₦airaland Forum

THE Founder of capital oil, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, has denied reports of been arrested by the DSS yesterday 29th March, 2017.

He disclosed this in a phone call to news reporters saying he was never arrested, and that the news was only a device by his enemies to tarnish his image.

He said, “If I am arrested, I would not be talking with you now. They should continue writing, but those who are in doubt should come and watch football match tomorrow because I would be there,” the founder of Ifeanyi Ubah Football club was quoted by Guardian Newspaper as saying.

Another source, Vanguard Newspaper, is also reporting that Ubah spoke to it, denying being arrested as claimed in some quarters.

Although Sahara Reporters had reported that Ubah was arrested and detained by the DSS, there has been no prove to that effect.

AFTER weeks of regaining strength on the foreign exchange market, the naira moved in a reverse direction and dropped, albeit by a small margin, to 385 as against 382 on Thursday morning.

However, the tale on the international scene is different, as it rose to 308.05 to a dollar, as against 314.75 in the early hours of the day.



At the parallel market, the naira maintained its rate against the British pound, but exchanged at 410 to the euro as against 400 at the start of trading.

At the international market, the naira rose to 385.09 as against 391.04 to a pound and 330.59 as against 338.07 to the euro.

The apex bank announced an adjustment to its foreign exchange policy; making foreign exchange available for tuition, medical expenses and basic travel allowance.



It earlier directed banks to sell forex at 375 but amended the policy on Monday, and asked banks to sell at 360.

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THE truth about the certificate scandal involving a controversial Senator representing Kogi-west in Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, Dino Melaye has not been told.

Sahara Reporters, an online newspaper based offshore of the country with an office in Nigeria had weeks ago reported that the embattled senator did not graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Melaye, reacting, claimed a proud graduate of the University. He also claimed to be a holder of seven degrees from various universities, both within and outside the country, a claimed the news portal reported to be lies.

Dino, as he is popularly called had last week field a N5billion libel suit against the news medium.



A motion by was moved by, former senate leader, Ali Ndume while in planery asking Melaye to clear his name in the alleged certificate forgery. The call prompted the Chamber to order the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate the matter.

Yesterday, the Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ibrahim Garba told the Senate that the Senator graduated with a 3rd Class degree in Geography in the third semester of 1998/99.

The response exonerated Melaye in some quarters but Social Times have spotted discrepancies in some of the claims.

We reported how Nigerians blasted the senator for dressing differently in a group photograph which he claimed was in his NYSC days in Kaduna.



In the report, the Melaye said he served in Kaduna in 1999 but a new development has put the claim as a ‘lie’ or there’s something he is not telling the truth.

Earlier today, the Dino posted a certifying document showing he actually did his NYSC from year 2000 to 2001, a claim different from what he said earlier.





Also, the date in his latest claim has the date pointing to an unofficial day.

In the document, the date which it was signed July 8th 2001, checks by Social Times revealed it to be on Sunday which is not an official day for such duty.



Meanwhile, Melaye has said he will be filling a cyber stalling case against Sahara Reporters and its publisher in New York on Friday.

Lalasticlala, mynd44

FLASH: @NGRSenate of Fakes! Senator Emmanuel Nnamdi "Andy" Uba obtained his "Ph.D." from a degree vendor, "Buxton University" in 1996

Sarrki & lalasticlala won't like this.

VICE Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, has confirmed that Senator Dino Melaye graduated from the institution in year 2000.

Prof. Garba told the Senate Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public Petitions that the Senator graduated with a 3rd Class degree in Geography in the third semester of 1998/99.

He added however that Senator Melaye however graduated as Melaye Daniel Jonah and not as Dino Melaye as he is now known.

He said his degree was B.A Geography and not BSc Geography.

Garba said: “From the records, I know Sen. Dino Melaye, who was formerly known as Jonah Daniel Melaye, as former student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and I know him to be the distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“From the records of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye, who was at that time named Daniel Jonah Melaye, graduated with a 3rd class degree of the Bachelors of Art in Geography in the year 2000.

“And by this, he is a graduate of the university.

“In my honour, I reaffirm that Senator Dino Melaye graduated as Daniel Jonah Melaye during the third semester of the 1998/1999 academic session with a 3rd Class Degree in Geography, that is Bachelors of Arts in Geography.”

