₦airaland Forum

The Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital has ordered the impoundment of all vehicles belonging to the Taraba State government over the failure of Governor Darius Ishaku and the state government to obey the order of the court to pay a company the sum of N550 million

Tribune Online reports that 16 vehicles have been impounded so far including an ambulance.

The judgement of the court in the suit marked FHC/JAL/CS/3/2020 between Motherwell N.A. International Ltd for itself and on behalf of Closed Joint Stock Institute of Aerospace Instrumentation of the Russian Federation verses the Attorney General of Taraba State and the Government of Taraba State pasted on the impounded vehicles reads; “upon the judgement of this honourable court delivered on June 10, 2020, it is hereby ordered that the plaintiff is entitled to the payment of N550,000.000.00 being the amount due but unpaid to the plaintiff by the defendants.


“The N550 million is the amount due to the plaintiff by the defendants from the contract for the Satellite Survey and Analysis of Hydrocarbon Feed Stock Deposit of River Benue Valley territory of Taraba State.”

This is even as the court awarded N200,000 as a cost against the defendants in favour of the plaintiff.

But following the failure of the State government to honour the judgement of the court, the company again approached the court which also issued a writ of attachment and sale of goods ordered against the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Taraba State and the state government.

A staff of the company told our correspondent that the court granted that in the event of the government defaulting to pay the debt, the court allowed the company “to take control by the sale of goods and chattels of the defendants, wheresoever they may be found within the federal high court’s jurisdiction.”

In compliance with the judgment, some vehicles belonging to the state government have been seized and kept in the custody of the court.


Efforts to get the reaction of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Taraba State, Barr Sam Adda, failed as his phone lines were switched off as at the time of compiling this report.

Charles Ajunwa in Lagos and Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The British Government yesterday refused to categorically accept or deny allegations that it assisted the leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, with another passport after he escaped from Nigeria.

Kanu was first arrested in Nigeria on October 14, 2015, following campaigns for the Sovereign State of Biafra and arraigned for treason. He was granted bail in April 2017 but fled the country. The IPOB leader was rearrested last Sunday in an unnamed country and returned to court to continue his trial.

THISDAY, in a series of email exchanges with the British High Commission in Abuja, had requested clarifications on how the IPOB leader obtained fresh British passport.

In the most recent email, THISDAY enquired: “We need some further clarification, please. Are you saying the British government did not assist Mr. Nnamdi Kanu in procuring a new British passport? The information we have is that after escaping from Nigeria through the land borders, the British government assisted him in procuring another passport in the High Commission of one of our neighbouring countries, knowing at the time he was a fugitive running away from justice in Nigeria. Do you categorically deny the British government involvement in this? In relation to (b), are you implying that since Mr. Kanu’s trial was not in a British court, you do not reckon with the Nigerian court which impounded his passports?”

In reaction, the High Commission said in order to respond to the question, it would need to send the email to “London” because “it does not specially relate to the British High Commission in Nigeria unlike the question you clarified yesterday and which we have answered.”

Dean Hurlock of the British High Commission, after referring the enquiry to “London”, sent the reply yesterday and it read: “We are seeking clarification about the circumstances of the arrest from the Nigerian government. Our policy on issuing passports to those who are entitled to them is clear and publicly available; we are not going to discuss any individual case.”

Of course, the reply did not address the issues raised by THISDAY. Kanu could not have obtained a new British passport without the approval of the British Government.

In the earlier email, THISDAY enquired from the British High Commission: “The specific allegation we want addressed is whether the British High Commission assisted Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, whose Nigerian and British passports had been impounded by an Abuja court, in jumping bail by issuing him another British passport which he used to travel out of Nigeria and had been using to travel until his re-arrest. How could Kanu have acquired another British travel document in Nigeria without processing it at your High Commission?”

Jonathan Bacon of the British High Commission replied saying the question refers explicitly to British High Commission and that his response earlier directly addressed this allegation: “We can confirm that the British High Commission in Nigeria did not issue any travel documents for Mr Kanu. We therefore reaffirm the categorical denial sent to you yesterday. Your question (b) referred to London, hence my reply yesterday at 17:23 to say that I needed to ask London for a view on the question, and that given the time the email was sent, I might not receive a reply until the morning.”

By Mohammed I. Yaba And Abbas Jimoh


Governor Nasir El-Rufai has secretly withdrawn his son, Abubakar Al-Sadiq from Kaduna Capital School after what many observers described as “political and media stunt” to give the impression that he is like any commoner.

While the enrolment of Al-Sadiq in the public school was greeted by massive commendation from all walks of life, the removal of the son was not made public, a development seen by many as “betrayal of public trust and confidence.”

It is not clear why the governor made a U-turn as some commentators said it could be due to the widespread abduction by kidnappers in public schools especially in Kaduna and neighbouring states, or pressure from family, or lack or doubts on the capacity of the government school to groom his son as what obtains in private schools.

People living around the school said they were disappointed that the governor had withdrawn his son few months after the child joined the children of poor and middle class citizens in the state to learn under one roof.

Many thought that the enrolment of his son would be a turning point for the public schools in Kaduna State.


Abubakar Al-Sadiq El-Rufai was seen seven months later mingling with friends in Kaduna Capital School

“I am grossly disappointed because the whole enrolment episode looked deceptive,” said Ibrahim Yaro, a resident of Kaduna.

“Leaders should keep respect their words and the promises they take. After the governor has removed his son from the public school, he is now busy increasing fees and sacking teachers…I really don’t understand where he is heading to. Someone should talk to him, please,” he said.

There was no immediate response from the Kaduna state government.


The enrollment day

When Malam El-Rufai strode like a colossus in the company of his wife, Ummi, into Kaduna Capital School in 2019 and enrolled their six-year-old son, Al-Sadiq El-Rufai, in fulfilment of his campaign promise to send his son to a public school, many Nigerians had perceived his action as bold and exemplary and a people-oriented governor that was on track to revolutionize public education in the state.

They viewed it as a validation that he was not only a man of his words, but the messiah that would return the lost glory of public schools in Kaduna State and give them an edge over private schools.

The Kaduna Capital School is reputed as one of northern Nigeria’s oldest government schools.

Seven months later when Daily Trust Saturday visited the school, it gathered that the young El-Rufai, then a student of Primary 2B, had made new friends and adapted to the environment and his teachers. A security guard had been attached to him, while other security guards were strategically positioned around the school premises to provide security.

At that time, the presence of Al-Sadiq El-Rufai in the school gave many parents whose children attend public schools hope that public schools are also good for their children. They had also thought that there were better days ahead for public schools in the state.

However, Daily Trust gathered that the governor has ‘secretly’ withdrawn his son from the school and enrolled him in an undisclosed school, leaving residents’ tongues wagging over his action.

Our correspondent also learnt that the boy was withdrawn shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown which eventuated in closure of schools. But when the lockdown was lifted and students returned to school, Al-Sadiq did not return.

Some residents who expressed disgust at the abrupt withdrawal of the boy from the school, with diverse figments of imagination which border on insecurity and poor facilities, told Daily Trust that his action was not only a propaganda to score a political point and betrayal of people’s trust but also a breach of accountability on his part and administration.

A human rights activist and Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, described the governor’s action as a betrayal of public trust and failure of his government.

“The governor must also not forget that as the leader of the state, he is a father figure to all the other children in the public school system especially those that don’t have alternative.

“To simply take his own child out of the school system for whatever reasons, while the children of the poor and vulnerable ordinary citizen are left to face those same challenges, does not show transparency and accountability,” Zikirullahi said.

He said while he could not speculate on the reason for the withdrawal, the action in itself was a serious indication of lack of confidence in the public education system.

He added that like every other good parent, the governor was apparently trying to shield his son from being affected by challenges about which he has privileged information as the helmsman of the state.

He added that if the governor had derived political capital and received adulation for publicly enrolling his son in the school system, the people of Kaduna State deserve an explanation which would enable them make decisions concerning their own children too.

“If the challenge which informed the withdrawal of the governor’s son has to do with security, the question is that, are the children of other citizens less deserving of protection? Are their parents not entitled to information to help decide the fate of their own kids?”

The CHRICED boss said that if the challenge had to do with the standard of education, one would expect that the right step would be to find ways to fix the problem and that it is defeatist to simply take the child out of the system.

“The appropriate thing to do is to judiciously use public resources to address the issues of standard and quality, which have made public education unattractive for many citizens,” he said.

He added that Governor El-Rufai’s action amounted to questioning his own legacy on education for him to surreptitiously withdraw his son.

In 2019, the governor assured that the enrolment of his son in a public school would encourage other members of his cabinet as well as privileged individuals to toe his path as further example to make public schools more attractive and competitive than private schools.

The governor also assured of his readiness to fix public schools and raise their standards which would render private schools a mere luxury.


‘The boy is no longer with us’

During our correspondent’s visit to the school when the boy’s withdrawal was confirmed, one of the teachers said: “We used to see him when he was newly enrolled in the school last year, but we no longer saw him after the COVID-19 lockdown was lifted late last year and we don’t know why.”

The acting Vice Principal of the school, Jafaru Abdu, however, said that he was not authorized to speak with journalists on any issue.

Conceived a little over 60 years ago by the first and only Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Kaduna Capital School was established to provide top quality primary education for the children of top-ranking government officials from northern Nigeria while their parents attended to matters of governance in Lagos.

However, the fortunes of the school dwindled and El-Rufai’s controversial reform in the education sector backed by his decision to enrol his own child in a public school was seen as the turning point for public education in the state.

Insinuations of insecurity as reason for the withdrawal of the boy can be confirmed by the school’s poor infrastructure. Our correspondent observed that though there are new blocks of classrooms and other structures in the school, the perimeter fence has since been pulled down to make way for a standard double lane in the Malali area which is waiting to be tarred. With the parameter fence from behind the school also down, residents say it could be the reason the governor moved his son to another for fear of insecurity.

Our correspondent observed pupils playing football while strangers freely took advantage of the lack of fence to gain access to the school.

The state government has kept mum over the governor’s decision to renege on his promise by withdrawing his son from the school.

Several calls to the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, to confirm the withdraw the child from the school were to no avail as he neither pick his calls nor reply the several text messages sent to him.

Kaduna State had witnessed school invasions by kidnappers who abducted students and demanded huge sums of money as ransom.

El-Rufai had earlier made a controversial statements that he would never pay ransom even if any of his children got abducted by kidnappers.

“Perhaps, that is the reason he withdrew his son from the school,” said a parent who expressed disappointment that the governor had failed in his promise.

“Our own children go to public schools and we expect that the government uses the power vested in them by the Nigerian constitution to protect them. But our leaders are selfish and would not put their own children in harm’s way,” she said.

Comrade Murtala Abubakar, a Kaduna resident, said that he was not surprised that the governor withdrew his son from the school saying the enrolment in the first place was purely political.

