Economy
Senator Attai Aidoko Sir, Legal Quests or Legislation?
By John Paul
Recently, I embarked on a journey to Ugbamaka lgah, the ancestral home of senator Attai Aidoko representing Kogi East in the senate. Whirling the community without a glance on potential pay-off for producing a Senator of the federal republic, I resorted for interrogation and a retired police officer has this to say: “This is not river, but a stream.
The only stream sustaining our community and the neighborhood and it’s about four Kilometers away. Aidoko is far from our challenges because he only comes here in the night and disappear before dawn since he became a Senator. As you can see, we have no portable water, no electricity and other basic infrastructures.”
While the interrogation was still on, something struck my mind with the absence of morality in our leaders and I asked myself, why do people find pleasure in deceiving others? The senior citizen suddenly tapped and asked that I come with him. Lo and behold! I was taken to a large warehouse stocked with tricycles purportedly meant to electioneer Aidoko’s re-election bid in 2019.
Flash, Senator Attai Aidoko told us few months ago that he would not contest in 2019 as he will return to his farm in order to cater for his family but all doubt was cleared with events turning out from his camp within the last few days.
Sometimes I wonder if some of our leaders are sets of aggrieved people on vengeance. They are friendly while election is around the corner and once they are voted into power, they turned their back on the electorates.
I stumbled upon a media branded achievement of the Senator from inception to date and I scoffed knowing it’s fallacious and politically intrigued. Though it’s the usual shenanigans with Nigeria politicians especially when election approaches, but I don’t think it’s necessary to spend constituency allocation on tactics that is obviously irrelevant to the political curriculum of Senator Aidoko. Why? Because unlike his contemporaries, Aidoko only sleeps and merry with his concubines while the court delivers his mandate in his choice location.
What a digression of our democracy.
Come to think of it, why would Aidoko include electrification of Ikeje Igah to Ugbamaka in the projects he initiated when Ikeje has been electrified a year before he found his way to the corridors of power? As a matter of fact, Ikeje Igah’s electrification projects was initiated by the famous philanthropist Suleiman Babanawa in 2002.
Moreover, as a center to Okpo, Ogugu, Ugbamaka and Branch Obu, Ikeje town is located along Kogi – Benue – Enugu highways and it’s said to have been blessed with some basic infrastructures like schools, health care facilities and pipe borne water before our democratic rebirth.
Developing an already developed community in the face of others is abysmal. If Aidoko was in for the business he flaunts, it would have made more sense if suburbs like Igah gate, Igah Ocheba, Igah chechere, which lack virtually all the basic amenities, especially portable water, was considered.
Having watched helplessly while Kogi east legislative strides devalorize daily amidst national core issues, I put a call to some ‘behavioural scientists’ to find out what differentiates ‘psychological dispensation’ from action but they are yet to get back to me. Vision, they say, determines mission and mission determines action. The hypocrisy in the entire narrative of our legislative struggles is not far fetched; the man at the helm of affairs is formerly known for his indispensable slogan “Development of Igalaland is my priority”.
More delusive, Aidoko is also a major stakeholder in the so called ‘project save Kogi’. So, one may be tempted to ask, what has suddenly befallen this noble personality? Has power actually corrupted him or the so-called slogan was just a headway to political limelight?
The time is appropriate to pose this sacred question (Legal quests or Legislation?) before distinguished Senator Aidoko as further delay may write off Kogi east from Nigeria’s Geo-political zones. Judiciary they say is the last hope of a common man but for Aidoko, it’s an avenue to quiz justice against the people.
In 2015, Kogi East Senatorial mandate was grasped via election petition tribunal as Abdulrahman Abubakar of the ruling All Progressives Congress won the senatorial poll. Lending credence, he was given the certificate of return as member of the Nigeria Senate on the 3th of April 2015 and took oath of office in June 2015 conforming with electoral acts.
Six months later, Aidoko swirled into the Senate with a verdict from the state electoral petition tribunal siting in Lokoja asking Senator Abdulrahman Abubakar (APC) who polled 98,915 votes to relinquish for him as the flag bearer of the opposition party with 88, 994 votes. Efforts to appeal the injustice perpetrated against Abdulrahman was an exercise in futility as Aidoko, though has Alfa to contend with, bought his way in the entire process.
The legal battles between Aidoko and Alfa however came on the heel of nonconformity with party rules on individual mandate. While Alfa was anointed by his party with his mandate, Aidoko leveraged on his allotted court mandate.
To show that Alfa was also endorsed by the gods (ojo-ane), not only did he win the scheduled re-run, the pre-election suit had had Aidoko declared unqualified for the second time. But coercively, Aidoko flouted court judgement to remain in the senate regardless of whose ox is gored and the recent appeal he filed at the supreme court is just a guy-man making the street attractive for the next ten months when his tenure shall elapse.
Apparently, Aidoko has never been mandated by his constituency in the senatorial journey so far going by the above facts. He has never won election but rely on paid court orders to overthrow those who toiled every nooks and crannies of the constituency to woo voters.
