The senator representing Anambra North at the national assembly, Dr. Tony Nwoye has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic and shocking assassination of Barrister Ifeanyi Iloakasia, popularly known as “Rolex.”

Until his death, Rolex was the President General of the Aguleri community in Anambra State.

In a statement issued on Thursday, May 16, 2025, Senator Nwoye described the murder as a “rude shock” and a devastating loss to Aguleri, Ndi Omambala, and Anambra North at large.

“I received with a very rude shock the assassination of Barrister Ifeanyi Iloakasia (Rolex), the President General of Aguleri Community,” Nwoye said.

He said “Barr Ifeanyi has been well known to me for over 23 years. He was a brother, a very dependable friend, honest, patriotic, smart, and forthright.”

He praised the late Iloakasia’s dedication to public service and his selfless commitment to community development. According to Nwoye, Rolex never allowed personal or partisan interests to affect his responsibilities or relationships.

“Aguleri (Enyimba), Ndi Omambala, and Anambra North have lost one of our brightest geniuses and rare gems. It is really a huge loss to us,” he lamented.

Senator Nwoye also extended his heartfelt condolences to the immediate family of the deceased, the Aguleri community, and the entire Omambala clan, praying for the peaceful repose of his soul.

He further called on security agencies to intensify investigations and bring those responsible for the assassination to justice.

“We urge security agencies to intensify their efforts and increase their dragnet in order to bring his assailants to justice,” he said.

Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA Group, has announced that cement manufacturers in Nigeria have agreed to freeze the price of cement for projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The industrialist made the announcement after a meeting with President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Thursday and revealed that the decision to freeze cement prices is a concerted effort by cement manufacturers in the country to contribute to the success of the President’s ambitious development projects.

He said, “Alhaji Aliko Dangote of Dangote Cement approached me, and I concurred with him that we should do everything to support Mr President Renewed Hope Agenda, and we have decided that we are going to freeze the price of cement for any contractor that is involved with the renewed hope project, or projects.

“So, what it means is that any company or anybody that is involved or that is doing a project that is under renewed hope, the price of cement will be frozen. There will be no increase for the foreseeable future. We are doing that to support Mister President’s renewed hope initiative. And that is something that Alhaji Aliko Dangote actually proposed.

“I must say, I must give him credit, and I concur with him. So we’ve agreed. We are going to do that. We are going to send out the letter sometime next week to the ministry. And I also want to commend the Honorable Minister of Works, Engineer Umahi, for the initiative he took to ensure that all the roads are concrete roads.

“Because concrete roads are more durable, they take much longer, you know, in terms of durability and the price is going to be, the cost is going to be cheaper than even bitumen.”

The United States government practices what can be described as segregated policy on visa for people seeking to enter the country. While citizens of some countries pass through ‘hell’ to get visa to travel to the powerful country, people from privileged nations can freely walk into the US and stay up to 90 days under its Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

The US Department of State has list of 41 countries whose citizens are considered qualified to travel to the United States without applying for a traditional visa for business or tourism purposes. In return, those countries must allow US citizens to travel to their territories without a visa for a similar period. The countries are United Kingdom, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

Romania was added on January 9, 2025, but its designation was rescinded on May 2, 2025, before it could be implemented. Argentina and Uruguay previously participated but were later removed from the programme.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, the United Kingdom’s eligibility under the VWP applies only to British citizens with the unrestricted right of permanent abode in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man. It does not include British overseas citizens, British dependent territories citizens, or citizens of Commonwealth countries.