Oba Of Benin Visits Lagos, Says Tinubu’s Presidency Is God-Ordained
The Oba of Benin, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, on Sunday, said God ordained Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to be President of Nigeria and called on the citizens to support the administration, as well as live in peace.
He noted that the victory of Tinubu in the 2023 presidential poll and his emergence as the incumbent President of Nigeria showed God ordained him to rule the country, hence the need for all Nigerians to support him to achieve the greater Nigeria of our dreams.
The Oba of Benin spoke on Sunday during a courtesy visit to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Lagos House, Marina.
Speaking during the visit, Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II, harped on the need for peaceful coexistence in the country for us to achieve sustainable development in all areas of the nation’s economy.
He said diversity is good for Nigeria and urged the people to iron out their differences and live as a family in peace, unity and harmony with one another.
“God has ordained that Tinubu would become President of Nigeria. We are all one. I am for peace and tranquility. We must live together as one. Nigeria is big. We must iron out our differences and learn to live together as one, big family,” he said.
Oba of Benin, who congratulated Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on his reelection, commended the giant strides of the Governor in Lagos and charged him not to rest on his oars to achieve greater heights in his second term in office.
The monarch who visited the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Onikan, after the courtesy visit, with Governor Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and other cabinet members, also commended Governor Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to the promotion of culture and tradition.
Speaking during the courtesy visit, Governor Sanwo-Olu assured that the state would continue to be home to everyone irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliations.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who eulogised the Oba of Benin for distinguishing himself among the traditional rulers, said his protection of culture and promotion of traditional values have earned him maximum respect across the country.
Sanwo-Olu, while conveying the greetings of President Bola Tinubu to the Oba of Benin, urged the traditional ruler to continue his support for the present Federal Government to ensure citizens benefit from dividends of democracy which he noted are becoming evident in the third quarter of the year with a rise in the country’s GDP.
He said: “On behalf of Mr. President, we want to thank you for your fatherly role; for your prayers and best wishes to the government and I am sure he will not disappoint you.
“He will do everything possible to ensure that he delivers the real dividends of democracy that will help our country to reduce the poverty in the land, give us a new set of hope and redefine social economic development.
A military armoury in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown came under attack on Sunday, the government announced, as it imposed an immediate national curfew.
The government said those attempting to break into the armoury had been repelled. Witnesses told AFP they heard gunshots and explosions in the city’s Wilberforce district.
The information ministry said in a statement that it assured the public that “the government and our state security forces are in control”.
“To enable the security forces to continue the process of apprehending the suspects, a nationwide curfew is declared with immediate effect across the country,” the ministry said.
No further details were not given on the alleged perpetrators of the attack or their motives.
Sierra Leone, an English-speaking country in West Africa, has been going through a political crisis following presidential and general elections in June this year.
As I pen these words today, my heart brims with emotions so profound they transcend the scope of language. Accompanied by Bishop Denis Isizoh, the Catholic Diocese of Aguleri, I embarked on a journey of immense significance. Together, we navigated through River Niger to pay a visit to the resilient and indefatigable people of Olumbanasa in Anambra West LGA
This voyage was more than a symbolic gesture, it was a testament to my steadfast commitment to reach every nook and cranny, every soul of our beloved Anambra state. The journey was also a personal milestone as it marked my first time being transported in a Keke through the rural areas. This experience was more than just a thrilling ride, it allowed me a glimpse into the everyday life of our valued Anambra citizens.
Olumbanasa, a place once considered unreachable by my predecessors, was made accessible due to your unwavering faith and trust in my leadership. This visit, unprecedented in the annals of Anambra State, represents a historic achievement, a step no Governor before me has taken.
During my campaign, I paid special attention to the challenges facing Anambra West, particularly with regards to the access road leading to its headquarters. It remains the only Local Government without a navigable access road. Today, I am proud to report that the headquarters is undergoing a complete transformation, and the once impassable road is now under construction. This is a promise fulfilled, a testament to my resolve.
When I applied for this office, it was with a vision to bring solace to the distressed, to be a beacon of hope for the downtrodden. We stand united in our belief of 'One Anambra, One People, One Agenda'.
Our commitment to ensuring enduring peace for the people of Olumbanasa, Odekpe and Allah-Onugwa remains unshakeable. We understand that peace is the cornerstone of development. "Udo GA Chi" peace must indeed reign.
We are dedicated to establishing a primary health center powered by solar energy in the region. Furthermore, we have plans to illuminate the lives of the people of Olumbanasa with solar lighting, provide them with boreholes and rejuvenate their educational institutions.
