Born Day: Warri South Chairmanship hopeful Amb. Agbolaya celebrates Delta Youth Commissioner, Comrade Agbateyiniro

The Chairmanship hopeful of Warri South Local Government Area in the 2024 Local Government Council election, Amb. Dr. Toyin Agbolaya JP has congratulated the Delta State Honourable Commissioner for Youth Development, Comrade Weyinmi Isaac Agbateyiniro on the occasion of his born Day Tuesday November 14, 2023.

Dr. Agbolaya in his congratulatory message to the Youth Commissioner described Comrade Agbateyiniro as a vibrant, articulate and resourceful brain whose wealth of knowledge and experience will lift the Youth ministry in Delta.

The Warri South front line Chairmanship aspirant expressed gratitude to God and to the Delta State Governor RT. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori for the appointment of the birthday celebrant Comrade Agbateyiniro as a member of his cabinet in his administration.

Dr. Agbolaya noted that Comrade Agbateyiniro-s leadership prowess in other sphere speaks volume of him hence he is set to deliver on the MORE agenda of Governor Oborevwori

The Warri South Local Government number one sit contender, Amb. Agbolaya said thus: ‘1!wish you many more fruitful years of celebration both in sound health and prosperity”. He added .

Business activities shutdown in Warri as NPA Warri Port, others join NLC strike

Commercial and other economic activities shutdown in Warri and its environs today Tuesday November 14, 2023 due to solidarity to the strike action declared by the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC.

The Nigerian Ports Authority, Delta Ports Warri Port gate were lockdown no going and entering of vehicles as well as the commercial Banks in the port environment shutdown too no transaction allowed to operate in the Port environment.

Also in relation to the declared NLC strike action Public Government owned Secondary schools, primary schools and others withdrew their services as students were seen going home during learning hour in the morning.

Areanewsng.com gathered that  students were ordered home by their teachers in order to comply with the NLC industrial action against the federal government and in solidarity with the Brutalized Labour President Joe Ajaero in Imo State some days ago.

Just In Exclusive: Five killed scores injured as Suspected Cult groups clash in Delta”s higher institution City

By: Jovita Efe 

Five people have been killed and scores injured by Suspected Cult groups in Ozoro Delta higher institution town , headquarters of Isoko South Local Government Area of the state.

According to eye witness from the scene fight brook out due to power bank used to charge phone but however the details is to be gotten as to the reason it escalated to taking of many lives.

Five young men have been mustered by the two suspected cult groups in Ozoro where converted Delta State Polytechnic is now Delta State University of Science and Technology.

Areanewsng com reports that fighting and attack which occurred Monday November 13 is also having a twist of escalation as the suspected cult rival group are said to be going from house to house to avenge their loses on each other.

This is calling on Security agents and its partners to wade in to stop the carnage there.

More Details later……

I’ll Continue To Be Governor For All, Diri assures Bayelsans in his acceptance speech after his declaration by INEC

Address by H.E. Senator Douye Diri after being declared winner of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Bayelsa State

1. Esteemed citizens of Bayelsa State,

2. On behalf of my dependable deputy, today I address you with a heart full of humility and gratitude as you have again bestowed upon me the honour of serving as your governor.

3. This victory would not have been possible without the mighty hand and grace of the Almighty and the overwhelming support you have shown towards me and my Government of Prosperity. I am deeply humbled by your overwhelming expression of confidence and by your mandate to serve you for another four years.

4. I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone that cast your vote in my favour and entrusted me with the responsibility of leading our beloved state.

5. I am also immensely grateful to the leadership of our great party, PDP, at all levels and our dedicated campaign team and supporters, who worked tirelessly to spread our message of progress and unity throughout Bayelsa State. Your unwavering belief in our vision for prosperity and your relentless efforts have brought us this sweet victory.