It was reported online that Aidoko bribed four judges of the supreme Court with a whooping some of N100,000,000 each in order to halt it’s judgement on the pre- election suit by Isaac Alfa sometimes last year.
Space constraints may deter my urge to X-ray the saga between Air Marshall Isaac Alfa and distinguished senator Aidoko Ali Usman but one disgusting fact posterity may not allow if ignored is the fact that Alfa ambitiously gambled with Edward Onoja and cohorts in order to secure justice. But if I must balance the equation, Alfa’s last-minute move is just a tradition everyone must adopt especially if the business of politics must thrive. His concordat with Edward Onoja which hierarchically introduced the influence of the state governor, Minister of Justice and finally the presiding judge was a perfect political permutation. At least the mission was accomplished even though the future is uncertain.
Our democracy has been muddled. The business of legislation is now clustered in one-man’s show which neither regard the rule of law nor enforce common will. The judiciary has been cloned into private entity with the outputs favoring an individual.
Those accusing me of raising dust among our party men can now understand that Aidoko has no place in the heart of any party man or the PDP itself going by the odious selfishness and permutations that had reduced Kogi eastern legislation to a shit hole. How can Aidoko sit and watch while Dino Melaye and his counterpart from the central strive for Ajaokuta steel? How can we watch while our Constituency allowances is been diverted and use for legal cases? How can we fold our hands while myopically inclined, self-serving and self-aggrandizement hold sway to the detriment of common will and aspirations?
To prevent further rots, Aidoko and his handlers must be called to order, at least to explain their preferences between the hovering legal quests and legislative business. So that if the need be, we must shop for possible replacement. A black goat they say is better captured in the day time. (PROPHETIC declaration)
God Bless Kogi East.
John Paul, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State. He can be reached on 07064258752
Editor’s Note
The views and opinions expressed in this article are purely of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the position of Business Post Nigeria on the subject matter.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has unveiled a $100 million Equity Investment Scheme among a raft of fresh initiatives to bolster indigenous capacity and participation in the oil and gas industry.
The Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Mr Felix Ogbe, announced this in a keynote address he delivered at the 14th Practical Nigerian Content Forum, noting the $100 million Equity Investment Scheme would provide financing to high-growth indigenous energy service companies, while diversifying the income base of the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF).
In furtherance of the $100 million Equity Investment Scheme, a memorandum of understanding was signed at the event between Engr. Ogbe and the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, Mr Olasupo Olusi, toward management of the scheme, which is a new product of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, NCI Fund.
The NCDMB boss also announced that 61 per cent Nigerian Content level was already attained in the oil and gas sector by the third quarter of 2025 from the projects being monitored by the Board.
Another major announcement was the Board’s readiness to onboard a new set of Project 100 Companies after the successful implementation of approved interventions relating to the first set of Project 100 Companies, launched in 2019, for which an exit plan is slated for April 2026.
Project 100 Companies is an initiative of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NCDMB under which 100 indigenous companies in the oil and gas industry are nurtured and empowered to higher levels of competitiveness through capacity building and access to market opportunities.
He also said the Board has concluded plans to launch its NCDMB Technology Challenge in the first quarter of 2026 and to hold a Research and Development Fair in the second quarter of 2026. In addition, a review of the Board’s seven current guidelines is to be undertaken between the first and second quarter of 2015.
Mr Ogbe further disclosed that the Board has completed the framework for issuance of NCDF Compliance Certificate, an instrument to confirm that a company in the oil and gas industry has complied with the one per cent remittance obligations. The Certificate will become effective on 1st January 2026 and would be required to obtain key permits and approvals from the Board.
Among recent accomplishments of the Board announced by the NCDMB boss was the expansion of access to community contractors under the Community Contractors Scheme, with over 94 disbursements made in 2025 alone.
In addition, the Nigerian Content Academy has commenced operation as a full-fledged division of the Board, with seven of its Lecture Series on key industry issues already organised.
On human capacity development, he noted that the NCDMB has rolled out its Oil and Gas Field Readiness Training Programme for top 10 skills in high demand, on the back of the surge in final investment decisions, FIDs, on big-ticket projects in the oil and gas industry and over 20 Field Development Plans recently approved by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC. The Programme is to ensure availability of indigenous technical capacity at the take-off of the projects.
The construction of the multibillion-naira Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre, OMRC, at Otuabagi in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has also taken off, with the execution of a contract between the construction firm, Julius Berger Plc, and OMRC Limited in December 2024, while mobilisation to site was achieved in July 2025. Jointly sponsored by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, NCDMB, Shell Petroleum Development Company (now Renaissance Africa Energy Limited), and Bayelsa State Government, the project is expected to be delivered within 30 months.
In a presentation, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Mr Joel Thomas, expressed concern that some indigenous companies have consistently flouted provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, NOGICD Act, 2010, as relates to one per cent remittance to the Nigerian Content Development Fund, NCDF.