Following a Point of Order raised by the former Leader of the Senate, Ali Ndume, the Senate directed its Committee on Ethics to investigate the alleged certificate scam against Melaye.

The Committee was also given the go ahead to probe the alleged importation of a bullet proof Range Rover Sports SUV by the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.



At the beginning of the investigation on Monday, Melaye presented his documents to the eight-member committee chaired by Senator Sam Anyanwu.

Some of the documents presented included: Offer of Admission dated September 6, 1994, Letter of Acceptance of admission and National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate.

He also presented evidence of other post graduate degrees obtained in different institutions, but said he could not present his first degree from ABU as he had not collected the original copy of the certificate.

Responding to questions from the committee, Melaye (APC-Kogi) said the allegation that he did not graduate from the Ahmadu Bello University was untrue.

He said he had all evidences to show that he was a proud graduate of the school and currently a student in the school undergoing a Masters Degree programme.

He said: “I thank you for the invitation and I want to state my unequivocal confidence in this committee to do justice to this matter.

“I have few documents I would also want to tender to the committee and before I do that I also want to state with every sense of responsibility that I am a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

“I gained admission with an offer of admission on the 6th of September, 1994 and the admission is to study Bachelor of Arts Geography and a copy of that admission letter will be tendered.

“I also have a second document to tender, my acceptance offer by the university.

“I also have the third document to tender, which is my result from the Ahmadu Bello University certifying me a graduate of the school.

“I also have here a document for my registration that I tendered where I have C5 in CRS, A3 in Agric, C6 in Economics, C6 in Geography, C6 in Biology and a credit in English.

“I will also tender that as evidence.

“I also want to tender— after my graduation for the Ahmadu Bello University, the school sent my name to the NYSC for the mandatory Service and I participated in the one year NYSC.

“I served in Police College, Kaduna and by the grace of God, that year I won the National Prize of the DG and it is on record and verifiable and I beg to tender my discharge certificate from NYSC.”

The lawmaker added that with the desire to further his education, he applied to the school to send his transcript to the University of Jos, where he studied Law, Security and Conflict Management.

He stressed that he also applied to the school to send his transcript to the University of Abuja where gained admission to study Masters in Policy Analysis.

On allegations that he bore several names at different times, Melaye said: “When I went back to Ahmadu Bello University again to study Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy, by then I was already known all over as Dino Melaye.

“My name as an undergraduate was Daniel Jonah Melaye.

“Jonah is actually my father’s name, so that is what I have on my university certificate.

“But Because I am now popularly known as Dino, I applied to the court and asked that I needed an affidavit for change of name before my admission and I submitted it to ABU.

“I will tender my identity cards and I came here with a copy of my final year project duly signed by my Head of department in the Faculty of Arts as it was then called.”



Meanwhile, Ndume, who was absent at the beginning of the hearing, arrived after the committee had permitted the VC and Senator Melaye to leave.

Ndume however stressed that he did not write any petition against any of the senators, but only raised a point of order with the intention of clearing the senators from the alleged wrongdoings.

According to him, he only raised a Point of Order following publications alleging certificate forgery against Melaye, adding: “I didn’t raise petition, I only raised Point of Order 14 and 15.”

At the end of the interrogation, Ndume said his doubt about the allegation had been cleared since Melaye presented documents to show he actually graduated from the school.

He also said the attestation of the ABU VC further cleared his doubt.

He said: “I commend the way the chairman of the committee conducted the proceedings of this investigation.

“I did not petition against Melaye.

“I only felt it is part of my responsibility as former Leader and someone who has been in the National Assembly since 2003 to ensure the right thing was done to protect the image of the institution.

“With these evidences, the judgment is now that of the public.”

Earlier in his remarks, Anyanywu said there was an allegation based on privileged information gotten by Ndume (APC-Borno) that Melaye was not a graduate of ABU as he claimed.

He added that the allegation was centred on certificate forgery.

He said: “What is the issue is that you (Melaye) did not have first degree and you have been able to tender documents that we will go through.

“We will call the VC to either collaborate or deny your submissions.”

THE Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, yesterday said that no politician should contest for 2019 governorship election in Lagos because there is no vacancy for that office.



Speaking at the 21st convocation ceremony of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, the monarch said that any politician who refused to obey his directive would waste his or her money.



Akiolu, who said that though it is God that crowns a leader, enjoined all politicians to align with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and his deputy for 2019 governorship election.

