Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has challenged the Peoples Democratic Party to kick him out.

Wike challenged those thinking about doing so when asked about the potential of being removed from the PDP for anti-party activities by declaring, “Nobody can expel me.”

Wike made this statement on Wednesday night while appearing on the Channels Television series “Politics Today.”

The immediate-past governor of Rivers State stressed that he had yet to see any leader in the PDP who had the authority to expel him from the party.

“The person who will suspend me is when I couldn’t produce a governor, three senators, Assembly members. I have not seen that person. Nobody will do it,” Wike said.

“Who will discipline me? I should be the one calling for the discipline of these people who violated the party constitution,” the minister added.

He continued, “The way that the party said there must be rotation and you violated the constitution of the party. Who dares say that they will suspend me? Who is that person? I want to dare anybody who will say that.”

He also said he was working for President Bola Tinubu and not the All Progressives Congress, stressing that he owed nobody any apology.

“I am not working for the APC. I am working for Tinubu who has trust in me to help him deliver the Renewed Hope,” adding, “I owe nobody any apology at all. I was in the PDP and I worked for Ahmed Bola Tinubu to become the President of Nigeria.”

The FCT minister also said the Abuja Metro Line was expected to be ready within the next eight months, adding that his administration would restore the FCT masterplan without minding whose ox is gored, saying the wealthy ones in the FCT are the lawbreakers.

“The Abuja metro line would be ready within the next eight months,” the minister said, adding, “Today in this country, who are the major lawbreakers? Is there any poor man who is doing something to distort the master plan of the FCT? Is there any poor man living in Asokoro, that is living in Maitama or Garki? So, what are we talking about?”

The person who designed the Nigerian flag, Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, has passed away. After a brief illness, he passed away in the early hours of Tuesday.

The news of his death was posted on Facebook by one of his children.

He wrote: “Life is indeed transient; I can say boldly that you lived a life with a landmark.

“Continue to rest, my father! Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi (O.F.R.): A great man has gone.”

Akinkunmi is a native of Abeokuta in Ogun State. He was born on May 10, 1936, but lived in Ibadan.

He attended Baptist Day Secondary School, Ibadan, and Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan, for his primary and secondary education, respectively.

The late Akinkunmi started his career as a civil servant at the Secretariat of Ibadan. He later travelled overseas to study Agricultural Engineering at Norway Technical College.

On Wednesday morning, Gabonese army soldiers operating under the auspices of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions gave a national televised address outlining their plans to replace President Ali Bongo.

The soldiers emphasised that the coup was “necessary” for the development of the West African nation and that significant institutional, political, economic, and social difficulties were the main causes of it.In a nationwide address rendered in French but translated to English by AFP, the junta said, “Our beautiful country, Gabon, has always been a haven of peace.

“Today, the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis.

“We are therefore forced to admit that the organisation of the general elections of August 26, 2023, did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive ballot so much hoped for by the people of Gabon.

“Added to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country into chaos.

“Today, 30 August 2023, we, the defence and security forces, gathered as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) on behalf of the people of Gabon and as guarantors of the institutions’ protection — have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime.

“To this end, the general elections of 26 August 2023 and the truncated results are cancelled.

“The borders are closed until further notice.

The junta resolved that all of the institutions of the country be dissolved including the Federal Government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Gabonese Elections Centre.

They therefore called for calm and serenity from the public, the communities of sister countries settled in Gabon, and the Gabonese diaspora.

“We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community.

“People of Gabon, we are finally on the road to happiness.

“May God and the spirits of our ancestors bless Gabon. Honour and loyalty to our homeland.”

On television on Wednesday, a dozen Gabonese soldiers declared they were “putting an end to the current regime” and calling for the annulment of an election that President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won, according to the official results.

The announcement was being made when shooting could be heard in Libreville, the capital of Gabon.

One of the soldiers stated that “all the institutions of the republic” had been disbanded when announcing the results’ annulment.

“We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime”, one of the soldiers said on TV channel Gabon 24, adding that he was speaking on behalf of the “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions”.

“To this end, the general elections of 26 August 2023 and the truncated results are cancelled,” he added.

“All the institutions of the republic are dissolved: the government, the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court,” he added, announcing the closure of the country’s borders “until further notice”.