6. However, I urge you all to celebrate with temperance, as this victory is not the exclusive preserve of any one political party. Rather, it is the collective will of a people united towards progress and a better future. Even those who cast their votes differently enriched our democratic practice by their participation and dissent. I reaffirm that I will continue to be the governor of all in Bayelsa State.

7. I want to place on record our gratitude to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allowing the conducive environment for what has been a free, fair and credible election.

8. In the same vein, we appreciate the role of most of the security agencies for their professionalism and hard work in providing security for the exercise. We equally commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for discharging their responsibility largely creditably.

9. I want to specifically acknowledge and appreciate our leader, former President Goodluck Jonathan, for his unqualified support just as thank my immediate predecessor in office, H.E Sen. Henry Dickson, for his unwavering and abiding support. Our special appreciation also goes to our party leaders and my brother governors for their physical presence and invaluable moral support during this process.

10. In no particular order, I thank H.E former Vice President Atiku Abubakar
H.E former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.
H.E Gov. Agbu Kefas of Taraba State
H.E Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State
H.E Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State
H.E Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo State
H.E Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State
H.E former Gov Nyesom Wike

11. As I stated in my inauguration speech, where there is darkness, let us bring light. Where there is hatred, let us bring love. We are too few a people to be polarized and fractionalized along political, clan or other primordial ranks. My determination in fostering unity and inclusivity as we strive to achieve the shared goals and aspirations of our people is undiminished. I eagerly look forward to collaborating with each and every one of you to create a brighter future for Bayelsa.

12. I equally sincerely thank all those who exercised their democratic right to vote. Your participation in this election has reaffirmed the strength of our democracy and the power that lies within the hands of the people.

13. However, it is important to acknowledge that this electoral process has not been without its challenges. Regrettably, attempts by some political actors to hijack the process and undermine the will of the people resulted in the utterly unacceptable infiltration of violence, thuggery and intimidation into our electoral process. Lives of innocent individuals have been lost, an outcome that should not have occurred. Let me be clear: such actions are utterly unacceptable.

14. In this moment, I offer my deepest condolences to the individuals and families that have suffered from brutal attacks, loss of life, injuries, and harassment during this off-cycle election.

15. Innocent lives have needlessly been sacrificed on the altar of greed, and this tragedy must not be overlooked. I assure you that there will be consequences for these actions.

16. In particular, the news of the murder of a young man, Berepelenyo George Sibo, in Twon-Brass, in the aftermath of this election, is deeply troubling. It serves as a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and respect for human life during and after an election. Every loss of life is a tragedy, especially when it occurs in the context of exercising democratic rights. We must collectively condemn any acts of violence and work towards creating a society where every individual can freely and safely participate in the democratic process.

17. Once again, I extend my deepest gratitude to the people of Bayelsa State for your overwhelming support and trust. I accept your mandate to serve you again as Governor with utmost humility. Rest assured, I will continue to serve with integrity, dedication, and transparency. Let us embark on this next phase of our Prosperity journey together, knowing that the future of Bayelsa State rests in our hands, under God.

17. Thank you, and may God bless Bayelsa State.

FCT: Property Owners to start paying for their properties in Abuja as Wike approves tax

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has approved a draft property tax regulation for Abuja that will see property owners start paying taxes on their properties.

As entrenched in the Capital Gains Tax Act 2004, it was gathered that the FCT-Internal Revenue Service had begun the implementation of Capital Gains Tax in Abuja.

This was revealed by the Executive Chairman, FCT-IRS, Haruna Abdullahi, while speaking to journalists in Abuja.

He added that the Abuja revenue service had been able to grow its IGR to about N140 billion.

total amount of chargeable gains (after making allowable deductions from the computation of such gains) accruing to any person on the disposal of chargeable assets in a year under evaluation.

Speaking on measures instituted by the service to drive revenue for the FCT, Abdullahi said the minister had approved some important mechanisms to achieve this.