“The governor had to be pressured to even fulfil the promise he made during his political campaign. If you remember, the school had to undergo a renovation just for it to meet a particular standard before the boy was enrolled. But later on, we discovered that the boy was no longer going to the school,” he said.

Abubakar said that now that El-Rufai had made his point and won the hearts of the people, it was disappointing that he had secretly turned around to withdraw his son without any logical explanation to residents.

Another resident, Comrade Rilwan Abdullahi described the enrolment of the governor’s son as deceitful. He added that his decision to enrol the boy in public school was a propaganda to enjoy political support.

“It is high time the masses came to their senses. They shouldn’t allow politicians take them for granted by using such a strategy to get their support and in the end, dump them. It’s also high time political elites stopped playing with the masses’ emotions,” Abdullahi said.

Former Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Ghali Na'aba and former Presidential Candidate, Prof Pat Utomi have condemned the Department of State Services’ invasion of the home of Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Igboho on Thursday morning.

They described the invasion as "capable of foisting unwanted civilian guerilla actions against the Nigerian state.”

The two personalities revealed this through their group, Nigeria Consultative Front (NCFront) as they berated President Muhammadu Buhari for running the country recklessly

According to them, the move is capable of bringing “total collapse and civil war.”

In a statement by the group made available to SaharaReporters by the National Secretary, Olawale Okunniyi, NCFront vows to take this abuse of power to the International Court of Justice at the appropriate time.

The statement reads, “Leaders of Conscience under the auspices of Nigeria Consultative Front, (NCFront) jointly led by former Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Ghali Na'aba and Former Presidential Candidate, Prof Pat Utomi wish to condemn in the strongest terms the midnight invasion, attack, murder, maiming and abduction carried out today by the Nigerian military and Operatives of the Department of Secret Services, DSS, against defenceless and innocent citizens at the Ibadan home of a frontline Yoruba self-determination activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, aka Igboho over his rally for self-determination for the Yorubas in Nigeria.

“We wish to state unequivocally that the current military attack against Sunday Adeyemo and other self-determination activists, at this delicate period of Nigeria, is wrong-headed, reckless and uncalled for as experiences around the world have shown it's capable of foisting unwanted civilian guerilla actions against the Nigerian State given the unprovoked ruthless use of naked force and bestiality to drive unarmed citizens underground.

“The NCFront again perceives the midnight gun attack of Sunday Igboho's residence and dastardly murder of his family members as nothing but reckless abuse of power and violation of Sunday Igboho's privacy and fundamental human rights, which should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians and citizens of conscience. So, this abuse of state power shall be taken up by NCFront's National Secretariat before the International Court of Justice, ICJ, in due course.

“Similarly, we wish to warn General Muhammadu Buhari-led regime to immediately desist from running Nigeria as a police state having allowed the country to slip into a Criminal Enterprise at the brink of total collapse and civil war. Therefore, we demand the fair and careful handling of the matter and trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB Leader, especially the respect of his fundamental human rights while in the custody of the Nigerian Government.”

The group went further to advise President Buhari to institute a platform to embrace dialogues that would restore peace and unity among the Nigerian people. It also revealed that a referendum should be called for to decide whether Nigerians will co-exist as one or go separate ways.

“Finally, we wish to task the Nigerian Federal Government to immediately put machinery in place to restore national understanding, cohesion, harmony, stability, peace and prosperity by urgently convening a national justice and reconciliation meeting of key stakeholders of the diverse strata and facets of the country.

“The Buhari Government should however note that nothing could restore peace and stability to the country as much as the official embrace of a people's constituents' assembly and referendum to decide how Nigerians want to democratically coexist and run their political affairs constitutionally as the ongoing constitution amendments by the National Assembly can barely save the country from pervasive insecurity and anarchy rocking its foundation," the statement said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on Friday, appealed to the Nigerian Navy to mobilise its personnel for the security of his newly established refinery located at Lekki, Lagos State.

Dangote, who made this appeal when he met with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, at Naval headquarters in Abuja, said the appeal became important sequel to growing insecurity in the maritime sector of the country.

According to him, the refinery, being the largest single line in the world, would attract a lot of operations and activities, the development he said would drive away pirates from Apapa to Lekki.

He said: “I am here to look for a partnership between Dangote Group and the Nigerian Navy.

“There are a lot of things we can do between the Navy and the Dangote Group. I think we can be two hands while we can clap together.

“It means that you, do your own beat, we will also do our own beat to support you and make sure you do your job.

“It doesn’t really mean only what affects us, No! But also what affects the Navy in terms of your own operation. Maybe your facilities.

“My main other point is the setting up of the permanent Naval protection base at our refinery.

“As you are aware, we are building the largest single refinery with 650,000 barrels/day which means we can actually process one-third of Nigeria’s production, and that is quite a lot of activities.

“When you look at the services of the refinery, we are going to be the largest single line of refinery in the world.

“That’s a very huge operation. There will be a lot of movement of ships in and out and there is no way we can succeed on what we want to do without the help of the Nigerian Navy.

“Definitely, we have to partner, you will be our major partner because there must be peace, there must be security and protection before we can even operate.”

Reacting to the request, Vice Admiral Gambo took the business tycoon through the operations of the Force, while lamenting the continued activities of Sea pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.


Gambo said: “One of the most teething challenges we have is the issue of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

“Sometimes, the issue of maritime security, in particular, the issue of piracy is hefty for the international community.”

Daily Trust reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had, on Tuesday, said it is planning to borrow $3.8 billion to actualise its agenda of acquiring a 20 per cent stake in Dangote Refinery.

NNPC Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, who disclosed this, said the money would be borrowed from financial institutions.

He said some financial institutions had already agreed to fund the acquisition, while the debts would be paid back from the NNPC’s earnings from dividends and profits accruing from its investment in the fuel plant.

About three years after jumping bail, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, was yesterday re-arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for the continuation of his trial for treasonable felony.

Reliable security sources told THISDAY yesterday that Kanu was rearrested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by Interpol following an intensive search for him by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in collaboration with its foreign counterparts.

According to the sources, when, following the storming of his parent’s compound in Afaraukwu, Abia State, by a detachment of soldiers on 14th September 2017, Kanu ‘disappeared’ virtually into thin air, the federal government felt concerned. Since both, his Nigerian and British passports were still in the custody of the Federal High Court in Abuja, there were strong suspicions that Kanu got the support of the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria for his escape. That was later proved to be the case.

A security source, who spoke to THISDAY last night, said the federal government was further incensed when a global human rights agency sent a letter to the Permanent Mission in New York, asking Nigeria to either produce Kanu or explain his whereabouts.

“Only a few days later, Kanu surfaced in Jerusalem, Israel, with a photograph taken at the ‘Wailing Wall’ where he granted one of those his stupid interviews,” said the source.

The security source explained that whereas Kanu breached all the conditions for which he was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on 29th April 2017, he orchestrated a campaign of calumny against the country.

“First, he went into hiding, creating the impression that he was killed by soldiers and when he eventually appeared, he became more emboldened in his criminal activities,” she said.

Kanu, according to the security source, was able to travel to many countries around the world because he holds a British passport.

“With that, he thought he was invincible. From wherever location, he was operating from (and I can tell you that he has not been to the UK in the past two years), he used the power of social media to cause havoc by making incendiary broadcasts,” she said.

With the money Kanu reportedly garnered through fundraising to “establish his phantom Biafran Republic”, according to the source, Kanu lived large, and that eventually proved to be his undoing.

“What he did not know was that the security agencies were on his trail. His lifestyles consisted mostly of going out with different women, buying expensive pieces of jewelry, chartering aircraft, and drinks. And because he got many gullible people who were donating to his so-called IPOB, he had so much money to play with such that he even hired lobby groups for his propaganda activities,” the security source told THISDAY.

She explained that the security agencies have intercepts of how Kanu formed the Eastern Security Networks (ESN) and how the members became a terror group as well as his directives to IPOB operatives that bordered on incitement to violence. “We know those he collaborated with to instigate the killings against the police in the South-east,” said the source who added that it was on Kanu’s instruction that certain prominent politicians from the Southeast should be visited with violence whenever they are sighted abroad.

The source cited the specific example of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.

After trailing Kanu for several months and infiltrating his ranks, the security agencies finally pinned him into Addis Ababa where he was arrested by Interpol and then extradited to Abuja last Sunday.

Kanu returned yesterday to the court of Justice Nyako that had in late 2017 granted him bail.

The self-acclaimed leader of IPOB and four others were arraigned before the Federal High Court on a six-count criminal charge bordering on a treasonable felony in June 2016.

Though they pleaded not guilty to the charge, different judges, including Justice Nyako, who heard the case denied their bail.

However, Justice Nyako soft-pedaled following Kanu’s deteriorating health and admitted him to bail to enable him to access quality medical care.

The court, on April 25, 2017, had admitted him to bail in the sum of N100 million and three sureties in like sum, one of whom must be a serving senator. This made Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe stand in for him.

However, Kanu’s bail was revoked in March 2019 and a bench warrant for his arrest issued in November 2019, following his long absence in court for his trial.

The court also separated the trial of Kanu from five others earlier arraigned with him to pave the way for the continuation of their trial.

But with his arrest and extradition, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, earlier announced yesterday, Kanu was brought before Justice Nyako by personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS), to continue his trial.

The Federal High Court complex in Abuja was completely taken over by a contingent of policemen to prevent a possible security breach by Kanu’s supporters.

Few minutes to his entering the dock, Malami, at an emergency press briefing, told judicial correspondents that Kanu was intercepted by security agents and was being taken to court for continuation of his trial.

Malami, who was flanked by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Alkali Usman; police spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, and his DSS counterpart, Dr. Peter Afunanya, was silent on where Kanu was arrested.

He said: “Self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed secessionist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has been arrested through the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and security services.

“He has been brought back to Nigeria in order to continue facing trial after disappearing while on bail regarding 11- count charge against him.

“Recent steps taken by the federal government saw to the interception of the fugitive Kanu on Sunday, the 27th day of June 2021.

“Nwannekaenyi Nnamdi Ngozichukwu Okwu-Kanu, born 25th day of September 1967 at Afaraukwu, Abia State, is a holder of Nigerian Passport No. A05136827 first issued on 17th October 2013 at FESTAC, Lagos.”

Malami added that Kanu was arrested on October 14, 2015, on an 11-count charge bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, managing an unlawful society, publication of defamatory matter, illegal possession of firearms and improper importation of goods, among others.

Malami added that Kanu, upon jumping bail, engaged in subversive activities that include inciting violence through television, radio, and online broadcasts against Nigeria and its institutions.

“Kanu was also accused of instigating violence, especially in the South-eastern Nigeria that resulted in the loss of lives and property of civilians, military, paramilitary, police forces and destruction of civil institutions and symbols of authorities.”

However, following his appearance in court, Justice Nyako ordered Kanu to be remanded in the custody of the DSS.

The remand order was sequel to an application by the federal government’s lawyer, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran.

