Former Anambra State Governor Chief Willie Obiano has debunked rumours circulating on social media, claiming he had passed away, assuring the public that he is in excellent health.

In a statement released on Friday evening, Obiano, who bears the title of “Akpokuedike,”
addressed the speculation directly, describing the reports as baseless and the handiwork of mischief-makers.

The former governor said he was surprised to wake up to news of his alleged death, stressing that he remains “alive, hale, hearty, and in excellent health.”

“By the special grace of God, I am doing very well,” he said.

Obiano expressed disappointment that some individuals continue to circulate falsehoods for reasons he said were difficult to understand. However, he maintained that such actions would not deter him.

He also extended his gratitude to the many people who reached out with calls, messages, and prayers after the rumour surfaced.

“Your love and goodwill mean more than words can express,” he noted.

Obiano urged the public to disregard the speculation entirely, adding that he remains focused, grateful, and guided by God’s grace.

Air Peace Ltd. has attributed sudden disruptions in its domestic operations to ‘illegal’ withdrawal of three aircraft by its wet lessor, Smartlynx Airlines.

The airline said on Friday that the disruptions cost it 15 million U.S. dollars.

The Chief Commercial Officer at Air Peace, Mr Nowel Ngala, disclosed this at a news conference in Lagos.

According to Ngala, Air Peace has experienced a number of operational disruptions, resulting in flight delays and cancellations.

He said that Air Peace entered a wet-lease agreement with Smartlynx because 13 of its aircraft were undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad.

According to him, to avoid service gaps and ensure Nigerians would continue to travel conveniently, the airline leased aircraft from SmartLynx.

He said that the sudden withdrawal of the three aircraft was illegal and a breach of contract.

Ngala said that the withdrawal inflicted financial loss and reputational damage to Air peace and the Nigerian travelling public.

“This withdrawal was done without prior notice. It is a clear violation of industry standards and of an agreement between both parties.

“What makes this even more concerning is that SmartLynx had collected money upfront from Air Peace.”

He said that the lessor claimed that the owners of the aircraft wanted them withdrawn.

“Over five million dollars of our money including over a million dollars paid as security deposits for those aircraft are with them (SmartLynx).

“This situation has caused over 15 million dollars in damages to Air Peace. These aircraft had already been rostered for scheduled flights, and their sudden removal created significant gaps in our operations,” he said.

Ngala said that Air Peace had released three of the aircraft to the owners in good faith.

According to him, one more aircraft remains, and the airline is requesting for refund.

He said that was not the first time Air Peace was placed in a difficult situation by a lessor.

According to him, a lessor had ‘vanished’ with over two million dollars from Air Peace in the guise that it was taking leased aircraft for maintenance.

He said that the aircraft was never returned and the fund unaccounted for.

“These actions, unfortunately, reflect the challenges Nigerian carriers often face in international leasing arrangements. We cannot allow that to happen again,” he said.

According to Ngala, in spite of the challenges, Air Peace has completed its aircraft maintenance and two have arrived for services.

He said that the airline hoped to resume full operations across all its routes from next week as more of its aircraft would return.

He said: “We regret the difficulties our passengers have experienced, and we appreciate their patience and understanding throughout this period.

“Air Peace remains firmly committed to providing safe, reliable and world-class flight services.

“We assure the Nigerian public that we are taking every necessary step to prevent such disruptions in the future and to hold all defaulting partners accountable.”

Ngala said that the airline’s London flights had not been disrupted.

Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) has partnered with the Rivers State Ministry of Health and Svengen Health Limited to commemorate World Diabetes Day, celebrated annually on the 14th November.

As a build-up to the day, the Executive Secretary of the health insurance agency in Rivers State, Dr. Vetty Agala, on behalf of RIVCHPP, presented the Diabimetrics(glucometer) and other materials to the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, in a symbolic gesture. The presentation was witnessed by the State Non-communicable Diseases Program Manager, Dr. Sandra Abolo.

Also, Dr. Agala, who hosted an online radio programme earlier in the week to x-ray matters relating to Diabetes noted that health education, health promotion, and preventive healthcare are central to RIVCHPP’s protection of Rivers residents from health poverty.

RIVCHPP had earlier received support from Svengen to ensure that materials to test for Diabetes among residents of the state were distributed to the 23 Local Government Areas through RIVCHPP’s focal persons.

To mark the day, RIVCHPP and the Ministry of Health mobilised healthcare personnel at the State Secretariat Complex and other sites throughout the 23 Local Government Areas to carry out blood glucose tests.

