News

High-powered Committee on Land Administration Visits Uja of Anaguta, Calls for Submissions

Published

2 years ago

April 19, 2024

Preport

In an effort to address pressing concerns regarding land administration, the newly established High-Powered Committee, appointed by Governor Caleb Mutfwang and chaired by Barrister Isaac Dimka, embarked on a significant courtesy visit to The Ujah Anaguta , Johnson Jauro Magaji at his palace.

Under the leadership of Chairman Isaac Dimka, the delegation expressed their commitment to conducting a thorough assessment and delivering a comprehensive report aimed at facilitating effective implementation. During the visit, Dimka assured the Uja of the committee’s dedication to producing a report that addresses pertinent issues and guides necessary actions.

Furthermore, Chairman Dimka took the opportunity to inform His Royal Majesty, the Uja of Anaguta, and numerous district heads about the extended deadline for memorandum submissions due to public holidays This extension to April 30th aims to ensure timely and inclusive input from all relevant stakeholders in the process.

The visit highlighted the importance of collaboration between governmental bodies and traditional institutions in addressing critical matters such as land administration. As the committee continues its work, stakeholders eagerly anticipate the outcomes and subsequent actions aimed at improving land management and administration in Plateau State.

The Ujah Anaguta of Jos North, Johnson Jauro Magaji and the chairman lands administration committee Barrister Issac Dimka

The High-Powered Committee on Land Administration in Plateau State, recently inaugurated by His Excellency, Governor Caleb Mutfwang and chaired by Barrister Isaac Dimka, hereby extends the deadline for written submissions of memoranda regarding the committee’s terms of reference. The new deadline for submission is April 30th, 2024.

The committee now convenes at S.D Lar Lodge, Old Government House.

The committee’s terms of reference include:

1. Investigating the circumstances surrounding the acquisition and allocation of land within the Jos-Bukuru Greater Master Plan.
2. Addressing issues of illegal development in Government Estates, lands, and setbacks.
3. Ascertaining the authenticity of land/property acquired based on overriding public interest and identifying beneficiaries of such allocations.
4. Investigating demarcation, allocation, and sales of land within Government Reserve Areas across the State.
5. Addressing issues of encroachment on lands owned by the Government or other public institutions.
6. Examining annexation of mining sites/quarters across the state.
7. Investigating issues of land revocation, double allocation, and land grabbing.
8. Identifying individual groups or persons’ complaints in these transactions.
9. Addressing issues of compensation made on land acquired across the state and establishing outstanding amounts, if any.
10. Soliciting any other recommendations that may help the Government in managing land-related issues.

All written memoranda should be addressed to the Chairman and submitted to the Committee on Land Administration at S.D Lar Lodge, Old Government House. Ten spirally bound copies of such memoranda are required, and soft copies should also be forwarded to the committee’s email address at plsglandcom@gmail.com.

For additional information, please call the following numbers: 08111114441, 0803308825, or visit the committee’s website at www.plsglandadmin.com

The committee on lands administration with the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba

Business

EFCC Hands Over Recovered N140m to Loan Firm in Lagos

Published

5 hours ago

September 18, 2026

Preport

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Okotie-Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos, have handed over the sum of N140million to an investment and money-lending company, B4 Sail Limited.

The recovery of the funds, handed over in bank drafts by the Acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo, followed investigations into an alleged case of obtaining money by false pretence and diversion of funds involving one Jacob Oyebola Esan and companies linked to him.

In a petition submitted on April 20, 2026, B4 Sail Limited alleged that Esan, on behalf of his company, Geo Fields Plc, had approached the company in August 2025 for a N500 Million Naira loan facility to boost his business.

The loan facility, according to the petitioner, attracted an interest rate of 15 per cent per month and had a tenor of one month.
Investigation revealed that Esan, who is the first suspect, had previously obtained other loan facilities from the company, bringing his total loan exposure to N1,065,000,000.00 (One Billion, Sixty-Five Million Naira).
It was also revealed that Esan pledged shares held by him as collateral for the facilities through Calyx Securities Limited, the clearing house for the stocks, with the understanding that the shares would be subject to a lien in favour of B4 Sail Limited and that the company would have the first right of payment upon the sale of the shares.

The lien, investigation revealed, was communicated to B4 Sail Limited through a letter signed by the second suspect, Gbolahan Azeez Bello, Managing Director, Calyx Securities Limited.

Further investigation, however, revealed that the shares pledged as collateral had been sold without the knowledge of the petitioner, resulting in the suspect’s alleged default in repaying the facilities.
Consequently, the outstanding loan and accrued interest had risen to N2,250,500,000.00 (Two Billion, Two Hundred and Fifty Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira).

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Kaltungo stated that the recovery “represents a further step in the Commission’s efforts to ensure that funds and assets recovered in the course of its investigations are appropriately returned to legitimate owners and victims in accordance with due process.

The post EFCC Hands Over Recovered N140m to Loan Firm in Lagos appeared first on Business Today NG.

News

A startup that builds other startups raised $100M, and is all-in on physical AI

Published

5 hours ago

September 18, 2026

Preport

Four years ago, a startup lab launched that wasn’t quite an incubator, accelerator program, or venture firm. UP.Labs, as it was called then, built startups designed to solve problems for corporate customers such as Alaska Airlines and Porsche, as well as for the outside world.

The firm still has the same mission — albeit with a critical addition to its approach, a new name, and a $100 million investment from Silversmith Capital Partners. Vantora, as the firm is now called, continues to work with its corporate customers, including some new ones in industrial manufacturing that it declined to name, and in the oil and gas sector.

But now, it’s more focused on building startups solely for its corporate customers, and not for the broader market.

Founder and CEO John Kuolt told TechCrunch that Vantora is moving toward a “proprietary M&A pipeline.” This means Vantora will still build startups for its corporate partners, which invest in the ventures and serve as their first customers. But those corporate partners now have the option to fold the startups into their core businesses — and essentially keep them to themselves.

That shift has influenced Vantora’s increased focus on physical AI startups, according to Kuolt.

In the past, Vantora would end up spiking ideas that were strategic to its corporate partners, but too sensitive to bring to the outside world.

“We were missing on the biggest value problems, which had the biggest upside because of that,” Kuolt said in a recent interview. “Imagine you’re a Fortune 100 industrial company and you need to retrofit all of your hardware and machines for autonomy. You need to own that, it needs to be sovereign, and you can’t rely on a third party to go do that for you. You need to own that intelligence layer. They’re never going to let us go sell that to their competitors.”

This change has allowed Vantora to “unlock big physical AI use cases,” according to Kuolt, including with its existing customers.

For example, the firm came up with an idea to use AI to advance the business of its partner J.B. Hunt. “They said there is no way you can take this out to the world, and so we passed on it,” he said, adding that this proprietary model now allows Vantora to pursue it.

The firm launched in 2022 with Porsche as its first corporate partner. Since then, Vantora has launched several startups for Porsche and struck deals with Alaska Airlines, J.B. Hunt, Wabash, and TDG, the parent of Ashley Furniture.

In its early days, UP.Labs was tied — although never financially — to venture firm Up.Partners. While Vantora still shares office space with the California-based VC, it is its own entity, Kuolt explained, noting that the $100 million from Silversmith is the company’s first outside investment.

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