Three persons, including two women and a young boy, have reportedly been killed in a clash between local scavengers, otherwise referred to as baban bola, and residents of the Byazhin community, in Kubwa, Bwari Area Council of the FCT.
An eyewitness, who identified herself as Jessica Adam, told our correspondent that a baban bola attempted to steal a woman’s pot of soup, but was overpowered and beaten up after the woman alerted neighbors and passers-by.
The embittered baban bola then went away and mobilized hoodlums who returned at about 8pm wielding weapons including machetes, clubs, and stones and began attacking residents at random, eventually killing the woman whose pot of soup was earlier stolen.
In the attack, two others, a woman and a young boy, reported to be passers-by who unfortunately ran into the middle of the crisis, were also killed, they were, however, yet to be identified.
When I Heard It, I Nearly Collapsed – Father Of Toheeb, Victim Of Lagos Fuel Station Shooting.
“They killed two people yesterday. The community has been in chaos since yesterday. The crisis continued till this morning when they killed somebody again. So far, three persons have been killed and many injured. The Police intervened and restored normalcy, but no arrest was made. The Police have intensified their patrol in the Byazhin area of Kubwa to prevent them from regrouping,” Ms Adams narrated.
A resident in the community, confirmed the death of the three persons but said he had no clue as to what may have started the clash.
“Yes, the riot started yesterday. And by this morning, we learnt that three persons have been killed. It happened in Byazhin around that Millionaire’s Quarters, behind that Living Faith Church. That place is usually dangerous, because it is quite lonely, and you cannot pass through there alone, especially in the evening,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, PUNCH Online gathered that schools and shops in the area have been closed down, as parents scampered to pick up kids from their classrooms, and shops refused to open as of Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer of the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, proved abortive, as her number was repeatedly unreachable .
A 48-year-old Nigerian man, Olubunmi Abodunde, who murdered his wife, Taiwo, with a skateboard and blamed his loss of control on medication has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Kingdom.
The incident occurred in their New market home, resulting in Taiwo’s death from catastrophic brain injuries in November 2023. He, however, admitted to killing Taiwo, who suffered “catastrophic brain injuries”, the BBC reports.
The Ipswich Crown Court noted the intensity of the attack that led to her death at their Exiting Road residence. Abodunde faces a minimum of 17 years in prison before being considered for parole. The court learned that the day before Taiwo’s death, there was a domestic incident resulting in Abodunde’s arrest.
He was under bail conditions prohibiting contact with his spouse. The next morning, despite these conditions, Abodunde went to the family home to retrieve a mobile phone. Taiwo, a mother of three, was returning home from her overnight shift as a health care assistant.
Prosecutor Stephen Spence KC told the court that Abodunde was aware of his wife’s shift pattern and CCTV showed she had arrived back at about 09:12.
The court was informed that two officers had attended the property at about 09:20 to speak with Mrs Abodunde about the previous day’s domestic incident.
Spence stated, “Only the defendant now knows what happened. The officers repeatedly knocked on the door and notified them of their presence but got no response or heard any calls for help.”
However, between 40 and 50 “thuds” were heard and it was believed to be Abodunde attacking his wife. Officers were given clearance by senior police officials to enter the property at 09:45, the court was told.
Spe4nce added, “When they entered the front door, they immediately found the lifeless body of Mrs Abodunde with her skull smashed in.”
Meanwhile, a postmortem examination revealed that Taiwo had suffered “catastrophic brain injuries”.
She also had injuries that were consistent with her body being “stamped on” as well as being hit with a skateboard. This was found at the property covered in blood and fragments of skull. The court was told the victim had also been strangled. Meanwhile, the defendant could be heard sobbing from the dock as Spence addressed the court. Police forced their way into the home after hearing bangs.
“It seems to me that he was waiting for confrontation. There is no debate that there was not going to be confrontation in my view,” he stated.
Akudolu said Abodunde “was a very well-respected man” both here in the UK and in Nigeria where the couple had previously moved from. He had been a local councilor in Nigeria and had a local street in the country named after him. The court heard the couple had a “history of frequent disputes over bills and money” with some “low-level violence” involved.
Akudolu told the court that “not a day will go by that [Abodunde] does not regret the misery” that he has caused. In his ruling, Judge Levett described Taiwo’s killing as “ruthless, violent, savage and heartless”.
Levett said Abodunde had lied to officers telling them his wife had attempted to attack him with a knife the day before he murdered her, adding that Abodunde also claimed she had tried to beat him, but no evidence was found to substantiate this, the court was told.
Uche Anichukwu, the Senior Special Assistant to the Enugu State Governor on External Affairs may have leveraged the contacts he garnered in the Nigerian media industry during his days as a media aide to imprisoned Senator Ike Ekweremadu to limit the publication of the scandal that arose from the state government’s N100 billion partnership with a shadowy company, Pragmatic Farms Limited, but I doubt if the stains would go away simply because Nigeria’s national newspapers conspiratorially refused to give the story the story its deserved headline treatment.
I am aware that the Labour Party, which issued a statement on the scandalous development, distributed same to all the major newspapers and online publications, but none, except This Day considered it worthy of publication. But thanks to a highly democratized media industry, the news received wide publicity and people like us were able to read the salacious details of how the administration in Enugu signed a partnership worth N100 billion with a company that was, as documents from the Corporate Affairs Commission established, registered just four days before the agreement was signed.
