COVER
Ayade Defects to APC Wants Recovery of State Oil Wells
By Jude Opara, Abuja
Facts emerged that the Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to open up a political fight over the oil wells ceded to neighbouring – Akwa Ibom state by previous central government
Ayade, who for a long time was linked with a move to the APC, consummated his ambition at the Cross River State Executive Council Chamber, Governor’s Office, Calabar after a two-hour meeting with seven APC governors led by the party’s interim chairman and governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni.
Ayade said he decided to join the APC, having identified the character attributes of President Muhammadu Buhari and the “realisation that Cross River, which has been emasculated economically, following the ceding of its oil wells, needed to be in sync with the party at the center.
“Having seen and known the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his commitment to this country, his nationalistic disposition and all the efforts he has made to bring Nigeria to where we are today, it is obvious that at this point, we needed to join hands with him to build a Nigeria that we can be proud of.
“We need all governors to recognise that it is not party that matters. It is character, it is honour, and it is commitment to the vision of this great nation. We all need to as a team, work ahead of the president by working towards building a prosperous country that the succession worries of 2023 will come without the fears and the worries the international community has for us.
“I believe that if everyone of us as governor joins hands with Mr. President, I think we can sit on the same dining table and fashion out a way to govern this country.”
In his remarks, a visibly happy Buni said he and his team were in the state to formally welcome Ayade to APC.
“I am here on behalf of the APC family to welcome His Excellency the Executive Governor of Cross River State formally to the APC. As from today he is the leader of the party in the state.”
Cross River PDP is Crippled – Deputy Speaker
Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker of Cross River House of Assembly, Joseph Bassey, has officially left the PDP for APC following the defection of Governor Ben Ayade.
Bassey told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview yesterday in Calabar that the governor’s move has crumbled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
He said that the governor was moving to the ruling party with all members of the State House of Assembly, Commissioners, elected local council chairmen, councillors, and over 6,000 political appointees in the state.
“I have already moved with the governor. Cross River is now an APC state and the House of Assembly has also moved with the governor. “We just have to help Cross River residents by aligning with the centre. Cross River receives the least allocation from the Federal Government and this is not good enough. “In the past six years, Cross River has been an opposition party; this is the first time we are missing touch with the centre.
“We don’t have oil wells, our allocation is low. Ayade has tried in using his intellectual capacity and ability to attract some federal government presence into the state.
“We are left with two years in this administration and we must align with the centre for the interest of the state,” he said.
Bassey said that the state needed federal government’s support for the superhighway, the deep seaport, and other projects that the governor had initiated.
“For somebody like Ayade who has gone far to appoint over 6,000 persons into his government, it will be a difficult moment for PDP in Cross River.
“I think today marks the official burial ceremony of PDP in Cross River and this will affect the national because I see other governors joining the APC soon.
“With this movement, some of our people can now get better appointments at the centre. For us in Cross River we have moved,” he said. Ayade officially joined the APC at a ceremony in Calabar on Thursday attended by Gov. Mai Bala-Buni of Yobe, who is the Caretaker Chairman of APC and other governors.
No Secession Agitation in Akwa Ibom – Gov Emmanuel
In a related development, the Akwa Ibom state government stated its resolve to remain solidly behind Nigeria’s quest to remain united for growth and progress of the nation and its citizens.
Governor Udom Emmanuel stated this when he received course participants of the Strategic Management and Policy Studies Course 3 of 2020 from the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, at Government House, Uyo.
He noted that although Akwa Ibom would not join in the quest for secession, the state “strongly believes in a Nigeria that is founded upon the strong principles of justice, equity and fairness”.
The governor stressed that the state would not, in any way, support the disintegration of the country as it “has all available resources to become a great nation envisaged by its citizens”.
Represented by the deputy governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, Governor Emmanuel appreciated the Armed Forces for its enormous contribution in ensuring unity and peace in the country and Akwa Ibom in particular, noting that no meaningful development can thrive under rancour.
He equally thanked the Federal Government for setting up the Army Resource Centre, which he said, “has contributed immensely towards providing strategic solutions to the wellbeing of the nation”.
On the choice of Akwa Ibom for the Study Tour, Governor Emmanuel described it as a mark of honour and credited the progress in the state to the determination of his administration to improve on the available infrastructure as well as add value to governance.
He listed several achievements of the state in different sectors including agriculture and air transportation, noting that Ibom Air would soon extend its services to the Northern part of the country and the West African sub-region.
Leader of the team and representative of the Director General of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Major General James Akomolafe, said they were in the state for a four-day study tour.
He said the preference of Akwa Ibom for the research tour above other states was due to its peaceful ambience and the developmental progress it was making in spite of current global economic challenges.
Some places visited by the team include Champion Breweries Plc, which the Major General observed was making steady progress as one of the oldest industries in the state.
