NEWS
Ibadan Fire Incident Victims Ask Makinde To Investigate N10m Palliative
Traders who suffered loses in the Apata ,Ibadan fire incident have cried out over what they described as intimidation and cheating by touts who allegedly hijacked the N10million palliative donated to them by Governor Seyi Makinde last week.
The victims who stormed the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ) on Thursday appealed to the donor, Governor Makinde to assist them by investigating how the money was distributed.
Recall that a petrol tanker recently lost control and caught fire at Apata.
It was gathered that some houses and shops were burnt during the 15th December 2022 fire incident at Apata, Ibadan.
It was learnt that Governor Seyi Makinde who visited the area some hours after the incident announced a sum of N10m as palliative for the affected traders.
The affected people during a protest on Thursday alleged that the wrong people collected the money, calling on Gov Makinde to come to their aid.
The victims stormed the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, secretariat at Iyaganku in Ibadan on Thursday bearing placards with various inscriptions. They asserted that they were sidelined while others claimed they were given insignificant share of the money.
According to them, 45 beneficiaries were listed but after the money was released, the list grew to more than 70.
They also claimed that the beneficiaries list was later doctored to accommodate those who were not affected, while the four representatives apportioned to themselves the lion share of the money.
One of the victims, Adunni Olasunkanmi, said that the house she lived in and stored her goods was burnt but she was only given a sum of one hundred thousand naira.
She alleged that many people who were not affected were given huge sums of money.
She said: “My name is Olasunkanmi Adunni, a bread and essential goods seller affected by the fire. The first day that the governor visited the scene of the accident, he promised to give us N10m as a relief fund, and later, his representatives brought the cash to us.
“There were 45 names on the list but unfortunately, that list increased with those who were not affected. We don’t know the new beneficiaries. The house I lived in and stored my goods was burnt and I was only lucky to escape with my four children.
” Initially, the sum of N500,000 was penciled as the amount I was to collect but I was only given N100,000. Aminat Bamidele, who did not lose anything to the fire because she was not among the traders affected got N300,000. Someone who claimed to be a shoemaker got N200,000. I lost over N12m worth of property to the fire”.
Another protester, Temilade Makinde, whose store was burnt in the fire, said she was promised N500,000 but got N60,000.
She urged Gov Makinde to investigate the disbursement of the money.
“A day before the fire incident, I stocked the store with N1.3m worth of foodstuff but everything is gone including the building housing the store. In the list, N500,000 was estimated as compensation for me but after the list was doctored, I was given N60,000. We appeal to the governor to investigate the disbursement of the money and retrieve victims’ money from imposters, ” she said.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has inaugurated a 12-member committee tasked with recovering government vehicles reportedly in private hands.
The committee, led by Kelly Okungbowa, has been given a two-week mandate to retrieve the vehicles and ensure their return to the state government.
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Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo emphasized the importance of accountability in the management of public resources.
He urged the committee to carry out its assignment thoroughly and within the bounds of the law.
In his response, Okungbowa expressed gratitude to the governor for entrusting the team with the assignment, vowing to deliver results within the stipulated timeframe.
“A lot of vehicles used by the past administration are missing, as those in custody of the vehicles have refused to return them,” Okungbowa said.
“The governor deemed it fit to inaugurate us today with a mandate to recover all government vehicles in private hands.”
The committee, which includes representatives from Edo’s three senatorial districts, is set to investigate and recover the vehicles based on credible intelligence already at their disposal.
“We already have vital information regarding some persons still holding government vehicles,” Okungbowa stated. “We will do the job according to the law, and both the government and the people will be satisfied with the outcome.”
He also called on members of the public to assist the committee by providing information about any government vehicles that may still be in private possession.
“We want to appeal to members of the public who might be aware of anyone still keeping government vehicles in their houses to please inform us to enable the committee to recover such for the Edo State Government,” Okungbowa said.
The committee’s vice chairman, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, will work alongside other members to ensure the success of the initiative. The public can reach the committee at 08110165121.
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