Ruling on the remand application, Justice Nyako held that the prosecution should inform Kanu’s lawyer of his re-arrest and remand in the custody of the DSS, as well as the next, adjourned date.

The judge subsequently adjourned till July 26 for the continuation of the trial.

Lawyers yesterday said the bail bond entered by Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe and two others who stood as sureties for the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu cannot be recovered under the law even as the fleeing Biafra agitator showed up in an Abuja High Court after being arrested and brought back into the country on Sunday by the Federal Government.

The lawyers, who spoke with New Telegraph, premised their submission on the arrest of Kanu by the FG and subsequent presentation to court after the six months the court gave had expired. The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had in November 2018 ordered Senator Abaribe and two others who stood as sureties for Kanu, to temporarily forfeit the N100 million they each put down as bail bond. Justice Binta Nyako also ordered that the N100 million bail bond should be converted into cash and deposited with the registrar of the court. The court ordered that the money should be paid within two months of the order and would be permanently forfeited if after six months they are unable to produce the IPOB leader to face his trial. In his reaction, a Public Interest Lawyer, Dr. Abdul Mahmud said in as much as there is a pending court judgment which Abaribe and others have not challenged.

“The order of court directing that the bail bond should be forfeited after six months is still pending and it cannot be reversed outside another order of court of competent jurisdiction. “The court has a final say on this. But I think Abaribe can’t still go back to court to file for an extension of time to challenge the order of permanent forfeiture,” he said.

A law lecturer, Abiodun Adeleye in his own reaction submitted that in as much the time given to Abaribe has elapsed and yet he did not produce Kanu then, he (Abaribe) stands to forfeit his N100 million. “A court order stands until it is set aside by a superior court. In this matter, to the best of my knowledge, no superior court has set aside the judgement of his Lordship, Binta Nyako. “The judgement was delivered in 2018 and this 2021.

It has been almost three years after. Abaribe and two others cannot go back to the court to challenge the order. “What stops them is the time as contained in the judgment. “Also, the return of Kanu with the information available in the public domain is not linked to them. “In my own opinion, the N100 million bail bond which must have been converted to cash is permanently forfeited,” he explained. Kanu was arrested in 2015 on an 11-count charge bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony. Six of the charges, including that of terrorism, were struck out early in 2017.

Senator Abaribe, a Jewish priest, Emmanuel Shallon-Ben and Tochukwu Uchendu had stood as sureties for Kanu on April 24, 2017, after the court granted him bail on health grounds. This was after spending 11 months in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). In granting Kanu bail, Justice Nyako asked him to produce three sureties with N100 million each. Nyako said one of the sureties must be a senior highly placed person of Igbo extraction such as a Senator. She held that the other surety must be a highly respected Jewish leader since Kanu said his religion was Judaism, while the third person must be a highly respected person who owns landed property and is resident in Abuja.

Abaribe, mute over Kanu’s arrest

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, yesterday kept mute over reports that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had been arrested and repatriated to Nigeria. As the news of Kanu’s repatriation took over the airwaves, New Telegraph sought reaction from Abaribe but met a brick wall. Special Assistant to Abaribe on Media Affairs, Uche Awom, told New Telegraph that his principal will not make any comments on the issue. According to him, the matter was before a court of competent jurisdiction and there was no need for the lawmaker to comment on it. According to Awom, the court had already freed Abaribe of the surety burden when it struck out the case of the bail bond. It could be recalled that Abaribe and two others stood as sureties for Kanu before he was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 25, 2017. Later, Kanu fled Nigeria after soldiers deployed under the Operation ‘Python Dance II’ invaded his home in Afara-Ukwu, Umuahia, Abia in September 2017.

How DSS, NIA, INTERPOL, MET Police rearrested IPOB leader, Kanu – Sources

There are strong indications that the rearrest of fugitive leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was a product of discreet collaboration among local and international security and intelligence agencies. New Telegraph gathered from highly-placed sources, that the Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), International Police Organisation (INTERPOL), as well as Metropolitan (Met) Police, ensured the arrest and subsequent extradition of Kanu to the country.

A Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to resume the trial of the IPOB’s leader on charges of treasonable felony. Though sources said Kanu was apprehended in London, the United Kingdom (UK), unconfirmed reports claimed the development happened in a South American country. It was, however, learnt that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), coordinated the extradition process.

“I’m pleased to inform you that the return of that fugitive (Kanu) was made possible through the DSS,NIA, INTERPOL and the MET Police. “They were coordinated on the diplomatic score by the Hon. AGF, who is the face of the government, in matters of this nature”, one of the sources said in confidence. In the face of this, however, a constitutional lawyer of no mean repute and Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay, has provided insight into the processes leading to the extradition of a fugitive to their mother-country. This was even as the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) confirmed the possible involvement of the aforementioned security and intelligence agencies.

The PACAC chairman, who was reluctant to speak on Kanu’s re-arrest, said: “In a sense, it’s a straightforward thing. “When someone is in another jurisdiction, and your own government in another jurisdiction thinks he has done something, committed an offence in your jurisdiction, and you want him back, you apply to the foreign office of the other government, and then let them get their Attorney General to look at your letter, and then review the offence that he was alleged to have committed. “Because, the details will be in the letter of the requesting country.

“And if they feel there is substance in it, they will then apply to the court, to have him extradited to the complaining country. “When they (complaining country) make that application, of course, he, the person whose extradition is being applied for, will now be given an opportunity to hire his own lawyer, and then make a case to show that he is not extraditable, or that he has not committed an offence for which he should be extradited. “So, there will be a case in court between the two sides”. He continued: “And at the conclusion of that case, the judge will then rule whether a case has been made for the extradition, or not.

“If he rules that a case has been made, then the person will be extradited.” When asked to state the involvement of the Department of State Services (DSS, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), International Police Organisation (INTERPOL), as well as the Metropolitan Police, in the arrest and subsequent extradition of the fugitive, Sagay said: “Oh yes, the complaining country now has to provide the evidence, including witnesses, in order to convince the requested country to which the request is made, that there is a good ground for the extradition.”

When New Telegraph further asked the professor of law to be categorical on the role of the earlier- mentioned security and intelligence agencies, he had this to say: “Well, I can’t say that they were involved, hut I’m saying theoretically, in a situation like that, one or all of them could be involved.

“Because, the court needs information; even the Ministry of Justice of the requesting country, will be involved, to coordinate that application. “In fact, the letter would have been written by the Attorney General of the requesting country. “So, yes, all of those people (DSS, NIA, INTERPOL, MET Police), could be involved, but I do not know who was involved in this particular case.”

By Samuel Oamen

The Federal Government on Tuesday presented the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu before Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami said: “Self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed secessionist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has been intercepted through the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and Security Services.”

Here are nine things to know about Nnamdi kanu’s rearrest


1. Kanu went into hiding in 2017 following alleged invasion of his home by the military, months after he was granted bail while being tried for treasonable felony. He was thereafter declared wanted by the federal government.

2. Although there are no details on where he was re-arrested, Malami said he was re-arrested on Sunday July 27.

3. Kanu was brought before Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Tuesday who ordered his remand in the custody of the Department of State services (DSS) following an application by federal government’s lawyer, Shuaibu labaran.

4. Kanu blamed his absence in court on the invasion of his house by security operatives for which he said he had to go underground to avoid being killed.

5. July 26 has been fixed for his trial continuation.

6. He was re-arrested and bought back to Nigeria to continue facing trial after disappearing while on bail regarding 11 count charge against him.

7. He was advised to get in touch with his lawyers on what happened in the case since he has been away.

8. He has, upon jumping bail, been accused of engaging in subversive activities that include inciting violence through television, radio and online broadcasts against Nigeria and Nigerian State and institutions.

9. Kanu was also accused of instigating violence especially in the South east that resulted in the loss of lives and property of civilians, military, para military, police forces and destruction of civil institutions and symbols of authorities.

THE family of late Michael Usifo Ataga, who was allegedly stabbed to death by Miss Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300 level student of the University of Lagos, last week, in the Lekki area of Lagos, has urged the Police to carry out an in-depth investigation into the matter, to unravel identities of others involved.

The family’s position is based on the suspicion that some yet-to-be-identified persons were involved in their son’s death.

This came on a day that management of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, said it will this week suspend Miss Chidinma Ojukwu, who is a part-time student.


Usifo’s neck was broken —Family

But a member of the family, who spoke with Vanguard in confidence, yesterday, disclosed that there were minor bruises on late Usifo’s body during its inspection in the morgue.

It was further revealed that late Usifo’s neck was broken when inspected. Sources also disclosed that there were marks on his wrists, suggesting that he could have been bound.

A rope suspected to have been used to tie his hands was reportedly found inside the short-let apartment on 19 Adewale Oshin Street in Lekki phase 1.

Elder brother to the deceased, Dr. Isi Ataga, in a statement entitled: Who will speak for Usifo Ataga?’, also confirmed these findings.

He said: “Usifo died a horrific death. He was not stabbed two or even five times; he was stabbed multiple times. His hands were bound tightly and the marks were still all over his wrists, accompanied with evidence of torture and assault even as his corpse lay in the morgue.

“And no one in the entire building heard his screams because he was gagged. Let that sink in, he was bound, gagged and tortured!

“The now-viral video of the room with the deceased lying on the floor shows a room with blood-stained walls and floor, evidence of a ferocious struggle. One person could never have carried these out.”


Go beyond Chidimma’s arrest

Similarly, the Ataga family has urged the Police to go beyond the arrest of the suspect.

The family, in another statement entitled: Libelous Publications In Respect of Murder Of Michael Usifo Ataga: Demand For Restraint By Social Media Practitioners/Persons,’ by Rickey Tarfa & Co, solicitor to the family, warned those behind the social media publications to refrain from publishing falsehood that impinges negatively on the integrity of the deceased, wife and children or face lawsuits.

The statement signed by Olusegun Jolaawo, SAN, on behalf of the law firm, urged Nigerians to allow the police to conduct their investigations without any distraction or interference.

The statement reads: “We, hereby, admonish the publishers of these stories to employ whatever shreds of decency and decorum they can find in themselves to desist from their false and misleading stories and let the investigating authorities carry out an effective investigation in the hope of apprehending the perpetrators of this heinous crime and their accomplices.

“Yes we know that Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu has been arrested and yes we know that investigation is continuing. Our client is however convinced that there is much more to this than is already apparent from the police investigation,” Jolaawo said in the statement.

”It has become apparent even to the most undiscerning reader that from the variety and inherent malice in most of the said publications that they are planted to embarrass and malign Usifo Ataga, Brenda Ataga and the family, and to serve as a smokescreen to enable the perpetrators of the heinous crime to cover their tracks”.

”Our client appreciates the efforts of the law enforcement agencies in their investigations thus far, and will not descend into particulars concerning any of the said false narratives so as not to inadvertently aid the perpetrators of the murder in covering their tracks.”

