NEWS
Wike’s Aide Debunks Allocating Lands to Son

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has denied the claim that he allocated 2,082 hectares of land to one of his sons in Maitama and Asokoro.Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka in a statement on Thursday, said “not even a single plot of land has been allocated to any of the Minister’s children.
”He described it as “another falsehood from the vault of those whose main job is to malign the FCT Minister. ”He described those behind the publication as quack journalists, who lacked basic training in journalism, asking; “In Asokoro and Maitama of today, where can the FCT Minister see 2,082 hectares of land to allocate to anyone? Only quack journalists will go to town with the story of allocation of 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama, because some of us have continually advocated for professionalism in journalism.”The FCT Minister’s Spokesperson challenged the online publisher of what he described as malicious and bitterly painted publication to provide evidence of any land allocation bearing the name of any of the Minister’s children.The statement read; “My attention has been drawn to yet another malicious falsehood coming from the same elements whose job is to defame and malign the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.”Even though it is the right of the Minister and members of his family, both immediate and extended to own lands anywhere in Nigeria, including the FCT, provided all necessary conditions are met, no land has been allocated to any of his children.”In the publication, a Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) issued to JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, for Agricultural purposes was the only evidence used to justify the claim.”For the avoidance of doubt, JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, a company duly registered in Nigeria got land allocation in Bwari Area Council for the purpose of farming.”So what is wrong with a farmer getting land allocation strictly for the purpose of agriculture?”Therefore, the publication, claiming that the FCT Minister allocated 2,082 hectares of land to his son, is false and should be disregarded.”NEWS
FCTA Raises the Alarm over Vandalism of Public infrastructure in Abuja

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has raised the alarm over the rate at which Public infrastructure in the Federal Capital City (FCC) are being vandalised.This observation was made by The Director, Monitoring and Inspection Department: Obinna Nkwocha during a routine Monitoring exercise of the FCC.
The Director said that the Administration is concerned about increasing incidents of vandalism targeted at Street lights, Water pipelines and Electric cables. He said the FCT Administration under The Minister has spent, and is still spending a lot of Money on Abuja infrastructure so that Residents can enjoy the dividends of Good Governance.Obina Nkwocha added that it is unfortunate that some criminals have decided to make these Public infrastructure their target.He called upon Residents to be vigilant in order to report cases of vandals in their area; and also pleaded with law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of these Public infrastructure.The Director said these criminal activities, especially the removal of Street lights and cables, is creating an unsafe environment for Residents at night; and is causing the administration a lot to repair and replace them.Obinna Nkwocha said the Monitoring Team noticed a lot of environmental nuisances like indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainages, damaged Water pipelines and infiltration of Okada riders into the City Centre.According to him, the Department of Monitoring and Inspection (DMI) is working with other relevant Agencies to curb the menace of vandals and ensure that the aesthetics of the Federal Capital City is preserved.He therefore called on Residents to be partners in progress with the FCT Administration by keeping their environment clean, and ensuring that activities of hoodlums that can jeopardize Public infrastructure are promptly reported.NEWS
SPEAKER NAMES REP. UGBOR CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BAN

Speaker House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas has appointed Hon. Terseer Ugbor as Chairman Ad-hoc Committee on Single-Use Plastic Ban in Nigeria.The committee is mandated to access the preparedness, coordination, and roles of relevant federal agencies in implementing the planned ban on single-use plastics in Nigeria, with a view to ensuring effective enforcement, public awareness, and environmental sustainability.
The committee will also engage with the private sector stakeholders to access their preparedness to eliminate single-use plastics from their operations. The bold initiative to ban single-use plastics is a significant stride towards combating plastic pollution in Nigeria. According to reports, Nigeria ranks as the ninth-largest contributor to plastic pollution globally, generating approximately 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Alarmingly, over 70% of this waste is discarded into landfills, waterways, or the ocean, posing hazards to both the environment and public health.The Deputy Chairman Committee on Environment will assume the notable role of heading the committee and ensuring the effective implementation of a single-use plastic ban in Nigeria. Hon. Ugbor has been an advocate for better environmental laws and policies. He sponsored the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, which has passed in the House of Representatives. He also sponsored the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Ammendement Bill. He is also responsible for the End-of-Life Vehicle Regulations amongst others.Previously, Hon. Ugbor served as Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Student Loans and Access to Higher Education, where he organised the first legislative summit on student loans in the National Assembly and proposed extensive ammendments to the students loans bill which was eventually passed into law. Hon. Terseer Ugbor is a thorough professional and a consultant in the area of environmental sustainability, resource recovery, and climate change.Dagu FredS.A Media and Publicity to Hon. Terseer Ugbor.24th July, 2025.NEWS
Return to PDP, Damagum Begs Defected Members

By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on its founding members and others, who have left the party for reason or the other, to return, assuring it is willing to welcome them back to the fold.
Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Amb.
Umar Damagum, made the appeal at a meeting convened by the founding members of the party in Abuja on Wednesday as part of efforts to resolve lingering internal crisis within the party.Damagum said, “Let it be said and known that our doors remain open to those who wish to return, and it is my earnest prayers that in their return, they may rediscover themselves. After all, we are still the party that gave many their first political home.
“But we must also confront the hard truth, much of the injury the PDP has suffered has been self-inflicted. From the Obasanjo era to this moment, we have too often jettisoned ideology in favour of personal ambition.
“This has cost us dearly. Yet, there is still a beauty that exists only in the PDP; our founding vision, our commitment to internal democracy, our enduring mechanisms for dialogue and reconciliation, and our true national outlook. These are not ordinary attributes. They are the very pillars that made and have sustained the PDP as the bedrock of Nigeria’s democratic journey, and they remain our guiding strength today.”
However, former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, countered the PDP Acting National Chairman, describing the party members who had defected as nomadic politicians, who cannot remain in the fold.
Aliyu said, “I heard both the (acting) chairman and the chairman of Governors Forum have been very diplomatic and saying, come back, come back. No, you don’t invite nomadic politicians back to your place. These were people with a history of nomadism.
“In nomadic life, your own selfish interest becomes more important than the interest of the people. So we need to understand that the lack of discipline has created this problem.
“We cannot continue like this, knowing that the black sheep in the family keep on destroying whatever we are building. And then you say, come back. In fact, the most shocking time, the most shocking period was 2019.
“Our constitution is specific. You leave the party; you join the queue. The party is not just to win elections. The party is also to ensure the culture of selling real, principled politics. So even if we don’t win elections, but we are one united, principled party, we will be recognized. Please, let us pay attention to what we should be doing, rather than looking at those people who will never, never, ever think of you, but only think of themselves.”