₦airaland Forum

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has announced the taken over of the residence and company of Buba Galadima, a former ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, over “debts to the tune of N900 million”. But Buba Galadima said the takeover is a political vendetta. A statement by Mr. Jude Nwauzor, the corporation’s corporate communications head, yesterday said Galadima and Bedko Nigeria Limited, his company, owe AMCON nearly N900 million which was collected during the first phase of Eligible Bank Assets purchase from Unity Bank Plc in 2011.

This latest move by the corporation followed series of warning to debtors it would name and shame them if they refused to pay. The federal government had also in January 2019 announced it won’t do any more business with AMCON debtors until they settle their debts obligations. AMCON has about N5trn in its debt books that it has not been able to claim. At inception, the corporation acquired over 12,000 non-performing loans worth approximately N3.7 trillion from 22 commercial banks; injected N22 trillion as financial accommodation to 10 banks.

The direct impact of that action is seen in the protection of about N3.66 trillion of depositors’ funds and approximately 14,000 jobs were saved, according to data from the ministry of finance, budget and national planning. Recall the MD/CEO AMCON, Mr. Ahmed L. Kuru had said last year that if AMCON disposed all the assets under it, it may be able to recover only N1trn, based on willing buyer, willing seller thus leaving it with a deficit of about N4trillon.

“Those owing us but still doing business with government must be made to settle their obligations. They can’t be enjoying government patronage yet owe debts” he had said in an attempt to made debtors pay. But Galadima in an interview with BBC Hausa Service yesterday said the takeover of his company and house was a political vendetta because “ I am an opposition figure’’. He said, he would challenge the seizure in court. He said: “I was awarded a contract to purchase and supply fertilizer during Ibrahim Shekarau’s led administration in Kano in 2003.

I went to Tropical Commercial Bank to collect loans for purchasing the fertilizer. But I didn’t collect a kobo from them; and wherever I went to buy fertilizer with their credit letter they would tell me that they couldn’t take letter of credit from the bank. “It continued until three years after, and all of a sudden, the bank sent me a bill that I had accrued interest of N349m. And they went to one Abuja court to force me pay back the interest. And there’s nothing I kept with them as collateral.

The product was not supplied, hence there’s nothing to pay back. “But the court gave them a judgement that since I was issued with the credit letter I must payback even if I didn’t collect any kobo. “I went to Court of Appeal where it ruled in my favour and today it’s a year after that judgement, they neither appealed in the Supreme Court nor abided by the ruling. And they went back to the high court which granted them this document and they acted in such humiliating manner against me, political intimidation.

I was humiliated. And I was chased out of my residence alongside 40 others – whom we’re living together with. So, today (yesterday) we may sleep on the street. ‘’We’ll remain here (outside/outdoors) for Nigerians to come and see for themselves the autocratic style of government that is going on in Nigeria. ‘’It’s just a political vendetta since I am an opposition figure, they are employing all tactics to abuse my person.

‘’I dare them that even if they will point a gun at me; I won’t care. And this very residence as well as my office, how have they come to know they belong to me that they put inscriptions on them? Let them go to court and prove the places belong to me or otherwise. ‘’The loan I requested from the bank was more than N170 million. And had I accessed that loan, by now I would have become as rich as Dangote or Abdulsamad. ‘’I would go back to court and seek redress for I may become rich from this case.’’

A businesswoman Tina, on Tuesday, dragged her husband, O.A. Dickson, before a Nyanya Customary court, Abuja for calling her slutty and promiscuous. Tina in her divorce petition, told the court: “my husband calls me names. He called me a public toilet before our children. “He gave a curfew to be back home before 6 p.m. everyday. “I have begged my husband to allow me home late on some days, most especially when workers receive their salaries because I always have a lot of work to do on such days .

“I have had to move from office to office, to collect money for items I sold on credit. If I don’t do that, I may end up not collecting my money,” she said. She also told the court that her husband calls her mother a witch.

“I have endured a lot in my marriage, but I can not take it anymore. He calls my mother a witch, this is the height of it all. I cannot continue with this marriage,” she said. The respondent who was present in court denied all the allegations, and begged the court not to grant his wife’s prayers.

The presiding judge, Shitta Mohammed, advised the couple to explore out-of- court settlement. Mohammed adjourned the case until March 2, for continuation of hearing/report of settlement. (NAN)

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has appealed to the European Union to help Nigeria ‘standardise’ its agricultural products it exports to Europe. Lawan made the appeal yesterday when the Ambassador of Finland in Nigeria, Dr Jyrki Pulkkinen paid him a courtesy visit in his office. “When we export our agricultural products, most of the time, we face issues. The European Union will say we have not met standard or that there are some issues,” Lawan said. He called on the EU to set up an office in Nigeria “where we will be given the standards and be supported to meet the standards.”

“So that when we export our agricultural products, whether in their raw forms as commodities or semi-processed or even processed, the issue of standard will not stop our exporters from getting access and of course sale of their products. That happens in other countries. “The European Union remains a major partner of Nigeria when it comes to diplomacy. So we are taking this opportunity to appeal to you: Help us set the standards but make us meet the standards,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lawan urged Finland to collaborate with Nigeria in the area of Hi Technology and trade. The Senate President told his guest that some challenges facing the country require the application of technology to overcome.

