₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government has applied to the EXIM Bank of China for a fresh N52bn loan for the e-borders security project being implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service.

The loan facilitation is being carried out by the Ministry of Finance.

But due to non-release of funds by the Chinese bank, the project has failed to take off two years after the Federal Executive Council awarded the contract to an unnamed company.

The Ministry of Interior, in response to an inquiry from our correspondent, confirmed that the project had not taken off due to lack of funds.

The contract, awarded by the FEC in 2019, involves electronic monitoring of the nation’s 86 border-control posts, comprising six mega-control posts, 16 medium-control posts and 64 mini-control posts.

When completed, the e-border would enable officials to see the real-time online situation of the country’s porous borders, which have been overrun by terrorists, bandits and smugglers in the North-East, North-West and parts of the South-West.

According to the government, the border control posts would be equipped with high-definition video surveillance for pedestrians, observable thermal and optical bi-spectrum for low visibility environment, unified Internet Protocol Telephony and videoconferencing facilities as well as advanced eLTE multi-media walkie-talkie communication.

To tackle the problem of power supply, especially at remote locations, the project would have a solar grid and 0.6 hybrid-power solutions for all control posts.

Sunday PUNCH could not immediately ascertain why the loan for the contract has not been disbursed by the Chinese bank, which has funded major infrastructure projects across the country, including rail, road and airport projects.

Data from the Debt Management Office revealed that total borrowing from China stood at $3.121bn as of March 2020, accounting for 3.94 per cent of Nigeria’s total public debt of over $79.303bn.

Providing an update on the contract, the interior ministry spokesperson, Mrs A. Lere-Adams, explained that the Ministry of Finance was vigorously pursuing the loan for the project from the Chinese bank.

In a statement titled, ‘Fact sheet of e-border project,’ the ministry stated, “The fact sheet of the e-border project to be implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service, an agency under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior, is hereby stated that the procedure is fully on course.

“The update of the project is as follows: It is a N52bn e-border security project to be implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service; the project is to be financed through a loan from the Chinese EXIM Bank.

“The process of the loan facilitation is the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Finance that has also given the assurance that the process is ongoing. The project financing agreement has been signed by finance (ministry). The Nigeria Immigration Service has the Project Delivery Unit; presently there has been no drawdown of funds.

“As the processes are being dynamically pursued, needed information shall be released to the public.

“Suffice it to keep the records and fact sheet straight that the e-border security project is strictly on course; the processing of the loan is being pursued vigorously and hopefully, it shall be of an invaluable benefit to the Nigerian border needs that will dovetail to improved security of life and properties.”

When asked about the identity of the contractor, Lere-Adams said, “No, please; maybe the immigration service.”

The NIS spokesman, Amos Okpu, failed to respond to messages from our correspondent.

Also, a former prosecutor with the Special Presidential Panel on Recovery of Public Property, Tosin Ojaomo, had requested the list of companies involved in the multi-billion naira project but the FG declined.

The lawyer, in a Freedom of Information request to the interior ministry dated April 13, 2021, demanded the certified true copies of the contract documents executed between the ministry and the contractor.

But in its reply dated May 11, 2021, signed by the Assistant Legal Adviser, Kabiru Saidu, the government claimed Ojaomo’s request fell under the exemption provided by Section 15 (1) (a) and (b) if the FOI Act, 2011.

The letter read in part, “You may wish to know that the MOU that was signed between the ministry and the contractor on e-border contract is part of a process preparatory to ongoing negotiations which have not been concluded.

“Furthermore, the said MOU contained commercial and financial information that is proprietary and confidential in nature, of which the contractor did not consent to the disclosure.”

When contacted on Friday, the media aide to the finance minister, Yunusa Abdullahi, promised to provide a progress report on the EXIM Bank loan process.

He had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

The Adjabeng Circuit Court sitting in Accra, Ghana, has ordered the deportation of Nigerian singer, Bella Shmurda, from Ghana after he was found guilty of attacking a doctor with a fork while in quarantine at the MPlaza Hotel in Accra.

The “Cash App” hit maker was deported alongside two others namely Ramsey Omeofe and Jubreel Abimbola while they were also fined GH¢2,000 each.

The court also banned the singer, whose real name is Akinbiyi Abiola Ahmed, and his colleagues from travelling to Ghana for a period of three months.

Bella Shmurda and the two others were said to have become agitated and attacked the doctor after being put into quarantine for testing positive for COVID-19.

It is understood that the trio were quarantined upon arrival in Ghana as mandated during the pandemic and underwent COVID tests.

They were quarantined at the MPlaza hotel in Accra and had their swabs taken and reportedly tested positive for the virus which meant they had to remain in quarantine.

Apparently rankled and agitated that the development would disrupt their visit to Ghana, they reportedly attacked the doctor who delivered the news to them with a fork.

The attack, it was gathered, was part of an alleged plot by the trio to escape from quarantine.

The usual behaviours purportedly exhibited by the released children of Tanko Salihu Islamic school, Tegina in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, seem to have generated serious concerns and mixed feelings among parents and other people in the state.

DAILY POST gathered that they now eat very little, having parts of their bodies such as legs swollen, looking malnourished, withdrawn, emotionally unstable as get easily agitated, among others around family members and relatives.

This has ignited different opinions as some opined that they were released way too fast to their parents by the State Government without taking more time to check their health status, while others feel that having been away for three months, allowing their parents to reunite with them was the right thing to do.

The children who were released last Thursday, 26th August, 2021 from the Kidnappers den after a three-month sojourn were officially received by the State Governor, Alh Abubakar Sani Bello on Friday, 27th August and reunited with their parents on Sunday, 29th August.

Before releasing them to their families, the Governor clearly stated that the victims had undergone proper medical checkup and certified fit and healthy by the state medical team.

But, a few days after reuniting with the victims, the parents had raised the alarm, alleging that they are acting strangely by showing some disturbing physiological and psychological mannerism.

The parents are said to have raised the alarm that their kids are not behaving normal as they are eating less food, feet swollen, malnourished and withdrawn.

Disturbed and afraid over the wellbeing of their children, they cried out, especially having heard from some of the kids on what they experienced during their long stay with the bandits.

Expressing concern, Mallam Idris Musa, whose out of his five children kidnapped, one died said the torture on his children were severe as there are signs of health challenges in his four children.

According to him, “ I am not surprised with the strange way my four children are behaving. Now, my kids who were extroverts are more of introverts. Watching their brother helplessly till death when they were in custody of the bandits might have triggered such behaviour.

Rabi Abubakar, another parent explained that her only son is traumatized, physically and psychologically, adding, ” his legs and body are swollen and seeing him suffer like this pains me a lot”.

Confirming the situation, the Head Teacher of the Islamiyya Alhassan, Garba Abubakar said parents of the victims have told him a lot of traumatized stories from their children including wired behavior, being recluse, not being able to eat well among others.

The children after their release last Thursday told journalists that they were badly tortured, tied with chains, suffered hunger, thirsts, beaten among others, while in the forest with the bandits.

However, health Experts in the State who spoke exclusively DAILY POST said such tales were expected from the children who should naturally be traumatized for three months.

They explained that children can be seriously affected by trauma, just like the adults, while listing situations that could lead to trauma to include life-threatening occurrences such the tortures, car accidents, sudden illness, traumatic death in the family or loved ones, crime, abuse or violence in the community among many others.

Alh. Attahiru Ahmed a Psychologist and Head of Department, Niger State College of Education, Minna told DAILY POST that what is happening to the children is not strange, considering what they went through.

He explained that because of the experiences they had, they are automatically psychological traumatized and are currently in a traumatic condition.

In his opinion, he noted the need for them to have been taken for proper rehabilitation before reuniting fully with their families to help them forget what happened to them.

He insisted, “When we say traumatized, we mean a child that can be wild and being wild can mean so many things. The child will look depressed, withdrawn, and not eating. This is because, they saw what they were not supposed to see. With bandits, they heard gun shots which they never heard before right before them.

“They suffered hunger and even stayed for days without food nor water. They were kept in chains like animals and released in the night so they still have a mental picture of what happened to them. And giving them proper counseling would have calmed their minds to make them understand that they are now safe and that what happened to them will never happen again. Because it’s difficult to forget painful and horrible experiences.”

In his contribution, Dr. Fredrick Agbo, Managing Director of Talakawa Pharmacy, Minna, said the environment and the feeding habit the children were exposed to could be partly responsible for their current behaviours.

Agbo who is also a Pharmacist said, ” in the custody of the bandits, they might not have eaten well. The environment where they were kept could be infected and could make a child to be sick. First, lost of appetite too could be a symptom of malaria. One, it’s possible that the child could be having malaria and secondly, he could wake up and still feel he is still in that place of bondage and that could make the child to be agitated.

“They need a lot of counseling They need to be talked to. They need what we call Psycho-therapy and gradually they will withdraw from that trauma. When someone is kidnapped and kept for long, it gives that person a social trauma.”

Similarly, the Head of Department Home Economics, EOE, Minna, Dr. Grace Fabisuyi stated that the kids are anaemic because they were tortured by hunger and forcefully denied the necessary body building nutrients required for their age.

She explained that as growing children, they require good food such proteins, carbohydrates and minerals that can help build strong bones, especially the boys who are usually very active, energetic and dispense a lot of energy.

“Well, as the case is, the parents should give them nourishing foods to help them quickly regain what their bodies lost. Feeding them with food containing high proteins such as milk, eggs, meat, and fish is very important. They should be given a lot of vegetables and carbohydrates.

“Though, we all know that economically, times are hard and to get these food items may be difficult for some parents. What they need to do is incorporate Suya beans into their meals to get the required proteins. The parents can also add beans to all their meals such as adding it to their soups. Whatever meal is given to them, beans must be part of it to enable them recover their health faster, ” Dr. Fabisuyi added.

Furthermore, Hajiya Fatima Musa, a lecturer at the Niger State College of Health Technology stated that the children are suffering from what she described in medical terms as Anorexia Nervosa( an eating disorder).
Hajiya Musa, who is also the Baby Friendly Initiative Coordinator in the state explained that with time, their stomachs will adjust and they will begin to take the quantity of food they were used to eating before.

“You know for some, they were not eating well. Normally, they eat three square meals a day, but for some time, they were not eating like that. The portion they were used to eating was reduced, so by the time they returned, their systems now have been wired to eating less.

