The Nation Newspaper

Category: South East

  • 500 opposition members join APC in Ebonyi

    500 opposition members join APC in Ebonyi

    No fewer than 500 members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) in Amaeka community, Ezza South Local Government of Ebonyi State have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The APGA, PDP and LP members were led into the APC yesterday by their  leaders, including Chidiebere Uguru, former PDP youth leader in the community and Pastor Christian Nwokpoku.

    They were received by the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Business Development, Chief Oguzor Offia Nwali, who organised Christmas party for the people of the community; APC zonal Chairman Ebonyi Central, Chief Peter Nworie and Amaeka Ward Chairman of the party, Maduabuchi Nwafor.

    Addressing the defectors and the community, Nwali assured them of a level playing field and hailed them for joining the party.

    He said the party was so large and open to welcome everybody in order to join hand with Governor Francis Nwifuru and move the state forward.

    “There is nothing like party. The more the merrier for all of us. The more in numbers, the more the party will fair better. We need everybody in the party. Today is a great day for me, for us to be able to champion one cause and that cause is unity, progress and support for the government we are serving, which is the government that has remembered Amaeka and the state in general.

    “Things have turned around since the governor came on board. Retirees have been paid that 25 years retirement benefits, hawkers in various cities have been empowered with N2million each. The governor is a leader we can trust and this is the first time I have stopped condemning the government not because I am part of the government, but because the governor has changed the narrative of governance in the state,” he stated.

    APC Zonal Chairman, Ebonyi Central, Chief Peter Nworie, said the defection of the APGA, PDP and LP members marked the end of opposition in the community.

    He urged the defectors to respect leaders of the party, saying there would be no segregation against them.

    “Today is a great day and APC has come to stay in Ebonyi State. Today is the end of APGA in Amaeka ward, today is the end of PDP in Amaeka ward and one of the members of PDP has promised to tear his membership card because it represents nothing.

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    “Today, we welcome you into our party, APC. Our party is a great party, very large to accommodate everybody. This is why every other political party is collapsing into the APC.

    “In our party, we don’t segregate. From today, you are a bona fide member of APC. Everything in the party belongs to you, but we must learn to respect our elders, we must respect the party leaders. There is nothing like late comer in APC, the day you join is the day you are a member,” he said.

    Some of the defectors including Chidiebere Uguru and Pastor Christian Nwokpoku said they decided to join APC because of the leadership style of Governor Nwifuru.

    Uguru noted that the governor had carried the community along in the scheme of things, including appointment of sons and daughters of the area in positions of authority and empowerment of many indigenes of the community in the empowerment programme of his administration.

    “APC is our party, we have declared for it. We are now members of APC, no more opposition in Amaeke community.

    “From today, we are out of PDP, APGA and Labour Party. We are for APC now, APC is a party that gives light, provides electricity, gives empowerment, APC is a party to be. What APC is doing in our state is good and we cannot afford to be in opposition.”

    “We should be baptised in APC, we are APC for life. There is no more opposition in Ameka, what we now have is APC all through because we cannot afford to be in opposition when the government is carrying us along in everything it does,” he said.

  • Otu warns contenders of Obong of Calabar throne over unguarded utterances

    Otu warns contenders of Obong of Calabar throne over unguarded utterances

    Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu has warned those flouting the state government’s directive on the settled matter of the Obong of Calabar stool, not to test the patience of his administration over their unguarded utterances and other actions that can disrupt peace.

    The governor, who spoke as a guest of honour at the 12th Utomo Obong Festival (homage to the Obong of Calabar), at Adiabo in Odukpani Local Government at the weekend, said it was unbecoming of certain individuals to make insinuations and provocative statements on a matter the government had taken a position on, following a ruling by the Supreme Court.

    He said: “Enough is enough! We have no problem with anybody or group seeking judicial remedy to whatever perceived grievances there are. But this government will no longer tolerate insinuations and provocative statements capable of truncating peace.

