₦airaland Forum

A Federal High Court, Abuja on June 19, 2017 admitted in evidence six volumes of documents tendered in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against a former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako.

Mr. Nyako along with his son, Abdul-Aziz Nyako, Abubakar Aliyu and Zulkifikk Abba, are standing trial before Justice Okon Abang, on a 37-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and money laundering to the tune of N29 billion.

Five companies that allegedly served as conduit pipes for the illegal diversion of the funds – Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited, were equally charged before the court.

The documents, which comprised of payment vouchers from the Office of the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government, were tendered through the state’s Chief Executive Officer, Accounts, Adamu Yahaya.

Mr. Yahaya, who is the tenth prosecution witness, had on May 17, 2017 told the court that he “took records of payments made on the approval of the governor and reported the same to the office of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, between 2008 and 2014”.

The bundle of documents showing copies of payment vouchers from the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 were tendered and admitted in evidence as exhibits.

The matter was afterwards adjourned to June 20 for continuation of trial.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/nnorth-east/234539-alleged-n29-billion-fraud-court-admits-exhibits-nyako-son-others.html

A consortium of banks, led by Access Bank PLC and other Nigerian and foreign banks, has taken over the management of Etisalat Nigeria, effective June 15.

The takeover followed the collapse of the effort by Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services, EMTS, promoted by-one time Chairman, United Bank for Africa, UBA, Hakeem Bello-Osagie, to reach agreement with the banks on debt restructuring plan in the protracted $1.72 billion (about N541.8 billion) debt impasse.

However, EMTS Holding BV, established in the Netherlands, has up to June 23 to complete the transfer of 100 percent of the company’s shares in Etisalat to the United Capital Trustees Limited, the legal representative of the consortium of banks.

Etisalat Group, the parent company of Etisalat Nigeria, announced the takeover on Tuesday in a filing to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate.

The filing, with reference number Ho/GCFO/152/85, and dated June 20, 2017 signed by Etisalat Group Chief Financial Officber, Serkan Okandan, said efforts by EMTS to restructure the repayment of the syndicated loan by a consortium of banks to Etisalat Nigeria collapsed.

“Further to our announcement dated 12 February, 2017, Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC, “Etisalat Group” would like to inform you that Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Limited “EMTS” (“the company), established in Nigeria and an associate of Etisalat Group with effective ownership of 45% and 25% ordinary and preference shares respectively, defaulted on a facility agreement with a syndicate of Nigerian banks (“EMTS Lenders”).

“Subsequently, discussions between EMTS and the EMTS Lenders did not produce an agreement on a debt restructuring plan.

“Accordingly, the Company received a default and security Enforcement Notice on 9 June 2017 requesting EMTS Holding BV (EMTS BV) established in the Netherlands, and through which Etisalat Group holds its interest in the company) requiring EMTS BV to transfer 100% of its shares in the company to the United Capital Trustees Limited (the Security Trustee”) of the EMTS Lenders by 15 June 2017.

“Subsequently the EMTS Lenders extended the deadline for the share transfer to 5.00 pm Lagos time on 23 June 2017,” the filing said.

Etisalat has been under pressure since 2016, following the demand notice for the recovery of a $1.72 billion (about N541.8 billion) loan facility it obtained from a consortium of banks in 2015.

The loan, which involved a foreign-backed guaranty bond, was for the mobile telephone operator to finance a major network rehabilitation and expansion of its operational base in Nigeria.

Unable to meet its debt servicing obligations agreed since 2016, the consortium, prodded by their foreign partners, threatened to take over the company and its assets across the country.

But the intervention of the telecom sector regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and its financial sector counterpart, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, persuaded the banks to rethink their threat and give Etisalat a chance to renegotiate the loan’s repayment schedule.

Late last week, PREMIUM TIMES reported exclusively that Etisalat was sinking deeper into trouble, with Mubadala, its majority shareholder, representing Etisalat of UAE, on the verge of pulling out following irreconcilable differences concerning the loan issue.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/234571-breaking-n541-billion-debt-access-bank-others-take-over-etisalat-nigeria.html

For failing to meet the terms of agreement, 11 power distribution companies (Discos) that bought over the assets of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) risk losing about N200 billion investment.

The power firms were handed over to their new investors on November 1, 2013 despite stiff resistance from labour unions. Four years after the take-over of the assets, the investors have failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians, in terms of increasing generation capacity and metering.

Daily Sun gathered that part of the agreement the investors reached with the federal Government inject money to fund its operations, which is not being done at present.

Highlighting the Discos’ failure to keep to the agreement, former Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, had, during the Nigeria Gas Association (NGA) Natural Gas Business Forum held in Lagos last week, told Daily Sun that majority of the Discos and Gencos had reneged on the agreement they had with the Federal Government before the assets were sold to them.

He said under the agreement, the power investors had a six-year period to deliver on their mandate, or the Federal Government will take over their assets.

Nnaji advised the power investors to shop for co-investors in order to avoid the assets being taken over by the Federal Government, saying 10 per cent ownership of a viable business was better than 100 per cent of nothing that works.
The former minister also said that apart from having financial capability, the Discos were under obligation to have technical know-how.

Said he: “The conditions we set out for privatisation then were that every single company bidding to acquire the asset must have two things: technical capability and financial capacity. If you don’t have any of those, you don’t qualify. But if you have both, you should not have a problem either as a generation or distribution company.”

Nnaji, who is currently the Chairman of Geometric Power Limited, explained that the intention of government for privatising the power sector was to ensure that both distribution and generation of power was taken out of the control of government, with the agreement that investors will reduce Average Technical and Commercial Losses (AT& C) to a certain level that an investor bided, for which he said was the actual bid.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, had, two weeks ago, during the 16th monthly meeting with operators of the power sector, threatened to sack the management of any Disco that failed to deliver on its mandate.

The Discos, under their trade association, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), had stated in March that the revenue shortfall in the market had reached N809.8 billion, an indication that all was not well with their operations.

ANED’s Director of Research and Advocacy, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, had claimed that the amount, which covers the period from November 1, 2013 when the new owners of power companies took over, to date, includes a balance of N90.41 billion from the N213 billion interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay-off gas supply legacy debt.

http://sunnewsonline.com/privatisation-power-firms-risk-takeover-over-cash-crunch/

Metu should just close his case because the SSS will NEVER allow Dasuki to come and testify...Infact, even if the court should eventually issue a subpoena they won't allow him because it might be fatal to FG case.

Metu just carry your cross ALONE

A total of 188, 580, electorate from Kogi West have signed the recall register form of Senator Dino Melaye.

Announcing the figure at the All progressives Congress State Secretariat in Lokoja, the returning officer for the recall of the serving senator, Adamu Yusuf explained that out of 360,098 of the total registered voters of the seven western senatorial districts comprising Yagba, Mopa Muro, Kabba Bunu, Yagba East, Koton Karfe, Lokoja and Ijumu, 188, 588, signed the recall register constituting 52.3% of the voters in senatorial district.

Yusuf while giving a breakdown of the recall exercise noted that for Yagba East – out of 35,331 registered voters, 18, 374 (52%) signed the recall of the serving lawmaker.

Others are Mopa 18,356 voters (9,186 signed comprising 50.04%), Kabba Bunu 60,522, voters (28,277 signed making 46.7%, and Yagba West out of 35, 966 registered voters 20,029 signed signifying 55.7%.

Lokoja local government recorded the highest with 63, 736 (54.8%) voters recalling the senator out of 116, 296 registered voters.

For Koton Karfe 24,703 (52.77%) voters penned their signature while in Ijumu out of 46,819 registered voters, 24, 238 depicting 51.8% passed a vote of no confidence on the senator to represent them in the National Assembly.

” Going by the above figures, it is important to let Nigerians know that we have met the Constitutional requirements of 51.1%. Dino has failed to represent Kogi West so we are calling him back home,” Yusuf added.

Meanwhile, the seven Local government administrators constituting Kogi West were all present during the exercise.

http://dailypost.ng/2017/06/19/breaking-trouble-dino-melaye-188-580-electorates-sign-recall/

Six notorious kidnappers that have been terrorising the Kaduna- Abuja Expressway have been arrested by the
Kaduna State internal security outfit, ‘Operation Yaki.’
The suspects were said to be responsible for the spades of kidnappings along the Kaduna-Abuja highway in recent times.

About 30 people were said to have been abducted along the highway in the past three weeks.

The highway is the gateway from Abuja to the states in the North-west zone.

In a statement yesterday in Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, spokesman to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, said the suspects were picked up on Thursday and Friday by Operation Yaki Surveillance Patrol Teams during a joint operation with the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Teams (IRT) as well as support from the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU).

Aruwan said the arrest of the hoodlums was sequel to the massive deployment of more policemen and patrol vehicles along the high way last week.

The police had last week announced the deployment of 600 policemen and 70 patrol vehicles to check the activities of the bandits following the persistent abduction of commuters along the highway.

The suspects, all of who are from Kaduna State, according to the statement, include the gang leader, Adamu Mamman, 35, Amana village, Igabi Local Government Area, Ali Rabo, (alias Blakky) from Liman-Ibada village, Chikun Local Government Area and the main informant of the gang, Awwalu Ahmad, alias Mota, from Rijana village in Kachia Local Government Area.

Others include Shehu Idris Shagari, 27, from Gadan Gayan village, Igabi Local Government Area, Umar Antijo 27, also and Babangida Abdullahi both from Rijana.

The suspects were said to have been arrested at various locations, including Maraban Jos, Ungwan Pama – a suburb within Kaduna metropolis, Sabon Gayan and Rijana villages.

All the suspects were said to have confessed to several kidnappings of motorists along Kaduna-Abuja highway, saying that the situation became tough for them following the deployment of police on the highway. Some of the gang members were also said to have relocated from Rijana village, the meeting point for their criminal activities to their respective aboard.

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/06/19/kidnappers-terrorising-commuters-on-kaduna-abuja-road-arrested/

One of the judges recently recalled from suspension by the National Judicial Council will be charged this week with offences bordering on receiving gratification from lawyers , the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution , Mr . Okoi Obono - Obla , has said.

In a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Sunday , Obono - Obla alleged that the judge was found to have received gratification worth N 90 m from 100 lawyers.

The presidential aide alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission would likely file charges against the judge and the lawyers by Tuesday ( tomorrow).

