The former Deputy Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Harford Oseke, has slumped and died.

According to reports, Oseke had just finished his regular exercise routine at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital when he suddenly collapsed.

Efforts to revive him proved abortive and he was pronounced dead shortly after the incident. His body has since been deposited at the Apex Medical Centre in Awka.

Born in August 1960, Oseke hailed from Umuawulu in the Awka South local government area of the State. He was a learned scholar, having studied law and recently completed a Ph.D. in Public Administration. Beyond his academic accomplishments, he was a prominent figure in the freight forwarding industry in Port Harcourt and was actively involved in the importation of fishing feeds into Nigeria.

He is survived by his wife and children. May his soul rest in peace, Amen.

The Presidential aide also announced the creation of an accountability portal where Nigerians can access conference information, including details of government-sponsored officials at COP28 and spending on the conference.

“The National Council on Climate Change, in collaboration with my office, has established the Climate Accountability and Transparency Portal, which will, among other things, ensure that all members of the delegation across ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as the legislative branch of government, are captured on a transparent portal.

“This will mean that Nigerians will have full and real-time access to the numbers of those attending and those whom the government is sponsoring to COP29. This will also ensure that anyone attending this conference has an economic imperative to be there,” said Ngelale.

Last December, Nigerians criticised the Tinubu administration for sponsoring at least 1,114 delegates to the United Nations’ annual climate summit, COP28, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

Although the FG said it sponsored only 422 delegates, reports indicated it spent ₦2.78bn on airfares and estacodes.

The new directive comes just days after President Tinubu barred all officials with no direct function at the United Nations General Assembly from attending the event held in New York, USA, in September.

Details shortly…