News

Ondo Govt Drags Developer Before Wike Over FCT Land

Published

2 years ago

September 17, 2023

The Ondo State Government has petitioned the Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike over a plot of land originally allocated to it but now allegedly being developed by a private individual.

The state government in a letter dated September 08, 2023 through one of the counsels to its Development and Property Corporation, Ojen Obase Esq. of Effiong Bob & Associates had appealed to Wike to urgently retrieve its land from the Managing Director of Frank Woopet Engineering Limited, Frank Okoye.

It said it had requested for reversal of resolutions of FCT Land Use and Allocation Committee and restore the land to its rightful owner, Ondo State Development and Property Corporation.

The letter with the title: “RE: Conveyance of Hon. Minister, FCT’s Approval of FCT Land Use & Allocation Committee’s Resolutions over Infractions of Frank Woopet Engineering Ltd on Plot No. 50 Wumba C10 District , Passionate Request for Reversal of Resolutions of FCT Land Use & Allocation Committee” which made reference to an earlier letter dated 22nd March 2023 noted among other things that, “Consequent upon their letter dated 22nd day of March, 2023, a meeting was convened by the Director of Development Control which meeting was attended to by the Director of Development Control, Frank Okoye of Frank Woopet Engineering Limited & the consultant, ALIADE Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd to our client on the 20th February 2023, wherein contending parties were asked to present title documents in which their client presented but Frank Woopet Engineering Ltd could not present documents of title, TDP/claims to having any title in or near plot 50 Wumba, C10 District.

“Despite his failure to prove his title, the said Frank Okoye has continued to develop on our client’s land even after the demolition carried out by the Department of Development Control, FCTA on the land on the 19th January, 2023 with the aim to take over the Land of Ondo State Government through members of the Land Use Allocation Committee.

“We, on behalf of our client, passionately appeal to Your Excellency to reverse the resolution of the FCT Land Use Allocation Committee and restore our client’s land to her”.

While expressing hope that its plea will be granted by the Minister, the state government wished Wike well in his desire to reposition the FCT for good.

Firm reacts

However, Okoye on his part denounced the claims, saying while he was allocated Plot 20, the Ondo corporation was given Plot 50, both for “accelerated development”.

He said he had since developed his plot and people had been living there for the past 12 years, and that the Administration had offered a compensatory plot to the corporation which it rejected.

Okoye said; “This is an old matter, since 2006. We have been to the Federal High Court twice and the court asked us to go for arbitration which we did twice.

“We were both given the plots of land for free by the FCTA to develop mass housing – accelerated development. I started in 2006 and in 2009, the then minister, Moddibo, reportedly withdrew my allocation. They never told me. They didn’t write it call me. The court asked them whether they did all these and they said no. Meanwhile, I was on site carrying out the assignment I signed up for – to develop 250 houses on a certain acreage. Of course, what I built was more than what I was given, quite alright. It was not a secret and our landlord, the FCDA, deliberated on it and said they liked my concept of not tampering with the natural habitat or turning it into a modern slum. The FCDA asked the Ondo corporation to allow me continue and that they will be given another plot.

“But of late, the Permanent Secretary who comes from the same Ondo state and was chairman of the land use allocation committee that sat on the matter and recommended to the minister that Frank Woopet be allowed to continue development, a recommendation that was approved by the immediate-past minister has now turned around after some weeks to say another thing. So, is the Permanent Secretary now countering a ministerial approval?

“I do not really know what they want because we have developed the place and people have been living there for the past 12 years. The court asked them where they were all through the years and they said they were busy doing other things. So, is it now after 15 years that they want to start a project that was tagged “accelerated development”?

“I was given Plot 20. Theirs is Plot 50. Mine was approved two weeks before theirs. They are two different plots. The FCTA has offered to give them another allocation to cover for the parts they said I encroached on but the Ondo corporation is asking for double of an allocation that the FCTA gave them free”.
VANGUARD

News

LG Chairman Drags Niger Govt To Court Over Alleged Tenure Reduction

Published

10 hours ago

July 25, 2025

Editor

Alhaji Aminu Yakubu-Ladan, the Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area (LGA) in Niger, has sued the state government over alleged reduction of tenure of local government chairmen and councillors.

Yakubu-Ladan, in the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, sought an order restraining the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) and its co-defendants from conducting the scheduled LGAs’ election until the expiration of their tenure.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NSIEC has fixed November 1 for the conduct of the local government poll across the state.

However, the plaintiff, in the suit, named the Attorney-General of Niger State, the House of Assembly, NSIEC, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Inspector-General (IG) of Police as 1st to 5th defendants respectively.

The chairman is challenging the constitutionality of the Niger State Local Government Law, 2001, which seeks to reduce the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors from four years to three years.

Yakubu-Ladan, in the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1370/2025, dated July 10 but filed July 11 by his counsel, Chris Udeoyibo, sought eight questions for determination.

The chairman questions whether the state government can enforce inconsistent local government law, 2001 (as amended), which clashed with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.

