₦airaland Forum

Beautiful fast rising actress cum model, Jessica Fabulous, is a Nollywood greenhorn, but she’s ready to carve a place for herself in the make-believe world.

Revealing her relationship soft side and eagerness to secure an understanding husband that will aid her career, the daring script interpreter said some m en would never allow their wives to operate in the entertainment industry let alone feature in movies. “That’s why I am looking for that man that will give me the freedom to express myself and pursue my career. I’m single at the moment but not searching. I want a man that will trust me, and I’ll promise not to betray him. He must also be a rich man but not necessarily as old as Regina Daniels’ husband. I want a man who is rich but not that old. I am also not ready to be a second wife because I don’t like to share. I am a jealous lover,” the actress said matter-of-factly.

Speaking further, Fabulous, who features in Elina, a new movie that hit cinemas last Friday, hints at the only condition that will make her act nude.

“I will never play a nude role. I don’t believe being naked and showing your body will make you famous. However, if the money is right, I might give it a second thought, especially if it’s in foreign currency.”

Atan Otta community in Ogun State was recently thrown into panic, following the frightening sight of a woman who lay in the pool of her blood with a knife thrust in her ribs.

She stretched out her right hand begging to be rushed to the hospital and at the same time held on to the position of the stab , with her left hand.

A young lady was seen crying and pleading with everyone to assist her get any available vehicle that would convey the dying woman to the hospital.

Help came but unfortunately, the wounded woman later identified as Mrs Abosede Oyewole , did not live to tell her story, as she died three days later, at a private hospital she was rushed to.

Death trap

Surprisingly, her assailant turned out to be her 28-year-old son-in-law, Opeyemi Adeola, a popular welder in Atan Otta community.

Crime Guard gathered that her daughter, Tope and the suspect, Adeola, had been living together for two years. She reportedly left the house for her parents place because she was beaten by her husband.

The deceased, as gathered, had gone to her son –in-law’s place to reprimand him for the incessant battery of her daughter, only to meet a dead end.

Escape

Spokesman for the Ogun State Police Command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, explained that “ on that fateful day, the suspect, as usual, beat up his wife and inflicted injuries on her. The deceased went to meet him to warn him to desist from beating her daughter.

“On sighting the deceased in his house, the suspect descended heavily on her, beat her mercilessly before stabbing her on her ribs with a knife. Having heard that the victim had died, the suspect fled.

“ The Divisional Police Officer, Atan Ota, CSP Abolade Oladigbolu, detailed his detectives to go after him.

They embarked on an intelligence based investigation which led them to his hideout in Ikorodu, Lagos state where he was eventually apprehended.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a member of a notorious cult group in the area. He was also one of those who led hoodlums to burn down Atan Ota Police division and killed the Divisional Crime Officer on October 21, October 2020, during the Endsars protest”.

Why I did it

In this interview with the suspect, he admitted culpability but blamed his action on uncontrolled emotion and an attempt to defend himself from an attack by the deceased and her two children.

Hear him: “My wife told me she was going to see her sick mother on April 20, 2021, that she would return by 12 noon the next day. But three days later, I did not see her. I went to check on her at her parents’ and saw her with another man.

“The man asked where I had been, I told him I went to Ile Olugi to work . I have seen that man with my wife before, in my house. In Fact, that first time, he came to give my wife some money.

“When my mother-in-law saw me, she accused me of not taking care of my wife and children. I have one child with my wife, an eight months old girl. The older child is five years old. She is mine from another woman.

“My mother –in-law told me to my face that she had given her daughter, my wife , to another man since I was not giving her money to eat. My wife refused to follow me home that day. I went to her parents place again to pick my five- year -old child from her and left our eight-month-old baby with her.

Journey to SCIID

“On April 28, 2021, my wife , her mother and sister came to my house. They said they came to pack my wife’s belongings. I told them to go and collect what were hers. In the process, they started fighting with me and broke my skull . I brought out a knife which I brought from the farm, just to scare them but the knife pierced into my in-law’s ribs.

“My wife and I have been together for two years. I was preparing to pay her dowry someday. Her parents were aware we were together. Her father even advised me to get my wife something to do when our baby would be a year old .

“I didn’t know she would die. I only did it to prevent myself and to scare them. She was rushed to Hyacinth hospital at Otta by her daughter

I ran away because I was afraid of being lynched. While I was in my village where I hid, I heard my wife and members of her family packed all my property from the house to sell to treat my mother-in-law. Three days later, I was told she was dead. Again, I ran from the village, to my father’s place in Ikorodu, Lagos.

“I left my father’s place in 2008. When I told him what happened, he took me to Ikorodu Police station that same day , from where I was taken to Atan division and thereafter, transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department.

“ It is unfortunate she died. She was the reason my wife was misbehaving. Before we met, my mother-in-law used to send her (wife) out to sleep with men. I met her in the process”.

Asked what age was his supposed wife, he said , “ She told me she was 19 years old when we met. But her father claimed she is presently 17 years old. I regret my action and wished things could return the way they were , in order to remedy the situation”, he said in an emotional laden tone.

In mourning the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, the United States says Nigeria is going through difficult time.

The US Mission in Nigeria issued a statement on Friday night.

America joined Nigerians in mourning the loss of life from the plane crash in Kaduna.

The world power called the demise of Attahiru and others as “a tremendous loss to Nigeria, and his loved ones”.

“During this difficult time across Nigeria when security and peace is so needed, we offer our deepest sympathy to the family of General Attahiru and to the families of all those who perished,” it read.

Nigerians are in shock over the news with different claims and theories. While some say the aircraft might have developed a fault, others alleged assassination.

One of Attahiru’s last public engagements was his appearance at the House of Representatives in April.

Attahiru said his predecessors are in a better position to speak on arms funds approved by the federal government.

The Adhoc Committee on Arms and Ammunition Purchase, had asked him to explain the summary on contracts executed by the Nigerian Army.

Chaired by Hon. Olaide Akinremi, the committee is reviewing the purchase and use of arms, ammunition, and related hardware by the military, paramilitary, and other agencies.

The departed COAS told them he could not provide explanation because he did not authorize any contract.

“The period for which you wanted this report, having been summarized in the Executive Summary, explains whatever details you will require,” he said.

Noting that procurement “were done by specific individuals,” Attahiru advised the Green Chamber of the National Assembly to invite them to give adequate answers.

couple whose two-week old baby died while they were fighting over domestic issues.

Witnesses said the baby was strapped to the mother’s back during the fight.

The couple, Ekene Ijokun,40, and Rose Ijokun, 32, who lived at Eleyowo community in Akure North Local Government area, were said to always engage in fight.

They are said to be explaining to police interrogators how their baby died.

Witnesses at the scene could not however state what the fighting parents used to hit the baby.

According to a witness, who claimed to be a sister to the wife, Ekene always beat his wife during pregnancy.

She said: “The baby was strapped to the back of Rose when her husband, Ekene started a verbal attack on her before it resulted into physical combat.

“I didn’t see it as anything as they usually have such fight and make amends after. But this time, it was the other way round as the disagreement degenerated into a physical combat which eventually claimed the life of the innocent baby.

“The baby was hale and hearty before the incident. I removed the baby from her back and placed him on the bed. That was when I realised the baby was lifeless.”

The baby was said to have been declared dead on arrival at the health centre in the community.

Olisa of Eleyowo, Chief Eso Ojo, described the incident as bad saying such a case has never happened in the community.

“Many times, there have been reports on the couple and it’s unfortunate it ended this way.

“I appeal for calm. The case is being handled by the Ondo State Police command.”

Ondo Police spokesman, ASP Tee-Leo Ikoro, could not be reached for comments.

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja


The Federal Government has warned Nigerians to be wary of the new WhatsApp messenger privacy policy to avoid unpalatable consequences.

WhatsApp shared a reviewed privacy policy on January 4, informing users outside the European Union that it would now share their information with Facebook and its sister companies following the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook in 2014.

Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relation, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Hadiza Umar, in a statement, yesterday, said in a bid to understand the issues and address the growing concerns of Nigerians, NITDA in collaboration with African Network of Data Protection Authorities, confronted global policy officials of Facebook Incorporated, owners of WhatsApp platform, about the new privacy policy.

“The Facebook team confirmed that private messages shared on WhatsApp consumer version are encrypted and not seen by the company. But the metadata (data about the usage of the service) which is also personal information is shared with other members of the Facebook Group.”

She said as a result, Nigerians are advised to explore other available platforms with similar functionalities, but tighter privacy policies and security.

“They should limit the sharing of sensitive personal information on private messaging and social media platforms as the initial promise of privacy and security is now being overridden on the bases of business exigency. To improve compliance with the NDPR, we have also raised concerns as to the marked difference between the privacy standard applicable in Europe, under the GDPR and the rest of the world.”

From John Adams, Minna

In what looks like another leadership tussle is rocking the National Examinations Council (NECO) following the deployment of a detachment of armed Policemen and the Men of the Department of State Security Service to barricade the entrance gate of the headquarters of the organization along Bida road, Minna, the Niger state capital.

As early as 7:00am on Monday, the staff who where resuming from the sallah break, met a heavily armed Policemen and the Men of the DSS who subjected them to a thorough search and made to show their identity cards before allowing them into the premises.

Although none of the staff could comment on this development, it was gathered that the action of the security agents is not unconnected with the rumor of the sack of the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Examinations body, Professor Godswill Obioma on Friday.