He said, “In the last three weeks, the minister has approved some initiatives that are huge and will certainly change the dynamics in terms of the bottom line. Just the other day, we submitted a draft proposal to the minister for the FCT property tax regulation.

“The FCT-IRS Act empowers the minister to come up with a property tax regulation for the FCT. So we had a long conversation and we suggested it to the minister, and he asked us to come up with a draft regulation, which we did, and he has approved the initiative.

“So we have an inter-agency collaboration whereby we review it because the draft was just done by the FCT-IRS, but that’s not enough, you need other stakeholders. So he approved the initiative to go ahead and review the draft and then come back.

“Subsequently at the end of the day, he will sign the regulation and is gazetted and implemented. So that alone should tell you that there is a huge positive impact on the bottom line of the IGR in the city.”

He also disclosed that Wike has approved the full implementation of the Capital Gains Tax in Abuja, stressing that this would also increase the revenue targets of the FCT.

This was revealed by the Executive Chairman, FCT-IRS, Haruna Abdullahi, while speaking to journalists in Abuja.

He added that the Abuja revenue service had been able to grow its IGR to about N140 billion.

The CGT charges a tax of 10 percent on the total amount of chargeable gains (after making allowable deductions from the computation of such gains) accruing to any person on the disposal of chargeable assets in a year under evaluation.

Speaking on measures instituted by the service to drive revenue for the FCT, Abdullahi said the minister had approved some important mechanisms to achieve this.

He said, “In the last three weeks, the minister has approved some initiatives that are huge and will certainly change the dynamics in terms of the bottom line. Just the other day, we submitted a draft proposal to the minister for the FCT property tax regulation.

“The FCT-IRS Act empowers the minister to come up with a property tax regulation for the FCT. So we had a long conversation and we suggested it to the minister, and he asked us to come up with a draft regulation, which we did, and he has approved the initiative.

“So we have an inter-agency collaboration whereby we review it because the draft was just done by the FCT-IRS, but that’s not enough, you need other stakeholders. So he approved the initiative to go ahead and review the draft and then come back.

“Subsequently at the end of the day, he will sign the regulation and is gazetted and implemented. So that alone should tell you that there is a huge positive impact on the bottom line of the IGR in the city.”

He also disclosed that Wike has approved the full implementation of the Capital Gains Tax in Abuja, stressing that this would also increase the revenue targets of the FCT.

“Also, just recently we inaugurated another committee, we are now implementing the Capital Gains Tax law. Previously people just voluntarily go and pay, so there is very little payment in terms of capital gains tax.

“But now we have briefed the minister and he has approved the inter-agency collaboration and so we are now going to begin to implement the Capital Gains Tax fully.

“So you can imagine an FCT with a property tax, a fully implemented Capital Gains Tax, and then about a month ago there was a circular where the minister approved the implementation of Section 85 of the Personal Income Tax Act and Section 31 of the FCT IRS Act,” Abdullahi added.

Speaking on what has transpired in the last two years since he assumed office, the FCT-IRS boss said, “In my first meeting I told the staff that we cannot do much if we don’t implement Section 85, but it is a huge section that needs political support. And, of course, the minister came and he endorsed that.”

He explained that the impact of this would be huge, adding that “what that means is that all of us must have a tax clearance certificate. You must file your returns, you must get a tax clearance certificate.

“You cannot get a building permit, for before the development control unit can give you the permit to go ahead, you need to show that you are paying your tax and you have a TCC and it must be verifiable by the appropriate tax authority.”

On whether the service was battling problems in terms of collecting taxes in the city, Abdullahi stated that revenue issues were political in nature because the agency required the political will of the minister to overcome a lot of challenges.

“This is why I mention the fact that the minister has given us the required political support and that has lessened the burden. Other ones are general operational issues and lack of information in terms of clarity of what happens and what is supposed to happen.

“We face significant challenges from many stakeholders when you consider the kind of letters we receive here. But we try as much as possible to deal with them.