“Should Niger State Local Government Law Section 29 (2) be declared unconstitutional for clashing with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022,” he said.

The plaintiff seeks a declaration that a four-year tenure for local government chairmen and councillors is constitutionally guaranteed by virtue of the Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022.

The suit also challenged the NSIEC’s preparation for the local government elections slated for November 1.

The plaintiff, therefore, seeks an order restraining the defendants from the elections on Nov. 1 until the expiration of a four-year tenure for chairmen and councillors.

The suit also seeks to restrain INEC and the I-G from providing logistical support and security protection for the election.

Yakubu-Ladan argued that the state’s local government law, 2001, is inconsistent with Section 7 of the constitution and Sections 018 and 150 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The suit is yet to be assigned to a judge as of the time of the report.

News

France’s Top Court Annuls Arrest Warrant Against Syria’s Ex-president al-Assad

Published

11 hours ago

July 25, 2025

Editor

France’s highest court Friday annulled a French arrest warrant against Syria’s ex-president Bashar al-Assad — issued before his ouster — over 2013 deadly chemical attacks.

The Court of Cassation ruled there were no exceptions to presidential immunity, even for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

But its presiding judge, Christophe Soulard, added that, as Assad was no longer president after an Islamist-led group toppled him in December, “new arrest warrants can have been, or can be, issued against him” and as such the investigation into the case could continue.

Human rights advocates had hoped the court would rule that immunity did not apply because of the severity of the allegations, which would have set a major precedent in international law towards holding accused war criminals to account.

French authorities issued the warrant against Assad in November 2023 over his alleged role in the chain of command for a sarin gas attack that killed more than 1,000 people, according to US intelligence, on August 4 and 5, 2013 in Adra and Douma outside Damascus.

Assad is accused of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the case. Syrian authorities at the time denied involvement and blamed rebels.

– Universal jurisdiction –

The French judiciary tackled the case under the principle of universal jurisdiction, whereby a court may prosecute individuals for serious crimes committed in other countries.

An investigation — based on testimonies of survivors and military defectors, as well as photos and video footage — led to warrants for the arrest of Assad, his brother Maher who headed an elite army unit, and two generals.

Public prosecutors approved three of the warrants, but issued an appeal against the one targeting Assad, arguing he should have immunity as a head of state.

The Paris Court of Appeal in June last year however upheld it, and prosecutors again appealed.

But in December, Assad’s circumstances changed.

He and his family fled to Russia, according to Russian authorities, after he was ousted by advancing rebels.

In January, French investigating magistrates issued a second arrest warrant against Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes for a bombing in the Syrian city of Deraa in 2017 that killed a French-Syrian civilian.

– Indictment of ex-bank governor valid –

The Court of Cassation said Assad’s so called “personal immunity”, granted because of his office, meant he could not be targeted by arrest warrants until his ouster.

But it ruled that “functional immunity”, which is granted to people who perform certain functions of state, could be lifted in the case of accusations of severe crimes.

Thus it upheld the French judiciary’s indictment in another case of ex-governor of the Central Bank of Syria and former finance minister, Adib Mayaleh, for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity over alleged funding of the Assad government during the civil war.

Headline

Fashion Designers, IT Specialists: UK Opens Door To Foreign Talents With New Visa Rules

Published

11 hours ago

July 25, 2025

Editor

The United Kingdom has expanded its Skilled Worker visa route to include more than 70 mid-level occupations, opening the door for foreign professionals such as fashion designers, technicians, and IT specialists to work in the country with salaries starting from €29,000.

This move, which took effect on July 22, 2025, is part of the government’s strategy to tackle urgent labour shortages by easing access to roles traditionally considered outside the high-skilled visa category.

The update introduces a newly expanded Temporary Shortage Occupation List (TSOL), which comes with significantly lower salary thresholds and streamlined visa processes for eligible roles across sectors such as engineering, construction, healthcare, science, finance, creative arts, and information technology.

The changes reflect a deliberate shift to address staffing gaps in industries critical to the UK economy.

Under the revised rules, salary requirements now vary based on an applicant’s visa history. While standard

thresholds still apply to newcomers, those categorized as “new entrants,” PhD holders, or individuals with continuous Skilled Worker visas prior to April 4, 2024, can qualify at lower salary levels.

For instance, a pipe fitter who previously needed to earn at least £46,000 can now be eligible with £40,400. Engineering technicians are permitted at £34,700, down from £42,500. In the creative sector, fashion designers can now qualify with £29,100, while data analysts in tech are eligible at £28,600. Laboratory technicians in science and healthcare can apply with £25,000, reduced from the standard £33,400.

This restructured visa list is seen as a direct response to economic and political pressures surrounding skills shortages. It seeks to make the UK labor market more globally competitive while addressing domestic gaps in practical, mid-level roles.

Despite these new allowances, all applicants must still meet basic eligibility requirements, including having a confirmed job offer from a licensed UK sponsor and obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship. Applications must also include proof of qualifications, salary information, and a valid job match aligned with the official occupation codes.

Although the government describes the updated list as temporary, no fixed end date has been announced.