The judge , whose name was not disclosed , will be the second among the recalled judges , to be charged after the NJC lifted their about - eight - month suspension.

The EFCC had shortly after the NJC announced the recall of the six judges in a June 1 , 2017 statement , charged Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court in Yenagoa with 14 counts of unlawful enrichment to the tune of $ 260 , 000 and N 8 , 650 , 000.

Obono - Obla told our correspondent on Sunday that the NJC deliberately cleared the judge ( whose name was not disclosed ) to resume work despite cases of receiving gratification from lawyers pending against the judicial officer.

The presidential aide said , “ The judge will be charged . He was deliberately cleared by the NJC . But now, we have established a case of receiving gratification from 100 lawyers against him.

“ The EFCC will file the charges against the judge and the lawyers by Monday or Tuesday .”

He said apart from charging the lawyers alongside the judge , “ We are also going to bring disciplinary proceedings against those lawyers . ”

The NJC had in a statement on June 1 , 2017 , lifted the suspension of six out of the eight judges barred from performing their judicial functions since October 2016 pending the determination of the corruption cases against them.

According to the statement , the affected judges asked to resume their judicial functions included , Justice Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court ; Justice Uwani Abba Aji of the Court of Appeal ; and Justice Hydiazira Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court.

Others were Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court ( who was prosecuted but discharged and acquitted) , Justice Musa Kurya of the Federal High Court ; and Justice Agbadu James Fishim of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

The NJC said in its statement that it took the decision asking the judges to resume duties at its meeting held between May 31 and June 1 , 2017.

The NJC , in another statement by its Director of Information , Mr . Soji Oye , on June 10 , further justified the recall of the judges.

Oye said contrary to claims by some Federal Government officials, there was no pending and valid suits against Justices Okoro and Ademola to justify their continued suspension.

But replying NJC in a statement on June 12 , Obono -Obla said the recall of Justice Ademola , in the face of a valid appeal challenging the judge ’ s acquittal was “ premature and ill - timed .”

Meanwhile, the EFCC had on June 8 , 2017 , which was shortly after the recall of the six judges , charged Justice Nganjiwa with 14 counts of corrupt enrichment before a High Court of Lagos State in Igbosere.

The judge was absent from court on June 13 , the date scheduled for his arraignment .

Due to his absence the arraignment was adjourned until June 23 .

http://punchng.com/recalled-judge-collected-n90m-bribe-from-100-lawyers-presidential-aide/

The House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption , Prof . Itse Sagay ( SAN ) , on Sunday , clashed over the power of the National Assembly to insert projects into the budget.
The acting President , Prof . Yemi Osinbajo, had , while signing the 2017 Budget into law last week, queried some “ alterations” in the budget by the National Assembly.

He said such alterations would affect the plans of the executive to execute the projects as designed from the beginning.

Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives , Yakubu Dogara , had , in turn, rejected Osinbajo’ s position , stating that the legislative arm of government had the powers to alter the budget.

Sagay , however , argued that the National Assembly had no power to introduce any project into the budget.

Speaking in Abuja at a programme organised by the National Association of Seadogs ( the Pyrates Confraternity ) , the PACAC chairman said the legislative arm of government should not cross its bounds.

Sagay stated , “ I am amused that the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House are saying that the acting President had no right to comment on this matter . They said they have all the powers.

“ The National Assembly has no power to create projects ; it approves budgets . It is the government , the executive, that takes proposals for projects but this National Assembly does not get the message ; it wants to be both legislature and executive at the same time. ”

He alleged that the National Assembly was largely to blame for the ineffectiveness of past budgets because the members placed their selfish interests ahead of the nation ’s interest.

The PACAC chairman added , “ Even CNN reports that there are more private jets in Nigeria than commercial aircraft . The truth is that the overwhelming number of Nigerian elite see any funds voted or appropriated for any project as their share of the national cake.

“ The National Assembly itself sees the Nigerian national budget as its personal budget , its money to tinker with at will and then to leave something to the rest of us.

“ It is no surprise that Nigeria ’ s development remains stunted and misery and poverty remain overwhelming. ”
The House , however, insisted that it stood by its earlier position that the power of appropriation resided with the National Assembly.

It also reminded Sagay that the acting President signed the budget into law , knowing that there were new projects inserted.

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs , Mr . Abdulrazak Namdas , told The PUNCH that the comments coming from the executive on the budget were “ unnecessary.”

Namdas stated , “ We gave our position on this matter already and keep repeating it . The power of the purse, in a presidential democracy, resides with the legislature and Nigeria will not be different .

“ The acting President signed this same budget into law after studying it for several days. He knew there were additional projects and he signed . We have a law in place. Is it after the law has come into effect that they turn around to question the powers of the National Assembly ?”

However , Namdas advised the executive to approach the judiciary for the interpretation of the 1999 Constitution if it was in doubt over any of its provisions.

“ They are the ones asking questions . Let them go to court , ” he added.

http://punchng.com/budget-nassembly-wants-to-be-both-legislature-executive-says-sagay/

Ever since she was a child, Sadiya Jubrin has always aspired to become a teacher. Born 24 years ago in Bauchi State, Mrs. Jubrin, determined to fulfil her dream, enrolled at the college of education in Bauchi where she obtained a National Certificate of Education, NCE. A few months after her graduation, she was offered a job by a private primary school.

Though her passion for teaching pushed her to take the job, the N8,000 salary was inadequate for a young woman who could no longer depend on her parents. She, therefore, became desperate to get another job that offered more pay, especially after she got married, she told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mrs. Jubrin’s case typifies that of several young people who felt underemployed despite their passion for a profession for which Nigeria lacks adequate manpower.

Her friend and old schoolmate, Farida Hassan, also narrated a sadder tale.

Mrs. Hassan, 22, could not get any job after their graduation from the college of education. She lived with her parents for a couple of years until she too got married.

“I wanted even a little paid job like Sadiya’s but I could not get any. Life became so frustrating for me, as I could not even bear the attendant boredom”, she lamented.

However, the story suddenly changed for the friends when the federal government flagged off the Social Investment Programme (SIP) in 2016.

The two women joined thousands of other Nigerian youth in Bauchi State to register for the N-Power programme and were lucky to be selected in the first batch.

With N30,000 as monthly stipend, the scheme at least empowers beneficiaries to meet basic needs.

“I am indeed very happy that I have a job that pays well and I can even save some money to possibly further my education,” Mrs. Jubrin said.

“Though as a human I hope for the best, this has come as a relief to me from those years of waiting until one’s parents or husband as the case may be come to one’s aid,” Mrs. Hassan said.

THE N-POWER

The SIP, which was part of the campaign promises of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, has four components. These are: the Home Grown School Feeding Programme for public primary schools; the Conditional Cash Transfer to less privileged; N-Power for unemployed graduates; and the Government Enterprises Entrepreneurship Programme, GEEP, to encourage market women, artisans, traders, and others.

The Nigerian government had in 2016 budgeted N500 billion for the SIP. However, as at May 16, only about N41 billion had been expended on the four programmes with the N-Power gulping the largest sum of N26 billion. Under the N-Power component of the SIP, unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions are to be engaged in critical sectors like education, agriculture and health.

Over one million Nigerians applied. But after a clean-up of the application portal, about 701, 000 were enlisted. About 200,000 graduates of tertiary institutions were eventually picked for the first phase. Those selected were to receive stipends for two years under the N-Teach, N-Agro or N-Health sub-components.

However, of the 200,000 selected, “162,024 unemployed graduates have been effectively enrolled and validated-meaning have been cleared to be receiving the N30,000 monthly stipend,” Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said in a statement in May.

The scheme started in nine states including Borno, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Kogi, Niger, Cross River, Bauchi, and Kwara before spreading to other states.

Premium Times investigated how the N-Power scheme is faring in three states: Bauchi, Kwara and Borno.

BAUCHI

Although, the duo of Mrs. Jubrin and Mrs. Hassan beamed with smiles when they spoke about their experience in N-Power, it was not so for some other beneficiaries of the programme in Bauchi State.

PREMIUM TIMES’ investigation revealed that as at April, many of them had not been getting their stipends even though they were duly registered and mobilised for their posts.

Abdulrazaq Muhammad is one of the unlucky ones. He has been working since January.

“I was deployed to teach Basic Science in Bauchi Central Primary School but N-power has not paid me because, according to them, I have problems of unmatched names on my record”, he said.

“My full name is Abdulrazaq Dahiru Muhammad but N-POWER only recognized Abdulrazaq Dahiru, so they said my details in the bank do not match what they have on their platform. And since then, they kept saying they were going to resolve it but up till date I have not been paid. I go to work every working day, and I find it difficult coping”.

The Bauchi State SIP Focal Person, Manu Mansur, blamed the hitch on the registration process. According to him, most of the applicants had not paid attention and did not give adequate information to the N-Power portal.

“They didn’t take time to ensure that the information they gave were in conformity with their bank records,” Mr. Mansur told this newspaper in Bauchi.

“As you know, any payment from the office of the Vice President under the SIP has to go through the NIPS system. And that NIPS platform works in such a way that whenever information for payment are fed into to it, provided such information are contradictory, that payment will stand rejected.

“So, that was one of the most significant challenges that we faced.”

He, however, said issues associated with payments had been resolved.

“From December to date, if any applicant does not receive any payment, that means the problem is with the applicant.”

Mr. Mansur said the state N-Power office began mobilising beneficiaries in January and that most of those deployed have been attending their places of assignment.

He however said there was a need to establish a monitoring team to supervise attendance compliance of the beneficiaries.

KWARA

The situation in Kwara appears worse than that of Bauchi. Officials confirmed that all the 5,104 engaged had been mobilised and deployed to their places of primary assignments since December, 2016.

A large number of them who spoke with Premium Times in the first week of May lamented that they had been working without getting their stipends.

Michael Aribisala, a 28-year old NCE holder, who had no job since he left school in 2009, said his initial joy at becoming a government worker under the N-Power scheme has faded because he could not get his stipend.

Mr. Aribisala, who was posted under the N-Teach category, said he was not given any clear reason as to why he could not get his stipend.

“No one told me I have any problem with my registration that may have led to me not getting paid. We applied online, where we forwarded our credentials and after that we did test examination online”, he said.

“It was after all these that we were picked as N-power volunteers. We received text messages that read ‘Congratulation you are one of the beneficiaries of N-power Teach’.