It was a piece of news the government in Enugu wanted to make huge capital from. For one, the agreement, on the surface, was a headline-maker. As the country grapples with meltdowns across several sectors of the economy, any news of a government creatively exploring ways of making money draws the attention of everybody. Again, the project on which this agreement was signed was in the area of agriculture, which has been identified as a potential growth area for the national economy. Thirdly, it was meant to evoke compelling nostalgic emotions of the glorious era of the late M.I. Okpara era as the Premier of Eastern Nigeria and the strides they made in agriculture and industry: if Governor Mbah succeeded in connecting his government’s mission with that of the late M.I. Okpara, the people would transfer or at least connect the undying fire of love they still habour for the administration that managed Eastern Nigeria nearly 60 years ago to the current regime.
The question hanging in the air is how Diamond Stripes Limited has been able to operate power plans in Nigeria since 2013 without abiding by the global best practice of having a website.
But it did not work. Unlike in the days of slow information travel, people now have access to tools that can unravel any untruth in government communication and pump them through the bloodstream of the internet in seconds.
This was exactly what happened on May 11, 2024, when news from Enugu indicated that a N100 billion agreement had been signed between the government and Pragmatic Farms Limited towards resuscitating the government-owned United Palm Products Limited. Before the ink dried on the government press statement proclaiming this deal, internet-savvy citizens of the state had begun querying the propriety of the deal. They soon uncovered the data of Pragmatic Farms from the Corporate Affairs Commission, revealing that it was registered four days before the inking of the agreement.
Perhaps anticipating the difficult question of how a government would sign an agreement with such a young company, the media crew of the government cleverly inserted the name of Diamond Stripes Limited, a company said to be in the power industry, as the parent company of Pragmatic Farms.
But this attempt raised even more questions when it was discovered that Diamond Stripes Limited, according to information on its website (https://diamondstripes.com), was in the business of power generation and a few other businesses with no clear footprints. Diamond Stripes claims it is the concessionaire of the Onitsha River Port and has also been concessioned eight Silo complexes in Nigeria (Akure, Bauchi, Ekiti, Ikenne, Jos, Kano, Ogoja, Sokoto).
The concession conundrum
Rattled by the press statement issued by the Labour Party, Uche Anichukwu released an explainer in which he stated that the transaction with Pragmatic Farms would not cost the Enugu State Government any money and that the incorporation of the company four days before the signing of the agreement was to create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) “as the platform to transact the deal.”
Anichukwu, in the explainer, said: “As demanded by the Enugu State Government, Pragmatic Palms Ltd. provided a guarantor, which is Diamond Stripes Ltd, a reputable and huge company that has done investments worth over $20bn spanning power and renewable energy sector, port sector, and agricultural sector since 2013. Diamond Stripes Ltd. is the sole investor in Onitsha River Port and has invested heavily in the agricultural sector where it is the largest owner of silo complexes in Nigeria. It was involved in the acquisition of 600MW Shiroro Hydroelectric Power plant in 2013, concessions of 30MW Gurara Hydroelectric Power Plant in 2019, and establishment of 300MW Shiroro solar power project in 2021.”
It is the reputation of Diamond Stripes as advertised by Anichukwu that raises bigger questions about this deal. Information and communication technology experts have gone to work on this company and have discovered that its domain name was registered as recently as January 26, 2024 at exactly 4.34 PM.
For a company that has been concessioned two vital Federal Government assets in the critical power sector, this raised credibility concerns. It is impossible for the Federal Government of Nigeria to have given such prized assets to a company that had no web presence if we realise that the Shiroro and Gurara power plants in this claim have been concessioned in 2014 and 2020 respectively.
Further searches have also revealed that both dams are the properties of a company known as North South Power Limited and nowhere in the digital space was Diamond Stripes listed as the owner of the assets or consultants to the projects.
What Diamond Stripes did, if digital footprints and the history of its domain can be relied on, was to copy items and photos on the website of North South Power and place them on its site. For instance, the same photo of a dam used by North South Power to illustrate its ownership of the Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Station was replicated on the Diamond Stripes website. The two companies also listed the 600MW Shiroro Hydroelectric Power plant, the 30MW Gurara Hydroelectric Power Plant, and the 300MW Shiroro solar power project.
The question hanging in the air is how Diamond Stripes Limited has been able to operate power plans in Nigeria since 2013 without abiding by the global best practice of having a website.
In addition to the information provided for me by IT experts, I have pored through the internet for any information connecting Diamond Stripes to the Shiroro and Gurara Power plants and came back empty. But there are tonnes of publications about the concessioning of the assets to Noth South Power.
On June 3, 2014, for instance, the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) published a story detailing how the then Vice President Namadi Sambo, commended the transfer of Shiroro Power Plant to North South Power. Similarly, on May 13, 2020, a news publication in PUNCH newspaper detailed the signing of the concessioning agreement between the federal government and North South Power Limited. There are scores of other search results, but nowhere was Diamond Stripes Limited mentioned as the concessionaires, partners, or even consultants to the assets.
