₦airaland Forum

Famous Nigerian musician, Oladapo Oyebanji, famously known as D'banj will remain in the detention facility of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over a fresh discovery of 20,000 ghost workers infused into the N-Power Programme, SaharaReporters has gathered.

The anti-graft agency detained D’banj on Tuesday over fraud allegations involving the N-Power Programme.

On June 8, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari launched the programme to address the issues of youth unemployment and empowerment, and also promote social development.

SaharaReporters earlier reported how top government officials introduced over 70,000 ghost workers into the N-Power Programme and fraudulently diverted billions of naira into their pockets.

“70,000 names were infused into N-Power by officials of the Buhari regime in the last four years.

“The fake list costs Nigeria N2.1 billion per year while original N-Power candidates are left unpaid,” a source had told the newspaper.

In June 2021, SaharaReporters reported that 14,000 beneficiaries of the N-Power programme were owed for five months.

N-Power is a youth empowerment scheme sponsored by the Nigerian Government under the Social Investment Program (SIP).

Other programmes under the scheme include Home Grown School Feeding, Tradermoni, Marketmoni and the Conditional Cash Transfer in the 36 states of the country.

SaharaReporters gathered that since the social investment programme of the government was moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, the minister, Sadiya Farouq, had been making attempts to stop some of the programmes under the scheme.

Aside from announcing that beneficiaries would be laid off, she had also refused to release funds for the school feeding programme in some states.

A source at the humanitarian ministry on Wednesday night told SaharaReporters that top government officials in President Buhari’s government have been using cronies to siphon funds under the social intervention programmes.

A source had confided in SaharaReporters that ICPC would release D’banj on Wednesday night after failing to successfully link the musician to the fraudulent activities in the N-Power Programme.

“D’banj will be released tonight by the ICPC. The agency is unable to link him concretely with fraudulent activities in N-Power,” a top source in the agency had told SaharaReporters.

However, the source on Thursday said investigators discovered a fresh list containing over 20,000 ghost names, tagged “D’banj’s list.”

He said the names were allegedly used to divert over N600 million monthly for over two years by government officials in connivance with the Nigerian musician.

The source however added that D’banj refuted the allegation and denied any knowledge of the list.

“Like I told you yesterday, D’banj was to be released last night but our (ICPC) Director of OperationS wasn’t available. So, his lawyers were asked to come back today,” he said.

“But our investigators just discovered another 20,000 N-Power list, so he (D’banj) will remain in detention.

“Today when his lawyers arrived for his release, they were told about this fresh list containing 20,000 names. This list was being used to divert N600 million monthly from Nigeria in the last two years by Buhari government officials. The list containing 20,000 names has been bleeding Nigeria N600 million monthly over the last two years.

“It’s named the D-banj’s list. He actually denied the list when he was interrogated by our officials. That’s the reason he wasn’t released as planned.”

All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said he is ready to debate from morning till night.

Tinubu has been heavily criticised for staying away from interactive sessions attended by other presidential candidates.

His absence at ARISE Townhall on Sunday had created a stir as his critics said Tinubu might have stayed away because he could not withstand the rigor.

The main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had accused him of avoiding debates because he has nothing to tell Nigerians.

But addressing some young Nigerians in London, Tinubu said debate was not an issue.

“I am ready to debate with you from morning till night… and I’m speaking in London, not in Jigawa. It is great that you are alive to tell the story just giving the assurance never to give up… Broadband creation, energy that you talked about.. if they’ve taken our advice.. in the beginning of democracy in 1999, we brought in investment. My Deputy then is here.. and then so many other innovative things….,” he said.

Fielding a question from the audience at Chatham House in London on Monday, on why he snubbed debates, Tinubu said, “I see myself as a marketable individual. You want to use me to make money and I’m saying no.”

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has disclosed that it invited the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences commission (ICPC) to probe the alleged fraud in the N-Power programme.

N-Power is a scheme established by President Muhammadu Buhari to address the issues of youth unemployment and empowerment, and help increase social development.

Formerly under the office of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the the scheme was later moved to the humanitarian ministry.

According to reports, D’banj colluded with some government officials to introduce ghost beneficiaries into the payroll of the scheme.

The stipend paid to those beneficiaries was then paid to accounts that have now been allegedly linked to the pop star.

He said when it came to the notice of the ministry that there may have been sharp practices by some personnel of the Payment Service Provider (P’SP) involved in the payment processes of beneficiaries, the matter was immediately referred to ICPC for thorough investigation.

He said, “We are aware that certain persons have consequently been invited for interrogation as part of the ongoing investigations.

“In the meantime, we have carried out thorough reinforcement of our systems to eliminate all anomalies and prevent similar occurrences in the future. To this end we are in close collaboration with ICPC to support the successful determination of the investigation.

“The public may wish to note that in a bid to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of N-Power and other National Social Investment Programmes, namely the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme(NHGSFP), Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) and the Conditional Cash Transfer(CCT), the Ministry has over time involved other govenment MDA’s, Security Agencies and Civil Society Organizations in monitoring and compliance checks across the 36 states of the country and the FCT.

“We want to assure all N-POWER beneficiaries of Federal Government’s continued commitment to the programme and the subsequent exit/off-boarding channels activated.”

Muhammad Dingyadi, minister of police affairs, says the federal government has fully implemented the demands presented by #EndSARS protesters.

In October 2020, protesters, under the #EndSARS movement, took to streets across the country to demand an end to police brutality.

The protests had resulted in the disbandment of the special anti-robbery squad of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The protesters had also made five demands, including the immediate release of all arrested protesters; justice for all deceased victims of police brutality; setting up of an independent body to investigate police misconduct; psychological evaluation of SARS operatives before redeployment; and salary increase for police officers.

Speaking on Tuesday at an event organised by Cleen Foundation with support from MacArthur Foundation, Dingyadi said the government has also set up the police public complaints committee for citizens to report police misconduct.

“The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has fully implemented the demands presented by peaceful protesters in October 2020, which was unfortunately hijacked by unpatriotic elements,” he said.

“It would be recalled that the government expeditiously approved the disbanding of the special anti-robbery squad, which was foremost among the demands of the protesters.

“The five demands of the protesters, otherwise known as the ‘five for five’ demands, also included setting up of independent investigation, justice for victims of police infractions, and re-evaluation of disbanded SARS personnel, and the upward review of police emolument, has been fully implemented by the government towards emplacing permanent solutions to trust deficit between the police and the citizenry.

“Please permit me to reiterate the fact that policing as the fulcrum upon which security revolves, requires inclusiveness to realise its fundamental objectives.

“Our germane desire to promote food security, health security, economic buoyancy and all forms of human security, through community-based and technology-led policing, requires critical support of all stakeholders.

“I am confident that such interventions and similar capacity-building exercises organised by critical stakeholders will help to set a new record of police professionalism in the 2023 general election.”

An Argentine court on Tuesday sentenced Vice President Cristina Kirchner to six years in jail for corruption, banning the country’s best-known politician from seeking public office after a trial she dismissed as a political witch hunt.

Adored and reviled in equal measure by millions of Argentinians, the divisive former president was declared guilty of “fraudulent administration” over irregular public works contracts awarded during her time as president between 2007 and 2015.

Kirchner wrote on social media that “none of the lies were proven” and that she had been convicted by a “legal mafia”.

“I won’t be a candidate for anything, not a senator, or a deputy or president of the nation,” in 2023 general elections, she wrote on social media after the ruling.

Analysts say it is unlikely that Kirchner will head to jail anytime soon, as she holds congressional immunity through her current role, and still has several avenues for appeal, but the ruling places a giant question mark over her future.

“The verdict will have a strong political impact,” said political analyst Rosendo Fraga of the University of Buenos Aires, although “the chances of her being arrested for the sentence are non-existent.”

Kirchner was charged alongside 12 others for alleged involvement in the illicit attribution of public works contracts in the southern Santa Cruz province in favor of businessman Lazaro Baez.

The period investigated includes Kirchner’s eight years in office and the preceding four years when her late husband Nestor Kirchner, who died in 2010, was president.

The public prosecutor denounced what he called “a system of institutional corruption” and “probably the largest corruption operation” in the country, with “systematic irregularities in 51 calls for tenders” over 12 years.

Eight of Kirchner’s co-accused were found guilty and sentenced to between three and six and a half years in jail. Three were released and another had their case dismissed as it had passed the statute of limitations.


– Uncertain future –

Kirchner said the charges were a lie made up by her political enemies.

“This court has been a true firing squad,” the veteran politician said during her final address to the court, accusing prosecutors of having “dedicated themselves to disrespecting and insulting me.”

As vice president, Kirchner is head of the country’s Senate and enjoys immunity as a lawmaker.

Fraga said potential appeals could take up to six years or more.

All eyes will be on potential protests after the verdict.

When prosecutors announced they were seeking a 12-year jail term in late August, mass daily demonstrations took place outside Kirchner’s apartment building in the upmarket suburb of Recoleta.

During one of these protests on September 1, a man shoved a revolver in her face and pulled the trigger — but the gun did not fire. Four people have been charged with involvement in the attack.


– Adored and hated –

Several hundred Kirchner supporters gathered outside the courthouse before the verdict was read.

“I am here to defend Cristina. We defend her for what she has done and what we know she can continue to give,” said 50-year-old Marcelo Graziano, outside the courthouse.

Kirchner came to prominence as part of the ultimate political power couple, with she and her late husband Nestor Kirchner serving a collective 12 years in the Casa Rosada, the pink presidential palace.

To her working-class base, the Kirchners were the saviors after Argentina’s 2001 economic meltdown and social unrest that followed the largest debt default in history, standing up for the little guy against bullies both foreign and domestic.

Her detractors see her as a corrupt, overbearing interventionist who steered the country back towards economic ruin through debt-fueled spending sprees.

The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has expressed its disappointment with the Federal Government, especially the Ministry of Labour and Employment, over the non-payment of its members’ withheld salaries and threatened to seek legal redress.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had presented certificates of registration to CONUA and the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Lecturers in Academics (NAMDA) at the peak of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in October, a move believed to be targeted at decimating ASUU’s authorities.

