₦airaland Forum

-As financial experts call for her removal

Financial experts has warn that Nigeria’s economy is heading for more tough times going by current happenstances at the Debt Management Office, DMO, headed by Ms. Patience Oniha.

There have been red alerts pointing towards a major crisis in the Nigerian economy since Oniha took over about a year ago from Dr. Abraham Nwankwo as the director-general. And despite the several millions of naira allocated to the agency, DMO itself is presently a shadow of its old self due largely to the perceived incompetence of the current DG.

The major worry at the moment is that despite the rising debt profile of the nation, the federal government has been unable to develop a fresh debt management strategy, seven months after the expiration of the Debt Management Office’s (DMO) five-year Third Strategic Plan initiated by Oniha’s predecessor.

Nigeria’s total public debt increased by 4.52 per cent in the first three months of 2018, the DMO had revealed, adding that the country’s debt increased from N21.73 trillion in December 2017 to N22.71 trillion at the end of the first quarter of 2018.

Financial experts attribute the above trend to lack of administrative skills exhibited by Ms Patience Oniha in handling affairs at the DMO. It is further argued that if no drastic steps are taken by the federal government concerning the Debt Management Office, the Nigerian economy risks a further nosedive in a few months to come.

“She is an analogue administrator who cannot operate in the digital age of debt management,” a financial expert quipped recently. He called for the sack of the director-general to be replaced by a more competent and experienced hand to manage an agency as strategic as the DMO.

As it stands, the prospect of the debt portfolio has become higher as Nigeria has just signed an agreement with France for $475million loan facility for some projects in Lagos, Kano and Ogun States.

The Debt Management Agency is a very critical arm of the federal government as far as debt management is concerned. Section 6(c) of the DMO Establishment Act 2003 states that the agency must, “prepare and implement a plan for the efficient management of Nigerian’s external and domestic debt obligations at sustainable levels compatible with desired economic activities for growth and development; and participate in negotiations aimed at realising those objectives.”

Due to its very critical role in the economy, the Debt Management Office has always operated with a strategic plan since it was establishes on 4th October 2000 to centrally coordinate the management of Nigeria’s debt. Its last strategic plan that expired last December was the third since its establishment.

Though the director-general of DMO had said that Nigeria’s steadily rising debt profile was not a big issue, the International Monetary Fund has expressed deep concerns over Nigeria’s capacity to repay its rising debts. IMF officials recently warned the government that Nigeria has been sliding down towards debt trap.

At a press conference on the sidelines of the World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington DC, recently Mrs Catherine Pattillo, Assistant Director, Fiscal Affairs Department of IMF, described Nigeria’s debt to revenue ratio, which she put at 63 percent, as “extremely high.”

According to her, “Borrowing by countries can create benefits if used for investments of high returns. Our evidence suggests that’s not the case in some countries, especially in Nigeria. So rising debt can create the vulnerabilities.”

Chirstine Lagarde, the head of International Monetary Fund corroborated this last month while addressing financial leaders from some developing countries. She said that global debt had soared to 220 per cent of global output, a staggering level that did not bode well for member economies.

In most economy, the debt problem was casting a shadow over future growth prospects, she said.

All efforts to reach Ms. Oniha for her angle proved futile as her mobile number 0802..…….79 was not reachable as at press time.

Baring last minute change, the former new PDP bloc of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will announce their exit from the mainstream of the party in preparation to joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Arrowheads of the group include Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Multiple sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the faction will address a press conference later on Wednesday to announce the decision.

The announcement of the formation of what is tagged the ‘new APC’ is said to be the first step in what would lead to a coalition of political parties and interests, to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari.

The faction, comprising some former governors and ranking lawmakers, has been in a tug of war with the APC government.

Some of the nPDP members, including Mr Saraki, former Adamawa governor, Murtala Nyako, and a senator, Dino Melaye, are facing corruption and other charges.

A number of the faction’s chieftains also complained about being left in the cold during the party’s congresses that took place between May and June this year.

Four governors and other ranking PDP members, including Mr Saraki, jettisoned the party in the run off to the 2015 polls, shoving up the chances of the then opposition APC.

But since forming the new government, many fault-lines started emerging, with the elements from the PDP bloc complaining of marginalisation.

A chieftain of APC who has been critical of the Buhari administration, Buba Galadima, confirmed the impending press conference to PREMIUM TIMES.