The Daily Sun gathered from a source close to the management that the Registrar who was appointed on the 15th of May, 2020 through a letter with Reference No: FME/PS/396/C1/1/134 and signed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, for an initial tenure of five years, and with effect from 14th May, 2020, have being having a running battle with the governing board, led by Mallam Sadiq Abubakar.

The Registrar who is a professor of Education Measurement and Evaluation, formally took over the affairs of the Council on Friday, 22nd May, 2020 from the then Acting Registrar, Mallam Abubakar Gana.

When contacted, the Head of Information, Mallam Azeez Sani simply said “the security Agents are just there to maintain law and order”, and decline further comments.

The Police Public Relation Officer, Niger state Command, ASP Wasiu Abiodun could not be reached for his comment on this development.

The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has asked Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to stop flexing muscles.

Labour unions had declared a warning strike to compel the governor to reverse the recent mass sack of civil servants in the state.

The strike crippled economic activities in the state as banks, hospitals, airport, train station, among others were shut down.

In a statement on Tuesday, Kebbi State governor and Chairman of the PGF, Senator Atiku Bagudu, also appealed to the NLC to demonstrate more commitment towards engaging governments at all levels in addressing challenges.

The governors said the atmosphere in the country was already tensed, adding that rather than flex muscles, the Kaduna state government and the NLC ought to return to the negotiation table.

“Noting all the challenges facing all our states, especially given dwindling revenue, we appeal to all patriotic Nigerians, including the NLC, to demonstrate more commitment towards engaging governments at all levels to address problems. This is not the time for muscle flexing.

“Nigerians are already overstretched with many challenges. At this critical point of our democratic journey, there cannot be limits to engagement between all governments and citizens.

“Every step must be therefore taken to resolve the current face-off between Kaduna state government and NLC. We appeal to both the State Government and NLC to return to the negotiating table.

“We appeal to NLC leadership to recognise that the burden of leadership is more about responding to challenges based on the honest disposition of correcting past mistakes.

“As progressive governors, we share the vision of Kaduna State government of reforming all our local government councils to make them more efficient and consequently the pivot of critical development initiatives.

“At the same time, we want to appeal to the state government under the leadership of our colleague, Malam Nasir El-Rufai to take all necessary steps to ensure the resolution of all disagreements in the larger interest of citizens in Kaduna state,” he said.

Adamu Garba, a former presidential aspirant and CEO of social media platform Crowwe said cattle have more economic value than the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

Adamu Garba stated this on Monday in a Twitter thread while responding to Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria’s call that all headers in the 17 southern states return to the north.

Miyetti Allah called on all headers after governors of the region met in Asaba, Delta State and placed a ban on open grazing in the region.

Adamu Garba who aligned himself with the Miyetti Allah call said all herders should return so they can use the cattle, process the resources, and sell all over the world as finished goods.

“Cattle have more economic value than the entire oil and gas reserve we have in Nigeria. Our major stakeholders in the North must admit cows as business opportunities not just culture & invest heavily to bring #CowToCurrency to reality. Cows alone can solve all Northern problems.

“The job opportunities, the manufacturing centers, & the connection to global hubs of demands for the best cattle meats can open more doors and set for the liberation of Northern Nigeria from cheap and somewhat, useless oil assets. We must invest in harvesting the value of cattle.

“A litre of Cow milk at N350 is much more than the value of a litre of oil at N145. With over 20 million cows, take 1/3 as milk-producing female on average of 5 litres a day, we’ll have almost N12Bn/day from cow milk. That’s about N700M/state/day. About N21Bn/State/Month.

The former presidential aspirant further condemned governors in the Northern States saying awarding contracts to build schools has only subjected the North to condescension and dehumanization from the south.

Bill Gates had a side chick in Microsoft for many years— and the tryst was being probed when Gates stepped down from the board, the Wall Street Journal reported.

According to the report, published by New York Post, the company’s board became aware in 2019 that a Microsoft engineer penned a letter alleging that she and Gates had a sexual relationship over the years.

The woman demanded changes to her Microsoft job and also asked that Gates’ now-estranged wife Melinda read her letter — though it’s unclear if that happened.

Board members hired a law firm to conduct an investigation into the relationship, the Journal said.

During the probe, some members grew concerned about the allegation and decided that Gates, who founded the tech firm in 1975, should step down as director of the board.

But the billionaire was re-elected to Microsoft’s board at the annual shareholder meeting, the report said.

He resigned before the investigation could be completed, saying he wanted to focus on his philanthropy.

“Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000,” a Microsoft spokesman said.

“A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern.”

A spokeswoman for Gates admitted that, “There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.”

She denied that his decision to step down from the board was related to the affair, adding, “In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier.”

The Journal’s report comes after another on Sunday detailed how Gates “pursued” several women in his office long after he wed now-estranged wife Melinda in 1994.

The New York Times reported two instances where the tech mogul clumsily asked out women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The two incidents and other more recent ones at times created an uncomfortable workplace environment, with Gates’ personal life becoming gossip fodder among employees, six current and former staffers told the newspaper.

By Onyema Godwin

The family of a first-year student of the Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, who was allegedly raped by a lecturer in the institution, Mr Princewill Chukwure Chikakpobi has cried out over demanded life of her daughter saying she is contemplating suicide.

The mother of the victim, Lemon Gbara, who made the revelation while speaking within the week called on the state government, police and other stakeholders to ensure justice to her daughter.

“Right now as I’m talking to you, my daughter wants to commit suicide. I’m just pleading to the Rivers State Government to do something.”

“I have reported this case to the police and I want the state government to take very disciplinary action against this man”, Mrs Gbara said.

She alleged that the lecturer also Head of Department of had lured her daughter into his office before raping her claiming that the lecturer threatened to deal with her daughter if she mentioned her ordeal to anyone
Gaara also disclosed that the matter has been reported to the state Police Command.

Speaking further she said; “She (her daughter) assisted him to carry a generator out, my daughter didn’t know that he had planned to rape her.

As she entered the office, this man locked the door and forced my daughter and rape her and threatened that if she mentions that thing to anybody, she will not graduate from this school”.

Mrs Gbara, a widow accused the lecturer also the HOD of Dental Surgery Technician in the college of raping and constantly harassing her daugther even after the incident.

She disclosed that on 16th April 2021 her daughter came very early in the morning to school since she has exams to write that morning saying that the HOD called her daughter that she should assist him to carry a generator set outside from a packing store close to the lecturer’s office.

Mrs Gbara explained that the HOD locked the door immediately after her daughter walked inside the packing store and allegedly intimidated and forcefully had sex with her daughter against her consent even as her daughter screamed for help.

Mrs Gbara alleged that the HOD threatened her daughter that if she tells anybody or refuses to comply any time he needs her, he will ensure she does not graduate from the institution.

She regretted that her daughter who is barely four months in the institution is being subjected to trauma and emotional pains which made her daughter contemplate committing suicide.

Mrs Gbara a native of Ogoni called on the Rivers State Government to wade into the matter and ensure the lecturer was dealt with in line with the law.

Mrs Gbara expressed fear that if nothing is done, other female students will become victims.

Meanwhile, a lawyer with Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign Barrister IK Alexander Esq has called on the Provost of the college to cooperate with the Police in the State to ensure the HOD submit himself to the Police for investigation considering the allegation that the rape took place in the institution.

Mr Alexander equally urged the Police to display professionalism in the handling of the matter and ensure the investigation is devoid of sentiment and bias.

He said if the HOD is found wanting in course of an investigation, he should be made to face the law.

Our Correspondent also got a WhatsApp communication between the female student and the lecturer after the alleged rape, showing that the female student told the lecturer that he forcefully had sex with her which was read by the HOD as indicated by the green sign in WhatsApp message which was also sighted by the Police.

“The matter is a case of sexual harassment and it has been reported to the police that a lecturer harassed his female student. We are calling on the provost of that college to work hand-in-hand with the police since the alleged crime happened in the university community,” he said.

Information has it that the screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation between the student and the lecturer have been submitted to the police to aid the investigation.
However, the Provost, Nlerum Franklin, denied that the matter has been officially reported to the college.

Not many Nollywood actresses have the guts to admit they can take up a role that involves a sex scene. But for Regina Chukwu, an old hand in the business, it is just another avenue of expressing one’s craft and being prolific in what one does.

She told Potpourri in an interview some time ago (yet to be published) that she can take up a role that involves having sex on set. Hear her: “Why not? I have done it one or two times.

Acting is make-believe, so you have to be comfortable when you’re doing it and you also have to take into consideration that our society does not really support some things; they may just condemn you for doing some things but that does not mean we would not do it. We only have to be considerate when we’re doing it.”

She explained further, “There was this movie I shot but I don’t think it’s out yet; we were supposed to shoot a scene where we were making love, as in serious lovemaking. After the director did it and everything, I made sure that they did a kind of behind-the-scenes shoot where people would see that I was actually wearing clothes, that it was editing that brought it out like that.

This is because of my children particularly, they are kids and they would not understand. I made them do a behind-the-scenes so that when we finish, people can see that so many people were in the room while we were doing it.”

Regina Chukwu granted Potpourri the interview when her daughter was 14 and her son 12. Regina Chukwu is one of the leading household names in the Yoruba movie industry.