The president of CONUA, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu in a statement issued on Tuesday said even when the government knew its members were not involved in the strike action that lasted for eight months, their salaries were being withheld.

He said the non-payment of their withheld salaries contravened Section 43 (1b) of the Trade Disputes Act CAP. T8, which states that “where any employer locks out his workers, the workers shall be entitled to wages and any other applicable remunerations for the period of the lock-out and the period of the lock-out shall not prejudicially affect any rights of the workers being rights dependent on the continuity of period of employment.”

“This provision is consistent with global best practices. From the foregoing and as a law-abiding union that pledged to do things differently, we have resolved to seek legal redress of the illegal withholding of our legitimate salaries by taking the matter to Court in consonance with the rights enshrined in our laws,” he said.

According to the statement, CONUA formally made its non-involvement in the strike known to the Federal Government in a letter addressed to Ngige in April 2022, followed by a press conference in Abuja on August 19, 2022 where it was categorically stated that CONUA was not part of any ongoing strike, and that the “No Work No Pay” principle ought not to apply to members of the union.

According to the statement, the union had written to the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Labour and Employment reminding them that it was an error to lump their members with those that declared and embarked on strike action.

“It was yet another shock for the outstanding backlog of salaries not to have been paid to our members along with the November 2022 salary,” he said.

He gave the directive at the unveiling of the new service logo and uniforms and the commissioning of a new staff quarters, ICT infrastructure and operational vehicles at the Service headquarters.

Twenty-five personnel who displayed gallantry to repel a bandits’ attack on a custodial facility in Niger State were rewarded by the minister at the event.

Aregbesola, while commending the 25 personnel for their act of gallantry, expressed dismay that some personnel in other custodial centres chickened out when faced with attacks by criminals.

According to him, custodial centres are now red zones and personnel should shoot to kill whenever an intruder attempts an attack.

“Riffles are not for play, they’re meant to kill criminals. Any officer that cannot shoot to kill, any lilly-liver officer that cannot shoot on the head should be trained or replaced.

“Criminals should not sustain injuries. Those people who cannot shoot to kill, if you don’t want to dismiss them, redeploy them to female prisons.

“People who will be in maximum and medium custodial centres must be tough.

“We’ve had too many embarrassing attacks and we must put a stop to it,” he said.

He said most of the hoodlums causing havoc in the South East were some of the escapees from the custodial centres in Imo State.

He said anybody who tried to attack any custodial centre should pay the supreme price going forward.

By Efe Onodjae


A lady identified as Toyin has set her boyfriend Moses Baba-Agba ablaze at Akoro, Badagry West Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Lagos State over her refusal to continue with their relationship.

It was learned that the boyfriend discovered that Toyin was not pregnant after he forced her to go for scanning based on the fact that Toyin had been collecting money from him for antenatal for the past few months.

An aunt to the deceased, Pedetin Baba-Agba told Vanguard that Toyin, 24, told Moses, 26, that she was pregnant some weeks ago and Moses had been giving her money for antenatal until last week when Moses told her to go for scanning to know the condition of the baby.

According to her, she came back to tell Moses that the scanning machine got spoilt when it was her turn and this prompted Mose’s mother to take her to the hospital where she discovered that she was not pregnant as claimed and as result of this, Moses brought the relationship to an end.

Meanwhile, the deceased family said they were not aware Moses told her he was no longer interested in the relationship anymore.

“On Friday night, Toyin deceived Moses’ sister staying with him and took her to the seaside for fresh air. On getting there, Toyin told her to wait because she wanted to pick some clothes at home. When Toyin got home, Moses was already sleeping. She poured petrol on him and set him on fire after locking him in the room. She then escaped with Moses’ phone but as she was fleeing, she was badly wounded on the leg by the raging inferno that spread across the rooms.

“Moses struggled alone in the room for a long time before he could break the door and ran to my house for help. At first, we did not know it was Moses because he was burnt beyond recognition. In the ensuing confusion, we poured oil on him but to no avail. We then rushed him to General hospital where they referred us to the hospital at Ikeja where Moses later died on Monday. His body is presently at the mortuary in Badagry.

“We are pleading with Nigerians to come to our aid. We have also learned that this lady had allegedly stabbed her former husband to death in Ajara, Badagry and nothing was done about it. The lady was tracked down to a church and she was handed over to the police. We don’t know what they are going to do about it yet.”

Similarly, another incident was reported at Gome community, close to Owode Apa, Badagry West LCDA on 13th of November when one John, surname unknown, set a man he saw in front of his house ablaze over allegations of having affair with his wife.

Giving vivid details of how the incident took place, a brother to the deceased, Gabriel Fred told Vanguard; “I got a call that Sunday was set ablaze on Sunday around midnight. On getting there, they had taken him to the hospital. I proceeded to the hospital where I discovered that he was seriously burnt. I was told to go and get some drugs for him on Monday but he died later that day.

“From the information we gathered, Sunday went out that faithful day with his girlfriend. She said she was not feeling well and was vomiting. So, he brought her home and had to wait to make sure she got better before he leaves. He then sat down at the front of the house where the girlfriend was sharing apartment with her married elder sister and he slept off.

“It was while he was asleep that the husband to the elder sister came home to discover a strange man sleeping in front of his house with a packed motorcycle. He immediately went to buy petrol, poured it on the stranger and set him ablaze. It was later discovered that the enraged husband had mistaken Sunday for a man having affair with his wife.”

A woman who sells petrol close to the area said John had come to buy petrol from her that evening, a few minutes before the incident took place not knowing what he was going to use it for. It was further gathered that John had confessed to his father that he set the wrong person ablaze and that he never knew it was Sunday.

Vanguard gathered that the police could not arrest John and his wife because both of them escaped but Sunday’s girlfriend was arrested but was later released on bail. The incident was reported to the police at Badagry.

A source a Area K police command told Vanguard that the lady in question can’t be arrested because of the injury sustained on her leg and as a result of that and Police don’t detain injured people.

The electioneering of the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, took an intriguing twist on Monday at the Chatham House in London as he delegated some members of the party to respond to questions posed to him.

Tinubu was in Chatham House to speak to Nigerians in the Diaspora on why he should be elected in 2023.

After his presentation which was livestreamed on Arise TV, some members of the audience asked him some questions bordering on insecurity, oil theft, education and economy and how he planned to address crises in those areas if he became president.

As he was asked by the moderator to respond to the questions, Tinubu said he would assign some members of his entourage to do so.

The former Lagos State governor assigned Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to speak on how his (Tinubu-led) government would address insecurity and asked the Director of Strategic Communication of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Aleke, to respond to the question on oil theft.

Tinubu also delegated a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Wale Edun, to respond to a question on how he (Tinubu) would boost the economy if elected.

A crisis appears to be brewing over the ownership of the Kolmani Oil and Gas field as both Bauchi and Gombe States have started laying claims to the oil wells.

Officials and residents of the two states have also accused each other of attempting to appropriate the site which is said to contain one billion barrels of crude oil reserves and 500 billion standard cubic feet of gas.

The development is coming barely two weeks after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), inaugurated oil exploration at the Kolmani oil field by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited and its joint venture partners.

Kolmani in North-East Nigeria reportedly has oil in commercial quantities with Oil Prospecting Licences 809 and 810, cutting across Kolmani One, Two, Three, Four and Five.

Speaking during the event, Buhari disclosed that the project has attracted over $3bn investments so far.

The president said, “We are pleased with the current discovery of over 1b barrels of oil reserves and 500 billion Cubic Feet of Gas within the Kolmani area and the huge potential for more deposits as we intensify exploration efforts.’’

“It is, therefore, to the credit of this administration that at a time when there is near zero appetite for investment in fossil energy, coupled with the location challenges, we are able to attract investment of over $3bn to this project,” he added.

Buhari noted that the governors of Bauchi and Gombe states had given assurances of their unwavering commitment and willingness to ensure support and cooperation in the localities.

However, the governors’ assurances seemed to have been forgotten as the two states declared that they were the rightful owners of the oil-rich field.

Gombe claims ownership

While insisting on Gombe’s ownership of the contentious Kolmani field, the Special Adviser to Gombe State Governor on Information Management and Strategy, Alhaji Ahmed Gara-Gombe, blamed the boundary commission for the controversy.

He stated, “The truth of the matter is that the Kolmani oil well is in Gombe State; Akko Local Government, Pindiga emirate, Tai district, Kaltanga Mamuda ward. It has nothing to do with Bauchi State or Alkaleri Local Government.

“If putting the records straight is what is seen as a crisis, so be it. The National Boundary Commission, the NNPC are hypocrites in this matter, they know the truth and they should come out clean.”

According to Gara-Gombe, the solution is to give Gombe what belongs to it, adding, “Kolmani One is in Bauchi State in Alkeleri, let them go and explore that one. Four oil wells are in Gombe.’’

He noted, ‘’Again, we need an independent jury to determine and verify our claims. Our people whose land was dubiously taken in the name of access road and were paid between N64,000 to N117,000 as compensation by the NNPC must be paid appropriately.

“NNPC must go to Gombe side and also construct a road like they did on the Bauchi side. Besides, Pindiga (Gombe) to Kolmani is shorter and friendly terrain than the Bauchi (side) which is longer and an unfriendly terrain.’’


Stakeholder reacts

Echoing the governor’s aide, a lawyer, Abdullahi Inuwa, blamed a former Group Managing Director of the NNPC who passed on recently, for awarding the land to Bauchi State.

The late NNPC GMD was reportedly an indigene of Misau, Bauchi State.

Inuwa explained that their grouse was not with the Federal Government but the NNPC, noting that the president was misguided on the true owners of the land.

He stated, “The true position is we did not accuse the Federal Government directly but our accusation points at the NNPC, not the Federal Government per say. We are accusing the NNPC, since the late GMD’s time, of manipulation; for trying to create a smokescreen by portraying the fact that Kolmani is in Bauchi, while Kolmani is in Gombe.

“There is a village head of Kolmani, who is answerable to the district head, who is also answerable to the Pindiga emirate under the Akko Local Government. Our position is that Kolmani is in Gombe, not in Bauchi.

