumentality of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) currently under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria has the capacity to deradicalize Niger Republic within 24 hours and restore President Mohamed Bazoum back in office.

Agbomhere said the fears expressed by some Nigerians on the perceived lack of preparedness of the armed forces to deal a decisive blow on the military junta in the shortest possible time.

He said the pervasive sentiment is not a true reflection of the state of the armed forces of Nigeria.

However, Agbomhere, member of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators and an advocate of Rule of Law, said dialogue remained the best approach to resolving the political logjam in Niger but as a last resort, insisted that Nigeria should not shy away from its responsibility of maintaining democratic rule in the West African sub region through military action, a role it had played over the years in Liberia, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone and Cote D’Ivoire and will continue to play in defence of democracy and stability in the region.

President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that there will be no increase in the pump price of petrol.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chief Chinedu Ukadike, had asked Nigerians to expect a fuel price hike soon as a result of forex crisis and the rise in the landing cost of fuel.

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He had said, “Once there is a slack in the naira against the dollar, there is going to be an effect. The demand and supply of forex is a key factor. We should also understand that it is not only petroleum products that use forex.

“Other manufacturers who import one thing or the other are also searching for dollars. So, the surge for dollars has continued to increase. So now that the dollar is hitting N910 to N940, and approaching N1,000, you should expect to buy PMS at the rate of N750/litre.”

This led to panic buying in some places, while at least the pump price of fuel was reviewed upwards in at least four states.

Subsequently, labour unions threatened to shut down the country if petrol price goes up again.

But speaking through Ajuri Ngeale, his spokesman, Tinubu told Nigerians that there won’t be any increment for now.

“This morning, I have the privilege of sitting down with his excellency president Bola Tinubu. As we discussed the current unfolding situation in the country as it relates to fuel supply and demand.

“The President wishes first to state that it is incumbent upon all stakeholders in the country to hold their peace. We have heard very recently from the organized labour movement in the country with respect to their most recent threat.

“We believe that the threat was premature and that there is a need on all sides to ensure that fact finding and diligence is done on what the current state of the downstream and midstream petroleum industry is before any threats or conclusions are arrived at or issued.

“Secondly, Mr. President, wishes to assure Nigerians following the announcement by the NNPC limited just yesterday that there will be no increase in the pump price of petroleum motor spirit anywhere in the country. We repeat, the president affirms that there will be no increase in the pump price of petroleum motor spirit.

“We also wish to affirm that the President is determined to maintain competitive tension within all sub sectors of the petroleum industry. He is determined to ensure that our policy drawn up as well as policy implemented follows the cue that there will not be any single one entity dominating the market.

“The market has been deregulated. It has been liberalized and we are moving forward in that direction without looking back.

“The President also wishes to affirm that there are presently inefficiencies within the midstream and downstream petroleum sub sectors that once very swiftly addressed and cleaned up will ensure that we can maintain prices where they are without having to resort to a reversal of this administration’s deregulation policy in the petroleum industry.”

Acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun to investigate the pattern of police abuse of their powers to silence and punish journalists and media organizations carrying out their constitutionally assigned duties.

The group lamented the growing trend of public officials and other powerful individuals using the police to silence and punish journalists who publish negative reports about them.

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It added that the police have become a tool in the hands of such people to shield themselves from scrutiny.

This is contained in a statement issued in Lagos by MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Ayode Longe, who noted that the abuse of the powers of the police is sometimes done in the name of the IGP’s Monitoring Unit of the police, thereby bringing the highest office in the force to disrepute.

He explained that Section 22 of the Constitution imposes a duty on the media and also gives it the freedom to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people, adding that it is certainly not the function of the police to prevent the media from performing this duty or exercising its freedom.

“Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to put an end to the growing trend of public officials and other powerful individuals using the Police to silence and punish journalists who publish negative reports about them, saying the law enforcement agency has become a tool in the hands of such people to shield themselves from scrutiny.

“Section 22 of the Constitution imposes a duty on the media and also gives it the freedom to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people and it is certainly not the function of the Police to prevent the media from performing this duty or exercising this freedom. The recurrent pattern of the Police being used to impede the media’s performance of a constitutionally mandated function constitutes an egregious abuse of Police powers.

“It is even more obscene that this abuse of the powers of the Police is sometimes done in the name of the IGP’s Monitoring Unit of the Nigeria Police, thereby bringing the highest office in the Nigerian Police into disrepute.

“In the latest manifestation of this abuse of Police powers, the IGP’s Monitoring Unit in Abuja, in a letter signed by DCP A. A. Elleman, Head of the Unit, invited three journalists – Mr. Petrus Obi of Everyday NewsNgr, Mr. Ignatius Okpara of the African Examiner, and Mr. Clinton Umeh of Journalists 101, who are all based in Enugu, to report in Abuja today, Monday, August 14, 2023, to answer to allegations of “criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, injurious falsehood, conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace and criminal defamation with intent to incite” leveled against them by Dr. Monday Nwite Igwe, the Medical Director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Enugu.