    “Power comes from God, therefore, whoever God has given power to should be supported by all. The state government has taken a position based on the law, and some people do not want to accept that. We will no longer tolerate any situation that threatens the peace of the state.

    “The Obong stool as one of the few Treaty Kings East of the Niger is highly revered and should be supported by all.”

    Otu said his administration would “partner the Palace of Obong of Calabar to seek classical and ancient sagacity in providing good governance for our people under a convivial atmosphere and consistent policy framework and implementation. 

    “The security, peace process, due diligence and decency demonstrated in Efik kingdom architecture have informed our numerous achievements in the state in the past six months.”

    He described His Eminence Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, the 78th Efik monarch, “as a man of peace, a champion of inclusiveness and an evolutionary cultural dynamo. 

    “His sterling reign has seen to the stable federation of the 12 Efik principalities. The establishment of Obong of Calabar Executive Forum as the fulcrum of his engagements with his subjects in Efik language development, educational support programmes and dynamic preservation of the culture and tradition of the Efik is highly commendable. This cultural fiesta is the icing on the cake, as it provides the platform for the tangible manifestation of the Efik ethos and cosmology.”

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    The governor hailed the royal father for his “calmness of mind and stability of disposition in the face of the challenges to the throne,” noting: “As a government, we salute the genuine approach to achieving peaceful reign over the Efik and the inhabitants of Calabar.”

    He informed the gathering of Efik sons and daughters, as well as well-wishers from far and wide of his administration’s resolve to build a befitting palace for the Obong.

    The gathering had in attendance the 12 clans paying homage to the Obong, as well as notable personalities like former governor, Donald Duke, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, Prof. Eyo Etim Nyong, Sen.  Asuquo Ekpenyong and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Betta Edu.

    Mrs. Nella Andem-Ewa, SAN, was the chairman of the occasion, with High Chief Gershom Henshaw as the chairman of the Obong of Calabar Executive Forum.

    There were cultural displays by the Efik.

  • Fed Govt grant for vulnerable to be launched today in Calabar

    Fed Govt grant for vulnerable to be launched today in Calabar

    • •Minister pays homage to monarch 

    Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, has said Federal Government’s grant for groups will be launched today in Calabar under a joint supervision of herself and Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu.

    She spoke in Calabar at the weekend.

    Edu, who graced the 15th coronation of the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, spoke on the sidelines of the annual Utomo Obong event.

    She described the Utomo Obong festival as a classy celebration of the rich Efik cultural heritage and congratulated the Obong on his 15th coronation.

    She hailed the success of the festival.

    “I’m happy to be here in Calabar to attend the Utomo Obong for 2023. Our king, the Obong of Calabar, is an A-class king. He is father to all his subjects and brings together his people, the different clans, and indeed every well-wisher who wishes Cross River State well and who wishes his kingdom well too. 

    “We’re here to share culture. We’re here to share a good time and we’re here to share Renewed Hope for the people of Cross River State and the kingdom of Calabar.”

    She reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s determination to stamp out poverty in the country and usher in a refreshing dawn for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

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    The minister said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with Cross River State Government, on Christmas day, will launch grants for vulnerable groups. We’ve put together names of vulnerable groups in Cross River and we are beginning with those in Cross River South Senatorial District.

    “The idea is to reach the poorest of the poor at the grassroots, especially during this Christmas.”

    She added that the little funds put into their pockets would help them start micro businesses that could help sustain their families and bring them out of poverty.

    “So we have a full package for Cross River and we believe ‘Cross Riverians’ are ready.”

    Edu said the ministry has “a criterion, which is the poverty index and we have a checklist. We reached out to all the communities in the southern part of the state, the wards, the villages, and the people who matched these criteria were selected out of the many. So this is the first phase. We’ll continue to do this as we move to the next phase, but for now we are handling just 5,000 persons.”