Among the soldiers were members of the Republican Guard as well as soldiers of the regular army and police officers.

The statement was also broadcast on Gabon 1 public television.

According to the Delta State Police Command, they detained more than 100 LGBT suspects who were participating in a gay wedding ceremony at a hotel in the state.

The state police announced their arrest on Facebook and promised to parade the suspects soon.

“Delta State Command has arrested over a hundred gay suspects in a hotel carrying out a gay wedding ceremony. We will be going live shortly on Facebook to parade the said suspects,” it captioned.

Remember that since the anti-gay law was passed in 2014, security personnel have detained and displayed gays across the nation.

On December 31, 2021, police in Isolo, Lagos, cracked down on gays who were operating a covert brothel.

In Kano, 19 young people were detained in 2022 on suspicion of attending a same-sex wedding.

All nightclubs in the state of Gombe must close right now, per order of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.

The State Government’s Secretary, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, stated in a statement that the action was taken in response to many public complaints about the persistent immoral, criminal, and security violations occurring in nightclubs.

“Governor Yahaya has consequently, ordered the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the ‘Operation Hattara’ to mobilise their personnel to effect the directive and ensure strict compliance.”

The affected nightclubs included “Jami’a Gidan Wanka located at Mile 3 Yola Road, Gombe, White House Theatre (Babban Gida) located at New Mile 3 Yola Road, Gombe; Gidan Lokaci General Merchant located at Mile 3 Reservoir Road, Gombe and Farin Gida Entertainment II located at Wuro Karal, Kalshingi Road, Gombe.”

Others are Tauraren Wash at Trailer Park, Bauchi Road, Gombe; Gidan Zamani Entertainment at New Mile 3, Yola Road, Tumfure; Albarka Entertainment at Wuro Karal, Bypass near Hara Form; and Gidan Zamani Entertainment at New Mile 3, Yola Road.

All nightclubs in Kuri Town, the Lubo and Kurba Villages of the Yamaltu/Deba LGA, and those in Bajoga Town in the Funakaye Local Government Area of the State are also affected.

Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a contender for president in the Feb. 25 election, has been suspended by the New Nigeria Peoples Party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) due to alleged anti-party conduct.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party was likewise suspended by the BoT.

Additionally, new national officers were selected, including 18 others under the leadership of Dr. Agbo Major as acting national chairman and Mr. Ogini Olaposi as acting national secretary.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the suspension lasts for six months.

NAN reports that the suspensions were put to a voice vote by members of the party at its special general assembly, held at the Rockview Hotels in Apapa.

NAN recalls that the NWC of the party on Thursday, Aug. 24, announced the suspension of the founder of the party, Dr Boniface Aniebonam and the National Publicity Secretary, Major.

Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting in Lagos on Tuesday, Secretary of the BoT, Babayo Muhammed Abdulahi, accused Kwankwaso of hobnobbing with President Bola Tinubu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Mr. Peter Obi, without the board’s authorisation.

Abdullahi announced that Kwankwaso had been stripped of the NNPP national leader status by the board.

The secretary of the BoT said the purported suspension of the NNPP founder was a flagrant gross violation of the party’s constitution.

He noted that Aniebonam had resigned as the BoT chairman, and that Dr. Chief Tope Aluko had been elected as the new BoT chairman, along with Abdulahi as the new BoT secretary, and High Chief Tony Obioha as the new BoT spokesperson.

Abdulahi claimed that the NWC’s actions had nullified the pre-election Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that had been signed with the Kwankwasia Movement, The National Movement, and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the imprisoned Indigenous People of Biafra leader, has informed the federal government that he will not beg for his release after being found not guilty by Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court.

This was stated in a letter from Kanu’s lead attorney, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, dated August 25, 2023. Our correspondent received the letter late that evening on August 28, 2023.

Ozekhome had expressed worry on the appalling state of Kanu’s detention facility when it was in the Department of State Services’ care.

The lawyer requested that the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory should appoint a Magistrate to inspect the detention centre.

According to Kanu, begging for his freedom at this point will be an insult to the memory of tye late Pa Mbazulike Amechi, who despite his age and ill health, repeatedly travelled from the South-East to Abuja, pleading with the Federal Government to honour his dying wish, which was treated with the greatest disdain and was also not honoured.

