₦airaland Forum

A former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, was Friday granted permission by a Federal High Court in Lagos, to travel abroad for medical treatment. Fayose is facing trial over an alleged N2.2bn fraud.

Following an application by his lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), Justice C.J. Aneke, for the second time, granted Fayose permission to go abroad for treatment. The judge had in July first granted Fayose permission for a foreign medical trip.

The prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), did not oppose the Friday’s request. After granting the travel permission, Justice Aneke adjourned till January 16, 2020 for continuation of trial. Fayose is being prosecuted alongside a firm, Spotless Limited.

In the charges, the EFCC alleged, among others, that Fayose, on June 17, 2014, “took possession of the sum of N1, 219, 000,000 to fund your 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Ekiti State, which you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing.”

The ex-governor was also alleged to have on the same day “received a cash payment of $5,000,000 from Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the then Minister of State for Defence, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 1 and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.” The defendants pleaded not guilty.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/alleged-n6-9bn-fraud-court-permit-fayose-to-travel-for-medical-trip-abroad.html

n

hmmm

good

m

He suffered for nothing!

Nigeria’s transport minister, Rotimi Amaechi, on Thursday denied receiving any money as pension from the Rivers state government. In his Tweet reaction to a story published in Daily Trust newspaper today, the former Rivers state governor said he does not believe that he should receive any pension as ex-governor while currently serving as a minister.

“I have never requested for or collected one Kobo as pension from R/State Govt. “If offered, I will politely decline & request that the money should be given to Rivers State pensioners. “I do not believe that I should receive pension as ex-gov of R/State while serving as a minister,” Amaechi wrote. See his tweet below: Daily Trust had earlier reported that former governors and deputies who are now serving as ministers and members of the National Assembly are silent over the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos which ordered them to refund all monies they collected as pensions after leaving their executive offices. The Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos had, in a landmark judgement, ordered the federal government to “recover pensions collected by former governors now serving as ministers and members of the National Assembly.” It also directed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, to challenge the legality of states’ pension laws permitting former governors and other ex-public officials to collect pensions.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/amaechi-denies-collecting-pension-from-rivers-govt.html

The Federal Executive Council yesterday approved N4.8bn for the completion of road projects in Kwara and Osun States. The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who briefed State House Correspondents after FEC meeting, said N4.027bn was endorsed for the completion of 26km Ajase-Ipo/ Offa/ Erinle Road in Kwara State. Fashola, who said 8km of the 26km road that connects Kwara to Osun was awarded by the previous administration, added that the approval was for the 18km section that completes the entire length of the road.

“What we have done now is to award 18 km so that the full stretch of 26km is now under construction for the purpose of completion. That comes to a sum of N4.027 billion for the 18km stretch. The previous contract is still going on. This is an addendum to that contract,” he added. The minister said the FEC also approved a variation of N825m for the ongoing construction of Osogbo/Ilesha Road that was awarded in 2012 to enable the road links Osogbo town.

“Now, we have done 76 percent of the entire project. What we awarded today was a variation of N825m. This is to expand the original contract by 3km to enable the road links into Osogbo town, the built-up area, because it ought to bypass the town. So, this is the 3.4km that the governor requested then when I went on nationwide road tour. Going through procurement and other things, we finally got approval today for N825m to include that part,” he added. The Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mohammed Sabo Nanono, said the FEC approved a contract of N244m for the purchase of raw materials for the production of vaccines against poultry animal diseases and research at National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/fec-approves-n4-8bn-for-kwara-osun-road-projects.html

RIP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in South West on Wednesday alleged that there are plots by the Presidency to upturn the electoral victory of the Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, at the Supreme Court. The party submitted that the PDP roundly defeated the APC in Oyo state during the last governorship election, winning in twenty-eight local government areas while APC won in only five.

This was contained in the communiqué issued shortly after the South West stakeholders meeting of the party held in Abeokuta, Ogun state. Prominent among the PDP stalwarts at the meeting are the Deputy National Chairman, Yemi Akinwonmi; Vice Chairman of the PDP, Northwest, Senator Ibrahim Kazaure; National Vice Chairman, PDP, Southwest, Dr. Eddy Olafeso; a PDP Chieftain, Dr. Doyin Okupe and former Aviation minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Others include the Chief of Staff to the Oyo state governor, Chief Bisi Ilaka, and a PDP leader in Ogun, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, among others. The party described the Court of Appeal judgement on Makinde’s victory as “judicial anarchy” which created confusion that still persists.

According to the party, “We wish to re-emphasize and place firmly in public view that the PDP roundly defeated the APC in Oyo state during the last governorship election, winning in twenty-eight local government areas while APC won in only five.” “The only judgement that can remain consistent with the electoral desires of the people of that state is that which confirms the victory of the PDP in that election. Adedibu and APC’s direct evidence at the State Election Petition Tribunal, even if acceded to, cannot harm or injure the outcome of the election,” it added.