” Even in terms of dieting, if someone disciplined his or herself by eating less and now wants to change back to eating more, it will take time because the body was before wired to eat less,” the College of Health Lecturer maintained.

It would be recalled that DAILY POST had reported that during a visit to the school where the victims were kept before they were received by the Niger State Governor, his wife, Dr. Amina Abubakar Sani Bello had described what the pupils went through as inhumane.

She counseled them to be courageous enough to embrace and get their normal life back and continue their studies.

But experts urged both the local, state and federal governments to rise up by bringing to an end the unfolding security challenges dragging the nation backwards, so that the traumatic experiences of victims in the hands of bandits and criminals would not have negative effects on them and their children in the future.

A newlywed woman, Sandra Broderick, is in tears over the mental state of her husband, Omesa Broderick, allegedly tortured by some policemen attached to B Division, Warri, Delta State.

While Omesa remains unstable after reportedly undergoing a brain surgery occasioned by the torture, the distraught wife lamented that erring cops identified as Ndubuisi, Felix and Felix Ezesobo, had yet to be brought to book.

Sandra, in a video that went viral on Wednesday, recounted how the policemen allegedly brutalised her husband, a tricycle rider, and left him for dead. It was learnt that the incident happened in August close to the police station.

She said the Divisional Police Officer, B Division, initially identified the power-drunk cops but later developed cold feet on the case and dared her to report the matter to higher authorities.

In the clip, the husband is seen lying helplessly, clutching at Sandra who narrated his ordeal amidst intermittent sobs.

“This is what the police did to me; police brutality. People should come to my aid,” she cried. “Policemen at B Division (Warri) beat up my husband. Two of them bear Felix, the third one is Ndubuisi. The police are hiding them. The DPO told me that they are from B Division but now the police are hiding them.”

She said Omesa sustained internal head injuries and underwent a brain surgery, noting they had spent “almost N5m to take care of him.”

The woman stated further that the policemen after beating her husband to a pulp, impounded his tricycle and kept it at a filling station, adding that it was a good Samaritan who came to his rescue.

“They were not even on duty on the day the incident happened close to B Division,” she narrated amid tears. “They went to change their uniforms, beat up my husband and left him around 7pm. It was around 9pm that somebody rescued him and called me with his phone.”

She stated that Omesa was rushed to the Central Hospital, Warri as he bled profusely through the mouth and nose, adding that he was referred to another hospital for a brain surgery.

“The surgery there (at the hospital) was expensive so we had to go to another hospital, Brayans,” she noted, before breaking down in tears. “That is where we did the operation.”

“This is him,” she continued after wiping off tears, patting her unconscious husband.

“The thing (injury) is affecting his brain,” Sandra added, before betraying emotions again. “He is behaving somehow and he is the breadwinner of the house. We just got married not long after. People should help us.”

She said the family had been bearing the cost for Omesa’s treatment without support from the police who she accused of shielding the perpetrators.

She stated, “I don’t have anybody. They have been pushing the matter here and there. Till now, (we did) not even (get) a penny from the B Division, the DPO or the police; nothing. They left it all for us, saying they will bring them (the policemen) out.

“Whether they have released them, I don’t know. I don’t know what is going on. They left my husband like this. You can see him. I, my mother-in-law and my father-in-law met with the DPO. He identified them as Ndubuisi, Felix and Felix Ezesobo. They are not bringing anybody out. The DPO said I can report to Buhari if I like.

“I asked for the surname of these people, they are hiding them. I reported to the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights. They are the ones that have been taking up the matter, looking for them (the policemen).”

But the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Bright Edafe, denied that the policemen were being shielded by either the DPO or the command, claiming that the cops were undergoing an orderly room trial.

He said, “The DPO has been constantly checking on her and her husband. How possible that the DPO who informed the command and transferred the case to the State CID would tell her that (to report to Buhari)?

“The policemen are currently in detention and a press release will be issued at the end of the orderly room trial. The orderly room trial commenced last week but prior to that time, they had been in detention.”

An angry, mobile phone dealer has rejected an iPhone-obsessed lady’s offer to make part payment for the gadget and defray the rest of the cost with ten rounds of sex.

The lady who identified herself to the phone seller as Linda said she wanted to buy iPhone 11 Pro Max but her money was short, so she wanted to top it up with kind payment.

In a leaked WhatsApp conversation with the phone seller, she revealed that she got his contact details from a friend of hers.

According to the Nigerian lady, she had only N150k to buy the phone but was prepared to give the vendor good sex up to 10 times in addition to the money.

Hilariously, when the man expressed surprise at the offer, she thought he was interested, so she went ahead to increase the number of times to 15 if he would add “Airpods” to the iPhone.

It appears the phone vendor got pissed off but did not want to express it, so he chose to ignore the lady’s message. She however insisted on getting a reply from the man.

As she kept pestering him with more messages and insisted that he reply to them, the angry man cursed her, asking if he could restock with the numerous rounds of sex.

He then took to social media to share the screenshots of the conversation between him and the desperate lady.

Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have said about N1 trillion worth of stolen funds and assets have been recovered since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in 2015.

In a statement on Thursday, a former National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu; member of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Barr Ismail Ahmed, Presidential Aide, Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi; and Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, said high profile recoveries were made from 2015 to date.

According to the statement, all final forfeitures are being deployed for use in the government’s Special Infrastructure and Social Investment Programmes or put into the annual budget.

The APC leaders under the aegis of APC Legacy Awareness and Campaign said in addition to looted and hidden funds, the Buhari administration is also focused on ensuring that taxes and other debts owed the federal government were recovered in full.

“High-profile recoveries include the following: $322 million Abacha Loot from the Government of Switzerland; $311 million Abacha Loot from the Bailiwick of Jersey; $100 million recovered by the EFCC for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), from a company operating in the oil and gas sector; 4.2 million pounds sterling of Ibori Loot from the UK Government; 53 billion Naira for the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), from a real estate developer.

“Others are; $43 million security funds from an apartment in Ikoyi; and 189 billion Naira in ‘restrained’ funds from inflated personnel budgets, following ICPC’s scrutiny of practices, systems and procedures of MDAs’ personnel cost from 2019 to 2020. Billions of Naira in pension funds have been recovered from local and foreign Insurance Companies who have been holding on to assets of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD).

“ICPC’s audit of Constituency Projects covering 2015 to 2018 helped recover N2 billion of diverted funds and assets, and also forced about 300 contractors to return to site to complete abandoned or poorly-executed projects.

“In August 2021 the ICPC commenced the third Phase of this Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Exercise. In 2019 alone, ICPC also recovered N32 billion worth of Land, Buildings and Vehicles.

“In 2021, the EFCC and ICPC have continued their recovery efforts, with billions of Naira in cash assets already recovered, either through Interim or Final Forfeiture Orders.

“Since the President assumed office in 2015, close to a Trillion Naira worth of stolen funds and assets have been recovered in all. All final forfeitures are being deployed for use in the Government’s special Infrastructure and Social Investment Programmes, or put into the annual Budget.

“President Buhari will continue to ensure that government monies and revenues are safeguarded and put to the most efficient and transparent use for the benefit of the Nigerian people.

“APC is working to rebuild Nigeria after years of neglect and destructions. President Buhari is laying solid and sustainable foundation for Nigeria’s greatness,” the APC leaders said.

Sale Mamman, the erstwhile Minister of Power, courted many controversies shortly after he assumed office in August 2019.

First of such was the sacking of the former Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Mrs Damilola Ogunbiyi, over internal issues in December 2019.

The federal government had reversed the sack to resignation.

More internal crisis continued among the power sector agencies culminating in the removal of the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Usman Gur Mohammed in May 2020, a move that was frowned at by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha and generated ripples from labour unions in the power sector.

The erstwhile MD of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET), Dr Marilyn Amobi, also had a headlong encounter with the former minister until she was removed in June 2020.

There was also the removal of Prof. James Momoh, Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), in November 2020 for attaining 70 years, earlier than his tenure ending 2022.

Another major crisis during the minister’s reign was the case of missing appointment letters for members of the board of TCN after their appointment in January 2021.

The appointed board members, it was learnt, were to be given their appointment letters from the SGF’s office before they could be inaugurated but sources said while the letters left the SGF office, the board members could not get the letters from the ministry till date.

Under the minister, although power system collapses reduced, there were cases of power tariff hike controversies forcing the government to dialogue with organised labour and consequently reversing the tariff hike in some instances.

Meanwhile, a statement from the ministry’s spokesman, Austin Asoluka, has said Abubakar Aliyu is the new Minister of Power. Engr Aliyu was the former Minister of State Works and Housing.

“His appointment was announced today, after the FEC meeting presided over by Mr President,” the statement noted.

Aliyu has been working with Babatunde Fashola, the current Works and Housing Minister.

Fashola had served as the Minister of Power, Works and Housing from November 2015 to May 2019, before splitting of the ministry after Buhari’s re-election.

A ghastly road crash has claimed the life of the first son of Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, the former Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment.

Two other sons of the minister and a daughter sustained injuries in the accident.

They have all been hospitalised.

The dead Aisha’s son was identified as Aliyu Abubakar.

His age and the place of accident as President Muhammadu Buhari sent condolences to the parents on Wednesday. .

In a message to the father of the deceased, Alhaji Kabiru Mukhtar and the former Minister, which was delivered by his personal aides, President Buhari described the death of the young Aliyu as extremely sad.

The President prayed for quick recovery for two brothers and sister of the deceased, who are currently on admission in hospital following a road accident that claimed the life of the deceased.

He urged doctors, nurses and other health workers to do their best for other victims of the accident under their care.

President Buhari also prayed to Allah to repose the soul of the deceased and grant fortitude to the family and the friends of the deceased to bear the loss.

Aides who delivered the message from the President are Ya’u Darazo, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Special Duties, Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity and Ambassador Lawal Kazaure, State Chief of Protocol.

The Minister thanked the President for sending the delegation and expressed appreciation of the family for his demonstration of love and care for them.

The United States Tuesday said Nigeria procured 12 new A-29 Super Tucano jets at a sum of $500 million.

The procurement, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, is the largest single arms purchase in sub-Saharan Africa.

Gen. Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa commander disclosed this on Tuesday at the A-29 Super Tucano induction ceremony, hosted by Nigerian Minister of Defense Bashir Salihi Magashi and the Nigerian Air Force in Abuja.