“We believe that with you as our friend, you can find appropriate technology for our armed forces and the police to fight the challenges that we face,” Lawan said. Dr Pulkkinen his missio was to inform the Senate President of the impending visit to Nigeria of a parliamentary committee on Finance from Finland.

* complex swarming with all manners of people

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday, raised security alarm that the National Assembly is under invasion by “many unknown and uninvited people”. Lawan raised the alarm at an emergency meeting the leadership of the Senate had with top security officials in Abuja.

The Senate President said he had received report of security threat to the Assembly and tasked top security officials to beef up security measures at the complex to avert any threat. He warned that any security official found wanting in the line of duty would not be spared.

Lawan, in a statement by his media aide, Ola Awoniyi, said, “Any Security person who is given the job to ensure compliance and he’s found involved, we will not hesitate to get that person prosecuted for any wrongdoing.

Because it is not enough for somebody to do a terrible thing and what you do is transfer him so that he can go and continue somewhere. “We believe now we have to work together if it means the agencies talking to their people who are supposed to work here, they should do so because truly, we are under invasion.

Anytime you come to the National Assembly, it’s full like market with all manners of people.” He said with the escalating insecurity in the country, the time has come for the National Assembly to be properly secured for the lawmakers to carry out their legislative and other functions, under a very safe atmosphere. “And of course, our workers, our visitors. What that means is that, if someone has no business here, that person shouldn’t be in the National Assembly,” Lawan added.

The Senate President however explained that people with genuine reasons would be allowed into the National Assembly complex. “Let me say clearly that what we are trying to do is not to prevent people who have lawful reasons to be here. “When you are coming for protests, you are free to do so.

Our people know where they do their protests and we normally go out to address them because we sit here on behalf of the people of Nigeria. “It is legitimate, it is lawful, it is legal for people to come and show either their support for something or their objection to something that has to do with the National Assembly.

“We have maintained this for as far as I can remember in this National Assembly and we are going to continue to receive Nigerians who feel strongly about any issue. “We are also at home with anyone who is attending public hearing….Nobody who has a reason to come should be stopped. We will still have visitors,” Lawan said.

The Senate yesterday called for mandatory health insurance for all Nigerians irrespective of their social status. Chairman, Senate Committee on Heath, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, made the call in Abuja at a public hearing on a bill for an Act to repeal the National Health Insurance Scheme Act 2004 and to enact the National Health Insurance Commission Bill.

Health insurance is optional under the current Act. Oloriegbe said health insurance must be made mandatory and premium payments be subsidized for the poor.

“The uncertainty of disease or illness has made it necessary for the need of insurance and its works on certain fundamental principles – the principle of cross subsidization and solidarity where the rich support the poor, the well support the sick and the ‘haves’ support the ‘have nots’.

“This can only be achieved through making insurance mandatory and subsidization for those unable to afford insurance premiums,” he said. He said the country had made almost no progress in reducing maternal mortality. Quoting figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, he said Nigeria records about 900,000 maternal and child mortalities each year.

He said Nigeria contributed 14 percent of all maternal deaths globally, second only to India at 17 percent. “Neither is it surprising that Nigeria contributes 13 percent of all under five deaths globally, again second only to India at 21 percent. “This is not acceptable and we need to begin to reverse this trend. It is now clear that the need for healthcare reforms is very necessary,” he added.

* As Airforce vows to deploy helicopters against Katsina bandits President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the Katsina state government and Emirate Council that his administration will do whatever it takes to rid the country of bandits, terrorists and criminals. The President gave the assurance on Monday in a condolence message delivered on his behalf by the Chief of Staff, Malam Abba Kyari. Malam Kyari led Federal Government delegation to Katsina state to commiserate with Governor Aminu Bello Masari and Emir of Katsina, Abdulmuminu Kabir Usman, over the recent killings by bandits.

The delegation included Minister of Defence, General Bashir Magashi (rtd), Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika and Director General of National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar. AOthers on the delegation are the Senior Special Assistants to the President, Household and Social Events, Malam Sarki Abba, and Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

Presidential media aide, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Monday, said the delegation was sent by President Buhari to condole with government and people of Katsina, and also get a full brief on the security situation in the state, especially on the attack that claimed many lives in Batsari local government area at the weekend. The President, who condoled with families of the 31 victims of the attack, prayed that Almighty God will comfort all of them and grant the departed rest. Governor Masari, while receiving the delegation shortly after his return from Batsari Council, said the latest incident had marred seven months of unbroken peace in the state as a result of measures put in place by his administration.

Masari, who said the only enduring remedy to banditry was provision of education, assured that education will continue to be a priority of the government. The governor thanked the President for sending the delegation to condole with the state. The Emir of Katsina, who also thanked the President for sending the team to Katsina, implored the military and police to put more effort in tackling the menace. “We must go all out and spare no effort in tackling them.

They are trying to destroy the country,” he added. The heads of security agencies, military and police, who gave their situation reports to the delegation at the meeting, said that Nigerian Air Force fighter helicopters, with night vision capability, will support the ground operation against bandits.