  • Community to police: we’re ready to die defending our inheritance’ 

    Community to police: we’re ready to die defending our inheritance’ 

    The people of Ezinano community in Awka South Local Government of Anambra State have vowed not to cede their land to anybody or group.

    They said they were ready to stake their lives defending the land, which they noted they inherited from their forefathers.

    The land, they alleged, was being claimed by the people of Enugwu -Agidi community in Njikoka Local Government, in connivance with the police.

    The indigenes, who attempted at the weekend to inspect the land, were, however, stopped by armed police, who insisted they had orders not to let anyone into the disputed land. 

    The policemen stationed on the land opened fire and shot teargas at the indigenes, resulting in pandemonium, as some of the indigenes, including reporters who were to cover the protest, scampered for safety.

    Although no casualty was recorded, no fewer than 14 journalists narrowly escaped death, while four others sustained injuries.

    Addressing reporters after the incident, a prominent member of the community, Chief Kanayo Obidigbo, said police deployment in the area had stalled development of property.

    Obidigbo, who accused the police authority of complexity, said they had demonstrated apparent interest in the land, especially a Deputy Commissioner of Police.

    He called on Inspector General of Police Egbetokun Olukayode to investigate the matter and order withdrawal of the operatives from the land.

    He said: “We are here to inspect Agu Nawgu. This is a land our forefathers won in conquest. It is a vast land of about 60 kilometres radius. We grew up to know this land and it has a 1949 survey plan by our fathers, who were illiterate.”

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    “They gave out the land to Enugwu-Agidi people on rent to be cultivating, but later our forefathers sent them packing when they stopped paying rent.

    “The land belongs to Ezinano community of Awka, which has about 20 villages. Even the estates you see here belong to Awka people.

    “The police presence on our land is unacceptable. The men were sent here by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, whose interest we do not know.

    “They have stalled development in this site. I have a building here, but I can’t continue work because of police presence.

    “You are all witnesses today how police were shooting at us, defenceless  Awka indigenes. Yet they told the IGP they did not post operatives to our land.”

    Commissioner of Police Aderemi Adeoye denied sending police operatives to the land.

    He, however, failed to say who deployed the operatives in the land as alleged by the protesters.

  • Niger Delta youths hail Tinubu for resolving Rivers crisis

    Niger Delta youths hail Tinubu for resolving Rivers crisis

    Niger Delta youths have hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for resolving the political crisis that engulfed Rivers State.

    The youth, under the aegis of Niger Delta Youth Movement (NDYM), said Tinubu’s role in brokering peace in Rivers State was an indication that he was indeed a ‘father’ to all.

    In a statement signed by the NDYM National President, Prince Boboye Peretu, at the weekend, the group noted that peace was a necessity for the development of the region.

    “We appreciate Mr President, HE Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for creating and midwifing the necessary peace in Rivers State, the headquarters of our region.

    “The youth of the region under my watch shall strive to reciprocate your fatherly disposition towards us. We pledge our unalloyed loyalty to your administration,” the group said.

    Pledging to mobilise the support and loyalty of youths of the region for the current administration, NDYM said it would work for the success of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC.

    It also promised to work with government agencies, including security organisations, to ensure that the programmes and policies of the government were implemented.

    “The board and management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are appreciated for their continuous support and encouragement.

    “The movement shall reciprocate by resuming our traditional role as the mouthpiece of the commission in all their projects, programmes and policies as it concerns the region,” it said.

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     NDYM thanked Senate President Godswill Akpabio and governors of Niger Delta states for engaging youths in governance, as well as spreading democracy dividends to their people.

    “NDYM appreciates the uncommon Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio – the story of your rise from grass to grace and from grace to grace is a study in perseverance, tenacity and steadfastness and it is an inspiration to us in the region. More so, we thank members of the National Assembly for their solidarity.

    “We sincerely thank Honourable (Prince) Eugene Dibiagwu, our national patron and member representing the people of Ohaji/Egbema, Ogwuta and Oru West Federal Constituency of Imo State for the regular support and encouragement.

