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Ondo Govt Drags Developer Before Wike Over FCT Land

Published

2 weeks ago

September 17, 2023

Editor

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

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Subsidy: CSO Threatens To Thwart Labour’s Oct 3 Planned Indefinite Strike

Published

1 hour ago

September 28, 2023

Editor

A Civil Society Organisation, CSO, operating under the aegis of Civil Society and Workers Dialogue Forum (CSWDF), has expressed its disapproval of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC’s planned indefinite strike scheduled to commence on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

The organisation described the proposed strike as sabotage and deliberate mischief, saying the union wasn’t sensitive to its part of dialogue with the Federal Government over the fuel subsidy removal impasse.

Reacting to the planned strike in a statement jointly signed and issued on Thursday by the group’s convener, Abubakar Ibrahim and co-conveners, Bashir Faisal and Rafiu Shaibu, they assured of their support if the two workers’ unions decided to toe the path of nobility.

According to the CSO, the Nigeria Labour Congress fully agreed to the withdrawal of fuel subsidy, which they also earlier advocated for, adding that “having the subsidy that has been draining government for centuries removed, it should be supported by all stakeholders”.

The group, having acknowledged the difficulty faced by Nigerians, explained that the Federal Government has made deft moves in rehabilitating the refineries to reduce the cost of petrol and gas importation.

It added that the recent distribution of palliative to the tune of N5 billion to each of the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT are part of mitigation measures until things normalise as no government anywhere in the world derives pleasure in the suffering of its people.

“The wage increase of workers is being negotiated with NLC constituting membership of the committee, hence, we are appalled at what the proposed strike intended to achieve.

“As opposed to the past, the NLC has always been on the negotiation table before any decision was taken by this administration.

“We recalled that in June this year, the Union was in talks with the FG over fuel subsidy removal without carrying other stakeholders along, which we protested our exclusion.

“Having agreed with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, only for the workers Union to recant and propose an indefinite strike is counter-productive and we will mobilise our members across the 36 States and FCT for anti-NLC protest.

“This statement should serve as official notice to the Director of State Service DSS, IGP and other security agencies, that we are going to mobilise to streets against NLC on 3rd October, 2023,” the CSO stressed.

The group recalled that some states have purchased buses for public transportation and have also added funds to the federal government’s offer to them, insisting that the proposed strike was inappropriate.

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Nigerian Artistes In Strange Covenant With Devil – Nigerian Prophet

Published

1 hour ago

September 28, 2023

Editor

The spiritual head of the Wisdom Church of Christ International, Prophet Bisi Olujobi, has said some Nigerian artistes have entered a strange covenant with the devil.

The Prophet said this in a statement he made available to DAILY POST on Thursday.

According to him, the artistes, in the desperation to achieve stardom, seek favour from the devil.

However, he noted that these celebrities did not know that the devil would take something back for every favour received from him.

“The devil cannot give anything without taking something reasonable in return. That is the game of the devil which they (Nigerian artistes) fail to realize,” he disclosed.

Olujobi called on Nigerian artistes and their African counterparts to return to God, who he described as the giver of all gifts.

The cleric said the strange covenant between the artistes and the devil would be the reason behind the untimely end of some of them in their prime.

“Nigerian artistes and their African counterparts have to return to God, the giver of all gifts, as many of them have entered into strange covenant that will eventually cut off their light at their peak,” he stressed.

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Zamfara Govt Bans Illegal Mining Activities

Published

1 hour ago

September 28, 2023

Editor

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has banned illegal mining activities and ordered law enforcement officials to take stringent action against violators.

The Governor, in a statement by his media aide, Suleiman Bala Idris, said that it was time to end destructive activities by implementing measures to protect the lives of the people in the State.

He stressed that security operatives had been given strict orders to take bold action and shoot on sight anyone found engaging in illegal mining.

“The directive is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the good people of Zamfara and deter potential wrongdoers from committing such acts.

“It is also a swift action to enable the State Government to be in total control of state resources and block activities that endanger the lives and properties of the people.

“Illegal mining is undeniably one of the driving forces behind the rampant banditry plaguing Zamfara State. We must take swift, decisive action to curb this menace and restore peace and security to our communities,” he said.

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