United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) has announced plans to raise N157 billion through a rights issue.The disclosure was made via a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd (NGX).It said in a statement on Thursday that its stock brokers, United Capital Securities Ltd., had submitted an application to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.
to that effect. It added its stock brokers had requested for approval and listing of a Rights Issue of 3,156,869,665 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N50. 00 per share“Trading License Holders are hereby notified that United Bank for Africa Plc, through its Stockbrokers, United Capital Securities Ltd., has submitted an application to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.” in that regard.“The rights issue will be on the basis of one new ordinary share for every 13 ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.“The qualification date for the Rights Issue is July 16, 2025,” the bank noted.The move is part of UBA’s strategy to strengthen its capital base and support its expansion and growth objectives across Africa.(NAN)
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Over 4000 substandard and illegal schools have been uncovered and ready to be shut down across the state.The chief press secretary to the Benue State Governor, Tersoo Kula disclosed this at a press conference in Makurdi.Kula was reacting to a statement credited to former commissioner for education and knowledge management, Prof.
Dennis Ityavyar, said that Governor Alia has stabilised the educational sector since coming on board two years ago. ”No more strikes. Schools are moving on smoothly and in a bid to bring teaching and learning closer to the people and address the problem of younger school leavers in securing admission into tertiary institutions, the governor has established a new university.”The establishment of University of Agriculture Science and Technology Ihugh, Vandeikyaa LGA is real..The governor has secured the licence, acquired land and made appointments of principal officers.”This is to address the issue of providing admission for the teeming Benue indigenes seeking admission into Nigerian universities.”The Governor has employed over 9700 teachers to energize public primary schools in the state. Apart from the fact that our primary schools would be energized, 9700 youths have been taken off the streets.”The government of governor Alia has also paid the 38 months earned allowance owed to lecturers at the Moses Adasu University, formerly Benue State University Makurdi”, he said.He maintained that renovation of government secondary schools and colleges across the state are ongoing where ongoing construction of new structures is in some public primary and secondary schools to ensure conducive learning environment.”Public primary schools teachers are trained on ITCs to enhance the teaching and learning of information and technology innovations at elementary level.”This government has been able to identify over 4000 substandard schools in the state and have secured insurance cover for Benue State students and paid bursary allowances in law school students in the state”, Kula stated.Benue Moves to Domesticate National Policy on IDPsThe Benue State Government has commenced a validation process to domesticate the newly federal government policy on Internally Displaced Persons (PDP) in the State.Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management in the State, Aondowase Kunde, stated that upon stakeholders’ inputs into the Internally Displaced Persons policy document, it would be fully launched.He added that the aim is to improve the welfare of the displaced population in the state.Kunde stated this during a two policy validation meeting held at Benue Hotels Makurdi yesterday.He maintained that the document which was passed into law by the national assembly needed to be domesticated in the state in line with the peculiarities of the state.In his remarks, the chairman, House Committee on Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Benue State House of assembly, James Abu Umoro, noted that the state has suffered so many natural and man-made disasters that it requires the policy to be domesticated in the state.Umoru insisted that the house will not hesitate to pass the document into law when presented by the executive arm of government.He said the issue of IDP in the state is a concern for everyone and must be given accelerated consideration at any point in time.On his part, House committee chairman on SDG and Donor Agencies, Peter Uche, noted that in most cases, communities have suffered attacks for more than ten years.”Let me therefore, call on all to support the implementation of the policy document for the displaced to return to their ancestral homes to start their normal farming and business activities”, he stated.The Director General, Sustainable Development Goals, John Akuse, who spoke at the occasion, said the validation of the IDP policy document is vital in paving the way for the displaced population to be adequately taken care of regarding their peculiar needs.
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State as Muhammadu Buhari University.
“May we now adopt the University of Maduguri as the Muhammadu Buhari University,” Tinubu said at the close of a special session of the Federal Executive Council held to honour Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
The President paid a glowing tribute to Buhari, describing him as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man” whose legacy of discipline, patriotism and moral uprightness would endure for generations.
Tinubu said although the late president was not without flaws, his unwavering commitment to national service set him apart.
“President Buhari was not a perfect man, no leader is, but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man.
“His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten.
“His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God,” he said.
Reflecting on Buhari’s time in office and his long military and civil service, Tinubu praised the late leader’s simplicity, humility, and stoic resistance to the trappings of power.
He said, “He stood, always, ramrod straight; unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause and unafraid of the loneliness that often visits those who do what is right, rather than what is popular.
“His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism lived more in action than in words.”
Tinubu also recounted their political alliance, which culminated in the historic 2015 elections that marked Nigeria’s first democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.
“We stood together, he and I. Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, regions and tongues, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first true democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.
“When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected President, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint,” he said.
The President expressed admiration for Buhari’s post-office modesty, noting that he returned to his hometown, Daura, without seeking to wield influence behind the scenes.
“When his tenure ended, he returned to Daura; not to command from the shadows or to hold court, but to live as he always had, never seeking to impose his will but content to let others carry the nation forward.
“Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: not a sigh, not a groan, just a quiet submission to the will of God. Such was the man Nigeria has lost. Such was the man for whom our nation now mourns,” he added.
Tinubu thanked the Inter-Ministerial Committee and Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, for organising a befitting state funeral within 48 hours, describing it as a “profound honour” to lead the burial procession in Daura.
He concluded his tribute with a prayer: “Mai Gaskiya, the People’s General, the Farmer President, your duty is done. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. May his life continue to inspire generations of Nigerians to serve with courage, conviction, and selflessness. President Buhari, thank you. Nigeria will remember you.”
Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, at the age of 82.
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