Multichoice Nigeria has announced that season 7 of the Big Brother Naija reality TV show will commence on July 23, 2022.
The winner of this season will walk away with N100 million prize at the end of the show.
The anchor, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, also confirmed the news in a tweet: ¡°Yes, we are back, season 7 is finally here, we can¡¯t wait for you guys to see all the amazing stuff coming this season. Trust me if you think you know Big Brother, this season is about to take things up another notch.¡±
Recall that the grand prize in the sixth edition of the BBNaija show was N90m, which was won by Ikechukwu Hazel Onyeze, popularly known as Whitemoney.
A former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic, Tukur Buratai has denied links to monies and properties recently seized in Abuja by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Recall that the ICPC had raided a property in the Wuse 2 area of the federal capital territory (FCT) where it recovered money and other items from the property including N175,706,500, $220,965, a G-Wagon, 2022 editions of BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars and customised mobile phones.
It also recovered several designer wristwatches, including three Rolexes, and some property documents.
Following the raids, reports had emerged claiming Buratai is the owner on the property and the seized items but the agency in a statement stated that the property is owned by the owner of K Salam Construction Company, a military contractor called Kabiru Sallau.
Speaking to newsmen on Monday, Buratai’s legal adviser, Ugochukwu Osuagwu, said reports linking the former army chief to the properties are filled with mischief, baseless and concocted.
He said: “Lieutenant General T.Y. Buratai has no relationship with the said properties nor does he have any relationship with the said K Salam Construction Company Nigeria Limited. These are fabricated lies to criminally defame the image of Lieutenant General T.Y. Buratai.
“First, ICPC, in a press release on June 24, 2022, denied any involvement of Lieutenant General T.Y. Buratai with their investigation of the Wuse 2 property.
“Secondly, Corporate Affairs Commission, in a letter dated Monday, 27 June 2022 and signed by A.G. Abubakar clearly exonerated Lieutenant General T.Y. Buratai with any relationship with the said K Salam Construction Company Nigeria Limited. Messrs. Muhammed Ahmed Sallau and Sallau Kabiru are the owners of the said company.
“Thirdly, a check on the FRSC website on the number plate: ABJ98BH attached to the Mercedes-Benz is false; checks show that the said plate number belongs to a Toyota Corolla custom colour.
“We, therefore, use this medium to urge restraint on those who are trying to politicise what is purely a matter being investigated.
“With ICPC having cleared the air on this subject matter, it will be preposterous to now try to politicise the matter.”
The Lagos State Ministry of Education on Monday evening said it has shut the Redeemers Nursery and Primary School, Ogba.
The government said the school will remain closed, pending an administrative investigation of its operations and procedures as well as the conduct of its officials ¨C in line with schools¡¯ safety standards and guidelines.
This was contained in a statement signed by Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, the Commissioner for Education in the state.
The investigation is sequel to the recent death of Chidera Eze, a five-year-old pupil, who is suspected to have drowned during a swimming lesson while in the custody of the school. The police are investigating the matter.
¡°A preliminary probe by the Office of Education Quality Assurance of the Ministry has shown that the Redeemers Nursery and Primary School, Ogba, is yet to conclude its registration and is, therefore, not yet an approved school.
¡°The Ministry is concerned about the safety of the pupils, hence the need for intervention. The school will remain closed until all the required approval processes are concluded. Parents are advised to note the closure and wait for the conclusion of the administrative investigation,¡± the Lagos government said.
The Federal Government has revoked the training contract awarded to Express Concern International (ECN) to train former Niger Delta militants.
The Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col.Milland Dikio (retd), made this known in a statement on Sunday signed by his spokesman, Neotabase Egbe.
Dikio stated the federal government decided to revoke the training contract for former Niger Delta agitators over breach of the agreement.
He said the termination followed an allegation by a group, Concerned Indigenes of Oil Mineral Producing States Forum (CIOMPSF), that the company diverted funds it received from the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
Dikio asserted that contracts are not awarded to just anybody who submits a proposal, but to serious contractors, who have the capacity to deliver their contractual obligations.
He said the amnesty office had also activated its internal mechanism to retrieve the money it paid to the firm through a performance bond provided by the company.