She has done so many blockbuster movies that her name rings as loud as the very best in the industry. But Regina Chukwu, is not a Yoruba woman, she’s Igbo but her footprints in the acting business can only be found alongside top Yoruba acts. Her popular films include Akun, Ewatomi, Idaro, Awolu ati Awalu, Ogunso to name but a few.

Two months after the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/ Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee inaugurated its Constitution Review Committee, the committee is yet to submit its reports.

The Committee, which was inaugurated on March 3 and headed by a member of the Caretaker Committee, Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, was given one month to turn in its report.

However, two months after, the committee is yet to submit any report. A chieftain of the party, who pleaded for anonymity, said that it was one of the ploys of the Caretaker Committee to delay the National Convention of the party scheduled to hold in June this year since it failed last year December.

The Caretaker Committee was yet to start any process to the Convention, as the party is yet to conclude its membership registration and revalidation exercise. The chieftain told Sunday Telegraph that the Caretaker Committee was looking for all avenues not to hold the Convention this year, as he said the members were saying a lack of funds was responsible for the delay in the Convention.

The party is already polarised into many factions because of the ways the Caretaker Committee is administering the party and some ambitions of some governors, the chieftain said.

The governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who used to be in the frontline of the APC National Leadership, has distanced himself from anything about the national secretariat of the party. El-rufai is not the only governor who has distanced himself but all the South -West governors on the APC platform.

The chieftain said the Caretaker Committee might rely on the Ministers of Transportation and Justice, Chibuike Ameachi and Abubakar Malami, SAN to finance the Convention. Others, who might contribute are: Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello; Yobe State governor who doubles as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Mai Mala Buni; Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru; Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu and Niger State governor, Sani Bello.

The Kogi State governor, who has declared his presidential ambition, would only support financing the Convention, depending on what is zoned to the North Central, the source said. Inaugurating the APC Constitution Review committee on March 3, the Caretaker Committee Secretary, Senator John Akpan Udoedehe said: “Our party has grown quite large in the last few years and is poised to become the largest party in the continent with the ongoing membership registration and revalidation exercise.

Hence, we must have a set of laws that is near-perfect, by filling the lacunas! “The party expects that inputs will be taken from critical stakeholders, advocacy groups and party members. All previous efforts in this regard should also be countenanced.”

The only stakeholders that have engaged the Constitution Review Committee and sent in memoranda are women groups led by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pullen Tallen and representative of women on the Caretaker Committee, Mrs. Stella Okitete.

The two groups that submitted their memoranda independently to the committee are demanding 50 per cent women representation at the National Assembly and State Assemblies. In his response, the Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Mamman said: “A lot has happened that the Constitution of the party did not envisage, both in the structures and organ of the party, relationship among organs and officers, processes etc. That may require a second look.

“Of course, the constitution of a political party, like that of a country is both a legal and political instrument. It can never address all the issues for all times. Much of its success depends on the operators imbibing the spirit of democracy, good faith and a sense of self-control”.

The reviewed constitution according to some party members would contain provision for the Caretaker Committee and whittle down the powers of the National Working Committee.

Meanwhile, every attempt made to get the response of Prof. Mamman or any member of the Caretaker Committee on the delay was not successful as they failed to pick calls made to them or respond to short messages sent.

The Nigeria Police, Bauchi Command said it has arrested a suspect, Lamido Gunduma who conspired with his friend Ishaq Abdullahi to dump the body of a decomposing lady, Jamila Saidu and her child inside sewage in Unguwar Yari-Mari, Jamaare local government area of Bauchi state.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Bauchi Command, SP Ahmed Wakil, the suspect’s induced labour in Jamila Saidu led to her death and the newborn baby.

The PPRO noted in a press release that was shared with Vanguard on Friday that the suspect deposited the corpses in a sewage system within his compound and fled to Kwadon in Gombe state where he was tracked and arrested.

“On 07/04/2021 at about 1200hrs one Saidu Iliyasu of Zubuki area Jamaare L.G.A, Bauchi came to Jamaare Divisional Headquarters and reported that on the 5/04/2021, his daughter, one Jamila Saidu 35yrs of the same address was declared missing after which a search party was organized but to no avail, until on the 08/04/2021 at about 1030hrs when her decomposed body was discovered with a newborn child in sewage at her boyfriend’s house identified as Lamido Gunduma at unguwar Yari-Mari Jamaare.

“During preliminary investigation, it was discovered that the above suspect criminally conspired with one Ishaq Abdullahi aged 34yrs of the same address and fixed canola into the arm of the said Jamila Saidu and administered her with dextrose water, Quinine and ostagen in order to abort her pregnancy which culminated into induced labour that resulted to the death of the victim and the newborn baby.

“The suspect then deposited the corpses in the sewage system within his compound and fled to Kwadon in Gombe state where he was tracked and arrested. He has been charged to court for prosecution accordingly,” he said.

By Marie-Therese Nanlong, Jos


Tension was high yesterday at the Abattoir community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State as residents, mostly women and young girls protested the alleged sexual molestation of about 14 young girls in the area by a Lebanese.

The alleged molestation, the protesters claim, has been ongoing for years without anything being done but when the man was eventually arrested and handed over to the Police, he was said to have been released from the Police station hence the protest.

It was gathered that the Lebanese was arrested and handed over to the Police on Thursday after the parents of two of the minors in the community reported that their children were sexually molested.

Apart from the two girls, 12 more girls also confessed that they were also at different times molested by the suspect whom they said did unprintable things to them.

The protesters called for justice to be served and appealed to Government, NGOs, and Civic Society Organizations to intervene so that the issue is not swept under the carpet like previous ones.

One of the protesters, Abigail Haruna said, “This thing has been going on for almost 20 years. I grew up in Abattoir here and I have been hearing about it. This time around, about 14 girls between the ages of 10 to 11 are involved. A Lebanese man in Abattoir here used to sexually molest the girls, one that is 11 is pregnant. This should not be allowed to fester.”

Another protester, Esther Emmanuel added, “Since when I was little, I heard about this man that he uses little girls to do blue film but we never took any action but thank God this case came up yesterday (Thursday). Parents of the girls went to the Police station to report.

“It is really annoying that this thing has been happening but we never did anything about it. None of these girls are up to 15 years. Two of the girls are pregnant, one has HIV, this is annoying. The problem is that when it happens, you will not hear anything again, the issue will just die off like that.

“The parents are left with their children, they will be asked to go and take care of their children and will even be blamed for refusing to talk to their children. If we go to their country, will they allow that? We want justice to be served. The man was arrested but now what we hear is that he has been released.”

But the State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Gabriel Uba when contacted said “The Police is aware of the situation and investigation is ongoing to ascertain the true state of the matter.

“Nobody is happy to hear such a devilish act, investigation is ongoing. Nobody released the man, if they don’t get vital information, they will do things out of ignorance. The matter has been transferred to the State CID, the man has not been released.”

Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade is at crossroads over his political future, due to the crisis in the state chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). He has been considering defecting to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to remain relevant. Correspondent NSA GILL examines the intrigues, the overtures and the options open to him.

It has been a subject of speculations for over a year. In the last three months, Governor Ben Ayade has given indications that he will no longer tolerate the undermining of his authority as the governor and by extension, leader of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

He has been having clandestine meetings with leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national and state levels. The potency and the reality of his threat to dump the PDP had sent disturbing signals to some leaders of the party. As a result, many delegations have been sent to placate Ayade and convince him not to leave the PDP. Indications are that he is still undecided about his political future.


Why Ayade is angry

Ayade is angry because his party has not allowed him the leverage in party matters as the governor; a privilege his predecessors and counterparts in other states are enjoying. The governors are handed the control of the party structure and allowed to determine who gets one position or another in the party structure from the grassroots level to the state level.

But, in Ayade’s case, he has been at loggerheads with other stakeholders who are founding members of the party and were instrumental to his emergence as governor in 2015. Ayade was elected governor without a single campaign poster or any form of elaborate campaign, as was mounted by other aspirants.

Founding members of Cross River PDP, including former Governor Liyel Imoke, are at loggerheads with the governor. Their interests are well protected by members of the National Assembly from the state, including Senator Gershom Bassey, Senator Sandy Onor, Apostle Essien Ayi and Jerigbe Agom Jerigbe.

They are geting back at Ayade because of the perception that he has sidelined them in the politics of the state.

Ayade recently conducted primaries to pick the party’s flag bearers for the 18 chairmanships and 196 councillorship positions for the recent local government elections. Most of these founding members and stakeholders were made irrelevant in determining who becomes the councillor in their ward s and the chairmanship flag bearer in their local governments. They made no input.

Eventually, Ayade succeeded in making his choice candidates chairmen and councillors in the 18 councils. These stakeholders who felt slighted have accepted their fate, but as proverbial old warhorses, they restrategised and were able to outsmart the governor in the subsequent battle for the list of those who are recognised as the authentic ward and local government party executives. They convinced the national leadership of the party to endorse and inaugurate the ward and local government party executives submitted by them.

In the subsequent legal battles that followed, their list was approved and authenticated against that of the governor. The stakeholders opposing Ayade’s interest have remained victorious up to the Supreme Court level.

Even with their recent victory, they have refused to concede an inch. They further dared Ayade and fielded their candidate to contest for the party chairman; knowing that the grassroots structure in their favour will form the bulk of the delegates to the state congress.

