Headline

NDDC Board: Akpabio Did Not Bribe Tompolo – Militant Group

Published

4 years ago

October 10, 2021

Our Reporter, Port Harcourt

A militant group, Niger Delta Redemption Frontiers, NDRF, has reacted to news report that the Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, bribed Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo with $1million to halt his earlier agitation for appointment of the substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Recall that Tompolo had in May this year issued a seven-day ultimatum to Federal Government for urgent inauguration of a substantive NDDC baord, insisting that there was going to be consequences should the Federal Government fail to inaugurate the Board at the expiration of the ultimatum.

Recall also that an online news medium (not Info Daily) had reported that Tompolo allegedly accepted the sum of $1 million USD as appeasement to cancel his earlier 7-day ultimatum, alleging that the conciliation is the reason why a substantive board is yet to be inaugurated for NDDC.

Briefing newsmen at the weekend in Port Harcourt, NDRF said that there was never a time before, during or after the said meeting with the minister where any amount of money was given to Tompolo, describing the report as false and baseless.

Leader of the group, Abalagha Enai said that the news report was only a figment of the writer’s imagination and warned “perpetuators of evil news to stop distracting the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and the Interim Administrator of NDDC, Mr. Efiong Akwa from carrying out the good works of developing the region.”

He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari called for meeting of Niger Delta stakeholders and pleaded that we should remain calm that a substantive board will be inaugurated immediately after the forensic audit is completed, submitted and accepted. We agreed with him. Not for anything, but for the respect we have for the exalted office of Mr. President. How then will someone come to say that Tompolo was bribed to back down on his earlier 7-day ultimatum for the board to be inaugurated?

“We’ve heard of so many reports against the Honourable Minister but all what we have to tell the carriers of evil news is that Senator Akpabio is doing well as minister. To say that funds in the NDDC are turned to personal use is a disservice to the revered minister.

“First, they should know that NDDC’s budget is still pending at the Senate and that the meagre funds expended by the commission is directly from the Presidency and available records show that it has been judiciously used. Or haven’t we seen that for the first time in the history of NDDC that abandoned projects are being completed and commissioned? Look at what will happen any moment from now as a result of the just concluded forensic audit.

“Also, Mr. Efiong Akwa’s tenure as the head of administration in NDDC is so rewarding. Let it also be on records that Akpabio is not try change the signature of Mr. Akwa in the Single Treasury Account, TSA. And it is not also true that Efiong is a puppet of Akpabio in the NDDC. Every payment done is documented and can be accounted for. They should also know that Efiong is a Certified Accountant with many years of experience.

“Besides, the duo of Akpabio and Effiong won’t dare not try anything to tannish their image after going through the rough path of forensic auditing. Efiong has been consistent and pragmatic in his line of duties; always in the office to attend to issues demanding his attention and sometimes stays in the office into the wee hours of the night. He has never deprived anybody of his presence and we can boast of his erudite leadership style in the commission.

“They also said that Akpabio threatened Akwa with a ‘sack’ when he refused to sign for payment. How did come about the information when they also said that it took place in a private meeting between the minister and the NDDC IA? Those are all fabrications from the minds of unclean fellows. They should have mentioned the payment Mr. Akwa refused to sign which prompted Akpabio say ‘pay or I sack you.

“So, we want to use this as the greatest medium to warn perpetuators of evil things to desist from it or we will be forced to react in a more surprising manner next time. No man or group has the monopoly of violence. The people trying to create unnecessary tension in Niger Delta should desist from it. We also want to advise their sponsors to learn the ways of peace, which is the only way to achieve our long-desired development,” Messiah said.

Headline

US Suspends Work Visas For Nigerian, Foreign Truck Drivers

Published

12 hours ago

August 23, 2025

Editor

The United States government has suspended the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign truck drivers, citing job security concerns and safety risks for American citizens.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision on Thursday, saying it takes immediate effect.

According to him, the rising number of foreign truck drivers on U.S. highways is both threatening lives and reducing opportunities for American truckers.

“Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.

“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio said.

The move comes under President Donald Trump’s renewed clampdown on immigration since returning to office in January 2025.

As part of new measures, travellers from countries with high visa overstay rates or weak travel databases will be required to pay a bond of $5,000 to $15,000 before obtaining certain categories of visas.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria also directed all visa applicants to disclose their social media handles from the past five years, warning that failure to comply could result in denial of applications and possible ineligibility for future visas.

Headline

Judge Orders Closure Of Trump’s Controversial ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Migrant Camp

Published

1 day ago

August 22, 2025

Editor

A US federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration and Florida state government from bringing any new migrants to the detention centre known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and ordered much of the site to be dismantled, effectively shuttering the facility.

Florida’s government swiftly announced it would appeal the decision.

The detention centre was hastily assembled in just eight days in June with bunk beds, wire cages and large white tents at an abandoned airfield in Florida’s Everglades wetlands, home to a large population of alligators.

President Donald Trump, who has vowed to deport millions of undocumented migrants, visited the centre last month, boasting about the harsh conditions and joking that the reptilian predators will serve as guards.

Headline

Japan City Mulls Two-hour Daily Smartphone Limit

Published

1 day ago

August 22, 2025

Editor

A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties.

The limit, which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan’s Toyoake City, will not be binding, and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance.

The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems,” Mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday.

The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00 pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10:00 pm.

The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic.

“I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X.

“In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another.

Others said smartphone use should be a decision for families to make for themselves.

The angry response prompted the mayor to clarify that the two-hour limit was not mandatory, emphasising that the guidelines “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life”.

The ordinance will be considered next week, and if passed, it will come into effect in October.

In 2020, the western Kagawa region issued a first-of-its-kind ordinance calling for children to be limited to an hour a day of gaming during the week, and 90 minutes during school holidays.

It also suggested children aged 12 to 15 should not be allowed to use smartphones later than 9:00 pm, with the limit rising to 10:00 pm for children between 15 and 18.

Japanese youth spend slightly over five hours on average a day online on weekdays, according to a survey published in March by the Children and Families Agency.