This visit fills me with pride, and I assure you, this is but the first of many
2027: I have character, I won’t run against Tinubu — Wike • Declares NIN, BVN as requirement to acquire land in Abuja
by Lawrence Bajah November 24, 2023 Reading Time: 4 mins read
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesome Wike, has said he has character and will therefore not contest for president come 2027 against President Bola Tinubu.
Wike disclosed this during a media parley on Friday in Abuja, when he reiterated his commitment to the success of the Tinubu administration, even as he explained that the quest for justice was the key reason he and the G5 group of governors supported the presidential ambitions of Tinubu.
The minister noted that, having worked for the emergence of Tinubu as president and having been made minister of FCT, nothing would make him contest against the president in 2027.
00:35 / 03:03
He said, “Tinubu made me minister; people don’t understand; I have character. What will happen in 2027? I stood, and I said I’m not going to support injustice. I was threatened that they would do this and that. They tried many options, including using major generals.”
Asked for an update on his face-off with Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State, Wike, who initially said he didn’t want to talk about the matter, later declared:
“Give a man power and money; that is when you will know the person. If you have not given manpower and money, don’t say you know the person.”
“He may be your friend; he may be your son, sister, mother, or father. I don’t want to go into that,” he stated.
He lamented that Fubara could seek to destroy the structure that produced him as governor just three months after his emergence as governor.
“In three months, it is sad for someone to scatter a political structure that supports and brings you up. You know what is painful? All these allegations make me smile.
Who and who sat with him? In all your doings, be grateful for your life, no matter the circumstance. Nobody who is a gentleman and a politician will support this kind of thing.”
On his achievements as governor of Rivers State, Wike said, “I was paying pensioner’s gratuities every month, which were not paid by my predecessor. I took River State to the level where you cannot discuss politics in Nigeria without River State.
“I was an ordinary minister when I became governor. I challenged the sitting governor, and I defeated his candidate. I worked hard.”
On the new requirements for the acquisition of land in the Federal Capital Territory, particularly the introduction of the National Identity Number (NIN) and Biometric Verification Number (BVN) to the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), the minister said the new features were for security and revenue generation.
Wike also disclosed that existing landowners in the capital must get recertification to incorporate these new features.
“There are a lot of discrepancies, a lot of cloning of C-of-Os, so we have come up with the idea that every allottee who seeks and applies for a C-of-O must supply his NIN; this is one of the features we are going to put in the new C-of-O,” he said.
“If a corporate body doesn’t have an NIN and they have property, they must put their BVN. So many people have not registered, and this will make them go and re-register.”
Addressing the issue of existing landlords with C-of-Os, Wike stated that they would only be required to pay a nominal fee for recertification.
“For everyone who has a C-of-O, they will come for a recertification, so that we can incorporate the NIN or BVN,” he said.
“Those who had a C-of-O before don’t need to pay money again; the highest they can pay is N50,000, and corporate bodies will pay N100,000. It helps in terms of security; it also helps to improve our revenue generation.”
“There are people who own seven properties, so this will identify them so they can pay taxes.”
Wike further stated that other benefits of this initiative include accurately identifying property owners for tax purposes.
Local refining: FG pledges support for Waltersmith Refinery
The Federal Government has promised full support for the expansion plans of Waltersmith Refinery, as part of efforts to boost local refining of petroleum products in the country.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, who made the pledge during his official visit to the refinery located at Ibigwe, Imo State, said the refinery’s role aligned with one of his key objectives of ramping up Nigeria’s refining capacity and promoting economic growth.
“The shortest way to addressing our problem of low in-country refining capacity is modular refineries and that is why I am here to see things for myself.
”I am very proud of what I have seen. I also want to encourage Waltersmith and pledge my full support towards their expansion plans, so we can solve the energy problem of our country.”
Also speaking during the visit, the Executive Secretary of National Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, reiterated the Board’s commitment to supporting projects that aligned with the Nigerian Content Act, fostering local capacity development, and enhancing value retention within the country.
He said “NCDMB investment in Waltersmith Modular Refinery has turned out to be one of its best investment decisions so far.”
In his remarks, chairman of Waltersmith Group, Abdulrazaq Isa, emphasized the need for collaborative efforts between the private and government entities to advance the nation’s energy sector.
“We are moving from 5,000 to 10,000 barrels of crude oil a day (bpd) but our focus is on achieving 40,000bpd capacity.
”Already, we are engaging all necessary parties, especially the national oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, NNPC Ltd, to ensure we have access to enough feedstock that will enable us get to the 40,000bpd capacity.
”That is where we are headed and our co-investor, the NCDMB, is happy with what we are doing,” he added.
The managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Industry, BOI, Olasupo Olusi, said the bank was open and committed to supporting the expansion plans of Waltersmith refinery.