These were the high points of the discussion during the meeting between the IPOB leader and his lawyers and family, according to a statement issued by Kanu’s counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor titled, “Update on our routine visit to our indefatigable client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, at the Headquarters of the State Security Services, Abuja, where he is still being illegally and unconstitutionally detained in solitary confinement.”

Ejiofor said, “Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu used the opportunity offered by the visit to extend his heartfelt gratitude to all people of good conscience and groups calling for his release. He however, observed that many people may not have understood the peculiarity of his case, but proceeded to urge us to clarify that he has been effectively and validly discharged by the judgment of the Court of Appeal, delivered October 13 2022, which said judgment also prohibited his further trial and detention. Therefore, there is no charge pending against Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu before any court as of today.

“Furthermore, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unequivocally stated that begging the Federal Government to release him at this point is an insult to the memory of late Pa Mbazulike Amaechi, who despite his age and ill health, repeatedly travelled from the South-East to Abuja, begging the Federal Government of Nigeria, to honour his dying wish, which request was treated with greatest disdain by the Federal Government, and was also not honoured.

“Thus, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is of the firm view that he does not need to beg the FGN to release him. The Court of Appeal has already made a pronouncement in that regard and that pronouncement has remained sacrosanct till date.

“Therefore, the call every person of goodwill should make in the circumstance of his continued illegal detention, is for the Supreme Court to set down a date for the expeditious hearing of the appeal filed by the Federal Government, as provided for in the Criminal Appeals Practice Directions of the Supreme Court.

“We visited our indefatigable Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, today, the 28th day of August 2023, to brief him on the various intervening actions taken by the legal team ably led by Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to address pertinent concerns affecting his welfare and failure of the SSS to avail him of his medical records.

“To this end, an application has been made to the Honourable Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory by our erudite Lead Counsel – Prof. Mike Ozekhome SAN, to appoint a Magistrate that will visit and inspect the SSS facility/cell where Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been held in solitary confinement since June 2021 till date, in pursuance to the relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

“Following the SSS refusal to avail Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu with his medical records, as directed by Hon. Justice Binta Nyako, in the judgment delivered on July 20 2023, our erudite lead counsel, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, was compelled by this brazen disregard to an order of Court by the SSS, to initiate a contempt proceeding against the State Security Service and her Director General, for this gross violation of positive Orders of Court.”

The owner of a two-story building that fell in Abuja on Wednesday night must be immediately identified and arrested, according to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

At least 39 people lived in the building, of whom two were officially pronounced dead and 37 were rescued and transported to different hospitals.

The structure was one of the earliest multi-story structures in the neighbourhood, and it can be found at Lagos Crescent, Garki Village, in the Garki District of the nation’s capital.

While it caved it caved in around 11pm on Wednesday amid heavy downpour, rescue operations were initially very slow over the night as there was no immediate access to an excavator and rescue efforts were purely manual.

Speaking at the scene of the incident, Wike who noted that original residents of the area were designated for resettlement, however wondered why for years, the FCT Administration could not carry out such resettlement.

While he applauded the rescue efforts, Wike said; “It is unfortunate that we woke this morning to the very disturbing news of this building collapse. It is not what we contemplated. Let me thank the agencies particularly NEMA and FEMA that have supported us to rescue not less than 37 lives. It is unfortunate that we lost two lives. I will appeal to the Permanent Secretary to make sure that funds are raised to pay the hospital bills of those who were rescued so that we do not lose any more person, and this should be done immediately.

“Secondly, these are the things we have been saying, nobody knows whose turn it will be, therefore when government says it will take actions in areas we believe there are illegal developments or buildings that do not comply with the standard codes, it is not as if anybody has any personal vendetta but for me it is for us to do the right thing.

“I don’t know why it has taken long that the FCTA has not resettled them and so we will take immediate action to see that the indigenes of these place are resettled and then government has to plan out this place.

“When government says take building plan, it is not to suffer anybody but to make sure that everyone is protected. Cities are planned to forestall this kind of occurrences. Imagine buildings without approval. I will ask that we must identify and arrest the owner of this property. It is very important.

