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Groups Drag President Buhari To Court Over New NDDC Board

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A coalition of groups under the umbrella of Concerned Civil Society Stakeholders (CCS) in Niger Delta had dragged President Muhammadu Buhari before the Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State over the constitution of the newly named Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Board.

The group in suit no FHC/UY/CS/353/2022 instituted before Justice Agatha Okeke also sought a restraining order against the inauguration of the newly-named board.

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At a press conference in Uyo on Sunday, the national coordinator of the forum, Prince Ekpuk Jumbo, said the board contravenes relevant sections of the NDDC Act 2000.

The plaintiffs in the suit sought the following prayers:

“Whether the nomination and appointment of the Akwa Ibom representative, Dr Emem Wilcox Wills, on Board, is not an infraction of section 12 (1) of the NDDC Act?

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“Whether the purported confirmation of the appointments of Chairman and other members, is not unlawful, null and void, and a crass infraction of the provisions of Section 12 (1) of the NDDC Act, 2000?”

READ ALSO: Don’t Cause Confusion In NDDC, Group Warns N’Delta Minister Over Appointment

Urging the President to allow equity, justice and fair play to prevail in the case, Jumbo pointed out that Section 12 (1) of the Act, says that: “There shall be for the Commission, a Managing Director and two Executive Directors, who shall be indigenes of oil-producing areas, starting with the member state of the Commission with the highest production of oil, and shall rotate amongst member states in the order of production.”

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“Based on this extant and clear provision, the group, therefore, sought “an order of injunction restraining the defendants be it by themselves, servants, person or persons howsoever from further proceedings, sessions, meetings and deliberations howsoever in connection, and or relation to the purported confirmation of Chairman and other members of the NDDC Board,” the forum added.

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Adeleke Flies To US For Davido’s Wedding

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Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has travelled to the United States to attend the wedding ceremony of his nephew and music star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido.

Recall, Davido confirmed that he and his wife, Chioma Avril Rowland, will have their white wedding in Miami, Florida, in August 2025.

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He made the announcement during an interview on The Breakfast Club, aired on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

The governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, confirmed Adeleke’s trip in a statement issued on Tuesday, in response to concerns raised by the opposition All Progressives Congress over the governor’s whereabouts.

READ ALSO:Davido Thrills In Toronto, Brooklyn As US Tour Heats Up

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Governor Adeleke left Nigeria for the United States via the family’s private jet a few days ago for the wedding of the global music icon, his beloved nephew, David Adeleke.

“His Excellency is extending an invitation to the opposition party to attend the event and share in the joy of the occasion with the Adeleke family.

“Those unable to attend may join virtually,” Rasheed stated.

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He noted that Adeleke had not taken any official vacation since assuming office in November 2022 and said the current trip would be short.

READ ALSO:Davido Withdraws From 50 Cent’s London Concert

Additionally, from the November 2022 date, the governor has not gone on official vacation.

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“For this current trip, the Governor has again chosen to make it a short one to continually attend to crucial state functions.

“Meanwhile, the Governor is in constant communication with his deputy, Prince Kola Adewusi, who is supervising activities of the government,” Rasheed added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Osun APC had accused Adeleke of leaving the state without informing residents or formally transmitting power to his deputy. The party described the governor’s absence as “abnormal.”

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READ ALSO:Davido, Asa To Perform At National Sports Festival’s Opening Ceremony In Abeokuta

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, the party said, “The question being asked in hushed tones in some public places, inside commercial buses and by motorcycle riders and their passengers in the state, is where could be the whereabouts of their governor for this long.

“As the governor of all and sundry, we as a party need to know the whereabouts of the governor and who has been holding fort for him during his absence from the state since two weeks ago.

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“Did the governor duly transmit power to his deputy who is constitutionally covered to temporarily step into the shoes of his principal in his absence?”

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Meta To Shut 6.8m WhatsApp Scam Accounts

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Meta on Tuesday said it shut nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers in the first half of this year and is ramping up safeguards against such schemes.

Our team identified the accounts and disabled them before the criminal organizations that created them could use them,” WhatsApp external affairs director Clair Deevy said.

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Often run by organized gangs, the scams range from bogus cryptocurrency investments to get-rich-quick pyramid schemes, WhatsApp executives said in a briefing.

READ ALSO:WhatsApp Introduces New Monetisation Features For Channels, Status

“There is always a catch and it should be a red flag for everyone: you have to pay upfront to get promised returns or earnings,” Meta-owned WhatsApp said in a blog post.

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WhatsApp detected and banned more than 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers, most of them in Southeast Asia, according to Meta.

WhatsApp and Meta worked with OpenAI to disrupt a scam traced to Cambodia that used ChatGPT to generate text messages containing a link to a WhatsApp chat to hook victims, according to the tech firms.

Meta on Tuesday began prompting WhatsApp users to be wary when added to unfamiliar chat groups by people they don’t know.

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READ ALSO:British PM Starmer Sacks Health Minister Over WhatsApp Messages

New “safety overviews” provide information about the group and tips on spotting scams, along with the option of making a quick exit.

We’ve all been there: someone you don’t know attempting to message you, or add you to a group chat, promising low-risk investment opportunities or easy money, or saying you have an unpaid bill that’s overdue,” Meta said in a blog post.

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The reality is, these are often scammers trying to prey on people’s kindness, trust and willingness to help — or, their fears that they could be in trouble if they don’t send money fast.”

AFP

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Ghana Threatens To Suspend DSTV Licence Over Price Hike

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Ghana’s government has issued an ultimatum to satellite broadcaster DStv to reduce subscription prices by Thursday, or face a suspension of its broadcasting licence.

Minister for Communications, Samuel George, said he had directed the National Communications Authority to initiate suspension proceedings against MultiChoice Ghana, the local operator of DStv, if the company fails to comply with regulatory expectations for a price cut.

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I have directed the NCA to act swiftly.

“If by the 7th of August DStv has not complied, their broadcasting licence will be suspended,” George said.

READ ALSO:Customs Intercept Cargo Of 1,620 Extinct Birds In Lagos

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He accused the company of overpricing its services despite favourable exchange rate conditions, citing its 15% subscription hike in April as unjustified in light of the cedi’s appreciation.

The standoff follows DStv’s rejection of a government proposal to slash subscription fees by 30%.

George criticised the company’s defence, citing a 200% depreciation of the cedi over eight years, as inadequate given the country’s current economic realities.

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“My fidelity lies with the Ghanaian people.

READ ALSO:Court Remands Suspected Lagos Most Wanted Assassin

“They have been cheated for years, and it is time we put an end to that,” George said.

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MultiChoice Ghana, a subsidiary of South Africa’s MultiChoice Group, rejected the government’s demand in a statement on Sunday, saying it was “not tenable” due to prevailing economic conditions and the need to maintain service quality.

Managing Director, Alex Okyere, warned that enforcing price cuts could threaten jobs and reduce customer choice.

READ ALSO:Court Remands Suspected Lagos Most Wanted Assassin

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He said the company had submitted alternative proposals to the minister and the NCA.

In response, George took to X (Formerly Twitter) to reject the proposals and questioned why the company complied with a court order to suspend price increases in Nigeria, but refused to do the same in Ghana.

DStv had offered to maintain its current pricing while halting revenue remittances to its headquarters, an option George described as illogical.

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