News
Votes may not count in Abia until Alex Otti wins!
The former GMD of Diamond bank and a two time contestant and two time loser of governorship contests in 2015 and 2019 in Abia State, Mr Alex Otti has been working hard to make his lies and illusions stick. The level of bitterness and animosity harbored by the man, many would not believe that Otti was a PDP insider who wanted the ticket at all costs. When faced with the facts, that of the PDP’s resolve to respect the zoning to Abia South, he took a night flight to the waiting hands of the people he now denounce as extortionists. The way he carried on, you would think that he was in APGA from inception and not for few months to the elections.
His antics were numerous including claiming to be from Ngwa Land which many from Ngwa disproved. His Interview with Sam Egburonu on The Nation, Sunday September, page 29, 2020, titled, ‘PDP has shortchanged Abia’ screamed of high hypocrisy as he has a staunch PDP support until he was advised to respect the zoning.
In paragraph 3, he stated, ‘what happened was that the then governor with a retinue of PDP stalwarts stormed the state collection [collation] center where results were being put together and insisted that the Returning Officer should admit fake results from basically two local government areas, Obingwa and Osisioma. Before then we were leading by a wide margin…..what they could not resist was a sitting governor and the PDP stalwarts aided by gun totting security men that brought the fake results and forced them to be accepted.’
What a shame and what a bare faced mendacity? Even in Nollywood, this story cannot stick. Otti may be in the wrong profession as he would certainly do better as a fiction writer. Now ponder these!
The scene of the story is INEC office in Umuahia Abia State. INEC offices Nationwide are heavily guarded by security officers of many hues including quantum mobile police men, protecting the officers and electoral materials. When you storm a place, there are commotions and shootouts and some people wounded. Were there any reports of such in Abia in 2015? Was professor Benjamin Ozurumba, the returning officer and Otti’s townsman for that matter, qualified to whimsically and unilaterally cancel validly returned votes? Is it acceptable to nullify votes from an opponent’s stronghold based on dubious reports without recourse to applicable laws and authorities? INEC had electoral officers, regular staff and ad-hoc who worked in the LGAs quoted, were they questioned about the votes they returned? Will Otti casually allow votes to be nullified in Arochukwu, Ohafia and Isuikwuto LGAs where he scored high votes? Talking about the governor storming the arena with security men is laughable and suggests a Gestapo type invasion which never was.
T A Orji as governor was entitled to orderlies and security men who for the eight years in power conducted themselves as well trained and highly courteous personnel and were never indicted for the use of brute force anywhere, but Otti wasn’t entitled to any of these, yet he illegally toured the state with pickup loads of soldiers and other uniformed personnel armed to their teeth who shot and wounded people like the case in Ndoro, Ikwuano LGA.
Otti has told this fallible story for six years and he wants the story to stick by all means but the truth is that Otti has gone as far as he could go politically except he retraces his steps for he has a curse on him. In Igbo beliefs and cosmology, it is a taboo to let blood of your fellow Igbo except in war. There was no war, but it happened in Ikwuano. Two, he betrayed the PDP he was part of and went into an oath with APGA revealing PDP secrets. As the son of a clergy, he should not be idolatrous as he did during the elections. He never associated with Ojukwu while alive but he hurriedly emblazoned his portraits in all his posters, an act known as séance.
In all, let it be noted that Otti cannot win any election in Abia even in Arochukwu LGA. His best was in 2015 because he deceived some Abia and PDP notables like Tony Ukasanya, Ferdinand Chinenye Ike, Damian Ozurumba and others. Would Tony Ukasanya leave the right-hand of Ikpeazu which he is now savoring for Otti’s false and empty promises of Eldorado that made him to temporarily leave the formidable structure he built as the pioneer PDP Chairman which earned him the name of Total Chair? A case Chief Charles Ogbonna will liken to a man carrying his concubine’s son on his back and dragging his son by hand.
Added to these, his political party mobility which has seen him fret from PDP, APGA and now APC has a moral question. Do rolling stones gather mosses? Does he have a chance of the governorship ticket in Abia North APC with the likes of Uche Oga, Mascot Kalu, Hon Ben Kalu and many others?