The party also demanded an urgent revisit of the electoral bill by the National Assembly. Recall that the 8th Assembly under the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki had proposed an Electoral Act Amendment Bill which was vetoed by President Muhammadu Buhari. The leaders however renewed calls for a review of the bill. While making a case for the review of the electoral bill, the party said the bill must be signed so that results can be transmitted electronically.

It condemned the growing use of security agencies in untoward manners to compromise election results in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), especially during the last elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/pdp-alleges-plot-to-upturn-makindes-victory-at-supreme-court.html

Good idea!

m

I think so

freeze001:
It would appear the border closure did not reach these areas to curb the banditry or these ones are perpetual enemies within...FriendNG, what do you think?

1 = 10

Yahman1:
But the list is not up to 524 na

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) women stormed Abuja, over the gruesome murder of the party’s women leader in Kogi state, Salome Acheju Abuh who was burnt in her house by suspected political thugs shortly after the November 16 governorship election in the state. The PDP women who started their protest at the premises of the PDP National Secretariat, later proceeded to the National Assembly premises, Office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Human Rights Commission to register their grievances.

They were carrying placards and banners with different inscriptions such as; “stop killing PDP members,” “murder of opposition elements must stop now,” among many others. Speaking with journalists during the protest, the PDP National Women Leader, Mariya Waziri asked law enforcement agencies in the country to arrest and prosecute those behind the dastardly act.

“We are here today to find answers to these nagging questions: Why are the murderers of our sister Mrs. Salome Acheju Abuh who are well known in their community still walking free? “Why is the APC – led government quiet about the murder of Salome Abuh? How long will justice continue to be delayed and denied for Mrs. Salome Abuh? “Who killed Abuh this innocent mother? No mother deserves to be killed in cold blood, not after enduring the pains and strife of motherhood. God help us. God help and console the family of Salome Abuh.

This is the height of humiliation and suppression of women in Nigeria. Where do we go from here? “We call on the Muhammadu Buhari – led government to value human life for once. We call on Nigerians to raise their voices in solidarity for justice for Salome Acheju Abuh. “We must never rest nor relent until the murderers of our dear sister are held to account,” she said.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/pdp-protesters-storm-abuja-demands-justice-over-kogi-women-leaders-murder.html

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has initiated enforcement action against 125 federal government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) for failing to clear their IT projects before they went ahead to execute them. They MDAs will also be rebuked for failing to comply with the regulatory framework for promotion of local content in IT in line with Executive Orders 003 & 005, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said in a statement yesterday.

“The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) hereby notifies the general public, MDAs and Government owned companies that the Agency has initiated enforcement action against one hundred and twenty five (125) MDAs for violation of the directive of the Federal Government issued vide Circular with Ref No. 59736/S.2/C.II/125, issued on 31st August, 2018 which mandates all MDAs and Federal Government Agencies to clear all IT Projects with NITDA before implementation and to comply with the Regulatory Framework for Promotion of Local Content in IT in line with Executive Orders 003 & 005’’, Abdullahi said.

Daily Trust reports that NITDA had issued two regulatory instruments for the Promotion of Indigenous Content Development in ICT and the Guidelines for Clearance of Information Technology Projects by Public Institutions.

The NITDA said: ‘’These regulatory instruments were issued pursuant to Section 6 (a) (b) (c) of the NITDA Act 2007, therefore violation of these Guidelines constitute an offence pursuant to Section 17(4) of the Act and punishable under Section 18 of the same Act. “NITDA has referred this matter to the Nigerian Police Force for appropriate investigation and prosecution in line with the extant law. Principal and relevant officers of these MDAs will be held liable for violation of these regulations in line Section 17 (3) (a).

“All erring parties are advised in their own interest to comply forthwith by submitting all projects for Clearance with NITDA and to procure IT goods and services in line with the Regulatory Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT. NITDA remains resolutely committed to enforcing its guidelines and in discharging its mandate for the development of IT in Nigeria.’’

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/125-mdas-violate-fgs-clearance-order-for-it-projects.html

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s aides who were said to have been posted to the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs have yet to resume in the ministry, Daily Trust reports. Findings at the ministry yesterday showed that the ‘sacked’ aides have not been begun work as civil servants.

The Director, Human Resources Management at the Ministry, Malam Ali Grema said he is only concerned with recruitment of staff into the ministry through the Federal Civil Service Commission and does not know anything about political appointees. A staff who spoke on condition of anonymity said the only people from the Vice President office are those from National Social Investment Programme, also known as the NSIP’s which was formerly under the Office of the Vice President but now moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

But sources from the Presidency said majority of the former aides to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have been moved to the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, contrary to the information that they were sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The sources wondered how President Buhari who approved the redeployment of the concerned aides would turn around to sign another list terminating their appointments. One of the sources said the President did not endorse any list sacking any of the aides of the vice president despite the fact that he has the power to do so, adding that Mr President employment them in the first instance. “Most of the people on that list are those whom Mr President have been redeployed to ministries.