“The Nigerian Air Force is one of our key partners that play a critical role in furthering regional security and stability,” Gen. Harrigian was quoted as saying in a statement by the US Embassy in Abuja.

“This ceremony symbolizes the strength of our unique partnership and underscores the value of training and working together,” he said.

The Super Tucanos were the impetus for the significant deepening of training and professional relationships, he added.

The statement said, “Precision targeting, air-to-ground integration, and human rights training are all included in the partnership between the U.S. and Nigeria.

“The aircraft will assist the Nigerian Air Force in their fight against violent extremist organizations including the Islamic State West Africa Province.

“The joint structure of air-to-ground integration also supports Nigerian Army and Navy operations.

“Nigeria purchased the A-29s through the Foreign Military Sales programme, which follows the Department of Defense’s “Total Package Approach” model and includes spare parts for several years of operation, contract logistics support, munitions, and a multi-year construction project to improve Kainji Air Base infrastructure.

“The total sale is valued at almost $500 million, making it the largest FMS program in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Harrigian said the A-29 is a prime tool to help Nigeria combat violent extremism and is vital to sustained deterrence.

“The total package deal—aircrew and maintainer training, precision-guided weapon delivery, and more—highlights our enduring partnership with the Nigerian Air Force and our commitment to enabling their successes where we can.”

A total of 64 pilots and maintainers from the Nigerian Air Force were trained to U.S. standards with the U.S. Air Force’s 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Base in Georgia, USA.

The training also emphasized the Law of Armed Conflict and civilian casualty mitigation, which are fundamental principles of the Nigerian military’s professional education and training.

As part of the programme, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing $36.1M in infrastructure support to the A-29s’ home base, Kainji Air Base, including covered magazines and aircraft sunshades, a new airfield hot cargo pad, perimeter and security fencing, airfield lights, and various airfield apron, parking, hangar, and entry control point enhancements.

The infrastructure package also includes a flight annex wing building for simulator training as well as munitions assembly and storage and small arms storage.

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, says anyone stealing public funds under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is doing so “quietly”.

In an interview with Daily Trust, Amaechi said no individual can steal public funds openly under Buhari.

The minister said anyone who is caught stealing in Buhari’s government will face the consequences.

According to him, the current administration has managed the country’s resources better than previous administrations.

“I want Nigerians to be honest; can you openly take money from this government? I am not saying whether we are corrupt or not,” he said.

“Let us assume we are corrupt, can you openly take money from this government? In the past governments, what happened? You can take money in the streets.

“Corruption was so pervasive that nobody was talking about it. It was not hidden that people completely and openly displayed their wealth.

“Most of those who did that had nothing to do to show for it. They did not have a carpentry shop, but they were billionaires. They did not hide it; but here, if you are stealing, it is done quietly. I am not saying it is good, it is a sin punishable.

“In the previous government you could steal and you won’t be caught. If you were caught, there won’t be consequences. But in this government, if you steal there are consequences.”

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, says the political elite have wasted the country’s resources, depriving the youths of needed development.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust, Amaechi said most of the “big men” have already fled their states for Abuja “which is protected because the president is here”.

He added that however, someday, “the young boys we deprived” will rise up and chase the government out of Abuja, the seat of power.

The minister said infrastructural development is key to securing the future of the youths, hence the Buhari administration’s focus on building infrastructure.

“What the president is saying is: let us create infrastructure. The president would ask how we feel when we get to Cape Town. You will be ashamed being a Nigerian because the political elites have burnt our resources and not able to put infrastructures on ground. The only thing you will hear of Nigeria is that you should come to Abuja; that it is a fine city. But Abuja does not feed anybody. If we are not careful, we will be chased out of Abuja,” Amaechi said.

“In the past, when I was the speaker and later, governor, I said we would wake up one day and the young boys we deprived would chase us out of town. How many big men are still living in their states? They have all run away. Everybody is here in Abuja, which is protected because the president is here. One day, the boys will be courageous and we will be on the run.

“If we don’t follow what the president is saying by not only diversifying the economy but also putting the necessary infrastructures in place, there will be no need to stay together as Nigerians.”

Commenting on the legacies he will leave behind, Amaechi said unlike previous governments, no one can openly steal money in the Buhari administration.

“Can you openly take money in this government? In the past governments, what happened? You can take money in the streets. Corruption was so pervasive that nobody was talking about it,” he said.

“It was not hidden that people completely and openly displayed their wealth. They did not have a carpentry shop, but they were billionaires. They did not hide it; but here, if you are stealing, it is done quietly. I am not saying it is good, it is a sin punishable.”

Asked what his plans are after 2023, “I will sleep”, after which he said he will obtain a PhD and go into teaching.

Political opponents of Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State have become desperadoes, cloning an edition of THISDAY of 27 August to further discredit him.


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The Clone Headline

The headline of the cloned edition was verbose: Shocking: Uzodimma Declares Free Marriage Between Fulani Settlers and Imo Ladies ….Promises to pay bride price for herders who choose to marry Imo ladies… Imposes N1m fine to any father who refuses to give consent.

The real headline of THISDAY the same day was: Buhari Elated as NNPC Breaks Jinx, Declares N287bn Profit First In 44 Years.

Uzodinma’s handlers said the masterminds of the fake publication did not just plan to tarnish the image of the Governor, but also to destroy the credibility of THISDAY.

“The ill conceived publication shows how desperate individuals and groups can get in trying to destroy the society, thinking that Governor Uzodimma is the issue”, said Oguwike Nwachuku, the chief press secretary and media adviser.


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The Real Headline


“It is pertinent to note that THISDAY management confirmed that the publication was cloned and we are confident that they will not allow their hard earned brand and efforts of many years to be bastardised by criminal minded fellows.

“Governor Uzodimma is conscious of the efforts being made by some individuals and groups to tarnish his image and discredit his government but will not be deterred in his determination to provide good governance to the good people of Imo State.

“He is mindful of the enormity of work to do in Imo State after many years of neglect of critical infrastructure due to poor governance and will stop at nothing to change the narrative for good in the interest of the people.

“The public is therefore advised to disregard the cloned publication as coming from depraved minds and enemies of the people and the society”, Nwachukwu said.

The planned ban on open grazing across the southern states may not materialise from next month as originally scheduled, according to indications yesterday.

This is because the law regulating such activity is yet to be in place in at least four of the states including Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Anambra and Enugu.

And following moves by the federal authorities to recover 368 grazing sites in 25 states, the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self Determination (NINAS) yesterday threatened a fresh round of protests should the federal government carry out its plan.

Southern governors, during a meeting in Asaba, Delta State on May 11 resolved to ban open grazing in their states.

September 1 was set for the commencement of the ban.

But at press time yesterday, the Enugu and Akwa Ibom Houses of Assembly were yet to conclude work on the bills while Cross River was yet to come up with its own bill. Anambra State seems not to be interested in the plan.

Enugu State Information Commissioner Chidi Aroh said the executive arm was still waiting for the bill from the legislature to enable it to commence implementation of the ban on open grazing in the state.

“It’s only proper as executive that we’re waiting for what the House said they are doing,” Aroh said.

“We cannot start talking about what we would do about a bill that is before the legislature, which the House has not yet passed into law.

“Once the bill is passed and it gets to the executive, we will do the needful.”

Bill enters second reading in A’Ibom

The anti grazing bill is currently being worked on in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly by a committee headed by Mr. Kufreabasi Edidem.

Chairman of the assembly committee on Information, Mr. Aniefiok Dennis said: “The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is working tirelessly to ensure that the Anti-open Grazing Bill is given accelerated attention.

“As I speak, the bill has entered second reading. By next week, it will get to third reading. I want to assure you that the House will complete work on the bill and pass it.

“Hopefully, the governor will assent to it before the September 1, 2021 deadline as agreed by Southsouth governors at their Asaba meeting.”

Anambra not interested in ‘such law’

An aide to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State told The Nation that the state government is not interested in such a law because there is no need for it in the state.

The aide, who asked not to be named, said a committee set up by the governor on grazing was on top of its game.

“Let me tell you the truth, Anambra State Government is not interested in such law,” the aide said.

Continuing, he said: “We have a committee headed by the State Police Commissioner with other security heads, traditional rulers and leader of the herders as members.

“And that committee always meets to discuss herders-farmers problems, and such issues will be settled amicably. Therefore, Anambra does not need any other law.”

The Southeast Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, told The Nation that some governors wanted to get Obiano involved in what he is not interested in.

He said the committee established and charged with the responsibility of herders/community affairs with prominent persons and his association has done well in that direction.

Information and Public Enlightenment Commissioner, Don Adinuba, told The Nation that he was not briefed about the decision of the southern governors on the issue of open grazing law.

For that, he would not talk on the issue as big as the enactment of open grazing law, adding that any problem Anambra encounters with the herders would be amicably resolved.

“That’s my assurance to you,” he said.

Chairman of the State House of Assembly on Information, Okechukwu Okoye, said he was not aware of any anti-grazing bill before the assembly, which is currently on recess.

He said he would find out if the state government had sent such bill to the Assembly when it resumes on September 9.

Cross River’s bill in the cooler

The 8th Cross River State House of Assembly under the speakership of John-Gaul Lebo passed an anti-grazing law in 2017, but the governor did not sign it and no further action has been taken by the legislature on the bill since.

Agriculture Commissioner Ntufam Okon Owuna said he had no information on the bill, but Lebo confirmed that the assembly, under his leadership, passed the bill and sent it to the governor for ascent.

The Nation gathered that the governor did not ascent to the bill.

Oyetola yet to sign anti-open grazing bill

Although the Osun State House of Assembly passed the bill on August 12, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola is yet to sign it.

But he said yesterday that he is fully in support of the position of southern governors on the ban.

Speaking on a private radio station, Rave FM, in Osogbo yesterday, Oyetola said he was one with his colleagues across the south that there should be no open grazing of cattle.

He also said he was not aware of the existence of any grazing route or site in his state.

“I am not too sure we have a grazing reserve in Osun,” he said.

He added: “I have not been able to confirm if we have. The position of the southern governor is a unanimous decision which I can’t say anything to the contrary.”

Ebonyi may exhume old law

Ebonyi State may fall back on the State Miscellaneous Offences Law 010 of 2018 to check open grazing.

The Chief Press Secretary to Speaker Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, Leo Ọketa, told The Nation that the law passed by the House contains sections which expressively ban open grazing.