The lawyer lamented that the tragic incident of the cold-blooded murder of late Michael Ataga has inundated all strata of the media with inconceivable stories being peddled on all sorts of platforms about the incident and therefore called for restraints from the publishers of the unfounded stories.

Jolaawo said: “Our client at this juncture requests that the well-meaning public allow the family to mourn their departed son, father and husband with some privacy and decency.

“Our client also feels very strongly about the unbridled activities of bloggers on the social media space concerning this incident and firmly demands that the said bloggers cease from peddling falsehood aimed at maligning the deceased, wife and children.

“The family will not be intimidated by these bloggers’ activities and insist that the police be allowed to do their work.

”Our client hereby demands that the false publications and the several ordinarily unrelated stories and pictures of late Michael Usifo Ataga and Brenda Ataga be pulled down with immediate effect failing which our client shall take prompt and appropriate action to seek redress for the apparent instances of libel and slander as appropriate.


UNILAG Senate to decide on Chidinma’s fate

Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered that the Senate of the institution is set to meet on the matter and decide her fate before the commencement of activities to mark the 51st Convocation Ceremony of the university.

The activities lined up for the convocation ceremony will kick off on Wednesday with a press briefing by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.

Sources at the university said: “There are reasons the university has not officially spoken on the matter. But the Senate of the university will meet and decide her case before we start activities for our convocation ceremony. The convocation ceremony would have held early last year but for what happened then.

“The ceremony is going to start on Wednesday and we don’t want that ugly incident to take the shine off the event and when official action is taken about the matter, it won’t be what people will focus on when we are holding the convocation ceremony.

“What she reportedly told the police while being paraded, and other materials about her case would be used to decide her fate and she is going to be suspended until her fate is decided by the court.”

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has threatened to shut down fuel stations across the country.

Speaking with reporters on Sunday in Jos, Plateau state capital, Yakubu Suleiman, IPMAN spokesperson, said the association has instructed its members to shut down operations over alleged harassment by the police.

He noted that the some police officers had invaded the association’s national secretariat on Friday over leadership issues among members.

“Whereas there is subsisting Supreme Court judgement of December 2018, that have since disposed off a suit No. SC15/2015, and ordered that Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo, is our President and Alhaji Danladi Garba Pasali, as National secretary,” he said.

“The continued violation of this judgement, even by the police is causing more harm to the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, which if such is not halted will lead to impunity and anarchy.

“It is true that members of IPMAN in many States across sections of Nigeria, have met and others are meeting and communicating to us that they will shut down, from Tuesday.

“The implications would be there will be a shortage or fuel scarcity in the country.

“We are calling on all arms of government including the security agencies to take the necessary action, towards halting impunity in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.”

Suleiman said the shutdown will be enforced if the inspector-general of police (IGP) fails to address the invasion, which he described as illegal.

Nigeria is set to utilise its legal provisions that empower the Federal Government to collect taxes on profits made in the country by global technology and digital firms not based in the country, but with a significant economic presence here.

While the Federal Government will not be raising tax rates at this time, based on the Finance Act 2019, it is already empowered to widen the tax net, including by collecting taxes on the Nigerian income of global tech giants with significant economic presence here, even if they have not established an office or permanent establishment and are currently not paying taxes in Nigeria.

In this regard, Section 4 of the Finance Act 2019, provides that “the Minister (Finance) may by order (of the President) determine what constitutes the significant economic presence of a company other than a Nigerian company.”

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, hinted at these issues and others while interacting with a delegation of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, CITN, led by its President, Mr Adesina Adedayo who visited him at the Presidential Villa on Friday.

According to Prof. Osinbajo, “we have had severe economic downturns which of course implies that we may not be able to collect taxes with the aggressiveness that would ordinarily be expected.

“I think the most important thing is that we must widen our tax net so that more people who are eligible to pay tax are paying. Several efforts have been made, and I am sure you are aware of the initiatives including the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) which was also an attempt to bring more people into the tax net, including those who have foreign assets.”

Continuing, the VP said “we have also recently taken a step with respect to a lot of the technology companies that are not represented here but who do huge volumes of business here.

“The Finance Act has shown that we are very prepared to ensure that these big technology companies do not escape without paying their fair share of taxation in Nigeria. Many of them do incredible volumes here in Nigeria and in several other parts of the region.

“We have drawn up the regulations and we are prepared to go, and I think that we are at least in a good place to tap into some of the tax resources we can get from some of these companies.”

Indeed, besides the FG, a recent Bloomberg news article reported that “Governments around the world are grappling with how to modernize their legal frameworks to account for the global reach of the digital economy, reshaping how policymakers think about issues as varied as monopoly power, taxation and workers’ rights.”

Also, international talks are currently ongoing in Paris on global standard rules for governments to receive taxes from such digital and technology firms with significant economic presence in foreign countries.

In Nigeria, according to the Finance Act 2019, a company will pay taxes if it “transmits, emits or receives signals, sounds, messages, images or data of any kind by cable, radio, electromagnetic systems, or any other electronic or wireless apparatus to Nigeria in respect of any activity, including electronic commerce, application store, high-frequency trading, electronic data storage, online adverts, participative network platform, online payments and so on, to the extent that the company has significant economic presence in Nigeria and profit can be attributable to such activity.

“If the trade or business comprises the furnishing of technical, management, consultancy or professional services outside of Nigeria to a person resident in Nigeria to the extent that the company has significant economic presence in Nigeria”

Speaking further, Prof. Osinbajo noted that while the Federal Government has no plans to raise taxes now, there are those who argue that “our tax rates are too low, comparing us to other places in the region where the rates are much higher.”

“So we have had to balance all of these issues because clearly, higher tax rates can be a disincentive to businesses and investments. In terms of domestic resource mobilization, we are trying to do the best we can given the present circumstances and I believe that there is room for improvement.”

Actually, under the Finance Act 2019, the Buhari administration has reduced taxes for small companies – companies with less than N25 million in annual turnover are charged Zero Company Income Tax, CIT. Also CIT for Companies with revenues between N25 and N100m (described in the Act as “medium-sized” companies) has been reduced from 30% to 20%. Besides, Nigerians making minimum wage income are not to pay tax at all.

Under the 2020 Finance Act there is also an exemption of small companies from payment of education tax under the Tertiary Education Trust fund (TETFUND)-meaning companies with less than N25m turnover are eligible

Similarly, there is a 50% per cent reduction in minimum tax; from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 per cent for gross turnover for financial years ending between January 1st, 2020 and December 31st, 2021


INTERACTION ON OTHER ISSUES

Welcoming the delegation, the Vice President emphasized the need for regular interaction between the council and government to address issues bothering on tax legislation, noting that “there is need for continuous engagement with the National Assembly because engagement with government cannot be a one-off thing.”

Prof. Osinbajo added that the Federal Government has over the past few years, initiated programmes aimed at improving the growth of small businesses including the formalization of many of them. Under the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), there is a formalization of 250,000 businesses.

He said the ongoing MSME Week has encouraged many businesses to register with regulatory authorities in order for them to benefit from the numerous programmes earmarked by the government for their growth.

Earlier in his remarks, the President of CITN, Mr Adesina Adedayo, commended the leadership of the Vice President in the implementation of key government interventions in the economy, stating that “we acknowledge your great zeal and commitment to Nigeria project.”

He said the visit became necessary given the enormous work the Buhari administration has done towards addressing the huge fiscal challenges in the polity, public financing reforms, and sustained efforts towards addressing infrastructural deficit across the country.

His words: “the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) and other measures implemented was a right response to the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic and were largely instrumental to creating buffers for the government at all levels in withstanding the pressures and waves created during the peak period and the aftermath of COVID-19.

“It is important that we sustain measures already being implemented to improve tax collection at all levels.”

Other members of the delegation included the Vice President of the Institute, Barrister Samuel Olushola Agbeluyi, past presidents of the institute, Dame Gladys Simplice, and Dr. James Naiyeju, and Council members Prof. Muhammad Mainoma and Hon. Babangida Ibrahim. Mr. Adefisayo Awogbade, CITN Registrar/Chief Executive was also in attendance.

The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation has issued seven queries on the audited accounts of the Nigerian Ports Authority in 2017.

The queries include standalone financial statements, non-current assets (depreciation, addition to fixed assets, property, plant and equipment, and interest in joint ventures), current assets (cash and cash equivalent, trapped fund in Enterprise Bank, inventories, trade receivables, etc.), liabilities, statement of profit and loss, and other comprehensive income, expenditures and administrative expenses.

The Auditor General, Adolphus Aghughu, in an audit report sent to the National Assembly, dated May 24, 2021, a copy of which journalists obtained on Friday, demanded explanation from the management of the NPA on its audited accounts, which he said was submitted to his office on February 22, 2019 for comment, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts invited the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the management of NPA to appear before it on July 8, 2021 over the queries.

Speaking on the N65.763bn spent on fixed assets, Aghughu said the NPA management should furnish the analysis of the assets acquired during the year, showing suppliers, evidence of ownership, gross amounts, outstanding amounts (if any), taxes deducted and remitted to the relevant tax authority and the current status of the assets.

Also on property, plant and equipment, on which N390.581bn was spent, the Auditor General said, “The carrying amount of the property, plant and equipment and properties on lease were qualified in the auditor’s independent report, because they were unable to obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence to confirm the completeness, existence and valuation of the carrying amounts.

“In view of the above, the management is required to provide the schedules of movable assets purchased by the concessionaires per the various lease agreement and furnish the list of assets in use and projects in progress acquired or being executed by the concessionaires for the authority under the ports development programmes of the lease agreements for audit scrutiny.”


The NPA is also expected to provide “sufficient records, backed up with a detailed fixed asset register to support the existence, completeness and carrying amounts of property, plant and equipment, as well as properties on lease,” while Aghughu further asked the management to “provide an updated non-current assets register showing the dates of purchase, location of assets and amount depreciated to date.”

The management is also to provide a list of property, plant and equipment transferred to Continental Shipyards Limited at inception as part of the NPA’s capital contribution and furnish the list of various assets, including buildings disposed by the authority in the last three years.

Aghughu further demanded a schedule of bank balances showing the names and locations of the banks at which cash and cash equivalent from current assets of the authority are maintained, the individual account balances and the respective comparative figures.

The office further asked for a “detailed list of the subsidiaries and the bank balances resulting in the observed total difference of N168,458,000 in the bank balances within and outside Nigeria between the group and the authority, which represent the balances of the subsidiaries.

“Cogent reasons why the accounts were garnishee by the law court and detailed efforts towards setting aside the order as shown in the table below being cash and cash equivalent under garnishee order by the law court.”

The office also reported that funds amounting to about $3.231m may have been trapped in Enterprise Bank as the report from the NPA management showed that “there was no movement in Enterprise Bank account with Number 6003605768 during the year.”

It added, “The balance has not changed from $3,231,677.45 for more than two financial years,” asking the management to provide the current status of this bank balance.