‘’The Federal Government or the President has been misled by the NNPC especially the highest ranking officers of the NNPC that are of Bauchi State origin,” Inuwa further alleged.

He declined to speak further on how the late NNPC GMD allegedly caused the brewing feud, but simply claimed that the NNPC had shown preference for Bauchi State.

He said, “If you go to Misau, you will see so many developments made by the NNPC in Misau, where the late GMD came from. On the issue of boreholes constructed by the NNPC in the area, there are more boreholes on the side of Bauchi and less on the side of Gombe.

“Also, that area in Bauchi where oil is alleged to have been discovered from the borders, all the fenced block is on the side of Gombe, there is no area on the side of Bauchi surrounded by walls where oil is to be drilled.

‘’And not only that, if you are to go to Barambu during the late NNPC GMD’s administration, I was informed about a store constructed by the NNPC in Barambu, which is part of Bauchi and I was told there is a laboratory there.

“If they had treated us fairly whether Kolmani is in Bauchi or Gombe, we would just remain mute, we would not say anything. As time goes on, the way and manner they are treating us as if we don’t know what we are doing is what provoked us to come out and voice out our grievances and also tell the world that this is our position; that we are not ready to relinquish Kolmani which is in the process of annexation from the side of Bauchi through the NNPC.”

Inuwa gave the assurance that the contention would not degenerate into violence, noting that they were ready for dialogue.

He said, “We have heard about the challenges in the Niger Delta but sadly in this case it is the government through the NNPC’s selfish interest that is trying to create problems and disharmony.

‘’Some of us have parents who hailed from the other side, Bauchi side; we go to their market, they come to our market. We inter-marry, we are one. NNPC’s senior officers should remember the oath of allegiance; they are first from Nigeria before considering themselves as indigenes of Bauchi.’’

Speaking further, he stated, “I don’t think it will escalate to the Niger Delta extent. From the outset, if someone like the late NNPC GMD had engaged both communities from both sides of the boundary, it wouldn’t have escalated. Our doors are not closed for dialogue, I believe our leaders will resolve it amicably.’’


Resident speaks

A resident of Pindiga, Gombe State, Salisu Mohammed, said they would not allow themselves to be moved to Bauchi, adding that oil discovery should not be a reason to lose one’s origin.

He said, “We are casting our votes with respect to the state Assembly of Gombe and not Bauchi House of Assembly. We are not ready to be snatched because of oil to a different state.”


Bauchi govt reacts

Speaking to our correspondent on the telephone, the Commissioner for Information, Bauchi State, Yakubu Ningi, said that the state government would consult widely before making its position on the matter known to the public.

He said, “Although the governor has been invited to speak on the matter on a television programme, he did not go because he realised that the matter is taking a different dimension.

“He wants to have wider consultations after which the Bauchi State government’s position on the matter will be made public. His Excellency said you’ll need to give us some time to articulate our position before going to press later on.”


‘Bauchi owns Kolmani’

Reacting to Gombe’s claims over the oil field, Muhammad Bako, the member representing Pali Constituency in the Bauchi State House of Assembly where the area is situated, stressed that the area belonged to Bauchi.

He added, “This issue is not an issue for the youths because when you bring in the youths, the issue has become a child’s play. They are being sponsored by people and they don’t know exactly where the boundary is.

“The chairman of the National Boundary Commission hails from Gombe State, but when the issue of verifying the boundary came up, he went and saw it (the boundary); they were thinking the boundary was in Gombe.

“But when they saw it, they left and never returned because they saw the truth that the oil was in Bauchi and not in Gombe. And you know when people want to cause problems or crisis, they use the youths but I am calling on them not to cause trouble that will consume them. They are being sponsored by people who don’t know anything about this oil.”

Going down memory lane, the lawmaker said that the oil was first discovered when Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was a minister.

Bako argued, “This oil was first discovered when Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the minister of works; that was when the history of this oil started. Then, during the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, he started drilling the oil at Barumbu and then he died.

“When Olusegun Obasanjo came in, he allegedly sent (messages) and the oil well was reportedly blocked, and the issue was no longer talked about. So, when Buhari came, he started the drilling again.’’

“The one (oil well) in Barumbu was just flushed. And then, two new ones were drilled. The one that was flushed in Barumbu and the two new ones are not in Gombe. The boundary between Bauchi and Gombe and these oil wells is up to 20 kilometers,” he stated.

To buttress his argument that the area belongs to Bauchi, the lawmaker said all the communities in the jurisdiction were paying taxes to the state government.

He added, “There are traditional rulers in Bauchi and Gombe states. Those communities where the oil has been found, all their traditional leaders pay their taxes to the Bauchi State government. The traditional rulers in Gombe have been paying their taxes to Gombe over the past 100 years.

“So, if a traditional ruler dies in any of those communities, would a new one be installed by Gombe State? He will be installed by Bauchi State government, and not Gombe. And because of that, they have no excuse.”

The lawmaker sued for peace, admonishing the people of the area not to encourage militancy over the oil discovery.

Reacting to Bako’s claims, the media aide to Gombe governor, Gara-Gombe, simply stated, “Does it mean that the chairman of the National Boundary Commission who is from there, who is their son, has rejected his home state and is now supporting Bauchi? Do they love Gombe more than he does? You need to ask him to give you an answer.”


Boundary commission reacts

Commenting on the controversy, Deputy Director, National Boundary Commission, Mr Emmanuel Bulus, said the agency was not aware of the contention over the oil field.

When asked if the NBC would address the tussle, he said only the director-general of the commission, Adamu Adaji, could speak on the matter, adding that he was out of Abuja at the moment.

On his part, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Garba-Deen Muhammad, said attention should rather be focused on oil production from the wells at the moment.

“Let us worry more about oil supply for now. This one (ownership tussle) can wait,” he stated.

The APC council added that the states with heightening poverty in the country are states controlled by the opposition party, while listing Sokoto and Bayelsa.


The All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council has said that the recent report of 133million poor Nigerians is still one of the lowest in the West African sub-region.

The APC council added that the states with heightening poverty in the country are states controlled by the opposition party, while listing Sokoto and Bayelsa.

The APC campaign council Director of Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, stated this in an interview with PUNCH, while claiming that the APC government had not disappointed Nigerians as widely perceived.

He said, “The manifesto the party used to come to power in 2015 is right there. I agree that the APC made some promises. This social investment is one of them too. The party said it would fight corruption. Is the government still not fighting corruption now? The APC government has also been doing certain things concerning unemployment in the country. They create new jobs, offer training facilities to young entrepreneurs and many others.

“I suggest you journalists should read that report again. When the NBS, World Bank and other international institutions are talking about poverty, they keep shifting the goal post. The initial assumption is that if you are earning below one dollar a day, you are poor. Now, they have shifted it to about two dollars or more a day. What the NBS is talking about is multidimensional poverty.

“It also talked about improvement in the monetary side of the report. What this means is that 40 per cent of Nigerians are poor if you use money as an index. But when you apply a multidimensional aspect to it, the figure will shoot up. Don’t let us fool ourselves, Nigeria is a very poor country. If you go by all the global statistics on per capita income, ours is one of the lowest even in West Africa.

“So when they are talking about 133 million Nigerians are suffering from multidimensional poverty, it includes housing, access to health facilities, education, transport and others. I can even tell you categorically that the NBS underestimated it.”

Out of N5 billion target of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the prosecution of its 2023 presidential campaign, the party has raised the sum of N24 million in three days.

The presidential election has been fixed for February 2023 and the party in its bid to raise funds for the prosecution of Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima’s campaign, on Tuesday, November 29, unveiled crowd funding application for the project, tagged: Tinubu Shettima Campaign on Blessmi.com.

The party’s crowd funding committee is chaired by Shettima while an oil and gas business magnate and ex-presidential aspirant, Jack Rich is the vice chairman.

As at 11:50 am on Friday, the total sum of money donated through the platform for the project was N 24, 366, 000.

The highest donor so far on the platform is Audu Abubakar who donated N500, 000 and N9, 5 million, making a total of N10 million.

Others also ranked as highest donors were, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who donated N2 million, while APC vice-presidential candidate, Shettima, APC senatorial candidates in Lagos Central and West, Wasiu Eshinlokun Wasiu, Idiat Adebule, Skarf Limited and Otunba Wale Osinubi all donated N1 million each.

Other donors include Shamsudeen Garba, Umar Isah, Abdullah Mohammad, Sulaiman Ibrahim, Haladu Tijjani, Abubakar Musa, Idris Amin, Usman Sabo, Alkasim Ibrahim, Idris Adam and many more.

The APC Vice Presidential candidate, who unveiled the crowdfunding app in Lagos, said it would give the people a sense of belonging and deepen democracy.

Shettima, who spoke on behalf of Tinubu, said they both have leadership qualities which stand them tall above other contestants.

He added that leadership goes beyond churning out dubious statistics. He also hailed the committee which created the application, and promised they will be relevant even after the party wins the election.

Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the application as another way of using technology to support the Tinubu/Shettima candidacy, and urged Nigerians to show their “individual commitment to the Tinubu/Shettima campaign through their contribution.”

Some federal ministries, departments and agencies have continued to engage in backdoor recruitment despite the employment embargo imposed by the Federal Government since 2020, findings by our correspondents have revealed.

The Federal Government has, however, threatened to sanction those involved in the illegality, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Customs Service, among other MDAs.

Investigations showed that some agencies issued employment letters to jobseekers, which were not accredited by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission, while others simply replaced retired or dead officials with friends and family members.

But the replacements were done without the approval of the OHCSF and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

The PUNCH had earlier reported how some civil servants, who were engaged in employment racketeering, were caught in the Federal Ministry of Works.

It was also reported how the OHCSF uncovered over 1,500 civil servants with fake employment letters in a ministry.

Corroborating this, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, said her office had detected a total of 1,618 workers whose letters of employment were either fake or illegal in the Federal Civil Service.

This is despite the embargo placed on employment by the government.

In 2019, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was reported to have employed many individuals without following the due recruitment process.

Many groups, including the Niger Delta Youth Consort of Nigeria, protested against the NNPC for excluding the region and southerners in the secret recruitment.