Dikio said each job awarded was secured by a performance bond provided by the benefitting firm that enabled the amnesty office to recover its money in an event of default by a contractor.
He said, “The attention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has been drawn to reports that a contractor, Express Concerns International Limited, has diverted money paid to them to train 90 ex-agitators in the agriculture value chain.
“Indeed, the PAP had contracted Express Concerns International Limited to train its beneficiaries. But the contract was terminated via a letter dated June 14th, 2022 because the contractor breached the terms of the agreement.
“Contracts are not awarded to just anybody who submits a proposal, but to serious contractors, who have the capacity to deliver their contractual obligations.
“However, each job awarded by PAP has an insurance bond that ensures the scheme recovers its money in the event of default by contractors. Consequently, the PAP wrote to the guaranteeing firm/insurance company for the recovery of the mobilization fee paid to the company.
“While the management of the PAP acknowledges the interests shown by various stakeholders in the affairs of PAP, let it be known that deliberate measures were put in place to reform contractual processes and block all loopholes that could be capitalized upon to dupe the programme.
“We want to further assure all stakeholders that PAP’s contracts are designed for the benefits of the programme’s beneficiaries and not for the enrichment of any contractor.”
A yet-to-be-identified vandal was electrocuted in the early hours of Sunday for allegedly vandalising Umuezerimpi 500KVA Distribution Substation.
The property belongs to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC), located at Umuatuegwu Okija, Anambra State, THE WHISTLER gathered.
Mr. Emeka Ezeh, head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Enugu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Ezeh said the deceased was not operating alone, as other members of his gang took to their heels immediately after he was electrocuted, leaving behind his lifeless body and their tools at the scene of the incident.
Ezeh said the report was lodged at the Okija Police Division.
“The tools used by the electrocuted vandal and his fleeing colleagues were also recovered and his corpse deposited at the Okija General Hospital Mortuary,” he said.
He said, “Just imagine how this young man has cut his life short over nothing.
“It is hoped that this will serve as a deterrent to others engaging in this dastardly act.”
Eze called on members of the public to be vigilant in protecting EEDC facilities in their domains.
He said, “Let’s all join hands and ensure these very few people in our society that are bent on making life miserable for all of us are stopped.”
The federal government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has replaced Mr. Chukwuyere N. Anamekwe as the acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF).
It was gathered that Anamekwe was replaced about two weeks ago over allegations of corruption and investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (INEC) hanging around his neck.
It was further gathered according to reports monitored on The Nation that he was replaced with a former TSA (Treasury Single Account) Director, Mr. Okolieaboh Ezeoke Sylvis.
It will be recalled that Anamekwe was appointed in an acting capacity after Ahmed Idris was suspended after his embroilment in an N80 billion fraud case leading to his subsequent arrest by the EFCC on allegations of money laundering through real estate investments in Kano and Abuja.
His replacement, Anamekwe who was appointed in May 2022, however, is also reportedly under EFCC investigation for fraud and also some other reports have that his unauthorized revelation that the government was borrowing to pay salaries landed him in more trouble.
A source privy to government operations on the matter has now disclosed that a search for a substantive Accountant General has commenced in earnest.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Mrs. Folasade Yemi-Esan has issued a circular to that effect.
The circular reads: “Commencement of the process of appointment of a substantive Accountant-General of the Federation”, the HoCSF directed permanent secretaries to forward details of eligible directors on Grade 17 to her on or before 4:00 pm on Wednesday July 6, 2022.
It added that those eligible to apply must have attained the Substantive Director (Grade 17) on or before January 1, 2020 and are not retiring from the service earlier than December 31, 2024.
Such persons must also be free of disciplinary proceedings.
There are “Those who have attained the position of Substantive Director (Grade 17) on or before January 1, 2020 and are not retiring from the service earlier than December 31, 2024 are eligible to participate in the selection process while officers undergoing disciplinary proceedings are excluded,” it added.
The convoy of the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on Sunday was involved in a road accident in Abuja.
The development was confirmed in a statement released by the media aide to the Governor, Terver Akase.
According to Akase, no life was lost in the incident that happened in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He further stated that the convoy was involved in the accident while accompanying Ortom to the airport.
