Headline

Obaseki Signs N321.4bn 2023 Appropriation Bill Into Law

Published

3 years ago

December 20, 2022

The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday, signed the state’s 2023 Appropriation Bill pegged at N321.3bn into law after the bill was passed by the Edo State House of Assembly.

Signing the bill at the Government House, Benin City, Governor Obaseki said most of the projects in the budget would be funded from Internally Generated Revenue.

He said, “The budget for 2023 is a watershed budget because as we reviewed the year 2022, we found out that we broke every record in the year 2022.

“In terms of budget performance, we hit more than 90 per cent, which is considered excellent. This means that we got more than 90 per cent of our estimated revenue of N220bn in the finance budget for 2022.

“We also insisted and emphasized a lot more on capital expenditure than recurrent. Unfortunately, we had a very long rainy season but as you can see now, contractors are on site and work is going on on a lot of roads across the 3 senatorial districts of the state and some of these works will spill over into the New Year.

“More of the resources we have earned has gone into serving the people of Edo State to build infrastructure, whether road or electricity, among others, that the people need so that their businesses can thrive. We have also not neglected investments in education, skills development, job creation and health.

These items cut up the bulk of what we earned and spent in the year 2022.”

Obaseki continued: “Clearly, we now see that we can achieve what we are estimating for the year 2023, provided that the citizens of the state cooperate with us.

“Bulk of these projects will be funded by internally generated revenue and because of the improvement in the economic environment, businesses are thriving, particularly in the areas of construction and real estate services. We expect that those businesses that are doing well will pay the taxes due to them. The government is doing its best to boost the economic environment so we expect that citizens must also contribute by paying their tax revenues.

“We are going to be emphasizing revenue collection in 2023 for those who are making money. We know them and have their data. We believe we will earn all that we have estimated. We are not relying solely on oil receipts from the federal government but on ourselves and our citizens. We want to assure you that every Kobo of tax revenue spent will be on capital development.”

The governor further commended the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Marcus Onobun and other members of the Assembly for the speedy consideration of the budget.

Earlier, while presenting the bill to the governor, Onobun said the Assembly slightly reviewed the estimates upwards from the initial N320bn to ensure equitable distribution of projects across Edo’s three senatorial districts.

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

35 minutes ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

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Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

1 hour ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

1 hour ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.