The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Solid Mineral Development, has enlisted the services of 2,220 security personnel to tackle illegal mining and enforce mining laws across the nation.
The newly formed Mining Marshal Corps received their mandate from Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Dele Alake during a ceremony at the ministry headquarters in Abuja.
With a command structure spanning all 36 states and the FCT, the marshals aim to ensure security at mining sites, eliminate illegal activities, and safeguard Nigeria’s mineral resources.
This initiative follows President Bola Tinubu’s establishment of an inter-ministerial committee tasked with developing a blueprint for securing the country’s natural resources.
Led by Chief Superintendent of Corps Attah John Onoja, the Mines Marshal Corps is poised to collaborate with other security agencies to combat illegal mining and protect national assets and infrastructure.
Amidst recent fluctuations in the exchange rate of the Nigerian naira against major currencies like the dollar, the presidency has expressed optimism about the naira’s forthcoming appreciation.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanug, has admonished currency speculators to divest their holdings of dollars to avoid potential losses.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently announced the clearance of the country’s foreign exchange backlog, amounting to $7 billion, with the assistance of an independent auditing firm.
This move is expected to bolster the naira and stabilize the forex market. Nigerian authorities have intensified efforts to strengthen the naira, including clamping down on forex speculators and Bureau de Change operators.
The CBN has implemented reforms, consolidating forex transactions into the Investors and Exporters window, thereby streamlining the forex market. President Tinubu’s administration has pledged comprehensive economic reforms to revitalize Nigeria’s economy, with forex stability being a key focus area.
In response to the escalating security challenges facing Nigeria, 16 state governors have rallied behind the establishment of state police forces.T
This development was disclosed during the 140th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
While 20 governors and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are yet to submit their positions on the matter, the governors who endorsed state police also called for a review of the Nigerian Constitution.
The clamor for state police has gained momentum amidst increasing incidents of kidnapping and banditry across the nation.
Regional socio-political groups and governors from various geopolitical zones have advocated for localized security outfits, such as Amotekun in the South-West and Ebube Agu in the South-East.
However, the effectiveness of these state-established security outfits has been hindered by the lack of federal government backing.
Calls persist for these outfits to be equipped with assault rifles to effectively combat armed criminal elements.
“I have been watching various committees summoning ministers and heads of agencies. I have complained to the Speaker to let the poor breathe. Let these people do the job. We are not saying that you are not influential. “We are not saying you cannot do your oversight. “But consider the primary duty of each agency, its personnel, or the responsibilities of the Governor of the Central Bank or the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to you and the entire nation.” These were the complaints laid before the leadership of the Federal House of Representatives, by President Bola Tinubu, when he hosted them, including Speaker Abbas, to breaking of Ramadan Fast, at the presidential villa last night, March 20. The President specifically appealed to members of the National Assembly to exercise restraint in summoning heads of ministries, departments and agencies before parliamentary committees for questioning. The President acknowledged the oversight duties of the legislature which he said is essential for maintaining transparency and accountability in governance, saying however that excessive summoning of officials can disrupt operations and hinder service delivery to citizens. ”If they are distracted or disturbed, maybe we will shift parliamentary sitting all through the night. We must find a way to accommodate one another. This is an appeal to you. “See if you can accept representatives in some instances or even documentations.”
President Bola Tinubu has announced that military officers who were killed by civilian youths at Okuoma in Delta State recently would be given a befitting burial and national honours. ”In responding to distress calls, they met the end of their lives in a savage manner. Let us work to sympathize and symbolize the fact that they are worth the sacrifices they have made for Nigeria. ”We salute all our men and women in uniform, and we sympathize with them. I will soon make further pronouncements, but they must have a befitting burial and national honours.” Tinubu spoke last night, March 20, at the breaking of Ramadan Fast in Abuja with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and the leadership of the House. The President expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the bereaved and pledged that the sacrifices of the fallen heroes would never be in vain. President Tinubu lauded the existing cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature, saying that the harmonious working relationship had resulted in the expeditious passage of several bills to improve the welfare of Nigerians. He asked the legislators not to forget their constituencies and to take advantage of the holy month of Ramadan to show compassion and support the less privileged in society. ”We are making sacrifices for the country, and we are assuring citizens that there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel. ”We must have faith, and please do not forget your constituencies and remember what they are going through. ”I cannot thank you enough for what you are doing, but it is for our country. There is nothing personal about this. It is for Nigeria, and we have no other country but Nigeria.” Responding, the Speaker of Reps emphasized the importance of forgiveness, generosity, and prayers during Ramadan and called for unity in the nation and support for President Tinubu.