This is the question that the CEO of Diamond Stripes, Prof George Nwangwu should answer. At what point did his company become the concessionaires of these assets? Uche Anichukwu, and perhaps his principal should ask this question of this man who, according to information on the digital ecosystem says he is a professor of Law at Nile University.
In a clever effort to burnish his image, Anichukwu, in the explainer under reference created an impressive profile of the prof and ascribed to him some impressive, perhaps contrived Midas features, the type that was used to sell Governor Mbah during the campaigns.
He wrote: “The MD of Pragmatic Palms Ltd., who is also the MD/CEO of Diamond Stripes, George Nwangwu, is a professor of Project Financing Law, who has led transaction teams that have participated in the consummation of over 100 privatisation or Public Private Partnership (PPP) transactions worth over $20 billion across Africa. Prof. Nwangwu was the Head of Infrastructure Finance at the Ministry of Finance under the leadership of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during which he led the team that delivered the Second Niger Bridge.”
This sounds quite great, except that nowhere on the world wide web was his association with Prof Okonjo Iweala mentioned. Is there any reason for not pushing this otherwise very significant aspect of his career? On the internet, we have unearthed swathes of information on this professor. As an academic, he is recognized for his publications on public-private partnerships. He is also listed as the Director General of a certain Global Centre of Law, Business and Economy. In the Nigerian Business Law Journal, he is recognized as a leading authority on private sector-led investments in infrastructure. In one of his LinkedIn accounts, he refers to himself as the Managing Director of Universal Elysium Consortium Limited, operator of the Onitsha river port.
Curiously, the domain name of Universal Elysium Consortium Limited indicated it had expired at the time of the search, but it is this company that was said to be the manager of the Onitsha River port, the same that was as property of Diamond Stripes Limited.
The question is, did Diamond Stripes Limited acquire the assets of Universal Elysium Consortium? At what time did this happen? If Prof Nwangwu is such a big businessman, in addition to being a Law scholar, why is it impossible to find anywhere on the Internet where he was even remotely mentioned alongside Diamond Stripes, a business that is supposed to be behind cumulative 930-megawatt power plants?
I am hoping Uche Anichukwu would use his good office to write yet another explainer to enable us fully understand this business. Even if it would not cost Enugu State taxpayers any “dime” as he said in his earlier statement, he should be concerned about the irreparable reputational damage this transaction bodes for the state and its people. It is the sort of damage billions of dollars won’t fix, that is if this government gives a hoot about good reputation.
What is the Dollar to Naira Exchange rate at the black market also known as the parallel market (Aboki fx)?
See the black market Dollar to Naira exchange rate for 15th May, below. You can swap your dollar for Naira at these rates.
How much is a dollar to naira today in the black market?
Dollar to naira exchange rate today black market (Aboki dollar rate):
The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players buy a dollar for N1520 and sell at N1530 on Tuesday 14th May 2024, according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).
Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.
Dollar to Naira Black Market Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN)
Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Buying Rate
N1520
Selling Rate
N1530
Dollar to Naira CBN Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN)
CBN Rate Today
Buying Rate
N1406
Selling Rate
N1407
Please note that the rates you buy or sell forex may be different from what is captured in this article because prices vary.
The Nigerian currency, the naira, continued its downward trajectory on Monday as it faced further devaluation against the US dollar in the foreign exchange market.
Naija News reports that data sourced from both the parallel market and the FMDQ, disclosed that the naira experienced a significant depreciation.
At the parallel market, a Bureau De Change operator located in Wuse Zone 4, Mistila Dayyabu, told Dailypost that the naira had been traded as high as ₦1,517 per dollar earlier in the day but settled at ₦1,500 per dollar by evening due to speculations about an impending crackdown by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
The dollar was initially sold at ₦1,517 per dollar on Monday morning. However, upon hearing rumours of EFCC operatives’ impending visit, we reduced the rate to ₦1,500 by the evening,” Dayyabu disclosed.
This marked an increase from the ₦1,450 per dollar rate observed over the weekend.
In the official market, according to data from the FMDQ, the naira fell to ₦1478.11 per dollar on Monday, down from ₦1466.31 the previous Friday. This drop represents a decline of ₦11.8.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has initiated a thorough investigation into the extensive fraud that characterized the eight-year tenure of former Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. This investigation follows the significant findings of forensic auditors engaged by the current Governor, Dr. Alex Otti.
According to sources within the commission, the probe into Ikpeazu’s administration has commenced, covering allegations of fund misappropriation, violations of Abia State’s public procurement laws, and the diversion of ₦10 billion intended for an airport project to Ferotex Construction company, among other irregularities.
The commission has obtained copies of a forensic audit report prepared by KPMG Advisory Services, submitted by Governor Otti’s administration.
EFCC commended this action, noting it as unprecedented in the country, and stated that the report has facilitated their investigations into the previous administration’s alleged financial misconduct.
The analysis of the forensic audit report has revealed how Ikpeazu and his officials bypassed Abia State’s Public Procurement Law in awarding contracts worth billions of naira. These findings contradict statements made by the ex-governor regarding his administration’s projects during his tenure.
The report had put the ex-governor and his officials in the spotlight as many Nigerians have started calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to arrest and prosecute them for corruption.