On whether the service was battling problems in terms of collecting taxes in the city, Abdullahi stated that revenue issues were political in nature because the agency required the political will of the minister to overcome a lot of challenges.

“This is why I mention the fact that the minister has given us the required political support and that has lessened the burden. Other ones are general operational issues and lack of information in terms of clarity of what happens and what is supposed to happen.

“We face significant challenges from many stakeholders when you consider the kind of letters we receive here. But we try as much as possible to deal with them.

Delta Community Agog As Kester Ifeadi’s Mother In-law Gets A Glorious Burial

The peaceful agrarian community of Ubulu-Okiti in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, was Saturday 11th November, 2023, agog with sounds and beats as dignitaries from all walks of life graced the burial of the mother in-law of the famous Arc. Kester Ifeadi, who was laid to rest at the Aboloma family compound in Ahaba-Okiti Quarters of the ancient Ubulu Town.

The late Ezinne Helena Aboloma’s funeral ceremony was attended by the creme-de-la-creme of Delta State Government functionaries and private business entities.

The Funeral Mass which was conducted by Monsignor John Ike Aduba on behalf of the Bishop of Issele-Uku Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Michael Odogwu Elue took place at the St. James Catholic Church, Ubulu-Okiti, where the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori was ably represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu.

In his speech, the SSG stated the obvious importance of Government’s presence at the burial by describing the Late Ezinne Aboloma as a mother to all, whose legacies he said, would remain indelible in the memoirs of her loved ones and those she had touched positively while alive.

Emu affirmed that Mama lived a worthy life and deserved the celebration of not just her children and loved ones, but the celebration of most people in Delta State, as a result of the purposeful and virtuous life she lived on earth.

In his homily, Monsignor Aduba gave glory to God for a life well spent, insisting that Mama Aboloma lived a life of service to God and humanity.

He posited that Christians must strive to emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ by living a life that glorifies God in order to merit an eternal crown of glory; maintaining that it was indeed a celebration of life for Mama, because of how well she lived her life on earth.

It was indeed a society burial as personalities from all walks of life graced the funeral ceremony and reception which followed after, in honour of the 89 years old Late Ezinne Aboloma whose befitting state burial would go down in the memory lane of history.

According to Chief Ifeadi in his well crafted tribute to Mama Aboloma, “I will forever miss you; we will continue to uphold the love and peace you bestowed in all of us. Rest in Peace Mama and God bless your gentle soul.”

The personalities who attended the burial ceremony included; former Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Deputy Governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, Majority Leader of Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Engr. Emeka Nwaobi, member representing Aniocha South Constituency, Hon. Isaac Anwuzia, member representing Oshimili South Constituency, Hon. Bridget Anyafulu, member representing Oshimili North Constituency, Hon. Frank Esenwah, State Chairman of PDP, Olorogun Kingsley Esiso, former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Commissioner for Technical Education, Rt. Hon. Joan Onyemaechi, Executive Chairman of Aniocha South Local Government, Hon. Jude Ugbah, a renowned Realtor, Chief Paul Osaji, CEO of Rain Oil Ltd, Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie, DG of Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency, Chief Patrick Ukah, Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Okenmor Tilije, Delta North PDP Chairman, Chief Moses Iduh, renowned legal luminary, Prof. Epiphany Azinge SAN, a strategic politician, Chief Lawrence Osiegbu, and others too numerous to mention.

INEC declares Uzodimma winner of Imo Governorship election with 540,308, votes to be sworn in January 2024

The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as the winner of the state governorship election held on Saturday November 11, 2023.

The state Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, who is also the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, announced the results on Sunday morning at INEC’s state collation centre in Owerri, the state capital.

He declared Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the election with 540,308, votes while Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party came a distant second with a total of 71,503 votes.

Athan Achonu of the Labour Party polled 64,081 votes to come third in the election.

