₦airaland Forum

A businesswoman , Ejioma , on Monday told an Ojo Magistrates ’ Court how she paid back “ in kind ” part of N 1 .1 million loan she allegedly took from a man.

The defendant, a trader who sells bags of rice , pleaded not guilty to two counts of obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.

The defendant, who spoke in pidgin English , told the court that the said loan was obtained after a friend introduced her to the complainant .

She said that although she was given the loan, she also delivered some bags of rice to the complainant with an understanding to pay up the balance .

Besides, the defendant informed the court that even before she was given the loan by the complainant , she had to pay him “ in kind ” on three different occasions in a hotel .

The Prosecutor , Mr Simon Uche, had earlier told the court that the defendant obtained a loan of N 1 .1 million for rice business from one Emma, a businessman, with a promise to pay back the money in six months .

The prosecutor said that the woman refused to pay up the loan and had been evasive since then.
He said that the offences contravened Sections 287 and 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 .

The Magistrate , Mr A .A Adesanya , granted the defendant N 250, 000 bail with two sureties in like sum .

He adjourned the case until December 9 for mention .

By Uchenna Inya,



A man, whose name was given as Kelechi Nwigbo from Akahufu Ekpaomaka

in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, was at the weekend was said to have been struck dead by thunder in his hotel room.

The incident occurred at Mark Doris Hotel in Eke Market Afikpo, Afipko North Local Government Area of the state.

Nwigbo, who based in Germany, had checked into the hotel with instructions that nobody should disturb him, but after four days, the hotel management started perceiving an offensive odour from his room and immediately alerted police in Afikpo.

When police officers broke into the room, the man was seen carrying a calabash with some money inside and with white cloth material on his head and waist.

Workers in the hotel told our correspondent that the hotel management had heard the thunder strike from his window but because the guest had instructed that nobody should come to his room unless he called the hotel’s attention, they did not borther going to check on him.

It was learnt that the last time he returned to Nigeria was in 2017 and that the family was not aware of his presence in the country let alone being in Afikpo after 13 years.

Chuks Okocha in Abuja




Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to use the state judiciary to disqualify its governorship candidate, Musa Wada by ensuring that his name does not appear on the ballot papers.

The plot, PDP said through a statement signed by Faruk Adejoh Audu, the Head of the Muda Audu Campaigns in the state, named both the state government and the PDP Vice Chairman Ogugu Ward 3, Olamaboro Local Government Area, Mr. John Abraham as the main culprits.

The party said that the Kogi State government, and the All Progressives Congresses (APC) have perfected plans to use the Kogi State judiciary to disqualify Audu for the violence that took place during the PDP governorship primary election that resulted in one death and injuries to many in the state.

PDP in Kogi state said that the pliant ward chairman of PDP, Mr. Edward Onoja, who is from the same local government area with the running mate of Governor Yahaya Bello, was induced with the sum of N20 million to agree to be used as a litigant to undermine the primaries of the PDP.

“As at the time of the conversation, this rural PDP executive member of humble means has already been generously given the sum of one million to meet four lawyers including a Senior Advocate of Nigerian(SAN) hired by Bello’s government to execute their atrocious plot. We challenge the outgoing government to deny these revelations.

“We heard of this plot immediately it was hatched and expected that they will go to court and serve us with the processes to enable us join issues immediately, but it’s now obvious that there’s a sinister twist to even this craven process because whilst there’s been reports of the suit in the media since almost three weeks ago, we have neither been served nor have we been able to confirm in what court it was instituted or if it was instituted at all”.

PDP in the state further stated that the Bello campaign has continued to boast and threaten that the PDP will not have a candidate at the polls until the court has decided.

According to the statement from PDP in the state, “the latest of these threats was the one uttered by the campaign Director General, Former Senator Representing Kogi West District, Mr. Smart Adeyemi at a press conference in Lokoja on Friday.

“This is the third time Mr. Adeyemi is openly bragging that the PDP candidate will be excluded from the ballot because its primaries were flawed. Before him, Mr Bello’s running mate had equally bragged in a WhatsApp chatroom that the PDP will have no candidate because the primaries were inconclusive.

“The lynchpin of their desperate confidence is based on the sporadic gun attack on the venue of the primaries when the process was drawing to a close.

“If anyone ever doubted those behind the criminal attack which took place unchallenged in the presence of security agencies and less than half a kilometre from the Kogi State Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adeyemi and Mr. Onoja seem to have not only confirmed the involvement of the outgoing government but they have also betrayed the motive of the vicious gun attack”, PDP stated.

PDP said that the attack was to prevent the Kogi PDP from presenting a candidate because the window for primaries in INEC timetable ended on September 5, a date which would have been impossible for the party to plan and hold another primaries if their gun attack had been successful in aborting the process.

PDP said, “rather than hide their face in shame for this failed criminal act, the desperate APC lords of violence have been unwittingly advertising their culpability in the dastard enterprise. What is unfolding from the gun attacks, to the clandestine litigation, the bravado of Mr. Adeyemi and Mr. Onoja declaring inconclusive a process certified even by INEC is a clear picture of a very petrified candidate Yahaya Bello who having squandered his tenure inflicting poverty, hunger and violence on the people and attracted ill-will is now desperate to use subterfuge to eliminate every viable opponent from the ballot,” PDP explained.

If Aisha Buhari was banking on the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder, she may need to hear another which goes, out of sight is out of mind.

The First Lady has not only been conspicuously silent from national discourse for a long time, she has also been far from her husband’s side in recent times.

As her days of disappearance lengthened, the number of theories that sought to explain her new-found public reticence grew more plentiful and absurd.

Aisha used to be visible on the social radar up until last June when she went on a holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Since then, she faded from the scene. While many folks showed genuine concern, others used the development as material for jokes about being stuck in the other room.

Some claimed that the woman who routinely makes splashes by speaking out against areas of her husband’s rule she disagrees with has finally been silenced.

This camp averred that the president finally had enough of her public insubordination and wielded his manly rights as the head of the home to land a fiat of silence on her head.

Another camp, seen most commonly on social media, argued that Aisha herself must have caught a sudden change of heart and truncated her one-woman crusade against bad governance before it ever really got going. While both camps argued back and fought on the matter, neither Aisha nor her retinue of advisers and hangers-on seemed interested in shedding light on what she has been up to. But now reports have surfaced (whisper it silently) of intense moves by her kinsmen and those who have her husband’s ears, to marry a new wife for the President since she left the Villa.

If she values her man and her position as First Lady, it would be wise for her to become visible and stay by the President before a new occupant takes over the ‘other room’. This may have prompted her recent tweet on the occasion of Nigeria’s Independence Day celebrations, her first since August.

Ife Ogunfuwa and Tunde Ajaja



Telecom subscribers in the country are likely to pay an additional N 261 . 18 bn on voice calls , short message service and data in one year if the Senate passes the proposed Communications Service Bill into law .

The bill , sponsored by Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South , aims to charge nine per cent on communication services and pay - per -view TV services .

Ndume noted that the bill , which had passed the first reading at the upper chamber of the National Assembly , would impose levies on electronic communication services like voice calls , SMS , data usage – both from telecommunication services providers and Internet service providers and pay -per - view TV services .

Meanwhile, network operators under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria pointed out that the proposed nine per cent tax would make communication expensive and in turn make life difficult for the average Nigerians .

The Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said communication was presently one of the most affordable basic needs of Nigerians but cautioned that the proposed increase was offensive and would make it inaccessible to many .

In fact , the bill specifically stipulated that the subscribers would be liable for the payment of the tax .

Section 2 of the bill reads , “ The tax shall be paid together with the Electronic Communication Service charge payable to the service provider by the consumer of the service .

“ The tax is due and payable on any supply of Electronic Communication Service within the time period specified under sub -clause ( 5 ) of whether or not the person making the supply is permitted or authorised to provide Electronic Communication Services .”

The latest monthly subscribers ’ data obtained from the Nigerian Communications Commission indicated that the number of active subscribers to mobile services in Nigeria through the four network operators stood at 176 .62 million as of August 2019 .

MTN leads the industry with 65 .71 million active subscribers , followed by Airtel with 47 . 92 million , Globacom has 47 .27 million , 9 mobile has 15 .6 million and Visafone spectrum owned by MTN has 119 ,386 customers.

According to the data obtained from the NCC , in the year ended December 2018 , the total outgoing mobile -to -mobile minutes of calls from MTN , Globacom, Airtel , 9 mobile , Smile and Ntel was 114 .20 billion minutes .
SUNDAY PUNCH ’s analysis , however , showed that at an average of N 24 per minute , offered by the network operators , subscribers in the country spent N 2 . 74 tn on calls within one year .

But, with an additional nine per cent tax on voice calls , if the bill is passed into law , subscribers may have to spend about N 246 .67 bn more on voice calls only, because according to analysts , operators would eventually pass the increase to the final consumers.

The analysis showed that MTN subscribers may have to pay N 29 . 43 as against N 27 / min ; 9 mobile subscribers may have to pay N 32 .7 / min as against N 30 / min ; Airtel users may have to pay N 32 . 7 as against N 30 / min , and Glo subscribers may have to pay N 7 .2 / min as against N 6 . 6 / min .

The 2018 industry data from the NCC showed that the total volume of SMS sent in the year ended December 2018 was 9 ,565 , 167, 407 , which implied that subscribers paid N 38 .26 bn for SMS in the 12 months , at N 4 per SMS .

With an additional nine per cent tax on SMS , subscribers will spend about N 3. 44 bn more on messages as the unit cost of SMS could rise to N 4 .36 to enable network operators to remit the nine per cent tax to the government .

Also, NCC statistics showed the total number of international SMS sent through the four mobile network operators , including Smile and Ntel , in the previous year was 51 ,534 , 609.

At N 15 / international SMS , subscribers , therefore , spent N 773 .02 m . Thus , if the nine per cent tax is imposed on international SMS , subscribers are likely to pay N 69 .57 m more as the tariff could rise to N 16 . 35 per international SMS .

Industry data also indicated that 188 ,012 , 210 outgoing mobile roaming minutes were recorded in the previous year , at an average of N 288 per minute , which was responsible for the N 54 . 15 bn subscribers spent on roaming the previous year .

With a nine per cent tax , the international call tariff may rise to an average of N 314 per minute to make allowance for the nine per cent tax the network operators would remit to the government . Thus , subscribers may likely spend about N 4 . 87 bn more on international calls .

In terms of data , the total volume of data consumed by subscribers in the year ended December 2018 was 68 ,154 . 12 terabytes . This indicated that subscribers spent N 68 .15 bn on data services last year , at an average of N 1, 000 per gigabyte of data .

Thus , if the proposed nine per cent tax is implemented, subscribers would pay additional N 6 .13 bn , on data .

As of August 2019 , the telecom industry has a total of 122 . 59 million active mobile Internet users from the four mobile network operators .
MTN also leads with 51 .6 million Internet users, followed by Airtel with 32 .75 million Internet subscribers . Globacom has 29 . 52 million mobile Internet customers on its network ; 9 mobile has 8 .63 million while subscribers on Visafone spectrum belonging to MTN amounted to 83 ,482 .


Operators react

Speaking on the planned increase , the ALTON chairman said , “ The bill is badly intended for the industry at a time when we are talking about the availability and accessibility to telecom services .
“ If that bill is allowed to be passed into law , it will deny people access to these services and reduce the value of their recharge. Also, the terms of the bill , which we haven ’t seen , may lead to significant compromise of people ’s privacy because the way by which the collection of the money will be made may require the government to have access to the servers of the operators . ”

Adebayo, therefore , called on the Senate to reconsider the proposed tax , adding that it was contrary to the purpose for which they were elected to office.

The President , Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria , Olusola Teniola , also urged the government to consider a reduction in the cost of governance , instead of imposing the tax .

He expressed concern that the CST Bill , which was copied from Ghana, was being promoted at the National Assembly without due consultation with all stakeholders in the telecom and ICT sectors .