Secretary to the State Government and Coordinating Commissioner, Dr Kenneth Ugbala, said security agencies and other relevant authorities in the state have been charged to ensure strict enforcement of the law banning open grazing and movement of cows within the state.

Ugbala maintained that the state government would not go back on the ban on open grazing and movement of cows in the state.

He noted that the enforcement became necessary to ensure that the law was not violated.

My comment on open grazing was misinterpreted, says Uzodimma

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State said yesterday that his recent statement on open grazing law was interpreted out of context by a section of the media.

The governor, who spoke through Information and Strategy Commissioner, Declan Emelumba said what he said was that farmers and herders were peacefully coexisting in the state based on mutual respect and understanding.

He said that contrary to insinuations, the state has an open grazing law which became operative in 2006.

The law, according to him, restricts herders from certain areas and they have been abiding by it. He also said the memorandum of understanding (MOU) which was signed by farmers and herders has been working well.

He said whereas a law on anti-grazing may be desirable, dialogue and understanding, as being used in Imo State, are more effective in addressing conflicts.

Ohanaeze chides Uzodinma over comment

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide had urged Uzodimma against going against the decision of the southern governors on the ban on open grazing.

The Chidi Ibeh led group said its suspicion had been reinforced with the continued absence of Governor Uzodinma at the meetings of Southern governors in Asaba and Lagos.

It said any Southeast governor who encourages open grazing “will never escape the wrath of the people.”

It warned that “he will be excommunicated from any Igbo gathering and ceremonies from 1st September 2021” if he did not rescind his move to allow open grazing in the state.

Abia ready with own law

The ban on open grazing in Abia State is covered by the law ABSN No. 6 Control of Movement and Taxation of Cattle and other Animals Law of 1994 and a 2018 law passed by the state House of Assembly.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has repeatedly said that the state is ready to enforce the law.

His Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Onyebuchi Ememanka, said: “We were one of the first to get our own law.

“The House passed it and the governor assented over a year now.”

Asked why there hasn’t been any arrest and prosecution of offenders, Ememanka replied: “Ask the Commissioner of Police.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, could not be reached for comments.

Bayelsa too

The Bayesla State version of the bill was signed into law on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 by Governor Douye Diri, even before the Southern governors meeting in Asaba.

The Governor had said the law was meant to ensure harmonious living between cattle dealers and other inhabitants of the state and to forestall the violent clashes being experienced in other parts of the country.

To enforce the law, one week after the bill was signed into law, Diri inaugurated a 23-man committee to implement it.

The governor had told the committee members chaired by the Commissioner for Agriculture, David Alagoa, that the implementation took effect from the date it was signed into law.

‘Our problem with enforcement of law in Oyo’

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Mr.Taiwo Adisa, said yesterday that the federal agencies which are supposed to help in enforcing certain provisions of the law in the state are holding back.

“The readiness has been there since 2019 when Governor Seyi Makinde assented the Bill passed by the House of Assembly that bans open grazing and standardised the issue of grazing in Oyo State,” Adisa told The Nation in Ibadan.

“What you may say is lacking will be as a result of the operating environment within the milieu of Nigeria. Operating environment in the sense that the agencies that are supposed to implement the law appear to be holding back to full implementation of the law. And when I talked about agencies, I mean the police principally.

“But, as it is, the state government has taken it upon itself to train specific task force that will come in full force and be sure that the law is implemented. But the government is still fine running the process for the fine tuning of the emergence of the task force, and as soon the task force is ready with the training completed, they will be released into the forests to sanitise and ensure that nobody grazes openly within the corridors of Oyo State.

“The anti-open grazing law passed by the state assembly has clarified what anybody needs to do on the issue of grazing in Oyo State.”

Ogun bill awaits governor’s assent

A Law to Regulate Animal Grazing, Establishment of Cattles Ranches in Designated Grazing Areas of Ogun State and for other Matters incidental thereto and connected therewith of 2021, passed by the State House of Assembly, is currently awaiting the signature of Governor Dapo Abiodun.

The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, and Special Adviser on Public communications, Hon. Remmy Hazzan, said he would sign the bill by September 30.


Self- determination agitators threaten fresh protests over grazing sites recovery

The Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) vowed yesterday to launch a fresh round of protests should the federal government go ahead with its planned recovery of 368 grazing sites in 25 states of the federation.

The group said government should be prepared for a “never-seen-before mass revolt” in southern states that permit grazing reserves.

It warned governors “within the NINAS territory” to respect the wishes of their people on the issue of the grazing reserve.

It said: “For the avoidance of doubt, under the Land Use Act of 1978, all lands in Nigeria vest in State Governors who hold same in Trust for the People. With the possible exception of the Federal Capital Territory, the Federal Government of Nigeria does not own any land upon which it can establish grazing routes.

“It follows that any governor in the Alliance Territories who cedes any land to the Federal Government in the name of Grazing Route will be doing so in breach of the Trust in which such lands are held and worse still, in defiance of the overwhelming Will of the People.

Meanwhile, socio-political activist and critic, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, has said that the Land Use Act contained in the 1999 Constitution does not give the federal government any authority on land anywhere in the country.

Onitiri said any move by the federal government to forcibly take over any land would not be in the best interest of the country and could lead to avoidable conflicts.

He said: “I beg to disagree with the recent Grazing Reserve Order of Mr President when considered alongside with the plea of Mr. President with the Service chiefs not to make him fail in his governance.

“Any sane mind will find these two conflicting stand points very absurd. The Land Use Act, which is part of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and which President Buhari swore to uphold, firmly placed administration of land in the purview of state governors.”

A woman, Mrs Juliet Ochogwu, a widow of late Mr Julius Ochogwu, has alleged that her husband’s family conspired and abducted her two children, Jason and Joanne, in their bid to seize the properties of her husband in Otukpo, Benue State.

Julius’ elder brother, Mr Paul Ochogwu, is a pastor of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Kanshio, Makurdi, the Benue State capital, and he alongside others, Joseph Ochogwu and Miss Martha Agatha, allegedly stormed The Holy Child Nursery and Primary School, Otukpo, on Monday, July 12, when they took the children away.

She alleged that her mother-in-law, Paulina Ochogwu, the immediate elder sister of a former Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, was also supporting the evil being meted out to her as well as the death threats sent by the family members so that she could let go of her children.

Juliet, who spoke to SaharaReporters on Friday, revealed that Paul and his siblings were in custody of her children and planned to inherit her husband’s estate.

Julius died on Thursday, April 1, 2021, after a serious battle with diabetes.

Ochogwu’s widow also disclosed that her brother-in-law, Paul, failed to remit over N1.5million condolence money raised by her husband’s friends for the upkeep of the four children, Jonathan, Jason, Joanne and Jasmine.

The woman said, “I was married to my husband for almost 13 years. So, we had a misunderstanding two years ago that led to our separation. I was pregnant with our fourth child. And he said he wasn’t ready for another child. Though we agreed on three children and when the fourth pregnancy came, even though I was on family planning, he said he wasn’t ready for another child that I should get rid of the pregnancy. But, I refused.

“When family intervened and all that, my husband got so furious and threw my things out of the house. So, from 2019 to 2021, we were separated. When he threw my things out, I went to live with my parents in Sokoto. But, my husband allowed me to always be in touch with the other three children by speaking with them on the phone. Three children with him were two boys and a girl. Their names were Jonathan, Jason and Joanne.

“So, within the process of this crisis, my husband sent me a divorce summons from High Court in Otukpo, Benue State. He didn’t take it seriously because we never had any court hearing. In January 2021, I was told that my husband was very sick. I called him that I would come and check on him and the children. The week I was supposed to travel and see him, he said he was referred to the General Hospital in Abuja. He had been seriously ill since I had left. He had diabetes which seriously affected his health. Unfortunately, the week I was supposed to visit him, he died on Thursday April 1, 2021.”

The widow noted that after her husband’s death, her father and relations attended the burial where her husband’s family asked her to take an oath to prove her innocence but her father prevented her, being a Christian family.

She continued that her husband’s family members were not on talking terms with her husband when he was alive but suddenly became so interested in his estate after his death.

She said, “They denied me access to my children only to discover that they were only after his properties and assets. They are aware that I had two male children for my husband; so whoever keeps the children automatically gets the assets. Funnily, these family members of my late husband that have been scrambling over his assets were people that were not talking with him when he was alive.

“His mother, Mrs Paulina Ochogwu, wasn’t on talking terms with my husband. His elder brother, Paul Ochogwu, was not talking to my husband for over 15 years. His younger sister, Martha Ochogwu, also was not talking to my husband even though both of them lived in the same town. For five years, she had not been talking to my husband. His elder brother also, Joseph Ochogwu also was not talking to my husband because my husband was a very blunt and truthful person. He didn’t hide anything. He told the truth openly. They were always against him because of his blunt principles. He never supported injustice.

“These people in their gang-up took my children away. My dad asked some Idoma people about these issues to see if we are doing the right thing. I’m from Edo, not Idoma so there are some things about their customs I don’t know.

Juliet revealed all the atrocities from her in-laws including death threats, adding that she was not asking for her husband’s estate but to let them have access to her children whom she did not know their whereabouts.

“They have unleashed injustice on me because I’ve not seen my children for two years. They are not taking care of the children. Rather, they squandered the condolence money raised for the upkeep of the children. They can keep my husband’s property but give me my children. The three children with them, Jonathan, a-12 year-old boy, Jason, a 10-year-old boy, and Joanne, a 5-year-old girl. They are holding them hostage and captive,” she said.

An upper Sharia Court in the Hadejia Local Government Area of Jigawa State on Thursday married off two sisters whose father, Abdullahi Malammadori, had reportedly refused to give out in marriage.

The court had earlier given Abdullahi Malammadori 30 days to marry off the women but he refused to obey the court order.

The court therefore ordered the state Hisbah board to arrange their marriage.

The Head of Hadejia Women Foundation for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Fatima Kailanini, had sued Malammadori for refusing to give out Khadijat and Hafsat Abdullahi who had presented to him their suitors.

Kailanini said her organisation engaged Malammadori on several occasions on the need to agree to his children’s demand for marriage but he remained adamant in his refusal.

She said apart from rejecting their preferred suitors, Malammadori also refused to provide alternative suitors for the women, despite the two being above 30 years of age.

The state’s Hisbah Commander, Ibrahim Dahiru, who gave out the women in marriage, said the grooms presented N50,000 dowry for each for the women.