The Auditor General also queried the status of the Staff Home Ownership Scheme as well as the N1.5bn deposited as initial takeoff fund with Aso Savings and Loans Plc, which Aghughu said served as an agent for the creation of mortgages and the subsequent collections of repayments on the same mortgages, adding that the NPA later severed relationship with the bank, following the Federal Government directive on Treasury Single Account implementation in 2015.

The office said an audit examination showed that the NPA made an advance payment of about N4.479bn to contractors and demanded that the name of the individual contractor, nature of the contract, age analysis of each of the contracts and reasons for not sanctioning in line with the Financial Regulation 3104(1).

The Auditor General also demanded explanation from the NPA on the current status of about N2.334bn received from shipping companies in 2013 as tracking fees, which was deposited with First City Monument Bank and was supposed to have been transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2017.

Speaking on circularisation of the management letter with terminal operators, the office said, “According to the Management Report, Page 37, Paragraph 5.3.1, seven terminal operators’ circularised two responses were received, while others had yet to reply.”

Aghughu noted that while one of the terminal operators quoted an indebtedness of $513,150.51, the NPA records were reading $4,485,981.52, showing a difference of $3,972,831.01. He added that while the second operator, ABTL, quoted $619,372.99, the NPA records showed $2,383,675.24 variance, with a difference of $1,764,302.25.

The NPA also queried “trade and other payable” on which N116,674,099,000 was spent, demanding the name of the creditors, services rendered, comparative figures as well as a breakdown of the Value Added Tax and Withholding Tax, stating the reasons the remittances amounting to about N35,317,209,000 were not made to the relevant tax authority.

Apart from a revenue of N239.480bn reported, for which the office is demanding a breakdown into their various components for audit scrutiny, Aghughu also queried under-remittance of operating surplus by the authority in 2017.

He said, “It was observed on Page 15 of the Financial Statements that the operating surplus for the year 2017 was N76,782,268,000 and N42,414,819,000 was appropriated for the year. However, during vetting, it was discovered that the sum of N61,425,814,400 should have been the appropriate operating surplus to be transferred to Consolidated Revenue Fund using 80 per cent as a basis, hence an under remittance amounting to ₦19,010,995,000 be remitted without further delay.”

The Auditor General also demanded explanation from the NPA on how the sum of N116.680m was expended, budgetary provision and evidence of the work done.

Aghughu also queried what he called excessive increase in administrative expenses, with insurance and licenses increasing from N1.182bn in 2016 to N3.809bn in 2017, an increase by about 222.1 per cent, while professional charges rose from N638.482m in 2016 to N7.208bn in 2017, representing 1,029 per cent.

Similarly, cost for repairs and maintenance increased from N209.044m in 2016 to N1.039bn in 2017, an increase of 397.3 per cent, while Oslo rebates stood at N6.409bn in 2017.

The Auditor General is also asking the NPA to provide the list of items insured, insurance policies, budgetary provisions and reasons for the escalation of the cost in 2017 by 222.1 per cent for audit scrutiny, provide the nature of the professional services, names and addresses of the professional firms, report of professional services rendered, which led to professional charges increased to N7,208,021,000 in 2017 from N638,482,000 in 2016.

Aghughu also wants the management to explain with breakdown, the increase in repairs and maintenance in 2017 to N1,039,505,000, from N209,044,000 in 2016, giving a difference of N830,461,000 (percentage increase of 397.3) and also provide the list of vessels that applied and granted Oslo rebates of N6,409,886,000 with relevant supporting documents.

The Senate has commended the Redeemed Christian Church of God and its General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, for rehabilitating the Ife-Ifewara Road, at a cost of N188m.

The red chamber also directed Messrs Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited, which abandoned the project after collecting mobilisation funds, to refund N140m to the federation account.

The road project was earlier awarded to Messrs Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited but was abandoned after the company was paid N151m by the Federal Ministry of Works.

After spending N188m to rehabilitate the road, the RCCG petitioned the Senate through the Church Secretary, Pastor Niyi Adebanjo, on February 9, 2021, and accused the ministry of paying N151m to the contractors which abandoned the project until the church rehabilitated it as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, was summoned by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, over the issue and he explained how his ministry paid the N151m to the contractors.

The committee chairman, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, submitted the report of his investigations to the Senate at plenary on Thursday.

Having scrutinised the panel’s observations, findings and recommendations, the Senate accordingly hailed the RCCG for its generosity and condemned Messrs Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited for abandoning the road project after collecting mobilisation funds.

Part of the Senate resolution read, “That the Senate does commend the RCCG for alleviating the suffering of the Ife-Ifewara community by rehabilitating the Ife-Ifewara Road in Osun State.

“That the Senate does urge the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to formally terminate the contract for the road project awarded to Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited in 2010 and abandoned since 2011 and recover the sum of N140m released to the company.”

Fashola, however, told the Senate committee that the money was not paid between 2016 to 2018 to the contractors as alleged by the RCCG.

He explained that the contract for the road was awarded to Cartil Construction in December 2010 for N662m as a constituency project executed under the Ministry of Works five years before the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), took over.

He said based on Section 36 of the Public Procurement Act, the contractor was entitled to 15 per cent as mobilisation fee.

He said the then minister first approved the payment of N99.4m to Cartil Construction Limited as 15 per cent mobilisation fee in 2011.

He said having moved to the site, a second payment of N52m was made on December 29, 2011, bringing the total to N151m.

Fashola said contrary to the RCCG’s claims, the ministry under him did not pay any money to the contractors between 2016-2018.

Adebanjo apologised to Fashola and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for indicating in his petition that the contractor was paid when the minister was in office.

The General Overseer of Resurrection Power Church, in Nasarawa State, Pastor Richard Onyekachukwu, 47, has been arrested for staging his own abduction in order to make his brother pay a ransom of N10million. The fake abduction was uncovered by operatives of the Force Intelligence Response Team (FIRT), who arrested Richard.

Richard executed the fake abduction plan along with his friend, Enoch Frank Nwaolisha, 39, who is the General Overseer of Christ Resurrection Power, Gospel Church of All Nations. Before Richard’s arrest, his brother, Prosper, on June, 16, 2021, had reported to police that Richard had been kidnapped and his abductors were asking for 10 Million ransom. FIRT got involved in the case following the Inspector- General of Police (IGP), Alkali Baba’s order to the head of FIRT, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari, that the Unit should investigate the kidnap of Richard and see to his rescue.

During investigation, the operatives visited the house of Richard and met his wife, Mary, who surprisingly didn’t look worried or anxious that her husband was in the kidnappers’ den. When she was asked a series of questions, she was evasive, but when she was told that her husband was wanted for armed robbery, she screamed, denying that the man was an armed robber.

The police said: “It was at that point that she screamed, insisting that her husband was not an armed robber. She told police that Richard travelled to Taraba State for a business trip. According to her, she saw Richard a week ago.

Meanwhile his family thought he had been in the kidnappers’ den for three weeks. He was said to have been kidnapped on May 27, 2021.” The operatives took Mary to the station for further interrogation. She confessed that Richard ‘kidnapped himself.’ She also explained that Richard had financial challenges and had been looking for ways to raise money to offset his loans.

“She told police that Richard was due to visit the house, and based on that information, operatives laid ambush. Richard was picked up. He made a confessional statement and led the police to arrest his friend Enoch, who had been calling Prosper and asking for ransom,” said the police. Richard said: “I’m a pastor and a contractor.

I had a big church, Resurrection Power Church, but the roof was blown off by the wind. I took some loans to assist the businesses that I was doing to support the ministry. The loans were about N600, 000 and in the process, I had financial challenges.

I made some losses in my poultry business and COVID-19 didn’t help matters. The banks were after me, and I didn’t know what to do.”

He then thought of how to get money from his younger brother, Prosper, who is a rich civil servant. He decided to fake his kidnap. But before then, he called his friend, Nwaolisha, and told him the plan.

Nwaolisha initially said that it was a devilish idea, but Richard soon convinced him to play ball. Richard said: “I told Enoch that even if my brother paid a million or N500, 000 as ransom for my kidnap, I would be satisfied. In May, I travelled to the village to drop the corpse of our mother in the mortuary. I was supposed to return after a week. On the day I was supposed to return home, I couldn’t and there was a three-day delay. My phones were off and my wife couldn’t get me in those three days.

She feared the worst and called my brothers, telling them that I was missing. When I eventually returned, I sneaked into the compound and dropped my bag, then went to the mountain to pray. I called Enoch, telling him that opportunity had presented itself. He then called and told them that I had been kidnapped.” While feigning being kidnapped, Richard alternated between sleeping in his house and in the house of Nwaolisha. He further recounted: “I told my wife after a week, and this was because she had started suspecting my movements.

I told her what was on ground, and that I didn’t know what to do. I told her that I needed to get money from Prosper before the banks came to embarrass us.” Aside from owing banks, Richard was also battling with how to raise money for his late mother’s burial.

He noted: “As an elder, I am expected to play a major role in my late mother’s burial. We had a family meeting and fixed a date, and everyone was running around to see how to raise money to contribute. I had no particular reason to request that my brother, Prosper, should bring the ransom money. I thought everything would end within the family. My plan was to inform him after the whole issue.

Yes, my ransom target was N10million, but my family bargained for N2 Million. We were still waiting to hear from Prosper when the police arrested me.” The suspect, who said that he regretted his action, added that if he had asked for financial assistance from Prosper, he wouldn’t have assisted him. He added: “I am close to my brother, so I expected that he would pay the ransom to save my life.” Mary, who has been married to Richard for nine years, said that she’s a petty trader. Mary said that she actually thought her husband had been abducted. She narrated: “My husband told me that he would be travelling for a business trip on May 20. After some days, we couldn’t reach him and he didn’t return on the day he was supposed to. I called his brothers, but they said I should relax, that he would come home.

It took about three days before someone called, saying that my husband had been kidnapped and asking for N10million. However, a week later, Richard came home. I was happy, thinking he had been released. He then told me that since everyone believed that he had been kidnapped, I should not say anything till the ransom had been paid. When I tried to argue, he said I was stubborn. I was confused and scared.” Nwaolisha started his church two years before COVID- 19 lockdown. The lockdown witnessed the dispersing of his members and soon he couldn’t pay rent, so had to shut down the church. He said: “Richard is my brother in the Lord. He told me about his financial challenges and how he owed micro fiancé banks. His landlord was on his neck and he was also looking for money to contribute towards his mother’s burial.

He said he needed my assistance and that he wanted to ‘kidnap himself.’ He said that he didn’t know what else to do and his brother didn’t like assisting him with money. He wanted to use the fake kidnap to get money from his brother. I agreed to help him. He wrote a script and gave it to me, which I acted out, including pretending to beat him up. We normally go close to the mountain to call his brother from there. Although we didn’t talk about sharing the formula of the ransom, there was, however, a silent agreement that I would get something. I wanted to use the money to head to the east for evangelism.” Nwaolisha said that since his church shutdown, he had been surviving by going for outreach programmes, where people would sow seeds and give offerings.

