News

Land Grapping: Community Wants Edo Govt Intervention

Published

5 years ago

November 1, 2020

Elders of Illushi in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, Sunday, called on the state government to prevail on Management of Skaff International Agro Farms Limited to vacate their land for the interest of peace, alleging that it was illegally acquired.

Spokesperson for the community, Pa Richard Enye, while making the allegation in an interview with newsmen in Illushi, said there was an urgent need for the state government to wade in the land crisis before it snowballs into a major crisis.

He said if the state government folds its arms and watch the land crisis could lead to the loss of lives and property in the community, adding that the youths might be tempted to result to self-help just to get their lands back.

Pa Enye alleged that the management of Skaff International Agro Farms Limited connived with the executive chairman of the local government and some few individuals in the community to acquire the land in question without their knowledge and as a result, they have no place to carry out their farming activities.

“This very land in question, before the sales or the lease of this land, the elders are not aware. They did it on their own illegally.

” When the news reached the elders forum, they now called and asked, before the sales or the lease of this land, the elders of this land are not aware and where is it done and how can this be? They did it without their knowledge. The signing and the sales was done in the bush.

“In the ancient times, the agriculturalist who came to this land, they came here, called the elders before they commenced their work.

“Nowhere in this country where you will go and take land without the community’s elders knowledge, no agreement, no survey, no lawyer and whatsoever and they now did it on their own even in the bush.

“This has been a pain and we are all crying. With what you are seeing, erosion has taken over the land we have. The only hope we have if the erosion continues, where we will relocate to is sold or lease to this very Lebanese man and now, the pain is now very deep in us.

“Now, the youth, the elders, we now resolved that if the Lebanese wants to kill everybody in the land, let him go ahead if he can.

“We beg you that you should help us tell the government, the only hope we have, the Lebanese has taken it away from us and now the erosion is eating the land. We don’t have where to go and now we are frustrated. And may God not allow us get frustrated,” he said.

Reacting, the local government chairman, Peter Aguele said their allegations of him conniving with the Skaff Construction company to take over their lands was baseless, stressing that the chairman of a council does not have the right to cede land to anybody neither has he also teamed up with the state government to do so.

“It is always good to have two sides of a story. If I am to answer you directly, they have been economical with the truth.

“It is totally untrue. If you see the land documentation of the sales of the land, you will know that it was transacted even over a year I became chairman of the council and there is no way I would have been the one who gave coverage to somebody I did not know how he got his land but the truth is that the community in question is not even Ulushi but Uro”, he said.

Also reacting, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Skaff International Agro Farms Limited, Engr Skaff denied acquiring the land illegally, saying that he did everything he needed to do to get the land in the community.

“When I intended to go into agriculture for Rice farming and Rubber plantation. At the early stage, first I wrote to the Agricultural Development Authority (ADP) to seek for their approval and advise who in return write me back and well come the idea.

“After my findings I met with the community, their Highness and over 200 youths from the community and 14 elderly chiefs who then gave their consent and approved with a lot of incentives such as Borehole, Hospital, Schools, Scholarship etc before I finally met with the government approval”, he said.

News

Why I Picked Amupitan As INEC Chair – Tinubu

Published

1 hour ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday explained that his choice of Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission was based on his apolitical stance, integrity and impeccable record of service.

“President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical,” a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, quoted him as saying.

The President spoke at the State House, Abuja, during the meeting of the National Council of State, which unanimously endorsed the nomination of Amupitan to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose decade-long tenure as INEC Chairman ended on Tuesday.

Tinubu told council members that Amupitan, a professor of law from Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria, is the first person from the state to be nominated for the top electoral job.

Council members, including serving and former leaders, backed the nomination, describing the professor as a man of proven integrity.

Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, said Amupitan’s track record “reflects a deep commitment to justice, knowledge, and national service.”

Following the council’s approval, the President is expected to transmit Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation in line with constitutional provisions.

Aged 58, Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

A professor of law at the University of Jos, Plateau State, he is currently the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and also serves as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.

He obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees in law from the University of Jos, after earlier studies at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.

Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988, Amupitan has built an extensive academic and administrative career spanning over three decades.

He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014 and has written extensively on company law, corporate governance, and evidence law.

His published works include Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), and Principles of Company Law (2013).

Beyond academia, Amupitan has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and the Council of Legal Education.

He was also a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja, between 1996 and 2004.

The Kogi-born scholar, described by colleagues as “a jurist of quiet influence,” is married with four children.

When confirmed by the Senate, Amupitan will become Nigeria’s 15th INEC chairman.

News

Meet New INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan

Published

1 hour ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The appointment, which was confirmed by the National Council of State on Thursday, follows the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu from the electoral body.

According to a statement issued by Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, Amupitan’s nomination marks the first time a native of Kogi State will head Nigeria’s election management agency.

The law professor hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi state.

Amupitan, who currently serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, has spent more than three decades in academia and legal practice.

He joined the institution in 1989 as an Assistant Lecturer and rose through the ranks to become a Reader in 2003 and a Professor of Law in 2008.

Details from the University of Jos website show that the new INEC boss obtained all his degrees, including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate, in Law from the same university.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after completing his programme at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.

Amupitan’s areas of academic and professional interest include Law of Evidence, Corporate Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.

He was conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014 in recognition of his contributions to the legal profession.

Beyond academics, Amupitan has held several administrative and national positions.

He has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law, Head of the Department of Public Law, and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors at the University of Jos.

He has also represented the institution on several boards, including the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, where he served as a member of the Governing Council.

He was, until his nomination, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.

The legal scholar has authored and co-authored over 50 academic publications, with research spanning corporate governance, electoral law reform, and petroleum industry legislation.

He has supervised more than a dozen doctoral and master’s students in law.

Professor Amupitan is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the National Association of Law Teachers.

Outside academics, he has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited, Riss Oil Limited, and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council.

He is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Yemisi Amupitan, and they have four children.

News

Elder Statesman Christopher Kolade Dies

Published

1 hour ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

Veteran broadcaster and former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade, has died at the age of 92.

The family announced the elder statesman’s death in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said the late former Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria died peacefully on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

“We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service, and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings,” the statement read in part.

Kolade had a distinguished career as a diplomat, academic, advocate for integrity and corporate governance, among other things.

Born on December 28, 1932, in Erin-Oke, Osun State, Kolade was the son of an Anglican missionary. He attended Government College, Ibadan, before proceeding to Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he completed his higher education.

Kolade began his career in broadcasting, eventually rising to the position of Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.

He later became Chief Executive and Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, where he was widely recognised for his ethical leadership and corporate reforms.

The deceased also served Nigeria as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, leaving behind a legacy of diplomacy, integrity, and professionalism.

Kolade taught Corporate Governance and Human Resources Management at the Lagos Business School and Leadership & Conflict Management at the School of Media & Communication, both part of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos.

Kolade, a former member of the university’s Governing Council, also served as its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, and was later Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State.

Deeply committed to promoting ethical standards in business, Kolade chaired several integrity-driven organisations, including Integrity Organisation Ltd GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Ltd GTE.