“I and others that are to work in the teaching line went to the state primary education board where they gave us a form which contains all our details, especially bank details.
“After about three weeks, we were asked to come and collect our posting letters and were posted to schools where we began to work as teachers.

“I have been teaching in my place of assignment since December but up till now, I have not received any stipend.
“They kept saying we had one verification or the other to do. But we have done all that. Even the National Orientation Agency (NOA) had all of us verified. We did all that we were asked to do.

“I was posted to a school where I teach Basic Science and I go there every day to teach. I have to pay for my transport with money I collect from my relatives. Sometimes when there is no money, I trek to work.

“Sometimes I had to go without food to avoid being late to work. This is very unfair to us. A lot of us had to leave former jobs they were doing in private schools or some organizations that paid less to join N-Power, now we are working without pay.”

Salaudeen Abdulfatai, a 33-year old graduate of Computer Engineering from Ilorin South, said he registered for the programme in September last year and did verification in December.

“I was deployed in January. But unfortunately, till date I have not been paid, likewise some other volunteers,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.

“I was posted to Fate Secondary School here in Ilorin, a public school. I resumed immediately I was deployed and I have not defaulted even for a single day.”

Mr. Abdulfatai said the most painful aspect was that he was teaching in a private school but had left because
he was earning “not up to what the N-Power is paying beneficiaries.”

“But here, we are stranded for nearly five months without a single kobo in our pocket.”

Yusuf Lukman and Abdulbasir Alabi also said they had not been paid.

“After we got our deployment letter on December 23rd, 2016, we were deployed to our various places of primary assignment as volunteers for N-Teach, N-Agro and N-Health,” Mr. Lukman, a graduate of Mass Communication, told this newspaper.

“We were expecting our payment alert in January but it did not come. And when it finally came on the 15th of February, only few got the alert and I was not one of them.”

Mr. Alabi, 26, said he was teaching at a private school on N12, 000 a month when he stumbled on the programme on the social media.

“We were deployed at the end of January and I went to SUBEB office to collect my letter. I commenced work immediately but since then I have not received any payment.
“Even before the payment of the December stipend to some of our colleagues, we were hearing rumours that the Kwara State government would deduct tax off the N30, 000 and so on.

“But we even did not mind as we hoped that something would come in at the end of the day. But since then nothing has come to some of us .”

In April, the beneficiaries in Kwara State staged a peaceful protest in Ilorin, the state capital, over their pay.

“We took a protest to the office of the governor on the 17th of April, 2017 where we were told that the issue would be looked into. But up till now nothing has been done,” Mr. Alabi said.

The Kwara State Focal Person for SIP, Solomon Ayobola, who is also the permanent secretary in the state Ministry of Sport, confirmed that about half of the participants were not paid in January.

“We had some challenges at the beginning and were unable to pay about 50 percent of the participants in January”, he told this newspaper.

“When some of them later approached us with complaints over non-payment of stipends, we had to go through their data to see what exactly the problem was. It was then that we noticed that some of them used their first names in place of their surnames. We also discovered some errors in the spelling of names which were tagged as unmatched names.

“Some of them did not submit correct account details; some, their BVN number did not match their account number; some used names that are different from what they gave on the N-Power platform; some submitted account numbers that are dormant. So, we tried to correct some of these problems.”

Mr. Ayobola said after the corrections they were able to pay about 4,180 of the beneficiaries.

“We were left with about 1,000 names which we compelled Abuja to tell us the reasons why they are not being paid.

They sent us yet another list especially those of the females who had their husbands’ names on their N-Power records while it is their fathers’ names they still bear in their banks. Some could not properly copy their BVN numbers.”

He however noted that some of the beneficiaries’ problems may be difficult to resolve.

According to Mr. Ayobola, those who used their spouses’ names as their second names in opening bank accounts may not get any payment because of the conflict with their maiden names they used on the N-Power platform.

He said the NIPS payment system used by the SIP National Cash Transfer office does tolerate such discrepancies.

“It will be difficult for N-Power to change their names especially now that they have ended the process of verification of the first batch and we are about looking at the N-Power portal to take the balance of 300, 000. And a period of four months was given by N-Power to clear and verify all participants, which we have exhausted.

“This group of women beneficiaries would not want to go back to their banks to change their second names from their husbands’ to their fathers’ names. And N-Power cannot help them to do that. This group of persons do not constitute (up to) 0.05 percent of those we have registered so far.”

Mr. Ayobola said those not on the list of beneficiaries with registration problems had been referred to NOA office in Ilorin where they were re-verified and that a list of about 900 had been sent to Abuja for processing of their payment.

BORNO

In Borno State, the problem has a different complexion. Many of the beneficiaries have been receiving their N30,000 stipends since December, but without working.

There are, however, some who are yet to receive any payment. Muhammed Shettima is one of such.

“I was last week (in May) posted under N-Teach to Sanda Kyarimi Primary School, and we hope to resume work by the time schools resume,” Mr. Shettima said.

“But I have not received any payment like my other colleagues, since December.”

Mr. Shettima, however, said the SIP Focal Person in the state, Babazanna Abdulkareem, had assured him that “the problem has been rectified and I will start to get my alert by the end of this month (May)”.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES in Maiduguri, the state capital, in April, Mr. Abdulkareem said beneficiaries in the state got their December stipend but confirmed that not all of the over 4,000 had been getting the pay.

As in other states, he too blamed those not receiving payment for not correctly filling their online forms.
“The December stipend was like a kind of bonus to all captured beneficiaries even though work has not even started”, said Mr. Abdulkareem.

“At some points of payments, transactions were bouncing back as invalid data or unmatched records; which means the information they have in the bank are not in sync with what they had given during the registration for N-Power. There are lots of discrepancies. It gets to tell a lot about our youth. They are very unserious.

He explained further, “In the case of the N-Power, I will still like to point out that we are facing the same challenges as in the cash transfer.

“We are supposed to make posting of beneficiaries under three key sectors, Education, Agriculture and Health. Now Agriculture has deployed to their various units, and they have given us the soft copy of the postings, which we forwarded to Abuja. And Abuja has notified us of the tendency of stopping payment to those that have not been deployed.

“As I am talking to you now, the state Ministry of Health, which even has the least of applicants, and SUBEB with the largest figure of applicants have not deployed. And we have been following it up.

“The issue is that the system here does not have the capacity, sometimes they forward to us raw data in hard copy. Sometimes I had to spend sleepless time trying to work myself out in trying to convert raw data to soft copy.

The focal person however said issues associated with payments had been resolved.

“These problems cut across the country; there are issue when it comes to setting up the banking platforms for payment.”

Mr. Abdulkareem explained that applicants in the state did not initially take the programme serious.

According to him, most of the youth applicants thought it was one of those gimmicks of government, so they just went to the cyber café and filled the forms anyhow.

He also said that due to the security challenges in Borno, the state government had to improvise the process of printing hard copies of the online forms to enable those in displaced communities fill the forms and submit them in designated ICT centres for uploading.

“At the first instance, the programme was strictly an online thing. But given our circumstances, we just have to think outside the box to find solution to our problem.

“In the whole of Borno State, the northern part which has 10 local governments, there is no electricity, let alone internet. In southern Borno, which is made up of nine local governments, there are only two internet cafes in Biu. And in Borno Central, which is the most cosmopolitan, there is so much pressure on basic facilities.

“So we had discussion with His Excellency on the need to print the online forms so that our people can enrol in the programme. We did that and distributed well over 27,000 forms; but shockingly we only received about 9000 completed forms. So, these are the issues.

“We had to approach the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to help us sensitize the people, especially the youth. We had to go into massive TV and radio publicity with NOA taking the lead.”

Mr. Abdulkareem also said he noticed that even those that went to the internet cafés to register, the administrators printed out the forms and were selling to them.

This, according to him, made some applicants to fill the form without attaching much importance to what they were doing.
“The guy there at the café would only attend to them at his leisure.

“And when they have challenges on what was filled in the forms, the applicant is not there to clarify, so they just input whatever comes to their minds. At the end of the day, there are lot of discrepancies in the data that were uploaded.
“There are discrepancies between what they have uploaded on the N-Power platform and the data they have in their bank accounts. Some people opened their accounts two or three years ago and they have forgotten the details they gave on those bank accounts.

“And overtime, they have continued to change their bio-data, and that have left us with a lot of issues that we are trying to resolve now.”

Despite the challenges, Mr. Abdulkareem expressed joy that the N-Power has been enjoying the cooperation of the relevant state ministries.

NATIONAL COORDINATOR REACTS

The National Coordinator of N-Power, Afolabi Imoukhuede, gave several reasons why the some of the beneficiaries were not paid.

Some of these were inefficiency on the part of officials handling the programme in various states, failure or inability of beneficiaries to interact with the N-Power portal, failure to submit themselves for physical verification and supply of wrong bank details and BVN.

“When the beneficiaries were applying, while entering their data, we asked them for BVN at that point in time,” Mr Imoukhuede told PREMIUM TIMES.

“Before we went into selection we had to crosscheck the authenticity of the BVN, and we found out that some did not match the names of the BVN; and we tried to do a general check on the BVN and we found out that a certain percentage of the BVN were actually genuine.

“After we had done the 200, 000 beneficiaries list in the first batch, we asked those concerned to go to the portal to put their BVN and bank accounts; that was when we started getting confessions from them.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/234403-special-report-despite-successes-buharis-n-power-scheme-faces-glitches-across-states.html

A Lagos State Magistrate Court in Igbosere has ordered that the lawmaker representing Edu/Moro/Patigi Constituency of Kwara State at the House of Representatives, Aliyu Pategi, be remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The court, presided over by Afolashade Botoku, made the order on Friday following an application to that effect by the EFCC.

The EFCC had told the judge that Mr. Pategi stood surety for a former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide, who has a pending criminal charge against her before the Federal High Court in Ibadan.

The EFCC had charged Mrs. Akinjide for allegedly collecting N650 million out of the $115 million allegedly doled out by a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to compromise the 2015 general election.

Mr. Aliyu had, on August 10, 2016, entered a bail bond of N650 million to secure an administrative bail for Mrs. Akinjinde, but the former minister was said to have jumped the bail.

Mrs. Akinjide’s non-appearance had stalled her arraignment in the charge marked FHC/IB/26C/2017 before the Federal High Court in Ibadan with the court threatening to strike out the charge should the EFCC fail to produce her.

On Friday, the EFCC dragged Mr. Aliyu before the magistrate court in Lagos, praying for his remand as Mrs. Akinjide had absconded.