The National Coordinator of the NDYCN, Chuks Onuoha, described the practice as unacceptable, but the then NNPC spokesman, Kenny Obateru, denied the recruitment.

According to him, what the NNPC management did was to fill the vacancies with personnel who were already in the system and were qualified rather than recruiting fresh ones from outside the system.

But applicants, who got to the final stage of the screening process, accused the oil giant of substituting their names with favoured candidates.

“The NNPC replaced most of the EH positions under the guise of a hurriedly planned scheme codenamed Internal Open Resource where some people, who contracted third party staff members and did not meet the requisite experience and qualifications in the advertised EH vacancies, are being deployed through the backdoor in an unfortunate and disappointing bid to jettison the EH merit list,” the President, Transparency in Recruitment at Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Felix Sunday, had lamented then.

The current NNPC spokesman, Garba Deen Muhammad, asked one of our correspondents to send a message to him on WhatsApp three Fridays ago, but he had yet to respond to the message as of the time of filing this report.

Similarly, the Federal Inland Revenue Service was enmeshed in a recruitment scandal in 2021 after it emerged that it secretly engaged 2,000 workers, a development that put a strain on its budget.

The Nigerian Civil Service Union, which disclosed this in a petition to the FIRS Chairman, Muhammad Namu, in June 2021, also revealed that the agency was finding it difficult to pay salaries at some point after the secret engagement of the staff members within a period of 18 months.

It demanded an end to the re-engagement of retired directors and other categories of staff.

The media aide to the FIRS chairman, Tobi Wojuola, refused to respond to the allegations against the service when contacted.

Reacting to allegations of illegal recruitment, the Nigerian Customs Service spokesman, Timi Bomodi, insisted that there had been no backdoor recruitment in the service.

He said, “We advertise every recruitment in newspapers; there is no ministry and department of government in Nigeria that is as transparent in its recruitment process as the Nigeria Customs Service.

“All the 774 local government areas are represented in our recruitment. Applicants are made to sit aptitude tests and are selected based on their competences. You don’t need to know anybody before you can be employed in the service.”

Also, the Central Bank of Nigeria was accused of recruiting 909 staff members within two years without advertising the vacancies. Although the Federal Character Commission investigated the allegation, nothing has been heard about the case.

Our experiences – Applicants

Jobseekers have, however, described the recruitment process in the MDAs as lacking transparency.

A former applicant to the NCS, Sola Ogunbiyi, said the recruitment process for government jobs in the country was fraught with irregularities.

He said, “I applied to join the Customs in 2019. I am not happy with the entire process. The entire process made me lose interest in Federal Government jobs and shaped my view that the jobs are only for those with connection.

“You cannot tell me that all the people working in the civil service were employed based on merit. I got to my hometown because I am based in Lagos and heard about how some people had been helped by a popular politician to join the Customs and other government agencies just to service his structure.

“The following year, I got a job at one of the leading commercial banks in the country after a rigorous exercise than that of the Customs. Look, the qualities of those being employed by government agencies and private firms are miles apart; this boils down to the recruitment process. Until we get it right, a lot of things will continue to go wrong.”

Another applicant, Yemisi Odubanjo, stated, “I have tried to apply to federal agencies but all my efforts are futile. That has not been the same with my efforts at private organisations.

“I have been able to get some of the jobs I applied for. I think the process of recruitment in government agencies is not transparent enough. It is either you know someone or bribe your way through; otherwise, you cannot get a job solely on your certificate and potential.

“I applied during the last FIRS recruitment and that was the last time I sought government jobs. I was asked to pay a huge amount to get the job, which I could not afford.”

Commenting on the issue, a Senior Vice President for Africa, Human Health Education and Research Foundation, Dr Ifeanyi Nsofor, said the budget would suffer if there were backdoor recruitments.

He stated, “The problem is that how will they pay those who are employed through the backdoor? Who will pay them? For instance, if it is the health sector, that aspect of the budget suffers as a result because they have to start paying people who they didn’t plan for while taking money.

“So, service delivery will suffer; people may die if those services are not provided, and people can have all sorts of complications that they may have to live with for their lifetime.

“Ultimately, it is a matter of life and death because people will not work for free. You have to pay them and where will you get the money from? Something has to be given and most of the time, it is from service delivery, drugs, or other commodities or other capital projects.”

Errant MDAs warned

Meanwhile, the Civil Service Commission said it would sanction ministries, departments and agencies engaged in backdoor recruitment.

In an interview with one of our correspondents, the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Tukur Ingawa, explained why the employment ban by the government remained in place despite the high level of unemployment in the country.

According to him, the government decided to enforce the employment ban as a result of its dwindling revenue and the COVID-19 pandemic.

He stated, “Working in close conjunction with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the year 2019 was the last time recruitment into the Federal Civil Service was conducted. The general suspension of employment in the Federal Civil Service was put in place in the year 2020.

“The Federal Government’s suspension of recruitment in 2020 was informed by the dwindling government revenue due to the incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

When asked if the government was not bothered by the high youth unemployment, Ingawa said, “Of course, the Federal Government is deeply worried about it. It has initiated several policies and programmes through the instrument of multilateral collaboration among the ministries, extra-ministerial departments and agencies to empower and invest in the Nigerian youth for entrepreneurial gains.

“The Nigerian Youth Investment Fund, as an instance, is being driven by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development with the Central Bank of Nigeria to make the youth entrepreneurs.”

On the practice of replacing retired or dead officials by the MDAs, Ingawa said the relevant agencies would investigate such cases and punish those involved.

The chairman noted, “To answer your question, the Federal Civil Service Commission is the only body constitutionally charged with the responsibility of personnel recruitment, promotion and discipline in the mainstream Federal Civil Service; working in close conjunction with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies.

“That is to say, it is the only body that is legally recognised to issue letters of appointment into the service. The Federal Civil Service Commission recently disseminated a statement in that regard. The appropriate agencies of government will look into these cases as they arise and the culprits will face the wrath of the law.”

Labour states position

The Deputy President, Trade Union Congress, and President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Tommy Etim, urged the government to look for an alternative to reduce the number of unemployed people in the country.

“We know the pandemic was responsible for the embargo. The pandemic impacted on our economy, but we will like the government to look for other avenues to keep unemployment low. On employment through the backdoor, I am not aware of that but I know those with fake employment are being handled by the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Emeka Orji, has described the process of employing doctors as cumbersome.

“The government needs to work on the bureaucracy of employing doctors. The process can take more than six months and it is stressful,” he observed.

Also, the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Charles Ugwuanyi, complained about the arduous process.

He stated, “I’m not sure there’s an embargo, it is like with existing establishment rules that vacancy has to be declared and it is the job of the Minister of Labour and Employment and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to advertise the jobs in different establishments, and it must be well publicised in national dailies and enough time given for the information to go round and interested and qualified people will need to apply.

“After that, the next process is to shortlist and the shortlisted candidates are interviewed, which can be oral or written. If you are selected, the names are forwarded to the Federal Character Commission to make sure that no part of the country is compromised. After that, the successful candidates are issued their employment letters.

“In real life, the process does not work in one month or two months, sometimes it takes up to one year or two years, and that is why it is difficult to replace vacancies. People are leaving the service every day but the process of replacing them is very slow.”

Ugwuanyi, however, noted that the government was meeting with doctors and nurses to shorten the employment process in order to replace the healthcare workers leaving the country.

He added, “Whether we like it or not, people will leave and the services are being disrupted. Some units are collapsing in the hospitals to accommodate the demands of labour.

“About four weeks ago, a bill was passed awaiting the President’s assent for the long process to be shortened and chief executives of hospitals and health establishments will be empowered to replace them as people are leaving to reduce the impact.”

When asked if the Federal Character Commission was investigating the MDAs cited for involvement in illegal recruitment, the commission’s spokesman, Chukwudi Chizea, said he was not aware of such a probe.

But an activist, Olaseni Shalom, said the MDAs involved in such unwholesome practices had run afoul of the law, and called on the anti-graft agencies to investigate them and ensure that those culpable were brought to justice.

He said, “We have seen this illegal recruitment across ministries and agencies and this amounts to abuse of power by some civil servants and also high-ranking government officials. The implication of this illegal recruitment is the burdensome high cost of governance and of running the ministries.

“The ICPC is saddled with the responsibility of investigating such corrupt practices and punishing whoever is found culpable under the law. This will serve as a warning and deterrence to those who are still engaging in such practices. Severe consequences need to be meted out for these corrupt practices and every loophole that allows such practices must be blocked.”

The President, Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, Prof Taiwo Obindo, expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of adequate personnel and said recruitment of doctors should be done half-yearly to meet the needs of the people.

“The process it takes to get approval for employment is arduous. For instance, at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, we have not had recruitment in over three years. People who have passed their part one exams and are meant to be senior registrars now are the ones doing the work of both house officers and junior registrars, because there has not been recruitment.

“My centre has not employed for more than three years now because it will need permission from the ministry, civil societies, and so many other things, so the bureaucratic bottlenecks are too many.

“Meanwhile, there should be recruitment every six months so that we can meet the requirement and until that need is met, many who need health services are not getting it; there are those who travel many kilometres to access care and some of them go and see a traditionalist, pastor or Imam, who is closer to them.”

Obindo noted that there were shortages of psychiatrists in the country as well.

“The World Health Organisation recommendation is one psychiatrist to 10,000 of the population; in some clime, they have reduced it to 7,000-8,000 per psychiatrist, but what we have is one psychiatrist to over one million Nigeria population and that makes it difficult for psychiatric care to go round and most of the psychiatrists that we have stay in the urban areas, so there must be a deliberate effort to make sure that people go to the rural areas; that means we must add some incentives to make sure they can stay there.

The remuneration must be equivalent to what they will get outside of the country,” he added.

The President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, Dr Victor Makanjuola, said the one-for-one policy that was introduced by the government to reduce the shortage of doctors had not been implemented.

He said, “The way forward, which we have suggested and which the government is working on, is that anyone who leaves the country should be replaced as quickly as possible without these bureaucracies; even if they are not employing new ones, the ones that have left should be replaced by doctors who are still around and will like to work in government facilities.