Dahiru said the court and Hisbah intervened to save the women from their father’s excesses. The official then pleaded with the couples to ensure that they give their father respect despite the disagreement.

The women were married off to Sadiq Abdulruf and Abubakar Yusuf at a ceremony which took place at the Hisbah office in Dutse, Jigawa State.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, has constituted a Board of Inquiry (BoI) to investigate the attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, by bandits.

Gunmen had in the early hours of Tuesday, attacked the institution after gaining access through the residential area within the Academy in Afaka.

Two personnel died while one was abducted, according to a statement by the academy’s public relations officer, Major Bashir Jajira.

The BoI would among others ascertain the remote and immediate cause(s) of the breach of security with a view to sanctioning any personnel found culpable and also prevent future occurrence.

Director, Defence Information, Major General Benjamin Sawyerr, who made this known, also denied reports that military personnel on duty at the academy’s CCTV Monitoring Room were asleep when bandits attacked the officers’ residential quarters.

He described the report as untrue and challenged anyone with proof of the allegation to make it public.

“Let me also assure that we shall continue to update the general public as events unfold as we are all aware the search and rescue of the abducted officer is still on. Troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria will continue with its operations to ensure all those involved in the dastardly act are brought to justice.”

Daily Sun gathered that heads may roll over the attack as investigations showed that the attackers, who drove into the academy in motorbikes, gained access and escaped after breaching the barbed wire fence along the Airport Road in Afaka, where it is located.

Investigation by the military revealed that the thick bushes between the Officers Quarters and the Academy fence may have given the bandits the courage to carry out the attack using the thicket as cover to prevent being detected by eagle-eyed soldiers.

It was gathered that response time from troops on duty was slow as bandits succeeded in breaking into five flats housing the officers before the intervention of soldiers.

According to reports, the bandits after a successful operation, escaped through the airport road to an open farm in one of the villages in the area.

Serving and retired military officers, who spoke to Daily Sun, expressed sadness over the attack, which they attributed to the poor security measures put in place at the academy.

They complained that the fence at the academy was capable of breaching the security at the institution and called on government to do the needful by providing concrete fencing and buffer to secure the nations military training institution.

A 14-year old girl (name withheld) raped and impregnated by her 20-year old lover, Waris Adekunle, has told the Police in Lagos that she was the one who initiated the move for him to rape her and eventually impregnated her because of his kindness to her.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the girl stated this at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, Yaba, Lagos, where she was summoned to write statement over the arrest of Adekunle for allegedly defiling and impregnating her in the process.

The incident happened at Isolo Road, Mushin area of Lagos, where she resides with her parents before Adekunle came from Ibadan, Oyo State and started living with his brother in the compound.

The girl, who is a JSS1 student, told the Police that when Adekunle came and started living with his elder brother, he showed her kindness by providing money she needed to take care of her needs because she did not have enough money for her needs.

She said sometime in April, 2020, she discovered that Adekunle was alone in their room. She then went to him and insisted he must have sex with her, which they did eventually. After that day, they started having constant sex and he got her pregnant in the process. She stated that all the while they were having sex, her mother did not know about the relationship and by the time she eventually knew, she was already pregnant.

The mother went to the Police at Mushin Division and reported that she was raped and impregnated by Adekunle and he was arrested and detained for defilement.

She revealed that while Adekunle was detained at the Police Station in Mushin, her mother brought half sachet of Amosil for her to take in order to terminate the pregnancy. She went back to the Police Station and reported her mother.

The matter was later transferred to the SCID, Panti, for further investigation. At the SCID, she restated her earlier statement that she was the person that lured Adekunle into the act.

However, that did not save Adekunle as the Police found him culpable because she is a minor and subsequently charged him before the Ebute Metta Magistrates Court for the alleged offence.

The Court did not take his plea after the prosecutor, Inspector O. Kehinde, asked the Court to refer the matter to the DPP for advice.

Thus, the Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. A.A. Oshoniyi, ordered his remand in Correctional Centre pending when the DPP’s advice will be ready and directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send to the DPP.

On the side of Adekunle, he said he was a tailor in Ibadan before he came to Lagos, became a music singer and both of them became lovers before she got pregnant.

Meanwhile the matter was adjourned for the DPP’s report to be available, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.

The Petroleum Industry Bill signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari has reversed an exclusive right for holders of local refining licence to import petroleum products.

Holders of crude oil refining licences in Nigeria include Dangote Oil Refinery Company, Waltersmith Refining & Petrochemical Company Limited, OPAC Refineries, Niger Delta Petroleum Resources and Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited.

Stakeholders in the oil and gas sector had raised concerns over the line in the upper chamber’s version of the PIB.

In the senate joint committee report on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), the lawmakers had intended to limit the importation of petroleum products to local refining licence holders – a request did not go down well with stakeholders.

Precisely, section 317 ( of the senate version of the report noted that petrol importation licence will be restricted “only to companies with active local refining licences”.

“The Authority shall apply the Backward Integration Policy in the downstream petroleum sector to encourage investment in local refining,” the senate version read.

“To support this, licence to import any product shortfalls shall be assigned only to companies with active local refining licences.

“Import volume to be allocated between participants based on their respective production in the preceding quarter.”

Checks by TheCable showed that the exclusive right has been removed in the harmonised version of the report signed into law by President Buhari on August 16.

This means that ‘qualified’ refiners or companies can now participate in the importation of petroleum products.

According to the Act, Section 317 ( noted that petrol importation licence will be granted to holders of refining licence or companies with “proven track records of international crude oil and petroleum products trading”.

“The Authority may apply the Backward Integration Policy in the downstream petroleum sector to encourage investment in local refining,” it reads.

“Pursuant to subsection (, licence to import any product shortfalls may be assigned to companies with active local refining licences or proven track records of international crude oil and petroleum products trading.

“Import volume to be allocated between participants shall be based on criteria to be set by the Authority taking into account their refining output in the preceding quarter, the share of active wholesale customers competitive pricing and prudent supply, storage and distribution track records.”

At the moment, companies registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as providers of goods and services in the downstream sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry are eligible to apply for petroleum products importation permits.

According to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), this is subject to having access to appropriate storage facilities which could be owned or leased from third parties.

But this is set to change as the federal government kicked off the implementation process of the new petroleum law.

Last week, the president appointed Timipre Sylva, minister of state for petroleum resources, as head of the PIA implementation committee.

By John Owen Nwachukwu

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has berated the Department of State Services, DSS, over its alleged loud silence and apparent inaction to the unambiguous incitement against Christians made in a recent viral video allegedly by one Ustaz Abubakar Salihu Zaria.

The association described the police inaction as discriminatory, illegal and totally indecorous.

HURIWA expressed consternation and shock that such a seditious video could have been made by a so-called religious leader threatening to carry out reprisals on Christians over the recent cruel and brutal killing of scores of Moslem travellers in Jos by unknown gunmen, yet for nearly three days the DSS has overlooked the sensational and violence-prone Video.

In a statement, the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs, Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA wonders whether the security forces including the Nigerian Police were waiting for the threats to be fully executed before it can take any lawful measure to bring the said religious preacher to justice.

“Can we honourably remind the hierarchy of the DSS as they prefer to be identified, that the specific institution known as state security services is a creation of the Nigerian law and therefore the operatives are to serve all Nigerians equally and must never present themselves as either Islamic Police or political police but a national policing institution.

“We hereby ask them to invite the said Islamic Cleric to say what he knows about a future plot to kill Christians in Northern Nigeria should any Moslem be killed by hoodlums in Plateau State and also find out why he classified Plateau State citizens all of whom have one religion or the other as infidels. These inciting comments and the inaction of either the Nigerian Police Force or the DSS are dangerous.

HURIWA also asked the DSS to explain to Nigerians why it invited the Edo State-based Christian leader Pastor Suleiman and the Enugu State based Catholic Priest Fr. Ejike Mbaka when they individually made innocuous statements which in the estimation of DSS were damaging to National Security but same DSS has gone mute upon hearing a Moslem Cleric make threats against Christians.

HURIWA wondered too that President Muhammadu Buhari received in audience the Sheikh from Bauchi whose disciples were killed by unknown gunmen even after he the Sheikh was quoted in a section of the media as allegedly threatening revenge and now the same President and his attack dogs have kept mute to this threat against Christians by the Islamic Cleric.

HURIWA noted that the President through his Media minders had attacked Rt. Reverend Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese for reportedly criticising President Muhammadu Buhari’s silence to the killings of Christians by armed Islamists in the North of Nigeria.

HURIWA said the inaction and loud silence of the DSS to the incitement against the lives of Christians in the North made by Ustaz Abubakar Zaria contravenes some sections of the Nigerian constitution.

The Muslim cleric was quoted as saying partly, “Here is my message to the infidels in Plateau 2x and to CAN Plateau and to CAN Nigeria in general.

“I am the one speaking, I am Alkali Abubaka Salihu Zaria.

“I swear to God almighty, if such ever occur again, there are Christians in Kaduna State, there are Christians in Zamfara State, there are Christians in Sokoto, there are in Katsina, Kebbi, there are Christians in Gombe, Damaturu and Yobe and there are major roads. We will also block the roads and waylay Christian commuters.” The video had alleged.

The Kano State Hisbah Board has docked a Kannywood actress and social media blogger, Sadiya Haruna, for “uploading sexual contents on her social media handles.”

According to Daily Trust, the actress, Haruna, a resident of Kabuga Quarters was initially arrested on Friday by the Head of Surveillance Department of Kano State Hisbah Board, Malam Aliyu Usman.

She was then detained in the custody of the Islamic police until early Monday when she was brought before the Sharia court sitting in Sharada area of the state.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed against her, she was alleged to have consistently posted indecent videos in which she was dancing seductively and making sexual comments on her social media handles and YouTube channel.

The accused person pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of obscenity and indecent act, which contradicts section 355 of Penal Code Law 2000.

The presiding judge, Justice Ali Jibril Danzaki thereafter convicted her and ordered that her to be attending a Darul Hadith Islamiyya session at Tudun Yola Quarters for a period of six months as the sentencing for her offence.

He also said that her Islamiyya attendance would be monitored by the school head teacher and the Hisbah command.

Hisbah has been knocked by Nigerians for operating double standards in the country and particularly in northern Nigeria, sparing the children of the high and mighty and going after commoners in the north.