Olawale Ajimotokan and Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday joined dignitaries and world leaders in Abuja to extol the virtues of Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, on her 60th birthday, just as he projected her to take over the world’s number one civil servant’s position in six years.

Buhari presented his goodwill message at a symposium organised by the Centre for Public Research and Development to commemorate Amina’s 60th birthday.

The President who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Agboola Ibrahim Gambari congratulated her for the feat she has attained on the global stage.

He said Amina’s recent reappointment was one of the testaments of her credentials.

Gambari said: “It’s not surprising therefore that after completing her first term as Deputy Secretary-General, the UN Secretary-General graciously reappointed her for a second term, the second African and the first to be done by a female African, of course, a Nigerian.

“On this note, I am optimistic that she will become the first female Secretary-General. Who knows, six years is not far from here.”

Similarly, former Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson called on Nigerian politicians to take a cue from Liberia to elect the first female president in the country and second in the African continent.

She made the call in her keynote address at the symposium in honour of Amina. She described her as a force of nature and consensus builder, who had over time beaten every odd to pride herself as a global brand.

She said Amina “is not only ripe for the plum job but also qualified, given her experience.”

Sirleaf-Johnson adds: “Would it not be good to have a second elected female African president in Nigeria. The support by men would be a stepping stone because they must recognise the capabilities and contributions of women to sustain the government for the peace and security of the nation. Those of you our fathers, our brothers, our sons in this room; we are wives, we are sisters, we are daughters, you have all the rights, they look to you to give them votes to bring the change.”

El-Rufai: Amina, An Inspiration to Young Daughters

At the symposium, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State described Amina as an inspiration to girls.

He said, “She is an inspiration not only to us but to all our young daughters who can now grow up confident that their role is not just relegated to being a housewife, they can be anything they want to be, from being a minister to being governor.

“You do not know how many female young girls you have inspired and whose lives you will change simply from your examples. The responsibilities that exist when a person gets educated, develop networks, and do things to pursue better humanity for all of us.

“We hope and wish you many more years. We hope to be here one day to celebrate your 100th birthday, there may be advances in medical sciences and obviously, she knows, she may just be there for another 40 years. I doubt if I would be there because I take too many risks and create many problems. I don’t think I would be allowed to last for so long.”

He continued: “I said this because Amina may have origin in Gombe State but she spent most of her life not in Gombe State but Kaduna State to the extent that when she was nominated as ministerial nominee as cabinet minister by President Buhari, there were petitions from people in Kaduna State accusing me of nominating my friend and sister as minister from our State, referring to the constitution that even though she was born and brought up in Kaduna State, they don’t care what the constitution says, she has to be an indigene of Kaduna State, which she was not.”

Sirleaf emphasised on the need to strengthen gender equality globally and allow women exercise their rights politically “to bridge the gaps gender iniquity has continued to create.”

She said Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had set an example in his administration by giving women equal opportunity for political offices and appointments and such most be replicated both at state and national levels in Nigeria.

“I am elated by the example of the Governor of Kaduna State because in Liberia, we look up to women in leadership, leadership in all aspects. Would it not be good to have a second elected female African president in Nigeria?”

‘Amina Mohammed, Role Model for Young Nigerians’

In a related development, the FCT Minister, Malam Mohammed Musa Bello has described the UN Deputy Secretary-General as an inspiration and a role model to millions of young Nigerians.

He stated this yesterday during the visit of Amina to Government Secondary School Kabusa, Abuja, as part of activities to mark her 60th birthday.

The minister, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Malam Bashir Mai Borno, noted that the visit would further spur the students to realise their fullest potentials through hard work and determination.

“We are particularly delighted that you will be spending some time in our schools in Kabusa and interacting with the pupils and their teachers. This will gladden them and we thank you for this,” Bello said.

He disclosed that as part of efforts to ensure that children have access to quality education, as contained in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the FCTA had in the last three years, established 25 new secondary schools spread across the FCT in keeping with UNESCO’s recommendation that no child should walk more than two kilometres to school.

He added that entrepreneurial and vocational educations were also being prioritised in the FCT with the intention that upon graduation, students would become self-employed.

The UN Deputy Secretary-General, who was visibly touched by the reception the students accorded her, urged them to focus on their studies as “they can be whatever they wish to be with education on their side,” adding, “education is the foundation of any great nation… and the first building blocks of your lives is education.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, FCT Secondary Education Board, Hon Yahaya Musa Mohammed congratulated Amina Mohammed on her reappointment as the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN and urged her to use her global position to impact positively on the Nigerian education system.

By Dirisu Yakubu, ABUJA

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to explain the last-minute cancellation of his scheduled medical trip to London after the media had reported he was due to depart the nation’s capital on Friday.

The PDP said its position is against the backdrop of “increasing international disapprovals to the escalated human right violations, constitutional breaches, clampdown on citizens, suppression of free speech and other excesses by the Buhari administration, for which there have been concerted demands for travel restrictions against officials of the Buhari Presidency.”

In a statement signed by its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said “while Mr. President is left to sort out whatever impediments or constraints that led to the sudden cancellation of his scheduled medical trip, our party urges him to use this period to have some introspection on the sorry situation in which his incompetent, divisive, vindictive and suppressive administration has pushed our nation into in the last six years.”

The statement further read: “Our party urges President Buhari to use this period to reflect on the suffering of millions of Nigerians who do not have access to foreign medical treatment, but who are dying on daily basis because of his failure to pay attention to our healthcare system, which has become decrepit under his watch.

“In his consideration, Mr. President must also reflect on how he has wrecked our country’s once robust economy that was handed over to him in 2015 by the PDP, to the extent that Nigerians can no longer afford to feed because their purchasing power has become depressingly low while he (Mr. President) recedes further into the luxury and the safety of the Aso Rock Villa at the expense of the well-being of the ordinary citizens.

“It is indeed heartrending that President Buhari appears to think of himself only even as Nigerians pass through these worst forms of hardship occasioned by his own misrule.

“Nigerians are also dismayed that Mr. President has consistently failed to honour his pre-2015 campaign promise not to embark on medical tourism if elected President.

“President Buhari therefore ought to be aware that the only condition in which history will be kind to him, as he has always wished, is if he honours his own words as well as use this period to resolve the impasse between the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, and his administration, fix our hospitals and confront other challenges facing the health sector in our country.”

By Chinyere Okoroafor and Oluwatomisin Amokeoja


The suspected killer of SuperTV boss, Chidimma Adaora Ojukwu, was last seen in the University of Lagos (UNILAG) before the Covid-19 lockdown, The Nation learnt Thursday evening.

It was gathered Ojukwu, said to be a 300 level Mass Communications student, neither wrote examination nor set foot on UNILAG since the commencement of this current semester early last month.

Ojukwu was on Thursday morning paraded by the Commissioner of Police (CP) Hakeem Odumosu at the Command headquarters Ikeja, nine days after Michael Usifo Ataga was murdered at a Short Service Apartment at 19, Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki, Phase 1, Lagos.

A TVC journalist Ayodele Ozugbakun, made the claim in a Facebook post based on information allegedly received from a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos (Unilag) Dr Bunmi Ajibade.

Dr Ajibade confirmed the information in a chat with The Nation.

He however said it was not an official statement on the matter but a personal observation via a WhatsApp broadcast after his findings.

Ozugbakun’s post reads: “Enlightenment from Dr. Bunmi Ajibade (Senior Lecturer, Unilag Mass Comm.)

‘We parents should pray for and monitor our children. There is so much evil going on in tertiary institutions now. Drugs, alcohol and s*x have become the order of the day among adolescents.

‘As Coordinator of Part-Time programme, l have made some investigations about the lady.

“The last time she came to school was before Covid-19 lockdown. She has never written 300 Level exam with her cohorts. She has never stepped her feet (sic) on the soil of UNILAG since the commencement of this semester early last month. Yet, she was arrested in her father’s house. ‘

‘Were the parents sensitive enough to discover her truancy in school?

“Did they monitor her progress in school if they suspected something is amiss? How come they were apparently neglected that this calamity came upon them suddenly? Many questions are begging for answers.'”

NewDelhi:
When they were showing highlights for next clip tomorrow, tbaj said something like she fvcked one of the housemates and he was wack. Who got that?

By Harrison Edeh

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AMID concerns on rising petrol consumption and subsidy payment by the Federal Government, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to work with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other cross-border monitoring security outfits to curb the menace of cross-border petrol smuggling.

Group Managing director of NNPC Mele Kyari confirmed the presidential directive on Wednesday, in a statement, expressing concern that the spiralling subsidy payment was directly proportional to rising litres of premium motor spirit (PMS) and had negatively affected the corporation’s remittance to federation accounts.

The president had earlier, in an interview granted on television to mark the Democratic Day celebration on June 12, linked the rising subsidy payment in the country to cross-border smuggling of the country’s PMS.

Buhari, in the interview, expressed concern that even when Nigeria’s border was closed, the smugglers rode on motprcycles through the bushes to smuggle the product, thereby exploiting Nigeria’s subsidy payment.

Spokesperson of the NNPC Kenny Obateru, in a statement issued on Wednesday, explained that President Buhari had directed all industry stakeholders to collaborate with the corporation to ensure that the daily national petroleum products consumption, which shot up to 102 million litres in the month of May, was brought down to realistic levels of 60 million litres.

Obateru quoted Kyari as saying that smuggling was not a business that should be condoned “because even for deregulated petroleum products, it brings extra cost burden on this country both in terms of safety and security of the foreign exchange. It even constitutes more burden to this country when the product involved is a regulated product like Premium Motor Spirit.”

Kyari explained that with the increasing price of crude at the global OPEC plus production cuts, Nigeria could not afford to shoulder the cost of smuggling.

“We all know that our daily consumption is not up to 60 million litres. We all know that, and that is why we have to pull it down. We will pull it down by every means necessary,” Kyari said.

He said NNPC would embrace the advanced cargo declaration in line with global best practices to tackle the issue of crude oil theft in the country.

The statement also noted the willingness of the EFCC Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa to work with the NNPC to ensure that all those involved in the economic sabotage were brought to book.

THE ICIR reports that Kyari had earlier said that the rising price of crude in the global oil market, rather than being a blessing to Nigeria, was already creating several problems for the country as rising subsidy payment took away a great chunk of benefits of crude benefits from the country.

In reaction to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concerns about Nigeria’s overburdening subsidy payment putting its economy at financial risk, Kyari noted that the rising crude oil for Nigeria presented a ‘chicken and egg’ situation for the country.

He expressed concerns that the oil price was currently exiting the comfort zone set by the NNPC, a situation he said was creating a burden for the corporation already.

Analysts are worried that the rising subsidy payment has seen the corporation remitted almost nothing into the federation account on two occasions.

“Nigeria must do away with the subsidy payment, which is more like eating the future. We must take that bold step now,”, President of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) Adetunji Oyebanji told THE ICIR.

