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Palliative: Gov Otti Pledges Transparency, Fairness in Distribution

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Gov. Alex Otti of Abia has said that the grain palliative from the Federal Government to the state would be distributed  transparently and equitably.

Otti said this on Wednesday during a meeting with stakeholders and inauguration of a Distribution Committee, at the Government House, Umuahia.

The governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr Caleb Ajagba, said that setting up of a committee was part of the State Government’s efforts to ensure that the palliative would be evenly distributed in the state.

He said that the composition of the committee aligned with the directives of the federal government through the National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA).

Otti also said that the committee would have the responsibility of overseeing the distribution of the grains to cushion the effects of high cost of food items caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.

He said that the state government had received a letter from the federal government on the allocation of grains to the state.

He said that the grains  allocated to Abia  include “663 Metric Tonnes  of Maize representing 13,260 bags of 50Kg and 79.9 Metric Tonnes of Garri, representing 3,196 bags of 25 kg to be shared equally among the Local Government Areas”.

Otti said that the state had not  received any food items from the government yet, and added that the state Ministry of Agriculture had provided a warehouse for storage upon arrival.

He said that the government would use an effective mechanism to take a comprehensive inventory of the received food items to ensure transparency and accountability in  the distribution process.

Otti further said that 20 per cent of the grains would be allocated to faith-based organisations, while three per cent of the food items would be distributed to boarding schools across the state.

 He restated government’s commitment to transparency in managing all aid received from the federal government, international and local agencies, to ensure fair and equitable distribution to the people.

“We want to stress that this is a very transparent administration and so we don’t want to keep anyone in the doubt or in the dark as to what accrues to this state.

“The same way we have  demonstrated capacity, competence and transparency in the management of this state.

“Everything that accrues to this state whether from the Federal, the international donor agencies or the local organizations will always be declared so that the citizens will know what they are receiving.

 “Whatever they are receiving, the people will also know how what is being received is being made available to everyone so that at the end of it all, they will know that indeed, a new Abia is here.

“That is why we have called on everyone here today so that we can sit round the table and be able to take stock of what has been made available and then decisively deal with the issue of how they will be made available to the end users.

“We also want to encourage the level of transparency that the governor has shown to be replicated everywhere across board,” Otti said.

Reports says that the federal government had embarked on distribution of 42,000 Metric Tonnes of grains to states to address the rising cost of food in the country.(NAN)

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They Planted Juju in my Jacket at Davido’s House – Peruzzi

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Singer Peruzzi has narrated how a charm was planted in his jacket during his stay at Davido’s house.

Peruzzi was signed to Davido’s record label, DMW, in 2017.

Davido dissolved the label in April 2024.

However, discussing his experience during his stay at Davido’s house, Peruzzi narrated how a charm was planted in his jacket.

Speaking in a video interview online, he said, “I took a shower one evening, like at 6 pm. Just a shower and then went to go and meet them back downstairs because I was chilling there before I went upstairs in David house when I was still living there.

“And then I was done taking the shower. I go to my wardrobe to get my clothes, and then one of my jackets is just telling me, ‘Pull me, wear me, wear me, wear me.’ I don’t know how to explain it, but I was just having the urge to wear it.”So, I carry am (the jacket), and something just dropped inside, and when I looked, it was jaz, better juju inside my room. A jacket that just came from the laundry.”

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AFSNET Business Conference Kicks off in Calabar

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From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The 6th African sub – sovereign Governments Network Investment Conference has started in Calabar the cross river state capital as Afreximbank opens a $2 billion tap for Cross River State and other African sub-sovereign governments for the financing of bankable projects that can turn around their economies.

Making the disclosure in Calabar in a press briefing, The Director, Trade Facilitation and Investment Promotion, Afreximbank, Dr.

Gainmore Zanamwe, said the 6th African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network Investment Conference (AfSNET 2026) is going to be a three day event, running from Thursday 12th to Saturday 14th November, 2026.

Dr Zanamwe stated that, the Bank has the facility ready to finance. According to him, “Some people say funding is a problem. From Africa we say no. The $2 billion is there,” Zanamwe said. “Go and tell your people. You people in the media, go and tell people that money is there,” stressing that the bank is fully prepared to spend the next three days, November 12, 13 and 14, in Calabar enlightening states on how to access the fund. “How do you then access the funding?  He asked.

“That is what we’ll be telling everybody in the course of the next three days. We’ll be showing you how you can tap into the $2 billion to do your projects. We’ll make it very simple.” He maintained.

Zanamwe stated that only states that present properly packaged, bankable projects will benefit. “We’ll start tomorrow with a training on how to identify projects in your states. Some normally start by saying there’s a project in this, they then run to the investors. It doesn’t work that way. We’ll be breaking it down,” he said.

“We would like, under the leadership of your Governor, to be able to start from the vision and say this is the vision in terms of promoting trade investment in your states. Once you start from that big vision, you cannot do everything. You need to focus. Identify two or three sectors that you really need to focus on and promote,” he added.

He explained that capital can be raised in two ways: by preparing a project and making it bankable for financial institutions like Afreximbank, or by preparing a pitch deck to generate interest from potential investors.

He also promoted Africa Direct Investment, saying an investor from Lagos or South Africa can as well enjoy the same privileges and incentives given to an investor from America.

He stressed that governors will pitch their projects on November 13 and 14, adding that in the last five years, the initiative has facilitated opportunities worth more than $3 billion, trained over 2,000 people, and worked with 21 African countries.

Also speaking on behalf of Governor Bassey Otu, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, welcomed investors to the state.

“With Cross River State’s agrarian economy being rejuvenated by this administration, for the first time a very deliberate attempt is being taken to be able to make sure that our diverse products are being properly processed to meet international standards,” Cobham said.

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RMAFC Advocates Fair Share of 13 Per Cent Revenue Derivation Among Oil Producing States

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has advocated a fair distribution of the 13 per cent derivation revenue among states that produce oil and gas.

The Chairman of the commission, Mohammed Shehu, made the appeal on Thursday in Owerri during the inauguration of an oil and gas wells verification exercise.

Shehu explained that the commission’s constitutional responsibilities under the 1999 Constitution, as amended, include monitoring revenue generated into and disbursed from the Federation Account, including funds allocated under the 13 per cent derivation arrangement.

He said the exercise would focus on identifying and confirming the geographical coordinates of disputed oil and gas wells, alongside newly drilled wells between 2017 and 2026.

According to him, an Inter-Agency Technical Committee established for the assignment would carry out physical inspections of the affected wells, verify their locations and ensure that their coordinates were accurately recorded using officially approved maps.

He added that the committee would also take relevant court judgments into consideration when addressing disputes involving oil and gas well locations.

Shehu said the committee would forward its technical findings directly to the commission for review, ratification and eventual adoption.

He described the verification exercise as essential to ensuring that revenue allocations from the Federation Account are accurate and fairly distributed, explaining that the geographical positions of oil and gas wells determine the financial entitlements of producing states.

“This exercise represents a crucial phase in establishing statutory accuracy, technical fidelity, and fiscal equity within the Federation Account allocation framework,” he said.

He further explained that the precise coordinates and geographical positions of oil and gas wells have direct implications for the legal and financial rights of the respective states.

The RMAFC chairman urged officials participating in the exercise to adhere strictly to professional surveying procedures, recognised maps and relevant legal requirements in carrying out their assignments.

He reiterated that the technical committee’s report would be submitted solely to the commission for administrative review and formal approval.

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