This state of affairs resulted in stalemate during the state party congress. Jerigbe of the House of Representatives recently took a full-page advertisement in a national daily to assert and warn that “the list of the ward and local government PDP structure in Cross River State remains sacrosanct”. Many party members have continued to chorus the wish that the ward and local government party executives list is a no go area.


Battle in governor’s territory

The battle against Ayade was taken to his senatorial zone, following the by-election that took place to replace Senator Rose Oko, who died last year. They had got wind of the fact that Ayade was scheming to put one of his appointees, Dr. Stephen Odey, forward, so that by 2023, he can easily give way for him (Ayade) to return to the Senate.

The opposing faction fielded Jerigbe, who is serving his second term in the House of Representatives. The party ended up having parallel congresses and recording many pre-election cases in court.

Eventually, Odey was announced as the winner of the December 5, last year’s by-election and he was subsequently sworn in.

But, that was not the end of the battle. Few days after Odey was sworn in, an Appeal Court judgment, concerning a pre-election matter was delivered, which ordered that Jerigbe is the rightful flag bearer. The judgment was not in the governor’s favour. Consequently, Odey had to seek the permission of the court to be joined in the suit as a party in the matter.

The litigants had kept him out, but the judgment affected his mandate in the Senate. He was eventually joined as a party to the matter before the Supreme Court. Unfortunately the Supreme Court struck out his appeal on technical grounds and, he did not have enough time to file another case. So, legal experts say the Appeal Court judgment in Jerigbe’s favour subsists and Odey has since remained embattled because Jerigbe is demanding to be sworn in as a senator at the National Assembly.

Pundits say the fact that Jerigbe has not been sworn in, following the judgment, is in the governor’s favour, because that would give and his protégé the advantage of waiting for the outcome of the election petition tribunal where the APC is challenging the declaration of the PDP on the basis that “they had no candidate that can be said to have participated in all levels of the election as expected by the electoral laws of the country”.

One of such pundits said: “If he is sworn in today and the next day the tribunal delivers a judgment that favours the APC’s argument, Jerigbe will be the biggest loser because he would have lost the seat he vacated in the House of Representatives as well as the Senate seat.”


PDP governors’ plea

Governors elected on the platform of the PDP have waded into the crisis, by making overtures to Governor Ayade to jettison his plans to defect to the APC.

Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammad came on the mission to appeal to Ayade. Bala gave Ayade some hope that something different will be done in his favour. He declared: “An injustice to Ayade is an injustice to Bala.”

Ayade warned the party by telling Mohammed that he was happy for the opportunity his visit had created.

“So, today I am seated and dancing on the fence. Indeed, that is true. I speak with righteous anger for the continuous annoyance and nuisance orchestrated on our innocent state by external factors, but I just hope that this ends today. I cannot turn a blind eye to the challenges of the PDP and decide not to do the right thing at the right time. I have always played politics with ethics, but in the course of time, I have realised that ethical politics is mistaken for weakness.”

After the Bauchi governor’s visit, nothing seems to have changed. Ayade is demanding a fresh congress at the ward and local government to produce a new grassroots’ structure for the party.

One of the two members supporting Ayade among the 11 members of the National Assembly from the state, Mike Etaba (who represents Obubra/Etung Constituency), said: “Governor Ben Ayade must be allowed to take charge in all levels as the leader of the party; anything less than that will not be accepted.”

The newly-elected chairmen and councillors have also drummed support for Ayade.

At a meeting organised by the PDP Governors’ Forum, which former Senate President Bukula Saraki and members of the National Assembly attended, attempts were made to settle the differences between the two warring factions. The Governors’ Forum also sent a delegation of three governors, led by its chairman, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, to discuss with Ayade. Tambuwal was accompanied by Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and his Enugu State counterpart, Governor Ifeanyi Uguwanyi.


Ayade’s dilemma

Many issues, supporters of Ayade insist, are making the reconciliation difficult. Etaba alleged that the National Working Committee (NWC), which is supposed to be an unbiased umpire, have not fulfilled its obligation as expected and its inability to handover the party structures to the governor as specified by the PDP constitution is questionable.

Ayade’s supporters also believe that in terms of the external influences, which the governor mentioned as one of the factors strengthening the opposition against him, is the fact that Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike is backing them.

Alphonsus Eba, one of Ayade’s supporters, said Governor Nyesom Wike should governance in his state and leave Cross River State alone. Wike is seen as the financial war chest for the PDP heading into 2023 and his influence in the decision taken at the national level of the PDP cannot be underestimated. There is no love lost relationship between Wike and Ayade. The Rivers governor has openly rebuked the governor for warning the PDP.

It will be difficult for Ayade to accept any overture that does not guarantee his 2023 interest. That interest is believed to include his ambition to return to the Senate after stepping down from the governorship seat. It also includes his prerogative to decide who his successor will be; the same way his predecessor chose him. Anything less than that means he and his supporters will lose out in the scheme of things.

The APC alternative for Ayade is also risky. The APC itself is also trying to reconcile warring factions in the chapter, after a long-drawn battle for the control of its structure in the state. Ayade’s entrance into the fold may spark another round of crisis, as party stakeholders may not be favourably disposed to him becoming the new party leader.

Assuming the APC hands over the leadership of the party to Ayade and also offers him the opportunity to contest the senatorial election in 2023, how easy will it be to uproot the PDP interest in his area? Pundits believe the only way Ayade can succeed in the scheme of things in the APC is for him to embrace consultative politics; a role he appears reluctant to play, hence he is having problems within the PDP.

There are insinuations that if the governor defects to the APC, the entrenched PDP interest in the state may be activated in the House of Assembly, to initiate impeachment proceedings against him. More so, it is believed that most of those currently supporting him may be willing to accompany him to the APC for obvious reasons.

Human rights groups working to address humanitarian crisis in the terrorism-infested region of Nigeria’s Northeast, have decried the continued “transactional sex” which they said was destroying both women and girls in various Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs). A report obtained by our correspondent from Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) in Abuja, revealed that both government officials, security agents and other camp managers have continued to subject both women and girls to sexual exploitation and abuses of varying degrees.

The report said that while these vulnerable women and girls narrowly escaped terrorists and killers of their loved ones, they have fallen into the hands of sexual predators, who now trade food for sex, with items meant to be distributed free of charge in the camps. According to the report, food items donated to the IDPs by government, international donor agencies, and humanitarian organisations were being hoarded and sometimes diverted by the camp managers.

It also stated that more worrisome was the fact that security agents detailed to protect the vulnerable people have also been severally fingered in this sordid situation, yet relevant government agencies have failed to show accountability, by thoroughly investigating and punishing the perpetrators of the sexual abuses.

It further revealed that even pregnant women have not been spared, as many of them are said to have been continuously raped in the presence of their helpless children. It was also learnt that both international and regional human rights bodies have, at different occasions, called on the Nigerian government to investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators, but nothing has been done.

“International and regional human rights bodies have urged Nigeria to investigate, prosecute, and punish perpetrators of alleged sexual exploitation, including transactional sex in IDPs. Food distribution was under the authority of males, creating the conditions for sexual abuse due to scarcity of food. “The government’s failure to respond to these violations has raised concerns that it has not prioritized its obligation to protect women and girls from SGBV or to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes,” the reports said.

U.S. Colonial Pipeline has paid a ransom close to $5million, about N2.043 billion to hackers, who disrupted its gas supply to America’s east coast.

According to Bloomberg, the company paid the Eastern European hackers on Friday, contradicting earlier reports that it did not plan to pay.

Colonial Pipeline paid in cryptocurrency that was not traceable just hours after the attack, two sources with knowledge on the matter told Bloomberg on Thursday morning.

Upon getting the payment, the hackers provided Colonial Pipeline with a decrypting tool to restore the hacked network, according to the sources.

The FBI believes that the crippling cyberattack was orchestrated by a Russia-based criminal group.

The company said it started resuming operations Wednesday evening and by Thursday morning, product was flowing to most of the markets it services.

An NGO, Action Group on Free Civic Space in Nigeria, has alleged that bodies of murdered victims by SARS operatives were sold to University Teaching Hospitals as cadavers for the teaching and practice of medicine in tertiary institutions.

The organisation made the call when it presented its report on alleged police misconduct to the Police Service Commission (PSC).

The notorious police unit, infamous for years of brutality and extra judicial killings was abruptly scrapped following historic #EndSARS protests that shook the country to its foundations last October. Peoples Gazette covered the protests extensively throughout its duration.

The spokesman of the police commission, Ikechukwu Ani, disclosed the group’s call in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Ani said the group, led by Zikora Ibe, submitted the report titled: “ENDSARS: Police Brutality, Protests and Shrinking Civic Space in Nigeria” to the commission on Monday.

Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, the commissioner representing the Judiciary in PSC, said the report was far reaching, adding that the commission would need to further investigate the allegations contained in it.

Mrs Ogunbiyi, who received the group on behalf of the commission, said the report contained serious allegations and information that would need to be verified.

She commended the group for a job well done, adding that the commission would continue to do its best to improve the workings of the Nigeria police.

The commissioner said the idea was to ensure that the force operated within defined rules and regulations and with respect to democratic tenets.

In her remark, Mrs Ibe said the report was to ensure that erring police officers of the dreaded SARS were held accountable.

She urged the National Human Rights Commission and the Enugu State Judicial Panel of Inquiry to ensure that officers and politicians named and identified by victims in the report were brought to justice.