Some analysts question the efficiency of cross-border security outfits such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Immigration Services, arguing that they cannot be exempted from the crisis.

Millions of PMS are stolen from Nigeria daily by smugglers who profit from dubious subsidy payments. Nigeria’s daily consumption has risen from 50 to 60 million litres in 2020 to 93 million litres in April 2020. About N120 billion is spent on subsidy each month, according to Kyari, eroding cash-strapped Nigeria’s scarce resources.

By Peter Okutu


Unconfirmed report that late Engr. Fidelis Kings Nweze has risen from the dead, has thrown Ebonyians into confusion.

This development has brought jubilation across the State as many sympathisers and supporters of the deceased are seen jubilating over the coming-back-to-live of the late Commissioner for Infrastructure and Concession and former Commissioner for Works and Transport.

The road leading to his residence is currently blocked as many people are seen trooping to the location to ascertain the authenticity of the information.

Discussions about the deceased are currently on going among politicians, academics, Journalists, drivers, mechanics, students, traders among others in the State.

As at the time of this report, Vanguard is yet to get an official report about the present status of the late Commissioner but it was gathered that a member of the family of the deceased (name withheld) broke the news to the public.

Recall that Governor David Umahi on Tuesday announced the news of the unfortunate death of the commissioner.

Umahi described him as his younger brother, friend and destiny helper.

According to him: “Engr. King’s died this morning at 9:15am at Turkish Hospital, Abuja. Nweze was traveling to Enugu on Saturday about 7pm with his driver and Orderly.

“And about Obinagu in Enugu State, they rammed into a stationery truck. He was on sit belt. They were all conscious. The orderly had slight injury. He was treated and discharged. The driver had slight injury and was treated and discharged

“The seat belt ruptured his (Nweze) intestines. They did a very successful surgery. They put him in intensive care unit to be there for three days

“This morning when I called at about 8am, they said he had crisis. At about 9:15am, Engr. Nweze gave up. I am so sad. He is one of the pillars of this administration. To me is like my friend, brother, son and destiny helper went out and will never come back.

“We did our best. I declare tomorrow a public holiday in honour of Nweze and no market should be opened. No work in any of the offices; no work in any of the sites in honour of Engr. Nweze…”

A Magistrates’ Court in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday ordered that a man, Onyebuchi Okafor and Mansura Shehu, be remanded in a correctional centre in Birnin Kebbi for alleged adultery.

The police charged Okafor and Shehu with adultery which led to a pregnancy.

The offence contravenes the provisions of Section 369 of the Penal Code .

The presiding Judge, Samaila Kakale-Mungadi, in a ruling rejected the oral bail application for Okafor from his counsel.

Kakale-Mungadi ordered the defence counsel to make a written bail application.

He ordered that the two defendants be remanded until July 5, for further hearing.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr Jibril Abba, told the court that Okafor should not be granted bail until all investigation in the matter is completed.

Abba opposed the bail because he said that Okafor was an ex-convict.

The defence counsel, Magnus Ihejirika, told the court that his client will not jump bail or obstruct the investigation if granted bail.

He also argued that his client had no criminal record.

Ihejirika, who refuted the claims of the prosecutor that the first accused person, Okafor, was ex- convict, told the court that a High court had set aside the conviction of his client and acquitted him.

“We urge my Lord to discountenance the objection and admit him into bail.

“He will not float the bail conditions. He will provide sureties and be attending court proceedings,” the counsel prayed. (NAN).

The Community Court of Justice, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has issued an order restraining President Muhammadu Buhari or any member of his administration from prosecuting any Nigerian for using Twitter.

The ruling followed the suit filed against the government by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 concerned Nigerians over the development.

The plaintiffs urged the court to grant “a declaration that the action of the defendant and its agents in suspending the operation of Twitter or any other social media and microblogging application without an order of a competent court of jurisdiction is unlawful, inconsistent and incompatible with Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“A declaration that the act of the defendant in mandating its agent to commence and continue to regulate the social media in Nigeria amounts to restriction and censorship, thus violating Nigeria’s obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“A declaration that the act of the defendant and its agents in suspending the operation of Twitter or any other social media and microblogging application in Nigeria without any offence known to law is incompatible with Nigeria’s international human rights obligations, and are therefore null and void to the extent of their inconsistency and incompatibility”.

On June 4, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, had announced the “indefinite” suspension of Twitter’s operations in the country.

According to the minister, the social media platform was engaging in activities that “undermine Nigeria’s existence”.

Abubakar Malami, the attorney general of the federation, had subsequently ordered the prosecution of anyone who violated the ban.

In its ruling on Tuesday, the ECOWAS court granted an interim injunction “restraining the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and its agents from unlawfully imposing sanctions or doing anything whatsoever to harass, intimidate, arrest or prosecute Twitter and/or any other social media service provider(s), media houses, radio and television broadcast stations, the Plaintiffs and other Nigerians who are Twitter users, pending the hearing and determination of this suit”.

Why Nigeria has been unable to nominate new ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) since 2017 is the question begging for answer among diplomats in the global trade organisation. Assistant Editor Bola Olajuwon writes on the controversy.

WTO and global trade

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is the body that regulates and facilitates international trade between nations. It officially started operations on January 1, 1995, following the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement. It replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that was established in 1948. The WTO is the world’s largest international economic organisation, with 164 member states representing over 96% of global trade and global GDP.

It facilitates trade in goods, services and intellectual property among participating countries by providing a framework for negotiating trade agreements, which usually aim to reduce or eliminate tariffs, quotas, and other restrictions. These agreements are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their legislatures. The ogarnisation also administers independent dispute resolution for enforcing participants’ adherence to trade agreements and resolving trade-related disputes. It prohibits discrimination between trading partners, but provides exceptions for environmental protection, national security and other important goals.

With its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the organisation’s top decision-making body is the ministerial conference, which is composed of all member states and usually convenes biannually. Consensus is emphasised in all its decisions. Its day-to-day functions are handled by the General Council, made up of representatives from all members.

Nigeria and non-oil export promotion

Nigeria’s desire to promote exports is a formal objective of successive Federal Governments. Its overall strategy is to diversify the productive base of the economy away from oil and to foster market –oriented and private sector-driven economy. This strategy aligns with the overall economic agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari to intensely grow revenue from non-oil sources within the economy.

From the rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures, the oil sector contributes only about 15.9% to the entire GDP, leaving the remaining 74.1% to be shared among the sectors (the non-oil sector); i.e. agriculture, services, manufacturing, telecoms, among others. This is a gradual reversal of the initial trend in the GDP proportions between the oil and nonoil sectors. The potential for enhanced non-oil tax revenue through international trade and foreign direct investment cannot be tapped more significantly without strong representation at WTO.

But Nigeria is a subject of negative discussions in WTO offices over non-replacement of a substantive envoy to the global organsation following the unofficial recall of Nigeria Ambassador to the body, David Adejuwon, in 2017 without proper communication.

His appointment was conveyed in two letters of approval by Mr. President on July 1, 2013 and that of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment dated July 24, 2013. The inability of the ministry to send a replacement is more embarrassing as a Nigerian, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, now sits as the first female director-general of the organisation.

Though the approval for Adejuwon’s appointment was with immediate effect, the envoy could not assume duty in Geneva until March 3, 2014, after his predecessor, Ambassador Yunov Fredrick Agah, who was retired from the Federal Civil Service in January, 2010, as a result of tenure policy of the Federal Government, finally vacated the office.

All efforts to speak with the embattled ambassador on the matter proved abortive. He only told The Nation that his lawyers have advised him not to grant any interview on the matter against the contempt of the court because he proceeded to the National Industrial Court in October, 2017 to demand for payment of his statutory allowances and repatriation entitlement.

The beginning of the crisis

According to investigation carried out by The Nation, the current situation started barely a year after Adejuwon resumed duty in Geneva. He then wrote the ministry drawing attention to the negative consequences of the non-remission of the Overhead Cost Allocations released to the ministry by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the failure to remit the overhead appropriation to the Nigeria Trade Office (NTO), Geneva for the months of September to December, 2014, for the smooth operation of the office and image of Nigeria.

With money not released and out of frustration, the envoy gave the ministry three-months’ notice to recall him from Geneva, settle his outstanding financial commitments, pay his repatriation entitlements and arrange for a replacement.

The ministry till date, neither issues the necessary letter of recall nor appoint a new ambassador to the WTO.

According to WTO policy, this implies that Adejuwon technically speaking is still Nigeria Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation and other Trade Related International Organisations in Geneva, Switzerland as approved by the President.

His Statutory Foreign Service Allowance and other entitlements were stopped with effect from September, 2016.

Moves to resolve the matter

Adejuwon, however, took the matter up with the ministry and when all the entreaties failed, he returned to Nigeria in 2017 with his personal effects locked up in his official residence in Geneva with his family members stranded abroad.

He then proceeded to National Industrial Court in October 2017. But, the ministry has failed to file a statement of defence in court from October, 2017 to February, 2019 despite the fact that it was duly served with the court processes.

The ministry reached out to the envoy through a phone call made by the Permanent Secretary followed by invitation letters, for a meeting with a Committee of Directors constituted by the ministry on payment of Adejuwon’s repatriation allowance and other related matters and to discuss the possibility of an out-of-court dispute resolution.

After the meeting, the committee members promised to advise the then minister, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, to pay Adejuwon’s entitlements.

The ministry agreed to renew his diplomatic passport and that of his spouse, which had expired and to obtain one year Schengen Multiple Entry Visas on the renewed passports to enable the family members travel back to Geneva and arrange for the shipment of their personal effects immediately the envoy receive his claims for final return to Nigeria. It was learnt that the original passports were handed over to the Permanent Secretary.

Owing to the discussion with the ministry, Adejuwon’s solicitors during the court sitting on March 6, 2019, notified the court of the move by the ministry to settle the matter out-of-court and requested for a long adjournment. The court proceeded on judicial vacation following which the matter was adjourned till end of September, 2019.

Another letter of invitation was sent to the envoy to come and sign an undertaking on an offer by the ministry for payment of his statutory Foreign Service Allowance and repatriation entitlements.

Adejuwon declined the amount offered, which was to be paid in Naira at official exchange rate instead of dollar, through his legal counsel.

In a letter addressed to the new Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, the envoy clearly stated that he had not been officially recalled as the Nigerian Ambassador to the WTO, Geneva, couple with the fact that the payment of his statutory allowance was unlawfully stopped as well as repatriation entitlement to enable him return to Nigeria with his family in line with the provisions of the Foreign Service Rules had not been paid.

He added that he was forced to seek redress in the National Industrial Court in October, 2017, following alleged the unfair treatment by Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, and Foreign Affairs reactions

In his reaction, the spokesman to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Ifedayo Sayo, said the ministry has nominated a replacement for Adejuwon to the Presidency and it’s expecting an approval.