    “We thank our Royal National Patron, the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, Okirika, HRM King Ateke Michael Tom (The Ambassador of Peace), for his fatherly support.

    “We thank our pillar, Oba Nanka Ifeanyi (our National BOT), for his steadfast support.

    “We thank the Elders Forum Chairman, Comrade Moses Omo-Ikirodah and Comrade Stephen Youyah, Comrade Felix Ogbonna, Allen Okiakpe and others,” the group said.

  • Ekid people seek federal appointments for Ibibio

    Ekid people seek federal appointments for Ibibio

    The people of Eket and Esit local governments of Akwa Ibom State have asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give Ibibio people federal appointments.

    Under the aegis of Ekid Peoples Union (EPU), they appealed to President Tinubu to apply the federal character principle in selecting federal appointees from the states into its MDAs. 

    The call was made over the weekend by the National President of EPU, Dr. Samuel Udonsak, during the 2023 Annual National Congress of Ekid Nation. 

    In his address to Ekid people, Dr Udonsak drew the attention of the Federal Government to a glaring disparity in the appointment of the Ibibio by the Tinubu administration. 

    “It is necessary and timely to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the fact that so far, in Akwa Ibom State, the Ibibio in general, including Ekid in particular, with a population of about five million and 65 per cent of Akwa Ibom’s voting strength have not been carried along in its appointment,” he said.

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    Udonsak added that the non-appointment of any Ibibio by the current administration in its federal appointments, negates the principle of federal character. 

    He urged the National Government to mitigate the suffering of the people as a result of the harsh economic environment. 

    “Government policies should be tailored towards alleviating the suffering of the masses partly caused by the removal of fuel subsidy and forex uncertainties,” he said. 

    He called on the Federal Government to complete section four of the East West Road and the execution of the Lagos-Calabar Rail Line crisscrossing the Niger Delta, for ease of transportation of goods and economic development.

  • ‘We won’t tolerate protest to disrupt Aiteo’s oil production’

    ‘We won’t tolerate protest to disrupt Aiteo’s oil production’

    Bayelsa State Government says it will not allow a protest planned for tomorrow to disrupt oil production at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29, operated by Aiteo Eastern Exploration.

    The government in a statement yesterday by the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Chief Ayiba Duba, warned the masterminds of the planned protest in Nembe Basambiri that youths and chiefs’ council activities remained suspended in the area.

    According to the state government, the security agencies have been alerted to the plot calculated to halt oil production at the OML 29 oil fields and deprive the state of the much needed oil derivation revenue.

    The government said it would not want anyone under any guise to breach the prevailing peace in Nembe Basambiri and across Bayelsa.

    “The attention of the Bayelsa government has been drawn to a planned protest on December 26 by some individuals at Nembe Bassambiri in Nembe Local Government, who have constituted themselves into youth and chiefs councils.

    “The public should note that activities of these individuals are in violation of the subsisting suspension placed on all youths’ and chiefs’ councils’ activities in Bassambiri at the wake of a violent crisis traceable to the unwholesome conduct of the youth body and chiefs’ council in the area in August.

    “The protest being planned by these individuals against Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company will not only disrupt activities of the company, but also breach the peace, undermine public order and safety as well as possible destruction of oil and gas infrastructure in the state,” it said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that oil production at OML 29 had remained comatose for two years due to unsustainable levels of oil theft and vandalism on the 97 kilometre Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL).

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    Aiteo, the indigenous oil firm that acquired the asset for 2.4 billion dollars, following divestment by Shell recently discarded the NCTL and resorted to direct export using a Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel.

    The Bayelsa government explained that the planned protest was not only an affront on the authority of the state, but also a sabotage of the Nigerian economy.

    “Therefore, government wishes to warn those involved in this attempt to undermine the public peace in Nembe under the guise of protest against oil companies, to abort it immediately as there will be consequence for any unruly conduct.