“Government will, of course, take over this area and make sure no further development is carried out here. I want all the stakeholders here to please work with government in the interest of everybody. No one has come here to say I like A, I don’t like B. I know sometimes government’s decisions may not be too comfortable with the people, but in the long run, it is in the interest of the people. Now we are all gathered here and none of us is happy we are here. These are the things we are trying to forestall. Again I sympathize with those who lost dear lives, while government will pick up the bills of all those in the hospital. We will also support the rescue efforts and ensure that they get to the last level and rescue everyone still trapped in the rubble”.
On his part, Director General of FCT Emergency Management Agency FEMA, Dr Abbas Idriss said 37 persons were rescued at the scene of the collapsed structure.

He said the victims were evacuated to various medical facilities in Abuja.

“Thirty Seven persons have so far been rescued and evacuated to hospital, others reportedly still trapped. Rescue team and others are on ground. Rescue operations on but slowly due to ongoing rain”. They are making frantic efforts at getting an excavator to remove people from the rubble”, he added.

The DG commended the efforts of all stakeholders working hard manually to rescue trapped persons, including members of the community.

It was gathered that the victims were taken to various hospitals including the National Hospital, Asokoro, Nyanya, and Garki District Hospitals, Alliance hospital and Zenith hospital.

Also speaking, Director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, explained that the building had no planning approval because the area is meant for resettlement.

“The building is located within the Garki indigenous settlement. The building had two suspended floors, one used for commercial activities while the other floors were used as residential accommodation. The building caved in yesterday (Wednesday) and 37 persons were rescued

“The status of the place is that it is not a planned area so the development had no planning approval. In fact, the area is meant for resettlement from here to Apo resettlement town”

Top administration officials have been urged to sit up or seek redeployment elsewhere by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, who is enraged by the rising degree of pollution and the disorganised transit system in the capital city of Abuja.

In particular, he issued a directive to the director in charge of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, or AEPB, ordering him to clean up the city or risk having his blood pressure raised.

While accepting notes from Mr. Olusade Adesola, the FCTA’s Permanent Secretary, in Abuja, he delivered the accusation.

He said: “I will ensure that Abuja gets the best. You will see projects upon projects, and projects that will be completed and not abandoned.

“I am not a party to abandoned projects. I start a project when there is money, as such we will look into our finances before we begin any project.

“I believe in the renewed hope of President Bola Tinubu, and Nigerians will see the difference in no distant time”.

He said in the meantime, there had to be immediate deliverables to assure the people that the government was determined to turn the fortunes of the territory around.

“We are here to deliver the short-term deliverables for people to see that Abuja is coming back to what it was supposed to be. People are complaining of street lights not working, I am complaining too. We must fix it within the shortest possible time”, he said.

The former Rivers State governor charged the director in charge of street lights to do everything possible in the shortest possible time to restore lights to the streets of Abuja.

On sanitation, Wike said he would be mounting immense pressure on the director in charge to the point that he might even develop high blood pressure.

He declared: “You must be ready to work hard. I must make sure I give you BP, so you must work hard. You can’t be sleeping when the environment is dirty. You can’t be a director for anything.

”It is an opportunity for us to tell Nigerians and Mr President that we cannot disappoint. If you are in charge of sanitation, buy your drugs, carry them all the time because I will disturb you all the time to make sure Abuja is clean.”

On transportation, Wike said: “Wahala don come, there are too many illegal bus stops in the city. I have respect for women, but this one I will not. If you don’t have the capacity, let us replace you now.

”In this job, people will not like you, but in the end, if you do it well, you will be appreciated. Things are tough, yes, but we cannot live in a lawless society because things are tough.”

On her part, Minister of State in the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, said with the support of staff, what Wike had done in Rivers would be replicated in the FCT.

“I am of the firm belief that, together, and with your support, we will replicate what the Minister (Wike) has done in Rivers in the nation’s capital, especially at the area councils and satellite towns.

“This is so that the lives of our people in the rural areas will be positively touched. It is also instructive to state that maximum commitment, cooperation, and loyalty are expected from all staff because it will not be business as usual.

“We will run with the vision of President Tinubu, which we will be unveiling as we hit the ground running,” she said.

Prior to that, the permanent secretary gave the ministers a guarantee that the whole FCT Administration staff would work without reservation to see that President Tinubu’s mandate was carried out.

Additionally, Wike and Mahmoud were commended by Shehu Hadi, executive secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority FCDA, for agreeing to serve and reposition the FCT.