His counterpart in the House of Representatives, Boma Goodhead, commended the NCDMB for sustaining the PNC Forum and Exhibition over the years and for ably guiding industry drive toward attainment of objectives of the NOGICD Act.
In his ministerial address, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the theme of the PNC Forum, “Securing Investments, Strengthening Local Content, and Scaling Energy Production,” captures Nigeria’s national priorities that guide interventions by the Board and his Ministry.
He emphasised that “Investment remains the lifeblood of the energy sector,” and that the Board and the Ministry are committed to providing stable policies, transparent processes, and market-driven incentives, to attract long-term capital. He assured that they would continue strengthening local capacity across fabrication, engineering, technology services, manufacturing of components, and research and development.
On his part, Mr Olusi, said that the collaboration between the NCDMB and BOI marked a significant expansion of a longstanding relationship, while assuring that through the $100 million NCIF Equity Investment Fund, the Bank of Industry will deploy equity and quasi-equity capital to support high-potential Nigerian companies, to complement traditional debt financing and strengthening access to the long-term risk capital required for scale, competitiveness, and value creation.
According to the BOI boss, with a single obligor limit of $5 million, the Fund is designed to catalyze multiple high-impact investments while maintaining strong governance and prudent risk management.
By Dipo Olowookere
It was another bearish outcome for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on Wednesday due to persistent profit-taking.
The local bourse shed 0.05 per cent at midweek as investors tread cautiously, causing the All-Share Index (ASI) to contract by 78.28 points to 146,862.01 points from 146,940.29 points, with the market capitalisation giving up N34 billion to settle at N93.625 trillion compared with the previous day’s N93.659 trillion.
Chams ended the trading day as the worst-performing stock after it lost 10.00 per cent to trade at N3.06, Haldane McCall declined by 8.88 per cent to N4.00, UAC Nigeria slumped by 8.18 per cent to N80.80, and Sunu Assurance moderated by 6.98 per cent to N4.00.
The best-performing stock for the session was Japaul due to its 10.00 per cent rise, closing at N2.53. Prestige Assurance expanded by 9.40 per cent to N1.63, MeCure inflated by 7.72 per cent to N34.90, The Initiates rose by 7.30 per cent to N12.50, and Consolidated Hallmark gained 6.97 per cent to close at N4.30.
Business Post observed that despite the loss, the market breadth index was positive after Customs Street finished with 28 price gainers and 23 price losers, implying a strong investor sentiment.
The most traded equity was Cutix with 122.9 million units sold for N369.1 million, FCMB exchanged 80.7 million units worth N879.3 million, Consolidated Hallmark transacted 71.2 million units valued at N286.4 million, Fidelity Bank traded 63.8 million units worth N1.2 billion, and Tantalizers had a turnover of 57.8 million units valued at N136.5 million.
In all, investors bought and sold 747.1 million shares for N12.4 billion in 19,161 deals versus the 2.0 billion shares worth N30.2 billion executed in 23,038 deals on Tuesday, indicating a decline in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 62.65 per cent, 58.94 per cent, and 16.83 per cent, respectively.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira depreciated against the United States Dollar by N3.52 or o.24 per cent in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) to N1,455.38/$1 on Wednesday, December 8, from the N1,451.86/$1 it was traded a day earlier.
It was a similar story for the local currency against the Pound Sterling in the same market window yesterday as its value shrank by N2.51 to close at N1,937.26/£1 versus the preceding session’s N1,934.75/£1 and lost N1.63 against the Euro to settle at N1,692.76/€1 compared with Tuesday’s closing value of N1,691.13/€1.
In the black market segment, the Naira weakened against the greenback yesterday by N5 to sell for N1,470/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,465/$1 but traded flat at N1,460/$1 at GTBank.
The domestic currency faces pressures from increasing year-end Dollar demand as importers and retailers are actively sourcing FX for Christmas and New Year’s sales.
However, this is still stable, reflecting divergent currency dynamics between the regulated official segment and the informal markets as the Naira’s movement remains within the trading band.
This suggests that the FX market is adjusting gradually to seasonal pressures while awaiting further policy signals from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market tumbled despite the Federal Reserve’s decision to trim its fed funds rate range by 25 basis points. Traders were spooked by comments by Federal Reserve’s chairman Jerome Powell who sounded both dovish and hawkish.
While the rate cut is largely anticipated by market participants, looser financial conditions with a resilient US economy could help bolster risk appetite on markets. According to Mr Powell, the US labour market might be weaker than previously thought, while also sounding cautious about gains made in fighting inflation.
Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 7.0 per cent to $0.4311, Solana (SOL) fell by 5.9 per cent to $131.06, Dogecoin (DOGE) slid by 5.6 per cent to $0.1385, Litecoin (LTC) crashed by 3.9 per cent to $81.26, and Ripple (XRP) declined by 3.7 per cent to $2.01.
Further, Ethereum (ETH) moderated by 3.4 per cent to $3,209.84, Binance Coin (BNB) retreated by 2.6 per cent to $871.20, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 2.5 per cent to sell at $90,316.82, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.
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