But the court rejected an oral bail application for the lawmaker by his lawyer, Adenrele Adegborioye, who had urged the court to note his client’s status as a serving House of Representatives member.


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/234392-corruption-nigerian-lawmaker-detained-ex-minister-jumps-bail.html

N-POWER UPDATE

N-Power: 10 TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

1. Site is now working perfectly and accessible.

2. Registration is now as simple as opening a Facebook account. The only difference is your bvn and acct info.

3. Make sure you pick at least one computer skill, or else forget about test invite.(secret between me and you)

4. Read your info very well before you click submit, if you submit with an error, there is no going back.

5. Keep your reference code safe, you will need it to complete your registration when the time comes.

6. Start reading basic English tests, current affairs and other things, "you may be asked when last did you see your president" lol, that na joke o.

7. Always check your text message and email inbox at least once in a day.

8. 2017 npower is for graduates alone, don't waste your time if you are not.

9. Do not apply because you are unemployed or underemployed, apply because you want to make a difference.

10. If you are not interested in npower, kindly share this info for others who may have interest in the scheme.

#Masterpiece

— 16th June 2017

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Three bills relating to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) yesterday scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.

They include a “Bill for an Act to provide for the governance and institutional framework for the petroleum industry and to establish a fiscal framework that encourages further investment in the petroleum industry while increasing accruable revenues to the Federal Government of Nigeria and for related matters,” which was transmitted from the Senate to the House for concurrence.

“Bill for an Act to provide for a framework relating to petroleum producing host communities’ participation, cost and benefit sharing among government, petroleum exploration companies and petroleum host communities and for related matters.”

And a “Bill and memorandum on legal and regulatory framework, institutions and regulatory authorities for the Nigerian petroleum industry, to establish guideline for the operations of the upstream and downstream sectors and to provide for the establishment of the legal and regulatory framework and authorities as well as guidelines for the operation of the upstream and downstream sectors of the Nigeria petroleum industry and for connected purposes.”

However, this was not without arguments whether or not the bills should be consolidated into a single bill.

As soon as Mohammed Monguno, who stood in for the Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, was called to move commencement of debate on the bills, the Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, raised a point of order.

Citing Order 3 of the House Rules, Ogor said the three bills ought to be consolidated before the commencement of debate.

According to him, “failure to consolidate the bills for a holistic legislative exercise on the PIB would make the others lose their essence and a much longer period of debate.”

But the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, disagreed with him, stating that the House had agreed with the Senate to take the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), which had earlier been passed by the Red Chamber and sent to it for concurrence, and its own PIB separately.

“We had a gentleman’s agreement with our counterparts in the Senate and I think it’s incumbent upon us to act the way they separated their own,” he said.

Thereafter, Dogara called Monguno to continue with debate, after he had ruled the Minority Leader out of order.

Leading the debate, the acting House leader said the bill will lead to the unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). He stated that the NNPC “has become an untamable hydra-headed octopus, which sucks water from the ocean without giving much in return.”
According to him, the bills, if passed, will automatically take care of issues concerning the petroleum industry and its governance, and ultimately ensure transparency in the oil and gas sector.

On his part, Victor Nwokolo, who chairs the House Committee on Petroleum (downstream) argued that the bills are aimed at reforming the oil and gas sector, saying, “it is important that the office of the Minister is separated from anything regulation as it is meant only to formulate policies for the governance of the sector.

“It is high time government divested its interest in the NNPC. There is no where in the world where government succeeds in involving itself in the day-to-day running of the oil sector, which has been liberalised and opened to the private sector.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/reps-okay-3-pibs-for-second-reading/

New Registration for new applicant for N-Power social investment programme....
Encourage your family and friends to enroll
Deadline for registration is just around the corner

The Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja will today , Wednesday , deliver its ruling on the no - case submission filed by the Senate President , Bukola Saraki , to challenge his ongoing trial on the amended 18 charges of false declaration and other related offences.

The Danladi Umar - led two - man panel of the CCT had reserved its ruling after hearing Saraki ’ s no - case submission and the Federal Government ’ s objection to it on June 8.

Umar had said the date for the ruling would be communicated to the parties whenever it is ready.

Multiple sources in the tribunal, however, informed our correspondent late on Tuesday that the CCT panel had fixed Wednesday for the ruling.

“ Parties in the case were informed today ( Tuesday ) that the ruling will come up tomorrow, ( Wednesday ) , ” a CCT official told our correspondent.

The Senate President , through his no - case submission filed before the CCT on May 26 , 2017 , contended that none of the exhibits tendered and no evidence given by the four prosecution witnesses linked him to the alleged offences to warrant him to defend the charges.

But arguing the Federal Government ’s objection to the no - case submission on Thursday, the prosecuting counsel , Mr . Rotimi Jacobs ( SAN ) , said there was a “ serious prima facie case” against the Senate President.

The prosecution had closed its case after its fourth witness , Mr . Bayo Dauda , an official of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc , Ilorin branch , started and concluded his testimony on May 4 .
Adopting the defendant ’ s written addresses before the CCT on Thursday, the lead defence counsel , Chief Kanu Agabi ( SAN ) , said the petition which precipitated the charges had nothing to do with Saraki.

Agabi said the charges, especially counts 1 , 2 , 6 , 9 , 10 , 11, 12 , 13 , 14 and 16 , had disclosed no valid offences.

He said , “ Our submission is that the prosecution has not made out a case warranting an answer from the defendant is dated May 21 , 2017 and filed on May 26 , 2017 . Our reply on point of law is dated June 7 , 2017 .”

In response , Jacobs insisted that the prosecution had made out a “ serious prima facie case” had been established against the Senate President.

He urged the tribunal to analyse and juxtapose the various asset declaration forms submitted by the defendant to reveal the falsehoods in them.

Jacobs said , “ Our response to the no - case submission is dated June 2 , 2017 and filed the same day.

“ One method your lordship should adopt to show that there is a serious prima facie case against the defendant is to look at Exhibits 6 and 26 which are asset declarations made by the defendant after the investigation of this case.

“ My lordships will see that the defendant listed all the properties and stated that they were acquired in 1992 and 1999 and now . If my lord juxtaposes them with Exhibits 1 to 5 , some of the properties he claimed ( were ) acquired in 1999 , 2002 , and 2003 , were not declared . ”


http://punchng.com/asset-declaration-cct-rules-on-request-to-free-saraki-today/

The Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja will today , Wednesday , deliver its ruling on the no - case submission filed by the Senate President , Bukola Saraki , to challenge his ongoing trial on the amended 18 charges of false declaration and other related offences.

The Danladi Umar - led two - man panel of the CCT had reserved its ruling after hearing Saraki ’ s no - case submission and the Federal Government ’ s objection to it on June 8.

Umar had said the date for the ruling would be communicated to the parties whenever it is ready.

Multiple sources in the tribunal, however, informed our correspondent late on Tuesday that the CCT panel had fixed Wednesday for the ruling.

“ Parties in the case were informed today ( Tuesday ) that the ruling will come up tomorrow, ( Wednesday ) , ” a CCT official told our correspondent.

The Senate President , through his no - case submission filed before the CCT on May 26 , 2017 , contended that none of the exhibits tendered and no evidence given by the four prosecution witnesses linked him to the alleged offences to warrant him to defend the charges.

But arguing the Federal Government ’s objection to the no - case submission on Thursday, the prosecuting counsel , Mr . Rotimi Jacobs ( SAN ) , said there was a “ serious prima facie case” against the Senate President.

The prosecution had closed its case after its fourth witness , Mr . Bayo Dauda , an official of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc , Ilorin branch , started and concluded his testimony on May 4 .
Adopting the defendant ’ s written addresses before the CCT on Thursday, the lead defence counsel , Chief Kanu Agabi ( SAN ) , said the petition which precipitated the charges had nothing to do with Saraki.

Agabi said the charges, especially counts 1 , 2 , 6 , 9 , 10 , 11, 12 , 13 , 14 and 16 , had disclosed no valid offences.

He said , “ Our submission is that the prosecution has not made out a case warranting an answer from the defendant is dated May 21 , 2017 and filed on May 26 , 2017 . Our reply on point of law is dated June 7 , 2017 .”

In response , Jacobs insisted that the prosecution had made out a “ serious prima facie case” had been established against the Senate President.

He urged the tribunal to analyse and juxtapose the various asset declaration forms submitted by the defendant to reveal the falsehoods in them.

Jacobs said , “ Our response to the no - case submission is dated June 2 , 2017 and filed the same day.

“ One method your lordship should adopt to show that there is a serious prima facie case against the defendant is to look at Exhibits 6 and 26 which are asset declarations made by the defendant after the investigation of this case.

“ My lordships will see that the defendant listed all the properties and stated that they were acquired in 1992 and 1999 and now . If my lord juxtaposes them with Exhibits 1 to 5 , some of the properties he claimed ( were ) acquired in 1999 , 2002 , and 2003 , were not declared . ”


http://punchng.com/asset-declaration-cct-rules-on-request-to-free-saraki-today/

Justice Walter Onnoghen, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), SaharaReporters can exclusively reveal, is meddling in the trial of Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, who standing trial along with Mr. Godwin Obla, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on a 30-count charge bordering on alleged perversion of the course of justice, unlawful enrichment and forgery She is alleged to have received the sum of $579,300 and N57.09 million in tranches between 2007 and 2014.

A letter (CJN/PTA/A70/S./VOL.III/256) exclusively obtained by this website, showed that Justice Onnoghen granted Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia permission to travel abroad for medical attention.

The letter titled, “Re-Application For Permission To Travel Overseas For Urgent Medical Attention”, was the CJN’s reply to Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s request.

It was signed by Mr. Anikpo Awasam Bassey, Special Assistant to the CJN on Media. Dated 31 March 2017, the letter was an express permission to leave the country.

Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s written request permission to travel was dated 13 March and routed through Justice Ibrahim, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. Her letter was received on 31 March and the CJN gave permission the same day.

“May I please refer to your letter dated 13th March 2017, which was received on 31st March, 2017 on the above subject matter and to inform you that His Lordship, The Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, has given his approval for you to travel to the United States of America to see a consultant at Moms Heights Health Centre, Bronx, New York, from 13th April, 2017 to 26th April, 2017. His Lordship wishes you a happy and successful trip to New York, USA,” the letter read.