“What the Chief Medical Director of UCH, Ibadan, said about the number of health workers that have left the hospital is the picture in every institution across the country.”

Lift embargo – ASUU

Some branch chairpersons of the Academic Staff Union of Universities have stressed the need for the Federal Government to lift the employment embargo in Nigerian universities. The academics also stressed the need for a smooth and seamless process in the recruitment of lecturers.

The Chairman of ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof Gbolahan Bolarin said, “We have some departments that are in need of senior academics. Departments like Material and Metallurgy Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering etc are seriously understaffed and are in need of senior academics via tenure appointments or sabbatical, but the IPPIS is making it impossible.

“If you check departments like Computer Science and Cyber Security, they are in need of academics too. The list is endless. The embargo should be lifted.”

The Chairman, ASUU at the University of Ilorin, Prof Moyosore Ajao, told one of our correspondents that available academic staff members were overworked.

“The first thing you need to know is that the universities have their own tradition and have their own ways of living on their own and this is why you cannot subject a university to a ministry’s bureaucratic principles, it is not going to work.

“I can tell you boldly that there is no faculty at the University of Ilorin that is not short-staffed. We have colleagues, who have retired and we can’t replace them; we have those who are dead and we can’t replace them; and the implication of this is that the few available hands are overworked and you know what the consequences are.

“To make matters worse, we can’t employ. The double jeopardy is that the IPPIS does not allow you to bring in professors on sabbatical and as adjuncts, they won’t get paid.

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Medical Services, Ondo, Ondo State, Prof Adesegun Fatusi, lamented insufficiency of trained nurses across the country.

He noted that many of the trained nurses had left the country for greener pastures in other countries.

The don stated this during the second induction of professional nurses, who recently graduated from the university. No fewer than 71 of the graduates were inducted into the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

Represented by the Deputy VC Academics, Prof Roseangela Nwuba, the UNIMED boss said, “Well-trained nurses left the country for greener pastures abroad, which makes the need for appropriate nurse care huge across the nation.”

The don enjoined the newly inducted nurses to be emphatic and sympathetic to the situation of their patients.

Welcoming the inductees, the Secretary General and Registrar of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Dr Faruk Abubakar, lauded the university for working excellently in grooming young nurses and urged the institution to keep the flag flying.

A senior lecturer at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti , Dr Cecilia Bello, said that nurses must continue to recognise the importance of their collaboration with other members of the healthcare team to sustain teamwork in ensuring the best outcomes for patients.

The independent National Electoral Commission, on Friday, noted that citizens who participated in the voters’ registration exercise ahead of the 2023 general elections would be able to collect their Permanent Voters Cards from December 12, 2022.

This was disclosed in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja.

According to the statement, the Commission met, on Thursday, December 1 2022, and deliberated on a number of issues, including the dates for the collection of Permanent Voters Cards nationwide.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the Commission held a retreat in Lagos with all the Administrative Secretaries and Resident Electoral Commissioners from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory from November 28 to December 2, 2022. At the retreat, the Commission finalised the procedure as well as the timetable for the collection of PVCs.

The statement which was signed by the commissioner in charge of voters education, Festus Okoye partly reads, “Consequently, the Commission has fixed Monday 12 December 2022 to Sunday 22 January 2023 as the dates for the collection of PVCs in all the 774 Local Government Offices of the Commission throughout the Federation.

“The Commission also resolved to devolve PVC collection to the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from Friday 6th to Sunday 15th January 2023. Those that are unable to collect their PVCs at the Local Government Offices of the Commission can do so at the Registration Areas/Electoral Wards. After the 15th of January 2023, the exercise will revert to the Local Government Offices of the Commission until January 22, 2023.

“All eligible and valid registrants can collect their PVCs from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.

“All the RECs and Electoral Officers have been directed to convene a meeting with the critical stakeholders in their States and Local Government Areas, including traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups, community-based organisations and the media to brief them on the modalities for the collection of the PVCs in order to sensitise the public and ensure seamless exercise.

“Similarly, RECs and EOs have also been directed to set up help desks to assist registrants with complaints about their PVCs or with the PVC collection procedure for immediate redress.

“The Commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians, especially those who registered as voters or applied for transfer/replacement of their cards from January to July 2022. In making the cards available for collection, the Commission is also working to ensure that the process is simple and hitch-free for Nigerians.”

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, yesterday, told senators that the N206 billion inserted in the ministry’s budget was for purchase of military equipment.

The minister had disowned the money, last week, saying it was allegedly ‘inserted’ by the Ministry of Finance. Lawmakers had requested the two ministers to appear and clear the air on the controversial amount. However, while the Humanitarian Minister appeared with her Permanent Secretary, her Finance counterpart failed to turn up.

Umar-Farouq spoke when she appeared before the Senate Committee on Special Duties, chaired by Senator Yusuf Yusuf (APC, Taraba Central). At the resumed budget defence, yesterday, when asked for further clarification on the matter, Umar-Farouq said: “On the N206 billion, when we saw it, we didn’t understand what it was meant for because the explanation wasn’t clear.

“If you put N206 billion in Humanitarian Affairs Ministry’s budget and the narration is purchase of military equipment, definitely something is wrong.

“That’s why I said I’m not going to say anything about it until we get clarification from the Ministry of Finance. If we had requested N206 billion for a different project and then in the appropriation bill, it is reading something else, we will not own it.”

Pressed further by the lawmakers whether she requested N206 billion for another project, but it arrived with another narration, she said: “It is not exactly that way, and that’s why we need that clarity from Finance Ministry”.

But Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, had, on Wednesday, cleared the air on the allegation. In a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, which invited her, alongside Director General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, and Umar Farouq, Ahmed said there was a wrong coding of projects.

By Biodun Busari


South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has lost the political backing of his party, the African National Congress (ANC) and may resign following an advisory report of his violation of the constitution.

The local media report said the president is “very likely” to announce his resignation as head of state in the next few hours.

In accordance with the Constitution, Deputy President David Mabuza, a former premier of Mpumalanga, will step in as acting president until Parliament votes for a new president.

Read also: King Charles hosts South Africa’s President Ramaphosa in first state visit

According to News24, Ramaphosa will also pull out as ANC leader and not seek re-election.

It is expected that whoever voted as the next ANC president mid-December will be sworn in as state president at a special sitting of Parliament at the end of the month.

A reliable source said Ramaphosa did not have to be convinced of the case to resign. He said the president himself said it was in the best interest of the stability of the country for him to quit.

“There is nothing we can do now,” the source said.

The pressure to step down mounted on him following the fallout of the release of the report on Phala Phala.

The Section 89 panel chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo made serious findings against Ramaphosa.

Phala Phala is a ‘farmgate’ scandal in which Ramaphosa was accused of covering up a $4 million theft from his farm in 2020, including kidnapping and bribing the burglars into silence.

A three-volume investigative report revealed that he abused his position and may have broken an anti-corruption law.

Ramaphosa has denied any crime and said only $580,000 of cash was stolen.

Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, is facing a possible impeachment threat over alleged corruption.

On Wednesday, an independent panel set up by the speaker of South Africa’s parliament said findings suggested that the president acted in a manner that was inconsistent with his office.

The report centred on the alleged theft of $580,000 cash from Ramaphosa’s farm in 2020, which came to light in June.

The president had been accused of covering up the theft, and the panel had raised questions about how the cash was acquired.

Ramaphosa has, however, denied any wrongdoing.

“Furthermore, the information presented to the Panel establishes, prima facie, the money that was stolen was probably more than US$ 580,000. As one of the suspects stated, they stole about US$800,000,” the panel’s report reads.

“Furthermore, the Namibian police reported that they had identified individuals, bank accounts in various and properties including lodges, houses and vehicles suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of the crime.

“Another troubling feature about the source of the stolen foreign currency, is that the theft was never reported to the South African Police Services for investigation as an ordinary crime. Nor was the theft reported under the section 34(1) of PRECCA.”

The panel was established in September 2022 to find out if there was preliminary evidence of wrongdoing by the president.

“In all the circumstances, we think that the evidence presented to the panel, prima facie, establishes that the president may be guilty of a serious violation of certain sections of the constitution,” the report adds.

The panel also said it was evident that Ramaphosa put himself into a situation where there was a conflict of interest between his official responsibilities as president and as a business person involved in farming.

According to the BBC, Ramaphosa was expected to answer questions in parliament on Thursday.

However, he is said to have postponed his appearance before the lawmakers.

If the parliament finds the president guilty of serious misconduct, the process for an impeachment vote could be set in motion.

The inquiry is separate from a criminal investigation that police are conducting, and which Ramaphosa has welcomed.

The president, who was sworn into office in May 2019, is weeks away from an elective conference that will decide if he gets to run for a second term in the country’s 2024 polls.

The development also comes weeks after Jacob Zuma, Ramaphosa’s predecessor, was freed from prison after getting jail time for ignoring instructions on participating in a corruption inquiry.

Residents of Fagge Quarters in Tarauni local government area of Kano State are yet to recover from the turn of events when a groom lost his wedding dress and bride price less than 24 hours to his wedding.

The groom who requested anonymity lost the set of dresses which he kept in a secured place.

The incident which occurred last Saturday left the groom and his family devastated owing to the fact that he worked hard to save money and buy the missing.

“Now what am I going to wear for this once-in-a-life time occasion? he asked.

The victim has reported the matter to the police in Tarauni, who have commenced investigation into it.

Worse still, the bride price was stolen at the wedding venue. There was confusion when it was discovered that the bride price had been stolen.

It takes the intervention of elders at the occasion to calm the situation and later agree that the weeding fatiha pro-ceeds with the promise of paying the bride price later, in what is called ‘Ajalan’.

One Abdussalam who witnessed the incident said it was very embarrassing and called people to always be careful with such sensitive money. He also called on people to have the fear of Allah and stop doing things that portray Kano State in bad light.

Also commenting, a youth, simply called ‘Yan Bita’ said he was shocked by the two unfortunate incidents, saying that if had the money he would have bought another set of dresses for the groom and make up the stolen bride price.

Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari, is billed to testify against Aminu Adamu, a student of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, for allegedly defaming her.

Mr Adamu, 24, was alleged to have published a defamatory statement on his Twitter handle against Mrs Buhari.

In the allegedly offending tweet, Mr Adamu, who is a final year student studying Environmental Management, posted a rotund picture of the first lady with a caption in Hausa saying, “Mama is feeding fat on poor people’s money.”

The tweet was posted on 8 June but Mr Adamu, trailed by a team of detectives, was arrested in Dutse, North-West Nigeria, on 18 November and whisked to Abuja.

After nearly two weeks in detention, Mr Adamu was arraigned on Tuesday before a judge, Yusuf Halilu, of the Federal Capital Territory High Court at Maitama, where he pleaded not guilty and was remanded at Suleja prison in Niger State.

In the one-count charge marked: CR/89/2022, and dated 23 November, the police say Mr Adamu “between May and June 2022 within the jurisdiction of this court, did intentionally open a Twitter handle with the name …Catalyst and screenshot the photograph of her Excellency Hajia Aisha Buhari and wrote on it in Hausa language… roughly translated to English language to mean ‘Mama has embezzled monies meant for the poor to satisfaction’ and posted same on your above Twitter handle.. knowing same to be false and capable of affecting her reputation.”

The police said the alleged offence bordering on defamation and cyberstalking, contravened Section 391 of the Penal Code.

In a list of witnesses attached to the proof of evidence filed by the police, seen by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday night, Mrs Buhari, the nominal complainant, is one of the five witnesses assembled by the prosecution to establish the case against Mr Adamu.

Another witness is Festus Jossiah, one of the investigators that tracked and arrested the defendant.

Abdulsalam Zakari, Yahaya Njayo and Haliru Tahir, all police officers, are the other proposed prosecution witnesses lined up against the defendant.

Court filings signed by James Idachaba, a lawyer at the FCT police legal department in Abuja, listed Mr Adamu’s statement, a print out of the alleged defamatory post and an IPhone belonging to the defendant, as exhibits.

How police tracker team arrested Mr Adamu
Fresh details have also emerged on how Mr Adamu was arrested.

Festus Josiah, a police detective attached to the ‘Anti Vice Section A’ in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, in his statement filed as part of the prosecution’s proof of evidence, disclosed that he was contacted by Mrs Buhari’s Aide De Camp (ADC), Usman Shugaba, concerning the defendant’s tweet.

Mr Josiah said he works with the office of the first lady as a phone “tracker.”

He revealed that his team travelled to Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, on a Monday and trailed Mr Adamu for three days before they tracked him down.

“When we got his phone, an Iphone 7, we saw the Twitter account on the phone. We also saw the (alleged offending) post,” Mr Josiah disclosed in his statement dated 19 November.

He said the undergraduate was brought to the FCT State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

According to court filings, Mr Adamu’s confiscated phone has been sent to the Terrorism Investigation Branch, Force Intelligence Bureau in Abuja “for analysis” and “evidential value.”


Defendant seeks bail

Meanwhile, Mr Adamu has urged the court to grant him bail.

In a bail applicatiob dated 25 November, Mr Adamu’s lawyer, Kingsley Agu, sought an order admitting his client to bail pending the determination of the suit.

He based his application on the grounds that defendant had never been charged for any crime.

Mr Agu said defendant was treating a “3rd degree fire burn on his left arm and has been in severe pains his arrest and detention…”

The defence lawyer revealed that his client was “seized on 18 November, 2022, by operatives of the SSS before he was handed over to the nominal complainant (Mrs Buhari),” fuelling speculations amongst Nigerians that the first lady tortured Mr Adamu.

The judge adjourned the case until 30 January for the hearing of the defendant’s bail request.

But the defendant is said to be having an examination on 5 December.

There have been calls from civil society organisations like the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) North-west chapter, for Mr Adamu’s release.

The students union gave a two-day ultimatum to Mrs Buhari to ‘release’ Mr Adamu unconditionally.

A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, in a Facebook post, described Mrs Buhari’s conduct as “evil and a gross abuse of power.

Owners of foreign-registered private jets, comprising top business moguls, leading commercial banks and other rich Nigerians, have dragged the Federal Government to court seeking to prevent the government from grounding their planes for allegedly refusing to pay import duty on the jets.

The Federal Government had last November approved the decision of the Nigeria Customs Service to ground 91 private jets belonging to some wealthy Nigerians over their alleged refusal to pay import duties running to over N30bn.

As such, following a presidential approval, the NCS in a letter directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to ground the affected private jets with immediate effect.

But owing to issues bothering on inter-agency rivalry and disagreements, the relevant government agencies could not ground the private jets.

However, in the past few months, the Customs has been making underground moves to perfect the process of grounding private jets whose owners failed to pay the import duty, multiple sources close to the development confirmed to The PUNCH on Tuesday.

17 jet owners

Also, further findings by our correspondents over the weekend revealed that at least 17 private jet owners had gone to court to stop the Federal Government from implementing the order.

According to the court papers seen by The PUNCH, the jet owners are seeking a judicial review as to whether it is lawful for them to pay the controversial import duty on their private jets or not.

The jet owners had sued the government using the foreign shell companies and trustees through which the foreign-registered jets were purchased.

Oftentimes, Nigerians and corporate bodies buy their foreign-registered private jets through foreign shell companies and trustees. Experts believe they often prefer to register the jets in foreign countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and Isle of Man, among others, to preserve the value of the aircraft in the event they want to sell it, as well as pay cheaper insurance premiums.

The latest findings showed that the jet owners had approached the Federal High Court Abuja seeking the court to determine, among other things, if they were liable to pay import duty.

The suit, with number FHC/ABJ/CS/1565/2021, is described as the matter of an application for judicial review by foreign registered aircraft against the Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

According to the court document, the 17 applicants, which are mostly foreign companies of the Nigerian jet owners are: Aircraft Trust and Financing Corp Trustee, UAML Corp, Bank of Utah Trustee, Masterjet AVIACAO Executive SA, and Cloud Services Limited.

Others are MHS Aviation GmbH, Murano Trust Company Limited, Panther Jets, SAIB LLC, Empire Aviation Group, and Osa Aviation Limited.

The list also includes BUA Delaware Inc, Flying Bull Corporation Limited, Air Charter Inc, Sparfell Luftahrt GmbH, WAT Aviation Limited, and ATT Aviation Limited.

The NCAA and Customs were listed as respondents.

In a written address in support of the first respondents objector notice of preliminary objection, the court paper read in part, “The brief facts of this case are that the first respondents, having discovered that some operators of aircraft imported them under the guise of Temporary Importation Permit, were permanently imported into Nigeria and given TIP status to evade payment of lawful customs.”

A hearing date is yet to be fixed for the suit, according to preliminary findings by our correspondent.

However, there are strong indications that the NCS is making frantic efforts to get the private jet owners to pay the import duty.

Multiple sources confirmed on Tuesday that the NCS was not giving up on the decision to collect the revenue on behalf of the Federal Government, having obtained a presidential approval on the matter.

It was gathered that the agency might take a major decision on the matter very soon. It was further learnt that the Customs is in possession of government documents indicating that the private jet owners are by law required to pay import duty.


NCAA reacts

However, the spokesperson for NCAA, Mr Sam Adurogboye, said he was yet to be briefed but noted that, “’If a case is filed against an individual or organisation, what is to be done is to put up appearance and defend oneself.”

The NCS had in March last year embarked on a review of import duties paid on private jets brought into the country since 2006.

Following the alleged discovery that several private jet owners, under the guise of Temporary Import Permit, had failed to pay the statutory import duty to the coffers of the government, the CG of Customs, Hameed Ali, set up a verification panel to review all TIPs and the relevant aircraft import documents of all private jets in the country.

At the end of the 60-day exercise, 57 private jets, which had licences for commercial charter operations, were cleared and issued with Aircraft Operators Certificate by the Customs.

However, 29 private jets, whose owners came for the verification, were found to be liable to pay the import duty.

The Customs also compiled a list of another 62 private jets whose owners failed to appear for the verification exercise but were found liable for import duty payment.

However, other private jet owners seeking to pay their import duty were given a 14-day ultimatum to clear the debts.

It is unclear the number of the jet owners that later paid the duty.

However, a list of 91 private jets whose owners had failed to present themselves for the import duty payment were presented to the NCAA, FAAN, and NAMA for the immediate grounding of their operations.

Some owners of the 91 jets reportedly wrote protest letters to the NCS, arguing why they could not pay the import duty because the jets were under lease payments.

The Customs, in its response to the letters, queried the rationale for bringing in the planes and allegedly fraudulently exporting them under questionable documentation processes in the past 10 years.

Unconfirmed officials had said the Ministry of Aviation directed the NCAA, FAAN and NAMA to suspend the grounding of the flight operations of the affected private jets.


Aircraft owners speak

Speaking on the development on Tuesday, the President, Association of Private Aircraft Owners Association, Mr Alex Nwuba, there is a need for the government to become transparent in the process of registering private jets.

He also said it might be difficult for the government to collect tax on private jets that are not fully imported into the country.

He said, “The idea is to ensure that people pay tax on imported aircraft. However, by keeping the registration of the jets offshore, how do you then pay tax on something that is foreign? The aircraft may have come and gone, but how do you pay tax on something that is not imported.

“The dilemma is if you register your private jet in Nigeria (5N), it is seen that it now have a lower value. The problem is that there is no transparency in our aircraft registration process. You cannot take the number of the aircraft, do a search and get the details. But if you do that for US-registered plane, you can get the details. But the summary is that you cannot collect duty on aircraft that is not imported.”

Nwuba, a pilot and former managing director of Associated Airlines, said the cost of duty might be one of the factors discouraging some private jet owners.

He said, “Of course, you are made to put up a bond when you are bringing in an aircraft on a temporary basis. However, while we are looking for revenue, it is not everywhere we can get it. Another issue is that, if you buy a private jet for $80m, you may need to pay a duty of over $10m; that may be high to some people.”