Sayo said: “Yes, I just spoke with the minister on the issues you raised. A new nominee has been forwarded to the Presidency and the ministry is expecting a reply any moment from now. It is also true that the former ambassador instituted a case in court, which is yet to be determined by the court.”

Also, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Ferdinand Nwonye, said the minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, was not around to attend to The Nation’s reaction on the matter.

A source in the ministry, however, told The Nation that matters concerning WTO are within the purview of Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. According to the source, “the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment only need to notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about any approved nominee for the post and the need for orientation for the appointee”.

But the waiting game for a new ambassador to WTO continues.

HILLARY ESSIEN

Thousands of people have signed petitions to stop Jeff Bezos from returning to Earth after his trip to space next month.

In June, the Amazon CEO had announced that he would be flying into space with his brother, Mark Bezos, aboard the New Shepard rocket on July 20. This will be the first human flight carried out by space exploration company Blue Origin, also founded by Jeff Bezos.

The most recent successful flight of New Shepard was in April, when it flew a crash-test dummy named “Mannequin Skywalker” into space.

Three days after the flight’s announcement, two petitions were launched on Change.org, to prevent the Bezos brothers from re-entering Earth.

In the lead on Change.org is a petition titled: “Do not allow Jeff Bezos to return to Earth.” This petition has, at the time of filing this report, over 43,000 people seeking to prevent the billionaire from returning to the planet. The other petition, called “Petition To Not Allow Jeff Bezos Re-Entry To Earth,” has garnered over 18,000 signatures and is still on the rise.

The petitioners chided Mr Bezos as an “evil billionaire” aiming for global domination. They also said the Amazon executive and other billionaires like Bill Gates and Elon Musk should not be allowed to live on earth, citing alleged crises they have been instigating across the world.

The Bezos brothers will take an 11-minute flight to the edge of space with the winner of the Blue Origin auction for a seat in the New Shepard spacecraft, which sold for $28 million. The flight will have six seats in total, one of which was up for auction on the company website.

Once the spaceship hits the Karman line – an imaginary boundary 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface – the capsule will separate from the booster, re-enter the atmosphere, and float back down to Earth with the help of parachutes.

“Essentially, once this 100 km line is crossed, the atmosphere becomes too thin to provide enough lift for normal aircraft to maintain flight,” Raman Prinja, head of University College London’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, told Insider.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, refused to name and prosecute a Federal Ministry of Works and Housing director caught with N1billion because of certain shady considerations, top sources have revealed to SaharaReporters.

SaharaReporters learnt that the director, who is the Chief Pay Officer of Ministry of Works, and Deputy Director in the ministry, Saliu Musa, is from Kebbi State and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, also from the same state, waded in and asked the EFCC to mellow down on the matter.

SaharaReporters gathered that the EFCC chairman covers up the matter because he is from the same state and did not want to cross Malami’s path.

“The Chief Pay Officer of Ministry of Works, Deputy Director in the Ministry, Saliu Musa. He’s from Kebbi State. Although he forfeited the N1billion, he is still sitting in the ministry.

“The EFCC chairman is covering up because he is from the same state. AGF Malami waded into his matter, and he was never detained,” the source revealed.

SaharaReporters had on June 17 reported that the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, had in May while appearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, said the agency recovered over N1 billion from the bank account of a civil servant.

“It is good for us to observe for now and wait for your committee to conclude its work so that whatever report you have and anyone that your committee decides, we are ready to take it up from there,” he had said.

“We have recovered over N1 billion sitting in the account of a civil servant last week.”

Bawa, however, refused to mention the name of the individual civil servant.

Speaking to SaharaReporters on Thursday, a source at the anti-graft agency had identified the civil servant as a Permanent Secretary working with Fashola.

“The civil servant the chairman was talking about is the Permanent Secretary working directly with Fashola,” the source said.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said his successor will demolish more houses than he has done in the state.

He said some people were seeing him as a demolisher and seem eager for his tenure to end.

The governor, who made the comment at a media chat aired on radio stations on Thursday, said residents of the state now appreciate the urban development being executed across the state by his administration.

He also said his administration prefers to provide infrastructural development rather than sharing money with people in the name of empowerment or human development.

“When we started working on school construction they said we are not providing roads now we are working on roads they said we are not empowering people.

“If sharing money in the night is what they mean by empowering people, they should keep insulting us.

“The masses who we are working for appreciating what we are doing for them.

“You know the election is approaching and they see me as a demolisher “Mai rusau” so they think that maybe the next person that will come after me will not demolish but he will demolish more than I do, God willing,” he said.

He urged the people to continue supporting and praying for his administration to succeed.

Critics have accused the governor of plunging people into hardship by demolishing their houses but El-Rufai has defended his action, saying it is in public interest.

A mob reportedly set a truck belonging to Dangote Cement Factory, Ibese, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, ablaze after it crushed two men to death.

The driver of the truck is said to have narrowly escaped being lynched.

DAILY POST gathered that the ugly incident happened on Friday along Igbogila-Ilaro road.

It was learnt that the two men were on a motorcycle, heading from Igbogila to Ilaro when the incident happened.

A source told our correspondent that the driver of the Dangote truck swerved off his lane, having a head-on collision with the oncoming motorcycle, otherwise known as okada.

“The two men – rider and passenger, died on the spot,” the source told our correspondent.

The Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) confirmed the incident on Saturday.

TRACE spokesman, Babatunde Akinbiyi, said, “according to eyewitness accounts, the Dangote truck driver engaged in reckless driving. He left its lane to face the motorcyclist and the pillion passenger at his back in the other lane and crushed them to death.

“An angry mob later set the Dangote truck on fire while the driver ran away. The case is being handled by the Dangote Plant Police Post.”

Akinbiyi added that one of the dead victims’ bodies had been deposited at Ilaro General Hospital morgue, while the other victim had been buried by the family.

By Ibrahim Wuyo
Governor Nasir El Rufai has said Kaduna state has started implementing its rightsizing policy by disengaging 99 political appointees, but is yet to disengage any state civil servant.

The governor disclosed that only agencies connected to the local government system have disengaged staff and these include the 23 local government councils, SUBEB and the Primary Health Care Board.

El-Rufai who made the disclosure at a media chat with some Kaduna-based broadcast journalists on Thursday night, explained that the disengaged political appointees constitute 30% of political office holders.

‘’So far, 99 political appointees have lost their jobs but we have not commenced rightsizing civil servants. We want to be fair with regards to civil servants. We had earlier promised that before we reduce the size of the civil service, we will start with political appointees and we have done that,’’ he said.

The governor who spoke in Hausa, said that the rightsizing of civil servants will still go on as planned because of dwindling revenues that is accruing to the state government from the federation account.

El Rufai explained that the rightsizing commenced with political appointees because their details are clearly known, making it more straightforward to disengage them.

‘’However, civil servants with question marks on the veracity of their data have to be given a chance to clear the doubts before any action is taken on them,’’ he clarified.

The governor said that his government has employed 11,000 more workers in the health sector, Kaduna State University as well as primary and secondary school teachers across the state.

The governor disclosed that it is a fallacy to allege that the salaries of political appointees account for the bloated personnel cost of Kaduna State Government.

‘’In March 2021, the salaries of these political appointees amounted to N259 million , while civil servants were paid N3.13 billion, aside from costs related to state contributions to pension, accrued rights and other personnel costs. So, it is false to insinuate that political appointees are the ones that guzzle most of the state’s resources,’’ he said.

Justifying the rightsizing of the public service, he said that all states and the federal government are affected by this shortfall of revenue and some states have even reverted to paying the old monthly minimum wage of N18,000.

‘’Kaduna State cannot continue to use 84% to 96% of our revenues to pay salaries of less than 1% of the population. The rest of our people, all 99% of them, need better schools, hospitals, water supply, roads, markets and support for agriculture to make a living outside government,’’ he said.

The governor however promised that Kaduna state will not reverse the N30,000 minimum wage that it has started paying.

“We are the first government, federal or state, to pay the minimum wage. We will retain the minimum wage of N30,000 and the consequential adjustments that gave most of our civil servants a 66% salary increase. We will also retain the minimum pension of N30,000 monthly.

“The unified Local Government Service continues to pay the minimum wage, even though they varied the consequential adjustments for their workers below the level for state civil servants,’’ he added.

The governor also promised that the state will still fund free education from primary 1 to the SS3, adding that ‘’we have directed our Ministry of Education to find ways of ensuring that we sponsor students for WAEC exams, the same way that we sponsor them for NECO. ‘’

El Rufai emphasized that basic education is a priority for Kaduna State Government because ‘’we see it as the bedrock for equality of opportunity.’’

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the MTN Group to make available top-of-the-range service to its Nigerian subscribers and at cheaper rates.

The president made the call when he received in audience members of the board of MTN Group, led by its President and Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Mupita, at the State House, Abuja, on Friday.

Buhari said: “I congratulate you on your appointment as the Group President of MTN. I wish you all the best.

“Nigeria is your most lucrative market in Africa, Asia and the Middle East as well as the source of a third of the income of the entire MTN Group.

“As such, we urge you to offer top-of-the-range and affordable services to Nigerians.

“As we seek to make broadband widely available and affordable, we urge MTN to continue to support our efforts by expanding high-quality connectivity to Nigerians in un-served and under-served areas.”


Indigenous content

The president also called on the group to support the implementation of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian telecommunications sector.

“I recently unveiled and launched the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian telecommunications sector.

“I call on MTN to support the implementation of this policy and, train and engage more Nigerians in your company.

“In particular, we will like you to continue to support our efforts by improving the quality of service and enabling a downward price review of the cost of data and other services, in view of your large market in Nigeria.

“We also urge you to step up your corporate social responsibility programmes and support research and development that will enhance your services in Nigeria.”


Enabling environment

He assured his visitors that his administration was doing everything possible to make Nigeria investor-friendly by addressing identified challenges.

“We are implementing a number of policies and programmes to ensure that institutions like MTN have a conducive environment for doing business in Nigeria.

“Our massive jump in the Global Ease of Doing Business Ranking is proof that our efforts are yielding results.

“We have identified and addressed the key challenges that affected the growth of the digital economy sector.

“I am happy to note that the right of way charges have now been pegged at a maximum of N145/linear metre.

“I have given directives for the protection of critical national infrastructure and this has addressed the issue of vandalism of such infrastructure.

“Service providers should always appreciate the efforts of government and not undermine it,” he said.

Buhari expressed delight that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector was doing very well despite the global economic downturn.

He noted that the ICT sector was the fastest growing sector in both the fourth quarter of 2020 and the entire year 2020, based on the report by the National Bureau of Statistics.

“The sector’s 14.70 per cent double-digit growth rate played a principal role in supporting our country to exit the recession, triggered by COVID-19 pandemic.

“The growth rate of the sector exceeded four times the next fastest-growing sector of the fourth quarter of 2020, which had a growth rate of 3.42 per cent. This is truly commendable,” the president said. (NAN)