Prior to obtaining the CJN’s permission to travel, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s application for the same matter was rejected by Justice O H Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court.

On 10 April, Mr. Idris Muhammad told the Lagos State High Court that Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia had, through her counsel, Mr. Robert Clarke, sought the leave of court to travel out of the country for medical reasons in an application dated 7 March.

Mr. Muhammad also told the court that Mr. Clarke had filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court. The application was dated 4 April.

Justice Oshodi refused Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s application on the ground that her application challenging the court’s jurisdiction must be determined before other issues could be considered.

The same day, the court also declined Mr. Obla’s an application to travel abroad for medical reasons.

“Whatever decisions made by the court in the matter must affect both parties since it is a joint trial,’’ said Justice Oshodi.

As a result, the accused judge sought a temporary withdraw the application challenging the jurisdiction of the court. But Justice Oshodi said the application would be heard ahead of other pending applications because it had been brought before the court.

The CJN is reportedly interfering with several corruption cases in various court to protect corrupt elements and cronies. Recently, the CJN as leader of the Nigerian Judicial Council reinstated several corruption-tainted judges to resume sitting after they were indicted for corruption by security agencies.


http://saharareporters.com/2017/06/12/how-chief-justice-nigeria-interfered-justice-ofili-ajumogobia’s-trial

An ambush by the Boko Haram was successfully cleared by soldiers and local vigilante leading to the death of a state ‘Amir (leader)’ and many other members of the terror group, the Nigerian Army has said.

The army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said the shootout lasted “some minutes” near Jarawa village in Kala Balge Local Government Area before the Boko Haram members fled.

“The troops were able to neutralize a large number of Boko Haram terrorists including the notorious Abu Nazir, the terrorists’ Amir in Jarawa during the operation,” Mr. Usman, a brigadier general, said in a statement.

Read Mr. Usman’s full statement below.

Following credible and confirmed information about the convergence of some elements of suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Jarawa village, Kala Balge Local Government Area, Borno State, troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade Nigerian Army of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, in conjunction with some Civilian JTF today, Sunday 11th June 2017, carried out a successful clearance operation along that axis.

At about a Kilometre to Jarawa village, the troops entered heavy Boko Haram terrorists’ ambush, which they successfully cleared after about some minutes of fire fight. They followed it up in hot pursuit of the fleeing insurgents into the nearby forest.

The troops were able to neutralize a large number of Boko Haram terrorists including the notorious Abu Nazir, the terrorists’ Amir in Jarawa during the operation.

They also captured several weapons including an AK-47 rifle, 1 Double barrel gun, 1 primed heavy Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and 3 Motorcycles.

Additionally, they rescued 9 abducted children undergoing training at the terrorists’ training camp in the village.

The minors have been evacuated and are being given preliminary humanitarian assistance in preparation to handing them over to Kala Balge Internally Displaced Persons Camp Management Committee

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/233745-boko-haram-amir-many-others-killed-as-nigerian-soldiers-clear-terrorists-ambush-official.html

A Lagos - based lawyer , Olukoya Ogungbeje, has appealed the court order permanently forfeiting to the Federal Government the sums of $ 43 , 449 , 947 , £ 27 , 800 and N 23 , 218 , 000 recovered from Flat 7 B , No . 16 , Osborne Road , Osborne Towers , Ikoyi , Lagos .

The money had been recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from the apartment where it was kept in iron cabinets and Ghana - must -go bags .
The anti - graft agency said the money was reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity , adding that its decision to search the house was informed by intelligence information .

Following an application by the EFCC , Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court in Lagos had on June 6 , 2017 ordered that the money should be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government as no one came forward to claim it.

The judge made the order after dismissing an application by Ogungbeje asking that the judge should suspend the forfeiture proceedings pending when a three - man panel constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari in relation to the funds would submit its report .

The panel, headed by the Acting President , Prof . Yemi Osinbajo, was to probe the claim and counter -claim of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency and the Rivers State Government to the ownership of funds .

In his ruling , Justice Hassan held that Ogungbeje had no locus standi to request for stay of proceedings in the forfeiture case, describing the lawyer ’s application as totally strange and unknown to law .

The judge , who noted that Ogungbeje was not a party in the suit filed by the EFCC for the forfeiture of the money , described the lawyer as a meddlesome interloper and a busybody .

Displeased with the court ’s ruling , however, Ogungbeje, on Friday , headed for the Court of Appeal seeking to reverse the permanent forfeiture order.

In his four - ground notice of appeal , the lawyer contended that the permanent forfeiture order made by Justice Hassan was not consistent with Section 44 ( k ) of the 1999 Constitution , which , according to him , stipulated that “ there must be investigation , prosecution and conviction before any final forfeiture order could be made by any court in Nigeria .”

“ The respondent ( EFCC ) failed , in its investigation , to furnish the trial court with the sources of the money , owner of the money and how the money got into the residential apartment.

“ The Nigerian criminal jurisprudence , as backed by sections 6 ( 6 ) ( b ) , 35 and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , do not envisage final forfeiture order in the absence of investigation , prosecution and conviction.
“ Full- scale investigation is still ongoing by the Federal Government of Nigeria .

“ The investigative panel headed by the Vice- President has not released its report or made it public, ” Ogungbeje said .

http://punchng.com/lawyer-appeals-forfeiture-order-on-ikoyi-n13bn-2/

The Supreme Court has validated the provisions of Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and Section 40 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( Establishment) Act 2004 , both of which prohibit courts from granting an order of stay of proceedings in an ongoing criminal trial.

A five - man panel of the Supreme Court , led by Justice Dattijo Muhammed , unanimously held in its ruling delivered on Friday that by virtue of the provisions of both laws , no Nigerian court , including the Supreme Court , had the power to stay proceedings in a criminal case.

The apex court made the pronouncements in a ruling dismissing an application for stay of proceedings in the criminal trial of a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party , Olisa Metuh , before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Some senior lawyers, particularly those defending high - profile accused persons , often argue that the provisions of Section 306 of ACJA and Section 40 of the EFCC Act , prohibiting courts from staying proceedings in a criminal trial , contravened the constitutional right to appeal of persons charged with an offence.

But Justice Clara Ogunbiyi , in her lead ruling of the apex court , delivered on Friday , held that the provisions of both laws were in agreement with Section 36 ( 4 ) of the Constitution which provides that any person charged with a criminal offence “ shall be …entitled to fair hearing in public within a reasonable time .”

Justice Ogunbiyi stated , “ It is only logical to interpret the spirit of the foregoing constitutional provision to translate that where the grant of an application for stay will unnecessarily delay and prolong the proceedings , it will not be granted . ”

According to her , it is the application for stay of proceedings in a criminal case that “ violently” violates the Constitution as well as the provisions of the ACJA and the EFCC Act , while the two statutes are in agreement with the Constitution.

The EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited, before Justice Okon Abang at the Federal High Court in Abuja on seven counts of fraud and money laundering charges.

The alleged offences involved the sums of $ 2 m and N 400m which the defendants allegedly received unjustifiably from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014 allegedly to fund the PDP ’s 2015 presidential campaign.

In its ruling on Friday , the apex court ’ s five man - panel dismissed Metuh ’s application for stay of proceedings for being “ violently in conflict ” with the provisions of section 36 ( 4 ) of the Constitution as well as section 306 of the ACJA , Section 40 of the EFCC Act 2004 and a number of case law authorities.

Justice Ogunbiyi held that the decision by the Supreme Court in 2016, granting a stay of proceedings in the trial of the Senate President , Dr . Bukola Saraki , before the Code of Conduct Tribunal , a case law cited by Metuh ’ s lawyer , Dr . Onyechi Ikpeazu ( SAN ) , was irrelevant.

She added, “ This court ( the Supreme Court ) pronounced also in Olubukola Saraki V Federal Republic of Nigeria ( 2016 ) 3 NWLR ( Pt. 1500 ) SC 531 that the Code of Conduct Tribunal is not a court of superior record of jurisdiction , but a court of quasi-criminal jurisdiction.

“ Therefore , the application of the cases to the circumstances of this case ( Metuh ’ s case) cannot be relevant as rightly submitted by the learned counsel for the first respondent ( EFCC ’s lawyer ).

“ The appellant / applicant ’ s ( Metuh ’s ) motion for stay of proceedings is violently in conflict with the provisions of Section 36 ( 4 ) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 ( as amended ) , Section 306 of ACJA and Section 40 of the EFCC ( Establishment) Act , 2004 , as well as the plethora of case law authorities cited .”

The five - man bench disagreed with Metuh ’s lawyer on the point of whether or not the provisions of Section 306 only relate to the trial court and not the appellate courts – the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Justice Ogunbiyi , in her lead ruling , agreed with EFCC ’s lawyer , Mr . Sylvanus Tahir , to the effect that by virtue of Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act , the appeal court could grant an interim order or any injunction , only which the court below ( the trial court ) had the jurisdiction to make or grant.

She also referred to a replica of the provision of the Court of Appeal Act in the Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act.

Justice Ogunbiyi noted that the Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act had also restricted the apex court to making an interim order or granting any injunction “ which the court below ( the Court of Appeal ) was authorised to make or grant".

She therefore held that an order of stay of proceedings , being a form of an interim order or injunction , the Federal High Court and other trial courts had , by both Section 306 of ACJA and Section 40 of the EFCC Act , been prohibited from granting it, it followed that neither the Court of Appeal nor the Supreme Court had the power to grant same.

“ Contrary to the submission advanced by the applicant ’s counsel , the consequential effect is that the Supreme Court , like the two lower courts , also lacks the powers to stay proceedings under Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act or under its inherent powers, ” she held.

The Justice of the Supreme Court added, “ The appellant ’s counsel ( Metuh ’s lawyer ) argued vehemently that Section 306 of the ACJA does not apply to the court below ( the Court of Appeal ) or this court ( the Supreme Court ).

“ The argument , in my view, is grossly misconceived as rightly submitted by the first respondent’s counsel (EFCC ’s lawyer).

“ The conclusion, as stated earlier , is predicated squarely on the contention of Section 306 of the ACJA and Section 40 of the EFCC ( Establishment) Act , 2004, whereby the trial court lacks the powers to order for stay of proceedings ; also , the court below under Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act as well as this court under Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act also lacks the power to order for stay of further proceedings pending before the trial court .

“ I wish to emphasise that this is a criminal proceeding .
“ There are also clear constitutional and statutory provisions that enjoin and mandate the trial court not to delay criminal cases.”