Akase said a golf car collided with one of the security vehicles near Karu Flyover in Nyanya.
The statement released by Akase read, “We have received numerous calls from concerned Nigerians regarding the accident which occurred today near Karu Flyover in Nyanya area of the Federal Capital Territory.
“The Governor’s convoy was on the way from Abuja to Makurdi after accompanying him to the airport for his trip to the United Kingdom when a golf car collided with one of the security vehicles.
“We thank God that no life was lost in the incident.
“Governor Ortom who has already arrived safely in the UK deeply appreciates all the calls and concerns from Benue people and other Nigerians.”
Eleven persons were burnt beyond recognition in an accident that occured at Ogere end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the Ogere Remo-North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps ,Ogun State Sector, Florence Okpe, who confirmed the incident on Sunday said the accident happened late Saturday night.
Okpe said three vehicles were involved in the crash which led to huge loss of lives on the busy road.
Okpe stated that two Mazda buses and one unknown vehicle had collided and caught fire near the Isara bridge and they went up in flames.
The FRSC spokesperson said, “A total of 18 persons were involved but only seven were rescued while 11 unidentified people were burnt beyond recognition.
“A total of seven persons were rescued with injuries, comprising five male adults, one female adult and one male child.”
“The injured victims were taken to Victory Hospital, Ogere for medical attention. One of the victims was rejected, but finally taken to Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilisan.
“The fire service in Sagamu was contacted and the impact of the crash is obstructing the Ibadan-Lagos bound of the expressway.
“Traffic has been diverted to the Lagos-Ibadan route and the crashed vehicles are still burning.
“Motorists are advised to drive cautiously, obey traffic rules and regulations and also cooperate with traffic managers managing the situation.”
Herdsmen have converted the Kwara State Complex Stadium Ilorin, into a fertile land for cattle pasture as weeds overtake a section of the facility.
This weekend, cattle were sighted grazing on grasses in parts of the complex.
Fresh and dried cow dung could also be seen on the asphalt within the complex.
The security officials manning the gate blamed the sports ministry for the deterioration in the condition of the stadium – and ‘for giving the herdsmen unhindered access’ to the 26,000-capacity sporting arena.
One of the security men described the presence of the herdsmen and their cattle at the stadium as “an embarrassment”, but noted that the security unit was helpless to stop them.
The Kwara State Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Ilorin, Kwara. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Kwara United F.C. and ABS F.C.
Nigeria’s main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, has rebuked the state government for increasing the fare for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) across various routes in the state.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu‘s led government had recently approved a flat rate increase for all Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Standard routes to cushion the effect of the harsh operating environment, safeguard private partnership investment, and forestall the demise of formalized bus operations in the state.
A bus ride from Ikorodu – TBS will now cost N600 from N500, while Berger to Ajah is now N700, up from N600. Oshodi to Abule Egba will cost N450 from N350, and Abule-Egba-CMS-Obalende will attract a fare of N600.
The increase, according to the government, will be effective from Wednesday, 13 July 2022, stating that the increase is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the BRT and standard route schemes.
The Governor further added that it would be providing support for the Bus Operating Companies in view of the continuous increase in fuel prices. This ensures that the increment to the passenger is kept at a minimum.
Reacting, PDP, in a statement released on Sunday through its State Publicity Secretary, Mr . Hakeem Amode, said the increase would add to the plight of the masses.
PDP said the incumbent government was not being considerate with the livelihood of the citizens who have suffered enough hardship already.
Amode stressed that the APC administration blaming the hike on the pump price of diesel from N187 to N830 and the unavailability of spare parts for the increase was not justifiable.
He said: “Sanwo-Olu-led APC administration has completely abdicated its responsibility to the people of the state and turned a blind eye to their predicament.
“The few ‘luxuries’ that the people benefit from the state are being taken away.
“Now is not the time for any form of increment, as the people of the state have suffered enough under this unsympathetic government.”
Amode urged the state government to immediately shelve the proposed increment on BRT fare so as not to worsen the citizens’ situation in the face of dilapidated infrastructure, insecurity, hunger, and a rise in crime, among other challenges being experienced by the people of the state.