The former governor had in response to a report through his then Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, claimed that the airport funding was diverted for other road projects.
Findings revealed that the ₦10bn appropriated by the State Assembly cannot be used to finance any project other than the airport project without a virement which must be duly approved by the lawmakers.
Budget Virement means the process of transferring budgeted funds from one line item to another, with the approval of the lawmakers, to enable budget managers to amend budgets in the light of experience or to reflect anticipated changes.
Checks revealed that there was no request from the ex-governor for the virement of the ₦10bn airport fund for a road project.
Further findings revealed that many of the contracts which the governor had claimed to have awarded and funded were done in violation of the public procurement laws of the state.
CONTRACT AWARDING PROCESS FOR ABIA STATE GOVERNMENT:
A review of the Abia State Public Procurement Law 2012 and Financial Regulations 2001, revealed that the contracting process is as follows:
A) The contract award process could either be initiated by the procuring Ministry through a letter to the Governor or by the State Governor directly.
B) The State Governor directly identifies projects, due to the strategic and economic need of the State, and then mobilizes the Ministry to commence the contracting process.
C) The procuring Ministry also initiates a request through a letter to the State Governor requesting approval to commence a project, which would have been budgeted for in ABSG’s Annual Budget.
D) The procuring Ministry advertises and solicits for bids through the following procurement methods:
i – Selective Tendering: The procuring Ministry selects existing contractors based on the contractors’ previous performance and capacity to deliver on the contract. This process is considered, where the project is urgent or upon urgent request of the State Governor and the general tendering process is assessed to be time consuming.
ii – Open Competitive Bidding: The procuring Ministry advertises for bids in the State’s newspaper, on its notice board, in at least two national newspapers and on any official website of the procuring entity.
E) The Procuring entity utilizes the period between the advertisement and bid submission deadline to prepare in-house estimates.
F) The Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB) opens submitted bids in the presence of the procuring Ministry and bidders or their representatives.
G) The MTB evaluates the submitted bids and forwards a brief of the meeting (which includes the analysis of the tenders and the recommended contractor) to the State’s Tenders Board, referred to as Finance and General Purpose Committee (F&GPC), where the contract is ₦50,000,000 and above for consideration.
73 CONTRACTS WORTH ₦95.22 BILLION CANNOT BE TRACED:
Further Investigations revealed that the Ikpeazu administration awarded and implemented 73 contracts totaling ₦95.22bn that were never advertised for open competitive bidding in line with the Abia State public procurement law and as such cannot be traced.
Section 26 (1) of the State’s Procurement law states that “All procurement of goods and works by all procuring entities shall be conducted by open competitive bidding.
Section 27 (1) further states that invitation to bid may be either by way of State Competitive Bidding or Nation Competitive Bidding.
The forensic audit report reads in part, “The Office of the Governor, ASOPADEC, Ministry of Works and Public Utilities and Water Resources did not provide record of advertisements of tender opportunity for 76 contracts amounting to ₦95,225,934,678.78 on the State’s newspaper, on its notice board, at least two national newspapers and any official website of the procuring entity.
“For the Ministry of Works, the DPRS stated that where there is no ITT. It could either be due to missing records or the contracts were solicited through single sourcing or selective bidding i.e. the Ministry invites selected contractors to bid for the identified project. However, the DPRS did not provide a record or justification to support his statement.
“The other Ministries did not provide responses as of the date of this report. Furthermore, the Ministries did not indicate or provide justification for the contracting method (i.e. single sourcing or selective bidding) utilised in a contracting process.”
The companies that got the contracts that were never advertised are Dichmark Insurance Broker Ltd, Tom Onyeagwa, Sonbroson Services Ltd, Okey Technical Construction Ltd, Track Care Global Const Nig Ltd, Ekcleen Integrated Services Nig Ltd, Logistics De-Luke Ltd, Alphagreen Solution Nig Ltd, J Pros International Nig Ltd, Urban Elite Co, Incomtel Nigeria Limited, Tetralock Bus Serv Ltd, Eedc Remittance.
There is also Solace Multi-Biz Concepts, Smut Edge Integrated Services Ltd, Okey Technical Construction Company Ltd, Ferotex Nig Ltd, Conduit Resources Ltd, Track Care Global Construction, Ekcleen Integrated Services Nig Ltd, African Export Import Bank, Paceo Carretera Nigeria Limited, Abdulkadeer Consulting, Kati Habitat Nigeria, Praise Properties Limited, Dicemokad Consultants Nig Ltd, Seafair Projects Limited, Marguerita Ventures among others.
69 Contracts Worth ₦118.7bn Awarded To Contractors With Incomplete Bid Documents
Section 18 (6) of Abia State procurement law requires that all bidders in addition to requirements contained in any solicitation documents must possess professional and technical qualifications to carry out particular procurements, financial capacity, equipment and other relevant infrastructure, legal capacity to enter into the procurement contract, and all its obligations to pay taxes, pensions and social security contributions.
Other requirements, in addition to the aforementioned requirements, include proposal/quotation, record of contractor registration with Abia State Ministry of Works as contractor, and record of payment of non-refundable tender fees.