”I want to urge us to use this month to increase our good deeds and minimize our bad deeds.”
Reflecting on the 10 months of this administration, the Speaker noted that the executive and the legislature have continued to work in synergy for the progress of the country.
”So far, so good, the House has been very supportive of the President and his policies, and we shall continue to ensure that we work together.”
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd has stressed its commitment towards utilizing the abundant gas resources to trigger Nigeria’s industrialisation and economic development. The Executive Vice President of the NNPCL, Upstream, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan made this known during a Panel Session at the ongoing 2024 CERAWeek Conference in Houston, the United States. Eyesan, whose session addressed the theme: “What are the Choices for Upstream Strategies?” said that Nigeria is a predominantly gas-rich country which boasts of over 200TCF of gas that can be leveraged for the country’s industrialisation and economic development. She noted that NNPC Ltd plans to deepen gas utilization domestically for industrialization and ensuring that the entire country feels and optimizes the use of the resource. She said that the Company is vigorously opening avenues for infrastructural gas development through various gas projects spread across the country. “Our focus is how do we move from predominantly oil player to gas player and not just for gas for the sake of gas but gas for power generation, and for industrialization.” Eyesan said that the NNPC Ltd is also focused on emission reduction and gas flare-out. “We want to capture all gas flared, utilize it and for domestic use and and ultimately, increase our energy transition footprints. “NNPC is keying into the government agenda of using gas as a transition fuel and for us, we want to ensure not only the domestic gas market, but we also expand that to the region and internationally.” She called on African countries to collaborate with one another in order to ensure even distribution of energy resources, adding that collaboration is key as not all countries within the sub-region are endowed with equal with equal proportion of energy resources. “For us to ensure that we continue to subsist within the sub-region, we must be willing to work collaboratively and ensure that there is even distribution of energy resources we have across the sub-region.” On energy transition, Eyesan said that the subject has evolved over the years and that for Sub-Saharan Africa, the narrative has been on how to address the energy poverty issue while for Nigeria, the NNPC Ltd. will continue to look at areas where it has competitive advantage to define the strategy. Other energy experts on the panel are the Chief Upstream Strategist, Energy, S&P Global Commodity Insights, Bob Fryklund; President of Pathways Alliance, Kendall Dilling and the Executive Vice President, Exploration and Production International, Equinor, Philippe Mathieu.
Spokesperson of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali has identified the clearing of the foreign exchange transactions backlog as part of the overall strategy to stabilise the exchange rate and thereby curb what it called “imported inflation.” In a statement in Abuja, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali said that such measure was detailed in last month’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting. She announced that through gradual and meticulous processes, the apex bank had finally cleared all valid foreign exchange backlogs, thereby fulfilling a key pledge of the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, to process an inherited backlog of US$7 billion in claims. Hakama Sidi Ali said that the CBN recently concluded the payment of $1.5 billion to settle obligations to bank customers, effectively settling the residual balance of the FX backlog. She sad that independent auditors from Deloitte Consulting meticulously assessed these transactions to ensure that only legitimate claims were honoured, saying that any invalid transactions were promptly referred to the relevant authorities for further scrutiny. She recalled that at a recent meeting, Governor Cardoso had vowed to make clearing the FX backlog a priority to restore credibility and confidence in the economy. She quoted him as saying: “it was important that we go through an independent and credible process that would determine the authenticity of those obligations, and, at this point, I can tell you that we have now cleared all genuine, verifiable transactions. This encumbrance to market confidence in the country’s ability to meet its obligations is now totally behind us.” She said that Cardoso used the MPC meeting and a subsequent conference call with foreign portfolio investors to set expectations for sustained increases in Nigeria’s foreign currency reserves and improved liquidity in the foreign exchange market. According to the spokesperson, the CBN followed this month by reporting a significant increase in external reserves, rising by $993 million to $34.11 billion as of March 7, 2024, the highest level in eight months. “The month-on-month increase was driven by a marked advance in remittance payments by Nigerians overseas, as well as higher purchases of local assets, including government debt securities, by foreign investors.”