“We demand that the capacity of oversight by the Complaints Response Unit (CRU), the PSC, Ministry of Police Affairs and the National Human Rights Commission, to enforce discipline in the police be strengthened,” she said.

(NAN)

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that one major cement manufacturing company in the country had agreed to slash the retail price of the product from N4,000 market price to N2,600 per bag for the construction of the Federal Government’s mass housing scheme.

Osnbajo, who disclosed that 24 states have already provided 2,000 hectares of land for the mass housing scheme, added that 17 others have indicated interest in the spa solar Power Naija program under the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP).

According to a release by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, these were some of the highlights emerging from a review meeting on the ESP implementation presided over by Vice President over the weekend.

According to him, companies Osinbajo negotiated with were Dangote Cement, Bua Cement and Lafarge Cement out of which at least one had agreed to slash the price.

By Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern

The suspension of the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, is causing ripples in the Presidency, The Nation can report.

Hadiza was asked to step aside on Thursday while an administrative panel examines the books of the organisation.

Although the Presidency which ordered the suspension gave no reason for its action, sources said it has to do with the alleged non-remittance of N165.3 billion surpluses of the NPA into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) by the suspended MD.

However, barely 48 hours after the announcement of the suspension, pressure is being piled on President Muhammadu Buhari by some stakeholders for the appointment of a co-chairman or alternate chairman for the probe panel.

Some governors who are pleading Hadiza’s case with the Presidency are said to have accused Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi of violating administrative procedure in getting the MD suspended and in the composition of the probe panel.

The stakeholders are also objecting to the appointment of all members of the panel coming from the Ministry of Transportation.

Following agitation for fairness, Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi was said to have approved a seven-man probe panel yesterday with three members from the ministry and the remaining four to be nominated by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Besides, supporters of the suspended Managing Director of NPA have rejected the choice of the agency’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Mohammed Kolo, as acting MD.

They want Kolo dropped and returned to his desk as Executive Director because he was a nominee of Amaechi.

It was learnt that Kolo was not affected by the shake-up because Procurement Unit has been relocated to the office of the Managing Director.

Read Also: Buhari approves panel to probe NPA MD Hadiza Usman

Sources said the division in the Presidency and government over the suspension of Hadiza stemmed from alleged support Hadiza enjoys from the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

It was Gambari who wrote a memo to Buhari for the renewal of the tenure of Hadiza as MD of NPA on January 21.

It was learnt that Gambari acted without any recommendation for renewal from the Transportation Minister or the supervising Minister of State, Senator Gbemisola Saraki.

A source in government however said the Chief of Staff only raised the memo in line with the prerogative of the President to make any appointment.

One source said appointment and reappointment of any public officer can be done directly by the President.

An angry Amaechi however protested to the President alleging that the Chief of Staff was usurping his (Amaechi’s) duties.

In retaliation, Amaechi also took his memo on the unremitted N165.3 billion surpluses and request for the auditing of NPA to the President without routing it through the Chief of Staff.

Although Gambari later conveyed the letter of suspension of Hadiza to Amaechi, a source said “it was a burden he could not resist because it was a presidential directive.”


Despite the cracks, Hadiza was battling for survival last night with clarifications that all audit certified surpluses were remitted into the CRF.

Buhari had suspended Hadiza through a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

The statement said the President also approved the recommendation of the Ministry of Transportation for the setting up of an Administrative Panel of Inquiry to investigate the management of the NPA.

It said the panel is to be headed by the Director, Maritime Services of the Ministry while the Deputy Director, Legal of the same ministry will serve as Secretary.

It said other members of the panel would be appointed by the minister.


Stakeholders kick over choice of panel chairman

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the choice of Auwal Suleiman as chairman of the administrative panel has not gone down well with some top government functionaries, ministry officials and stakeholders because he is a member of the board under probe.

Some forces in government are claiming that since it is an administrative panel, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation ought to have been mandated to select an experienced director outside the Ministry of Transportation to head the committee.

It was gathered that some stakeholders are demanding the appointment of an independent co-chairman or alternate chairman for fairness and justice.

Others claim that it would be unfair for all the members of the panel to come from the Ministry of Transportation.

A reliable source said: “In the last 48 hours, there were a lot of issues on the appointment of the chairman of the panel, the composition of the members and the need for a co-chairman or an alternate chairman.

“The ideal thing in the civil service is to direct the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to raise the administrative panel or to mandate the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to investigate issues surrounding the operating surpluses. Alternatively, the President can set up an independent probe panel.

“Some government officials said since Auwal Suleiman is a member of the board under Hadiza, it will not be right to sit in judgment on his own affairs. They said the ideal thing was to ask the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to raise such an administrative panel.

“But since the error came from the Villa, there was an agitation for the appointment of a co-chairman or an alternate chairman in case issues are raised against Auwal himself and in the interest of fairness and justice.

“We were on all these issues till the close of work on Friday. We could not agree on the composition of members.”

Findings revealed that Amaechi, who has insisted that he has no personal grudges against the MD of NPA, yesterday tried to douse the tension.

“The minister has approved a seven-man probe panel with three members from the Ministry of Transportation and four members to be nominated by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation,” a source said last night.

“Also, it has been agreed upon that one of the four nominees from the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation will be an alternate chairman or a co-chairman. This is to show that the minister is committed to a transparent investigation.

“I think members of the panel may be unveiled on Monday.”


Governors accuse Amaechi of impunity, want suspension quashed

Another battle raging last night was the move by some governors and sympathisers of the MD of NPA for the reversal of her suspension.

It was learnt that the affected governors, mostly from the North, had made representation to the Presidency on the need to “reverse the suspension and compel Amaechi to follow the right procedure as laid down in a policy approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

A northern governor said: “We are tired of impunity. We are appealing to the President to allow due disciplinary process instead of ambush. Hadiza ought to be queried and be subjected to all necessary disciplinary procedures and punishment meted out if found guilty.

“Some of us are angry that the way this issue has been handled, the MD’s image is already battered. We must toe the path of decency in treating public officers. We are not calling for a cover up but we want an end to the violation of procedures.

“Some governors, stakeholders and APC stalwarts are also concerned about the propriety of the Executive Director, Finance, Mohammed Kolo, being in office as acting MD while Hadiza is being investigated. If nothing is against Kolo, he should at best revert to his position in the interim.”

A source in NPA said: “What really happened was that at a point, Kolo was sidelined. In fact, at a stage, the Procurement Unit was transferred to the Office of the MD/CEO of NPA.

“The same way some procurement requests were taken to the Villa before the MD of NPA was directed to send all her requests through the Ministry of Transportation.

“Hadiza had no respect for the two ministers. She would not attend meetings convened by the ministers and she was not relating with even the Permanent Secretary of the ministry.”


Amaechi reports Gambari to Buhari

A reliable source said: “I think some forces in the Presidential Villa are also culpable. Apart from the fact that Hadiza was taking procurement requests directly to the Villa, her reappointment was handled by the Chief of Staff without the knowledge of the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, or the supervising Minister of State, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, who were her supervisors.

“The justification given was that it is the prerogative of the President to make all appointments and the Chief of Staff is merely an executor of a directive emanating from such a prerogative. They claimed that Gambari, a decent international civil servant, could not have acted alone.

“Disturbed by the development, Amaechi drew the attention of the President to the administrative lapse which led to the renewal of the appointment of Hadiza.”

It was however learnt that Amaechi also launched a counter-attack by sidelining the Chief of Staff when he wrote a memo to the President on the alleged “red flag” by the Budget Office of the Federation on the non-remittance of N165.3 billion operating surpluses by NPA between 2016 and 2020.

A highly-placed source said: “Instead of routing his memo on the need to investigate the finances of NPA through the Office of the Chief of Staff, Amaechi tucked his memo under his dress and went directly to the President. He was able to get instance approval.

“The Chief of Staff got the President’s approval and as an obedient officer, he conveyed the presidential approval to Amaechi. The execution of the approval led to the suspension of the MD of NPA.

“Although Hadiza got a leak of the request, it was too late to stop her suspension because it had been approved by the President.”


What we remitted as surplus, by Hadiza

Before her suspension, Hadiza had written a memo clarifying the situation on the operating surpluses.

She said contrary to insinuations, operating surpluses of 2017 and 2018 were paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) accounts of the Federation.

She urged the Chief of Staff to ask the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, who are the statutory custodian of status of payment to the CRF, to provide clarifications on the above so as to establish the true position of the Authority’s remittances to the CRF.

She gave the clarifications in a letter to the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari. The letter was dated May 5, 2021 and referenced MD/27/MF/VOL. XX/541.

The letter was entitled: “Re: Request for the record of remittance of operating surpluses to the consolidated revenue funds account, CFR by the NPA.”

She said in part: “This arose from a correspondence between the Budget Office of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Transportation where the Budget Office of the Federation conveyed to the FMoT an observed shortfall of the Authority’s remittances to the CRF.

“We wish to state that the Authority’s basis for arriving at the operating surplus in which basis the amount due for remittance to the CRF’s guided by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 as amended and further based on the statutory mandate Part 1, S. 3(1) (b) & (d) whereby the Fiscal Responsibility Commission issued a template for the computation of operating surplus for the purpose of calculating amount due for remittance to the CRF.

“Accordingly, the figures so provided by the Budget Office of the Federation as the operating surplus for the respective years on which basis they arrived at the shortfall are derived from submission of budgetary provision not the actual amounts derived following the statutory audit if the Authority’s financial statements.”