Anthony Ejiogu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance garnered 6,392 votes to come fourth and Jack Ogunewe of the Action Alliance came fifth with 5,756 votes.

The state’s Returning Officer said, “I, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, I was the Returning officer for the Imo state governorship election held on November 11, 2023. That the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Good Hope Uzodimma, having scored the highest number of votes and satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the election and returned elected.”

The results announced by INEC showed that Uzodimma swept all the 27 Local Government Areas of the state.

With this result, Uzodimma will be sworn – in for a second term in office on January 14, 2024.

Earlier, the State Agent of the LP, Callistus Ihejiagwa, was beaten and bundled out of the state Collation centre after he protested the results announced by the Local Government Areas Retuning officers.

He said that the results were manipulated in the favour of the APC candidate.

The state Agent of the PDP, Kissinger Ikeokwu, immediately left the collation centre.

However, PDP and LP had on Saturday night called for an outright cancelation of the poll.

The PDP candidate, Samuel Anyanwu, in a press conference, said that the election was rigged in the favour of Uzodimma.

Also, the deputy governorship candidate of the LP, Tony Nwulu, said that the security agents provided security for INEC staff and APC members to rig the poll.

He said that the position of his party was for INEC to cancel the election.

VP Shettima Commends Access BANK’S N30b Discounted Loans For 700,000 MSMEs

The Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima has commended Access Bank for offering N30 billion discounted loans to 700,000 Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), in support of the Tinubu administration’s agenda for job creation and the growth of the MSME space.

Sen. Shettima who disclosed this Friday November 10, 2023 at a meeting with MSME stakeholders comprising key actors from the public and private sectors, at the Presidential Villa, added that the Access Bank loan scheme will commence as soon as possible.

“Every challenge, every problem is pregnant with opportunities for value addition and for repositioning of the society. I just met with the management of Access Bank, we had extensive discussions and they have offered to provide a N30 billion support to MSMEs focusing mostly on the youth and women as target beneficiaries. They are going to give these loans at 15% interest rate,” the Vice President announced.

According to Stanley Nkwocha
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Office of the Vice President noted that the VP had earlier, in his office, met with a delegation from Access Bank led by its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Roosevelt Ogbonna.

Vice President Shettima acknowledged that though the challenges are daunting, Nigeria has the talents to overcome some of them, stressing that “in this room are the people that can bring about the changes we seek, be it in the agricultural value chain, the digital value chain and the manufacturing value chain.”

He urged the stakeholders to unite in order to overcome the common challenges confronting the country, noting that Nigeria is blessed with the human resources to address the projected global talent deficit.

“We can make this country work, with proper planning, zeal, commitment and leadership, this country can be repositioned. We have the platform to re-engineer this nation. The caliber of people present here today has rekindled my hope in the Nigerian dream,” the VP noted.

Yielding to the request of the stakeholders for the inauguration of the National Council on MSMEs, the Vice President directed the Special Adviser to the President on National Economic Council (NEC) to kickstart the processes for the inauguration of the Council and the sensitization of State governors to its functions.

Earlier, the Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mr Charles Odii, on behalf of the stakeholders, thanked the Vice President for his leadership and zeal to ensure the transformation of the MSME space in Nigeria.

According to him, the stakeholders were keenly following the activities as well as interest shown by the VP in issues confronting MSMEs, and gave assurances that the stakeholders were “ready, willing, and committed to aligning to the vision of the Tinubu administration in the sector.”

He then requested the Vice President to pick a suitable date to inaugurate the National Council on MSMEs as part of a broad plan to galvanize robust support for the space.

In separate remarks, the chief executives of the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), spoke about their organisations’ contributions to the growth of the MSME sector and the administration’s job creation agenda.

They reassured the VP of their unwavering commitment and support, particularly in ensuring the actualization of the Tinubu administration’s economic diversification objectives.

The stakeholders were led to the meeting by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Mr Temitola Adekunle-Johnson.