Some of the 91 private jets meant to be grounded belong to the senior pastors of some popular Pentecostal churches in the country, some Tier-1 banks with one of the banks owning two upmarket jets, the CEOs of some indigenous oil companies, and the chairmen of some Tier-1 banks.

The Spanish coastguard has rescued three migrants stowed away on a ship that arrived in the Canary Islands from Nigeria.

A photograph showing the trio was distributed on Twitter by the coastguard on Monday.

They are seen sitting on the rudder of the oil and chemical tanker Althini II.

The vessel arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria after an 11-day trip from Lagos, according to Marine Traffic.

The authorities confirmed that the migrants were taken into the port and attended to by health services.

The Canary Islands is a famous route for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.

A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced Usman Baba, the inspector-general of police, to three months in prison for disobeying a court order.

Mobolaji Olajuwon, the presiding judge, issued the ruling on Tuesday, following a suit filed by Patrick Okoli, a former police officer who claims he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian police force.

According to the affidavits in support of the suit, the applicant (Okoli) was forcefully retired in June 1992.

After challenging his forceful retirement, a Bauchi high court on February 19, 1994, delivered judgment in favour of the applicant and quashed the letter of compulsory retirement.


The high court also ordered that the applicant be reinstated with all rights and privileges.

The Police Service Commission (PSC) in a letter dated October 13, 2004, directed the then-IGP to reinstate the applicant and issue a recommendation for promotion in accordance with the decision of the court.

Consequently, Okoli instituted a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/637/2009 at the Abuja federal high court seeking an order of mandamus to compel the enforcement of the order of the Bauchi state high court and the directives of the PSC.

The Abuja federal high court delivered its judgment in favour of the applicant on October 21, 2011.

The office of the IGP appealed the federal high court judgment but the appeal was dismissed.

The applicant took further steps to enforce the order including approaching the federal house of representatives who then wrote to the office of the IGP.

After efforts failed, the applicant approached the law firm of Festus Keyamo, to commence a committal proceeding against the respondent.

THREE MONTHS SENTENCE TO ‘PURGE’ CONTEMPT

Delivering judgment, Olajuwon held that the IGP should be committed to prison and detained for a period of three months, or until he obeys the order.

“It is unfortunate that the chief enforcer of the law is one who has deliberately refused to comply with the same law. It is important to state that obedience to orders of court is fundamental to the good order, peace and stability of a nation,” the judge held.

“It is a duty which every citizen, who believes in peace and stability of the Nigerian state, owes the nation and the court has a duty to commit the individual who has failed to carry out the order of the court for contempt, so as to prevent the authority and administration of law from being brought to disrespect and to protect the dignity of the court.

“The terms of the Orders of this Court are clear and unambiguous. This court Is satisfied that the respondent (presently and those before him) has had proper knowledge of the Orders of this Court, there is no denial of such knowledge and the receipt of Forms 48 and 49.

“The respondent filed a counter affidavit, was duly represented in court by different counsel, who stated how they had written several legal opinions which were not attended to.

“The refusal and failure of the respondent to comply with the orders of this court has been proved in this case. The respondent, in this case, the inspector-general of police, in the person of Usman Alkali Baba, is to be committed to prison and detained in custody for a period of three months or until he has obeyed the order of this court, made on the 21st October, 2011, in all things that are to be performed, whichever period is shorter.

“If at the end of the three months, the contemnor remains recalcitrant and still refuses to purge his contempt, he shall be committed for another period and until he purges his contempt.”

The contractor in charge of construction works on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Julius Berger has suspended works on the expressway to enable travellers plying the route to enjoy hassle-free movements to their various destinations in the country for the festive period.

The Director, Southwest Federal Ministry of Works, Adedamola Kuti, confirmed the development during a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Monday.

He said the barricades causing gridlock on the road would be removed, adding that the construction works would continue in January 2023.

Kuti said, “The issue is that this is the December period and our people are going to travel. So, we want to relax and work on the road so that people can go for their Christmas holiday.

“Normally, during the yuletide season, this is what we have been doing every year. We remove all barriers on the road so that people can have a seamless movement on the express.

“So, by December 15, 2022, or thereabouts, we are going to remove all barriers from the road, stop activities just to allow easy movement on the road during the Christmas period.”

Kuti explained that construction works on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway would end before the general elections, adding that workers would take advantage of the dry season to work at a fast pace.

He said, “Early in January, we will resume work, we are in dry season, so the work will be faster than what we used to have.

“All you should know is that all hands are on deck, work is still ongoing and we shall complete it in this dry season and I am sure specifically, all things being equal, before the end of February or early March, before the election or there about, we should be able to tidy things up.”

https://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/focal_point_650x390/public/2022-11/ezgif.com-gif-maker%20%284%29.jpg?h=c12e0b96&itok=Yrwzji7a
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has been ordered to charge to court, a student of the Federal University, Dutse, Aminu Adamu Muhammed, who was arrested for tweeting that the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, was feeding fat on poor people’s money, SaharaReporters has gathered.

According to a top police officer, Aisha asked the police to stop maltreating Muhammed but insisted he must be charged before a court of jurisdiction.

“The student was taken before IGP Baba Usman today (Monday) at the Force Headquarters,” the source told SaharaReporters.

“He will be charged to court; Aisha insisted she must be taken to the court to explain how she (Aisha) embezzled money. She has given an order to the IGP that the boy must be charged to court.”

SaharaReporters earlier reported that Muhammed, a final-year student in the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, in June 2022 posted on Twitter that Mrs Buhari had suddenly added weight after taking part in plundering the nation’s meagre resources as the masses endured hardship under her husband’s regime.

The wife of the President is known for frivolous trips to Dubai.

The tweet, which was posted in Hausa reads: “Su mama anchi kudin talkawa ankoshi.”

The tweet, which was accompanied by a photograph of Mrs Buhari, loosely translates as “Mama has eaten poor people’s money and is now full”.

According to his friends, he made the post because he was frustrated about the prolonged strike by universities across the country.

The strike started in February 2022 and ended in October after eight months.

However, on November 8, 23-year-old Muhammed was picked up by security operatives on campus and was reportedly beaten up following his arrest around noon.

He has not been allowed to make contact with his family or a lawyer as well.

Argentina kept their hopes of being crowned champions alive with a 2-0 victory over Mexico, with Messi scoring the opening goal with a sublime finish from outside the penalty area.

Multiple Mexican world boxing champion, Canelo Alvarez has threatened Argentinian football superstar Lionel Messi for allegedly disrespecting his country's flag.

Argentina kept their hopes of being crowned champions alive with a 2-0 victory over Mexico, with Messi scoring the opening goal with a sublime finish from outside the penalty area.

Messi incurred the wrath of boxing superstar Canelo after footage emerged of the Argentina captain with a Mexico shirt in front of him on the floor in the dressing room during the post-match celebrations, according to the Mirror.

As Messi pulled off his boot, he appeared to have caught the shirt with his foot and Canelo was not impressed.

"Did you see Messi cleaning the floor with our shirt and flag ? I ask God that I don't find [him]!!" he posted on Twitter.

The Mexican fighter added: "Just as I respect Argentina, you have to respect Mexico!! I'm not talking about the country [Argentina] I’m talking about Messi because of the b******* he did.”

Canelo wrote in another social media post: "Since the Mexico shirt is on the ground, it's already an insult. Stop b*******ing about what was or wasn't."

Former Argentina team-mate and international room-mate Sergio Aguero has since intervened. The Manchester City legend replied to the boxer: "Mr. Canelo, don't look for excuses or problems, surely you don't know about soccer and what happens in a locker room.

"The shirts are always on the floor after the games are over due to sweat and then if you see well, he makes the movement to remove the boot and accidentally hits it."

Aguero isn't the only one to have taken issue with Alvarez's outburst, with a healthy mix of Argentina and even Mexico fans uniting in their defence of Messi's conduct.

"He's [Alvarez] just looking for attention since he's no longer relevant. Honestly, I never heard of him till now," one fan wrote online. "He clearly taking off his shoes."

Another Mexico fan added: "They want to break [his] balls and take everything out of context, they are in the locker room celebrating and they are taking off their boots. Messi is the most humble and never denigrated anyone."

By Levinus Nwabughiogu


The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said weekend the federal government has identified 100 high-risk financiers of Boko Haram,

According to him, the financiers have links to at least 10 countries of the world.

Aregbesola made the disclosure at the 3rd Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing, with the theme, “No Money for Terror”, which took place in India.

The minister, who disclosed this in a statement by his aide, Abdulmalik Suleiman, yesterday, said: “The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, has played a significant role, in supporting all our intelligence, security, and military services.

”The unique ability of the NFIU to work with counterparts in the region and across the world, particularly through the framework of the Egmont Group of FIUs, is a key asset for our country.

”In particular, I would like to take a few minutes to discuss some recent results achieved with the support of our partners. In 2019, the NFIU commenced an in-depth analysis of the financing of the Boko Haram group.

”This analysis, which took almost 18 months to complete, resulted in the identification of almost 100 high-risk financiers and identified links to 10 different countries.

“The NFIU was able to build a thorough picture of the transnational sources of the group’s finance, using intelligence from several countries, including our immediate neighbours, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Togo.

”Ultimately, the results of the analysis resulted in the arrest of 48 of the financiers and the ongoing prosecution of a number of them.”

Aregbesola also canvassed for improved welfare for Nigerians living, studying or seeking business opportunities in India.

He made a four-point demand from the Indian government for an improved well being of Nigerians living in that country.

Aregbesola, who also advocated a change in Indian visa policy for Nigerian students, added:

“This is to allow Nigerian students have visa for study programs and not on six monthly basis which is burdensome in cost and time.’

He equally canvassed granting of special visa for Nigerian businessmen and women to facilitate trade between the two nations.

He urged the Indian government to, as a matter of urgency, reciprocate Visa on Arrival policy for Nigerians visiting India.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has said he is “running” to unify the country and make life better for Nigerians.

Atiku, who spoke through his media aide, Paul Ibe, was reacting to a statement made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, at a meeting with niger Delta monarchs in Delta State on Friday.

Ibe told Saturday Sun that the former vice president is “running” to recover what has allegedly been run down by the APC led federal government in the last seven years.