She said the 2017 and 2018 audited financial statements provide operating surpluses of N76.782 billion and N71.480 billion respectively contrary to the sums of N133.084 billion and N88.79 billion arrived at from the budgetary submission.

The suspended MD said by the template of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, the accessible operating surplus of the Authority stood at N51.09 billion and N42.51 billion for 2017 and 2018 respectively.

She said: “These amounts will give rise to a remittance due to the CRF in the sum of N40.873 billion and N34.065 billion representing 80 per cent of the surpluses for the years 2017 and 2018.

“Accordingly, the Authority consequently made a remittance of N42.415 billion and N33.969 billion for the years 2017 and 2018 respectively for the full amount required as remittance for the period.”

She gave insights into the remittances of 2019 and 2020.

She added: “But thus far, the Authority has made a remittance of N31.683 billion for the 2019 remittance while the sum of N51.049 billion has also thus far been remitted for 2020 while awaiting the audited financial statement to determine the final amount required for both 2019 and 2020 at which point the Authority will make the payment of the balance as required.”

“Based on the above, we wish to clarify the following:

The Authority’s computation of its remittances to the CRF are concluded arising from numbers from audited financial statements using the template forwarded to the Authority from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.

That the Authority has remitted the full amount due it to CFR for the periods 2017 and 2018 arising from the operating surplus derived from the Audited Financial Statement for the period totaling N76.384 billion.

That the Authority has remitted a total of N82.687 billion for the period 2019 and 2020 pending the audit of the financial statement at which point the amount so computed arising from the value of the Operating Surplus in the audited financial statement will be remitted to the CRF.”

Facts have emerged on how governors of various states of the federation cripple the 774 local governments in the country, denying them administrative and financial autonomy, thereby preventing them from discharging their constitutional duties.

Sunday Telegraph’s investigations indicated that governors literarily suffocate the councils, imposing candidates, dissolving elected council administrations, usurping their duties, choking them financially and running them as appendages of their offices.

Recall that the Supreme Court on Friday nullified the dissolution of elected local government chairmen carried out by the Governors of Oyo and Katsina states, and appointment of caretaker committees in their place, declaring it “illegal, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect,” directing that they be paid all their entitlements until the end of their tenure.

Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees the local government system through democratically elected local councils. Accordingly, every state government shall, subject to “Section 8 of the Constitution, ensure their existence under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils.”

While the Financial Intelligence Unit directed that state governors should never hold joint accounts with local governments but to ensure their autonomy, reports from various states of the federation indicate that the governors never honoured this leading to the paralysis of local governments.

The Chairman of NULGE in Ekiti State, Comrade Olatunde Olaseyi, said that governors view the local governments as extension of their wives’ kitchen, adding that this has impacted negatively on the development of the structure of the councils, stunted the growth of democracy and has left the masses holding the short end of the stick.

“The state governors’ bids to perpetuate illegalities, they impose their puppets on the councils, with the aim of subverting the process of government in order to satisfy their selfish desires. The overbearing attitude of the governors has affected developments at the grassroots and subsequently jeopardise democracy.”

He added that the respective State Independent Electoral Commission’s management of election at the state levels leaves much to be desired. “SIEC is a creation of the governor and he who pays the piper dictates the tune.

From experience, SIEC dances to the tune of the governor and appoints cronies of the governor and when they get there they would not be accountable to the people.” But All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman in Kwara State, Alhaji Tajudeen Aro, absolved the governors of blame, stating that a constitutional pointing fingers at a lacuna created by the 1999 Constitution.

“That Constitution that is still being operated completely removed the independence of the local governments by placing them directly under the state governments with ambiguous clauses that super imposed the state over the local government. Except if there is an amendment that allows the INEC to conduct local government elections, remove all laws that make local governments subservient to the state, the problems will persist,” he said.

The National President of NULGE, Comrade Akeem Olatunji Ambali, on his part demanded full political and financial autonomy for local governments, insisting that the success of Nigeria depends on the performance of the third tier of government.

Ambali who described the appointment of caretaker committees by governors as “illegal, unconstitutional and an aberration” and called for the scrapping of state electoral commissions, arguing that, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be in charge of local government elections.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of NULGE, Comrade Akeem Ambali, has described the Supreme Court judgment nullifying the sack of local government chairmen and councilors in Oyo and Kastina states as a step in the actualisation of local government autonomy in the country.

This came as the Mr. Abbas Aleshiloye, the chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), in Oyo State, one of those whose tenures were affected by the dissolution stated that the verdict represents victory for democracy.

Ambali insisted that no governor should have the ultimate power to sack democratically elected local government leadership in the country, and advised Governor Makinde not to go ahead with the local government election in the state scheduled for May 22, saying as a law abiding citizen, the governor should suspend the election for now.

Ambali said: “Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) hails the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. It is a judgment in affirmation local government as a tier of government; it is a judgment that upholds the tenets of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Section 7-1 (a) which guarantees democratically elected system of government at local government level.

“Our believe is that no tier of government is inferior to another and if the Federal Government has no power to directly sack the governors, a second tier of government from office, governors should have no right to sack democratically elected leadership at local government level.

“It is time now that if we are serious about having a positive democracy, a democracy that represents the sovereignty of the people because people have the political power to determine who leads them.

“No governor; no President has that ultimate power to impose their cronies on either local government or the state. That is why NULGE is in front agitation for the actualisation of local government autonomy, because once we have autonomy this is affirmation of political autonomy for local government.

“We believe that some of the key actors at local government level must also go ahead and approach various courts in the land to affirm that INEC must be the unbiased umpire that should conduct local government elections so that the elections in local governments should reflect the supreme will and the political aspiration of the people.”

He lamented that it was unfortunate that the governors and other state collaborators have stifled the development of the third tier of government by hijacking the funds and statutory functions of local governments. He said: “We see this as attempt to license pilfering and diversion of local government funds by governors and their collaborators.

The abysmal performance of local government system in Nigeria is occasioned by continuous rape of local government system by hijacking the political and the financial autonomy of local governments thereby crippling their performances,” he said.

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

A chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, has dared the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu to take him to court, if he was not corrupt.

He also challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to be bold enough to take Tinubu to court for corruption charges


George, a retired Commodore of the Nigerian Navy, said Tinubu had corruption cases hanging on his neck, calling on the EFCC to carry out an investigation into how the former Lagos Governor, allegedly stole over N34 billion through his company, Alpha Beta Consulting.

He spoke yesterday as a guest on Arise News ‘The Morning Show’ anchored by the trio of Dr. Reuben Abati, Tundun Abiola and Rufai Oseni and monitored by Prompt News.

The PDP chieftain, who once served as Military Governor of Ondo State, charged the EFCC Boss, Abdulrasheed Bawa, to be bold enough to reopen investigation into the Alpha Beta matter since the former managing director of the company, Oladapo Apara, had petitioned the anti-graft agency.

When reminded that he was making unsubstantiated allegations against the APC national leader and could be sued, the PDP chieftain retorted:

“Let us go to court so we both will be talking under oath. I am saying these allegations we have documents. EFCC has been investigating.

“The former managing director of Alpha Beta himself stated black and white how they have been siphoning the money of the Lagos state treasury…let him take me to court.

“We will go there, I will say my own and the papers will be there and let him defend himself. First of all, we want the original certificate of the University he claims he attended and exactly what is his own real name.

“Look, you want to get a clown to be your head, what you would breed would be a pool of clowns. We need people and there are people in this country. I am ready if he wants to take me to court.

“Bola Tinubu is an ‘Emperor’, God bless you if you are not part of his own line. You know what happened in the last election. Have you ever heard anywhere in the world where you have a bullion van on the day of election?

“Were they carrying food to his house? He was not arrested, he was not cocooned, he was not containerised and taken to the cooler.

“These are not things he had done in the dark..openly. So, why are you saying Bode George is this and all that, it is absolute nonsense,” he said.

It was jubilation galore as 27 kidnapped students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Kaduna were reunited with their families after 56 days in captivity.

Tears of joy flowed freely from both parents and their children. At about 3pm, the entire premises of the college, located along the Kaduna International Airport, opposite the Nigerian Defence Academy, erupted in jubilation as the students were being escorted by heavily-armed policemen in company with the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, and the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri.

Narrating their ordeal in the kidnappers’ den, one of the freed students, Zakariya Magaji, described the kidnappers’ den as hell, saying he would never wish the experience for his enemies.

“The bandits need prayers. All that we have to do is to pray for them for God to touch their hearts. As for me, I have forgiven them for whatever we went through in their hands. The experience was hell.”

‘We never had a bath’

A female student, Sarah Sunday, said she and her colleagues were subjected to all sorts of dehumanising conditions, including not being allowed to take a bath while in the bandits’ den.

Sunday said, “A lot of things happened while we were there. We were subjected to hunger. We were subjected to trekking and all sorts of dehumanising experiences. We were insulted but thankfully, they did not molest or kill any of us. They only beat us on the first day when they did a video of us.”

Asked if they were fed at all, Sunday said, “The boys used to go and fetch water for us to cook. We cooked tuwo with miyan kuka, and tuwo with dry okra. We only cooked rice once, and we cooked spaghetti once too.”

When asked whether the abductors used to leave them to go out for other operations, Sarah said, “Yes, they used to go out, but they always left some of their armed members to stay with us.