He said, “ The levy will be either inclusive of the tariff or it will be added on every recharge. It will also apply to subscribers of pay -per -view TV . This tax will have a serious impact on spending because the people who ordinarily have been able to afford services will no longer be able to because it will be more expensive .

“ It will have a ripple effect on the economy, Gross Domestic Product and telecom revenue . Productivity will reduce because it will be more expensive to make calls and enjoy other communication services . Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of taxes paid . This is just another additional burden on consumers. It is totally wrong. ”

Speaking on the impact on the subscribers , the President , National Association of Telecoms Subscribers , Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, condemned the proposed tax , noting that it would impoverish more Nigerians and increase the rate of unemployment in the country .
He said, “ It will impoverish Nigerians . Did you know that on every recharge card that you buy , you pay five per cent Value Added Tax on it already?

“ There are so many taxes being paid by the telecom companies . These taxes are about N 450 bn annually, apart from the VAT. Why does anyone in Nigeria want to introduce additional taxes in a sector that is bedevilled by multiple taxes ?”

Also speaking on the bill , The President , Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce , Industry , Mines and Agriculture, Alhaja Saratu Aliyu, said even though the association understood government ’ s need to boost internally generated revenue to fund the budget, the economic growth rate was still too fragile .

She added , “ Government should abstain from any policy that will negatively affect the production capacity of the economy at the risk of another recession . It is our position that an increase in tax rate ( VAT , communication or otherwise) will negatively impact cost of production , price levels and consumption levels.
“ We advocate that all policies to increase IGR be focused on widening the tax net or increasing the tax base, increasing production by increasing employment while maintaining current tax rates . We advocate that all policies to increase IGR be focused on widening the tax net as being done by the FIRS .”


Why tax bill is essential – Senate

Ndume had said the bill was to provide for Communication Service Tax as a veritable tool for economic diversification and for related matters .

Speaking to journalists during the week , he said the tax would encourage wealth distribution in ways that would not affect the ordinary citizens, noting that the proposed increase in Value Added Tax by the government would have a negative effect on the economy as it would not only affect the prices of goods and services but take them beyond the reach of the common man.

Meanwhile, section 1 of the bill reads , “ There shall be imposed , charged , payable and collected a monthly Communication Service Tax to be levied on charges payable by a user of an Electronic Communication Service other than private Electronic Communication Services.

“ The tax shall be levied on Electronic Communication Services supplied by service providers . For the purpose of this clause , the supply of any form of recharges shall be considered as a charge for usage of Electronic Communication Service .

“ The tax shall be levied on the following Electronic Communication Services : ( a ) Voice Calls ; ( b ) SMS ; ( c) MMS ; ( d ) Data usage both from Telecommunication Services Providers and Internet Service Providers ; ( e) Pay -per - View TV stations , etc . ”

Friday Olokor , Abuja



Nigeria and South Africa have reached an agreement on issuing 10 years visas to businessmen , academics and frequent travelers .

The decision was a followup to the successful conclusion of the 9 th Bi-National Commission of South Africa and Nigeria meeting in Pretoria , South Africa , which was elevated to the level of heads of state of both countries .

A statement issued on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President ( Media and Publicity) , Garba Shehu , said the agreement was reached during a meeting co - chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa .

Shehu said, “ The decision was taken to encourage more people -to -people contacts among citizens of both countries and further strengthen socio -cultural, economic and political relations.

“ At the meeting held at the Union Buildings , Presidential Palace of South Africa , the two Presidents agreed on early warning signals to nip violence in the bud before it escalates, while taking into consideration the need to share more intelligence and promote stronger partnership in security.

“ Both countries also agreed to re -establish the consular forum, which is a structured arrangement where both governments meet regularly , at least twice in a year to discuss the welfare of citizens.

“ The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama , and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr. Naledi Pandor , signed the minutes of the 9 th session of Bi-National Commission .”

For six years, Abdulrasheed Maina has been evading the laws before his
eventual arrest on Tuesday.
Maina had been milking funds meant for Nigerian pensioners through his
position as chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) before his
dismissal in 2013 following a fraud of N2 billion.

In 2015, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, pressed
charges of corruption on him and his accomplices. He fled the country
before the trial could commence prompting the issuance of an arrest
warrant against him, and his listing on INTERPOL’s Red Notice.

Though Maina’s name was placed on the INTERPOL’s wanted list it
suddenly disappeared from the International police platform and Maina
freely globe-trotted, including meeting with the current Attorney
General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in Dubai.

In September 2017, Maina was secretly reappointed into the Nigeria
Civil Service as he was issued a letter recalling him to the civil
service and posted as acting director of Human Resources at the
Ministry of Interior.

This drew a lot a public outcry and criticism forcing the president to
eventually dismiss him from his administration.

It was discovered that Malami was behind Maina’s reinstatement as he
gave positive legal advice and recommended that he should be
reabsorbed into the civil service.

This was after Malami met with Maina in Dubai, a move that was backed
by the former Director General of the State Security Services, Lawal
Daura.

Malami further confirmed his role in protecting Maina from the long
arms of the law in January 2018 when he spoke on The Interview, a
magazine programme.

Malami said: “At the time the meeting was held with Maina, Mr.
President was not aware. But much later, after we returned back home,
I took Mr. President into confidence about the information and sought
leave to share it with other agencies with the purpose of blocking
leakages.

“That was the extent to which the President was aware of the
information. He came to be aware of the meeting with Maina much later.

It was out of the desire to seek for his directives relating to the
information in terms of its application for the purpose of blocking
leakages associated with the looting of pension funds.”

In 2018, he also asked the court to order the senate to stop the probe of Maina.

Daura, another individual that was supporting Maina, has been abetting
top criminals in the country to evade justice during his tenure as he
helped notorious 419 kingpin, Emmanuel Nwude evades arrest.

Daura connived with the ex-Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun,
and shielded Nwude from arrest before the special crack team of the
EFCC was able to eventually arrest Nwude in the guesthouse of the
former Police IG.

Similarly, Daura helped Maina become invisible as he went around with
DSS operatives as a bodyguard.

It was discovered that during the search for Maina in 2017, Daura made
the DSS and the Nigeria Police Force to provide protection for Maina.

The DSS also provided an accommodation for him where he safely hid
with DSS personnel guarding the house.

The change of guard in the DSS exposed Maina as he was eventually
arrested on Monday by the DSS that once protected him from the law.

Another top government official, Abdulrahman Dambazau, was identified
to have helped Maina evaded arrest.

Dambazau, former Minister of Interior, was part of the top individuals
behind Maina’s reinstatement into the civil service.

The Senior Staff Committee of the Interior Ministry headed by Mr.
Dambazau recommended and played a major role in ensuring that Maina
was reinstated.

Corroborating the support Maina received from top government official,
a source said that Maina was “a friend of the government, no
enforcement agency would dare take him into custody.”

Maina in January 2019 secured a court order stopping the EFCC from
declaring him wanted.

Justice Giwa Ogunbanjo of the federal high court described the action
of the anti-graft agency in declaring Maina wanted as unlawful, but
the commission vowed to appeal against the order.

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja


The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole has alleged that the recent meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was meant to create disharmony in the governance of Nigeria.

Oshiomhole has also stated that the Nigerian borders with neighbouring countries should remain closed until they comply with ECOWAS protocols.

The APC chairman made the allegation against the PDP Thursday while addressing journalists after a reconciliatory meeting with aggrieved Bayesla State’s governorship aspirants held at the party secretariat in Abuja.

He said: “Let me also say that, watching the news and reading the papers over the period, we see that the meeting that PDP held in Dubai, part of the decision they took at those meetings was to come back home and begin to throw bag of lies and untruth with a view to creating distraction and even creating disharmony within the governance of Nigeria.”

He said he was surprised that the PDP dragged the judiciary into the murky waters of politics.

Oshiomhole said that he was shocked that the PDP and its agent, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), claimed during a press conference that the new judges that are about to be appointed were to favour the ruling party at the supreme court.

He noted, “Now the question is, should the supreme court be denied the appointment of all the judges they need; should we say because election matters are in tribunal, Supreme court judges should not be appointed?”

The national chairman stressed that the main opposition party was already in its old traditional way, seeking to infiltrate, to dictate and blackmail the judiciary.

The national chairman also completely disassociated himself and members of his party from from 2023 presidential election posters.
He added, “I stand here as National Chairman of APC not only to deny those posters as they affect me, but to deny those posters as they affect any leader of our party because it is not yet time. Even people who may have ambition are aware that this is not the time.”

Oshiomhole said that at this point in time all hands must be on deck to support President Muhammadu Buhari and all APC state governors in their respective states to work together unanimously to deliver deliverables for the good of the people in the states and at the federal level.

Oshiomhole stressed that this is not the time to talk politics, adding that politics cannot be an all-round season, insisting that the season for politics is over.

He added that all the APC members are committed to backing the president to deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

In another development, Oshiomhole has said that Nigerian borders with neighbouring countries should remain closed until they comply with ECOWAS protocols.

He stated this when he paid a solidarity visit to the office of the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), retired Col. Hameed Ali yesterday in Abuja.

He explained that his party is strongly in support of the border closure and all other reforms being carried out by the service.

He added that such action should be sustained for the economic growth of the country.
He said the APC under his leadership is impressed and has resolved to identify with the NCS on the feat recorded so far.

“The state must have control over the economy and Nigeria is absolutely right in taking the decision having been victims of expired rice brought in through the porous borders.

“It is a shame that after spending much to reposition agriculture, we still allow people to import expired rice into our country.

“We are lucky to have a president who told us to consume what we produce in the country in order to grow our economy.

“People are complaining that the prices of food commodities have gone up. Our farmers should make money from their sweat.

“Over the years, farmers got a good harvest, sometimes with right prices but smugglers often crash the prices,” he
said.

The APC chairman urged Nigerians to go into farming and take advantage of the current good price of food produce.

Ali, while responding, thanked the APC chairman for identifying with the service in the step taken to boost the economy of the country.
He said the border closure had boosted the nation’s revenue and also reduced the rate of insecurity in the country.

Ali stated that the borders would remain closed until neighbouring countries comply with the ECOWAS protocols on the transit of goods and services, which they have all signed.

The senate has introduced a bill which seeks to impose a tax on all communication services including electronic messaging and data usage.

The ‘Bill for an act to establish the communication service tax’ introduced for first reading during Wednesday’s plenary session, recommended a 9% charge for using the service
It specifically provides that such tax shall be levied on electronic communication services such as voice calls, SMS, MMS and internet data usage both from telecommunication services providers and internet service.

Ali Ndume who sponsored the bill said if passed, the levy will replace the 2.2% increase in value-added tax which the federal government recently proposed.

The federal executive council (FEC) had approved an increase in value-added tax (VAT) rate from 5% to 7.2%.

However, this is subject to an amendment of the VAT act of 1994 by the national assembly.
Briefing journalists after the plenary session, Ndume said rather than increasing VAT, the communication tax would distribute wealth more equitably.

“There shall be imposed, charged payable and collected, a monthly communication service tax to be levied on charges payable by a user of an electronic communication service other than private electronic communication services,” Guardian quoted Ndume as saying .

“The tax shall be levied on electronic communication services supplied by service providers.

“For the purpose of this clause, the supply of any form of recharges shall be considered as a charge for usage of electronic communication service.”

The Lagos State government on Wednesday disclosed plans to shut down the Costain roundabout inwards Funso Williams Avenue for three months, beginning from Thursday, October 3.

The closure, according to the statement, is to facilitate the completion of the ongoing construction of the bridge.

The federal government had embarked on the construction of a new flyover bridge in replacement of the existing one which headroom had been inadequate for the speed train being proposed to connect Apapa Ports for wet and cargo freight services.

In the statement, government issued a travel advisory for commuters and motorists on the road.

According to the advisory, “motorists coming from the Funso Williams Avenueenroute Apapa road/Iganmu to Apapa, can make use of Alaka to Eric Moore to Abebe Village (Nigerian Breweries) and continue the journey, while those heading to Lagos Island from Funso Williams can connect through Eko Bridge from Ijora Olopa or Apongbon.

“Those heading to Lagos Island from Orile can use Iganmu Road to connect Eko Bridge through Costain.