By Gabriel Dike

Controversy has continued to trail the killing of a student of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Nurudeen Alowonle, as mortuary attendants at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, produced a wrong corpse for the family, activists and friends who had gathered to pick the corpse for burial on Friday.

Alowonle, a Faculty of Education student of LASU and the Coordinator, Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Lagos State chapter was shot death on Wednesday night after Iba gate of the university while a staff of the institution with him was injured.

He was a student activist, a member of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and also a former presidential candidate in the students union elections of 2019, had early appeared before the Students Disciplinary Panel same day in an alleged contrived case of admission racketeering.

In a statement, the National Coordinator of (ERC), Hassan Taiwo, said ”many of you would have been surprised that contrary to initial reports that late Alowonle would be buried on Friday, he eventually was not buried.

His words: ”I got to the morgue of Mainland Hospital Yaba in the morning of Friday, August 20th. I met Nurudeen Yusuf in the presence of some doctors and other well wishers. We were shown what was said to be the remains of Alowonle. It was nothing more than a mass of entrails which was highly decomposed and put together in a body bag.

”The mortuary attendants said those who brought the ‘body’ – the Lagos State Environmental Agency claimed that vehicles had ran over the ‘body’ between the period of 10pm Wednesday night when he died and 5am Thursday morning it was brought to the morgue.

”Upon seeing the state of the alleged body, we had to protest that there was no means to identify the entrail as a human entrail let alone a human body. We said there was no way we could present this to the family as the ‘body’ of their son. Our protest including the assistance of sympathetic student doctors who studied in LASU and the HOD Pathology, eventually led to the revelation by the mortuary attendant that they made a mistake and presented to us a wrong body.”

According to him, the mortuary attendants brought another body which was that of Alowonle. He observed that the body had a hole by the side just under the rib cage on the left hand side of the chest.

Taiwo explained that tension began to build up and following discussion, it was agreed that an autopsy be conducted but the ongoing doctors strike made it impossible.

”This made the family to insist that the body be buried the very day. Those of us pushing for autopsy had no choice but to submit to the desire of the family. The family also gave us the right to choose any befitting burial place for him.”

He said some activists processed and got documents for the body to be released for burial but the disclosure by the Divisional Police Office of Adoff that the police claimed a patrol found the body around 10pm and called the Lagos State environmental agency to pick the body.

Said he: ”The agency did not show up until 5am the next morning. During this time, there was no record that the police offered any first aid assistance to Alowonle or even tried to take him to the hospital to see if he could be revived. As we all know, only a qualified medical personnel, and not the police, can declare a body dead or lifeless.

”Secondly, the DPO claimed that the police patrol was around the vicinity where the attack and killing took place but police said they were not shot but stabbed. When the mortuary attendants who prepared Alowonle’s body and sutured his wound were interviewed, they claimed that the wound they observed on the body could only be caused by gunshot. This also coincided with the testimony of the lone survivor, Wahab Majekodunmi, who said they were shot.

”The last straw that would break the camels back was the request of the DPO that the family must swear an affidavit that they would not demand an autopsy as a precondition for release of the body. Of course, this request raised suspicion as to the motive of the police. It appeared to us that the police just wanted the body to be buried so that the truth of what happened can be buried with it, ” he stated.

Taiwo explained that while this controversy was going on, a directive came from the Chief Pathologist of Lagos State, Prof John Obafunwa, to the mortuary that the body should not be released until an autopsy is conducted.

Governor Seyi Makinde’s elder brother, Barr. Muyiwa Makinde has offered insights into his brother’s strained relationship with embattled Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho,

Muyiwa, who is the Jagun Olubadan, stated Governor Makinde is making efforts to ensure Igboho regains freedom in Cotonou.

The Nation reports Igboho had once disclosed that the Governor commissioned his house in Soka area of Ibadan, which was razed in the early hours of Tuesday, in 2013.

He said: “Governor Seyi Makinde and I have been together for a long time. He commissioned my house that was razed by hoodlums in 2013 and also provided a 500kva transformer for my street.

“I supported him and campaigned for him during the 2019 governorship election in Oyo, I met him through former governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja.’’

In a teaser with Yoruba-based platform, Yoruba Tooto, obtained by The Nation, Muyiwa said: “If not that God saved Sunday Igboho, they wanted to kill him. They killed two persons in his house.

“If not that he escaped, if they had met him inside, they will kill him. They will frame it up that he engaged them in a gun duel, and put a gun in his hands.

“The love he (Seyi Makinde) had for Sunday Igboho did not diminish, and they are working underground to ensure that where he is in Cotonou, he is freed. We won’t lose focus, we will continue doing the best.”

Speaking on rumours about Makinde joining the APC, he said “Seyi Makinde can never join the APC, never. It is a rejected party.

“Ladoja is our father, he is a national hero, his politics is beyond Oyo state. He has instituted a good history, and he knows what the citizens are also saying about APC.

“The opposition in Oyo state are still pained, they are yet to get over shock of 2019.”

A polytechnic student in Nigeria, Mumini Abubakar has killed his girlfriend, Franca Elisha, and secretly buried her remains in a shallow grave.

Abubakar was said to have allegedly killed Franca, a Diploma II student of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa state, in the process of aborting her pregnancy.

SaharaReporters learnt that the late Franca had informed her boyfriend, Abubakar of her pregnancy, and the latter decided to terminate it.

He was said to have allegedly sought the help of his friend, Huzaifa Shu'aibu, a student of the College of Health Technology, Mubi, who injected Franca with a drug to terminate the pregnancy.

The duo and one other accomplice have been arrested in connection to the crime, as revealed by the police.

Spokesperson for the police in the state, DSP Suleiman Nguroje, on Saturday, confirmed to SaharaReporters that Mumini Abubakar, Huzaifa Shu'aibu, and Rabi'u Adamu were apprehended in connection to the crime.

Abubakar, a resident of Sanda ward under the Yola-South Local Government Area had allegedly treated the late Franca like his wife, leading to the pregnancy.

However, when he was informed by Franca of the pregnancy, he decided to abort it.

He reportedly took the deceased into his room located at the students' community behind Adamawa State University, Mubi, for the abortion on August 6, 2021.

A friend of the deceased who spoke on condition of anonymity said, "To carry out their planned abortion, the accused invited his friend and a student of the College of Health and Technology, Mubi, Huzaifa Shu'aibu, who supplied an injection for the abortion.

"Huzaifa injected Franca with a powerful drug for abortion after which she fainted immediately, but as God would have it, she later regained consciousness.

"In order to perfect the termination of the pregnancy, Huzaifa gave the late Franca a second round of the injection after she had regained her consciousness, but unfortunately she fainted for the second time and subsequently died.

"Thereafter, the duo invited one of their friends and a student of the polytechnic, Rabiu Adamu, and the trio waited until midnight to Bury the corpse in a shallow grave.

"The remains of Franca were buried along with a mobile phone and a National Identity Card, belonging to the deceased in an effort to destroy evidence."

However, the father of the deceased, Elisha Iliya, a resident of Sabon Gari, Mubi, told our reporter that "my daughter left home on the fateful day for school, but did not return home as usual".

"We searched everywhere as well as made contacts, but to no avail.

"We decided to contact her friend and fellow student, who told us she last saw my daughter with Abubakar on the day she was killed while running to the hostel because it was raining.

"It was the girl who helped us to locate the whereabouts of Abubakar, to effect his arrest.

"Abubakar was arrested while playing football as if nothing had happened. He however led the police to my daughter's shallow gravesite," he said.

Confirming the incident, Nguroje, said, "The death of the lady was reported to the command after which the Commissioner of Police, Adamu Alhaji, ordered the investigation and arrest of the suspects.

"Investigation so far revealed that it was Mumini Abubakar who impregnated her and that it was Huzaifa Shu'aibu, who administered the injection, while Rabiu Adamu assisted in burying the corpse," he said.

Two young pastors identified as twins, Taiye and Kehinde Sonaike, are currently on the run after allegedly defiling a 12-year-old girl at the Oworonshoki area of Lagos State and impregnated her in the process.

The brothers were said to have been indulging in the act for over a year but only recently resulted in pregnancy.

A child rights advocate revealed that the twins allegedly connived with a nurse whom they paid N11,000 to abort the pregnancy.

However, prior to the abortion attempt, the young girl spoke to her mother and this led to the arrest of the nurse, who was later released.

Meanwhile, the alleged rapists have been on the run and there are no traces of them or their family members in their area, the advocate said.

He said, “These two men called Pastors Sonaike Taiye and Kehinde of Open Heaven Church raped and impregnated a 12-year-old girl at Oworonshoki area, Lagos.

“They paid the sum of N11, 000 to the nurse who was to abort the pregnancy for the girl. Unfortunately for them, the girl opened up to the parent on Tuesday night while the abortion was supposed to take place on Wednesday night.

“Out of pain, the victim's mother poisoned herself but she got help and is now healthy.

“The case was transferred to one activist who referred them to Mirabel sexual assault referral centre in Ikeja, Lagos where medical examination was carried out on the girl.

“Last Friday, the case was reported to the police station and the police arrested the nurse who attempted to abort the pregnancy but the nurse has been released on bail.

“However, the two men who carried out the act are on the run. They fled from the area with their family members. It has been over one week now and they haven't been found."

Olusegun Falola, one of the lawyers of embattled Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, has said his client is staying away from the hostile environment which President Muhammadu Buhari created in Nigeria.

He further said Igboho's stay in Benin Republic detention is a blessing in disguise.

The lawyer added that the rights activist would not return to the country until after the expiration of Buhari's tenure in office.

Falola spoke during a radio interview monitored by The Nation.

Igboho has spent over one month in detention since he was “arrested” by the operatives of Brigade Criminelle (Criminal Brigade) on July 19 in Cotonou.

The 48-year-old agitator, who was first detained at the Brigade économique et financière (BEF), is at Prison Civile de Cotonou — Cotonou Civil Prison.

In the last judgment, the Cour De’appal De Cotonou ordered that Igboho should be kept in prison custody.

At the 13-hour hearing, the court had ruled that Igboho be sent to pre-trial detention pending conclusion of the investigation.

Speaking on efforts on Igboho’s freedom, the lawyer said, “Igboho’s arrest shows he was cheated, because he didn’t commit any criminal offence.

“I plead with all Yorubas and Nigerians at large, don’t see Sunday Igboho as a convict, see him as someone who is under Benin Republic’s protection. Igboho is only staying underground for now until when there is breath of fresh air.