Okuoma community is an Urhobo community in Ughelli south Local Government Area (LGA) located along the Forcados River. It shares boundaries with Akugbene and Okoloba communities, and both are Izon (Ijaw) speaking communities, located in Bomadi L.G.A of Delta State. Both communities have lived together peacefully for over 3 centuries now. Okuoma community is in Ewu-urphie clan of the Urhobo tribe of Delta State. Their major occupation is farming and fishing. There are other Urhobo communities along the Forcados River who all share boundary with the Izon speaking communities. They are also follows: Gbaregolor, Okuoma, Olota, Alagbabiri communities e.tc., all these communities are in Ughelli South L.G.A and they all share boundaries with the Izon speaking communities. These communities have lived with the Izon speaking communities for several centuries. They have had intermarriages, inter trades, among themselves for some centuries. We have several families who are from both tribes (Urhobo and Ijaw). In the olden days, for you to be crowned a king in Izon land, you must have your maternal root from the Urhobos. I don’t know if that tradition is still in practice. I know some few Kings whose that maternal roots are from the Urhobo tribe, e.g. HRM Oporomor Godspower of Bomadi town (Ijaw community) in Bomadi L.G.A. He had his maternal root from Gbaregolor community (Urhobo community) which is located along the Forcados River. His Royal Highness, king of Akugbene community (Ijaw town) has his maternal root from Okuoma community (Urhobo town). The king of Akugbene community influenced some developments in Okuoma, like construction of jetty at the waterfront of Okuoma, e.t.c. These people (Urhobos and Ijaws) are one people because they are related by blood or marriage in one way or another. Mr. Barrister Smooth, a famous Ijaw singer once said in his song “When you come to my house you can’t separate Ijaw man from Urhobo man because they all live together as one. We are one people.” Back to the main issue; Okuoma community had land dispute with their neighboring community Okoloba over common boundary. The land dispute has been lingering for quite a long time now. At the boundary side of Okoloba community there is a white mansion, this mansion belongs to a warlord, a man known to be a right-hand man to Mr. Government Tompolo. Okoloba community have always claimed ownership of the land on which the Okuoma community is located, they always say the “Okuoma inhabitants are their tenants.” If you recall, I earlier said there is a mansion at boundary of both communities, this mansion is owned by a warlord from Okoloba (Ijaw community) this man is so influential and he owns a shrine in this mansion where he practices human sacrifices as rituals in worshipping his war god; Egbesu. Last month February, this man armed his boys and attacked a commercial boat conveying some Okuoma community boys namely Igho and co. These boys were all murdered by this warlord and he labeled them criminals. He wrote to JTF (Joint Task Force) that they were criminals. Remember, I told you that he is Tompolo’s right-hand man He is so influential and connected that whatsoever he tells the JTF is what they accept, because his boss Tompolo owns Tantita Security Forces and they control the creeks. This act alone triggered the grievance of the Okuoma community. When this warlord’s gang want to carry these crimes, they put on army camouflage so it’s difficult to differentiate genuine Army personnel from these hoodlums. Last week, a man named Anthony Aboh from Okoloba community went missing, his relation from Okoloba community, an Honorable member, believed that It was the Okuoma community that kidnapped him to retaliate for the attack which was carried out on the Okuoma community boys, so they reported the issue to the Bomadi JTF. Just before he reported, the body of the alleged kidnapped man was discovered floating on River Forcados at Ayakoromor community. His hands were tied and he had been beheaded (that was the picture displayed on Social Media with the fallen soldiers body). This annoyed the Okoloba community so much, the Honorable and some delegates from the Okoloba reported to JTF, which then proceeded to Okuoma community on March 14th, 2024 with some soldiers in company of the Honorable. On reaching there, they met with the chairman and elders of the community in their town hall and they brought up the case of the kidnapped beheaded man with the community leaders. The chairman and elders all denied saying they know nothing of such case, which made the soldiers ask the elders and community leaders to lie on the floor. The Army then insisted on arresting the community leaders and that was where the crises erupted from. The information got to the youths that fake soldiers have come to terrorize the community again, and when they turned up there was argument between the Army and community youths. The Army released some gun shots, leading to a full blown war between the youths and the Army because they believed they were fake soldiers. They were killed in error. It is a case of mistaken identity. The people of Okuoma where soldiers were killed were attacked by Ijaws (Okoloba warlord) and they suffered casualties, mind