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FCT Minister Wike says natives will get N825.8 million in compensation for airport project

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The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nyesom Wike, says the FCT Administration (FCTA) will pay N825.8 million as compensation for the construction of a second runway for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Mr Wike stated this in Abuja on Tuesday, while briefing newsmen at the end of a closed-door meeting with members of the Jiwa community and other stakeholders.

He said that the amount would be paid through the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) for compensation and resettlement of the people of the community affected by the project.

He added that as part of the incentive, 12 people from the community would be employed by the ministry of aviation and aerospace development and its agencies and 10 by FCTA.

He added that the government would also construct the Tunga Madaki bridge along with a five-kilometre road from the bridge to the community for easy movement of the people.

The minister explained that the project would be captured in the 2024 budget of the FCTA.

Mr Wike also said that FCTA would equally provide a modern health facility to provide quality health care services for the people of the community.

He said that an undertaking would be signed based on the agreement between the government and the community.

He identified the signatories as the permanent secretaries of FCTA and the ministry of aviation, the chief of Jiwa, the chairman, Abuja Municipal Council, and the commissioner of public complaint commission.

“If that is done today, and tomorrow or next tomorrow the money is paid to them, contractors will no longer delay. They have to move to the site immediately and commence work.

“So, the second runway has come to stay,” he said.

He said that the current administration was determined to ensure that the second runway was delivered.

He commended the chief of Jiwa, Isa Idris, for mobilising his people to attend the meeting to resolve the crisis.

His counterpart, Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, said that he met the issue on his table, adding that the project ought to have been delivered in July.

Mr Keyamo said that the contractors could not be mobilised because of the issue of compensation.

Earlier, the permanent secretary, FCTA, Olusade Adesola, said that the completion of the project requires the support of all relevant stakeholders.

Mr Adesola commended Mr Wike for his intervention to ensure a quick resolution of the issue.

Emmanuel Meribole, permanent secretary, ministy of aviation and aerospace development, said that the project was approved by the federal executive council in March 2022.

Mr Meribole said that the project was awarded to four contractors in April, with CCECC Nigeria Limited as the major contractor.

He, however, said that the project was stalled because of the disagreement over compensation for the affected community members.

Earlier, the chief of Jiwa, said that the ministry of aviation, through its consultant, had earlier pegged the compensation at N2.5 million per hectare, for the 12,000 hectares allocated for the project.

Mr Idris further said that the amount was later reviewed downward to N700,000 per hectare when FCTA took over the discussion as the rightful authority to determine how much compensation to be paid.

He said that the community took the matter to the public complaint commission with a view to resolving the issue amicably.

The community leader said that his people were concerned that the N700,000 being offered per hectare would not be enough for the affected persons to acquire another piece of land.

Zenith Bank appoints Juliet Ehimuan as non-executive director

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The Board of Directors of Zenith Bank Plc has appointed Juliet Ehimuan as a Non-Executive Director of the bank, effective August 29, 2023. The appointment, which was announced in a statement to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, has also been confirmed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Dr Juliet Ehimuan is the Founder and CEO of Beyond Limits and the immediate past Director of Google West Africa. She was named by Forbes as one of the top 20 power women in Africa, by the London Business School as one of 30 people changing the world, and as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD). She was also featured in the BBC Africa Power Women series and on CNN Innovate Africa.

With over 25 years experience primarily in Technology, Oil & Gas, and New Media industries across Europe, Middle East and Africa; Juliet is a leading voice on Innovation, Transformation, and Leadership.

During her remarkable 12-year tenure at Google, Juliet played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s presence in Nigeria and the wider West Africa region. She championed initiatives to increase digital access, local content development, skills acquisition, entrepreneurial growth, innovation, and fostered strategic partnerships with leading private sector and government institutions.

Dr Juliet has made significant contributions to the tech ecosystem in Nigeria and Africa at large. She served on committees that developed the national broadband plan and ICT incubation strategy in Nigeria, and has been involved in national strategic advisory groups focused on economic growth. These engagements demonstrate her commitment to shaping the future of tech in Africa. She has received numerous awards for outstanding contribution to the digital landscape in Africa.

She holds board positions across multiple industries including Finance, FMCG, Oil & Gas, Education and social enterprises.

Her education includes a Doctoral degree in Business from Walden University in Minneapolis, an Executive MBA from the London Business School, a Postgraduate degree in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge, and a BSc in Computer Engineering (1st class honours) from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. She is a recipient of the London Business School Global Women’s Scholarship, and at Cambridge University was awarded Selwyn College Scholar and Malaysian Commonwealth Scholar. She is a Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society.

She was awarded IT Personality of the Year in 2012 by the Nigeria Computer Society, Digital Personality of the year 2016 by Marketing World; and received a 2015 Titans of Technology award from Technology Africa. She is a published Author, Executive Coach, and a member of the Forbes Coaches’ Council.

NDLEA Foils Dollar-Smuggling Scheme

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tags Ozoh Ikenna, Ogbo Emmanuel, Eternal God International Limited]

An attempt by a passenger to smuggle 23 wraps containing $US34,000 has been foiled by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the agency’s Head of Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, said in a press statement.

The suspect, Ozoh Ikenna, was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, on his way to Brazil. The money was detected during the screening of passengers for an Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi packed in wraps and concealed in his boxer shorts.