    “Meanwhile, all security agencies in the state have been put on red alert and will not hesitate to do everything within their means to prevent infraction in Nembe and indeed the entire state.

    “To be forewarned is to be forearmed,” it added. 

    The management of the oil firm is yet to respond to request for response on the development.

  • Representation of my constituency is holistic, says Bayelsa Rep

    Representation of my constituency is holistic, says Bayelsa Rep

    The member representing Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State, Hon. (Engr) Rodney Ambaiowei, has said he represents his constituents holistically irrespective of political inclination.

    Speaking on the heels of his victory at the Court of Appeal affirming his election as member of the House, the lawmaker urged his people to rally around him for the development of the constituency and the country.

    He said, “I am for all Southern Ujaw people. I am making a holistic representation of everyone. What I want my constituents to do is to rally round me to see how we can move Southern Ijaw forward. I am a representative for everybody. I am not representative for just the PDP or for my family or community people.

    “Even my predecessor I want him around because I know that he has a wealth of ideas concerning the National Assembly. Adding his wealth of ideas from my own I strongly believe we can move southern ijaw to the height in which we want southern ijaw to be. My office is open. My phone line is open to receive any call so as for us to plan towards the betterment of Southern Ijaw and to also further better our state and country. My plan for Southern Ijaw is that let us come together and see how we can build a formidable southern ijaw federal constituency.”

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    He said he was hardly distracted by the litigation, while it lasted, as he has been committed to quality representation of his people.

    “The tribunal distracted me a little bit but even then I wasn’t completely distracted because I moved my first motion within the first two weeks of our inauguration because I know the challenges my people are facing particularly in the area of boat mishap. That was the first motion I raised within the first two weeks. So if you say I was completely distracted I would not agree with you. I am always in touch with my constituents, interacting with them. As you can see this festive period. By tomorrow I am going down to see my constituents.

    “Of course they will want to see me for us to talk about things that are affecting them. The area I truly want to look into is the area of drug abuse because that is a menace that is really affecting my people. And I am also happy that I am a committee member on drugs and narcotics. Even yesterday I called the chairman to see how we can get the DG to come over and speak on drug abuse for a programme I am sponsoring on 30th of December.

    “This is for our people to desist from it, particularly the old ladies. Because from what I see now, the old ladies are seeing that as an enhancer. They take drugs in order for them to go to farms. They say that it really helps them and makes them work harder but they don’t know the effect of it and it is a problem to me.

    “Despite that, the area of empowerment is important, particularly our women. Like the common adage says when you empower a woman, you empower a nation. So I am also looking at it from an angle that will empower the women. We would give them soft loans, we train them so they can be entrepreneurs, they can be self employed and also employ other people. We are looking at getting some microfinance activities to empower them.

    “We are also looking at youth development. The youths also need to be trained. We also need to sensitize them because this issue of youths always wanting or asking money from people for survival on a daily basis, for me is not a good thing. I am looking at how I can assemble them and assist them through, probably educational means and other means for them to be empowered. And a whole of things. I have a lot for my people.”

    He said he was going to carry everyone along in his government irrespective of their background.

    “Whether we like it or not, every southern ijaw is my constituent irrespective of the party. So for me carrying them along is not a problem. And if you look at the whole thing, in one way or the other we are even related. So are you telling me that if my relative is an APC member and he has a problem, I will abandon him to die? It is not possible.

    “I am trying to see how I can group both the APC, PDP and other parties and give them at least a kind of orientation that whether we like it or not we are brothers. We can quarrel and argue in terms of elections, but once we are through with elections, we are one. Moreover most of the APC people supported me. So why would I not carry them along? I would carry everyone along

  • Diri faults report on Bayelsa’s viability

    Diri faults report on Bayelsa’s viability

    • Swears in two judges

    Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has again made a case for the practice of true federalism and restructuring of Nigeria in order to determine the real viability of states.