He leaves enemies wherever he goes and presents a saintly mien. Before he zoomed into APGA, there were candidates he shoved apart who went to court and the case is still unresolved till today. For some years now, he has been casting grave aspersion on PDP forgetting the Yoruba saying that the whip used on the senior wife is waiting for the junior wife. He has continued the same blame game on APGA. Hear him! ‘ But one thing I want to say is that a situation where a party has been turned into a Ponzi scheme, where people are defrauded and the leadership picks interest in betraying trust for pecuniary reasons, I cannot be found there.’ The above is certainly innuendoes for Victor Umeh but I am sure that the maverick can speak for himself.
Otti should do soul-searching for his own good, and should be reminded that he instituted a case which zigzagged through all the courts of the land, especially the Supreme Court which saw the huge lack of merit in his wild claims and threw out his case. Does he know that it amounts to contempt of court to denounce the judgment of the Supreme Court? Someone should tell him!
Eddie Onuzuruike is a Media aide to Senator Theodore Orji and writes from Abuja
The Education Ministry said it is in contact with security and education officials and is coordinating with admins and parents.
A plane carrying a group of 150 Israeli students on a trip to Poland made an intermediate landing in Antalya, Turkey, the Education Ministry said on Monday.
The landing was made following concerns about a technical malfunction, and for reasons of caution, a decision was made to stop in accordance with aviation rules.
N12 reported that a bird had entered the plane’s engine during the flight.
The high school student delegation – from Ein Kerem High School in Jerusalem – was en route to Poland on a standard school trip to learn about the events of the Holocaust. They were accompanied by security personnel from the Shin Bet, as is customary for any delegation to Poland.
The Education Ministry said that they are in continuous contact with security and education officials and are in coordination with school administrations and parents.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland. September 19, 2021. (credit: NATI SHOHAT/FLASH90)
It was reported that all the students “are feeling well, staying in a safe and protected area within the airport, and are closely accompanied by the teaching staff who are with them at all times.”
In addition, the ministry was informed that a replacement plane is on its way to them, and it is estimated that at 3:00 p.m., they will take off for Krakow to continue their educational journey.
Holocaust learning
Israeli school trips to Poland typically take place in the winter and the summer, and, according to Education Minister Yoav Kisch, aim to allow “students to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, to be exposed to the atrocities that took place, and to prove the victory and resurrection over the attempt to destroy the Jewish people.”
In November 2023, the ministry announced it would cancel the winter Poland trips due to the rise of antisemitism worldwide in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war.
…Declares a total dividend of N2.10 per share
Lagos, Nigeria, March 29, 2025: Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, released its 2024 full-year Audited Financial Statements, reporting a 210% growth in Profit Before Tax to N385.2 billion.
According to the Bank’s results released on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on Friday, 28 March 2025, Gross Earnings increased by 87.7% to N1,043.4bn, driven by 106.9% growth in interest and similar income to N950.6bn. The increase in Interest Income was led by a combination of improved yield on earnings assets and 51.6% expansion in earnings base to N6.3tn. This led to a Profit After Tax of N278.1 billion, representing a 179.6% annual growth.
Commenting on the results, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe,OON, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc said, “We are delighted with our 2024 full-year (FY) performance, which showed strong growth across key revenue lines, improved asset quality, and significant traction in our strategic business segments. Our impressive results led to a triple-digit increase (210.0%) in Profit Before Tax (PBT), rising from N124.3bn in 2023 to N385.2bn in 2024.”
A further review of the financial performance revealed that the bank’s net interest income increased by 127.1% to N629.8 billion, driven by a high-yield environment in 2024. To optimize its margin, the bank sustained its asset yields above funding cost by maintaining a high low-cost deposit profile at 92.6%. This led to an increase in its Net Interest Margin from 8.1% in 2023 FY to 12.0%.
Similarly, the bank continued to deepen its market share in both the corporate and retail segments, with customer deposits increasing by 47.9% from N4.0trn in 2023FY to N5.9trn. The increase was driven by strong double-digit growth across all deposit types. The Retail Banking Business gained significant traction with savings deposits increasing by 28.8% to N1.1trn, marking the 10th consecutive year of double-digit annual growth in savings deposits.