Other members of the panel–Justices Muhammad, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun,Ejembi Eko and Sidi Bage agreed with the lead ruling.

With the Friday's ruling of the Supreme Court, Metuh's trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja will resume on June 19, to enable Justice Abang to deliver some interlocutory rulings earlier put on hold to await the outcome of the apex court's decision.

http://punchng.com/courts-have-no-power-to-delay-criminal-trials-scourt/

There is massive turnout today by voters in Kogi West for the recall of Sen Dino Melaye who was accused of several misconducts and disregards to constituted authority.

Reporters going round towns within the senatorial district said voters turn out in their large numbers to vote in supports of the Senator’s recall from the National Assembly.

Already, materials for the exercise were distributed yesterday to the various polling units across Kogi West.

Indications emerged yesterday, that the exercise would record a success due to the overwhelm interests shown for the recall by the various stakeholders concern.

Some voters when asks about the exercise added “Sen Dino completely lacks the qualities of a good representative. We are tired and sick of his misconducts, he has betrayed us.

“Today’s exercise is an opportunity for us to redeems our image before the outside world, if not, nobody will take us serious in Kogi west” he said.

An elders man from Ijumu LG area, said Sen Dino’s last conducts in the lower chamber was why they rejected him at poll in 2015, saying they were not surprise at his recent misconducts.

However, the the embattle Senator is not relenting stopping the exercise. Only last night, he made several phone calls to some party chairmen pleading with them to stop the exercise. It was said that all the chairmen he spoke to rebuffed him along his mouthwatering promises.

Another of his aides said the his boss has been making a frantic calls to certain leaders in the north to plead with the state governor Alh Yahaya Bello to stop the recall.


http://upshotreports.com/dino-frets-as-constituents-begin-recall-process-in-kogi/

Armed with a court order, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has blocked over N116million belonging to the House of Representatives Minority Leader Leo Ogor.

The cash is the outstanding sum in the accounts of five of the six companies owned by Ogor with which he secured contracts from some agencies as constituency projects.

Apart from the freeze order, the EFCC is looking into a “curious” payment of over N318million to two of the companies by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The anti-graft agency is probing Ogor based on a petition against the House leadership by the suspended Appropriation Committee Chairman Abdulmumin Jibrin on the alleged padding of 2016 Budget and insertion of bogus constituency projects.

As part of the first stage of the investigation, EFCC detectives discovered that Ogor has 30 accounts, including six belonging to his companies, two dormant savings accounts and the rest personal.

The huge inflows into six of the 30 accounts attracted the EFCC.

The said accounts belong to six companies traceable to Ogor because he is the sole signatory to the accounts.
Most of the constituency projects facilitated by Ogor were awarded to the six companies.

The companies are Laurelton Global Services Limited; Zanny Concern Limited; Racen Integrated Global Nigeria Limited; Simplified Concept Limited; Fergio Ventures Nigeria Limited; and Peanard Nigeria Limited.

Of the six companies, two, Simplified Concept Limited and Laurelton, have Ogor as a serving director.

According to a document The Nation stumbled on, the anti-graft agency is investigating Ogor for the following allegations:

abuse of office; awarding constituency projects to his companies; contract splitting; being sole signatory to six accounts, which were not declared in his Asset Declaration Form; curious payment of over N318million into two of the accounts by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for undisclosed projects; and Other allegations in Jibrin’s petition.

Based on the allegations, the EFCC approached a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako for the blockage of the accounts of the six companies.

The Certified True Copy of the order was obtained by the EFCC on May 25, 2017.

The judge said: “After hearing I. Audu, counsel for the applicant, it is hereby ordered as follows:

“Leave is granted to the Chairman of the Commission or any officer authorised by him to instruct a Bank Examiner to issue an order, as specified in Form B of the schedule to the EFCC Act 2004 to managers of bank or any person having control of the banks where the accounts are, to freeze the accounts shown in the schedule attached to this application for 90 days.

“That an order is hereby made granting power to the chairman of the commission or any officer authorised by him to direct the banks shown in the schedule hereby attached to supply any information and to produce the opening documents to the accounts and the statements of accounts and to stop all outward payments, operations or transactions.”

About N116m was frozen in the accounts of five out of the six companies.

The breakdown is as follows: Laurelton Global Services Limited(N101, 149, 293.96); Racen Integrated Global Nigeria Limited(N5, 088, 293.50); Peanard (N2, 370,901.44); Zanny Concern Limited (N8,374,173.28) and Simplified Concept Limited (N7,000).

The EFCC opted to freeze the accounts following alleged suspicious payments, a source said.

The commission allegedly discovered that in 2014, the NDDC remitted N148, 342,641.65 into the account of Laurelton without any explanation in the bank’s records.
The same NDDC also paid N170, 555, 325.44 into the account of Racen Integrated Global Nigeria Limited for an “undisclosed” purpose.

A source close to the investigation said: “We have obtained the Certified True Copies of the assets declared by Ogor and none of the accounts of the six companies is included. In his asset declaration form which he filed on May 27, 2015, he declared that he has the following amounts: N16.4million; N1.8million; and N3.8million.

“We have also written to NDDC to clarify the transfers into the accounts of two of the six companies but the agency is yet to respond.

“Our detectives also discovered that Ogor is a director in two out of the six companies but he is a sole signatory to the accounts.

“On May 7, 2013, the board of Racen Integrated Global Nigeria Limited passed a resolution to make him the sole signatory of the company’s account without being a director. On June 27, 2014, Zanny Concern Limited also appointed Ogor the sole signatory of its account but there is no evidence that he is a director.

“The same thing applied to Laurelton Global Services Limited on August 28, 2014 when its board passed a resolution making Ogor a sole signatory to its account. He is also not a director or management staff of the company.”

Detectives have been sent to evaluate more than 20 constituency projects awarded to some of these companies by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.

The projects in Refugees Commission include the supply of three buses; three Toyota 18-seater buses; 68 tricycles, 220 generators; 220 motorcycles and others.

The projects in UBEC and the companies are as follows: Zanny(19/11/2014) –one block of three classrooms at Eru Primary School, Igbide at N9,180,835.45; Laurelton (19/11/2014) one block of three classrooms at Ivori priamry school, Isoko at N9,887,778; Racen(19/11/2014)-construction of three classrooms at Egburie Primary School, Ozoro; Simplified Concept: and construction of six classrooms on January 21, 2016 at Olordo Primary School, Ozoro at N9, 300,000.

The others are Laurelton(23/11/ 2015): supply of customised library equipment to selected schools iin Isoko North LGA at N16,050,000; Supply of instructional materials in Isoko North /South Federal Constituency(N14, 650,000); supply of customized equipment to selected schools in Isoko Federal Constituency(N15, 950,000); award of N9,200,928,90 to Simplified Concept in January 2016 for the rehabilitation of six classrooms at Egware Primary School, Orozo; and Racen: Construction of six classrooms, toilets and furniture at Itebighe Primary School(21/1/ 2016) at N12, 988.099.23.

It’s a non-issue, says Ogor

House Minority Leader Leo Ogor yesterday said the allegations bordering on constituency projects amounted to a non-issue.

He said: “If it is about Jibrin’s petition, is it not about passing budget padding? If they are investigating budget padding, what is the correlation between budget padding and constituency projects?

“Secondly, I’m not aware of anything but the fact remains that these constituency projects are awarded by these agencies and they go through the public procurement process and the essential thing is to go to the constituency and see whether those projects are on the ground or not. For me, that is non-issue.”

When told that specific constituency projects for classrooms construction and equipment of library from UBEC were traced to his company, Ogor asked one of our correspondents not to make an issue out of nothing.

He said: “What is wrong? Is there any law that says honorable members should not do a job? The most important thing is to see whether those jobs were done; I think that is the issue. If the contract was awarded to a company that has relationship with me, is the job done or not done? That is the issue. You don't make an issue out of anything.

“The fact is that a company is a separate entity; you must understand that in our law. So if the company has a relationship with me and the job was done, what is the problem with it?

“If the job is not done, you can make an issue of it, but if the job was done and met the business standards as attested to by the agency, then I don’t know what anybody is trying to talk about.

“Anyway whatever it is, if there is an issue, I will probably look at the issue and address it, but as far as I’m concerned, if a contract was awarded to anybody by an agency and the job is done to the satisfaction of the agency and the jobs are still on ground, except somebody is trying to give a dog a bad name for one specific reason or the other; if the job has been done and completed to the standards and it is still there for anybody to go and inspect and somebody wants to make an issue out of it, then let him or her go ahead and let’s hear whatever the issues are.

“To me, it’s a total non-issue”.

http://saharareporters.com/2017/06/09/efcc-blocks-n116m-linked-delta-lawmaker-leo-ogors-firms

The federal government has finally released a breakdown of the first tranche of Paris Club refunds paid to states to date.

The payments, totalling N516.38 billion, were made to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory upon the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari on November 21 2016, a statement by Salisu Danbatta, director of information in the Ministry of Finance said.

The payments were in partial settlement of longstanding claims by State Governments relating to over-deductions from their Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation for external debt service arising between 1995 and 2002.

The debt service deductions are in respect of the Paris Club, London Club and Multilateral debts of the FG and States.
While Nigeria reached a final agreement for debt relief with the Paris Club in October 2005, some States had already been overcharged.

The government had initially turned down repeated requests to release the payment details.

“The funds were released to state governments as part of the wider efforts to stimulate the economy and were specifically designed to support states in meeting salary and other obligations, thereby alleviating the challenges faced by workers,” the statement said.

The releases were conditional upon a minimum of 50 per cent being applied to the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.

The Federal Ministry of Finance said it was reviewing the impact of these releases on the level of arrears owed by State Governments.

Mr. Danbatta said a detailed report is being compiled for presentation to the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, as part of the process for approval for the release of any subsequent tranches.

