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Abia postpones school resumption date

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Abia postpones school resumption date
• Students in classroom
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…Grants a 90-day moratorium for property owners in Aba

Abia State Government has postponed the resumption date for both public and private schools in the state for the 2024/2025 academic session.

Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, who disclosed this during a press briefing on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting in Umuahia, gave a coinciding Muslim holiday as a reason for the postponement.

According to him, schools across the state will now resume on Wednesday, September 23, instead of Monday, September 16, originally scheduled.

This is as he announced that the second batch of training for teachers would commence on September 11 and end on September 20.

According to him, the exercise will be held simultaneously at three centres: Aba, Umuahia, and Ohafia, adding that 1800 teachers are being targeted.

He said the training was part of the ongoing transformation agenda of the current administration in the education sector.

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The commissioner said over 200 teachers were trained in the first batch, added that it was part of the protocols for school resumption.

He further announced that the state government had granted a 90-day moratorium to owners of landed property without registration in Aba to register them at the old rate.

This, he explained, was borne out of the governor’s magnanimity and compassionate disposition towards governance.

He said, “If they have to pay for it at the new rate, they would complain, but the governor had directed that they pay at the old rate as a way of encouraging them to go ahead and obtain the certificates.

“This, of course, is another instance of the governor’s compassionate disposition towards the implementation of government policies and programs,” Kanu noted.

Contributing, the Director General, Greater Aba Development Authority, GADA, Mr Uche Ukaeje, said that property owners who built without approvals should ordinarily pay some penalties for contravening the building code.

“What the Governor did was to pardon the affected property owners and allow them to only pay the old fees but within 90 days. It was a Christmas gift to them.”

The Information Commissioner further disclosed that Abia State had been selected as one of the six states to fly the flag of Nigeria at an international medical symposium held in Ghana.

He said that the programme which is a biphasic initiative between the World Bank and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, “is tagged HOPE, which stands for Human Capital Opportunity for Prosperity and Equity.”

According to him, Abia was chosen “as a result of the focus on the state due to the ongoing reforms in the state in the health sector.”

On the ongoing Light Up Abia Initiative,” he said 4,346 solar lights had already been installed across 86 locations within the state, adding that the policy is spreading to other parts of the state.

“This is in fulfilment of the need to make the towns and cities in the state more comfortable for residents and to improve security in our state,” he added.

He announced that the Abia Electricity Bill had scaled through second reading at the State House of Assembly.

The Commissioner expressed the hope that the House members would fast-track the passage of the bill upon their resumption from recess.

According to him, the passage of the bill “will give further impetus to the ongoing reforms in the power sector in the state.”

Adding his voice, Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, an engineer, described the Abia Electricity Bill as a masterstroke that will revolutionise the power sector in the state.

He explained that the passage of the bill into law would give the state government the opportunity to own power assets and to regulate the sector.

“When it comes into effect, this law will give us the mandate to establish the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority. It will also give us the mandate to establish the Abia State Rural Electrification Agency.”

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, who was also at the briefing, said Gov. Alex Otti’s administration had come to change the narrative and put the state on the path of development.

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I might not be alive to contest in 2027 – Peter Obi raises alarm over threats to his life

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Peter Obi not arrested by DSS – Aide
Peter Obi, NDC Presidential candidate
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Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr Peter Obi, has cried out over alleged threat to his life.

Obi, who is a major contender ahead of the 2027 presidential election said he might not be alive to participate in the election.

According to him, there is obvious attack on everything that had to do with him, including his life.

The former Anambra state governor made the allegation during a podcast with Chude Jideonwo.

“The way they are going now I might not be alive,  I’m telling you every single thing I do for a living this government is frustrating it deliberately so.

“Everything, so there’s even a possibility if they have opportunity I will not be alive. I get frustrations every day because you do things that may think it may be normal it is not normal they won’t come directly and say oh we are doing this but you could see their hand in eventually everything.

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“The government is attacking everybody, I am being attacked personally even to provide me with things I am entitled to, not at all,” he said.

He recalled how his vehicle was clamped down at the airport while he was right there, whereas other vehicles lined up on the same spot were untouched.

Obi further that stated that even close associates were beginning to avoid him over fear of government clampdown.

He disclosed that friends now send him invitations for occasions but tell him not to bother attending.

