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Land Grapping: Community Wants Edo Govt Intervention

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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.

READ ALSO: IYC Vows To Confront FG Over True Federalism, Resource Control, Justice

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.

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“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.

READ ALSO: Edo Governorship Election Tribunal Commences Sitting, Vows Transparency

“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.

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“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.

READ ALSO: EndSARS: Police Parade 10 Prison Escapees, 116 Other Suspects In Edo

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.

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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. 

READ ALSO: Warehouse Looting: Police Warn Hoodlums To Stay Off Edo, Delta

“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.

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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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Fedpoly Bauchi Matriculates 5,507 Students

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The Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, has on Tuesday, matriculated 5,507 new intakes for the 2023/2024 academic session.

Speaking during the Matriculation ceremony, the Rector of the institution, Alhaji Sani Usman, said that the polytechnic received 7,917 applications for both the National Diploma and Higher National Diploma.

Usman said that 6,843 students were admitted into the institution, out of which only 5,507 were registered and matriculating.

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

He explained that 2,732 were admitted into the institution for their Higher National Diploma programmes while 2,775 were admitted for their National Diploma programmes.

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He cautioned the matriculants against what he called pitfalls that derail their path to success.

”As you embark on this journey, I must caution you against the pitfalls that might threaten to derail your path to success.

READ ALSO: Court Sentences Chinese To Death For Killing Nigerian Girlfriend

”Corruption, indecent dressing, examination misconduct, drug abuse, and cultism are scourges that have no place within the walls of this Polytechnic.

”I there urge you to uphold the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and moral values. Let honesty be your compass, and let your actions be guided by the principles of righteousness and fairness,” he said.

Earlier, Mallam Abdullahi Garba, Acting Registrar, disclosed that the polytechnic had organised a week-long orientation exercise for the newly admitted students.

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Garba, urged them to be upright and serious with their academic endeavours.

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Edo Gets 40 New Solid Minerals Licences

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The Edo State Government has secured 40 new licences for solid mineral deposits in the state through Associates Mining and Investment Company, a special-purpose vehicle promoted by the state government.

The state Commissioner for Mining and Energy, Enaholo Ojiefoh, who disclosed this on Tuesday in Benin, said the state took the bold step to acquire the licences so that it is not shortchanged in the drive for industrialisation.

He noted that the state will rent the licences to interested private investors to exploit the mineral deposits in the state.

READ ALSO: Poor Planning Bane Of Nigeria’s Socioeconomic Problems, Says Obaseki

He said, “Upon getting the licences, we went back to the drawing board. We engaged with the Community Development Associations in the communities where these solid minerals are found. Between December and January this year, we have received not less than 14 visitors who are all interested in bringing their money in.

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“The governor has asked that this has to be transformed into money. So, we are looking at industrialisation. A Commodities Trading and Mineral Analysis Centre is being completed in Dangbala in Akoko Edo. We have had to train our staff working with a research team from the universities.

“We have professors in Geology, Geophysics, Industrial Chemistry, and Biochemistry working with us on the project. We have staff across the state working on identifying more minerals also.

“We have deposits of kaolin in Ubiaja, in Edo Central Senatorial district of the state. We have gypsum in Warrake as well. The state is blessed, and we are looking to drive investment with these deposits.”

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