See the payment details below:

REFUND OF OVERDEDUCTIONS ON PARIS CLUB LOANS ON THE ACCOUNTS OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (1995-2002)

1 ABIA 11431531742.97

2 ADAMAWA 10257434321.63

3 AKWA IBOM 25981255165.12

4 ANAMBRA 12243313404.68

5 BAUCHI 13755553122.51

6 BAYELSA 24895696347.55

7 BENUE 13709343498.51

8 BORNO 14681869730.63

9 CROSS RIVER 12150687893.85

10 DELTA 27606963362.46

11 EBONYI 9016166759.96

12 EDO 12182253184.99

13 EKITI 9545673294.17

14 ENUGU 10723578819.32

15 GOMBE 8945755396.38

16 IMO 14001610365.94

17 JIGAWA 14215333413.52

18 KADUNA 15443458455.1

19 KANO 21740390362.48

20 KATSINA 16404261819.71

21 KEBBI 11954998982.9

22 KOGI 12055455191.6

23 KWARA 10241288653.14

24 LAGOS 16743876266.21

25 NASARAWA 9102098342.24

26 NIGER 14421586309.89

27 OGUN 11478749388.92

28 ONDO 14007296628.57

29 OSUN 12628212681.25

30 OYO 13315423054.25

31 PLATEAU 11288158110.82

32 RIVERS 34925785322.06

33 SOKOTO 12882257093.52

34 TARABA 9326607975

35 YOBE 10826206233.18

36 ZAMFARA 10884771188.99

37 FCT 1369735000.09

TOTAL 516384636883.81

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/233555-breaking-finally-nigerian-govt-releases-details-of-paris-club-refunds-to-states.html

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja to continue the hearing on charges of money laundering and fraud instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Parties, Olisah Metuh.

A five-man bench of the apex court made the order in a unanimous ruling in which it dismissed Metuh’s application for an order of stay of proceedings of his trial before the Federal High Court.

The trial will now continue on June 19, a date fixed by Justice Abang to deliver some interlocutory rulings in the trial.

Abang had adjourned until June 19 to await the outcome of the Supreme Court’s ruling delivered on Friday.

Metuh's application which was dismissed by the Supreme Court on Friday was anchored on his pending appeal before the court.

The appeal before the apex court is challenging an earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal which affirmed Justice Abang’s decision dismissing Metuh's no-case submission.
Metuh had through his application for stay of proceedings, urged the Supreme Court to halt his trial before the Federal High Court pending the outcome of his appeal before the apex court on the no-case submission.

But the five-man bench of the apex court dismissed the application on Friday.

The lead ruling of the apex court dismissing Metuh ’s application for a stay of proceedings was prepared by Justice Clara Ogunbiyi.

The summary of the ruling was, on Friday , read on behalf of Justice Ogunbiyi by Justice Ejembi Eko, who also agreed with the lead ruling.

http://punchng.com/breaking-dasukigate-supreme-court-orders-justice-abang-to-continue-metuhs-trial/

The Senate on Thursday passed a bill scrapping the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and replacing it with Federal Roads Authority.

The bill, sponsored by Kabiru Gaya (Kano-APC), was read the third time at plenary before it was passed through a unanimous vote by the senators.

The Senate, however, rejected the report on National Road Funds, stepping it down for further legislative action.

The proposed Road Funds Bill has generated controversy over alleged plans to introduce additional N5 fuel levy as one of the major sources of financing the fund.

Speaking in favour of the bill, Mr. Gaya explained that it would “provide a predictable funding for roads in Nigeria.”

He said the fund would create environment for effective participation of public-private-partnership.

The lawmaker said the idea of road funds was not new, citing examples from countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Togo and United States where funds were generated from fuel levy.

According to him, Nigeria can generate N94 billion annually from fuel levy to help fund roads in the country.

He said the levy would be paid directly into signatory account of the National Road Funds, adding that the Nigeria Customs Service would be responsible for the remittance.

In his contribution, Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara-APC) said it was not entirely correct that the proposed N5 fuel levy was captured in the industry’s template.

Mr. Marafa said the plan to introduce N5 fuel levy would further put pressure on an already stressed petroleum downstream sector and cause hardship for the people.

He advised the Committee on Works to explore other areas such as toll fee or any other road taxes, cautioning strongly against fuel levy in whatever guise.

In his remarks, the deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided at plenary, said the Senate had no plan to increase pump price of petroleum products.

The report was subsequently stepped down to enable other relevant committees go through the content of the Bill.

(NAN)


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/233463-senate-scraps-ferma-establishes-federal-road-authority.html

OLUGBENGA SOYELE,

Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday refused to suspend the trial of former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, pending the hearing of his application seeking to transfer the matter to Abuja.

The embattled former Minister had urged the court to stay further proceeding in the case until an application he filed to transfer the case to Abuja, where he contended that alleged offence was committed, is determined.

But the judge dismissed the oral motion holding that Fani-Kayode’s application is not yet ripe for hearing.

Justice Aikawa however granted an application filed by the second accused in the case, former Minister of State for Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, praying the court for the release of her international passport to enable her travel abroad for a medical appointment.

The judge granted Usman leave to travel for three weeks between July and August to the United States but must surrender her passport to the court not later than August 31, 2017.

The two ministers and one Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimensions Limited were re-arraigned before Justice Rilwan Aikawa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following the withdrawal of the former trial judge, Justice Muslim Hassan from the case.

Justice Hassan withdrew from the case after Fani-Kayode objected to being tried before him, on allegation of bias.

The 17 count charge brought against them by the anti-graft agency border on conspiracy, unlawful retention of proceeds of theft and money laundering.

The EFCC alleged that the accused persons on or before January 2015, unlawfully retained the total sum of N4.6 billion, which they knew was a proceeds from an unlawful act.

While Usman, former Minister of Finance, under president Goodluck Jonathan Administration, Danjuma Yusuf and Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Limited retained the sum of N1.5 billion, Fani-kayode and Olubode Oke, said to be at large, were accused of retained the total sum of N1,650,650 billion.

The accused persons were also alleged to have made payment of several amounts running to billions of Naira without going through financial institutions.

The offence which was allegedly committed between January 2015 and March 2015 is contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) & 4 of the same Act.
They pleaded not guilty to the charge.

During Wednesday proceedings, the EFCC called it first prosecution witness, Olusegun Idowu who identified himself as a media consultant.

Idowu told the court that he got two contracts of N24million and 6million from Fani-Kayode through an intermediary, one Olubode Oke.

However, at the prosecution’s request, the court adjourned trial till tomorrow (Friday) to enable the witness bring originals of invoices and receipts of the alleged transactions.
Earlier, Fani-Kayode’s counsel Norrison Quakers SAN informed the court that it was yet to rule on a pending application for the case to be moved to the Abuja division of the court.

Although Justice Aikawa said the application was not in the court’s file, Quakers insisted that the application was filed on the day of the defendants’ re-arraignment and had been received and acknowledged by the EFCC.

The application, Quakers said, was jurisdictional in scope and should be determined before trial could commence.

Quakers said: “Practice direction is clear on this matter. This is what the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, in his wisdom, has formulated. The rule is recognized by Section 490(d) of the Administration of Criminal Justice LAW (2015). Rules of court are meant to be obeyed.

“There is a practice direction that guides the Federal High Court in situations like this. The direction says the court will not commence trial until the defendant’s application is taken, one way or another. It is trite that jurisdiction is the life of any adjudication. The second defendant (Fani-Kayode) has not said he does not want to be tried, he is saying he does not want to be tried in Lagos.

“Your Lordship is bound by Rules of Court, the ACJL and judicial pronouncements on the issue to determine it one way or another.”

He argued among others that the CJ’s power to make the practice rules flowed from Section 490 of the ACJL pursuant to Section 254 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

But Oyedepo, relying on Section 396 of the ACJL, argued, among others, that Quakers’ position was correct in law.

He said: “I submit that it would amount to turning the law upside down to say that the substantive issue, which is the allegation as contained in the charge, cannot be taken without determining the application. Section 396 of the ACJL is higher in hierarchy and takes precedence over the practice direction.

“This application is challenging the competence of this charge in Lagos. What the defendant did was just to lift the same application decided before Justice Hassan and re-filed it here. This application, apart from being a gross abuse of court processes, cannot constitute a stay.”

Ruling, Justice Aikawa upheld the prosecution’s argument and said, “I have listened to the erudite argument of counsel.

In my opinion, practice directions, although having the force of subsidiary legislation, are meant to guide the court in criminal trials. Departure from it in some circumstances will not render proceedings fatal if done in the interest of justice and speedy conclusion of trial.”

The court then allowed the prosecution examine its witness, Idowu.

http://leadership.ng/2017/06/07/n4-9bn-fraud-court-refuses-stay-proceeding-fani-kayode-trial/

…Hold talks to resolve grey areas

…As Osinbajo gives 2 conditions for assent

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

ABUJA— As the nation eagerly awaits the take-off of the 2017 budget, more than half way into the fiscal year, the Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly made last minute attempts, last night, to salvage the document by sorting out areas of disagreement.

The meeting between the Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly to hammer out the grey areas in the budget was underway at press time.

According to impeccable sources, the presidency, which prepared the budget, is riled that the leadership of the National Assembly unilaterally introduced more than 400 ‘strange projects’ into the budget before belatedly passing it last month.

2017 budget breakdown

The said projects, Vanguard understands, are mostly roads, health centres, recreational centres, water and electricity schemes, which are under state and local governments that were never evaluated, designed or included by the Presidency in the budget.

At the same time, the presidency is concerned that the NASS inexplicably slashed allocations to key federal agencies and projects and added them to its budget, raising it from N115 billion to N125 billion at the time of economic hardship without considering the impact on other Nigerians.

The Presidency is also said to be worried that the NASS jerked up the budget by N143 billion without explaining where the additional cash would be derived from, saying the ‘distortions’ would adversely affect the implementation of the budget.

A top presidency official, who spoke to Vanguard last night, said the extraneous items introduced by the NASS into the 2017 budget would have an adverse effect on the generality of Nigerians, if not expunged.

“These illegal insertions into the budget presented to them by President Muhammadu Buhari last year, do not in any way indicate that they were done for purely altruistic reasons. From the look of things, it is clear to us that the projects were added for pecuniary and political reasons and they cannot help to advance the cause of the ordinary man in the society.

“How can state and local government projects that do not have designs and cost be inserted into a national budget by those who will still turn round tomorrow to blame the executive of non-implementation of the budget, if assented to by the President in the form it was transmitted?” the source queried last night.

Osinbajo gives 2 conditions for assent

A top official of the administration confirmed to Vanguard that although Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, was eager to assent to the appropriation bill to “move the country forward,” he could only do so on two major conditions: that NASS would not insist on the full implementation of the “imported 400 projects” and would not also accuse the executive of not implementing the budget in full.

