News

Edo People Will Punish Obaseki At Poll For Disrespecting Benin Monarch – APC

Published

5 years ago

September 8, 2020

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo has declared residents will punish Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for regularly insulting and attacking the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, and a billionaire industrialist, Capt. Hosa Okunbo.

Edo APC, in a statement by chairman of its Media Campaign Council, Prince John Mayaki, described as unfortunate, Obaseki’s lack of respect for eminent Benin indigenes.

It said: “Reports in Edo State have disclosed that Obaseki has offended the state’s morality, following a social media attack on the palace of the Oba of Benin, traceable to officials of the Edo State government, after the September 2 this year’s peace meeting with the Oba of Benin and series of attacks on the personality of Capt. Okunbo, a prominent Benin son, Edo governor will be due for punishment at the September 19 poll.

“Clearly, with the endless roll call of notables, who have voiced their support for and are committing their names to the success of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the governorship candidate of APC for the September 19 election, the game is up for Obaseki.

“Obaseki has offended not just the political class that in 2016 superintended his emergence as governor of the state by his illogical predilections, but also by lording only seven House of Assembly members above whole seventeen in a 24-member state Assembly, Obaseki has offended the entire Edo State and its people.

However, Obaseki reacting through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said there was no connection between the State Government and the article attacking Oba of Benin.

He insisted there was no link between the Obaseki-led government and a social media post attacking the first-class monarch authored by Canada-based Osaro Omoruyi.

Edo Governor also warned the name and palace of the Benin monarch should not be used for petty politics.

Obaseki’s media aide said, “The Governor Obaseki-led government holds our royal father (Oba of Benin) in very high esteem and will never be part of any unholy plot to attack or undermine him.

“We have studied the article and the desperate efforts made by some persons to link the article to the Edo State government. In the political season that we are in, some misguided people can go overboard to impress their principals.

“We wish to advise such persons to desist from such irresponsible acts and accord the royal family the respect it rightfully deserves.”

News

Immigration, Natasha Trade Words Over Passport Drama

Published

1 minute ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

The Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has claimed that she was briefly stopped from travelling abroad on Tuesday after immigration officials seized her international passport at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja.

In a Facebook live video obtained on Tuesday, the lawmaker was seen confronting immigration personnel over the action, which she described as an unlawful restriction of her movement and a violation of her fundamental rights.

She recalled a similar incident in the past where she was stopped from travelling abroad despite having no pending legal case or court order restricting her movement.

“Hello, fellow Nigerians. I’m Senator Natasha. Having completed my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport here, and my passport has been withheld again.

“This same thing happened before when I was stopped from travelling even though I had committed no offence, and there was no court order restricting me.

“The officer in charge told me that Senate President Godswill Akpabio instructed to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he claimed that each time I go abroad, I ‘spoil the image of the country’ by granting interviews to international media,” she lamented.

Akpoti-Uduaghan expressed frustration over what she described as repeated harassment and intimidation, urging authorities to intervene and end the “embarrassment.”

She later confirmed that the immigration officers eventually returned her passport, allowing her to continue her journey.

But in an interview with The PUNCH, the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, dismissed the insinuations, describing the episode as a “routine check.”

“It is a routine check, and she has been allowed to travel. It was an exercise that didn’t even take long,” Akinlabi explained.

When asked whether the directive emanated from the Senate President as alleged, the immigration spokesperson expressed surprise.

“Of course, not. What concerns immigration exercise with National Assembly matters?” he queried.

Efforts to get the reaction of Akpabio through his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, were unsuccessful.

As of the time of filing this story, he neither picked up calls nor responded to the message sent for clarification.

The senator’s ordeal comes months after her dramatic suspension on March 6, 2025, following a heated confrontation with the Senate leadership over the alleged reallocation of her seat during plenary.

She had accused Akpabio of running the Senate with a “dictatorial hand,” a charge he strongly denied.

Although her suspension lapsed in September, Akpoti-Uduaghan only regained access to her office two weeks ago after a prolonged standoff and legal tussle.

Since her return, she has resumed full participation in legislative business, including sponsoring amendments to the Criminal Code (Amendment) Bill 2025 last week.