“Even our male colleagues who used to go and fetch water were always escorted to the stream by gang members bearing AK-47 rifles.

“Our living condition in the jungle was very bad. We never had a bath. We were exposed to the rain. Athough there was a hut that we always ran to hide whenever it was raining, still there was no escaping the rain because the hut was poorly built. But we have forgiven our kidnappers. And we pray that God will give them the chance to change for the better.”
‘Bandits said our abduction was to get govt’s attention

Also speaking, a freed student, Pamela Ibrahim, said the bandits said their grouse was with the government and vowed to unleash hell on Kaduna State.

Ibrahim said, “Before they released us, the kidnappers told us that they didn’t have anything against us (students). They said they kidnapped us because they needed the government to settle things with them and that they also wanted to be educated like other Nigerians. They need work and houses too.

“They said if the government doesn’t settle with them, they would continue to make sure that Kaduna State is unsafe. They said they meant it. Some of them are Nigerians, others are foreigners. They spoke mainly Fulani (language) and Hausa.

“There was an old man among them who prevented others from harassing us and anytime he was not around, we were beaten and insulted.”

In a jubilant mood, one of the parents, Ibrahim Hassan, said he was glad that his daughter was freed few days to her elder sister’s wedding.

Hassan said, “I was confused; my life was miserable throughout the time my daughter was with the kidnappers. I only depended on God.

“When I heard that some of the students of Greenfield University were killed, I became sad thinking that I would never see my daughter again but when I learnt they had been released, my joy knew no bounds, especially as her elder sister’s wedding comes up in Zaria tomorrow (Saturday). It is double joy for me.”

Another parent, Mr Friday Sanni, said before he could allow his two daughters – Victory and Rejoice – to return to the college, he must be assured of adequate security in the school.

Sanni said, “The truth remains that if my children must come back here, I must be sure that there is a serious security structure on the ground, that this kind of incident will not happen again.

“If in few months’ time nothing serious is on the ground, I will move my children out, because they are too dear to me.

“The first one will be 20 years old by September while the second one will be 18 by November. They are too dear to me to lose and I will not want this kind of experience again. I have never experienced this kind of situation before in my life.”

Speaking, the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri, said the freed students had undergone medical tests and were fit to be reunited with their parents.

“As we speak, the victims are all clinically stable,” he said.

He urged the students not to allow their ordeal to discourage them from pursuing their education.

Speaking on the process leading to their release, Muri said, “The federal and the state governments as well as the acting Inspector-General of Police, the state police command, the military and other sister security agencies adopted the best modus operandi at our disposal and 10 of the students were first released on April 5 and 8 in two batches.

“With this sustained effort, the remaining 27 kidnapped students were subsequently released to the command on May 5, at about 4.10pm without any casualty.”

The police commissioner said concerted efforts were being made to also secure the release of the abducted students of Greenfield University, who had been in captivity since April 20.

The Provost of the college, Dr Muhammad Bello, who received the students, appreciated all those involved in the process to get the students released.

“You should not be discouraged from pursuing your dreams,” Bello told the students.

The Federal Government is proceeding very fast with the establishment of the much awaited national carrier as the government has selected a preferred partner as they are at the final stage of Full Business Scale (FBS). The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, is, however, keeping the preferred bidder close to his chest. While Egypt Air is partnering Ghana to set up a low cost airline and by extension a national airline for the West African country, Qatar Air is investing heavily in RwandAir by investing in their airport and the East African airline. Qatar Air is equally in talks with Air Côte d’Ivoire with plans to make the country a hub for the carrier in West Africa.

This is coming as the government’s multi-million dollar aircraft Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) is also coming on stream. The proposed independent MRO facility in Nigeria will serve the maintenance demands of airlines in West and Central Africa and also provide maintenance for national carrier and African leasing company. Sirika, who spoke on the facility, said the MRO would be structured as a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) model with government acting as both the grantor of the concession and facilitator of the project, while the private partner consortium would be responsible for designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the proposed facility for an agreed con-cession period.

The establishment of aircraft maintenance facilities in Nigeria could help airlines repair their aircraft in Nigeria and save the country a whopping $117 million on aircraft offshore maintenance yearly. On the average, Nigerian airlines pay at least $2.8 million for C-Checks of aircraft while their competitors could carry out such maintenance for a mere $500, 000, adding that insurance premiums paid on aircraft is quadruple of what legacy airlines pay around the world. The C-Check is performed approximately every 20–24 months or a specific amount of actual flight hours (FH) or as defined by the manufacturer.

This maintenance check is much more extensive than a B check, requiring a large majority of the aircraft’s components to be inspected. Sirika noted that the proposed independent MRO facility in Nigeria will serve the maintenance demands of airlines in West and Central Africa and also provide maintenance for national carrier and African leasing company.

Speaking on the preferred partner for the soon-to-be-established national airline, the minister stated that the establishment of a national carrier would enable Nigeria gain optimal benefits from Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) if the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) introduce competition, leading to competitive fares and better services as well generate employments. The minister said the project development phase has been completed with the development of the Outline Business Case (OBC) and subsequent issuance compliance certificate by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

Fresh crisis is rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the alleged rift between Senate Pres­ident, Ahmad Lawan, and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, who is also the Chairman, Caretaker/Ex­traordinary Convention Committee of the party.

Credible sources said the desire of both men to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 was responsible for the strained relation­ship between the two gladiators who are both from Yobe State.

Daily Independent had earlier re­ported that Lawan, who represents Yobe North Senatorial District in the Senate, nominated Buni, a former National Secretary of APC, for the position of Caretaker Chairman af­ter the dissolution of the Adams Os­hiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) by the National Executive Commit­tee (NEC) of the party. ­

It was gathered then that Lawan, by virtue of his po­sition as the president of the 9th Senate, is interested in succeeding President Buhari in 2023 if the APC decides to zone the ticket to the North as being canvassed in some quarters.

Sources also said that Buni’s nomination as the caretaker committee chair­man has put Lawan in a strong position as one of the major contenders for the presidential ticket of the APC. Lawan, however, denied that he was interested in the pres­idency but focused on his role as Nigeria’s number three cit­izen.

A leading figure in the par­ty told Daily Independent on Tuesday that both men are not on speaking terms owing to Buni’s interest in the pres­idential race.

According to him, Lawan is peeved that Buni is using his position as the APC Care­taker Chairman to garner support for himself ahead of the presidential primary of the party.

“Yes, like I informed you earlier, Lawan nominated Buni, the governor of his state, for the chairmanship position of the APC with the hope that it will give him an edge if the party zones the ticket to the North. But now, both men are not on speak­ing terms because the Senate President has realised that Buni is also interested in the presidency.

“There is a general belief that Buni is also eyeing the presidency in 2023 and he has been using his position as the caretaker chairman to his advantage. I think that is why some northern powerbrokers are talking of throwing the ticket open for all intending aspirants instead of zoning it to the South”, he said.

When contacted, an aide of Buni, who asked not to be named, said the rumour of a rift between his principal and the Senate President is the handiwork of detractors who are seeking to cause confusion in the APC in or­der to advance their selfish agenda.

According to him, the two leaders have been working harmoniously and were to­gether in Kano and Sokoto on condolence visits to the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, on the death of his mother, Hajiya Maryam Ado Bayero, and the Magajin Garin Soko­to, Alhaji Hassan Danbaba, over the demise of his moth­er, Hajiya Aishatu Ahmadu Bello.

“Kindly disregard the report. There is no crisis be­tween Governor Buni and Dr. Lawan. The report is just the handiwork of mischief mak­ers who are unhappy with the peaceful atmosphere in the APC and are spreading false news, crying wolf where there is none.

“Both men went on condo­lence visits to Kano and Soko­to last week from Abuja. I was at the airport and I saw them chatting together before they departed. Can they do that if they were not on speaking terms as they claimed?” he asked.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has alleged that former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan persecuted him because they saw him as a threat.

In an interview with The Point, El-Rufai said while Yar’Adua humiliated him because he felt ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo was considering him as his successor, Jonathan persecuted him because he believed he was a threat to his second term.

Obasanjo was president between 1999 and 2007 and El-Rufai served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Yar’Adua was governor of Katsina State when Jonathan was deputy governor of Bayelsa State.

Yar’Adua later succeeded Obasanjo with Jonathan as his deputy. Upon the death of Yar’Adua on May 5, 2010, Jonathan took over as president.

In the interview, El-Rufai said while Yar’Adua started the persecution, Jonathan continued with it.

“Jonathan was convinced by his own circle too that I was a threat and that if he was going for a second term of office, he had to take me out of the race. And so, Jonathan continued the persecution that Yar’adua started.”

“I have been associated with running for President, as I said, since 2005, 2006, about 15 years. I’ve suffered for this, I’ve even been exiled for it and Jonathan tried to put me in prison for it.

“My name being mentioned with regard to presidential aspiration has been on since 2006, since I was running the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. People were speculating that the then President Olusegun Obasanjo was preparing to hand over to me. It was part of the reasons I was exiled. Late President Yar’adua was told, according to those around him, that Obasanjo shortlisted two names to succeed him – Yar’Adua’s name and mine. It was totally false.

“But Yar’adua believed that, and he thought that I was a threat, and all the hullabaloo, lies and persecution that got me exiled for 23 months were as a result of that.”

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party says the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is known for overthrowing democratically elected governments.

