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Budget Padding: How senators share Zonal Intervention Project funds – Abaribe

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The Lawmaker representing the Abia South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has clarified the discrepancies in the sharing of the Zonal Intervention Project fund.

Recall that the Senator representing the Cross River North, Agom Jarigbe on Tuesday alleged that ranking senators got N500 million while he got nothing.

Jarigbe made the assertion at the floor of the Senate while commenting on allegation of budget padding raised by the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, Senator Abdul Ningi.

Ranking senators refers to lawmakers who have spent at least four years in the Red Chamber.

However, speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, Abaribe denied receiving N500 million as alleged by his colleague.

He, however, said he got N266 million from the money allocated to members of the National Assembly in the six geo-political zones.

Abaribe explained that lawmakers from some zones like the Northwest, which has seven states, would expectedly get less than what he got, as his Southeast zone has only five states.

He said, “I have been saying that all fingers are not equal and by privilege of office, certain people will get but not every Senator gets an equal amount.

“These are six zones in the country and every zone gets its own N10 billion intervention. Now, if you are from the Northwest zone, because you have seven states, the senator will get less than me who comes from the five states zone.

“My state, Abia, gets N2 billion and if we break it down for both the Senate and the representatives, the Senate is getting 40% and the House gets 60%.

“I got about N266 million as zonal intervention. The person in the Northwest who has seven states, will necessarily get less, about a hundred million and something.

“So it’s not correct when we say every constituency must get an equal amount.”

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IBADAN: Early Morning Fire Destroys Shops, Millions Lost in Property

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An early morning fire on Friday, September 12, 2025, gutted four shops at Saki Garage, opposite Trans Amusement Park in the Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

The fire, which started around 2:07 a.m., affected four out of eleven shops in the complex. No casualties were reported, but properties worth millions of naira were lost.

Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Hon. Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident and said firefighters were able to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings.

The fire was traced to embers left unattended after business hours, which ignited nearby flammable materials.

Akinwande advised the public to be vigilant, keep fire extinguishers at home and in shops, and store emergency fire service numbers. He also commended Amotekun officers from the Bodija Division for providing security during the firefighting operation.

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Air Peace Differs with NSIB reports on crews involvement in drugs, alcohol

Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!

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Air Peace has responded to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) regarding the incident involving one of its aircraft at Port Harcourt on July 13, 2025.

The airline said to date, no official communication was received on crew toxicology results by NSI, B, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had cleared the co-pilot on duty.

In a statement by Air Peace, it stated that it is yet to receive any official communications from the NSIB on such findings over a month after the incident and after the testing of the crew for alcohol, which took place in less than an hour of the incident!

“As a responsible airline, we place utmost priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, and it is important to set the record straight.

“Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!

The NSIB had on Thursday released the preliminary report on its ongoing investigation into the serious incident involving a Boeing 737-524 aircraft, operated by Air Peace, saying initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption.

The report said that a cabin crew member also tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis.

“These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.”, a statement on the report signed by Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, said.

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Hilda Baci Cooking World’s Largest Pot of Jollof Rice Today at Eko Hotel

Baci also disclosed she would be using 250 bags of rice to create what she hopes will become the world’s biggest pot of Nigerian jollof rice.

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Celebrity chef and Guinness World Record holder Hilda Baci is cooking what she describes as the world’s largest pot of Nigerian jollof rice at Eko Hotel and Suites today (Friday) in Lagos.

A video shared on her Instagram page on Thursday showed the moment the massive pot arrived at the venue of the record-breaking attempt in Lagos.

Another clip shared on her Snapchat story captured Hilda and her mother praying at the venue ahead of the event.

Baci announced on Wednesday that more than 20,000 people had registered to attend the event dubbed “Gino World Jollof Festival with Hilda Baci”

She emphasised that the event which kicks off at 9 a.m. on Friday, September 12, is free to attend, and that guests will “certainly not be paying for the amazing meal that I’m going to make for you.”

According to Baci, the historic attempt will feature a giant pot measuring six metres wide and six metres tall, in collaboration with seasoning and culinary brand Gino.

Baci also disclosed she would be using 250 bags of rice to create what she hopes will become the world’s biggest pot of Nigerian jollof rice

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