“Nigeria did not show up in court or bring up evidence against Sunday Igboho. So there are no criminal charges against him. When Igboho leaves prison, he’ll demand asylum from other countries including France, and they will be ready to receive him.

“So he’ll return back to Nigeria when the administration that is against him leaves office.”

On decisions Igboho will take after regaining freedom, Falola said, “If Nigeria is yet to be a safe haven for him (Igboho) to return, especially for his freedom and maximum security, all his cars in Ibadan and businesses will be done in Cotonou.

“The judges asked Igboho if he had land in Cotonou and he responded that he has a land in Seme. So, there is still danger ahead. Igboho’s asylum in Cotonou is for him to stay in the country and do his businesses in the country and also travel to Germany to either live there or to travel to and fro. He’ll use Benin as his new home until Buhari’s tenure is over just for his own safety.

“We should be thankful to the Benin Republic government for granting Igboho access to medical attention. Also, his wife, Ropo goes freely to see him and to also interact with him and bring food regularly.

“If Igboho had been captured the way Kanu was extradited to Nigeria, then we won’t be talking about him today, his health would have worsened. Look at how his aides have been treated.”

Nemesis has caught up with two groups of bandits in Giwa local government area of Kaduna State, who in a fratricidal gun duel killed nine of their fellows.

Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan made this known in a statement.

The commissioner said the cause of the fratricidal face-off was unclear but revolved around disagreement over sharing of accumulated ransoms during which one of the groups felt cheated.

He said a credible human intelligence networks informed the Kaduna State Government of the development, which was further corroborated by security agencies.

“Intelligence sources had reported that a notorious bandit known as ‘Godon Mota’ stormed Garke village last Wednesday with his gang and clashed with a rival bandit group, leading to the killing of nine members.

“Acting Governor Dr Hadiza Balarabe noted the report with thanks and urged security agencies to sustain pressure towards the apprehending of criminal elements in the general area.

“Investigations and security patrols are ongoing,” he said.

The Islamic State in West Africa Province, ISWAP, in Nigeria has reshuffled its leadership and Shura council over the mass surrender of Boko Haram fighters to the Nigerian Military.

According to a PRNigeria report, the leaders were sacked following a directive from the Headquarters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS, for failing to sustain the reunification of ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters, after the death of Abubakar Shekau.

Mr Aba-Ibrahim who replaced Abbah-Gana was appointed as the new ISWAP leader while Malam Bako, Abdul-Kaka a.k.a Sa’ad, Abu Ayun and Abba Kaka, were appointed as the new members of the Shura Council for the ISWAP.

Other appointments include Muhammed Mustapha who was appointed as the New Amir of Marte, Muhammed Malumma, Muhammed Maina and Abubakar Dan- Buduma- who were to maintain their former positions as Commanders.

It is unclear if it represents a change in strategy or a momentary attempt to capture the goodwill of more fighters willing to lay down their arms.

Impeccable sources with deep knowledge of the terrorist activities told PRNigeria that the ISWAP were forced to reshuffle its cabinets due to the sorry state of the organisation in terms of desertions, depletion of fighting militants.

The massive surrender has also thrown confusion and apprehension within the camps of the ISWAP terrorists in Kirta, Wulgo, Sabon Tumbu, Jubularam, Kwalaram, Sigir, Kayowa and Kurnawa, as many other fighters were left with the option to either surrender or flee from the Lake Chad.

The source told PRNigeria that the large-scale and heavy bombardment campaign targeting infrastructure, armouries, camps and high valued locations of the terrorists had forced the terrorists to go into hiding while plunging hunger and hardship living conditions in the terrorists’ camps.

The source said: “The massive surrender of Boko Haram fighters is largely due to loss of confidence, maltreatment, and growing insurrections between the ISWAP and Member of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād or JAS after the death of their leader Abubakar Shekau.

“Many JAS fighters have been arrested and incarcerated in an ISWAP prison at Tumbum Kayowa for committing various crimes while those that were former Commanders and Amir’s were reduced as Junior fighters and marabout slaves within the ISWAP enclaves.

“Some JAS Commanders and fighters would prefer to renounce their participation in terrorism campaign and surrender to Nigerian troops than remained with ISWAP to continue facing humiliation in the camps,” he concluded.

Pictures of Senate President Ahmad Lawan pulling out a chair for President Muhammadu Buhari have surfaced online.

Typically, the responsibility is that of the president’s aide-de-camp (ADC).

The office of the ADC to the president provides security and protects the president and his family in conjunction with other security agencies.

The ADC also attends to the personal needs of the president and other matters regarding his functions as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

But when Buhari met with the leadership of the national assembly on Wednesday, the senate president took over one of the ADC’s responsibilities.

In some of the pictures from the meeting, Lawan is seen assisting the president to take his seat despite the fact that Yusuf Dodo, Buhari’s ADC, was within close proximity.

The pictures show Dodo, a lieutenant-colonel with the Nigerian army, making his way to get to his principal while Lawan was helping out the president.

Dodo was appointed by the president in January after Mohammed Abubakar, his erstwhile ADC, was nominated for a promotion course.

He assumed duty in February 2021 after understudying Abubakar for three weeks.

Until his nomination, Dodo was the academy adjutant of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna.

OYO State-born pioneer President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sunday Oladele, who secured victory after 41 years battled with Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, was planning big for his convocation before he died, his son, Olalekan said on Tuesday.

According to him, the 72-year-old activist was celebrating his victory against YABATECH after the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges in June 2021, ordered that his certificate be given to him after 41 years seizure.

Olalekan stated these in an interview with The PUNCH in Abuja on Tuesday on the sidelines of a press conference addressed by the Chairman of Pa Oladele’s Burial Committee, Senator Dino Melaye, and NANS President, Sunday Asefon.

Oladele, alongside a few others, had in 1980 led the rebirth of the students’ movement from the proscribed National Union of Nigerian Students after the military government of Olusegun Obasanjo had, during the ‘Ali Must Go struggle’ led by Olusegun Okeowo, banned student unionism, which was firmly organised under NUNS

He was said to have led others, regrouped them, wrote a new constitution and in 1980, founded NANS.

Melaye said, “This effrontery later earned him and most of his colleagues varying consequences such as expulsion, rustication and withholding of their certificates.

“Seeing how long the injustice had persisted, the Senate mandated the management of YABATECH to release forthwith his certificate withheld for 41 years. With the intervention of the Senate Committee, the management of YABATECH agreed to present the departed leader with his certificate at their next convocation but unfortunately, he died two weeks after.”

According to him, a letter would be sent to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, Ministers of Education and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, “to ask that this great Nigerian, who sacrificed all for the betterment of this country and who was denied justice for 41 years, be immortalised.”

Melaye said, “He came to Abuja to fight for justice where he met his untimely death. I want to believe that by the time we put our heads together, the Federal Government must immortalise him became there are people of less national value that have been immortalised by the Federal Government.

“So, the Nigerian students’ body is requesting unequivocally that this great Nigerian be immortalised and one famous national institution in this country named after him.

“We, as also students, former students and leaders, still have Students’ Union Buildings that have not been named after individuals. We will encourage through the President of NANS that some of these institutions name their Students’ Union Buildings after this great Nigerian.”

Olalekan told The PUNCH, “I’m his first child and only son; I’ve two sisters. I’m glad that I spoke with him and our last conversation was a good one. He was in high spirits, suffered for 41 years, but died doing what he loves best.

“My father has always talked about his struggles to get his certificate from YABATECH. He was in high spirits, having got that Senate victory and was really looking towards that convocation ceremony in YABATECH in a big way.

“My father fought with love for the masses; it was never a burden to him. He never had any regret. His only regret was that his struggle to see better Nigeria was not actualised in his lifetime. But other than that, he never had any regret.”

Asked if he felt neglected and abandoned by the people he fought for, Olalekan said he never felt neglected, adding, “If he felt neglected, he would not have continued that struggle even when they denied him his right.”

He said, “Even at his old age (72), he had always continued the fight whenever NANS leadership called him. I won’t like to say he died poor but he didn’t achieve many of the things he really wanted. Because of the certificate issue, he couldn’t get to where he was supposed to be. But then, he wasn’t rich and didn’t die a rich man. But he wasn’t begging before he died.”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
Ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with his family members and the multimillion-dollar loot he allegedly packed with when he fled Kabul following Taliban take over.

Announcing Mr Ghani’s arrival into the Emirates on Wednesday, local media reports said the ousted Afghan leader was welcomed into the country with his family on humanitarian grounds.

“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the #UAE has welcomed President #AshrafGhani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” Sharjah-based outlet UAE Barq reported.

Peoples Gazette on Tuesday reported that the ousted Afghan president fled the country with four vehicles and a helicopter filled with cash.

Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, told Reuters that some of the money looted by Mr Ghani was left flying on the tarmac as it could not fit into the helicopter.

“Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac,” Mr Ischenko said.

On Sunday, Mr Ghani fled the presidential palace in Kabul after Taliban fighters took over the country’s capital.

The extremists made rapid inroads across Afghanistan over the weekend as the U.S. and other countries started withdrawing their troops from the country.

Heavily criticised by his cabinet members for abandoning the country at a very critical time, Mr Ghani pushed back by saying he fled the country to avoid bloodshed.

The original date for the full withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan was September 11, to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

A federal high court in Abuja has granted the request of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to freeze accounts of fintech companies for 180 days.

The accounts include that Rise Vest Technologies Limited, Bamboo Systems Technology Limited, Bamboo Systems Technology Limited OPNS, Chaka Technologies Limited, CTL/Business Expenses, and Trove Technologies Limited.

In a court paper seen by TheCable on Tuesday, the apex bank said it is investigating ‘illegal foreign exchange transactions’ by the fintech companies.

It also sought the court injunction to freeze their bank accounts for 180 days pending the completion of investigations.

In the motion ex parte marked FCH/ABJ/CS/822/2021 and filed on August 4, CBN through its counsel Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, submitted that “the investigation being carried out concerns what has been discovered to be serious infractions by the defendants/respondents in connection with some foreign exchange transactions, and non-documentation by the defendants/respondents in violation of the extant laws and regulations, particularly the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act and the Central Bank of Nigeria foreign exchange manual.”