He, however, declined disclosing details though he did not refute that a new faction of the ruling party was going to be unveiled at the venue.

“I don’t want to preempt it,” Mr Galadima, who was secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mr Buhari’s former party, said.

But a source familiar with the horse-tradings disclosed that the press conference today would herald merger of various blocs ahead of the election.

“There have been discussions and a memorandum of understanding drafted among the interest blocs that would take care of everyone’s interest going into the PDP,” the source said.

According to the source, those going into the new alliance include the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), believed to be backed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Calls placed to spokespersons of Mr Saraki and Dogara Wednesday afternoon where not answered. Text messages sent to both Yusuf Olaniyonu, Mr Saraki’s media aide, and Turaki Hassan, Mr Dogara’s spokesperson, were also not replied.

Mr Kwankwaso’s spokesperson, Binta Spikin, was however unreachable Wednesday afternoon. Calls placed to her known telephone number did not go through.

..Demand N150m compensation

..As 7-Up insists on re-assurance products

In a development that might see one of Nigeria’s leading soft drinks manufacturers, Seven-Up Bottling Company Limited, in a deep shit of bad corporate image, the company is still insisting on non-culpability in the whole matter that is now trending everywhere, albeit social media.

According to incontrovertible facts at our disposal, two presumed loyal customers have petitioned the company, for having verifiable purchased some of the company’s products and found strange unpalatable objects inside some of the products.

The petitioners, Mr. Folorunso Olusegun and Mr. Abiodun Kenny Miracle, are now demanding compensation, to the tune of N150million jointly, for the trauma they went through, as a result of the strange discovery of such objects in their products. They made this claim through their lawyer, Barrister Wale Ogunade. They claim that, at least, the amount being asked for would help to tone down its impact on them, saying that they were terrified about what could have happened to them if they had mistakenly consumed such insalubrious products presented to them as good products.

According to Folorunso Olusegun, one of the aggrieved customers “they bought crates of Mirinda mixed with other products intended for a party, and while they were sharing the drinks, a bottle of Mirinda was discovered to have a strange object inside, and immediately he alerted his sister and other people, who promptly advised him to sue the company for possible poisoning and negligence.”

In Abiodun Kenny Miracle’s claim, he said he also purchased some crates of Seven-Up drinks for a party too, and found a bottle of Seven-Up with similar objects. At this point, they jointly and severally decided to write the company for compensation on the advice of a lawyer friend, who told them that they have a good case. Sequel to this development, they sought the services of one Ronald Taiwo, who organized a meeting between the customers and Seven-Up company at Wale Ogunade Chambers in Ikeja, Lagos.

According to Mr. Folorunso, in the said meeting, the products were presented to the Assistant Legal Services/Property Manager, Seven-Up Bottling Co Limited, Ijora, Lagos State, Barr. Obinna Chima, who examined the bottles and indeed confirmed that the products were their products. He, (Folorunsho) noted that Mr. Chima, who acknowledged the fact that the bottles’ corks were intact, was however not ready to commit the company to do the needful to assuage the anger, displeasure and trauma they have been through since the discovery. Mr. Chima, he noted, insisted on not compensating them, rather he was talking about re-assuring them with some packs of the products, which they (the petitioners) outright declined. After this insistence, another meeting was brokered by Mr. Chima, which held at the Seven-Up plant at Oregun, Ikeja, in which the petitioners, Ronald Taiwo and Barr. Ogunade were in attendance.

At the meeting, he said, Mr. Chima asked them what they wanted and they demanded N5 million each, as compensation for the stress they went through. Once again, according to him, Mr. Chima reiterated that the company, as a policy, does not delve into financial settlements with customers, instead goes for product re-assurance.

Thus, in a supporting letter to the company, dated February 22, 2018, which the company received and acknowledged on February 26, 2018, Barrister Wale Ogunade of Wale Ogunade Chambers, on behalf of the complainants, demanded the sum of N25 million to each petitioner from Seven-Up for presenting dangerous and defective products, not fit for human consumption andN50 million to each for the stress and trauma they went through.