you when this warlord carried out the dastardly act they wore Army camouflage. Within the same week, on sighting men in uniform again in the Okuoma community they believed they were the same set of Ijaws warriors from Okoloba again and retaliated, killing all of them not knowing that they were real soldiers…… My fellow Nigerians, this is the real cause of the crises. March 15th, Okuoma was raided and razed down by Nigeria Army because of the death about 16 fallen soldiers, women, children, and aged men weren’t spared, but funny enough the actual perpetrators have since fled the community leaving those who are either too old, too weak, too sick, too young, or too innocent to flee. Till now, there’s still crying, gnashing of teeth, and blood flow around the Forcados River axis. On March 17th yesterday the Army stormed the white mansion at the border after gathering intelligence, on reaching there, they were amazed at what they discovered in the shrine at the white mansion. This mansion is situated at the River bank; they discovered fresh and dried human skulls of innocent people who were used by this warlord as sacrifices for his god (Egbesu). Angered, the Nigerian Army burned down the mansion. Some fake soldiers were also arrested in the mansion. This is the true story of what happened that has claimed so many lives including the lives of a Lt. Colonel, 2 Majors, a Captain, and 12 soldiers, all men of the Nigeria Armed Forces…. Man’s wickedness to man. God save our souls.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may soon be thrown into legal tango with five dismissed directors who are planning to take legal action against the bank for what they consider to be an unlawful termination of their appointments.
The hint of the dismissal of 19 directors was dropped recently after the termination of seven directors last week Friday. Two directors are said to have accepted their termination quietly but are facing a case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) due to their implication in the Obazee report. The termination letters sent to the seven directors by the apex bank cited “re-organizational and human capital restructuring” as the reason for their dismissal, in line with the bank’s new strategic direction. The letters said that their services would no longer be required with effect from Friday, 15th March 2024, and they were instructed to hand over all bank properties in their possession to their department’s administrator immediately. The five directors who are contesting their termination are reportedly upset as no wrongdoing has been attributed to them, and they have not been implicated in any misconduct. One of the directors affected has just two years and two months left in service. The situation at the CBN has sparked discussions and concerns about the impact of the dismissals on the bank’s operations and the fate of the affected directors. Source: PRNigeria.
“My wife is having extra- marital affairs. She confessed to me that only my second child was my biological child. “She said that the other two were not my biological children.” These were the statement made to a Customary Court in Jikwoyi, Abuja, by a plumber, Desmond Igbo, to justify his reason for wanting a divorce with his wife, Rosemary. The man, who resides within the jurisdiction of the court, said that she had been taking care of his wife and the children for about 13 years . “This is heartbreaking. It is on this issue that I seek to divorce my wife.” He told the court that there was no love and understanding in the marriage. The wife, who is a businesswoman, however denied the allegations. The trial Judge, Thelma Baba, advised the couple to explore reconciliation, and adjourned the matter until 25, for report of settlement/hearing. Source: NAN.
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Crises At Okuoma Community In Delta And Killing Of 16 Nigeria Soldiers, By Anonymous
Okuoma community is an Urhobo community in Ughelli south Local Government Area (LGA) located along the Forcados River. It shares boundaries with Akugbene and Okoloba communities, and both are Izon (Ijaw) speaking communities, located in Bomadi L.G.A of Delta State. Both communities have lived together peacefully for over 3 centuries now. Okuoma community is in Ewu-urphie clan of the Urhobo tribe of Delta State.
Their major occupation is farming and fishing.
There are other Urhobo communities along the Forcados River who all share boundary with the Izon speaking communities. They are also follows: Gbaregolor, Okuoma, Olota, Alagbabiri communities e.tc., all these communities are in Ughelli South L.G.A and they all share boundaries with the Izon speaking communities.
These communities have lived with the Izon speaking communities for several centuries. They have had intermarriages, inter trades, among themselves for some centuries.
We have several families who are from both tribes (Urhobo and Ijaw). In the olden days, for you to be crowned a king in Izon land, you must have your maternal root from the Urhobos. I don’t know if that tradition is still in practice. I know some few Kings whose that maternal roots are from the Urhobo tribe, e.g. HRM Oporomor Godspower of Bomadi town (Ijaw community) in Bomadi L.G.A.