“That more specifically, there is a grave allegation that the defendants/respondents are engaged in illegal foreign exchange transactions, accessing/procuring of foreign exchange via their banks from the Nigerian foreign exchange market via several bureaux de change, international money transfer operators and have transferred cash deposit of more than S10,000.00 (Ten thousand dollars) to various accounts overseas contrary to provisions of extant laws and regulations and also traded in foreign securities and cryptocurrencies in contravention to CBN Circular referenced TED/FEM/FPC/GEN/01/012 and BSD/DIR/PUB/LAB/014/001 dated February 5, 2021, and July 01, 2015.

“It is evident that Rise Vest Technologies Limited, Bamboo Systems Technology Limited, Chaka Technologies Limited and Trove Technologies Limited are complicit in operating without license as asset management companies and utilising FX sourced from the Nigerian FX market for purchasing foreign bonds/shares in contravention of CBN’s directive.”

In his ruling, Ahmed Mohammed said: “having listened to senior counsel to the applicant, on the motion ex parte filed in August, it is granted as prayed.”

He added that any person who feels aggrieved about the freezing order is entitled to approach the court within the period to seek redress.

He then adjourned the matter to February 20, 2022, for hearing.

In April, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) warned the investing public on the proliferation of unregistered online investment and trading platforms, facilitating access to trading in securities listed in foreign markets.

The regulator had advised capital market operators who work in concert with the referenced online platforms to desist.

The Federal Government may soon end the fuel subsidy regime with the signing of the Petroleum Industry Bill by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Monday.

The PUNCH gathered on Monday that the government’s position of fuel subsidy would form the major item during the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva’s press conference on the petroleum industry law, which holds today (Tuesday).

It was gathered that with the signing of the PIB into law, the cost of petrol could jump to as high as N300 per litre from the current N162-N165 per litre upon the implementation of the law if market forces were allowed to determine the price as stipulated in the new law.

It was learnt that another issue that the minister would address was the unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement on Monday, disclosed that Buhari had signed the PIB.

The statement was titled: ‘President Buhari Signs Petroleum Industry Bill into Law’.

Working from home for the five-day quarantine as stipulated by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 after returning from London on Friday, August 13, the President assented to the Bill.

In the original version of the executive bill, five per cent of oil revenue was proposed for the oil-bearing communities.

The Senate and the House, in passing the PIB, had approved three per cent and five per cent, respectively for the host communities.

Both chambers had set up the conference committee to harmonise the differences in their versions of the PIB.

The conference committee had approved three per cent, which generated protests in the House.

While the Senate adopted the three per cent recommendation on July 15, 2021, the consideration of the report by the committee was frustrated by southern members in the House, forcing the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to step it down.

The House, however, adopted the three per cent and passed the PIB without the votes of members of the minority caucus, who are predominantly southern lawmakers.

The action of the National Assembly attracted condemnation from groups, including the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, which described the approved percentage as injustice to the people of the Niger Delta region.

The various groups urged the President not to sign the bill.

A top official of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who confided in The PUNCH, on Monday, said, “The minister will at the press conference tomorrow (Tuesday) explain the government policy direction on fuel subsidy, but if what he said in the past is anything to go by, he may announce a fresh direction on subsidy, which will be removed with the signing of the PIB.”

Recall that Sylva had in July explained that subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, would come to an end once the PIB was signed into law by the President.

The minister had said, “This (subsidy removal) is desirable for the interest and growth of Nigeria. Of course, everybody will have their perspectives, but from where I sit, I believe that subsidy removal is the best thing for Nigeria and not just the industry.

“So far, discussions with stakeholders are still ongoing. But I will also bring it to your attention that today, when the President assents the PIB, subsidy will become a matter of law, because it is already in the PIB that petroleum products will be sold at market-determined prices.”

Also in June, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, had explained that the price of petrol should be more than the N280 per litre at which Automotive Gas Oil, also known as diesel, was being sold then.

The NNPC boss explained that the difference between the prices of petrol and diesel should be around N10 per litre, with petrol having the higher cost.

Kyari had said, “Today, we are paying N162 per litre (for petrol). I am sure that many people buy AGO (diesel) in the market and it is selling at N280 per litre in the market today.

“So, (there is) nowhere in the world that diesel sells more than PMS. That means that the price of petrol anywhere in the world, assuming you are going to sell it at the market rate, you are going to sell it above that price you have seen. The difference in prices between both is usually around N10 per litre.

Findings in Abuja on Monday showed that diesel was selling for around N290 per litre, meaning that petrol should be selling around N300 per litre, going by Kyari’s explanation.

PIB signing has ended fuel subsidy, market forces to determine prices – Oil marketers
Oil marketers on Monday told The PUNCH that with the signing of the PIB, subsidy on petrol had effectively ended.

The President, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners’ Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said, “The critical thing for us is that the PIB addresses the issue of subsidy removal on petroleum products that has been impacting so negatively on Nigeria’s economy,

“So, as a responsible association, we want to support the government, the minister, the NNPC GMD etc. on this because we shouldn’t be spending so much subsidising petroleum products.

“So, let the market forces determine that and the PIB, which has been passed into law, addresses that. So, right now, subsidy on petrol has stopped going by the law. Implementation is the next thing.”

When contacted, senior officials of the petroleum ministry stated that the minister would speak on it today (Tuesday).

“The minister will brief the press on Tuesday or after the FEC (Federal Executive Council) meeting on Wednesday,” the Technical Adviser on Gas Business and Policy Implementation to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Justice Derefaka, stated.

Minister will tell Nigerians the next step today – Aide

Also, the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Garba-Deen Muhammad, said, “The minister will tell the press the next steps tomorrow (Tuesday).”

However, a professor of Petroleum Economics and Policy Research, Wumi Iledare, told one of our correspondents that the NNPC would not remain the same going by the provisions of the new law.

“Let us see the real Act first. The NNPC is not going to be the same under this Act if implemented correctly. There is a six-month window. Implementation is the key,” he stated.

Iledare said the Act had an investment-friendly fiscal framework with well designed regulatory and governance institutions.

He said, “The next phase is implementation without regulatory and institutional captures. One can only hope for the appointment of competent professionals with diverse work experiences as members of the implementation committee.

“Although I have no crystal ball, but I am confident the Act stands a good chance to enhance the industry’s value to the economy.”

In a letter to the President, the Secretary General, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Sanusi Barkindo, said the bill would attract investments to Nigeria.

He said, “Indeed, the new law will enhance the Nigerian petroleum industry’s reputation, open the door to new investments, and ultimately strengthen its position to meet the world’s growing demand for energy.

“The enactment of this legislation is especially timely as the investment outlook becomes clouded by efforts aimed at accelerating a lower-carbon future.

“Furthermore, the new law will help harness Nigeria’s potential to achieve its programme of raising oil production to four million barrels per day and oil reserves to 40 billion barrels.”

On his part, the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya-Orji, said the new law had ended decades of uncertainty concerning the future of the country’s oil and gas sector.

He stated, “The new law has opened a new phase of wider opportunities in the oil and gas industry.

“For us in NEITI, President Buhari has broken new grounds and has created a new business horizon built on healthy legal frameworks that will push the boundaries of reforms in the sector with realistic optimism for inflow of investments, revenue growth and job opportunities.”

Oil industry will receive a breath of fresh air, says Gbajabiamila

On its part, the National Assembly hailed the record signing of the PIB into law, describing it as a landmark victory for Nigerians.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said Nigeria’s oil and gas industry would now “receive a breath of fresh air and allow investments and transparency to flourish with the coming into being of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.”

Gbajabiamila, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Lanre Lasisi, stated that the coming into being of the law was a victory for Nigerians and a landmark achievement that ended the two-decade-long journey of the PIB.

In the statement titled: ‘Investments, transparency will now flourish in our oil, gas industry –Gbajabiamila…hails Buhari for signing PIB’, the Speaker also noted that when massive investments come in as a result of the Act, a lot of Nigerians would be employed.

Similarly, the Senate described the assent of the PIB by Buhari as a major victory that had the potential of bailing Nigeria out of its economic predicament, adding that the Act would enable the country to make the most of the economic gains of the industry for the benefit of Nigerians.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, in his reaction to the assent, attributed the success to the cooperative efforts by all stakeholders in the process and the non-confrontational policy of the present National Assembly.

Nigeria must end fuel subsidy, says finance minister

Meanwhile, at a public hearing on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper organised by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance in Abuja, on Monday, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zaniab Ahmed, lamented that Nigeria continued to be exposed to risk aversion in the global capital markets, which would put further pressure on the foreign exchange market, as foreign portfolio investors had yet to return to the Nigerian market.

Ahmed said the situation was compounded by sustained perceptions about the over-valuation of the naira despite recent adjustments by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Ahmed also decried that subsidy (also referred to as under-recovery) on the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit had become a burden on the government, which must be addressed urgently.

The minister said, “The draft 2022-2024 MTEF/FSP has been prepared against the backdrop of global economic recovery amidst improved vaccination outlook and lower incidence of infection despite recent surge in the Delta variant. However, the Medium Term Fiscal Framework shows that there are continuing global challenges in the aftermath of the COVID-19.

“Overall, fiscal risks are somewhat elevated for Nigeria due to persisting weaknesses in the economy and slower than expected recovery. The weaker-than-expected economic performance threatens our ambitious revenue growth targets, as seen in the 2021 performance up to June.

“Non-oil revenue performance has been impressive and heading in the right direction. Efforts will be sustained in this regard.

“High costs, including PMS under-recovery and cost of securing oil pipelines, are, however, weighing down on oil revenues. These issues must be addressed wholesomely to free up much needed fiscal space.

Buhari’s PIB assent, sad day for Niger Delta people – PANDEF

The Pan Niger Delta Forum has said the President’s assent to the PIB despite opposition from various southern groups was a sad day for the people of the Niger Delta region.

The National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Ken Robinson, said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Monday.

Robinson said the action of the President showed insensitivity and disregard towards the feelings of the Niger Delta people.

He stated, “It is a sad day for the Niger Delta people and a clear demonstration of the disregard and insensitivity of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari concerning the feelings and concerns of the Niger Delta people.

“It is very unfortunate and very sad that in spite of the outcry and the condemnation that greeted the National Assembly’s approval of the PIB, a paltry three per cent is allocated for the host communities’ development and the outrageous 30 per cent of the NNPC’s profit that is allotted for oil exploration in the frontiers, which we know is basically North-East Nigeria, perhaps North-Central Nigeria.