However, the forensic auditors in their report noted that 69 contracts amounting to ₦118.7bn were awarded to contractors with incomplete bid documents.
Some of these contracts are the expansion and dualization of Ururuka Road, Phase 2 from Umuobiakwa, Obingwa L.G.A. to Isicourt Umuahia South L.G.A. awarded to Track Care Global Construction Company Limited for ₦47.41 billion; Reconstruction of Link Roads in Aba:
(i) Sacred Heart-Chibuike-Uzonikpa-Omuma Link Road Off Faulks Road, Aba with Concrete Pavement;
(ii) Ngozi Avenue-Nwokocha Link Road Off Faulks which were awarded to Ekcleen Integrated Services Nigeria Limited for ₦3.76 billion;
(iii) Reconstruction and Construction of Uratta-Umuezeke-Umuekechi awarded to Ferotex Construction Company Limited for ₦2.9 billion and Construction of Umuobiakwa-Owo-Onicha Ngwa Road (10km) awarded to Delhope Resources Limited for ₦2.73 billion
Road Contract Valued At ₦1.41bn Awarded To Gemp Engineering Despite Late Submission Of Bid
The forensic audit report further revealed that the Ministry of Works awarded a contract for the “Construction of Itukpa to Ossa Ukwu to Mgboko to Obete to Iheorji Road, Obingwa LGA” amounting to ₦1.41 billion to Gemp Engineering despite submitting bids after the due date of the ITT.
Further findings showed that three companies bidded for the project which had a bid deadline date of June 14, 2019.
The companies that applied for the contract are Mauphil Company Enterprises which submitted its bid on June 21, 2019 (seven days after the deadline); Gemp Engineering Limited which submitted its bid on June 24, 2019 (nine days after the deadline) and Admau Integrated Service which submitted on July 15, 2019 (31 days after deadline)
But rather than rejecting the bids in line with the provisions of Section 29 of the Abia State Procurement Law 2012, the government of Ikpeazu awarded the contract at a cost of ₦1.41bn to Gemp Engineering.
The action of the Ministry of Works that awarded the contract is contrary to Section 29 of the Abia State Procurement Law 2012, which states that “any bid received after the deadline for the submission of bids shall not be opened and must be returned to the supplier or contractor which submitted it.”
The Ministry was said not to have provided any justification for the violation of the procurement law.
No Records Of In-house Estimates For 33 Contracts Worth ₦9.82bn
We further gathered that the Ikpeazu’s administration failed to provide an In-house estimate which is a rough approximation of the potential cost of construction or procurement contracts.
This, it was learnt, would have enabled the procuring Ministry to make informed and data-driven decisions when evaluating and selecting a contractor.
Based on standard practice, the In-house estimate should precede the evaluation of submitted bids.
However, The Reporter understands through the forensic auditors that there was no record of inhouse estimate for 33 contracts amounting to ₦9.82 billion
“The In-house estimate provided by the Ministry of Finance, Works, Youth, Public Utilities and Water Resources and the Office of the Governor is not dated, hence there is insufficient information to determine the timing of the In-house estimate as stated in the aforementioned practice,” the report noted.
Some of the contracts with no records of in-house estimates are the Construction of Link Roads to Major Economic Zones of Abia State such as Amaise-Umuobiakwa-Ohanze Road, Owo-Ahiafor Agburike-Ohanze Road, Umuaro-Umuanunu-EkwereazuNto-Border Road 4. Ovom/Umuogele Junction, Ukuenyi-Abala-Ika (Akwa-Ibom Border).
The projects were awarded to Tunnel End Investment Company Limited for the sum of ₦3,370,832,840.00
Similarly, the construction for the Upgrade Of Umuahia Township Stadium In Umuahia North Lga, Abia State which was awarded to ARON NIGERIA LTD for ₦1,200,000,000 did not have records of in-house estimates.
Seven MDAs Have No Bid Document Records For 85 Contracts Worth ₦157.34 billion
Investigations by forensic auditors also revealed that seven Ministries did not provide a record of bid opening for the 85 sampled contracts with a cumulative value of ₦157.34 billion.
Consequently, it was discovered that there is no record that the seven Ministries complied with Section 32 of the State’s Procurement Law, which requires that all bids be opened in public, in the presence of the bidders or their representative and any interested member of the public.
It was gathered that there was no record of the Ministry’s Evaluation for 72 contracts which is a violation of Section 34 of the Abia State Procurement Law that states, “a contract shall be awarded to the lowest evaluated responsive bid from the bidders substantially responsive to the bid solicitation.
Furthermore, Section 24 of the Abia State Procurement Law and Section 3303 of the Abia State Financial Regulations reflect that the relevant tender board has the responsibility for the evaluation of bids.
The Ministry of Works, Finance, Public Utilities and Water Resources, Office of the Governor and ASOPADEC did not provide a record of bid evaluation for 72 of the 85 sampled contracts with a cumulative value of ₦98.57 billion
Consequently, it was learnt that there was also no record that the Ministries complied with the relevant laws and regulations for the 72 contracts.