Lalasticlala, mynd44

​THE Senate on Thursday gave approval to the nomination of 45 non-career ambassadors.

It, however, rejected two nominees.

Those rejected were the nominees from Ondo and Imo States.

Jacob Igbekele Daodu from Ondo State was rejected because there is an adverse report on his suitability for appointment as Ambassador, and Justice Sylvanus Nsofor, based on the fact that he is too old, looks frail and tired.

According to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Nsofor’s response to issues raised were either not answered or devoid of details and most satirical.

However, those confirmed by Senate were;
Uzoma Emenike (Abia)
Aminu Lawal (Adamawa)
Godwin Umoh (Akwa Ibom)
Christopher Okeke (Anambra)
Yusuf Maitama (Bauchi)
Baba Maigudu (Bauchi)
Stanley Douye (Bayelsa)
Stephen Uba (Benue)
Baba Ahmed Gida (Borno)
Utobong Asuquo (Cross River)
Frank Ofegina (Delta)
Joda Udoh (Ebonyi)
Yagwe Ede (Edo)
Eniola Ajayi (Ekiti)
Chris Eze (Enugu)
Sulieman Hassan (Gombe)
Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa)
Ahmed Bamilli (Kaduna)
Deborah Yahaya (Kaduna)
D. Abdulkadir (Kano)
Haruna Arungungu (Kano)
Musa Udo (Katsina)
Mohammed Rimi (Katsina)
Tijani Bande (Kebbi)
Y. Aliu (Kogi)
Nurudeen Mohammed (Kwara)
Mohammed Isa (Kwara)
Adesola Omotade (Lagos)
Modupe Remi (Lagos)
Musa Mohammed (Nasarawa)
Ahmed Ibeto (Niger)
Susan Aderonke Folarin (Ogun)
Afolayon Adeyemi (Osun)
A. Olaniyi (Oyo)
James Dmika (Plateau)
Haruna Abdullahi (Plateau)
Orji Ngofa (Rivers)
Sahibi Isa Dada (Sokoto)
Kabir Umar (Sokoto)
Jika Ado (Taraba), Goni Zana (Yobe)
Garba T. (Zamfara)
Bala Mohammad (Zamfara) and
Ibrahim Dada (FCT).

Lalasticlala, mynd44

EKITI State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said he cannot join the All Progressives Congress even if he has to leave his current party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

Fayose said this at a gathering in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday.

He said the practice of use and dump adopted by the leadership of the APC would not allow him contemplate moving into the party.

According to a press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, the governor cited the case of the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who worked tooth and nail for the victory of the party in the 2015 general elections in the country, and who was subsequently abandoned by those he helped to put in power.

He said: “Some people have been making overtures to me to join the APC, but I cannot join them. With what have they repaid somebody like Asiwaju Tinubu? He worked and helped the party to secure victory but has been dumped. That is not a party I would be interested in joining.

“One thing I would not allow is for anybody to rubbish our leaders in the South-West. Our leaders, including Asiwaju Tinubu must be accorded their due respect, as any attempt to rubbish them will be taken as a slap on the entire Yoruba race.”

The clarification by Fayose came in the midst of the crisis rocking the PDP at the national level, in which Senators Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff are locked in battle over the national chairmanship of the party.

This is just as the governor said his administration would complete the rehabilitation of Ado-Itawure Road, which is a federal road, before the burial of the late Military Governor of the old Western Region, Major General Adeyinka Adebayo.

He also promised to rehabilitate the Ifaki-Omuo Road, another Federal Government road, to make access to the state more pleasurable.

On the need to ensure coordinated development for the state, Fayose said a master plan for Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, would be worked out.

He noted that the government would need the support of landlords and property owners, as the government would not want a situation whereby indiscriminate physical development would later turn the town to an eyesore.

He promised that a Landlords’ Summit would be conveyed to aggregate the opinions and input of landlords to the evolution of the master plan.

Lalasticlala, mynd44

SENATE’S ad-hoc committee on humanitarian crisis in the north-east has postponed its investigative hearing slated for Thursday, after the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and his company, Rholavision Ltd, said they would not appear.

The committee is chaired by Senator Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna).

“(The hearing) has been postponed to a later date because the MD of Rholavision company must attend,” Premium Times quoted the clerk to the ad-hoc committee, Lawal Bagaudu, to have siad on Wednesday.



