Innocent Ojefia Blog

As we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another, the people of Delta Central Senatorial District and the entire Urhobo Nation join other Nigerians and millions more around the world to celebrate and welcome a New Year filled with joy, health and prosperity. The New Year is no doubt a joyous time of rebirth and optimism. While 2019 was difficult for many Nigerians, let us welcome the new year with an utmost faith that brighter days are ahead of us. Let us understand that although our challenges are huge and our problems seem complex, each of us, working together resolutely as one to strengthen and renew our social compact, will overcome these challenges. We must find lasting solutions to the problems of Nigeria, however difficult, while preserving its territorial integrity. Let us resolve to build a future where all our people can love one another and live together in harmony; and where our hope for peace and prosperity are finally realised through economic t...

The Governor of Delta State, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has expressed optimism that the New Year, 2020, will be characterised by sustainable development as the state government remains irrevocably committed to the Stronger Delta vision. The governor stated this in his New Year Message to the people of the state, and urged them to remain united and focused on the course of developing the state, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political differences. In the message contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba on Tuesday, Okowa felicitated with Deltans and all Nigerians as they stepped into 2020 and expressed gratitude to God for the grace granted Delta and its citizens in 2019. While praying for unity, peace and development in the state, which he noted, was the plank of his Stronger Delta vision, he urged the people to remain supportive of government, saying that peace remained the bedrock of meaningful development in any society. The ...

Donald J. Trump last week became just the third president to be impeached in the history of United States of America. But every nation has its own Trump. That is, someone who found himself in position of power, not because of pristine background, experience, leadership effectiveness, moral purity, or political correctness. It could also be someone who might have indulged in gross abuse of office. Of course, Nigeria harbors a good number of its own shameless characters, some of whom are identified below. Yet, the mere mention of such names in the same breadth with Donald Trump, however ignoble, is ostensibly an elevation, but the glow of a vulture never lasts beyond the dry season. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Governor of Kano State : Like Trump, Ganduje is virally corrupt, morally bankrupt, maleficent, vengeful, baleful, and ruthless. Kano has not known peace, since the governor was seen in a trove of video clips receiving bribes from a contractor and stuffing the proceed...

  The godfather of Lagos politics, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2015, led the Southwest into an alliance with the north to birth the All Progressive Alliance (APC). His decision, evidently, was informed by the expectation that the two geopolitical regions will share power, invariably to the exclusion of the Eastern bloc. And ultimately that he, or the Southwest will take power by the time the north completes two terms in 2023. But it has proved to be a miscalculation. Certainly, power play is about conspiracies and alliances. Tinubu is well within his right to do what he thought would best advance his political interest and that of his region. However, in backing President Muhammadu Buhari, he cut his nose to spite his face. It may not have seemed obvious to many, but once Buhari took power in 2015, Tinubu’s political career was in jeopardy. To navigate the president without bruises, the best Tinubu could have done was retire from active politics and ass...

President Muhammadu Buhari came under heavy criticism yesterday for his failure to act in the alleged indictment of his Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, for a $550,000 security fund diversion. Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu deflected response on the allegation to the office of the Minister of Defence when The Guardian sought the presidency’s reaction on the matter. Against a groundswell of allegations of cherry-picking on whom to prosecute in his anti-corruption offensive, Buhari is now directly fingered for shielding Magashi, who is accused of stealing and shipping $550,000 from the nation’s treasury to an offshore account. Magashi has been called out to explain his role in the slush amount he received from the infamous ‘Abacha loot’ estimated by Transparency International to be at least $5 billion, out of which $3 billion has been recovered. Nigerians are incensed that Buhari still ignores the findings in the report. The president’s indisposition to bringing h...

  Watching the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on television on Monday, affirming that the red chamber would approve the $29.96 billion loan request of President Muhammadu Buhari left me so muddled. Lawan persistently spoke as if he was one of the aides of Buhari. He did not sound one bit like he is heading another arm of government. Since his assumption of office, Lawan has been thinking and acting as if he is part of the Executive. On this loan request, I was expecting him to talk about thorough scrutiny of the request by the Senate. He did not do this. Even before senators commenced debate on the request, Lawan had already approved it. Haba! It means the views of other senators no longer matter. This President of the Senate, who has now become an autocrat in the Red Chamber, declared, “The question of whether we will approve the loan request of the Executive arm of Government? Yes, we will pass it.” A few weeks back, this President of the Senate shot down so...

The multi-billion mansion of Edo state governor Adams Oshiomhole will blow your mind. The palatial mansion has lion's den, French bridge, French Lounge, artificial lake and more. Below is what he wrote.... 'REVEALED: Drone-view of the N10bn Mobutu Palatial mansion of Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomole'. Opulence within so much poverty and want. Most of the time no one lives here. 'The Lion's Den of Comrade Governor Oshiomhole with a Zoo containing other undisclosed animals #EdoDecides' 'This palatial mansion of Comrade Gov Oshiomhole has French bridge, French Lounge & an artificial lake #EdoDecides'

To check perennial flooding in Warri, Uvwie and environ, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has said contracts worth more than N9 billion for the construction of storm drainage projects have been awarded. The governor made the disclosure on Sunday while speaking at a thanksgiving service of Hon. (Mrs) Gbubemi Kpenosen-Ikolo, Commissioner for Technical Education at the Unity Baptist Church, Warri. According to Governor Okowa, restoring the lost glory of Warri was important and the storm drainage projects were designed to ensure that the flooding of the oil-rich city was permanently tackled. "Construction of the first phase of stormwater drainage projects in Warri South and Uvwie will be starting in January; the contracts for the projects have been awarded at a cost of N9.5 Billion. "Your Majesties, our desire is to restore the lost glory of Warri and Uvwie and we want the cooperation of everyone for us to have seamless execution of projects," the governor said...

Nigerian men take bribe more than women, a new anti-corruption research focusing on corruption trends has revealed. The research conducted by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes, (UNODC) indicated that Nigerian men are notorious for taking bribes more than Nigerian women. Presenting the report to the media and civil society today in Lagos, the lead researcher, Dr Adebusuyi Adeniran said the research indicated that women in Nigeria are less likely to take bribes that their male counterparts. The report was presented at the 17th Anti-corruption Situation Room, organized by Human and Environment Development Agenda, (HEDA Resource Centre) in collaboration with MacArthur Foundation and pctj. It was designed to engage the report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes Second Survey on Corruption in Nigeria, following the first review held in 2016. The report is aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in governance and public affairs in Nigeria t...

The Senate on Wednesday, passed the Federal Polytechnic Orogun, Delta State Establishment Bill sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege. This followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND on the Bill. The Committee noted in its report that the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun will among others, increase higher education enrollment and reduce youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region. Top of Form Bottom of Form

The Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa has urged political appointees to ensure cohesion in policy execution by carrying on from where their predecessors stopped. The governor made the call on Wednesday in an address he delivered at the inauguration of the Chairmen and members of Boards of Land Allocation Committee, Arts Council, Institute of Continuing Education, Urban E=Water Board, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, Technical and Vocational Education Board, Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education, Bursary and Scholarship Board, among others at Asaba. He stated that the chairmen and members of the Boards were carefully selected based on their antecedents, expressing confidence that with their wealth of experience, " they will make meaningful contributions to the growth and sustainability of these agencies.  "I would like to reiterate the fact that you have been selected to serve on these Boards on account of your proven integrity, unw...