Some of the projects that do not have bid documents were the expansion and dualization of Ururuka Road, Phase 2 from Umuobiakwa, Obingwa L.G.A. to Isicourt Umuahia South L.G.A. The project was awarded to Track Care Global Construction Company Limited at a cost of ₦47.41bn; Reconstruction/Dualization of Port-Harcourt Road with Services Lane on both sides was awarded to Hartland Nig. Limited for ₦9.88 billion
There is also the Reconstruction of Faulks Road/Rehabilitation and Expansion of Ifeobara Pond awarded to Setraco Nig. Limited for ₦8.82 billion and the Reconstruction and Expansion/Dualization of UrurUka Road from Obikabia to Umuobiakwa LGA as well as Construction of Roundabout at Obikabia Junction, awarded to Track Care Global Construction Company Limited for ₦6.94 billion among others
Abia State Government says its policy on housing is in agreement with that of the Federal Government for the country. Governor Alex Otti, OFR, who made the position of the state known, said Abia is in alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s vision on provision of affordable housing to Nigerians.
The Governor spoke when received in audience, a delegation of the Federal Housing Authority led by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Rt. Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, who visited him on Tuesday.
Governor Otti said that his administration would show sufficient interest in the proposed federal housing project in Abia, stressing that the importance of shelter, which is one of the three most basic needs of man, cannot be over emphasised. He disclosed that his administration had already identified a location as it had been working on the idea of a diaspora village in the state, which is also one of the propositions of the Federal Government’s housing programme.
He thanked the President for the decision to ensure that Nigerians have roofs over their heads and particularly for assuring that contractors for the execution of the federal housing project would be sourced from within the benefitting states. He equally expressed joy that the Federal Housing Authority would be consulting with states to know what exactly the people want in terms of housing, adding that it is the best approach for achieving an acceptable housing project.
“Please give our regards to Mr. President and reassure him that where housing is on his vision is also where housing is on our vision here. So, we’re aligned. “I also want to thank you for not just imposing on people, but recognising the differences in culture and lifestyles. We are the same but again different people, and we must respect our choices. So, for respecting those choices and consulting on what the people want, I want to say, thank you.
“I also want to thank you for your decision to ensure that the contractors are local. Before now, schemes like these are used to settle boys, settle interests and all that, but you now bringing it home to say that the contractors must come from here (Abia) and we take responsibility, places a burden on those that are going to recommend the contractors because if you don’t recommend the right contractors, you’re going to live with it.
“For us, it’s so critical and that is why anything we’re doing, we must use the best, and sometimes people say it’s expensive. But just like the wise saying, if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. So, when you take half baked contractors, they would produce half baked jobs,” Governor Otti explained.
Earlier, Hon. Ojo stated that housing was key to President Tinubu’s administration. He told the Governor that his team’s visit to Abia was to intimate the Governor on the proposal of the Federal Government to acquire land and build affordable houses for Abians.He said the President identified that there was deficiency in shelter in Nigeria and he is willing to provide affordable housing for Nigerians.
According to him, the plan is to meet with state Governors and design together, the kind of housing to be built in each state, saying that the inputs of the Governors are important to the project.The FHA Chief Executive, who came in company of the former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, was accompanied on his visit by some senior management team of the agency.
KAZIE UKO
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Abia State Government House, Umuahia April 10, 2024.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has revealed that his administration inherited a huge debt burden from the immediate past administration and he is saddled with the responsibility of settling contractors who handled different projects in the State
He said this at Ebubu community, venue of the inauguration of the reconstructed 10.89KM Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road in Eleme Local Government Area, Rivers State on Tuesday.
He said, “This is to let the world know that if there is one problem this administration has, it is the huge debt burden*
For most of the projects that were being commissioned, the contractors are coming for their balance – payment and it is running into billions.
”I have said that I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to talk because I was part of that system. But, when you keep pushing me to talk, I will say it so that the people will know the true situation of things and be properly informed.”*
Fubara who kicked off the celebration of his one year in office with thw inauguration of a road project in Eleme stated that the road was awarded on August 14, 2023, to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) at the cost of N6.7billion.
*“I am happy to be here and to join the good people of Rivers State to start this wonderful celebration of our first anniversary in the face of all the troubles. It shows that we are still focused, not minding the level of distractions.*
“This road was awarded to CCECC as a contractor. It was awarded on the 14th of August, 2023. I believe that 14th of August was within my tenure. I am not saying ‘I’, but it was this administration that awarded it.
*“This project was awarded at the cost of N6.7 billion, and I can say boldly that no kobo is remaining. We’ve paid the contractor its complete sum. Our gathering here is to tell our people that their problem is our problem.”*
In a statement by Nelson Chukwudi, the Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor, Governor Fubara stated that the road will serve as a bypass by motorists to avoid the deplorable sections of the East-West Road now under reconstruction.
*Governor Fubara said: “What we are doing today, is it not help to the Federal Government? Is it not a show that this Government has the interest of the people at heart and it is supporting and doing everything to make the Federal Government succeed?*
“So, when people come out and say some funny things, I laugh. Why are we doing this? When this administration came on board, Mr President christened his mantra ‘Renewed Hope’ to give Nigerians hope.
*“What we are doing today in this State is giving our people that hope to complement what Mr President is doing at the national level.
“It is not about social media. We are talking about action. Genuine actions that make positive impact in the lives of our people,” he said.