“Motorists coming from Lagos Island that have no business in Costain and its environs can make use of Eko Bridge to Funso Williams Avenue.

“Motorists that want to use Costain Roundabout or head to Alaka or Ebute Meta can make use of Apapa Road to Abule Nla Road to connect Funso Williams Avenue by Leadway Assurance building to continue their journey, or Iddo to Oyingbo, to connect Ebute Meta.

“From Lagos Island to Iganmu Road, Orile and Apapa, motorists can make use of Costain to connect Iganmu to continue their journey.”
The statement solicited the cooperation and understanding of motoring public during the construction.

John Ameh and Sunday Aborisade



The Presidency on Tuesday gave reasons President Muhammadu Buhari didn’t keep to his administration’s promise to present the 2020 budget to the National Assembly in the third week of September.

It also said Buhari, who would visit South Africa this week, would present the budget next week.

This came as findings by The PUNCH indicated that the non-presentation of the estimates had increased pressure on the administration to achieve a return of the country to the January-December budget cycle.

Nigeria currently runs a May-June budget cycle, a development caused by executive-legislature delays since the 8th National Assembly. The delays have caused “distortions” in implementation and the inability to meet budget targets.

On why Buhari was unable to keep to his promise of September presentation, the Presidency blamed it on the fact that the National Assembly had yet to consider and pass the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategic Paper, which should ordinarily precede the estimates.

It also noted that throughout last week, Buhari was away to the United States, where he participated in the activities of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

It added that the UNGA session would still have delayed the presentation had the National Assembly passed the MTEF.

Incidentally, The PUNCH learnt that the letter conveying the MTEF to the National Assembly was only read to lawmakers on September 25, the same last week.

The MTEF sets out the Federal Government’s spending plans for the next three years, detailing both revenue profiles and spending projections.

But, in his response to enquiries by The PUNCH, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Reps), Mr Umar El-Yakub, argued that much as the presentation was delayed, it was for some reasons.

America’s first cannabis cafe opens in Hollywood
He gave his defence, “Remember that the MTEF was presented to both chambers (Senate and House of Representatives) last week.

“You also know the President just returned from New York at the weekend where he attended the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Coincidentally, today is Independence Day (Tuesday), meaning that only yesterday (Monday) was there to present the budget if he was to present it.

“But, it will be the best bet if he (Buhari) presents the budget after the MTEF has been considered and passed by the National Assembly. So, yes, the budget is a bit late by a week or two, but for good reasons.

“Perhaps, we didn’t anticipate UNGA and the fact that MTEF had to be finalised and approved by the Federal Executive Council before it was transmitted to the National Assembly.”

El-Yakub insisted that the delay had not caused any serious setback to the budgeting process, adding that the January-December target could still be met if the presentation was done this month.

“However, we still maintain and still looking forward to this month. We are still going to meet up with the January-December budget cycle that Mr President and the National Assembly talked about”, he added.

Asked when the estimates would be presented, the presidential aide replied, “Mr President will be travelling to South Africa on Wednesday (today).

“By the time he comes back, the budget presentation will be done next week (2nd week of October), though I can’t confirm a specific date to you right now.”


Senate committee can’t submit MTEF/FSP today – Chairman

Meanwhile, strong indications emerged on Tuesday that the deliberations on the 2020-2022 MTEF Strategy Paper would suffer a slight delay in the Senate.

This is because the Senate Committee on Finance will not meet the Wednesday, (today’s) deadline given to it to submit its report.

The Senate had on Thursday last week, 24 hours after receiving the MTEF/FSP documents from the President, forwarded it to its committee on finance for “expeditious consideration.”

Specifically, the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, instructed the committee to make the required legislative input into the documents and submit report to Senate for final consideration on Wednesday (today).

But the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Solomon Adeola, said on Tuesday that the report would not be ready for submission on Wednesday as expected by the Senate .

Adeola who made the declaration on his Twitter handle stated that the presentation by invited Federal Government agencies would be made to the committee on Wednesday .

He said, “Shortly after the President Muhammadu Buhari broadcast, I headed for the office in Senate to continue work on(MTEF/FSP)2020-2023 as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance.

“I was joined by a member, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, to prepare for invited the FG agencies’ presentation tomorrow ( Wednesday , October 2, 2019) . All hands/ sacrifices on deck “.

On September 11, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, had announced that Buhari would lay the estimates before the National Assembly in the third week of September.

Earlier on August 20, during the induction programme held for ministers, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, had also directed the ministers to hasten work on the budget in order for the administration to lay the estimates before the legislature in the last week of September.

In the MTEF Buhari forwarded to the National Assembly on September 25, the administration proposed an expenditure size of N9.12tr for 2020.

The projected revenue size was put at N7.17tn, meaning that the 2020 budget would come with a deficit of about N2.28trn.

But, the revenue size is N170.41bn higher than that of 2019, which was N6.99tn.

The budget is also higher than that of 2019 estimates that tallied at N8.92tn.

The MTEF document added, “The provisions for personnel cost and pension costs are estimated at N2. 67tn and N586.72bn respectively.

“In addition, N40.17bn representing 1 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, has been earmarked for the Basic Health Care Provision, N22.73bn for GAV/Routine Immunisation in the Service Wide Votes and N89.44bn for the power reform programme.”

The MTEF captures N1.01tn as the projection for capital expenditure in 2020.

The document noted further, “Given the projected revenue and planned expenditure, the fiscal deficit is estimated at N1.95tn, about N33.61bn (1.8 per cent) more than the estimate of N1.92tn in 2019.

“This level of deficit is 1.37 per cent of the GDP well below the threshold (3 per cent of the GDP) stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007.

“Accordingly, the aggregate fiscal deficit for 2020 will be N228tn. which is 1.59 per cent of the GDP, still within the 3 per cent threshold.

The MTEF/FSP also contained the benchmark upon which the 2020 budget will be predicated.

The 2020-2022 MTEF/FSP documents pegged the projected budget profile for the year at $55 oil price benchmark as against $60 used for the N8.9tn 2019 budget .

It also included 2.1m barrel oil production per day as against 2.3 m barrels per day approved for the 2019 budget.

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The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has approved the promotion of Master Warrant Officer , Grace Garba , to the exalted rank of Air Warrant Officer .

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information , Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, announced this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja .

He said with the promotion, MWO Garba becomes the first female Senior Non- Commissioned Officer to be promoted to the highest rank in the Non- Commissioned Officers’ cadre in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

“ The promotion demonstrates the commitment of the current NAF leadership in paying adequate attention to the empowerment of female personnel to realise their full potentials, ” he said.

Daramola recalled that one of the NAF ’ s female officers was sent to the United States of America for training to become the first female fighter pilot in the history of the NAF .

“ Similarly , for the first time in NAF history , another female pilot is on the verge of completing training to become the first female helicopter pilot in the Service .

“ It is expected that the promotion of MWO Garba to AWO would serve as a motivation and spur other airwomen in the Service to strive for excellence and aspire for such rare elevation, ” he said.

Born on February 14 , 1966 in Garkida, Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State , MWO Garba joined the NAF in 1986 as a member of Basic Military Training Course 10 .

She holds a Certificate in Nursing from School of Nursing , Maiduguri ; Certificate in Midwifery from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital , Zaria , Kaduna State .

The officer holds a Certificate in Public Health Nursing from School of Health Technology , Kaduna; and Advanced Diploma in Public Administration at the Federal University of Technology , Yola .

She is currently the Regimental Sergeant Major of the NAF School of Medical Sciences and Aviation Medicine , Kaduna.

She will be decorated with the new rank on October 15 .

By Peter Moses


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The All Progressives Congress (APC) youths in Remoland, Ogun State, on Tuesday, asked those they tagged “desperate cabals” to stop act of maltreatment and humiliation against Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

The youths, under the aegis of Remo APC Youths, alleged that the cabals were hell-bent on stripping Osinbajo off “his garment of honour.”

Speaking during a solidarity demonstration in Abeokuta on Tuesday, the group expressed concerns that there had been campaigns of calumny against Osinbajo over 2023 presidency, which he was yet to declare whether he would run or not.

The Coordinator of the group, Adetowubo Adebayo, who spoke with newsmen, described Osinbajo as an upright man with an “unblemished integrity.”

Adebayo said Osinabjo, over the years, had shown his leadership capacity in piloting the affairs of Nigeria alongside President Muhammadu Buhari.

He, however, warned the “evil minded people” to desist from actions that could trigger unrest in Nigeria.

“These are coordinated attacks at bringing down our man, the pride of Ogun State from the seat he occupies. We unequivocally state that Vice President is an upright man with unblemished integrity, and he would not have indulged in corruption that can bring his hard earned name into disrepute.

“It is quite appalling that the desperate cabals are behind this mischievous act of calumny to strip Vice President off his garment of honour. And we are happy the guerilla campaign holds no water in the face of right thinking Nigerians, who have stood in solidarity with him,” he said.

by Damian Duruiheoma,


The police in Imo State on Monday foiled an attempt by some people to cart away the property stocked in one of the warehouses seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Owerri, the state capital.

The police also impounded two trailers allegedly deployed to evacuate the property stocked in the warehouse and arrested 12 suspects in connection with the crime.

The warehouse, owned by Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha, wife of the immediate past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, is situated along Aba Road, Owerri.

According to one of the police officers at the facility, the police acted on tip-off, adding that 12 persons were arrested in the act.

“Following a tip-off last night (Sunday), after two trailers had moved into the warehouse late in the night, a police team was dispatched to the premises”, said the officer, who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity.

He added, “Those inside the premises, however, refused to open the gate. The police team, therefore, cordoned off the building till this morning (Monday, 30/9/19) when we stormed the premises. The two trailers were impounded and 12 persons arrested.”

The spokesman of the state police command, ASP Orlando Ikokwu confirmed the incident, adding that two trailers were impounded and taken to the premises of the command headquarters, Owerri.

It could be recalled that EFCC had last two months ago sealed some properties traced to the former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, as well as those of his family members and cronies.

The properties include: Dews of Hope Hospital traced to Dr. Paschal Obi, former Principal Secretary to Okorocha and current member of the House of Representatives; Market Square Super Market; All in One Shop; and premises belonging to Imo State Broadcasting Corporation now housing Rochas Foundation College owned by Senator Okoroacha.

Other properties seized by the EFCC include: East High Academy and East High College, owned by Okorocha’s daughter, Uloma Okorocha-Nwosu and Royal Spring Palm Hotel and Apartment, a 16 block cum 96 flats and eight bungalow multi-million naira estate traced to Okorocha’s wife.

Steve Agbota



Apapa Port City, Nigeria’s premier port complex and international gateway to its economy is now a stinking heap of refuse and indeed in a state of total decay.

Its loathsome infrastructural degradation, including failed road networks, disused rail lines, abandoned houses and businesses leave those who had seen the exclusive residential areas of the port city which was an exclusive and preferred home for white colonialists due to the harbors and beautiful waterfronts of Apapa GRA years ago, with shock and regrets on how official negligence had ruined the port city.

But today however, in place of its glorious past, crimes of various shades and shapes, including drugs, sexual merchandise and robbery among other illegalities have become the order of the day, following the perennial traffic gridlock that had become a bone in the neck of the federal and state law officers for close to a decade.

Not even the presence of a new Taskforce recently introduced by the Federal Government to monitor and clear the Apapa Gridlock has brought any reliefs to businesses and residents as the situation has gone from bad to worst. Today also, the distraught residents, traders and trailer drivers are turning nearly all access roads leading to Tin Can Island ports complex and Apapa Wharf into refuse dump sites.

But part from the total collapse of the roads and other infrastructures in the city, the whole environment has become so dirty and full of refuse and faeces, enough to cause epidemic and other dangerous diseases according to health experts.

Daily Sun however learnt that the Lagos Waste Management Authority ( LAWMA) which often comes around to pack the refuse no longer gets access to some the roads and streets due to the horrendous gridlock around the ports corridor.

For residents around Apapa especially Olodi Apapa, and the Apapa GRA, these are not the best of times living within what used to be an exclusive residential zone for the upper class.