Tuesday’s airport incident — now dismissed as a routine exercise by immigration authorities — briefly reignited public debate over her relationship with the Senate leadership, even as political observers continue to watch how her renewed engagement at the National Assembly unfolds.

News

DSS Dismisses 115 Personnel, Warns Against Impostors

Published

15 minutes ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services has announced the dismissal of 115 personnel, cautioning members of the public against engaging with anyone parading themselves as serving officers of the agency.

The DSS disclosed this in a post on X on Tuesday, saying the action was part of ongoing internal reforms within the service.

“As part of the ongoing reforms in the Department of State Services (DSS), the public is hereby informed that a total of 115 personnel have been dismissed over a period,” the statement partly read.

The agency also referenced earlier public notices disowning individuals identified as Barry Donald and Victor Onyedikachi Godwin, adding that some of the dismissed personnel were still posing as DSS operatives to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.

“Members of the public are advised to desist from any official dealing with these individuals who have been dismissed by the Service,” the DSS said.

It stated that the identities of all affected former personnel had been published on its official website.

“For the sake of clarity, the identities of the dismissed personnel have been published on the website of the Service,” the agency added, directing citizens to dss.gov.ng for verification.

The secret police also provided contact channels for enquiries and complaints.

The DSS had stated that it will arraign two of its dismissed staff members, Barry Donald and Victor Godwin, who were arrested for allegedly engaging in fraudulent practices.

Earlier, the agency had issued two public warnings about the dismissed officers allegedly impersonating the agency to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.

News

Review Forest Farming Policy, Ondo Cocoa Farmers Beg Aiyedatiwa

Published

35 minutes ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

The cocoa farmers in Ondo State have appealed to the state Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to review the planned forest farming policy of the state to enable them to stay in the business.

It was gathered that under the proposed framework, each farmer would be required to pay a levy of N250,000 per hectare, N150,000 for polygon mapping and N100,000 for agro-forestry with a farming permit valid for only five years.

According to the concerned farmers, the proposed policy, though well-intentioned, would pose several challenges to them in terms of affordability to pay the amounts.

The farmers, in a letter made available to our correspondent on Tuesday, and addressed to the governor by their lawyer, Olugbenga Oke-Samuel, appealed to the state government to review the forest farming policy.

The letter read in parts, “We write on behalf of our clients, the indigenous cocoa farmers operating within the forest areas of Idanre and Akure, to respectfully seek your compassionate intervention regarding the newly proposed Government Policy on farming activities in forest reserves, particularly the Polygon Mapping initiative and the Agro-Forestry programme, introduced in compliance with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation.

“While our clients appreciate the state government’s commitment to environmental sustainability and global trade standards, the financial and structural implications of the policy are deeply burdensome and threaten their livelihoods.

“Under the proposed framework, each farmer is required to pay a levy of N250,000 per hectare, N150,000 for polygon mapping and N100,000 for Agro-Forestry with a farming permit valid for only five years. This policy, though well-intentioned, presents several critical challenges.

“Some of the challenges the farmers would face in the new policy, according to the letter, include economic hardship, disparity in mapping costs, agro-forestry charges and infrastructure burden, among others.

“In light of the above, our clients respectfully request a downward review of the N250,000 per hectare levy to reflect the economic realities of peasant farmers. Subsidisation or full sponsorship of the polygon mapping exercise to ease compliance with EUDR.

“An extension of the farming permit to at least 50 years, allowing farmers to fully benefit from their long-term investment in cocoa cultivation. A review of Agro-Forestry charges to align with the actual market costs of tree planting.

“Your Excellency, our clients believe in your commitment to equity, sustainability, and inclusive development. We trust that you will consider their plight and act in the interest of fairness and economic justice,” the letter concluded.

It was earlier reported that the cocoa farmers farming in the forest reserves in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state staged a protest on the plan by an agro-firm to take their land.

However, the Aiyedatiwa-led administration, in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said some of the farmers were occupying part of the forest, saying an investigation was ongoing to identify genuine farmers with verifiable claims, separate from speculators and unlawful occupants.