Mr. Longe noted that the invitation followed news stories and articles published by the journalists about happenings at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Enugu, including the closure of the hospital’s School of Post-Basic Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing in Enugu, both of which Dr. Igwe exercises supervision over.

He argued that it is hard to understand how reports published by journalists in Enugu about a public institution based in Enugu became a matter over which the journalists were summoned to Abuja and a priority for the IGP’s Monitoring Unit in a country plagued by thousands of violent and other serious crimes.

He added that by devoting their energies and resources to chasing after journalists carrying out their constitutional functions, the police are misusing resources that ought to be used to fight real criminals, including terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, hired assassins, armed robbers, murderers, human traffickers, rapists, and other violent criminals.

According to him, such resources should not be deployed to pursue personal vendettas.

He said, “Clearly, rather than give a public explanation of his actions in response to the reports published by the journalists, in the best tradition of accountability as a public officer who should be accountable to the people, or initiate civil action for defamation against the journalists to vindicate his reputation, if he believes that he has been unjustifiably maligned, Dr Igwe has chosen to enlist the services of the Police in silencing and punishing these journalists for seeking to hold him accountable and thereby avoid having to account for his actions.

“MRA’s experience from tracking and documenting such abuses of Police powers indicates that no investigation is ever conducted to verify the truth or otherwise of the stories or articles published by journalists who have been victims of this practice and that upon honouring the invitation from the Police, they are detained for days and forced to apologise to the instigators of their arrest and where they refuse to apologies, spurious charges are filed against them as part of their punishment until the instigators of their arrest are satisfied, whereupon the charges are withdrawn and they are allowed to go.

“Mr. Longe also recalled that on July 27, 2023, Mr. Chinonso Uba, popularly known as NonsoNkwa, a broadcast journalist with Ozisa FM, in Owerri, Imo State, was arrested by hooded armed men believed to be operatives of the Nigeria Police acting on the orders of the State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, adding that Mr. Uba has remained in detention till date without being charged before any court in clear breach of the law which requires that suspects be charged to court within 24 hours of arrest.

MRA called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, and the National Assembly, in the exercise of their oversight functions, to launch an investigation into this pattern of police abuse of their powers to silence and punish journalists and media organisations carrying out their constitutionally assigned duties.

MRA also called on the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities to investigate happenings at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Enugu as well as its School of Post-Basic Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing.

The Anambra State Executive Council has approved the release of N119m, for the construction of Premier Road, Onitsha, in favour of Alitho Nigeria Limited. Other roads in Onitsha were also awarded to various firms.

The contract is inclusive of preliminaries, contingencies, and 7.5 per cent VAT of N8,911,125.45 and the date of completion is four weeks from the date of the payment of the mobilisation fee.

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This was disclosed in a statement released on Tuesday by the Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu.

Nwosu said the move is a march towards fulfilling the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of making Anambra State “a liveable and prosperous megacity with the best road network”.

He added that the state executive council also approved the release of N1.9bn for the construction of Ukwuorji Awka – Umuenechi Village – Ifite Nibo – Isiagu Road with a 2.1km Spur to Zik Avenue.

He disclosed that the contract was awarded to J. Quarison Int’l Limited with a completion period of five (dry weather) months from the date of the payment of the mobilisation fee.

The statement read, “In line with the march towards fulfilling the vision of Governor Chukwuma Soludo of making Anambra State a liveable and prosperous megacity with the best road network.

“The Anambra State Executive Council has approved the release N119million inclusive of preliminaries, contingencies, and 7.5 per cent VAT of N8,911,125.45 for the construction of Premier Road, Onitsha in favour of Alitho Nig. Ltd. Date of completion is a period of four weeks from the date of the payment of the mobilisation fee.

“ANSEC also approved the release of N1.9billion being the Revised Estimated Total Cost for the construction of Ukwuorji Awka – Umuenechi Village – Ifite Nibo – Isiagu Road with a 2.1km Spur to Zik Avenue.

“The contract was awarded to J. Quarison Int’l Limited with a completion period of five (dry weather) months from the date of the payment of the mobilization fee.

“The reconstruction of Port Harcourt Street, Onitsha was equally accented to by ANSEC at the sum of N1.8 billion for the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Street, Onitsha.

“The contract was awarded to FEROTEX Construction Company with a completion period of five months from the date of the payment of the mobilisation fee.

“Miss Elems Road, Onitsha was awarded for reconstruction by the council at the sum of N430 million. The contract was awarded to Mashuchun International Ltd with a completion period of 3 months from the date of the payment of the mobilization fee. There’s no denying the fact that Solution is indeed here.”