He had his maternal root from Gbaregolor community (Urhobo community) which is located along the Forcados River. His Royal Highness, king of Akugbene community (Ijaw town) has his maternal root from Okuoma community (Urhobo town). The king of Akugbene community influenced some developments in Okuoma, like construction of jetty at the waterfront of Okuoma, e.t.c.
These people (Urhobos and Ijaws) are one people because they are related by blood or marriage in one way or another. Mr. Barrister Smooth, a famous Ijaw singer once said in his song “When you come to my house you can’t separate Ijaw man from Urhobo man because they all live together as one. We are one people.”
Back to the main issue;
Okuoma community had land dispute with their neighboring community Okoloba over common boundary. The land dispute has been lingering for quite a long time now. At the boundary side of Okoloba community there is a white mansion, this mansion belongs to a warlord, a man known to be a right-hand man to Mr. Government Tompolo.
Okoloba community have always claimed ownership of the land on which the Okuoma community is located, they always say the “Okuoma inhabitants are their tenants.”
If you recall, I earlier said there is a mansion at boundary of both communities, this mansion is owned by a warlord from Okoloba (Ijaw community) this man is so influential and he owns a shrine in this mansion where he practices human sacrifices as rituals in worshipping his war god; Egbesu.
Last month February, this man armed his boys and attacked a commercial boat conveying some Okuoma community boys namely Igho and co. These boys were all murdered by this warlord and he labeled them criminals.
He wrote to JTF (Joint Task Force) that they were criminals. Remember, I told you that he is Tompolo’s right-hand man He is so influential and connected that whatsoever he tells the JTF is what they accept, because his boss Tompolo owns Tantita Security Forces and they control the creeks.
This act alone triggered the grievance of the Okuoma community. When this warlord’s gang want to carry these crimes, they put on army camouflage so it’s difficult to differentiate genuine Army personnel from these hoodlums.
Last week, a man named Anthony Aboh from Okoloba community went missing, his relation from Okoloba community, an Honorable member, believed that It was the Okuoma community that kidnapped him to retaliate for the attack which was carried out on the Okuoma community boys, so they reported the issue to the Bomadi JTF.
Just before he reported, the body of the alleged kidnapped man was discovered floating on River Forcados at Ayakoromor community. His hands were tied and he had been beheaded (that was the picture displayed on Social Media with the fallen soldiers body). This annoyed the Okoloba community so much, the Honorable and some delegates from the Okoloba reported to JTF, which then proceeded to Okuoma community on March 14th, 2024 with some soldiers in company of the Honorable. On reaching there, they met with the chairman and elders of the community in their town hall and they brought up the case of the kidnapped beheaded man with the community leaders.
The chairman and elders all denied saying they know nothing of such case, which made the soldiers ask the elders and community leaders to lie on the floor. The Army then insisted on arresting the community leaders and that was where the crises erupted from.
The information got to the youths that fake soldiers have come to terrorize the community again, and when they turned up there was argument between the Army and community youths.
The Army released some gun shots, leading to a full blown war between the youths and the Army because they believed they were fake soldiers. They were killed in error. It is a case of mistaken identity.
The people of Okuoma where soldiers were killed were attacked by Ijaws (Okoloba warlord) and they suffered casualties, mind you when this warlord carried out the dastardly act they wore Army camouflage.
Within the same week, on sighting men in uniform again in the Okuoma community they believed they were the same set of Ijaws warriors from Okoloba again and retaliated, killing all of them not knowing that they were real soldiers……
My fellow Nigerians, this is the real cause of the crises.
March 15th, Okuoma was raided and razed down by Nigeria Army because of the death about 16 fallen soldiers, women, children, and aged men weren’t spared, but funny enough the actual perpetrators have since fled the community leaving those who are either too old, too weak, too sick, too young, or too innocent to flee.
Till now, there’s still crying, gnashing of teeth, and blood flow around the Forcados River axis. On March 17th yesterday the Army stormed the white mansion at the border after gathering intelligence, on reaching there, they were amazed at what they discovered in the shrine at the white mansion.
This mansion is situated at the River bank; they discovered fresh and dried human skulls of innocent people who were used by this warlord as sacrifices for his god (Egbesu).
Angered, the Nigerian Army burned down the mansion. Some fake soldiers were also arrested in the mansion. This is the true story of what happened that has claimed so many lives including the lives of a Lt. Colonel, 2 Majors, a Captain, and 12 soldiers, all men of the Nigeria Armed Forces…. Man’s wickedness to man.
God save our souls.