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Edo 2020: ‘There Is Plot To Assassinate Our Members,’ PDP Alleges

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Edo State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, has raised the alarm over an alleged assassination plot on some notable members of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state ahead the September 19 governorship election.

He made the allegation Saturday in Benin while addressing Journalists on the security situation of the state as it looks forward to the governorship election in few weeks from now.

Shaibu said it became imperative to notify the citizens of the state and the entire world of what the state is going through at the moment.

READ ALSO: Edo 2020: APC Raises Alarm On Plan To Infiltrate Rally With Thugs Tomorrow

The deputy governor alleged that information from a reliable source has it that some group of persons have been imported into the state to eliminate some notable members of the PDP.

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“It just to bring to the notice of Edo people and also to the entire country that we have intelligence that some individuals are in Edo State courtesy of the former National Chairman of APC and the names of these individuals and their mood of entering are communicated to the security agencies. And they have the information.

“Their assignment is to come and assassinate some known individuals in the state. I hereby bringing to the knowledge of the general public that these people are in town, we have communicated to the security agencies about their activities and why they are in town and also to use this medium to call on Mr. President to also call on the security agencies to do their work because Edo is not going to be a theatre of war and for us, we will continue to appeal to our people not to look for trouble, not to disrupt any programme, we are law abiding.

READ ALSO: Edo Assembly Invasion: Police Nab Thugs With Firearms

Shaibu said he has asked the PDP members not to take the laws into their hands, noting that the people of the state are law abiding citizens just as he said that the government has the sole responsibility of protecting the lives and property of its citizens.

“We have the duty to protect lives and property and that we will continue to do but just to bring to the entire nation and Edo State of the intention of these individuals and the police, the State Security Service have been communicated to them and the names of these individuals have also been communicated to the security agencies”, he said.

READ ALSO: Edo Assembly Crisis: Group Condemns Failed Attempt To Take Over House

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Gender Balancing: Tellthatstory Empowers Women In African Storytelling

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In a bid to amplify women’s voices and perspectives in storytelling within the creative industry, Tellthatstory, a non-governmental media initiative is empowering female artists to strengthen their storytelling techniques.

At an event organised by the group in Benin, Mr Imafidon Edgar, Co-host of Tellthatstory, emphasised the importance of narratives that reflect the diverse experiences of individuals in Africa.

He noted that the current storytelling landscape is often dominated by male voices, leading to a narrow representation of culture and society.

READ ALSO: Hardship: Bauchi Students Laud Senator Buba For Payment Of JAMB Registration Fees

Through this initiative, he said creative women were invited to take ownership of their narratives and shape the future of storytelling in Africa.

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According to him, the movement seeks to empower women in the creative industry to share stories that resonate with a broader audience and offer fresh insights into the realities faced by individuals across Africa.

“In a bid to do some form of gender balancing with regard to creatives generally and shaping narratives, that has led us to this event.

READ ALSO: NIN: How To Correct Your Name, Date Of Birth, Others Using NIMC Mobile App

“It is basically a coordinated event for female creatives around; so that they will own and build a beautiful narrative for themselves going forward and largely in a male dominated industry that their own version will be heard too on global issues.

“For instance our culture, it’s largely male dominated and it is told from that point of view. So this is more like them owning it and shaping them going forward,” he said

Edgar said the event was organised to provide them with visibility as well as encouraging a community.

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For instance, a number of them are meeting here for the first time so that community building is there and then they share and learn from one another,” said the co-host.

READ ALSO: 5 Things To Know About Late Highlife Singer Godwin Kabaka

The women photographers and visual storytellers, who spoke at the event, encouraged the participants to be active in the creative industry and synergise with their fellow female creatives to strengthen their skills.

According Taiwo Aina, a Lagos-based photographer, it may look difficult in the beginning, it is, however, promising in the end.

Similarly, Chidinma Nnorom identified cultural background and societal expectations as some of the factors responsible for gender imbalance in the creative world.

She noted, however, that the challenges are surmountable with passionate and committed creative women.

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Epileptic Power Supply: Lekki Residents Protest, Call For EKEDC Removal

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Residents of Lekki Phase 1 in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, have expressed frustration over the epileptic power supply being witnessed in the area.

Speaking with journalists earlier today, residents stated that this has been their plight for over five years. They noted that the situation worsened since the beginning of the year, attributing it to lack of investment by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC).

One of the residents, Chief Theodore Oniopaku bemoaned the situation, citing instances where they barely get thirty minutes of electricity per day and sometimes endure up to eighteen days without power in a month.

He said, “The situation is really bad. We’ve been trying to avoid protests because we don’t want a situation where hoodlums will hijack it like what happened during the End SARS protest.

“But it seems no one is paying attention to our plight. Some of us are retirees, we live on pensions. How can we afford a litre of diesel at N1,600 per litre? How much do we earn in a month?”

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READ ALSO: Court Dismisses Suit Seeking To Stop Elections, Examinations On Saturday

A retired Justice, Eniola Oluokun reiterated these sentiments, noting a six-year struggle with poor power supply in the area.