The committee is investigating the utilisation of funds released to the Presidential Initiative for the North East, a special intervention agency under the supervision of the SGF, Mr. Lawal.

In a letter to the committee, Rholavision said its managing director had not been reachable since he travelled to the village over the death of a relation.

For Mr. Lawal, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that he had approached a court to challenge his summon and, in view of the litigation, he told the Senate he would not appear for probe on Thursday.

In its interim report submitted last year, the ad-hoc committee accused Mr. Lawal of awarding a “grass-cutting” contract by PINE to Rholavision in March 2016 while still being director of the company and at the same time the SGF.



If proven, that would be a breach of Nigeria’s Code of conduct for public officials.

But Mr. Lawal said he resigned from Rholavision as director when he became the SGF in 2015, before the contract in the North East was awarded to the company.

Lalasticlala, mynd44

THE trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki continued yesterday at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) admitting that Saraki did declare his assets and those of his family members.

The third prosecution witness and a staff of CCB, Mr. Samuel Madojemu, also admitted before the tribunal during cross-examination that Saraki equally declared the assets of his wife, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, both in Nigeria and abroad, as well as those of his children whose names were not read out.
At the resumed trial of the defendant on alleged false declaration of assets, the witness admitted that Saraki’s assets were recorded in the Assets Forms he submitted to CCB at various times.

Led in the cross-examination by Saraki’s counsel, Paul Erekoro (SAN), Madojemu was meant to read out the list of assets declared by Saraki in his name, those of his wife and his children, when he held office as Kwara State governor and upon his assumption of office as a senator.

The witness told the tribunal that the investigation, which led to the arraignment of Saraki in 2015, was actually carried out by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He noted that his role and those of CCB were limited to the review of EFCC report and compared same with the defendant’s Assets Declaration Form.

He added that he was invited orally into a team that reviewed the EFCC report and compared the asset form of Saraki, and that CCB has no written report on the outcome of the revision of the EFCC report.

Answering further questions, he maintained that former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu who was equally investigated on assets declaration enjoyed the privileged of being invited by CCB to clarify discrepancies in his asset forms submitted to the Bureau.

When asked why same gesture was not extended to Saraki when his asset forms were been investigated, he stated that CCB cannot be blamed for not inviting Saraki because it saw the need to limit its investigation to the asset forms endorsed by Saraki on oath.

On the alleged double salary received by Saraki after he had left office as Kwara State governor and when he was in the Senate, the witness pointed out that CCB did not consult with the Kwara State government to confirm the claim but only based its acceptance of the claim on the report of the EFCC and a bank account of Saraki with the Access Bank.

He said that he would not know whether it was pension that was being paid to Saraki by Kwara State government, as he had no access to the Kwara State law on pension scheme for ex-political office holders.

But when asked to point out in the Access Bank statement of account where double salaries were allegedly paid to Saraki, the witness replied: “I just cited a statement of account of the defendant. I did not study it. So, I will not be in position to say more on the salary issue.”

Madojemu also told the tribunal that there was no provision in the CCB Asset Declaration Form for any declarant to declare properties owned by the declarant’s companies and that there was no provision for cash lodgment in the asset forms.

On his earlier evidence that Saraki did not declare his property in London in respect of any mortgage, the witness said: “I did not consult with Fortis Bank of London to know whether the six-bedroom bungalow at South West London was redeemed with the bank loan."

He however admitted that the six-bedroom bungalow was declared by the defendant in 2011 and that Saraki also claimed in his asset form that he acquired a property from proceeds from sales of rice, sugar commodities and bank loan.

At the end of the cross- examination, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs applied for an adjournment to enable him re-examine the witness.

The counsel told the tribunal that he needed the adjournment because the witness was cross-examined for four days by the defence.

The tribunal has however adjourned trial till April 5 for re-examination of the witness by the prosecution.

THE Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has said he will not appear before the Senate panel today, citing a subsisting court case on the matter.

A Senate ad-hoc panel had summoned the SGF over alleged fraud in the award of contract by the defunct Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE).

But the SGF said in a letter addressed to the chairman of the panel, Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna) yesterday that he would not be able to appear before the committee because he had gone to court to challenge the invitation.

Babachir came under allegations that PINE, which is under his office, used the sum of N270 million in clearing grasses in some communities in the North East as part of the programmes under the initiative.