According to some residents who spoke to Daily Sun, people and businesses are moving out in droves and property prices falling due to low occupancy rates in the area.

Only two weeks ago, a woman in labour died at Akogun Street, Olodi Apapa, due to the husband’s inability to quickly evacuate her to a general hospital for urgent medical attention on account of the traffic gridlock.

Daily Sun learnt that hundreds of businesses around the Apapa corridor have either collapsed or relocated.

Latest estimates have it that 95 per cent SMEs, hospitals, schools and companies have left Apapa with scores of buildings in choice estates now empty and dilapidated as businesses relocate to areas that are more easily accessible.

But as residents and other stakeholders continue to count their losses, truck drivers, auto dealers and traders are also lamenting their ordeals, as sales volume and patronage have continued to drop sharply.

When Daily Sun visited the area on Saturday morning, some truck drivers were bathing on the road, even as some sold and smoked Indian hemp and other psychotropic substances.

According to some of those interviewed, a number of the criminal activities are happening in the full glare of officers of the SARS police who are always moving from one truck to another to harass motorboys and drivers for smoking weeds and collecting money from them.

While narrating their ordeal, Apapa residents, called on the government to halt the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the area, describing it as a national embarrassment to the country, considering the importance of the ports to the economy.

They lamented that if the dumping of refuse persists for the next one month, there may be an outbreak of epidemic within Apapa area.

According to a resident, Madam Janet Efok,” Apapa has become the dirtiest dirty place in Lagos for now. She said Nigeria has the two most crucial places that attract foreigners and their investments, and these include the Airport and the Sea Port. Look at our airport very clean and neat compared to the two seaports in Lagos. Tell me, what do Government gain if the airport is clean and the seaports look so dirty and unkempt? If I’m not mistaken, I don’t think airport generates what the seaports are generating.”

Also reacting, a businessman, Mr. Salisu Olatunji, who lives at Akogun Street, Olodi Apapa said that living in Apapa since the inception of the gridlock was like being in hell, stressing that many residents and businessmen have already fled Apapa due to bad roads and other environmental challenges.

He lamented: “the premature death of a woman who died in labour due to lack of access roads to get her to the hospital on time hurts. It is a situation that one wants to witness again, because the only access road that link to everywhere around this area is Alhaji Kareem Street which has now been blocked also.

Already, today as we speak, the entire place popularly known before as Olodi Apapa GRA, has now been turned into markets and truck parks of sort.

“We are dying here. The other day a woman was in labour and wanted to deliver. We put her in the car and before we could get her to the general hospital, she has started bleeding inside the car because there was no road and everywhere is blocked. We spent four hours before we get to the hospital on a road that is less than a quarter kilometer.”

He said: “Many people are even fleeing the area. Several buildings are empty as one wants to live here. God forbid, if there is fire incident now, I am sure that no one would escape it. We need government’s intervention because we can’t continue to live this way. Government should at least to come and help us.”

Also lamenting his ordeal, a resident at Alhaji Kareem Akande Street, Chinedu Onuoha, who trades on Lagos Island, said people have been through a lot, with neither the Lagos neither Federal Government doing much to resolve the challenges facing the citizens daily in Olodi Apapa.

He lamented: “My brother, this is the situation we find ourselves here. No road to go out and come in because the trailers coming into the street have blocked everywhere. As you can see, it is not easy. I wish you were living here to witness what we are going through.

We are just here looking up to God. People can’t go out with their cars. Majority of the houses on this street are empty. For instance, look at those buildings, from house number 4 to 6 comprises 8 flats are all empty as every occupants of the building moved out because of this problem.

Meanwhile, some truck drivers who spoke to Daily Sun lamented that the various taskforces set up by the government are frustrating and killing the business of those who dared to remain in the midst of the whole challenges, through the many charges they collected before passing their trucks..

One of the truck drivers who spoke with Daily Sun, Charles Onu cried out: “I was going to Tin Can Island but I have already paid N80, 000 from Jakande in Mile 2 to Berger Cement within 5 days. Tankers are paying N100, 000 to pass through service lane. We on the main road are being abandoned and they are collecting N100, 000 to pass tanker on the service lane.

“The new taskforce who brought ECOMOG from Mile 2 are the one collecting the money.

I have spent five days. They abandoned the normal lane and were collecting money to pass tankers on the service lane. Sometimes, they break our windscreen and beat drivers whenever we challenge them. My brother, mouth cannot describe what we are seeing and facing on this Apapa road traffic. Today, Apapa is the worst ever that we witnessed in our lives. In fact if you see things that are happening on this Apapa road, you will fear.”

A 65 years old truck driver, Ahmed Muhammed, however urged government to intervene and stop the Taskforce from collecting money from the truck drivers before passing them.

He bemoaned: “The money is too much. It is as if we are working for them because at the end of the day, we have nothing to take home. We want government to look for a way the normal lane will be moving from time to time. We are spending money for the Taskforce to pass us but when there is no money again, they will go and abandoned us on the lane.

“I have spent more than five days on the lane. I can’t even go home to see my family. If they ask us for money and the money wasn’t up to what they demanded, they will turn us back to pass another way that lead to nowhere and they will refuse to pass us. For instance, they collected about N20, 000 per container from one spot to another. That is how they are collecting it everyday. We want government to stop them.”

Indeed another very unpleasant experience of users of Apapa roads gridlock is midnight criminality. According to some of the drivers, some hooligans from Apapa are in the habit of using razor blade to cut open their pockets to rob them of their money, phones and other valuable. He lamented that often times the batteries and diesel from their truck tanks are carried and siphoned by the criminal even when security men are on ground.

For their part, auto dealers at Berger Yard Auto Market are also crying for help as their businesses have nosedived in the face of the devilish gridlock. In the last five months no sales have been recorded because the roads are permanently blocked by the trailer drivers.

One of the dealers who works with the Chairman of the market, Mike Emeka Odogwu, said: You can see for yourself the way they blocked everywhere including our entranceways.

The issue is that I don’t know what this government is doing to help the masses. Government just introduced a new tax now. What are they doing with the taxes? What are they doing to the citizens who voted them into power?

“They have crumbled our business in totality. No buyers are coming here again. We just come here, sit down from morning to evening and go home. We live by the grace of God. Look at the situation now, everywhere is just locked down and no movement. And there’s no solution in the nearest future because the road is totally bad and out of shape. There are also no efforts being made to show there is a solution to the problem.”

He said the market leaders have lodged complaints to the government to no avail, adding that it seems government is still not aware that Berger Yard Auto Market feeds more than 15 million Nigerians as people who come from outside to do business and those that own business here are all suffering the same fate.

He said government is leaving what it ought to do for other thing.

He said government just introduced a new value added tax and they came into the market to sensitised people about it. He added, “but have they come to tell us what to do in order to eradicate this menace?”

“We are in jeopardy and our businesses are suffering. My brother, thank God that you are here today. Today is Saturday and if it was like before, every Saturday this place is always booming and you see will buyers coming in. Nobody comes here again despite the fact we are now operating cashless society. People have come here several times, but when they pay and they cannot move out their car out for a complete one day and they retrieved their money and go.”

Another auto dealer, Mr. Uchenna Alex, said for the past five months no dealers can boast of selling up to five cars because of the gridlock.

He said: “We are still wondering why government has allowed this problem to go from bad to worst. When this issue of gridlock started few years ago, I could remember we wrote to both Federal and State governments to look for a way to tackle it. But they gave no ears to our plea.”

No serious government will ever allow its port access roads go bad this way considering the billions of Naira generated from the ports everyday. Apart from that, they should have considered the millions of people feeding from these ports. My brother, this is a national disgrace because our port is a sector that is not only important to us in Nigeria but crucial to our economy.”

He said the intervention of both the state government and the Federal Government in solving the problem of traffic gridlock in Apapa is not yielding meaningful result, but enriching some people in the so called Taskforces.

According to him, if Federal Government and Lagos State Government had taken proactive measures some years back to ensure that the gridlocks within the ports were solved, the access roads would not have become an embarrassment to the nation.

Truck drivers alleged that the contractors given the job of repairing the road is too slow for comfort .

They alleged that, “the contractors are making use of substandard materials on the road, which could lead to its collapse of the road again. Government should investigate the contractor. Government should revoke the contract if the contractor found wanting.

A maritime experts who spoke with Daily Sun on the condition of anonymity said investors are scared and people don’t want to invest in Nigerian maritime domain because of lack of infrastructure.

According to him, apparently, businesses that will ordinarily come calling at Nigerian ports are now calling at the neighbouring ports because of gridlock.

He lamented: “Exporters are losing their contractual agreements to neighbours in Ghana, Togo and Cotonou. Last year alone, exporters lost more than $10 billion. Imagine what that kind of money would do in the economy that is struggling to stabilisee. Our Government has failed us in every aspects of the economy, education, healthcare and infrastructure. This government is a total failure.” He lamented.

By Onwuka Nzeshi Abuja




The Intertnational Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has alleged “gross lopsidedness” and apparent exclusion of the South East and South South geo-political zones from the security architecture in Nigeria.

In a report released at the weekend, the human rights group said it was shocking to discover that despite its population and contributions to nationhood, the South East region has been completely alienated from the control and command of top military and policing formations, even within its regional boundaries.
According to the report, out of 26 top military officers currently manning key military formations in the South East, none of them is from the region.

It stressed that a similar situation obtained in the South-South region, where out of the 22 top military officers manni strategic military formations in the region, only two are from the South South zone. Intersociety described the situation as a “serious security threat” to the people of the region, particularly in a country where ethnicity, religion and zonal identity have been elevated to a national policy.

In a detailed letter addressed to the eleven state governors, 285 elected members of their State Houses of Assembly, 33 elected Senators and 98 elected members of House of Representatives from the two regions, Intersociety urged these political leaders to show more than casual interest in the appointment and posting of top military and policing officers manning key military and policing formations in the two regions. The eight-page letter accompanied by six pages of graphic illustrations was dated 26/09/2019.

It was signed by Intersociety Board Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi; lawyers Obianuju Igboeli, Ndidiamaka Bernard, Chidimma Udegbunam and Chinwe Umeche.

The group urged elected leaders of both regions to also prevail on the Police Service Commission (PSC) and Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to ensure sectional balancing at all times in the appointment or promotion of Police AIGs, CPs, DCPs and ACPs in the interest of fairness, equity and unity of the country.

The report contended that whereas the eleven states had contributed not less than N250bn or $850m through their governors in the past four years (August 2015-August/Sept 2019) in aid of key military and policing formations and their operations in both regions, they had no input into security decisions affecting their people.

“The continued domination, command and control of top military and policing formations in Eastern Nigeria by officers of Hausa- Fulani and Yoruba nationalities and their Islamic faith and total shutting out from the regional security arrangement or skeletal involvement of officers of the South-East and the South- South must no longer be tolerated or accepted. As a matter of fact, security in the midst of official insecurity such as the referenced is an act of impossibility and a wild goose chase.

“The two regions are shut out or skeletally involved when it comes to appointment and posting of senior military and policing officers manning such formations. The lopsided compositions are also found to have fueled corrupt practices and gross rights abuses by the ethno-religiously lopsided stationed security personnel in the two regions.

These include racial profiling, extra judicial killings, unlawful arrests, long detentions without trial, torture and enforced disappearances. “It is particularly a clear act of impossibility and a wild goose chase for security arrangements to be said to have been made or put in place in the South-South and South East by governors and other public office holders when top military and policing formations in the two regions are manned by top officers of Northern and South West (Yoruba) Muslims and few non-Muslims.

“Considering the multi religious and ethnic composition of Nigeria or ethnoreligious multiplicity of the country recognised in the 1999 Constitution, it remains our unequivocal position that top public offices in Nigeria including top political, military, policing and justice positions must be allocated to their statutory occupants in full reflection of the country’s multi ethno-religious composition as firmly recognised in Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution. Such plum offices must not be sectionalized or ethnoreligiously dominated, but allocated in accordance with the principle of geopolitical or regional fairness and balancing,” the group wrote.

