The FCDA’s Executive Secretary, Shehu Ahmad, acknowledged the development over the weekend while updating the media on the organisation’s efforts to deliver essential national infrastructure.

He asserted that the properties in question, which are located in Abuja’s diplomatic district, were designated for a replacement many years ago to make room for the Ring Road One interchange’s development on the busy Inner Southern Expressway.

Ahmad said replacement plots were offered at some of the new layouts, which the authority was developing at Guzape ll, to assuage the embassies affected by the major infrastructural project.

He noted that the issues had been resolved at the diplomatic level, with the affected missions accepting the offer of replacement plots to pave the way for the construction of an interchange on that section of road.

“We had some challenges with diplomatic plots. At Ring Road One, we were supposed to have an interchange there, but we had challenges there due to diplomatic plots.

“When you have an issue with an embassy, it is like having an issue with the government of that nation. There were a lot of diplomatic moves made to ensure the resolution, but we have replacement plots and they have indicated their readiness to accept this, and we will soon develop our interchange there,” Ahmad said.

Najib Razak served as the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018.

The conviction on Tuesday, July 28, makes Najib the first Malaysian leader to be found guilty of corruption.

The 67-year-old who faced seven charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering, and abuse of power for diverting an estimated 42 million ringgit ($9.8m) from SRC International, a unit of 1Malaysia Development Berhad, into his personal bank accounts, was convicted on all charges.

He also faces further charges relating to more than $500million.

Najib has revealed plans to appeal the 12-year jail sentence and he may not be sent to jail immediately. He wrote on Facebook ‘I am ready’ to take the decision to the Court of Appeals. If his conviction is upheld, he will also be barred from political office for several years.

This was disclosed via the commission Twitter official handle on Saturday morning.

The tweet reads: “Chartered @airpeace flight APK-7813 conveying Stranded Nigerians from Malaysia and Thailand departing Kaula Lumpur to Abuja and Lagos today with Evacuees from Malaysia and Thailand onboard.

“This is the first evacuation from both countries since the coronavirus pandemic instigated lockdowns across the world. The flight is expected to depart at 7am and first arrive at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, before proceeding to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

“All evacuees have tested negative to COVID-19 and will proceed on a 14-day self-isolation on arrival.”

See Tweet below:

This is the First Evacuation flight from both countries and is expected to depart at about 7 am local time to Abuja and Lagos and will first land at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Int’l Airport, Abuja to disembark some evacuees before proceeding to Murtala Muhammed Int’l Airport, Lagos.
2/3. pic.twitter.com/2SQecix6wY

— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) July 11, 2020

All Evacuees tested Negative to #COVID19 and will proceed on 14 days SELF-ISOLATION as mandated PTF on #COVID-19 on arrival. @NigeriaGov @DigiCommsNG pic.twitter.com/i4MyL8TVTt

— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) July 11, 2020

The surprise announcement comes amid speculation that 94-year-old Mahathir was attempting to form a new ruling coalition that would exclude his promised successor, Anwar Ibrahim who accused the party of plotting to form a new government with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the former ruling party ousted in 2018.

Mahathir’s party, the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) announced Monday it would be dropping out of the ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan in support of the prime minister.

Mahathir’s office said in a statement “The letter has been sent to His Royal Highness the King at 1 p.m.”

It’s yet unclear if Mahathir could form another government with the support of other parties.

Malaysia, like other Southeast Asian nations, has received shipments of unwanted rubbish since China banned the import of plastic waste in 2018. Now it is fighting back.

Since the third quarter last year, Malaysia has sent back 150 containers of plastic waste. Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin said another 110 containers are expected to be sent back by the middle of this year.

Of the 150 containers, 43 were returned to France, 42 to the United Kingdom, 17 to the United States, 11 to Canada, 10 to Spain and the rest to Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Portugal, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Lithuania, her ministry said.

She said the costs of sending back the waste were fully borne by the shipping liners and companies responsible for importing and exporting the waste, while the Malaysian government didn’t pay a single cent.

Yeo said talks were ongoing with U.S. authorities to take back another 60 containers this year. Canada also has 15 more containers, Japan 14, the U.K. 9 and Belgium 8 of the 110 additional containers still being held at Malaysian ports, she said.

“If people want to see us as the rubbish dump of the world, you dream on,” Yeo told reporters during an inspection at a port in northern Penang state.

Yeo said the government will launch an action plan on illegal plastic importation next month that will help the different agencies coordinate enforcement and speed up the process of returning the waste.

“Our position is very firm. We just want to send back [the waste], and we just want to give a message that Malaysia is not the dumping site of the world,” she added.