Attack on Abel Damina, NJC’s panel on conflicting court orders on Rivers crisis, other top stories from South-south

This is a review of major events in Nigeria’s south-south region last week.

False sexual allegations as weapon of vitimisation

On Monday, we published an investigative report on the travail of Inih Ebong, a former lecturer at the University of Uyo, who was fired by the university over false sexual harassment allegations.

Despite several legal victories against the institution, the university has refused to reinstate the lecturer and pay his entitlements.

Obaseki under fire for recruiting 4,000 teachers in exit days

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State may have forgotten a precedent he set in 2016 – cancelling the 2,500 teachers his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, recruited in his exit days in office.

Eight years later, Mr Obaseki, who is vacating the governorship seat on 11 November, is under fire from the incoming APC administration for recruiting 4,000 teachers in his final days in office.

We also reported this interesting twist on Monday

In the neighbouring Bayelsa State, we reported on Monday that Governor Douye Diri has joined the league of Nigerian governors paying a minimum wage higher than the N70,000 national wage. Lagos, Rivers, and a few other states are members of this league.

Budgets

Also, in Bayelsa State, we reported on Thursday that Governor Diri presented a N689.4 billion budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year to the Bayelsa House of Assembly.

Earlier on Tuesday, we reported that his Cross River State counterpart, Bassey Otu had proposed an estimate of N498 billion as budget for the same fiscal year.

Still in Cross Rivers, we reported on Saturday how the PDP accused the ruling APC of hijacking voting materials for the local elections, an allegation the election commission in the state countered, claiming that voting went on smoothly across the state.

NJC sets up panel on conflicting court orders in Rivers

On Tuesday, the National Judicial Council (NJC) set up a panel to investigate conflicting court orders in Rivers State, hearkening to the growing pleas from Nigerians calling on it to address the ugly development.

Still on Rivers legal tussle, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday stopped the CBN from releasing monthly allocations to the Rivers State Government over Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s failure to present the 2024 budget to a properly constituted state assembly.

Hours after the ruling, Governor Fubara said the verdict was the least of his worries, stating that he would continue to pay contractors and workers.

Two new aircraft for Ibom Air

Ibom Air says it is ready for Christmas and regional flights to West African countries with the addition of two new aircraft into its fleet. We reported that Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State received two new aircraft for the state-owned airline on Friday, bringing the fleet to nine.

Abel Damina ‘no longer representative of Body of Christ’

We reported on Thursday how the founder of Power City International, Abel Damina, fired back at a Christian group – the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs, which accused him of “heresy, hate speech and cybercrime against the Christian faith.”

In his reaction, Mr Damina denied the allegations, described members of the group as a “bunch of jokers,” and invited them to join his discipleship class.