NDLEA airport commander, Ahmadu Garba said that the arrest was facilitated by a scanning machine. “We also conducted a follow-up operation where one Ogbo Emmanuel who gave Ozoh the $34,000 dollars was arrested,” he stated.

Investigation by the Assets and Financial Investigation Directorate headed by Mrs Victoria Egbase revealed that the suspects were involved in the laundering of substantial amounts of illicit drug proceeds.

“We were able to trace over two hundred and twenty-six million Naira (N226,000,000) to one bank account belonging to the second suspect, Ogbo Emmanuel,” she said. “The account name is Eternal God International Limited”.

Ogbo Emmanuel hails from Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State. After his primary and secondary education, he travelled to Onitsha to learn the automobile parts business. In 1996, he relocated to Lagos. In 2005, he left Nigeria for Gambia in search of greener pastures. While in Gambia, he travelled to Germany twice to purchase fairly used electronics. He returned to Lagos in 2008 and has been dealing in cosmetic business at the Trade Fair Complex.

In his statement, Ozoh said that he was only a courier. “I [have lived] in Brazil since 2008,” he stated. “I was paid to smuggle the $34,000 to Brazil. They promised to pay me five per cent. I agreed to smuggle the money to alleviate my financial hardship. I could not swallow the wraps so I decided to hide it in my underpants.”

It was also discovered that suspected drug proceeds were regularly deposited in the said bank account by members of an international drug cell that smuggles cocaine from South America to West Africa. Investigations also revealed that the cosmetic business of Ogbo Emmanuel at the Trade Fair Complex Lagos was a mere hoax, as his sales records did not justify the large inflow of money into his bank account. A Hyundai Tucson Jeep was seized as an exhibit during the raid operation.

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said that the agency was strategically targeting criminal wealth.

“Asset forfeiture is one of the effective ways of responding to organised crime threats,” he stated. “We are working assiduously to trace and confiscate criminal wealth of drug syndicates. Strategic efforts are on-going to prevent the entry of drug proceeds into legitimate economy and criminal financing.”

The NDLEA boss assured members of the public that in view of the overwhelming evidence linking the money to narcotics, the agency will diligently prosecute the suspects. He said efforts were still being made to apprehend other members of the drug smuggling cartel.

NDLEA arrests Brazil-bound passenger with $34,000 in underwear

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a passenger for attempting to smuggle out 23 wraps containing $34,000 to Brazil.

This was contained in a statement by the Head, Public Affairs of NDLEA, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, on Friday in Lagos.

The statement said the passenger, Ozoh Ikenna, was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, during the screening of passengers boarding Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi.

It said the money was packed in wraps and concealed in Ikenna’s boxer shorts.

According to the statement, the NDLEA airport commander, Mr Ahmadu Garba, said the arrest was facilitated with the aid of a scanning machine.

“The wraps of dollars found on Ikenna were detected with the aid of scanning machine.

“We also conducted a follow-up operation where one Ogbo Emmanuel, who gave Ozoh the $34,000 was arrested,” the commander is quoted as saying.

The statement said investigation conducted by the NDLEA’s Assets and Financial Investigation Directorate revealed that the suspects were involved in the laundering of substantial amount of illicit drug proceeds.

“We were able to trace over N226m to one bank account belonging to the second suspect, Ogbo Emmanuel.

“The account name is Eternal God International Limited,” the head of the directorate, Mrs Victoria Egbase, is quoted as saying.

According to the statement, it was also discovered that suspected drug proceeds were regularly deposited in the said bank account by members of an international drug cell that smuggles cocaine from South America to West Africa.

The statement quoted NDLEA’s Chairman, Mr Ahmadu Giade, as saying that the Agency was strategically targeting criminal wealth.

Angola and Brazil sign Cunene Valley action plan

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Angola and Brazil signed last week night the action plan 2023/2025, as part of technical cooperation and development of irrigated regions and policies to support family farming in southern Angola.

The plan is part of the "Vale do Cunene" (Cunene Valley) Programme, an initiative whose direct beneficiaries are the population of the Vale do Cunene, a semi-desert region, an experience also lived by the population of the Vale de São Francisco, in Brazil.

The initiative is coordinated by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, involving other institutions of that South American country.

The Work Plan was signed by the deputy director of ABC Luísa Lopes and by the director of the Study and Statistics Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Angola Anderson Jerónimo.

The plan sets 25 priority actions, such as the elaboration of policies for family agriculture, training of Angolan staff and development of agricultural and livestock research.

The Vale do Cunene programme is a response to a request from President João Lourenço, who guides the authorities of the two countries (Angola and Brazil) to work together to diversify the agricultural production base in that region (Vale do Cunene).

The move is meant to stop depending on oil as the main export product for raising foreign exchange.

The project is integral and involves, in addition to the experience of knowledge and public policies, the attraction of investments in the production and inclusion of family farming.

The Cunene Valley project is similar to that of the São Francisco Valley, in Brazil, managed by Development Company of San Francisco Valley, which, in addition to family farming, was transformed into a region for large-scale diversified production, ensuring surplus for export.

The idea is to replicate in the extensive region of the Cunene Valley, with the irrigation channels being completed and expanded, a model that has been successfully implemented in Brazil.