According to Dr. Barine Dimkpa, the Head, Health Services Department of RIVCHPP, the outreach programme to raise awareness on diabetes, screen for prediabetes and enrol Rivers healthworkers into health insurance as part of the World Diabetes day outing.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has again been commended for his vision and desire to impact peasant farmers, micro, small, medium enterprises in the state through the Rivers State Microfinance Agency.

The commendation was made by the National President of Catfish and Allied Fish Farmers Association (CAFFAN ), Dr Momoh Mustapha, when a delegation of the group paid a visit to the Managing Director of the Rivers Microfinance Agency in his office in Port Harcourt, recently.

Dr Momoh noted that the impact of the governor’s vision was already being felt as beneficiaries of the loans administered by RIMA are paying back the loans, which indicates successes by the businesses.

The CAFFAN President attributed the successes recorded to the result of the painstaking effort by the Microfinance Agency in giving loans to genuine businesses, especially farmers in the state.

He also commended RIMA for adopting a module that has it possible for loan recovery with ease. He said the perspicacity of the leadership of RIMA is driving the vision of the governor of the state and urged the leadership to continue on that lane of success.

Responding, the acting Managing Director of RIMA, Pastor Jonathan Tobin thanked the group for the visit and commended them for carrying along fish farmers in Rivers State.

He reiterated the importance of fish farmers to the health of people of the state and Nigeria at large, noting that their role can never be underestimated.

The RIMA acting Managing Director said the agency was determined to continue with the vision and mandate of the governor of Rivers State.

“We have to thank God and thank the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, because he has the idea, the vision, and the foresight for what we are doing.

“He told us I want to assist our peasant farmers, businessmen, and women. I want to put money in their hands so that they can grow their businesses. I want to be remembered as the governor that put money in the hands of Rivers people to make their businesses grow,” Pastor Tobin told the visiting CAFFAN group.

The RIMA acting MD urged the fush farmers to remain steadfast in contributing to the growth of the economy of the state.

Among those on the visit were the Rivers State Chapter Chairman, Elder Clapton Ogolo, Pastor M. Jerry, and Mr Azuka Chekwube.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says the Nigerian capital market will officially transition to a T+2 settlement cycle for equities transactions from November 28.

A notice signed by Mrs Efe Ebelo, Head of External Relations of SEC, said in Abuja on Thursday, that the move was designed to align with global best practices and enhance market efficiency.

The T+2 settlement cycle is a standard for securities transactions where the final transfer of ownership and payment occurs two business days after the trade date.

For example, a stock bought on a Monday would be fully settled by the following Wednesday (T+2), meaning the buyer must have paid for the stock and the seller must have delivered it by then.

Ebelo said the current T+3 (trade date plus three days) settlement cycle was now at the implementation stage following months of preparation and stakeholder testing.

She said the transition was expected to significantly enhance the country’s capital market by allowing investors quicker access to funds, thereby enhancing overall market liquidity.

Ebelo said the move would help to reduce counterparty risk exposure, thereby fostering a more stable and resilient market environment”.

”As the central counterparty, CSCS Plc has dedicated considerable effort and resources to ensure seamless operational and technical readiness throughout the transition.

“Extensive testing with market participants has been successfully conducted without any reported issues, reflecting high confidence in the market’s preparedness for this landmark change.

”Under the new system, all trades executed on Nov. 28, 2025, will settle on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, while transactions carried out before that date will continue to follow the existing T+3 schedule.

This means that trades executed on Thursday, November 27, will also settle on December 2, coinciding with the first batch of T+2 settlements,” she said.

Ebelo reaffirmed the commitment of the Commission towards building a modern, efficient, and transparent capital market.

She said the commission would continue to engage stakeholders to drive further improvements and strengthen Nigeria’s position as an attractive investment destination.

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), has completed the payment of N3.9 billion arrears to 91,146 eligible pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS).

This is contained in a statement issued by the Head, Corporate Communication, Mr Olugbenga Ajayi in Abuja on Friday.
He said that the payment was part of the N32,000 increment approved by President Bola Tinubu.

“Breakdown of the payment are: N1.9 billion to 59,865 pensioners under Parastatals Pension Department, N830 million to 12,976 pensioners under Civil Service Pension Department and N620 million to 9,689 pensioners under Police Pension Department.
Others are: N551 million to 8,616 Pensioners under the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigeria Immigration Service, and Prisons Pension Department,” Ajayi said.
The Executive Secretary of PTAD, Tolulope Odunaiya, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to settling all outstanding arrears and improving pensioners’ welfare under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president.