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Reps deny alleged planned showdown with Speaker

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The House of Representatives on Monday denied an alleged plot against the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, over delays in constituency project funding, describing the claims as misleading and based on informal conversations taken out of context.

In a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Akin Rotimi Jr., the House faulted a media report, which suggested that discontent over unpaid constituency projects was threatening to trigger a showdown against the Speaker.

Rotimi fumed that the report “elevates isolated remarks and informal conversations from House WhatsApp groups as if they represent the official position of any House caucus or the House itself.”

According to him, the 10th Assembly remained united under Abbas despite its diversity of political, ethnic, and religious affiliations.

While acknowledging delayed contractor payments, Rotimi said the issue was not peculiar to constituency projects by lawmakers but was part of wider fiscal challenges across the federation.

“Delayed contractor payments are a national challenge and not peculiar to the constituency projects nominated by honourable Members,” the statement noted. “For many weeks, the House leadership, through the Appropriations Committees, has engaged the Honourable Minister of Finance. Payments have commenced, and the leadership is committed to ensuring all outstanding 2024 obligations are settled expeditiously.”

Rotimi also acknowledged that lawmakers were under pressure from constituents to deliver nominated projects, but cautioned against misinterpreting these concerns.

“Honourable members face pressure from constituents expecting nominated projects to be implemented in line with participatory development,” he explained. “While these agitations are valid, they must be understood within current fiscal realities and not misrepresented.”

On the controversy surrounding recruitment into the National Assembly bureaucracy, he distanced the House’s leadership from the process, insisting that it is the exclusive responsibility of the National Assembly Service Commission.

Rotimi said, “The House Leadership neither conducted nor controlled the exercise. The process follows principles of Federal Character, inclusiveness, and merit, ensuring fair representation of Nigerians across states and geopolitical zones.”

He said the Speaker had ordered a probe into the recruitment exercise to ensure transparency.

“In line with its oversight mandate, the Speaker has directed the House Committee on Public Service Matters, which oversees the National Assembly Commission, to conduct a thorough investigation of the recruitment exercise and report back to the House,” he said.

The House also dismissed suggestions that projects or development benefits were being skewed in favour of certain regions.

“Suggestions that development is unfairly concentrated in any one region are false, divisive, and unhelpful. The House operates on principles of equity, justice, and fairness,” the statement stressed.

The House leadership reiterated its commitment to “upholding transparency, inclusiveness, and fairness in its constitutional mandate of lawmaking, oversight, and representation,” urging members and the public to ignore insinuations of a rift.

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Nollywood Actor Ibrahim Chatta Loses Son

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Popular Nollywood actor, Ibrahim Chatta, is grieving the loss of his son.

The 54-year-old actor shared the heartbreaking news on his Instagram page on Saturday, though he did not disclose details surrounding the boy’s death.

Posting a photo of his late son, Chatta wrote, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. Ya Allah, You are the Knower of all things. Rest on, Dear son, champ.”

The tragic announcement drew an outpouring of condolences from colleagues and fans, who filled the comment section with words of comfort and prayers for the bereaved family.

This came just days after the Nollywood community was hit by another loss, following the death of veteran actress Peju Ogunmola’s only son, Ayomikun, who passed away in Ibadan earlier this week.

The back-to-back tragedies have thrown Nollywood into mourning, with many describing the moment as one of the darkest in recent memory.

Chatta had previously opened up about the pain of losing a child. In June, he recounted how financial hardship and poor access to healthcare led to the death of his first child, a daughter.

According to him, he could not afford a proper coffin at the time and was forced to bury her in an old wooden Coca-Cola crate.

The actor’s latest loss has once again drawn attention to the personal struggles behind the glitz of Nollywood, while fans and colleagues continued to rally around him in solidarity.

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Defence headquarters warns former soldiers against protests

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The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has warned discharged soldiers protesting at the Federal Ministry of Finance over the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) to desist, describing the demonstrations as illegal.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, issued the warning on Friday, September 5, saying the protests were obstructing official activities at the ministry and would no longer be tolerated.

“The Defence Headquarters acknowledges freedom of legitimate protest, but the veterans are strongly advised to trade with caution and vacate the premises of the Federal Ministry of Finance in order to pave way for normal government functions to be seamlessly conducted,” Kangye stated.

He clarified that neither the government nor the DHQ owed retired soldiers any SDA, explaining that payments were being made in line with applicable wage charts. “Gratuity and SDA are calculated based on the salary chart effective on a soldier’s date of retirement,” he said.

Kangye noted that those who retired between January 1 and July 28, 2024, fell under the pre-minimum wage chart, while retirees from July 29, 2024, onward were placed under the minimum wage chart following the implementation of the new wage structure.

“Unfortunately, soldiers who retired before the implementation date have insisted their benefits should be calculated with the new minimum wage chart, which is not possible. Government policies have effective dates of implementation and this case cannot be an exception,” Kangye stressed.

He urged the ex-soldiers to respect laid-down processes and desist from further illegal demonstrations.

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4 sisters, ages 2 to 7, die in house fire after being left home alone overnight

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Four little girls — all sisters — died in a North Carolina, U.S. house fire early Saturday as two other girls managed to escape and call for help.

No adults were at home around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, August 30, when the fire broke out, k!lling the girls aged 2 to 7, Columbus County Fire Marshal Shannon Blackman told CBS 17.

Two other 12-year-old girls  — one a sister of the others — managed to escape the North Colony Road home, officials said.

They called 911, prompting a Columbus County Sheriff’s Office and a Chadbourn Rescue team to arrive in just seven minutes.

But, the home was already engulfed in flames and the first responders couldn’t save the girls trapped inside.

4 sisters, ages 2 to 7, d!e in house fire after being left home alone overnight

“Due to the severity of the fire, it was not possible to make a safe entry into the home,” Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers said in a news release.

Two Columbus County residents have now started a GoFundMe for the family.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the tragic loss of Kendall, Kalani, Josie, and Sophia, who passed away in a house fire,” Ansley Hayes and B. Tyler Grainger wrote online.

The deaths have shaken the community and many people knew the family and mother, identified as Reagan Powers by the Columbus County News.

“These beautiful souls brought immense joy and love to their family and everyone who was blessed to know them,” the fundraiser said about the little girls who died.

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