The report came on the heels of the announcement by the Nigerian Army of its readiness to launch another round of military operations code named: ‘Operation Python Dance IV’ for South- East and ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ for South-South. The Nigerian Army said the military operations will kick off simultaneously on October 7 and end on December 24, 2019. Intersociety has however, alleged that the Nigerian Army has been using such operations to execute an ethnic agenda, which usually leads to massacre of targeted unarmed and defenseless citizens of particular ethno-religious nationality.

“Apart from constituting serious security threats to the safety and security of the peoples of the South East and South-South regions and protection of their properties, lands and boundaries, there are also widespread feelings among their populations that the current Armed Forces and Policing agencies are far from being secular,” the group said.

JOHN AMEH



The Presidency on Saturday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife , Aisha ’ s absence in the country for about two months was not due to any infighting in Aso Villa .

The Presidency ’ s reaction comes amid the speculations that Aisha is unable to pull her weight round the Villa lately and uncomfortable with how government affairs were being run by some powerful people in her husband ’ s cabinet .

The Director of Information to the First Lady , Mr Suleiman Haruna , debunked the speculations and said the President ’s wife had the freedom to travel to wherever she wanted , as a free citizen .
Aisha has not been in the country for nearly two months since the completion of the Hajj . She reportedly jetted out of Saudi Arabia , where she went in company with her husband , to London at the completion of the religious pilgrimage in August.

She has not returned to the country since then, fuelling concerns that she deliberately left the Aso Villa in protest against certain issues at the seat of power.

The First Lady ’s prolonged absence at Aso Villa became pronounced as she did not attend public functions that she ordinarily would have attended .

She was said to have been absent during the mid - August Eid -el -Kabir celebration in Daura , Katsina State , even though his husband was around to welcome world leaders such as the President of Guinea , Alpha Conde.

It was reported that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration , Dr Hajo Sani, had been representing Aisha on a number of occasions recently , including an event of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, which held on September 25 , 2019 , on the sidelines of the 74 th United Nations General Assembly in New York , United States .

The event was said to have been attended by the first ladies of Zimbabwe , Sierra Leone , Uganda and Niger Republic .

Although Mrs Buhari’s office confirmed to Sunday PUNCH that she was indeed away from the country , it said it had nothing to do with issues she had with anyone at the seat of power in Abuja.

The office said as a free Nigerian who was not a government official , Mrs Buhari could travel for private engagements both within and outside the country , adding that the reasons for such trips must not be tied to “ needless speculation or rumours . ”

Speaking to Sunday PUNCH after the case of Aisha ’ s absence from the country was raised , her spokesperson , Haruna, insisted the President ’s wife had the freedom to be wherever she wanted to be .

He said, “ It ’s a free world and people have been speculating about everything in this country and it is allowed .

“ She is a free Nigerian and does not work for the government . So, if she decides to stay somewhere in her village for two months or to go somewhere and stay for two months , why should it become a national issue ?

“ She is a free Nigerian and has absolute freedom to move round for however long she wants .”

Asked to comment on the speculation that Aisha was no longer comfortable with how the affairs of government were run and her alleged frequent brushes with some top administration officials , including the Chief of Staff to the President , Mr Abba Kyari , the director dismissed them as rumours .

“ I am in shock when I hear all these things . I don’ t believe in all these rumours about the President ’s wife because they are not true .
“ That is why , most times , the office does not bother to react to these speculations , ” Haruna added.

Aisha had publicly raised issues with her husband ’s administration , including the one where she stated that persons who did not contribute to her husband ’ s election victory were calling the shots at the Presidency .

She had also canvassed more roles for women in government , specifically asking the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress to ensure that more women and card- carrying members of the party were given prominent positions in the government after Buhari won a re - election in February .

In March 2019 , she hosted a programme in Buhari’ s Daura hometown to thank women for supporting her husband . She promised them that the President would recognise them more this time round and also make Nigeria a better place .

The President ’s wife had also criticised some of the administration ’s policies , including the N 500 bn Social Investment Programme, which she said had failed “ woefully” in the North in particular .

Aisha , who hails from Adamawa State , had noted in May this year that the situation in her home state , as far as the implementation was concerned , was pathetic .

She also cited Kano , a highly -populated northern state, as another example where she believed the programme failed, despite the huge funds the Federal Government budgeted for it .

Speaking during an interactive programme she organised for women at the Presidential Villa , she disclosed that after four years of implementing the programme, the 30 ,000 women who were supposed to benefit from it in Adamawa State had yet to do so.

However, in a reaction to Aisha ’s comments , the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Social Investment, Mrs Maryam Uwais , said the programme did not work the way the President ’s wife understood it .

Bello Matawalle, governor of Zamfara, has sent all staff of Shattima Model Primary School, Gusau, on indefinite suspension following the alleged desecration of the Holy Qur’an in the school.

Yusuf Idris, the governor’s director-general of press affairs, said the school has also been shut down pending an investigation by the state basic education commission.

NAN reports that pages of the Holy Qur’an were discovered around 11:00am on Friday in the school’s sewage.

Matawalle, who is currently in the US to woo investors, said the government will fish out “perpetrators of the act”.

“Government will deal ruthlessly with anyone with a hand in this dastardly act, however highly placed,” he was quoted to have said.

According to the statement, the governor directed the immediate deployment of three additional security guards to all public primary schools in the state capital to beef up security.

He urged residents to be more vigilant and asked them to report suspicious movements in their areas to security agencies or Sharia commission officials for prompt intervention.

Several cases of alleged desecration of the Qu’ran had been recorded in the state.

The incidences reportedly occurred at Danturai Primary School, the state library, Farida General Hospital, Government Day Secondary School, Sabon Gari, and Rabi’a Jumaat Mosque, among others, all within Gusau metropolis.

South Africans might experience once again, the pangs of the dreaded Apartheid rule if the South African government and the African Union (AU) fail to address the issue of Xenophobic attacks on foreigners, professionals have warned.

They stated that jobs are being taken away from black South Africans by white South Africans who own multinational corporations but employ cheap labour and non-unionised labour brought by other Africans.

One of the professionals and Pioneer Chairman of the Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Albert, argued that black South Africans are made to think it’s the black Africans who are taking away these jobs because white South Africans have demonised black Africans, hence, the attacks.

While speaking at the First Annual Roundtable discussion in honour of Nigeria’s former ambassador to the Belgium and European Union, Prof. Alaba Ogunsanwo at the Lead City University, Ibadan, Prof. Albert warned that “in the next five years, there might be Apartheid again in South Africa because the white South Africans are reoccupying the spaces left by black Africans.”

The event was organised by the African Journal of International Affairs and Development (AJIAD) in conjunction with the Department of Politics and International Relations, Lead City University, Ibadan.

Albert who spoke on “Xenophobia or Afrophobia: Causes, Consequences and Corrections,” warned that a bigger problem looms if the South African government fails to take over their economy from the whites.

Albert said: “What we are told is that South Africans do not like outsiders and that is why they are attacking some Nigerians, Zambians, Ethiopians and their properties. That is a simplistic and monocausal explanation of what is happening in South Africa.

“My first visit to South Africa was after the 1995 election, I could see that mentality to say that the Vice-Chancellor of this university is white and after the transition, they want a black man to occupy that position.

“The black men don’t have the qualification and the training but believes that once they’re blacks, they should automatically replace the whites. And that mentality is what I see every year in South Africa. The blacks are still waiting for when the whites will vacate the system and the blacks will take their place.

“MTN, DSTV and Stanbic IBTC belong to the white South Africans and not the blacks. What the government only gets is tax made from the profits made by these companies, but black political leaders do not pass this along to the blacks. They get the resources but it does not trickle down to the people.

“At the University of Witwatersrand, on an annual basis, the blacks are taken out and replaced by white South Africans because the blacks are not progressing quickly, getting PhD quickly, the whites are gradually replacing Nigerian, Zambian professors there. In the next five years, you will have what will look like Apartheid again.

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“They call it South Africanisation. To them, they are increasing the participation of South Africans in the system but the black South Africans are not occupying the space. They are waiting for when the whites will leave the space and they will occupy it. If the South Africans are smart, they should put in place structures that will make them take over the economy of South Africa in the next ten or twenty years.

“Many of the Nigerians who own malls today started from the streets selling groundnuts and whatever but the problem of the South African man is that he does not want to work hard from the streets but that won’t happen. The black Africans in South African now have worked to a stage where they can buy shares in the big enterprises in South Africa but the black South Africans are still waiting for these opportunities to be given to them.

“I engaged some street boys while Mandela was still alive, and they told us then they were not getting anything from the transition. They said at that time that they were going to react. I concluded at the end of my academic analysis that they were going to attack the whites. But now, they are attacking the foreign blacks in South Africa.

“This is because outsiders have been demonised as the people creating problems for the blacks. The problem now is Xenophobia is open, while Afrophobia is hidden. What we are witnessing will negatively affect South Africa. The stock market is already going down. Investors are now afraid.

“These people have come to invest in your country but you are setting their enterprises on fire. You are discouraging investments in your country. Shares in South Africa now has fallen and that is the beginning of the economic crisis in that country.

“AU Agenda 2063 is trying to promote integrated development and borderless Africa. Nigeria and South Africa are the two leading giants of Africa but South Africa is gradually knocking itself from that.

“It is difficult to reverse the damages that have been done and African governments are not addressing the problems. Why is AU silent? This is a problem that is affecting the whole continent and we are still waiting for Africa Union.”

Vice-Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, Prof Tunji Olaopa, on his part, berated the South African government for not forcing border controls because they wanted low-income workforce and non-unionised labour.

He further said the failure of the government to create jobs and policies to help the reorientation of South Africans will lead to high unemployment and lack of entrepreneurial skills of South Africans.

While also blaming the attacks on lack of South African legislation against xenophobia leading to impunity by the perpetrators, he urged the government and its people to always uphold the human rights of foreigners.

Olaopa stated that there is a need for better intelligence gathering to help map out hot spots of possible attacks and the use of technology-based initiatives to stem these attacks on foreigners.

Prof Akeem Amodu, a former commissioner in Oyo State, restated the need for a framework where there is mutual intercultural understanding where the African man sees and loves fellow Africans.

“AU should engender peace, love and unity among Africans. Xenophobia is a result of the failure of African leadership. The leaders should not only think of present generations but also future generations within the framework of sustainable Africa.”

Dr Olubunmi Akande of the Durban University of Technology, South Africa noted that there is high pressure on the economy and also scarce resources in South Africa as a result of high immigration into South Africa.

She said: “The local population feels deprived of the promises that came with liberation in 1994. There is anger. And they carry these out on people. But why black people? It is because they are close to them.”

She, however, said economic revitalisation and infrastructure development in other African countries and increased commitment of the South Africa government to address economic challenges will help find a solution to the attacks on foreigners.

Earlier at the event, Prof Ayo Olukotun, who is the Chair in Governance at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) charged the Nigerian government to make Nigeria liveable so that Nigerians won’t seek greener pastures where they eventually will fall victims of attacks.

“As we condemn Xenophobia, there are many Nigerian who have driven into crimes in their new countries of abode. A lot of Nigerians in South Africa are without something meaningful to do.

“Why are so many people leaving Nigeria? It is because the Nigerian state has failed. We are being driven away from home by afflictions.

“If there was governance and Nigeria is a nicer place, we won’t have many immigrants moving to relocate to other African countries and beyond. We need to recreate and recalibrate our own country.”

Also speaking earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Lead City University, Prof. Kabir Adeyemo who described Ogunsawo as the most hardworking staff member of the institution, said he is being celebrated for his educational dexterity, hard work and friendliness to the staff and friends of the university.

By Wale Odunsi



A Federal High Court sitting in Kano State has ordered the appearance of the Chairman Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Babatunde Fowler before it on October 7, 2019 to show cause why he should not be sacked for overstaying his tenure which expired on August 18, 2019.

The presiding judge of the High Court, Justice Lewis Allago, after hearing a plaintiff’s counsel, ordered that the defendant should be served in Abuja and filed their defence within five days.