He stated: “We want to see the scaling up of refining in Nigeria. That will help in alleviating some of the economic issues at present and for us, that is a very strategic intervention in this critical sector of our economy.”
🛑 Stop travelling abroad without proper documentation, Dabiri-Erewa warns Nigerians
The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has urged Nigerians travelling abroad to have proper documentation to avoid irregularities and unpleasant consequences.
Dabiri-Erewa stated this when she visited some Nigerians in one of the shelters in Brampton, Canada.
Dabiri-Erewa warned Nigerians who have the intent to travel to Canada either without proper documentation or to seek asylum to desist as the “situation is getting tougher in many countries.”
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday via the commission’s handle on X, and signed by the Director, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.
The statement read, “The NIDCOM boss sympathised with their condition and urged others planning to travel without proper documentation, arrive in the country to seek asylum, to desist, as the situation is getting tougher in many countries, adding that “ it is just not worth it, more often than not”.
The statement added that the Mayor of Brampton “promised to make 800 more beds available and shelter,” according to one Vivian Eruka, who runs the Bethel food bank and works with those in Shelters.
It added, “Mr. Wale Rabiu, owner of Matlock bakery donated hundreds of loaves of Agege bread to the shelter inmates, while Mr. Bayo Adedosu, a Nigerian living in Canada, and an immigration consultant also gave some words of counseling, adding that they should not talk ill about their home country, Nigeria, to avoid future repercussions,” adding that Nigerians should be patient and law-abiding.
“Migration is a human right issue but must be done legitimately and not irregularly,” the statement cautioned.
HeatSeeker: Once you start regulating crypto, then part of the original purpose has already been defeated. If regulators have access and anonymity can no longer be guaranteed, then what is the point? We are witnessing the gradual end.
well you're right.
But a system functioning unregulated would pose a serious security threat.
cjudy: Crypto is still the best anytime any day. Dollar is the key 🔑.
In anything you’re doing, make sure you’re earning in dollars
Crypto is nice but you need to understand why some underworld folks prefers it to regulated financial platforms. They craves for anonymousity.
With the eyes of US Treasury Department on it now, I'm pretty sure it will no longer be that attractive to fraudsters and terrorists, because the psuedo anonymousity they've been enjoying is gone for good.
Me think part of the settlement agreement which is not revealed is that, they will now start complying with US. Anti-money Laundering Laws, which was the main reason he was pulled in by the US, and that involves reporting transactions on its platform to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Treasury Department, for thorough scrutiny of both senders and recipients of funds in the platform.
That would be nice, at least it will help checkmate illicit financial flows, that that would mean bad market for terrorists financers and yahoo yahoo business 😂
Binance's Zhao pleads guilty, steps down to settle US illicit finance probe
By Chris Prentice, David Lawder and Jonathan Stempel
November 22, 20235:33 AM GMT+1Updated an hour ago
NEW YORK, Nov 21 (Reuters)
Binance chief Changpeng Zhao stepped down and pleaded guilty to breaking U.S. anti-money laundering laws as part of a $4.3 billion settlement resolving a years-long probe into the world's largest crypto exchange, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The deal, which will see Zhao personally pay $50 million, was described by prosecutors as one of the largest corporate penalties in U.S. history. It is another blow to the crypto industry that has been beset by investigations and comes on the heels of the recent fraud conviction of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
But several legal experts said it was a good outcome for Zhao, leaving his vast wealth intact and allowing him to retain his stake in Binance, the exchange he founded in 2017.
Binance broke U.S. anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and failed to report more than 100,000 suspicious transactions with organizations the U.S. described as terrorist groups including Hamas, al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, authorities said.
The exchange also never reported transactions with websites devoted to selling child sexual abuse materials and was one of the largest recipients of ransomware proceeds, they said.
"Binance made it easy for criminals to move their stolen funds and illicit proceeds on its exchanges," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Tuesday. "Binance also did more than just fail to comply with federal law. It pretended to comply."
Some of the charges, which are both criminal and civil, relate to practices that Reuters reported first in a series of articles in 2022.
The Justice Department, which negotiated the settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Treasury Department, is seeking an 18-month prison sentence for Zhao, the maximum suggested under federal guidelines, the New York Times reported.
Binance's former chief compliance officer Samuel Lim was charged by the CFTC, the agency said. Neither Lim nor his lawyers responded to requests for comment.
Binance will pay $1.81 billion within 15 months, and a further $2.51 billion forfeiture as part of the deal, prosecutors said.
Zhao, a billionaire, was born in China and moved to Canada at the age of 12. He pleaded guilty in a Seattle court on Tuesday afternoon.