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Yilwatda hails Tinubu’s intervention funds as a promise kept

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President Tinubu and APC National Chairman, Prof Yilwatda
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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has said that the intervention programmes of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have continued to demonstrate that the Renewed Hope Agenda is delivering tangible economic benefits to millions of Nigerians through strategic investments in entrepreneurship, small businesses, and youth empowerment.

According to Professor Yilwatda, the Presidential Intervention Funds represent yet another example of the Tinubu administration fulfilling its campaign promises by providing the critical financial support needed to stimulate enterprise, create jobs, and deepen economic inclusion across the country.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, the National Chairman noted that for decades, access to affordable financing remained one of the biggest obstacles confronting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), despite their enormous contribution to national economic growth and employment generation.

The current administration, he said, has deliberately moved to address this challenge through targeted intervention programmes that are unlocking the entrepreneurial potential of Nigerians.

“The Tinubu administration understands that sustainable economic growth begins with empowering the productive sector. By supporting small businesses and young entrepreneurs, government is laying the foundation for long-term prosperity and shared economic progress,” he stated.

Professor Yilwatda highlighted the ₦75 billion Presidential Intervention Fund for MSMEs as a landmark initiative designed to provide accessible financing for small businesses across various sectors of the economy.

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He said the programme is enabling entrepreneurs to expand their operations, increase productivity, and create employment opportunities.

He further pointed to the ₦11 billion support package through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), describing it as a strategic investment in strengthening the capacity and competitiveness of Nigerian small and medium enterprises.

The APC National Chairman also commended the ₦30 billion Youth Entrepreneurship Fund through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), noting that the initiative reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to equipping young Nigerians with the resources required to transform innovative ideas into successful businesses and become drivers of national development.

Professor Yilwatda emphasized that these interventions are already making meaningful differences in the lives of ordinary Nigerians. Across the country, young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, traders, tailors, manufacturers, and other small business owners are accessing capital to expand their businesses, employ more people, and contribute to the economic development of their communities.

He explained that the impact extends beyond individual beneficiaries, creating a multiplier effect through increased productivity, higher household incomes, stronger local economies, and expanded opportunities for wealth creation.

“The APC remains committed to building an economy that works for all Nigerians. These intervention funds are not mere policy announcements; they are practical investments in the dreams and aspirations of millions of our people.

“The evidence is clear. Businesses are receiving support, young people are being empowered, jobs are being created, and economic inclusion is expanding. This is governance that delivers results, and it is another demonstration that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is keeping his promises to the Nigerian people,” Professor Yilwatda said.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the APC and the Tinubu administration to implementing policies that promote entrepreneurship, stimulate investment, strengthen local industries, and build a resilient economy capable of delivering sustainable prosperity for all Nigerians.

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Ex-Minister Uche Nnaji set for arraignment as ICPC files six criminal charges over alleged certificate forgery

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Uche Nnaji when he was arrested by security operatives
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a six-count criminal charge against former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, , over alleged certificate forgery and related offences.

The charges, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, are contained in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/389/2026, with the Federal Government listed as the complainant and Nnaji as the sole defendant.

According to the charge sheet, the ICPC accused the former minister of receiving N29.58 million in salaries and allowances while serving in office, alleging that he ought to have known the funds were proceeds of an unlawful act arising from corruption and fraud. The commission said the action contravenes provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The anti-graft agency also alleged that Nnaji used his office to confer corrupt advantage on himself and knowingly presented false information to the Federal Government by submitting forged > (NYSC) and (UNN) certificates during his ministerial appointment in 2023.

In separate counts, the ICPC accused him of producing and using as genuine a forged NYSC Certificate of National Service and a forged UNN degree certificate, offences punishable under the Penal Code.

The filing of the charges follows Nnaji’s arrest last Wednesday after arriving in Abuja from Enugu aboard a chartered flight.

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The prosecution stems from an investigation published by Premium Times, which alleged that Nnaji forged his university degree and NYSC certificates submitted to President and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation.

The newspaper reported that the confirmed Nnaji was admitted in 1981 but neither graduated nor was issued a degree certificate, while the NYSC also reportedly disowned the discharge certificate attributed to him.

Nnaji resigned as minister shortly after the allegations became public. He has since defected from the APC to PDP , where he emerged as the governorship candidate of a faction of the party for the 2027 Enugu governorship election.

He is expected to be arraigned before the Federal High Court in the coming days.

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