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Benue Assembly blocks Alia’s nominees over unmet demands
The Benue State House of Assembly has postponed the screening of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s commissioner nominees, insisting that the executive must first adhere to its prior resolutions.
This stance was adopted on Friday in Makurdi, shortly after Speaker Hyacinth Dajoh presented the governor’s letter nominating his cabinet members.
READ ALSO: Benue massacre: Enough! Take charge now – Tinubu’s stern words to Alia!
Thomas Dugeri (APC/Kwande West) acknowledged that screening nominees is a constitutional responsibility and the Assembly has no fundamental issue with it. However, he emphasized that unresolved matters must be settled before considering further executive communications.
Simon Gabo (APC/Mata) noted that the submission of nominees reflects the governor’s recognition of the Assembly’s role, urging collaboration. He raised concerns about not receiving his initial constituency allowance, which has hindered planned community projects.
Gabo further highlighted that the Assembly Chamber remains unusable due to ongoing renovations initiated by the governor, and seven members are yet to receive official vehicles.
He proposed an indefinite adjournment, suggesting the governor could act independently if preferred, but must treat legislators equitably.
Elias Audu (APC/Gwer East) described the situation as resembling a “state of nature,” despite their structured governance. He pointed out that resolutions, including one to unfreeze state accounts, remain unimplemented.
Manger Manger (APC/Tarka) noted the absence of constituency service funds, despite their inclusion in the budget, and supported deferring the governor’s letter while leadership continues discussions with the executive.
Kennedy Angbo (APC/Otukpo-Akpa) criticized the executive’s disregard for resolutions, which he said discourages ministry and agency heads from responding to Assembly invitations. He called the lack of vehicles for seven members unacceptable and backed deferring the correspondence.
Bemdoo Ipusu (APC/Katsina-Ala) opposed an indefinite adjournment but agreed that screening should be delayed until the governor complies with resolutions. He also condemned alleged disrespectful remarks from social media aides of SUBEB Chair, Dr. Grace Adagba, toward legislators.
Michael Audu (PDP/Adoka-Ugboju) advised against an indefinite adjournment, citing the need to meet the minimum required sitting days per legislative session.
Douglas Akya (APC/Makurdi South) questioned how the Assembly could function effectively when members’ welfare is overlooked. He affirmed their commitment to cooperation but supported deferring executive correspondence.
Abu Edoh (PDP/Agatu) also opposed closing the Assembly indefinitely.
William Ortyom (PDP/Agasha) clarified that the Assembly is not seeking to destabilize the state, noting they could have continued using plastic chairs for over two years. He remarked that Benue’s Assembly is the only one in Nigeria still using plastic chairs.
Majority Leader Saater Tiseer called for calm, assuring ongoing engagement with the executive to meet their demands.
In his ruling, Speaker Dajoh instructed the governor to implement the Assembly’s resolutions and suspend the SUBEB Chair, Otukpo Council Chairman, and Sports Lottery Board Executive Secretary.
He warned that without fulfilling demands, including providing seven vehicles, the Assembly would not entertain further correspondence from the governor.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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