Majority of them were redeployed to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development. Even some other people were moved to that ministry from other ministries. They used to work in the Villa but will now be working in the ministry relevant to their portfolios,” the source said.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/sacked-osinbajos-aides-not-in-humanitarian-ministry.html

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has mocked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying the leading opposition party has become “disillusioned” by the string of election victories recorded by the ruling party, especially the 2019 Presidential Election, majority governorship wins, National Assembly seats and other governorship elections in Ekiti, Osun, Kano, Kogi and Bayelsa states. Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the APC National Publicity Secretary, in a release issued on Tuesday, said the PDP had shown “crass and shocking” incapacity to perform the role of opposition.

Issa-Onilu said the APC, which believes in democracy and progressive politics, was worried by the “obvious vacuum” that the PDP had created. The APC said the PDP had failed to provide “rigorous and intelligent interrogation” of the current administration’s policies and programmes apart from engaging in idle chatter, propagation of fake news, post-election delusions and other unpatriotic conducts, stating such move was dangerous for our democracy. He said the country deserved a strong and vibrant opposition to play its conventional role in the polity and to deepen democracy.

The APC challenged other registered political parties to step up and perform the crucial opposition role the PDP has failed to play. “In fact, Prince Uche Secondus, PDP’s National Chairman on Monday lamented that it would be difficult for the PDP to participate in future elections in the country. “This is exactly our fear. Is this not a confirmation of APC’s earlier position that Nigeria was fast becoming a one-party State as a result of the rudderless and soulless PDP, Nigeria’s supposed main opposition party?” Issa-Onilu asked.

The APC dismissed the PDP’s allegation that it connived with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to record the string of election victories in the recent elections. “The same PDP has maintained a graveyard silence over the election robberies in Zamfara and Rivers states. The APC was punished for allegedly not conducting proper primaries in Zamfara State, while PDP got rewarded in Sokoto and Kano for not conducting any primaries at all.

“In Osun, Ekiti and Bayelsa states, why will the APC ever contemplate ‘conniving’ with INEC in elections where voters had rejected the PDP and their candidates long before the election day? “In the case of Kogi State, we challenge the PDP to name one of its politicians who had the status and goodwill to give PDP the imagined votes they are now claiming, post election. “The Kogi electorate ignored the PDP’s propaganda and clannish campaigns to re-elect the APC candidate, Governor Yahaya Bello. The Kogi West Senatorial rerun gave the electorate an opportunity to reclaim their earlier stolen mandate.

They were decisive in kicking out a joke and replacing him with APC Senator-elect, Smart Adeyemi,” the statement added. “We will continue to check and frustrate PDP’s inglorious practices of massive thumb printing, ballot box snatching, vote buying, thuggery, using state institutions, particularly INEC, the judiciary and security agencies to manipulate the electioneering process,” the APC added.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/apc-to-pdp-youve-failed-its-time-to-quit-stage-for-other-parties.html

m

This people like better things

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If we continues like this one day ....

k

Chai!

A former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) has decried what he termed “his continuous illegal detention” by the INTERPOL in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He told an FCT High Court in Jabi through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), that he was arrested and held in custody by the INTERPOL despite the order of the court made on October 25, which vacated an earlier arrest warrant issued against him.

Ozekhome said this yesterday at the resumed hearing of a fresh suit he instituted against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on November 6, on behalf of Adoke, wherein he prayed the court to strike out Adoke’s name from earlier charges filed by the EFCC against the former AGF, Shell Production Limited and nine others.

EFCC charged Adoke and the others, in a case marked FCT/HC/CR/124/17, bordering on fraudulent allocation of the Oil Prospecting Licence 245 and other forms of offences involving the sum of about $1.2 billion, forgery of bank documents, bribery and corruption.

Loading.. Copy video url Play / Pause Mute / Unmute Report a problem Language Mox Player The alleged $1.2 billion scam involved the transfer of the OPL 245 purportedly from Malabu Oil and Gas Limited to Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Co. Limited and Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited. Following the inability of the EFCC to present the defendants for arraignment, Justice Danladi Senchi, upon an application by the anti-graft agency on April 17, issued a bench warrant for their arrest.

The judge, however, vacated by the arrest warrant on October 25 following an application made by Ozekhome before the court to that effect. Adoke was, however, arrested on November 11 in Dubai with reports suggesting that the federal government are moving for his extradition to Nigeria to face charges on the alleged Malabu Oil scandal. Meanwhile, the judge has fixed December 4 for the hearing of the fresh application seeking the removal of Adoke’s name from the EFCC’s charge.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/adoke-decries-interpol-arrest-seeks-striking-out-of-name-from-efcc-charge.html