In court documents obtained on Saturday by PRNigeria with Suit No FHC/KN/CS/141/2019, the FIRS Boss was dragged to Court over his continued stay in office after the expiration of tenure.

The Plaintiff, Mr. Stanley Okwara, in a suit filed on September 18, 2019 and obtained, also joined the Attorney General of the Federation as the second defendant.

In the originating summon, the two defendants were given 30 days to explain why Fowler who was appointed on the 20th August, 2015, has not ceased to hold office as the Chairman of FIRS after the 20th August, 2019 in accordance with the “decision of the Supreme Court…and having regard to the combined provisions of Sections 3(2) (a), Section 4(a) and Section 11 (a)” of the agency.

The Plaintiffs also sought to know whether the continuous stay of Fowler in the office “is not illegal in view of the decision of the Supreme Court in Ogbuinyinya & Ors. vs. Obi Okudo & Ors. (1979) All N.L.R. 105 and having regard to the combined provisions of Sections of the FIRS [Establishment] Act, 2007.

In the same vein, Okwara in the suit filed through Johnmary C. Jideobi & Co, sought other reliefs including: “A declaration that the 1st Defendant has ceased to hold office as the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service after the 20th of August, 2019”; and that his continuous stay in the office is illegal.

He further sought “an order barring the 1st Defendant from further holding himself out as, laying claim to or exercising the powers and functions of, the Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service unless he is re-appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“An order directing the 1st Defendant to return forthwith to the Treasury Single Account of the Federation all the salaries, emoluments and such other kindred monetary benefits he has been drawing on the purse of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and file an affidavit of compliance within 14 days after the delivery of judgment in this suit.”

The Plaintiff also asked that Fowler be caused to obey any other decision that the Court may deem fit to make in the entire circumstances of the case

Obinna Chima



The federal government has called for a probe of Justice Christopher Butcher of the London Commercial Court hearing the dispute between Nigeria and an Irish-owned firm registered in British Virgin Island, Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID), over a failed gas project that went into arbitration with $9.6 billion claim against the country.

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, who is part of the Nigerian delegation to the court session yesterday, told ARISE NEWS, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, in an interview in London that the court was so desperate to enforce the arbitral award.

Two other members of the delegation, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who also spoke with ARISE NEWS, reiterated the federal government’s allegation that the Gas Supply and Processing Agreement (GSPA) between P&ID and the Ministry of Petroleum Resource was aimed at defrauding Nigeria.

Magu, who expressed loss of confidence in the British commercial court, said Nigeria would take the matter up at the diplomatic level.

He said: “The entire transaction is predicated on fraud; complete fraud and irregularities by people trying to exploit the weakness in the system to their advantage. I am also worried that the commercial court that gave the judgment here on the award is so desperate on the enforcement of the judgment itself. That shows clearly that we do not have confidence in the commercial court because they seem to have interest in making sure they enforce it; otherwise they should give us a chance for us to come in with our complaint.

“P&ID does not even exist in Nigeria. It is a shell company and as far as I am concerned, the directors we have committed so far are the witnesses to the agreement and also to the MoU. The main actors who actually signed the MoU and the agreement incidentally are all dead, that is (Michael) Quinn and Lukman (former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources). There is something sneakier to the whole deal.

“We would have to approach at government or diplomatic level. We will also appeal to the appropriate authorities to also investigate the conduct of the judges that actually passed the award because this is the worst in the world.

There has never been an arbitration award at this level that is so high; nowhere in the world. It has not happened. $9.6 billion? Do you know how it can aggravate the refugee situation in Nigeria? Do you know how it would affect our GDP? Do you know it would affect the economy?
“That is almost about one-third of our budgetary allocation. We’re over 200 million Nigerians. We will not take it.”

On the lessons Nigeria has learnt from the P&ID case, Magu said: “That’s why we are here to deal with the situation on ground. After dealing with the situation on ground, we would address other things. There are some other agreements – about six like that that we need to look into that were against Nigeria, from same judges. The same judges have given another judgment of income against Nigeria. And the same expert opinion was being run. You can see the conspiracy.”

On his part, Mohammed said GSPA, under which Nigeria was to supply wet gas to a plant P&ID was to build in Cross River State for the generation of electricity, was enmeshed in corruption and irregularities, adding that all those involved in it were being investigated.

“Already, we have been able to establish fraudulent practices, including money transfer between P&ID and some key officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources,” he stated.

Asked if Nigeria is opened to an out-of-court settlement, he said the federal government had not foreclosed any option in resolving the issue.
“Nigeria is doing everything to ensure that all our assets are safe from any embarrassment. I think P&ID is actually panicking because we are actually getting to unravel the sham called P&ID.

Don’t forget that even before now, the company had been involved in other sham arbitration awards, some of which had been set aside. I think this is the only government that has the courage to call off the bluff of P&ID and we are not going to stop until we unravel this sham called P&ID,” the minister added.

Also speaking, Emefiele said it was unfortunate, that such an incident happened.

“I think the lesson is that for us, it is an eye-opener and I am very happy at the way the government and the president are taking this.
“This really concerns all of us and that is why this time all hands are on the deck to ensure that we destroy the foundation of this fraudulent transaction, to ensure that in the future, it doesn’t happen again.

“That was why the attorney general is here; the Minister of Information and Culture is here; the Inspector General of Police is here, the Chairman of the EFCC is here, and I also here.

“We consulted and met different key persons as to the best option to adopt, not just the arbitral award, but in terms of other strategies to deal with this matter,” he added.

Just like the United States, Russia, China and other advanced countries that have taken space technology seriously, Nigeria is equally exploring the possibility of keying into what has now become a goldmine. The future and economy in the 21st Century is knowledge-based and technology-driven. So, to catch up with other countries, Nigeria must learn fast enough.

For the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), a Nigerian astronaut will not just be going there for show but for a micro-gravity research, basically on food security and some peculiar diseases of interest to Nigeria and the African race.

NASRDA said Nigerian astronauts can find out how hybrid food peculiar to the country can be gotten faster. Crystal growth, which is found in space can also be used by them to make things such as aircraft engine, rocket nozzle and rocket engine, among others, which can be done in space because they are usually combined on earth where there is gravity pulling them. But in space, there is low gravity so they form differently; you study what happens here and there.

Director, Engineering and Space Systems of the agency, Prof. Olufemi Agboola said: “You know their properties very well; then you can begin to make your own.”

Head, Media and Corporate Communications of the agency, Dr. Felix Ale said Nigeria is working seriously on sending astronauts to the moon.
“It is our desire to produce an astronaut for this country and the purpose is to go to the moon and carry out an experiment that will be of great benefit to the country”, Ale said.

However, the Acting Director-General of the Agency, Mr. Jonathan Angulu, said from all indications, Nigeria is far behind in achieving its dream.

According to him, the biggest concern of the agency is to see how it can get the Assembling Integration and Test Centre (AITC) completed because that will guide them towards greater achievements in space technology.

Angulu added: “We also need to ensure that our ground station keeps running. Unfortunately, most of the equipment we have are obsolete and we are trying to see how we can upgrade them. The Federal Executive Council, 10 years ago, approved the project (Assembling Integration and Test Centre), civil work and the equipment was supposed to run simultaneously.”

Prof. Agboola also revealed that the cost of achieving the dream is enormous because it is cheaper to take a satellite to space than to take human beings. Satellites, he said, do not have to breathe when it gets there and if it gets crushed or spoilt, it can be replaced while humans cannot be replaced.

He added that for humans to go to space, more time will be spent training them and the cost of the training to survive space and the journey to space is more expensive than sending a satellite there. Also, astronauts are preferred to be high level scientists or engineers and must know how to fly. So, it’s going to be a handshake between pilots in the Air Force, scientists and engineers.

Currently, Nigeria’s satellites in space are Nigeria Sat 1, which is an earth observation satellite that observes the earth. It has cameras on it to look down on earth and can cover the whole Nigeria in a few passes. It is there in space and comes back every day and it can be gotten to revisit something and see what has happened in one week or a month and has a history of what has happened. That is called scientific data that can be used to predict things that will happen, using mathematical regression to predict what can happen in 100 years.

When there is warfare by the military, it is used for the purpose as well. For instance, when there was a coup in Mali, some of Nigerian satellites took pictures to help the military.

Another is the Nigeria Sat X, which was built by Nigerian engineers. Then the Nigeria Sat 2, which has a higher resolution. It can see more clearly than Sat 1, meaning that it can see things that are smaller. When the resolution of the lens of a satellite is not very clear, it can only see big things. So, Sat X is good for security.
Then we have a class of satellite which is the communication satellite which is in NICOMSAT.

This generates money because it does broadcasting, internet passes through it, even phone services too. It has payload that can be used to communicate but there are different classes of satellite that have not been explored.

One of these is the Synthetic Aperture Reader Satellite, which does not know about cloud or darkness. It can see through it all but it costs more and requires more technology.

The agency said these are the new set of satellites that Nigeria is considering to begin work on.

The agency’s spokesman, Dr. Ale also said its activities in the area of security cannot be 100 per cent disclosed.

“We have generated a lot of data on road construction. With our satellites, we are able to determine where bridges and culverts are to be located. And we can provide data on the locations of bad roads in the country. These have been provided to universities which have assisted in the area of capacity building.

“We use space agency in the area of agriculture. In the Southwest, we have used it in collecting data in the area of deforestation, on the eco-system in the Niger Delta and the menace of erosion in the Eastern part of the country. These have been made available to state governors to guide them on how to proffer solutions for their peculiar needs.”

He also said the Assembling Integration and Testing Centre (AITDC) is like a hub for the launch of satellite, which he said is still on 30 per cent completion. He added that the agency was relying on government’s release of funds, stressing that it’s the determination of the agency to design and launch satellites here in Nigeria.

Continuing, the spokesman said the agency had been able to train its personnel, stressing that some of its engineers were trained outside the country. According to him, the engineers can design and launch satellite.

He cited an instance during the launch of Nigeria Sat 2 when the agency came up with a model code-named Nigeria Sat X. The model, he said, was solely designed and manufactured by Nigerian engineers using facilities provided by the agency’s technical partners in the United Kingdom, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited.
Dr. Ale further stated that the satellite was meant to be a model but that when the management saw the efforts the local engineers put into the design, the agency decided to launch it in Russia, alongside Nigeria Sat 2, which it claimed is still in orbit.

According to him, NICOMSAT was deorbited because the solar panel had problems and it was replaced with NICOMSAT 1 R; the ‘R’ meaning replacement at no extra cost to Nigeria. He said it has since been commercialised and is being managed by NICOMSAT Limited, which also manages all the agency’s satellite facilities.

Magnus Eze , Enugu



An Anambra state businessman (name withheld) said to be in his late 50s has died during alleged marathon sex with a widow in Enugu.

The incident which happened at a hotel along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, few days ago, came to the open when his lover who allegedly lost her husband recently raised the alarm attracting the hotel management to the scene.

The hotel management had reportedly invited the Police who took the body to an unnamed hospital where he was confirmed dead.

The remains have since been deposited in a mortuary while the lady lover was detained at Trans-Ekulu Police station Enugu.

However, the embattled lady has denied having sex with her man lover.

The widow claimed that when she arrived the hotel from Anambra state, the man had taken two bottles of big stout and some substance suspected to be sex enhancing drug in readiness for action.

According to her, surprisingly, “he started behaving abnormally and breathing fast. I had not even touched him. So, I shouted and called the hotel people.”

Daily Sun gathered that when the wife of the deceased was eventually contacted, she came to Enugu and was told what happened. She opted not to pursue the case but instead, in agreement with the husband’s relations decided to retrieve the corpse from the police for burial.

“His wife said that it was a shameful death so they’re not ready to make case with anybody.

She has gone to the court to get the necessary papers to claim the corpse,” a source volunteered.

Police public relations officer for Enugu State, Ebere Amaraizu could not speak on the status of the matter, claiming to have just returned from official trip outside the state.

by Robert Egbe



A businesswoman, Nkeiruka Cynthia Kamalu, has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that she was raped by a federal lawmaker, Uju Kingsley Chima, on August 9, 2015.