Governor Fubara explained the rationale behind the invitation extended to Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, to inaugurate the project, saying he is not an artificial integrity man but a pragmatic man.
Sir Fubara stated: “I invited him because he is not an artificial integrity man. He is an action integrity man. He is not like the one who would gather to talk because they just want to talk.
*“He is a man who came into office, in the face of difficulties and challenges, just like we are here, but he is making impact in the lives of Abians.
“So, I will continue to identify with good governance. I will continue to identify with people who want to make impact in the lives of the people. Our Government, as we promised you on day one: the people first.”
Governor Fubara alluded to an unnamed person who insinuated that on assumption of office, he started a fight against the Federal Government, and wondered the veracity of such allegation.
“We are talking about Federal Government that is giving us support, and we appreciate their support. But there is a rat in the house that is eating the bags of garri. So, you can imagine such situation.”
Explaining further, the Governor noted that somebody in the house was stoking crisis to distract both the State and Federal Government from delivering their promises to give the people hope and leave lasting legacies impactful policies and programmes for posterity, and promised the people that the black legs in the family will soon be exposed for what they are.
Governor Fubara thanked the good people of Eleme for their support during the period of the execution of the project, as according to him, the contractor never complained of any challenges from the communities, adding that rather the people gave all the cooperation required.
The Governor noted that with what has been experienced, his administration is now encouraged to come back and undertake more projects as he believed that they will be protected
The crises in Rivers state has taken a new dimension as the state government has decided to probe the administration of former Governor Nyesom Wike
Governor Sim Fubara , made this known while swearing in Hon Dagogo Iboroma as the Attorney General of the State and Commissioner for Justice.
The Governor Charged the newly sworn-in Commissioner to be prepared for what is ahead, as he will be overseeing the setting up of a panel of enquiry to probe the activities of Government within the last 8years years in the State.
It was gathered that the governor lamented the grand-scale sabotage of his administration, saying that the state was in a critical situation.
He said it had become obvious that the political crisis could no longer be resolved.
Duchess Of Sussex ,Meghan met with first class traditional Rulers in Lagos during her official visit to Nigeria . Recall that Meghan has reconnected with her Nigerian roots few years ago , hence , she was happy to meet Nigerian great women including Ngozi Okonjo- Iwuala .
Meghan is not just Nigerian, she is IGBO. Hence, she is Ada Mazi!
There were so many pictures of that visit. However, one picture STOOD OUT! It was that of the Duchess of Sussex with three distinguished Nigerian Royals; HRM, Engr Eberechukwu Oji, Eze Arọ, of the Ancient Arochukwu Kingdom, HRM, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi Of Onistha, and The Olu Of Warri, Ogiame Atuwase III. These revered monarchs left their palaces and gathered in Lagos to welcome their daughter and sister back home to Nigeria in grand style.
Akọ bụ Ije, the motto of the Arọ nation, comes to mind on sighting the Eze Arọ standing beside the Duchess in aristocratic splendour. Before now, Eze Aros were old men, who were rarely known or seen outside Arochukwu. However, in their wisdom, the Aro royalty decided to re-invent themselves, by setting aside tradition and opting for younger princes in the search for a new monarch after the demise of the late Eze Aro, Mazi Vincent Ogbonnaya Okoro, CFR.
Akọ bụ Ije (Akọ bụ isi ije) can be translated as Intelligence is key to success in the journey of life. This maxim is the central theme of Aro society. Aro, as renowned travellers -Ndi Ije and traders -Ndi ahịa, relied so much on intelligent interpretation of times and situations, to thrive and survive in the jungle of the Pre-Colonial Eastern Nigeria.
The issue is that having a younger monarch with a global worldview has tremendous merits. The Eze Aro, Pastor Eberechukwu Eni, a chartered engineer and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers is an accomplished technocrat and a global player. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of ND Western Limited, a frontline company in the oil and gas industry.
A peek into his professional profile shows that he is a high-profile corporate chief executive officer with high-level strategic leadership capabilities and a high-performing, high-capacity strategic business executive with more than 25years deep technical, leadership and broad functional expertise in Upstream and midstream Asset management, Operations management, major project commissioning with a track record of transformational business improvement and delivery in Nigeria, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, United Kingdom, United States,Singapore, Australia, Continental Europe and other Shell Operating Units across the World.
Indeed, his intimidating resume and urbane mien makes to stand comfortably with the Obi of Onitsha and the Olu of Warri, two monarchs with outstanding resumes seeped in age old aristocracy.
While welcoming Ada Mazi Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex to Nigeria, we commmend the Arọ nation for re-inventing itself through a virile and versatile monarch, Eze Arọ Eberechukwu Eni Ọjị. N’ezie, Arọ Oke Igbo, Akọ bụ ije!
Ako bu ije Meghan’s journey back to her roots is filled with akọ, she said Im Nigerian, not Igbo
The Enugu State Government has provided clarifications on why it entered into a N100bn deal with Pragmatic Palms Limited to revive United Palm Products Limited, a dormant asset owned by the state and established by the former Premier of Eastern Region, late Dr. Michael Okpara.