According to him, “he is not running to perjury. He is not running to forgery. He is not running to drug trafficking and money laundering. He is not running to a past that is unknown.

“He is running to make life better for Nigerians. He is running to give back to the society. He is running to use his experience to recover Nigeria. He is running to restructure Nigeria. He is running to unify the country that has been divided by seven years of an incompetent and clueless APC administration that was foisted on Nigerians by people like Tinubu.”

Nigerians seeking to study in the United Kingdom might soon be facing strict rules as foreign students wanting to study in Britain may be turned away unless they have secured a place at a “top university,” The Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

It was gathered that ministers were discussing how to reduce flows to the United Kingdom after record levels of net migration were reported on Thursday.

CNBC also gathered that according to the report, there would also be restrictions on how many family members the students would be able to bring into the country with them.

The rules will also only apply to foreign students who aren’t already living in the UK.

About 1.1 million people arrived in the UK in the year to June, with around 560,000 emigrating in the same period, leaving net migration at a record 504,000 people, according to the Office for National Statistics on Thursday.

The reported plans to deter foreign students from studying in Britain seems to go against the government’s International Growth Strategy from 2019, which was designed to increase the number of international students studying in the UK each year to 600,000 by 2030.

That target was reached in the 2020/21 academic year when more than 605,000 non-UK students enrolled in higher education, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The strategy was originally put in place to “support the UK education sector to access global opportunities,” according to the government website.

A representative for the Home Office said there would be no comment on the “speculation” around the idea that foreign students may be prevented from entering the UK.

CNBC noted that the representative, however, provide a statement from Interior Minister Suella Braverman, who said it was “understandable” record numbers of people travelled to the UK in light of the war in Ukraine, the evacuation in Afghanistan and the crackdown on rights in Hong Kong, but that the British public “rightly expect” migration to be reduced over time.

“This level of migration has put pressure on accommodation and housing supply, health, education and other public services. We must ensure we have a sustainable, balanced and controlled approach which is why we continue to keep our immigration policies under review,” Braverman said in the statement.

“My priority remains tackling the rise in dangerous and illegal crossings and stopping the abuse of our system. It is vital we restore public confidence and take back control of our borders,” she wrote.

The Conservative government has launched a series of initiatives after pledging to reduce net migration to the UK in its 2019 manifesto, including its controversial plans to deport migrants to Rwanda and deals with France to target small boat crossings.

Facts emerged on Thursday over the grounding of the campaign aircraft of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Head of Media of Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, Mr Diran Onidade, had in a statement decried the development, expressing surprise at the yet “to be explained grounding of its campaign aircraft.”

He said the action led to the inability of LP and campaign officials, who had already gathered at Lagos and Abuja airports, to attend the Ibadan rally.

Our correspondent reports that the aircraft with registration number 5Y-HPY is a Bombardier DHC-8-400 aircraft owned by DAC Aviation International, an aircraft leasing company.

Sources told Daily Trust on Thursday that the aircraft was grounded for allegedly violating safety procedures by refusing to comply with instruction from the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) not to depart Benin airport.

It was learnt that the regulatory authority had commenced an investigation into the matter while the aircraft remained grounded in Lagos.

“This has nothing to do with politics and NCAA has zero tolerance for regulatory infractions. Aviation is a highly regulated industry and we cannot afford to take any chance because lives are involved,” another source said.

The NCAA has not spoken officially on the matter as the Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, had yet to reply to a text message sent to him as of press time.

Daily Trust reports that apart from a few international airports such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu which have a 24-hour operation, other airports like Benin and Ibadan are sunset airports, which means, they are operational from sunrise to sunset.

The airport operation is only expected on special request but it was not clear whether such a request was filed to ATCs which are under the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja


The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, appeared to have delved into the political arena yesterday, expressing joy that the Governor of his state, Mr Seyi Makinde, had continued to support Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers in the coalition of five governors, now known as the Integrity Group.

The group of five include Governors Wike, Makinde of Oyo state, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state.They have been at daggers drawn with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of reneging on his alleged promise to ensure that if both the party’s standard bearer and National Chairman, now Iyorchia Ayu, emerged from the same region, the chairman would be forced to resign.

The quintet has refused to either endorse or support the campaigns of PDP’s Atiku, maintaining that for peace to return to the opposition party, Ayu must go.But aside backing Makinde’s membership of the group, Ariwoola, joked that Makinde was being held to ransom by Wike by threatening to withdraw his sister (Makinde’s wife), who he said is from the South-south state, from the Oyo governor.

“That is why we should not be scared to have these men of the integrity group and I am happy that my own governor is among because he would try to imitate his friend and in-law because we came here to marry for my governor.“So, Governor Wike will always threaten that he will call back his sister if my governor fails to play ball. That is why you see him following his Excellency (Wike) because my governor is afraid of his wife being recalled,” he joked.

He acknowledged the presence of the group of five governors at the gala night and judiciary project inauguration which held in Rivers, stressing that they had been similarly present when Makinde held a ‘lavish’ reception to celebrate his appointment as CJN some months ago.He added that whether people like Wike or not, he was leaving a legacy for generations unborn, stressing that his record will be hard to beat by any other public official.

The CJN explained that Wike had said it on several occasions that he will continue to inaugurate projects until his last day in office, assuring that the governor was an example that humans can always do better if they set their hearts to do it.While lauding Wike profusely, he maintained that nobody, whether as an individual or as a group has supported the judiciary the way Wike had done since he became governor.

“I was telling somebody that his Excellency started far back as a local council chairman and the lordship saw in him his son that is worth raising. I have no doubt that the sky is still the limit for your excellency.

“The whole world has seen what you are doing and what you can do and we want this replicated,” he told Wike.While thanking his supreme court contemporaries as well as past members for their presence , he stated that it was heart-warming that after being honoured outside the state, Justice Mary Odili was being honoured by her own people.

He expressed satisfaction with the governor’s performance in office, pointing out that Wike needed to be emulated by his colleagues.

US tech giant Apple are reportedly interested in buying Manchester United.

United disclosed earlier in the week that they were ready to start listening to offers for the sale of the club, according to a statement posted on the club’s website.

With United now available, Daily Star UK has claimed that the world’s largest tech company may be interested in acquiring the club for £5.8billion.

The California-based tech firm has never previously owned a major sports team, but the commercial opportunities provided by United are said to be a primary factor in their interest.

Apparently preparing Nigerians for a full deregulation regime, depot owners and some petrol marketers have again put the nation in another panic mode by hoarding available products in a push to ensure prices are adjusted to meet their operating expenses.

With products hoarded, fuel queues have emerged, forcing many motorists to engage in panic-buying, just as many retail outlets, especially those owned by independent marketers selling above the regulated price.

Long queues were witnessed in many parts of Lagos, yesterday, with the situation apparently worse on Ikorodu road, Maryland, Ikeja, Anthony, Bariga, Ilupeju and Gbagada areas as motorists become agitated after spending hours on queues.

The development left commuters stranded with traffic jams in major areas in Lagos as motorists struggled to get the product. Indeed, only retail stations owned by Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) are dispensing products and selling at regulated price of N170 per litre, while some stations owned by Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) sell between N200 and N210 respectively.

The Guardian had reported marketers’ concerns about the sustainability of the present regulated pump price of petrol. In October, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, had promised that fuel queues will soon disappear, saying that stakeholders are meeting to find a lasting solution to all the issues that have been raised.

The Authority chief dispelled rumour of stock out, saying, “There is no truth to that at all. Although there may be some issues, unavailability of PMS is certainly not one of them. There is enough that can last more than 20 days. We have agreed that loading of PMS should start immediately and I can confirm that this has started. The queues will disappear in a matter of a few days.”

However, his promises and assertions appear to be far from present realities. In his reaction, the National Operations Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mike Osatuyi blamed the scarcity on the private depots and the increasing difficulty in accessing petroleum products.

Osatuyi said that those that have to sell have had to go the ‘extra mile’ to get supply to their filling stations. He explained that at the moment, most lPMAN members cannot source the commodity because of the supply shortage that has lingered.

Besides, he said getting petrol to members’ filling stations from the depots now costs as much as N200 per litre in some instances. “It is a sad development. Some of my members now pay as much as N200 per litre to buy petrol from the depot, including the cost of transportation and other charges incurred. So in this situation, how much do you think we will sell petrol at the pump?”

He maintained that the fuel situation is not likely to ease unless the government finds a lasting solution to the supply issues and cost.

According to him, one way to address this is the implementation of total deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry.

“Total deregulation remains the best solution to ending fuel scarcity. The deregulation of the downstream sector remains the only potent and lasting solution to this scarcity.

“But the cost implication of the policy will make the price of petrol too expensive for Nigerians, as deregulation will shift the burden from the government to users of the product,” Osatuyi said. He said that payment of subsidy is no longer sustainable, urging Nigerians to face the reality now to avoid the unpalatable experiences that is usually the fallout of scarcity.

A supervisor in one of the MOMAN member-companies, told The Guardian that the company has loaded trucks from its depot, adding that major marketers have products and are selling at the regulated price.

Earlier, the Chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Western zone, Dele Tajudeen said there has been an increase in depot price from N148.7 per litre to N178, even as some stakeholders told The Guardian that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is starving government-owned depots as well as some marketers from loading, while diverting products to some private depots.

The stakeholders also told The Guardian that the state oil company is heavily indebted to some operators even as logistics challenges are compounding the situation.

Tajudeen stated that none of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) depots have products and the private depots took advantage of the situation to hike the price.

“The only option for our members is to opt for private depots to keep our business moving. We are totally against the increase because it will affect our profit margins and the masses. Some private depots that have products deliberately refuse to sell for reasons best known to them,” he said.

The IPMAN chairman said that the marketers should not be blamed for the increase in pump price, adding “selling at N170 per litre is not realistic”.

Tajudeen said, “Therefore, our members have no other option than to sell between N195 and N200 per litre within Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, while we will sell between N200 and N210 in Kwara, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states.

“Most of the tank farm owners have justified this increase because of different charges, among which is vessel charges paid in dollars.

“We are equally calling on the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to investigate the arbitrary increase in fuel price by the private depot owners.”