    He spoke yesterday during the 124th state executive council meeting at the Government House, Yenagoa, against the backdrop of a recent report on the economic and financial viability of states.

    Recall that the Economic Confidential, in its 2022 Annual States Viability Index (ASVI) report, listed Bayelsa among six states that were allegedly financially insolvent. 

    In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, the governor faulted the report, saying it focused on only federal allocation and internally generated revenue to determine a state’s viability without considering how their resources were being expropriated by the Federal Government.

    He insisted that Bayelsa was not financially insolvent and that such reports came from “prophets of doom.”

    Diri said Bayelsa, with its huge oil resources, is one of the richest states, but that the lopsided federalism in practice in the country had deprived it from controlling its resources and natural wealth.

    He described as unacceptable the situation where states’ resources were being taken by the government at the centre, leaving the sub-nationals to depend on monthly allocation. 

    He said: “The prophets of doom will always make predictions that Bayelsa State is insolvent and I think they need to stop those predictions.

    “We have called for a true and structured federalism. One of the richest states in Nigeria in terms of resources is Bayelsa. By no means will anybody convince me that our state is insolvent. 

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    “We have been saying return our resources to us and let us compare what Bayelsa has with other states and see if we are one of those that cannot generate internal revenue. 

    “Now we depend on federal allocation where our resources have been expropriated, taken to Abuja and shared to other states. And you call us a poor state. This has to stop.”

    Before the meeting, Diri swore in two judges to enhance the administration of justice in the state.

    They are Amaebi Orukari, who was sworn in as a state High Court judge and his counterpart, David Opokuma, as a judge of the Customary Court of Appeal.

    The newly judges were formerly chief registrars in their courts before the elevation.

    Delivering his charge to the jurists, Diri said his administration had made modest strides in providing an enabling environment for the state judiciary to be independent.

  • Delta monarch frowns on illegal mining

    Delta monarch frowns on illegal mining

    • Warns of imminent collapse of high tension lines 
    • ’Mining not illegal’

    The Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof) Chike Edozien, has warned of danger to the lives of residents, following the activities of miners excavating laterite under high tension power lines at the Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba and its environs.

    He said the activities had degraded the environment and exposed residents to danger.

    The monarch, who spoke through an aide on land matters, Ogbueshi Ofili Mordi, yesterday in a statement, described the mining as illegal and capable of endangering residents’ lives.

    He alleged that the Provost, Prof. Josephine Anene-Okeakwa, supported the miners.

    The traditional ruler said the activities of the miners, carried out near pylons of the national power grid, “is a big threat to the nation’s power sector and its economic development.”

    He said the mining might lead to erosion, loss of arable land, loss of lives and property.

    He challenged the management of the tertiary institution to produce documents which empowered it to give out the land for mining.

    The institution’s management said the mining was not illegal.

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    It added that the institution was aware of the excavation.

    Prof. Anene-Okeakwa in a statement said the monarch or his representatives had never contacted the school authorities regarding the true state of affairs.

    She said she was taken aback by baseless allegations on some social media platforms. 

    Anene-Okeakwa said: “To set the record straight, the college authority gave approval for excavation for the construction of Koka Road and a road behind the college with a view to reclaiming the land thereafter. I wonder how a genuine approval will amount to illegal mining.” 

    She added: “They are not miners. Federal College of Education is aware. We gave them the place to excavate for the construction of Koka Road and the road behind the college to reclaim thereafter. Did they try to find out from us? Mr. Ofili Mordi, who just came back from where he went to, jumped into selling our land, and claimed that Asagba of Asaba is aware.

    “Does Asagba of Asaba have the mandate to sell Federal Government land that has a master plan and is lodged with the town planning office? Their article and posting are to scare us and confuse people because they know we are aware. The Federal Government is aware of our activities, as I cannot embark on any illegal act.”

    The provost warned land grabbers against selling the institution’s land, saying anyone colluding with unscrupulous elements in Asaba community to encroach on the college land does so at his or her peril.