A founding father of Nasarawa State, Ayuba Umar, has criticized the state government over its decision to hold a 3-day official retreat in Abuja, describing it as “draining of the public treasury and a total waste of scarce resources.”

The retreat, which commenced Monday in the Nigerian capital, is being organized in collaboration with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, ASCON.

According to government sources, the program is aimed at bridging the communication and coordination gap between political office holders and government functionaries, with a focus on enhancing effective service delivery.

However, Umar took to Facebook to express strong reservations about the retreat’s location and purpose, questioning the rationale behind hosting the event in Abuja rather than within Nasarawa State.

“A significant concern arises regarding the decision to hold the workshop in Abuja and not in Lafia or any other city in the state.

“Given the current strain on the public treasury from corruption, this could be viewed as an inappropriate allocation of resources.” Umar stated.

He argued that the event would have had more economic and social impact if held in Lafia, the state capital, or any other local city, where it could stimulate local businesses and promote grassroots engagement.

“For goodness’ sake, what is ‘Bridge the Gap between political office holders and government functionaries in the State?’” Umar queried, criticizing the theme of the retreat as vague and lacking direct relevance to the pressing needs of citizens.

He further accused the Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration of prioritizing “financial gain and extravagant expenditures” over citizens’ welfare, adding that such lavish retreats do little to address the state’s growing challenges, including youth unemployment, food insecurity, and economic hardship.

“This workshop represents a considerable misallocation of scarce resources, especially in light of the state’s challenges,” he added.

“The state government must reconsider its resource management strategies to better meet the needs of its citizens and foster sustainable development.”

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is advising Nigerians to report any loan apps or businesses that engage in harassing behavior over unpaid loans.

According to the FCCPC, no consumer should live in fear of harassment or intimidation.

Ekwutosblog  gathered that Consumers can file complaints with the FCCPC through their website or contact their customer service hotline.

The FCCPC is responsible for protecting consumer rights and promoting fair competition in Nigeria.

FCCPC has taken steps to regulate digital money lenders and enforce consumer protection laws, including fining Meta and WhatsApp $220 million for violating the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR)

To file a complaint, follow these steps
Visit the FCCPC website and fill out the complaint form. Provide detailed information about the harassment, including dates, times, and communication records. Submit supporting documents, such as screenshots or messages.   FCCPC Website: https://fccpc.gov.ng/   Customer Service Hotline: 0805 600 2020, 0805 600 3030
Email: mailto:contact@fccpc.gov.ng

Chief Vincent was Born in Neni, Anambra State, He spent his early life in his hometown after which he moved to Kano state where He learnt how to fix punctured tyres (vulcanizer), and became perfect at it (a time when few people could do it), because of it he had a lot of customers queuing for his vulcanizing services.

He did the job for more few years before he decided to go into the transportation business as a bus conductor. He continued the bus conductor job until 1972 when he had gathered enough money to buy his bus. After acquiring maximum knowledge on how the transportation business works, he then decided to stop working as a bus conductor and he acquired a mini-bus to ply the Enugu to Onitsha route.

In 1973 he relocated his business operations from Onitsha to Lagos and ventured into a more developed transport business, which he started with two locally built Mercedes Benz 911 buses. After seven years of operating in Lagos, the number of buses he owned increased from 2 to 40 alongside his transport business. He also engaged in the delivery of goods which also boosted the success of his business.

His exceptional customer service delivery got many people to patronize his business and by 1978, he decided to expand by opening up a new interstate route, plying from Lagos to Onitsha to Owerri. He also bought a Mercedes Benz 0362 luxury bus for this purpose. This expansion gained his business more fame and within 6 years, his number of buses grew to 150. Owing to the success of the business, Chief Vincent Incorporated his business in 1984 so he could fully cover every possible part of Nigeria, as a leading inter-state luxury bus company.

Today, The Young Shall Grow Motors is one of the largest luxury bus companies in Nigeria with over 500 buses that ply almost every route in Nigeria as well as other west African countries like Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and The Benin Republic.

He also has businesses in the Hospitality, Oil and Gas, Real estate sectors.

From Vulcanizer to millionaire in dollars, today his net worth is over 300 million dollars.