PINE was also alleged to have spent the sum of N188m for Nigerian refugees living in Minawao, Republic of Cameroon.

His personal company was alleged to have been the ultimate beneficiary of the contract through a proxy.

The Senate in October last year constituted the ad-hoc committee to conduct a public hearing to ascertain how much was released to PINE and how it utilized the funds.

The committee was also mandated to investigate allegations of diversion of grains and other food items from the Strategic Grain Reserves, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other sources for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Although the panel held a 3-day public hearing between December 6 and 8, 2016, some of the invited stakeholders, including the SGF, did not attend the session.

The committee's report indicted the SGF as a result of which the Senate resolved that he should resign and face prosecution for alleged fraud.

The Senate also said it would provide evidence against the SGF to President Muhammadu Buhari in order to sack him.

But the SGF said he was not invited by the ad-hoc committee during the investigation and accused the Senate of not giving him fair hearing.

Following the indictment, President Buhari ordered the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, to investigate the allegations.

The Attoney General’s investigation cleared the SGF and the president in a letter dated January 24 communicated the outcome to the Senate.

Consequently, the ad-hoc panel re-invited Lawal in a letter dated March 15, to appear before it today as part of efforts to give him fair hearing on the matter, a request the SGF turned down yesterday.

​MULTIPLE bomb blasts rocked a camp for migrants who have fled Boko Haram insurgents near Maiduguri early Wednesday, officials said .


“There were four explosions inside the camp ,” the coordinator of the Muna camp Tijjani Lumani told AFP, adding that they were all attacks from suicides.

“The bombers struck at different locations around 4 : 30 am . The explosions triggered fires which burned down many tents ”, he said.

At least four persons were confirmed dead including a pregnant women while 18 persons were injured, Borno State Police Commissioner, Damien Chukwu who confirmed the incident said.

The emergency services confirmed the attacks.

“There were some suicide explosions in Muna camp. Our men have mobilised to the scene,” Ibrahim Abduljkadir of the National Emergency Management Agency in the region told AFP.

Muna camp, on the edge of Maiduguri, is currently home to tens of thousands of people who have fled Boko Haram.

The Islamist insurgency has killed at least 20,000 people and forced more than 2.6 million others from their homes since it began in northeast Nigeria in 2009.

Boko Haram has continued to target the internally displaced people (IDPs) and there have been several attempted suicide bomb attacks near Muna camp, which is not fenced off and is easily accessible.

Aid workers said last week that the Muna camp residents are facing a severe lack of water, compounding widespread food shortages and security fears.

Lalasticlala, mynd44

THIS morning, Hundreds of protesters has stormed the National Assembly.

They were protesting the continuous killing of residents of Benue State by suspected herdsmen.



Just last weekend, no fewer than nine persons were killed by suspected herdsmen in the state.



As at press time, no one had addressed the protesters.

HUMAN rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), on Wednesday disclosed that Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Senator Danjuma Goje, Senator Godswill Akpabio and other senators who are under the investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission are not eligible to screen the Acting Chairman of anti-graft agency, Ibrahim Magu.



This was contained in a statement issued by Falana on Wednesday after the rejection of Manu’s nomination as the substantive chairman of the EFCC by the Senate.

Although Falana did not mention the names of the senators in the statement, he said senators facing corruption charges are not eligible to screen Magu.

According to him: “The participation of many senators who are either under investigation or being prosecuted by the EFCC has vitiated the entire proceedings of the Senate on ground of conflict of interest.”

Saraki is currently facing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in a case being handled by the EFCC.

Likewise, Goje is in court for corruption allegation.

Although Akpabio has not been charged to court, there are series of probe by the EFCC against him ongoing over alleged fraud of N108.1billion perpetrated his administration while he was governor of Akwa Ibom State.

The statement by Falana reads: “The rejection of the nomination of Mr Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) this afternoon by the senate on the basis of a security report compiled by the State Security Service is the height of official ridicule of the office of the president.

“It is high time the State Security Service was restrained by President Buhari from sabotaging the fight against corruption by the federal government.

“With respect to the senate the confirmation hearing hurriedly conducted today is illegal in every material particular. The participation of many senators who are either under investigation or being prosecuted by the EFCC has vitiated the entire proceedings of the senate on ground of conflict of interest.

“It is also a contravention of the rules of the senate which stipulates that matters which are sub judice shall not be discussed by the senate.”