All balance enquiries will reflect accurate figures , No debt cleared MTN stresses

The Telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria has stated that all balance enquiries made by its customers will reflect accurate figures by each customer requesting to check their various balances.

MTN Nigeria Saturday November 11, 2023 stressed that they had a technical glitch that impacted negatively on balance enquiries which led to some customers receiving error messages that their balance have been cleared.

MTN noted emphatically that No debt of anyone cleared that all balance will reflect normally as their engineers are working hard to restore normal service on that.

According to their statement released this Saturday afternoon and received by areanewsng.com, stated thus:

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“MTN Nigeria Communications Plc can confirm a system glitch impacting balance enquiries. As a result, some customers may receive error messages showing that their balances have been cleared. This is not the case and all balances will reflect accurate figures once the problem is resolved.

“Our engineers are currently working to ensure this.

“Please accept our apologies. We regret the inconvenience.

Top Government Functionaries, Celebrities, Others Set For Okpe Language Movie, Izede Efe, Premiere

Top government functionaries, business moguls and celebrities will on Sunday, November 26, 2023, view the first-ever screenings of Okpe Language movie, Izede Efe.

The event will take place at Wetland Event Centre, Sapele between 12 noon and 5.00 PM.

‘Political and traditional leaders, community and religious leaders as well as education administrators and students’ leaders will step out of their houses on Sunday, November 26, 2023’’ a statement by the Executive Producer of the movie, Barrister Kingsley Akpederin said.

“The stars of the movie written by Blessing Okpenihwo and Akpederin Kingsley will turn up in Sapele for the film’s main premiere.

Produced by MTO Movies Academy and Directed by Blessing Okpenihwo, the star-studded movie is the initiative of the Ehensiri Okpe Foundation, and it contains a contemporary message of the need for youths to appreciate hard work and legitimate processes to achieving wealth or financial success.

‘’If this message sinks into the psyche of our people especially the youths, the phenomenon of vices like robbery, kidnapping and ritual killings would be a thing of the past’’ the statement said.

The theme of the movie, according to Akpederin, is driven home by the reward for hard work and legitimate efforts of two young graduates while two others who put their hands into despicable vices for wealth ended up regrettably.

The statement emphasized that the Ehensiri Okpe Foundation opted to have a physical premiering of the movie to reawaken the entertainment consciousness among our people in the area of employing our local languages many of which are gradually going into extinction.

The success of the programme he said would motivate the people especially the youths of Delta State and the entire Niger Delta which is a region with several minority languages to employ these languages in various entertainment genres.

‘’We need to encourage the reclaiming of various art forms in the various Delta State indigenous languages. The traditional storytelling, proverbs and riddles, various forms of traditional songs, and traditional dances need to be reclaimed. They are our collective heritage which must not be permitted to fade away. If we allow them to finally disappear, then this generation would be cheating on future ones’’.

Akpederin urged the government to support the project of reclaiming the collective arts heritage.

The notable Okpe leader and film producer also underscored the guest list and the stars of the movie shot at Osubi Town in Okpe Local Government Area and Sapele in Sapele Local Government Area

‘’Rhoda Okpako, Atarhe Oyovwe, Blessing Okpenihwo, Doris Obeje and other indigenous stars of the Okpe Ethnic nationality really put their hearts into the movie. It was an opportunity for some extremely gifted Okpe actors to showcase their natural performing talents’’ he said.

.‘’The movie is subtitled in English Language which therefore enables all those who can read and understand the English Language to perfectly have the full benefit of the entertainment and message offered by the movie. ‘’IZEDE EFE is therefore for all irrespective of tribe or ethnicity. The soundtrack of the movie titled “Ghwabọfo” which means “Watch Your Hands Clean” is a standard one which has already gone viral for its highlife melody and message’’.

‘’The Okpe Union has also promised to send a powerful delegation’’ he added.