Oluokun called for independent power supply solutions for the area, criticizing EKEDC’s lack of financial capacity and technical expertise to address the issue effectively.

He said, “Lekki phase 1 residents should be on an Independent Power supply. It is Nigeria’s heartbeat and destination for holiday fun seekers. Most visitors and tourists prefer to stay in Lekki Phase 1.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think EKEDC has the financial capacity and technical expertise to provide electricity in the area.

“Some of their equipments are old and obsolete. Whenever their equipment is faulty, it takes them five to six days to fix leaving the estate without light. Our neighbours in Banana Island who use the Independent Power plant have constant light, but we don’t. It’s a very painful situation.”

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READ ALSO: Electricity Subsidy No Longer Sustainable – FG

Another resident, a retired civil servant who preferred anonymity, blamed past governments, for the collapse of the power generation in Nigeria.

He cited corruption and lack of transparency during the power privatization process as contributing factors.

“The corruption in the power sector where trillions of Naira were diverted to private accounts and lack of transparency during the power privatisation contributed immensely to the collapse of our power generation. If the government refuse to address these two monsters, Nigerians must not expect power soon”. He said.

Recall that the residents’ frustration have once led to a legal action against EKEDC, due to failed promises and billing discrepancies.

In April 2022, Lekki residents petitioned the presidency, represented by Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari MFR, seeking intervention to compel EKEDC to provide adequate power supply comparable to other affluent areas like Victoria Island, Ikoyi, and Banana Island.

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READ ALSO: NDLEA Seizes 44,948kg Drugs, Vehicles In Lagos, Edo, Ondo Raids

At the time, Mogaji Wale Arisekola a resident and media consultant for the estate, expressed grievances over high-end user tariff plans.

He estimated potential damages of N10 billion to N15 billion from EKEDC’s shortcomings and also urged affected estates to seek legal recourse.

Arisekola said, “It is a case of accepting money under false pretext, which is in section 419 in the Nigeria penal code. The whole of Lekki Phase 1 estate no longer wants to have anything to do with EKEDC again. They are tired of paying for darkness. The tariff they put us on is for a minimum of eighteen hours in a day and we are getting less than six hours. We have enough grounds to approach the court of law to demand our fundamental rights.

“We are looking at a damage of N10 billion to N15 billion from EKEDC and the court order barring EKEDC from disturbing the Independent Power supply engaged by the estate. EKEDC’s excuses are no longer acceptable to us in the estate.”

However, despite previous attempts by EKEDC to address customer complaints, including the inauguration of a Customers’ Complaint Unit in Lekki, residents remain dissatisfied with the quality of service.

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Meanwhile, residents are set to embark on a peaceful protest against the injustice by EKEDC on Saturday 30th of March 2024 at the Lekki Phase 1 Gate.

This was made known through the “notice of protest” being circulated on WhatsApp and Zonal groups, which reads in part “…We are tired of sleeping in darkness. Please all Lekki residents must endeavour to participate. We have been sleeping without power for about a month now…”

 

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Nine Things To Know About Ship That Collapsed Baltimore Bridge

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The Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed after a ship collided with it, the Maryland Transportation Authority said early Tuesday.

“I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike,” the MTA posted on social media platform X, referring to the interstate highway.

It urged drivers to avoid the route over the Patapsco River, which it called an “active scene”.

Earlier, the MTA had said interstate lanes in both directions were closed due to an “incident” on the bridge, and that traffic was being redirected.

A police spokesperson from the Baltimore Police Department told NBC News that people were possibly in the river.

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However, in this report, The PUNCH  highlights nine key things to know about the ill-fated ship as culled from AFP.

READ ALSO: US Bridge Collapses After Ship Collision

1. The ship that caused the collapse of a key bridge in Baltimore is named Dali container ship and was recently built to sail under Singapore’s flag.

2. It was constructed by the Korean Hyundai shipyard in 2015 and is 300 metres long (985 feet), 48 metres wide and 24.8 metres tall, with gross tonnage of 95,000 tonnes, making it an average-sized container ship.

3. It had left Baltimore port at 1 am local time Tuesday for a roughly month-long voyage to Colombo in Sri Lanka, according to the site Marine Traffic. It hit the bridge at 1:28 am.

4. The ship belongs to Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, which is owned by a Hong Kong group, and was carrying containers on behalf of Danish shipping giant Maersk.

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READ ALSO: 4 Die In Bauchi Auto Crash As FRSC Returns N1.6m To Families Of Victims

5. Synergy Marine, the Singapore company that operates the Dali, said it was being controlled by two Baltimore port pilots at the time of the collision.

6. There were 22 crew members on board, according to the port of Singapore, and none were injured, according to Synergy, which also says no leaking has been detected.

7. The Dali frequently links Asian ports with the East Coast of the United States and passes through the Panama Canal on March 13 before stopping at New York, Norfolk, and finally, Baltimore.

8. In 2016, soon after commissioning, the Dali accidentally hit a dock in the Belgian port of Antwerp, according to the sites Vessel Finder and Shipwrecklog.

9. It can hold up to 8,344 cubic metres (2.2 million gallons) of fuel, according to Marine Traffic. It is insured by UK-based Britannia.

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