It will be recalled that the Presidency proposed a budget of N7.3 trillion in December 2016 but the NASS jerked it to N7.44 trillion.

But Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, defended the increase of the budget by N143 billion, saying that it would take care of vital projects, such as the second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and others.

Lawan told State House correspondents that the new projects would be funded by the difference in the N42.5 oil bench mark proposed by the executive and the N44.5 passed by NASS.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/presidency-nass-flex-muscles-400-strange-projects-2017-budget/

The massive looting of public funds during the administrations of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan came to the fore, Monday, as top government officials and businessmen were said to have illicitly enriched themselves with public funds, amounting to over N1.35 trillion.

The chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Itse Sagay, disclosed this in Abuja, at the conference on Promoting International Co-operation in Combating Illicit Financial Flows and Enhancing Asset Recovery to Foster Sustainable Development.

Citing a study, Prof. Sagay said that the corruption captured in the study related to only six years (2006- 2013).

The PACAC chairman said that the figure of looted funds in the period under review was much higher when fuel subsidy scam, billion arms purchase scam, hundreds of millions of dollars taken from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation by a former minister to bribe election officials in 2015, were taken into consideration.

In his address, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, said that the federal government would sanction banks that aide illicit financial flows from the country.

According to him, it would not have been possible to divert the volume of funds in question from public organizations without the involvement of banks.

Details later…


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/55-top-govt-officials-businessmen-stole-n1-4-trn-obj-yaradua-jonathan/

Babatunde Osotimehin was a global leader of public health, women’s empowerment and young people, particularly focused on promoting human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as population and development. After his appointment as UNFPA Executive Director, effective 2011, he spearheaded efforts by the international community to advance the milestone consensus of the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994.

Upon moving into his second term in 2015, Mr. Osotimehin introduced new reforms that increased the effectiveness and efficiency of UNFPA and outlined a more robust vision for improving the lives of women, adolescents and youth around the world. His leadership and advocacy with governments and other key stakeholders continued to focus on youth and voluntary family planning. He also, until his death, steered UNFPA’s humanitarian action and efforts around eliminating gender-based violence and other harmful practices.

Mr. Osotimehin’s professional background is in health and medicine. He had extensive knowledge of the global and national frameworks and processes that are critical to UNFPA’s work. He previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Health and as the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS, which coordinates all HIV/AIDS work in Nigeria.

The UNFPA Executive Director served in various advisory boards and councils. Mr. Osotimehin chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Demographic Dividend. He is also a Global Agenda Trustee for the Forum’s Global Challenge on Economic Growth and Social Inclusion, and co-chairs the Family Planning 2020 Reference Group.

Mr. Osotimehin completed his medical studies at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1972 and received a doctorate in medicine from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 1979. He was named Professor at the University of Ibadan in 1980 and headed the Department of Clinical Pathology before being elected Provost of the College of Medicine in 1990. He has served as chair and member of several academic and health organizations, including as Chair of the National Action Committee on AIDS, between 2002 and 2007.

Mr. Osotimehin received the Nigerian national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger, in December 2005.
He was married and had five children.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The profile was sourced from the UNFPA and edited to reflect Mr. Osotimehin’s death.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/233081-profile-the-life-and-times-of-babatunde-osotimehin.html

Those who have stolen public funds are spearheading a “media war” against the anti-corruption efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said.

The Acting President spoke in Abuja at the Conference on Promoting International Co-operation in Combating Illicit Financial Flows and Enhancing Asset Recovery to Foster Sustainable Development.

“In Nigeria for instance where corruption fights back so eloquently that government itself if not careful can be overwhelmed,” Mr. Osinbajo said.

“If you look at the anticorruption fight in Nigeria there is a major fight back in the media. There is a media war, between people fighting corruption and those behind the stolen funds.”

Read Mr. Osinbajo’s full speech below:

This is my first time of attending a conference that talks about recovering assets and the issue of what to do with the stolen assets.

Even though we have been able to convince ourselves that the proceeds from drug trafficking were dirty money but proceeds of corruption are not dirty money.

Many countries have signed treaties that proceeds from drugs, illegal traffic in persons proceeds of money.
Somehow proceeds from political corruption has not attracted the same outrage that proceeds from narcotics and trafficking in persons have attracted.

It took years for some people to agree that when somebody loot money where people make decent living that is more criminal than crime against humanity, more dangerous than trafficking in drugs.

Is a good thing that we are here with our partners who agree that not only are these stolen assets criminalize but that they are returned to their appropriate owners.

There is no way this the transfer of this assets can happen without a handshake between the countries that they are transferred and the international banking institutions in the countries in which they are transferred, there is no way it will happen without some form of connivance.

We have to look at somehow delegitimizing those kinds of Financial institutions and criminalizing them, so that banks and financial institutions that actually engage in this are be called out and made to face the consequences of engaging in criminal practices. If that isn’t done we are not likely to go very far.

For there to be collaboration there must first be connivance, in the agreement and conventions we will be signing we must find away and ensure that financial institutions are not given a free run and hold them accountable.

Another point is that African countries and developing countries must realize that is our responsibility to ensure not only find get these monies and make sure that there are return. It is not enough to talk about it. Some countries are somehow reluctant about it, many have civil processes that makes it difficult, they say our courts are handling this matter and there is very little we can do about.

We must make it a national call, a call for other developing countries to have the same outrage for drugs, terrorist financing for illicit financial flows. We must emphasis at every point and call out institutions that are not cooperating and ensuring that they recognize that this for us a serious issue.

Like President Buhari has said repeatedly that if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill it. When corrupt monies find safe havens, it will begin to fight back and if government is not careful it can fight back.

In Nigeria for instance where corruption fights back so eloquently that government itself if not careful can be overwhelmed.

If you look at the anticorruption fight in Nigeria there is a major fight back in the media. There is a media war, between people fighting corruption and those behind the stolen funds.

It is called media trial, I don’t know what that means. If you discover for instance large sums of money in an air condition room there is no where it will not make news anywhere in the world.

So, this whole idea of trying to legitimize corruption is definitely being fuelled and sponsored by those who have these resources, who have stolen funds. Unless we see it as a problem that can bring down our system then we will never be able to fight. I hope we will be able to advance this with other African countries.

The Mbeki report shows that most of the illicit funds flow that comes out of Africa are from Nigeria and that shows us very clearly especially the security agencies that we simply have to do more. It is evident that so much money is leaving our shores.

I was arguing with somebody about the fact that they were stopping certain funding, and he kept telling me Nigeria is no longer a poor country but now a mid-income earning country so they shouldn’t be giving us those kinds of aids. It was barely a week after that a large sum of money was found at the Kaduna airport and it was roughly about half of the money we were looking for. So, he sent me a text telling me that the money has been discovered at the Kaduna. Of course, I didn’t reply him but when he persisted and called him and asked if this was his own form of a joke.

But clearly is sometimes absurd that when we are asking for aid and so much money is being stolen. So, we ourselves must take responsibility and ensure we keep talking about this.

http://saharareporters.com/2017/06/05/osinbajo-corrupt-officials-funding-anti-government-media-war

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, has approved the appointment of a new Chief Registrar for the Supreme Court.

The newly appointed registrar, Hadizatu Mustapha, will assume office on July 1. She is to replace the current Chief Registrar, Ahmad Saleh, who has been appointed the new Secretary of the National Judicial Council, NJC.

A statement from Mr. Onnoghen’s Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Awassam Bassey, said Mrs. Mustapha’s appointment was contained in a letter signed by the Secretary of the Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, Bilkisu Bashir. The statement added that the letter was dated May 31.

According to the statement, Mrs. Mustapha’s appointment followed an interview conducted for six applicants desiring to emerge in that position by the FJSC on May 30.

“Until her appointment, Mrs. Mustapha, was the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“Born in Gwoza in Borno State on the 8th August 1961, Mrs. Hadizatu Mustapha holds a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) degree from the University of Maiduguri which she earned in 1984 before attending the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos, for her Barrister at Law (BL) programme in 1985.”

The statement further detailed the profile of Mrs. Mustapha as follows:

“After her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in 1986, Mrs. Mustapha joined the Borno State Ministry of Justice, Maiduguri, in 1987as State Counsel 11 before rising to State Counsel 1 (1990-1993); She became Senior State Counsel (1993-1996); Assistant Director (1996-1999), and Acting Director, Citizens Rights Department (1999-2000).

“Between 2000 and 2004, Mrs. Hadizatu Mustapha was the Chief Enterprise Officer of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPE), Abuja, where she was the Acting Secretary to three committees: Policy and Monitoring Committee, Transactions Marketing Committee, and Industrial Manufacturing Committee.

“In 2004, Mrs. Hadizatu Mustapha returned to the Borno State Ministry of Justice as the acting Director of Public Prosecution before joining the Borno State Government as Senior Special Assistant on Administration to the Governor. She was then appointed Director of Legal Services to the Borno State Independent Electoral Commission in 2007.

“After a four-year stint in the private sector, Mrs. Mustapha joined the Sharia Court of Appeal in the Federal Capital Territory in 2011 as the Deputy Chief Registrar, a position she maintained till her current appointment as the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/232988-nigeria-supreme-court-gets-new-chief-registrar.html

A large number of Kogi West Senatorial district constituents, on Friday marched to INEC’s headquarters in Lokoja, demanding the recall of Senator Dino Melaye, who represents them at the National Assembly.

They carried banners with different inscriptions and chanted anti-Dino songs.

Some of them claimed the lawmaker was not performing and that they were tired of “continuous embarrassment” he was causing them.

Spokesperson of the constituents, Pius Kolawole, said constituents from across the seven LGAs (Yagba West, Yagba East, Mopamuro, Ihany, Kabba/Bunu, Koton-karfe and Lokoja) that make up the West Senatorial district have compiled a list of 18 offences committed by Dino Melaye.

“Let it be known that all the seven local government areas, comprising Kogi West senatorial zone are united in their resolve to recall Senator Dino Melaye and remove the disgrace he has become for all of us,” Kolawole said.

Some of the offences listed include, non-execution of projects for constituents, lack of constituency office in the district, alleged certificate scandal, alleged vituperations against personalities such as the Sultan of Sokoto, President Muhammadu Buhari, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, painting the state in bad light through his conducts, alleged corrupt enrichment and lack of respect for his party, amongst others.

http://dailypost.ng/2017/06/02/dino-melayes-constituents-march-inec-office-demand-recall-photo/