Mrs Kamalu told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that following an incestuous relationship with Chima, the lawmaker offered to pay her N20 million if she was divorced by her husband, Mr Gabriel Igbibi.

Chima is the Member, Federal House of Representatives for Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency of Imo State.
She is seeking protection from Chima, who she alleged caused her to be arrested on 27th day of May, 2019 tortured, humiliated, detained for seven days by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and arraigned on a fictitious N40million theft charge.

Kamalu made the allegations in a fundamental rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/1458/19 which came up on September 11, 2019.

Her counsel, Chijioke Jiakponna, told the judge that Chima had been evading service. He alleged that when the bailiff called Chima on phone to inform him that he wanted to serve him, the lawmaker cut the call.

Justice Oweibo adjourned till yesterday to rule on whether to allow substituted service.
Monday, the court did not sit.

When The Nation phoned Chima on Saturday evening for his reaction to the rape and N20m allegations, he said “I’m inside a court now, can we talk later? I’m inside a court.”

Later that night and Monday, his number rang out.

In her August 22, 2019 Affidavit of Urgency, Kamalu said she filed the suit due to the “intimidation, mounting surveillance and or illegal oral invitation threat of life and annihilation of property.”

She said she had been living “in perpetual fear” of being further detained “indefinitely.”

Kamalu is seeking several reliefs including a declaration that her arrest and detention “by the respondent at the State CID Police Headquarters, Owerri, Imo State (SARS) for seven days was unconstitutional.”

Others include a declaration that her invitation by the police for another investigation while the case has been adjourned sine die at the Chief Magistrate Court, Owerri, violates her rights.

She also wants an order restraining the Respondents, from further arresting, pursuing and intimidating her.

“An order directing the 1st 2nd, 4th to 6th Respondents to release forthwith her Infinix Note 7 and lnfinix Note 8 illegally seized by the Respondents during the arrest and torture in Lagos.

“An order awarding damage in the sum of N50 Million to the Applicant for the unlawful arrest, torture, unlawful detention, insult, disgrace, intimidation and the embarrassing treatment meted out on the Applicant.”

In her August 22, 2019 Affidavit in support of her application, Kamalu averred that she and Chima began dating in 1993 while she was in secondary school.

“We dated for 10 years, after which he proposed marriage and we both agreed to settle down as husband and wife. Unfortunately, our parents kicked against our relationship on the ground that we are biologically related and that we were committing incest and could not get married, so I married another man called Gabriel Igbibi,” she said.

The applicant said she reconnected with the lawmaker when she needed assistance to execute a contract she secured and that after she refused his advances, “he raped me.”

“I lodged the case first at New Owerri Police Station wherein he influenced it and I wrote a Petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Force State Quarters, Abuja. The petition was assigned to Zone 9 Police Command, Umuahia, Abia State.
“The 1st Respondent settled the police and they brokered peace between the 1st Respondent and me, wherein he promised to take proper care of me because he cannot withdraw himself from me.

She said following their reconciliation, they resumed their incestuous relationship “fully again”.

Kamalu added: “My husband got wind of the relationship between the 1st respondent and myself,” following which he filed for divorce.

When she informed Chima he allegedly gave her money to hire a lawyer for the case.

“The 1st Respondent promised that if the divorce succeeds, he will be giving me N20 million every six months and also buy me a property in any designated place in Lagos.

“The marriage was dissolved at the Ikeja High Court, Lagos. After the divorce, the 1st Respondent told me that before he will take the relationship serious, I will have to bear a child for him.”

According to her, she took in for him, but had a miscarriage. He then asked her to adopt a baby which would be his and claim that the baby was born in Canada, but that the baby also died.
She further claimed that he made her swear to an oath of loyalty, but she eventually caught him with another woman.

“I became infuriated and he became furious and warned me never to visit him again, that he is no longer interested in the relationship. I reminded him of the oath he forced me to take that no man must have any relationship with me again and the promise to be giving N20m every six months, buy me a property in a choice area, buy a brand new car every six months, which he had never fulfilled.

“I told him that I would tell the whole world how he has ruined my life and deceived me out of my marriage where I had four children.”

She told the court that this was why the lawmaker used the police to arrest her on May 27, 2019 and detained for seven days.

As the Senate resumes a new legislative session today following its nine-week recess, it could be embroiled in a face-off with the executive arm of government over alleged attempts by some anti-graft agencies to smear the image of the National Assembly.

One of such issues, according to National Assembly sources, is the current investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) into alleged abuses in the execution of constituency projects.

A recent disclosure by the anti-graft commission about having established cases of abuse and non-execution of contracts, even after money had been paid, is believed to be stirring concern among lawmakers.

In its initial reaction, the Senate accused the anti-graft commission of abusing its powers by resorting to sensationalism in its investigation.

Senate spokesman and chairman of its committee on media and public affairs, Adedayo Adeyeye, told The Guardian it was unfortunate that the ICPC went public with the investigation even when it was yet to contact the leadership of the National Assembly or at least the lawmakers involved in the said projects.

Some lawmakers are reportedly putting pressure on the Senate leadership to allow them raise the matter for debate next week.

“It is sad that having resolved to work together with the executive arm for good governance in this dispensation, some attempts are being made to rubbish the legislature and create wrong impressions to Nigerians. I can’t say how the matter would be handled but certainly we will not keep quiet about it,” said an All Progressives Congress (APC) member from the North East.

He added: “Many of our colleagues are of the view that the issue should be subjected to open debate. But no matter what happens, we must deliberate on it either openly or behind closed doors.”

The Senate had in the past insisted that besides appropriating the funds, it had no hands in the execution of the projects.

Adeyeye maintained that as an anti-corruption body, the ICPC should not ignore fair hearing in the discharge of its responsibilities. He said: “First, I must say that I am not aware of any investigation of constituency projects by the ICPC.

And if there is any, it must be a sort of preliminary investigation. Even at that, the commission ought to have done due diligence by extending an invitation to those lawmakers concerned. If it is about the whole National Assembly or Senate, as the case may be, it should also have heard from the institution concerned before going public.

“The ICPC was established for very serious issues of corruption, not for sensationalism. It is in the best interest of justice to always give fair hearing to whoever or whatever institution is concerned. To just rush to the public about a particular investigation on which due diligence of fair hearing has not been done is to say the least improper.”

The ICPC, which is currently probing constituency projects across the nation, said at the weekend that its investigation had already exposed some shady deals. It promised to make its findings on all abandoned projects public very soon.

The ICPC commissioner in Edo State, Mr. Yusuf Olatunji, cited the state as an example of where a project was awarded to one contractor twice with no job done.

He spoke at a town hall meeting organised by Social Action with support from the MacArthur Foundation. He promised that those found culpable would be prosecuted.

“Just last week, we discovered another contract which we have not made public. We are still working on it to know how true it is. I cannot tell you for now but the commission will make public the outcome of all the constituency projects tracking.

“The idea of investigating the constituency projects is not to witch-hunt anybody. The idea is to examine what they have done with our money. Constituency projects have been a major channel through which public funds are being siphoned,” Olatunji said.

The ICPC had last June begun the first phase of investigation into alleged fraudulent procurement in contracts worth over N15 billion across 12 states. The investigating panel is currently working in Lagos, Osun, Kogi, Benue, Adamawa, Bauchi, Sokoto, Kano, Imo, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Edo States. The team is expected to look into at least six controversial projects in each of the states, based on petitions and complaints already received by the commission.

The Spokesperson of the commission, Rasheedat Okoduwa, said: “The ICPC is carrying out the exercise with support from the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Budget Office of the Federation, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Premium Times, International Centre for Investigative Reporting, Public and Private Development Centre, Bureau of Public Procurement, Community for Peace and Corrupt-free Society and BudgIT. In Lagos, the ICPC investigating committee is probing the construction of a community recreation centre in Epe, which was awarded at a cost of N720 million in 2016.”

The presidency, meanwhile, has distanced itself from insinuations that President Muhammadu Buhari is influencing anti-graft agencies to investigate the lawmakers.

According to the special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, yesterday, “By now, everyone should know that President Buhari does not teleguide the anti-graft agencies. Only mischief makers would sing the same song over and over.”

Another issue fanning the face-off between the Senate and the presidency is the insistence of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to monitor the bank accounts of top leaders of the National Assembly.

Checks revealed that many lawmakers are bitter about NFIU’s move. One lawmaker argued that the entire institution of the National Assembly is being targeted for embarrassment.

“They are saying that the check on the accounts of leaders of the National Assembly and other political leaders is a routine one. If I may ask, why did they not extend the checks to the executive arm of government? Are there no political leaders in the executive arm of government?” he asked

It was learnt that the leadership of the Senate plans to meet President Muhammadu Buhari on the “need to caution” the NFIU to exercise diplomacy in matters concerning the National Assembly.

The NFIU had recently written to all banks requesting information on the accounts of the National Assembly, National Judicial Council, members of the National Assembly, Principal Officers, and the management of the National Assembly Service Commission.

The banks are expected to provide the NFIU with a schedule (account names and numbers) of the agencies, principal officers affected and other relevant politically exposed persons.

The NFIU, however, later explained that Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief Justice of the Federation Tanko Muhammad, and other top public office holders were not under any form of investigation by its operatives.

By Eugene Agha



https://cdn.dailytrust.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Two-suspected-lovers-during-their-arrest-for-allegedly-hacking-into-NHIS-account-to-remove-N60-million-600x360.jpg
Two suspected lovers during their arrest for allegedly hacking into NHIS account to remove N60 million


Two lovers, Tunde Ogunseye and Funmiayo Oyelaja, have been arrested for allegedly hacking into the federal government’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) account and stealing N60 million from it.

The suspects, who had been on the police wanted list, were said to have bolted to Ghana when the lid was blown on their act.

The police alleged that Oyelaja took advantage of being a staff of Clearline International Limited, a Health Management Office (HMO) based in Lagos, to hack into the account.

At the Lagos police headquarters, Ikeja, where the two suspects were paraded yesterday, Oyelaja, a mother of two, told journalists, “I worked with Clearline International Limited from 2014 to early 2019. What we do there is that we act as the middleman between the NHIS and hospitals. When the NHIS gives us money to pay hospitals, we would not spend all that was given to us and would not refund the excess to the NHIS purse.

Ogunseye, however, denied any involvement in the crime, though he admitted he knew about the alleged fraud.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, who paraded the suspects, said they would soon be charged to court.

Since coming to office in 2015, the Buhari administration has introduced policies that have resulted in Nigerians paying more for some services.

The administration has set its is policy thrust around reviving the economy, fighting corruption and combating insecurity. Though it has achieved some and fallen short of most of its promises in the three areas, more Nigerians have felt the pinch of its economic policies.

Below are some of the services for which Nigerians have been compelled to do more out of pocket spending in the last four years.


Fuel Price

On May 11, 2016, barely a year after been sworn into office, the Buhari administration increased the pump price for petrol from N86.50 to N 145.

Arguing that the price of petrol was artificial, the government said the subsidy component in the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) fuel pricing template must be removed to stop the corruption and arbitrage in the fuel subsidy regime which was costing the country several billions of dollars every year.

The administration argued that subsidy removal will create an enterprising fuel market that would encourage private sector participation and end the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s monopoly and dominance in the fuel supply system.

The then Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, said the adjustment was to increase the supply of petroleum product and stability in the fuel market. The fuel price hike expected triggered increases in the prices of goods and services in the country. But the government has continued to pay subsidy on petrol three years after the nearly 70 per cent increase.


Electricity Tariff

On February 2, 2016, then Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, announced a 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff. Mr Fashola explained that the hike was necessary as it will result in better power supply. While Nigerian have since been paying the increased rate, power supply has not seen much, if any appreciable increase in many parts of the country.


Bank Charges

On September 17, 2019, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) imposed charges on cash deposits and withdrawals above N500,000 for individual accounts and N3 million for corporate accounts.

Individuals will have to pay a three percent charge as processing fees on all withdrawals and two percent for cash lodgments in excess of N500,000.