Despite the difficult economic terrain in 2024, the bank has continued to support the real sector of the economy by increasing its Net Loans & Advances from N3.1tn in 2023FY to N4.4tn in 2024FY.
“This remarkable performance demonstrates our capacity to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. In line with our commitment to them, we have declared a final dividend of N1.25 per share, bringing our total dividend for the 2024 financial year to N2.10 per share”, explained Onyeali-Ikpe.
Having consistently paid dividends since 2006, Fidelity Bank will pay investors a total dividend of N2.10 per share for the 2024 financial year, subject to shareholders’ approval at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 29 April 2024. The dividend will be paid on 29 April 2025 to shareholders whose names appear on the register of members as of 15 April 2025.
It will be recalled that the bank successfully completed the first phase of its capital raising exercise through a Public Offer and Rights Issue in 2024, which were oversubscribed by 237.92% and 137.73%, respectively. The positive result is a testament to the strength of the Bank’s franchise in the capital market. A total of N175.9bn was recognized as fresh capital in 2024 financial year from the exercise, which had a positive impact on its Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) at 23.5%. The bank plans to conclude the second phase by Q3 2025, ahead of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s deadline, which will further strengthen its capital base and reaffirm its attainment of Tier 1 Bank status in the Nigerian Banking Industry.
Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged commercial bank with over 9.1 million customers who are serviced across its 251 business offices and various digital banking channels in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
The Bank is the recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine.
Additionally, the Bank was recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and as the Export Financing Bank of the Year by the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.
By Sunday James
The gruesome killing of 16 innocent northern hunters in Uromi, Edo State, over false accusations of kidnapping is yet another damning indictment of the failure of law and order in Nigeria.
Time and again, innocent lives have been lost to the mindless brutality of mob justice, a savage and inexcusable act that has become far too common across the country.
This is not an isolated incident. Nigeria has witnessed several tragic cases of jungle justice where angry mobs, fueled by misinformation and misplaced aggression, have taken the law into their own hands.
The Aluu Four incident in 2012, where four young university students in Rivers State were falsely accused of robbery, beaten, and burned to death in a horrific public spectacle, remains one of the most chilling examples.
In 2022, Deborah Samuel, a young student in Sokoto State, was lynched by fellow students over alleged blasphemy, an incident that sparked outrage but yielded little justice. In Lagos, several suspected petty thieves were set ablaze by mobs in broad daylight without any fair trial.
Across the country, from Anambra to Kano, Port Harcourt to Abuja, numerous cases of public executions by mobs continue to surface, often with little to no legal consequences for perpetrators.
The rise of mob justice is fueled by a cocktail of systemic failures that have left Nigerians disillusioned with formal justice mechanisms.
The breakdown of law and order, where the Nigerian police fail to deliver swift and transparent justice, has led to public distrust, encouraging citizens to take matters into their own hands. Rising insecurity, including the surge in kidnappings, banditry, and violent crimes, has left many communities in perpetual fear, triggering knee-jerk reactions to perceived threats. Ethnic and religious tensions have also played a major role, with deep-seated biases making certain groups more vulnerable to targeted attacks.
The proliferation of unregulated local vigilante groups and security outfits has further emboldened extrajudicial actions against innocent civilians. Additionally, the slow pace of criminal trials and the failure to punish perpetrators of jungle justice have normalized impunity.The Edo killings, like many before them, must not be swept under the rug.
The government must ensure immediate arrest, prosecution, and conviction of all those involved in this heinous act. Strengthening law enforcement agencies to curb vigilante excesses and restore public trust is paramount.
There must be massive public enlightenment campaigns to educate citizens on legal redress rather than mob action. Strict penalties must be enforced against communities and groups involved in jungle justice to deter future occurrences.The Nigerian government must wake up to its responsibility of protecting lives and ensuring justice for all.
If mob justice continues unchecked, no one is truly safe. This latest atrocity in Edo should be the final warning: justice delayed is justice denied. The killers must be held accountable, and a nationwide crackdown on jungle justice must begin immediately. Enough is enough. The rule of law must prevail.
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