Reacting to a viral whatsapp text that showed that Pragmatic Palms Limited, the company that signed the deal with the state government, was incorporated on May 6, 2024, with the deal made public by the state government on May 9, 2024, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Enugu State on External Relations, Uche Anichukwu, stated that “Enugu State Government IS NOT releasing N100bn or any dime to Pragmatic Palms Ltd. Instead, Pragmatic Palms Ltd, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the partnership, will finance the revitalisation of UPPL.”
Refuting insinuations that it was unethical for the state government to enter into the deal with a newly incorporated company, Anichukwu, in a statement titled ‘Facts of the N100bn Deal to Revive Moribund Enugu State United Palm Products Ltd’, noted that because “several parties/investors are involved, it became imperative, as is the best international practice, to register a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as the platform to transact the deal”.
Although the statement did not provide details on the bidding process, Anichukwu maintained that the interest of the state was protected.
The full statement reads:
The Enugu State United Palm Products Ltd., UPPL, is one of the numerous initiatives of the former Premier of the defunct Eastern Region, the late Dr. Michael Okpara, and had lain fallow for decades.
As a government focused on agriculture and agro-industrialisation, UPPL was, expectedly one of the many moribund assets penciled down for revitalisation by Governor Peter Mbah in line with his campaign promise to convert the state’s dormant assets to productive assets and grow the state’s economy exponentially from the current $4.4bn to $30bn through private sector investments. This culminated in the N100bn deal between the Enugu State Government and Pragmatic Palms Ltd., a subsidiary of Diamond Stripes Ltd. on Thursday, May 9, 2024 after months-long negotiation and due diligence that started way back in 2023.
THE N100BN DEAL
Enugu State Government IS NOT releasing N100bn or any dime to Pragmatic Palms Ltd. Instead, Pragmatic Palms Ltd, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the partnership, will finance the revitalisation of UPPL. Pragmatic Palm Ltd. will provide finance for 60 per cent of the transaction value, while the Enugu State Government will provide the plantations valued as 40 per cent equity.
INCORPORATION OF PRAGMATIC PALMS LTD
Because several parties/investors are involved, it became imperative, as is the best international practice, to register a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as the platform to transact the deal. Pragmatic Palms Ltd. was duly incorporated before the signing of the agreement.
For the avoidance of doubt, however, although it is not the case in this instance, it is apposite to also note that the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020, provides for Pre-incorporation Contract.
Section 96 (1) of CAMA, 2020, provides: “Any contract or other transaction purporting to be entered into by the company or by person on behalf of the company prior to its formation may be ratified by the company after its formation and thereupon the company shall become bound by and entitled to the benefit thereof as if it has been in existence at the date of such contract or other transaction and had been a party thereto.”
CORPORATE GUARANTOR (DIAMOND STRIPES LTD)
As demanded by the Enugu State Government, Pragmatic Palms Ltd. provided a guarantor, which is Diamond Stripes Ltd, a reputable and huge company that has done investments worth over $20bn spanning power and renewable energy sector, port sector, and agricultural sector since 2013. Diamond Stripes Ltd. is the sole investor in Onitsha River Port and has invested heavily in the agricultural sector where it is the largest owner of silo complexes in Nigeria. It was involved in the acquisition of 600MW Shiroro Hydroelectric Power plant in 2013, concessions of 30MW Gurara Hydroelectric Power Plant in 2019, and establishment of 300MW Shiroro solar power project in 2021.
SECURING ENUGU STATE’S INTEREST
The state’s interest in the N100BN UPPL deal is well secured, benefitting from Governor Peter Mbah’s experience as an investment finance expert and an entrepreneur, who has handled multi-billion-dollar projects himself. Besides asking for and getting a corporate guarantor on the part of Pragmatic Palms Ltd, the government also demanded for and got bank guarantors from Pragmatic Palms. Importantly, performance targets and timelines were equally set in the Agreement for Pragmatic Palms Ltd. failing which the Enugu State Government is free to revoke the deal and reassume total ownership of United Palm Products Ltd., UPPL.
In addition, the Enugu State Government is represented on the company’s Board, including the Chairmanship of the Board, as part of the steps taken to secure the state’s interest.
MD’S PROFILE
The MD of Pragmatic Palms Ltd., who is also the MD/CEO of Diamond Stripes, George Nwangwu, is a professor of Project Financing Law, who has led transaction teams that have participated in the consummation of over 100 privatisation or Public Private Partnership (PPP) transactions worth over $20 billion across Africa.
Prof. Nwangwu was the Head of Infrastructure Finance at the Ministry of Finance under the leadership of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during which he led the team that delivered the Second Niger Bridge deal.
He is a Professor of law at Nile University and an Extraordinary Professor at the Department of Mercantile Law, Stellenbosch University. He was appointed a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar- Rahmani Centre for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School in 2023 as well as an Honorary Senior Research Associate in the Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management, University College London since 2022; He is the Director General of the Global Centre for Law and Business, Abuja.
CONCLUSION
Clearly, it is a new dawn for the United Palm Products Ltd. to the benefit of the people of Enugu State after decades of rot and neglect. The partnership is promising and the project in good hands.
Tomorrow is here!
Uche Anichukwu
SSA (External Relations) to the Governor of Enugu State
