President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate clearance of more than 300 containers of electricity equipment that have been stranded at Nigerian ports for several years.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The equipment, according to reports, has remained at the ports for between 14 and 20 years due to unpaid charges and unresolved customs clearance procedures.

The Minister of Power, Olasunkanmi Tegbe, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday at the State House in Abuja, stating that the Federal Government would soon take steps to retrieve the items.

He explained that the directive was part of the government’s efforts to recover potentially useful electricity infrastructure and address persistent challenges affecting Nigeria’s power transmission network.

Tegbe described the prolonged detention of the equipment as unacceptable, noting that the containers had been left at the ports for years because previous administrations failed to settle outstanding charges and complete the necessary clearance processes.

According to the minister, Tinubu had directed the Ministry of Power to collaborate with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to resolve the outstanding issues and facilitate the release of the equipment.

The President also instructed the relevant agencies to reconcile outstanding charges, where necessary, to bring an end to the prolonged delays.

Tegbe added that technical experts would inspect the equipment after it had been cleared to determine its condition and whether it could be deployed within the country’s electricity network.

He stated that equipment found to be serviceable would be incorporated into ongoing power infrastructure projects, while obsolete or unusable materials would be appropriately disposed of.

However, the minister did not disclose the total value of the stranded equipment, the amount required to settle the outstanding charges, or the deadline for completing the clearance exercise.

Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has warned that the appointment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi to head the Electoral Operations Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could undermine public confidence in the electoral body.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Adeyemi-Showunmi is the wife of Segun Showunmi, a member of the Communication and Strategy Committee of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Okonkwo expressed concern that her appointment could raise questions about the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

The ADC spokesman argued that the development presented a potential conflict of interest that could affect public perception of INEC’s impartiality.

He said, “Allowing the wife of Showunmi to be the electoral operations department officer is rigging the election before the time.”

Okonkwo explained that the Electoral Operations Department plays a critical role in the conduct of elections, including the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials, recruitment and training of ad hoc personnel, and coordination of polling and collation activities.

He further noted that the department is responsible for supervising returning officers during elections, making its leadership particularly important ahead of the 2027 polls.

According to him, the concern goes beyond whether the official would act impartially, stressing that any circumstance capable of creating a perception of bias should be addressed.

“We are not talking about whether there will be bias. We are saying that anything that has the likelihood of bias is not allowed,” he said.

The ADC spokesman also invoked the principle of conflict of interest, arguing that public officials should avoid situations that could reasonably raise doubts about their neutrality, even when actual bias has not been established.

Okonkwo maintained that his concerns were not necessarily an accusation against Adeyemi-Showunmi’s personal integrity, but rather about whether the circumstances surrounding her redeployment could weaken public trust in INEC’s independence and neutrality ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, over his claim that Nigeria could have accumulated greater wealth if successive leaders had kept public funds in banks to generate interest.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Obi made the remark during an interview with a radio station in Nasarawa State on Wednesday, arguing that the country could have built substantial wealth if public officials had safeguarded government funds and allowed them to earn interest instead of mismanaging them.

The former Anambra State governor also disclosed that his administration kept public funds in three different banks.

He condemned what he described as a culture of dishonesty in Nigeria, lamenting that people who demonstrate integrity are often discredited rather than celebrated.

However, Keyamo took issue with Obi’s comments, launching a scathing attack on the former governor in a post on his X account.

The aviation minister described Obi’s remark as an example of what he called extreme foolishness and suggested that it could explain the alleged decline in the NDC candidate’s public approval ratings.

Reacting to the statement, Keyamo wrote: “This dumbness is beyond measure. I really don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. No wonder his approval ratings have plummeted so badly.

“Nigeria did not just dodge a bullet; it ducked a massive howitzer!”