Withdrawals in excess of N3 million from corporate accounts would henceforth attract five percent charge as processing and three percent on lodgments in excess of N3 million.

The CBN first announced the policy in 2012 before suspending it. The bank says the plan is aimed at encouraging cashless policy and will be implemented nationwide in March 2020.

Customers already pay a variety of account and card issuance and maintenance fees to different banks.

Also, On January 15, 2016, the CBN announced that bank customers are required to pay N50 stamp duty for monies received into their accounts via electronic transfer, cash, and cheques across banks.


Increased VAT

On September 13, 2019, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the Federation Executive Council had approved a proposal to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate payable in Nigeria from 5 to 7.5 percent.

She said the increment followed a recommendation of the presidential technical advisory committee set up to advise the government on alternative sources for raising funds for the implementation of the new minimum wage.

The government said the proposed increase will come into effect next year. It will require the approval of the National Assembly first. While the government claims that only the rich who use high-end goods and services will pay more, experts have said the impact will trickle down the economic ladder and just anyone will be affected.


Online Transaction VAT

Similarly, in August, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Tunde Fowler, told PREMIUM TIMES in an exclusive interview that the government was contemplating introducing the deduction of five percent value-added tax (VAT) on all online purchases using bank cards.

The government has not given the exact time for the commencement of the new tax.

Godwin Tsa , Abuja




The Court of Appeal is embroiled in crisis as a result of scheming over who replaces Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa as the president of the court. She retires from office in the next coming months.

The situation is capable of throwing the nation’s judiciary into the kind of crisis witnessed during the feud between the late Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Katsina Alu and former president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami.

The crisis was occasioned by Justice Salami’s refusal to be elevated to the Supreme Court and claim that the former CJN was interfering in the Sokoto governorship election case that was before the Appeal Court.

The episode, which sparked court battles and allegations of disregard for court orders by custodians of such orders, turned out amongst the most bitter in the annals of Nigeria’s judiciary history.

Investigation by Daily Sun has revealed that present crisis at the appellate court is occasioned by an attempt to stop the next most senior Justice of the Court, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem from becoming the next president to favour of Justice Muhammad Garba.

Already, her name has been sent to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for promotion to the bench of the Supreme Court.

She is expected to appear for an interview tomorrow alongside Justice Muhammad Garba, whose name is also on the list.

Daily Sun, however, learnt that the decision to promote her to the Supreme Court is ill-intended as it is laced with ethnic, political and religious colouration.

Besides, according to sources, the inclusion of Justice Garba’s name for the interview is a mere gimmick as the main target for the job is Justice Dongban-Mensem, a Christian from Plateau State, who is currently the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Enugu division.

According to a document by the National Judicial Council (NJC), Committee on Interview for Appointment of Judicial Officers into the Supreme Courts of Records dated September 17, Dongban-Mensem and Garba were among the six that made the list. Others are Adamu Jauro, Emmanuel A. Agim, Biobeli A. Georgewill and Helen M. Ogunwumiju, while on the reserve are Ridam M. Abdullahi, Tijani Abubakar, Abdu Aboki, Rita Pemu, C. Oseji and Justice O.K. Oyewole.
Daily Sun was told that Justice Dongban-Mensem was stopped from becoming a Justice of the Supreme Court many years ago by some forces within the judiciary.

Justice Muhammad Garba was Chairman of the five member presidential election petition tribunal that dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, against the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Daily Sun was told by credible sources that the clandestine plot to scheme out Justice Dongban-Mensem became glaring after the President of the court, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa withdrew from the presidential panel as its chairman.

“Under normal circumstances, Justice Dongban-Mensem was supposed to head the panel after the exist Justice Bulkachuwu from the presidential election petition tribunal panel, by virtue of her position as the next most senior Justice of the appellate court.

“Some Justices of this Court (Court of Appeal), were surprised by the decision to by-pass Justice Monica for Justice Garba, who is her junior on the bench of the Court.

The plot which has ethnic and religious colouration, according to sources, is to preserve the leadership of the judiciary in favour of a particular religion.

The last time a Christian attained the position of the President of the Court of Appeal was between 1976 to 1978, under Justice Daniel Onuorah Ibekwe. It is the North East and North West that have been heading the Court of Appeal.

Another source who spoke urged the CJN to intervene and save the judiciary another crisis.
“The CJN should immediately intervene to avert another crisis in the judiciary except we are to believe that now is payback time for Justice Garba for doing a “wonderful job” at the tribunal.

Adetutu Folasade-Koyi , Abuja




A plot to remove Vice President Yemi Osinbajo gathered momentum at the weekend, with some allegations against him dating back to when he was acting president in May 2017, when President Muhammadu Buhari was in the United Kingdom on medical leave, consequent upon Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Some of the allegations against him were that, as acting president, Osinbajo “authorised payment of N5.9 billion to NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) without approval from the National Assembly.

“Although he is chairman of the governing board of NEMA, he still needed parliamentary approval before money could be taken from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. He didn’t pass through the normal channel.

“Again, he signed for N25 billion for NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation), as ‘funding contract.’ He had no such powers,” said a security.

There are also allegations that disbursement of funds by the Federal Government-backed Social Investment Programme (SIP) domicilled in Osinbajo’s office were not transparent, with allegations of “traces of money exchanging hands between him and the FIRS boss.”

However, a Presidency source who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter dismissed the allegations as “recycled.”

He said: “The issues have not changed from the position that the House of Representatives Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness report never indicted Osinbajo of corruption,” and insisted that attempts to resuscitate the allegations are “mere political contrivances intended to distract him.”

In November 2018, also on the same issue, a presidential political adviser, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, said the opposition was merely “in search of company for their acts of grand corruption, which brought Nigeria to its knees as of May 2015.

“Even the House Committee chairman has said there was no allegation of corruption against him.” Another Presidency source simply dismissed the allegations as “part of the smear campaign. Absolute falsehood.”

Also, last Friday, in Ekiti State, during the burial of Mrs. Moroluke Fakoyede, mother of the secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, at St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Ikere-Ekiti, Osinbajo said there were saboteurs and fifth columnists working against government’s plan to develop the country.

Regardless, possible replacements for Osinbajo are being assessed and top on the list are two candidates from the South West.

The vice president is from the South West (Ogun State) and is also a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. In shopping for his replacement, two Christians are being considered, with a serving governor in the region topping the list, as at last Wednesday.

A former governor from the South West was also considered but was knocked off the list because of the need to ensure “religion balancing.”

Meanwhile, another source in the Federal Capital Territory said the allegations against Osinbajo were all about political permutations ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

He said despite being the highest ranking South West politically-exposed person in the ruling government now, and since “he does not control any political bloc in the region, there is need for realignment of forces hitherto deployed in the region,” in previous elections for the All Progressives Congress (APC), as an ally of the North.

“Osinbajo has no political base in Yorubaland. The recent ministerial, board appointments from the region went through another ally who is now a big player in Abuja. The young Turks from the South West are ready to go into a new alliance with the North,” he said.

To gain foothold, if and when Osinbajo is removed, the new political realignment would see the new leaders paving the way for a northern presidential candidate in the APC and the People’s Democratic Party.

A source who was privy to the plan explained: “The North will present candidates for the presidency in APC and PDP. The South West is automatically ruled out because Osinbajo has been elected twice now, with Buhari. The South East and the South South are now the beautiful brides for Vice President.”

A former governor further explained why the North will present candidates in APC and PDP.
“In arriving as to why the North should be allowed to contest for the Presidency in 2023, let us go back to 1999.

“The South West had its constitutional eight years with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In the spirit of balance and rotation, the presidency moved to the North.

“Now, in 2007, it was the turn of the North, with late President Umaru Musa’Yar’Adua, who did not complete his four-year tenure before he died in May 2010.

“If he had lived, he would have had the right of first refusal in 2011. His first four-year tenure was completed by his deputy then (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.), who went on to contest in 2011 and left in 2015.

“The eight years of the North was not completed because the South South took it, having jettisoned an earlier agreement.

“Now, it would only be fair if you allow the North have another shot at the presidency.

“Besides, the 2019 general election has shown the underbelly of the South West.

“Lagos, which had the highest number of voters, going into the general election, could not even muster 1 million votes for Mr. President; yet, Borno that was even bombed on the day of election, saw people trooping out to vote for APC overwhelmingly. Kano lived up to its billing by giving APC more votes than Lagos.

“So, in terms of comparative advantage, if APC is to continue at the centre, it’s best to have a presidential candidate from the North and balance it with a vice president from the South East since South South has ruled before. The rotation principle can be applied after 2027 and not before,” he argued.

Adelani Adepegba



The Police Service Commission has said that it will remove the names of candidates who did not participate in the recruitment process for 10,000 constables, but whose names were added to the final list by the police high command.

The board explained that a genuine list would be released after the strange names on the list had been weeded out.

A PSC Commissioner, Mr Austin Braimoh, confirmed to Saturday PUNCH that the candidates’ list that was released by the force was “polluted.”

It was gathered that the names of genuine candidates were replaced with those who did not participate in the exercise.

A former workers’ union chairman at the police service commission, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he knew some candidates who performed very well in the examinations but whose names were allegedly removed during the medical screening by the police over their inability to pay huge bribes.

He said, “I know a candidate in Oyo State whose name was removed during the medical screening because he had no bribe to give to the police officers who handled the exercise. I also know some candidates in Kogi and Niger states who suffered a similar fate. These are the reports we received from different states.”

The union leader explained further, “What the police authorities did was to lobby members of the National Assembly and Presidency officials, collecting names of candidates to back their wrong action.

“Those who were invited for medicals were candidates who didn’t apply for recruitment. In Niger State where I participated in the process, what they did was to add names of candidates who didn’t participate in the exercise. Their intention was to screen out the original candidates and replace them with their own people.”

The police and the commission had been engaged in a turf war over the recruitment of 10,000 constables with the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, insisting that it was the right of the force to conduct the exercise.

He had, consequently, seized the list of candidates who participated in the recruitment from the commission and went ahead to invite them for medical screening.

Miffed by the development, the PSC Chairman, Musiliu Smith, complained to President Muhammadu Buhari, who during a meeting on Tuesday, made it clear to the IG that the commission had the constitutional mandate to handle the recruitment and promotion of personnel in the police.

Speaking to our correspondent in Abuja on Friday, Braimoh said the commission would meet with the Deputy Inspector-General in charge of Training and Development, Yakubu Jubrin, to scrutinise the list of candidates that was released last week by the police.

He said, “We are going to release a more genuine list because the list the police sent out is polluted. We would have loved to manage it, but we see what happens. We hope we can put heads together and delete people that came in without going through the normal process.”

Stressing that the commission would not allow external forces to corrupt the exercise which was the first recruitment to be carried out by the board, Braimoh explained that only genuine candidates would emerge as constables from the process.

“This is our first recruitment and we want to ensure we do what is right. We are not accusing them (police) of being corrupt or of doing what is wrong, but we would allow Nigerians to judge at the end of the day. This is all what we stand for.

“We just want to do what is right. Now that things are being put in the proper place, we are still going to have a meeting point, sit together with the DIG Training and all the staff and then look at the list again, the way we presented it at the initial time and then streamline and bring out the best for Nigeria,” the comissioner noted.

The PSC board member disclosed that the agency had received reports of candidates paying money to scale through the medical screening carried out by the police nationwide last week.

He encouraged candidates who were extorted to report to the commission, stressing that the board would address the complaints.

Braimoh said the commission would hold a meeting with the IG and the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, where the grey issues surrounding the recruitment crisis would be addressed, adding that this would determine the next move by the PSC.

He also disclosed that President Buhari had approved another round of recruitment for next year as part of measures to address the insecurity in the country.

“The President has said that we are going to conduct another round of recruitment next year. The figure and the official approval has not been released to us, but it is above 10,000 and we are going to work together (with the police); we would do it jointly to avoid any rancour,” he stated.

The force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, could not be reached for reaction to allegations that the police authorities padded the list of candidates as calls to his phone rang out. He had yet to respond to a text message on the issue.