"Today, I stepped down as CEO of Binance," Zhao said on social media after the settlement was announced. "Admittedly, it was not easy to let go emotionally. But I know it is the right thing to do. I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility. This is best for our community, for Binance, and for myself."
While authorities have probed Zhao and Binance for years, Zhao's exit marks a dramatic development for one of the most powerful figures in the crypto industry, and for Binance. The deal raises questions over the future of the crypto exchange, which he has tightly controlled.
Richard Teng, a longtime Binance executive, will take over at Binance, Zhao said in his post.
"These resolutions acknowledge our company’s responsibility for historical, criminal compliance violations, and allow our company to turn the page," Binance said in a statement.
In a separate statement, Teng said that his focus would be on "reassuring users that they can remain confident in the financial strength, security and safety of the company."
ZHAO RETAINS BINANCE STAKE
Vanderbilt University law professor Yesha Yadav said while the fine was extremely large it appeared manageable for Binance.
"This deal...looks designed to give Binance the chance to live another day, while removing CZ, a figurehead who has been so intrinsically linked to the growth of a business model," she said.
Since Zhao appears to be retaining his stake in Binance, however, it's possible he may still be able to exert influence on the company, Yadav added.
Zhao is worth $10.2 billion, according to Forbes.
Given the seriousness of the violations and actors involved, Zhao appears to have "come out of this looking pretty good" as the U.S. government likely had to entice him to come to the U.S., said Robert Frenchman of Mukasey Frenchman LLP.
"He still has enormous wealth," Frenchman said. "He isn't likely to spend too much time in a U.S. jail. He retains his ownership stake in Binance, a company that has now resolved some of its biggest legal issues."
Prosecutors likely weighed those benefits for Zhao against the possibility that he may not have otherwise surrendered and the desire to convince Binance to agree to pay a hefty sum, said Jeffrey Cohen, an assistant professor at Boston College Law School and former federal prosecutor.
"If you can get a good number for a corporate fine and the cost is that the individual defendants take a slightly lesser penalty, the government makes that calculation," Cohen said.
'POTENTIALLY ILLEGAL'
Binance has been under the Justice Department's scrutiny since at least 2018, Reuters reported last year, just one of a string of legal headaches it faces in the United States.
Federal prosecutors asked the company in December 2020 to provide internal records about its anti-money laundering efforts, along with communications involving Zhao.
The CFTC filed its civil charges against Binance in March, alleging it failed to implement an effective anti-money laundering program to detect and prevent terrorist financing.
Internally, Binance officers and employees acknowledged that the platform facilitated "potentially illegal activities," the CFTC alleged.
In February 2019, Binance's Lim received information on transactions by the militant Palestinian group Hamas on Binance, the CFTC wrote.
Lim, a Singaporean, "explained to a colleague that terrorists usually send ‘small sums’ as ‘large sums constitute money laundering'," the CFTC said in its March lawsuit.
Daniel Silva, a partner at law firm Buchalter and former federal prosecutor said the allegations likely could have supported charges against Zhao carrying stiffer penalties like fraud or money laundering.
"He was at risk of much more serious charges, and so this resolution is a very favorable one for him," Silva said.
Even so, a guilty plea involving the CEO of a company is rare and underscores the Justice Department's push under Democratic leadership for charges against executives.
"The government is beating a drum on the issue of individual accountability," said Kit Addleman, a partner with Haynes Boone law firm in Dallas.
She noted the size of the fines make clear the U.S. government wants to rein in the crypto sector, describing the financial size of the deal as "staggering".
Ogun Demolishes Illegal Structures Along Lag./Ibadan Expressway The Ogun State Government has started demolishing shanties and makeshift structures in Kara along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
According to the task force, the shanties and illegal structures disfigure the corridor and are considered to be hideouts for criminals across the corridor.
The operation was led by the Senior Special Assistant to the Ogun State Governor on Environment, Farouq Akintunde.
Mr Akintunde said the exercise was meant to position the state and maintain it as the industrial hub of Nigeria.
He noted, “Ogun State has a role to play in the economic advancement of the nation. No serious investor will come here and partner with us with all these kinds of shanties and garbage.”
The scene of the operation was littered with faeces and dirt including the road median along the corridor and under the Kara Bridge.
There was mild opposition to the demolition exercise as some protesters were seen with sticks, but the heavy presence of security agents such as policemen and operatives of the Ogun State Community Social Orientation and Safety Corps helped prevent any breakdown of law and Order
Culture › Re: Oba Of Benin Visits Lagos, Says Tinubu’s Presidency Is God-ordained by Supremos(op): 10:15pm On Nov 26, 2023