It also described the allegation by the Presidency that some Nigerians were plotting a forceful and undemocratic change of leadership, as a resort to blackmail in the face of failure.

In a statement on Tuesday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said that the Buhari government and the ruling All Progressives Congress should live up to the responsibilities of office rather than “engage in frivolous allegations against Nigerians”.

The statement was titled, ‘You’re Haunted By Your Own Shadows, PDP Tells Buhari Presidency, APC’.

It partly read, “It is however imperative to state that the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress are being haunted by their own shadows as Nigerians know the persons as well as the political party with the history and penchant to scuttle democratically elected government.

“Perhaps, the Presidency has forgotten that in 1983, Brigadier Muhammadu Buhari, as he was then known, led a military coup to truncate a democratically elected government thereby causing our nation a huge drawback on democratic governance.

“Also, in 2015, the APC, which was hurriedly formulated, made itself available as a vehicle of brigandage to disrupt our political process by beguiling Nigerians and taking power through violence, propaganda and falsehood.

“Even in 2019, Nigerians will be quick to remember how the APC imported bandits, vandals and thugs from neighboring countries, as political mercenaries, to unleash violence, disrupt our voting processes and muscle itself to power.

“The PDP therefore counsels the Buhari Presidency and the APC to look inwards as all fingers toward any possible plots to upturn our democracy point to them.

“Our party believes that the statement by the Buhari Presidency is an attempt by the APC to heighten political tension in our country ahead of the 2023 election, having realized that they cannot face the people at the polls.”

The PDP, however, advised the APC to know that such blackmail against Nigerians cannot help their cause.

“For us in the PDP, our party will remain undeterred, alongside other patriotic Nigerians, in our commitment towards the sustenance and stability of our democracy as well as the unity and corporate existence of our country, Nigeria,” the party added.

The Lagos State Government has said 89 men reported that they were battered by their wives in cases of domestic violence between 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Cecilia Bolaji Dada, stated this on Tuesday at a ministerial news conference to mark the second year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in office, held in Ikeja, Lagos.

The commissioner said, in 2020, a total of 46 men reported at the ministry that their wives violated them.

She added that in the first quarter of 2021, a total of 43 men reported battering by their wives, making it a total of 89 in less than two years.

She said the figure captured only cases reported to WAPA and that some cases had been reported directly to the Ministry of Justice and police station which the ministry might not be aware of.

Dada, however, disclosed that a total of 664 women were battered by their husbands in Lagos in the past year, according to cases reported at WAPA.

Giving a breakdown, the commissioner said 378 women were violated by their husbands in 2020, while 286 women were battered by their husbands in the first quarter of 2021.

Dada disclosed that empowerment initiatives and Poverty Alleviation Programmes of the ministry has impacted the lives of over 48,000 residents of the state in the last two years.

She said WAPA would also start exposing its trainees to the use of technology and also enlighten women on newer practices in vocational training, considering the effects of COVID-19 and the need to adapt to the new normal within the digital space.

She said: “In view of this, there will be a training of 500 women on entrepreneurial and digital marketing techniques come June 2021, as part of plans to mark this year’s International Widows Day.”

“In addition, WAPA is equally expanding the scope of activities with a view to creating more avenues for our women to leverage on a professional platform. That is why 5,780 participants were incorporated into our Mega Empowerment initiative so that through their productivity, they can also contribute to the increase in GDP of Lagos State."

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna



A group, Katsina State Youths Network (KSYN) for Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki Presidency, has formally endorsed the former Senate President for the 2023 presidential race on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna, the group’s leader, Abubakar Nuhu Adam, said the endorsement of Saraki was done in Daura, the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari, as a sign of “politics without bitterness.”

It reads in part: “We are here today to inaugurate the Katsina State youth endorsement of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki as presidential candidate under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We started with Daura zone and we shall, Insha Allah, (God’s grace) expand the movement to the remaining two zones of Katsina and Funtua respectively. In the nearest future we shall open our head office in Katsina metropolis.

“Therefore, we the Katsina State Youth Network for Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki have endorsed him to be our presidential bearer on the platform of our great party, (PDP).”

One of Nigeria’s top tier lenders, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), has disengaged three Executive Directors and six General Managers, in a shakeup exercise aimed at paving the way for the emergence of Miriam Olusanya as the next Managing Director/Chief Executive of the bank under a Holding Company (Holdco) structure, New Telegraphhas learnt.

Already, these changes, which are expected to take effect by end of this month – May 31, 2021, had triggered the resignation of Bolaji Lawal (ED in charge of Digital Banking) and Segun Fadahunsi, (GM, Systems and Control). Authoritative sources told this newspaper yesterday that three of its five Executive Directors, Bolaji Lawal, Jide Okunola and Ademola Odeyemi, were asked to retire. Also asked to leave were six of the lender’s nine

General Managers, who are said to be seniors to the MD designate. Four of the affected GMs are, George Uwakwe – GM Risk, Femi Akerewusi – GM Corporate Bank, Lagos Mainland, Segun Fadahunsi – GM Systems and Control Division and Subuola Abraham – Chief Compliance Officer.

The two others were still unknown as at the time of filing this report. Amongst the criteria used was that all the GMs above the age of 45 should resign. Besides, New Telegraph gathered that, as part of restructuring process, the lender has made new senior level appointments.

Those appointed include, John Thomas – MD West Africa, Bayo Vera Cruz – MD East Africa, Angela Koech – Regional CFO East Africa, Caleb Osei – Regional CFO West Africa, Olumide Oguntuase – Divisional Head ERM and Olayinka Odusote – Divisional head Digital banking.

Others are Osa Aimerioghene – CCO Compliance group, Muinat Lanre Kasim – Divisional Head Syscom and Ijeoma Esemudje – Divisional Head, Corporate bank / Mainland / Agric. Attempts by New Telegraph to get the bank’s reaction were not successful.

According to the sources, however, the new appointments follow the conclusion of a selection process that started about eight months ago to choose a successor to the current Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Segun Agbaje, who would be retiring from the bank, after serving 10 years having been appointed MD/CEO in 2011.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) tenure limit for bank CEOs is a maximum of 10 years. Speaking on the bank’s succession plan during the lender’s half-year 2020 investor call in September last year, Agbaje had said: “What we are looking for now is a Managing Director for Guaranty Trust Bank Nigeria.

The process has started and I have always told people that we have five Executive Directors and so all of them are going through a process at the moment.

“We are working with a consulting firm in the United Kingdom. We are looking at what we think the future would hold and what we think the Nigerian banking industry would look like.

“At the end of the process which would end at the beginning of the fourth quarter we will have a Managing Director for GTBank Nigeria. So, we are on track.

So, succession in GTBank Nigeria is well under control.” New Telegraph learnt that with the United Kingdom consulting firm having completed its assignment, the bank is only waiting for regulatory approval before announcing Miriam Olusanya as successor to Agbaje.

The name of the incoming MD/CEO, Mrs. Miriam Chidiebele Olusanya, might not ring a bell, but she is one of the top ladies calling the shot at GTBank. With her wealth of experience and expertise of over 20 years in financial related issues, financial risk management, transaction services, Treasury, Assets and Liability Management, Corporate Finance and Wholesale Banking, she has carved a niche for herself thereby steadily rising with an intimidating resume.

She bagged a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from the Premier University of Ibadan, 1995 and a Master of Business Administration (Finance and Accounting) from the University of Liverpool in 2011. Analysts, however, believe that filling Agbaje’s shoes could be a tough task for his successor. In his 10 years as MD/ CEO, he transformed.

The minister spoke on Sunday when he featured on the current affairs programme of Channels Television, Sunday Politics.

Workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress have called on the state governors to fully implement the N30,000 minimum wage approved by the Federal Government.

The workers, who spoke on Saturday at separate events held across the country to mark the International Workers’ Day, said the new minimum wage was not only their rights, but also non-negotiable.

The anchor, Seun Okinbaloye, who noted that while the move by the House of Representatives to move the issue of minimum wage from the Exclusive legislative list to the Concurrent list was still being debated, asked about the sanctions being proposed for states who have yet to implement the minimum wage.

Ngige said, “Why not? Did you read the Act well? If you read it, you will see the applicability of the Act. The applicability in Section 2 says ‘all parts of the country’…it is there. Section 3 also says (that) ‘N30,000 shall be paid’ – the operating word there is SHALL; it does not give you a room for picking and choosing, it is a must.

“The state governments that are not paying, they are breaching the law of the land. They are breaching the law.”

Responding to a question on what his ministry was doing about non-payment by states, Ngige said, “Don’t worry. You will see what I will do. That is why I said go and read that law.”

The minister added, “This minimum wage is different from a CBA – Collective Bargaining Agreement. This is a national law that says what you will pay…that you will always pay employees – workers – in your establishment. State governments are employers. Private sector people – UAC, banks and the rest if them – are private employers. But all of them are in this basket. They are caught in the web of this law, until it is repealed.

“For today, any state government or employer that goes and renegotiate the minimum wage like some of them are doing; their (labour) unions, they are running afoul of the law.”

Asked again what he was going to do, the minister said, “I’m already negotiating with the Attorney General of the Federation. The law permits me to take them to court. It is there in the law. I can take any employer to court. If governors have immunity (from criminal prosecution), I can decide to start from the Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service and go down to members of the State Executive Council; take them all to court. I can. I don’t need any permission.”