This was necessitated by the inability of both parties to reach a compromise and settle the matter out of public domain. In a corresponding letter to Seven Up by the Principal Partner of Wale Ogunade Chambers, Wale Ogunade, for the law firm, the chambers demanded a cheque of N150 million for presenting dangerous and defective products not fit for human consumption to its clients. The letter reads in part: “…Take further notice that if we do not receive a cheque in sum of N150million in favour of our chambers, within 14 days of receipt of this letter, we shall take further legal steps in protecting our clients’ interest, including reporting the matter to the appropriate authorities and taking it to public domain, without any further recourse to you.”

Having gone through all the correspondences between both parties, this medium contacted Barr. Ogunade, who readily confirmed that a meeting was held in his office, with Seven-Up’s legal officer, Barr. Chima, who Ogunade said he was impressed with his conduct on the matter.

According to Ogunade, his junior colleague, Chima found it needless making the case public, saying that it will affect a number of people’s jobs and even the company, and so opted for reassurance of the customers with their products. “But I found that position inappropriate as they consider loss of jobs more important than lives of Nigerians, who may have died as a result of consuming unwholesome products like these; while re-assuring with products which might even be worst than what were presented before?” Ogunade stated.

He continued: “That to me means that they are ready to sacrifice the lives of Nigerians for seven packs of their products. I was impressed with his diplomacy but this has been happening and we need to stop it. They have the responsibility of serving Nigerians with good and not unwholesome products, and this is not the first time. Chima saw the products and they were still well-corked, so it was from the factory and wasn’t as if anybody was trying to undermine them.”

More so, in line with Seven-Up product reassurance gait, the petitioners were called upon for another meeting to be held in Seven-Up, but Ogunade advised them not to go, as that might be tantamount to waste of time and destruction of evidence.

“They might collect the bottles from them and destroy them and so, we will not have any evidence to prosecute the matter in court. I advised them not to go. This is the situation and we are now ready for court action, but the clients are still weighing other options available to them,” he added.

On the possibility of winning the case, he said, “The possibility of winning the case is 99 per cent. It’s a good case.” However, all efforts to reach Ronald Taiwo to comment on this matter proved abortive, as several calls put across to his line didn’t go through. That was the position of the matter as at the time of filing in this story.

Attached are copies from the cambers and the company in this regards: Efforts to reach all parties concerned as at the time of filing in this story were futile.

It was about 5:30pm on Thursday, in the thick of the Lagos rush hour, when a fuel-laden tanker lost control and went ablaze on Otedola Bridge in Berger, Lagos, bringing the lives of many to a sudden end.

According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), nine persons died in the accident, four were injured while 54 vehicles were burnt — but eyewitnesses say those numbers may be conservative.

Just beside the scene of the deadly accident is an uncompleted filling station that could have made the inferno more disastrous if it were in use.

The outward shed where fuel pumps are meant to be stationed were terribly burnt and the building had become darkened by the flaming fire.

Inside the building is a makeshift shop where 52-year-old Olaide Animashaun has been selling beverages, alcoholic drinks and petty goods for the past three years.

When the accident took place on Thursday, Olaide’s granddaughter, Opeyemi, had just returned from school and was preparing noodles with a gas stove while she was attending to her trade.

But suddenly, she heard the driver of the truck shouting ‘brake o, brake o’ as the fuel-laden vehicle started descending the slope. The truck had attempted to ascend the high section of the road but lost control while the brake also failed to put it to a stop, she said.

“When the break failed, it started reversing. When it was about colliding with the cars, we started shouting. The truck driver tried to avoid the cars and the other people with him were trying to wedge the truck, but it was jumping the woods and wouldn’t stop. The tanker fell with a loud bang and the content spilled,” Animashaun said.

“It happened before my very eyes. There was no hold up at that time but the vehicles were moving slowly. When they realised that the truck was running backwards, the vehicles behind started turning away from its lane.

“Immediately I saw that the petrol flew up and started spreading, I didn’t wait to see what would happen next. Opeyemi, my granddaughter, just came back from school. She was preparing noodles. I switched off the gas cooker and I grabbed her. We jumped the window, left all my goods behind and we started running. I told her to start running. I know how inflammable and dangerous petrol is.”

Animashaun said some of the victims of the explosion failed to take flight immediately the incident took place. She also contested the official number of victims, saying a “whole school bus of children was consumed”.

“Before we moved out of the building, we heard a loud sound like a bomb. The official figure is not correct; more than nine people died, so many children. More than 50 people could have died. More than 70 cars were destroyed. People were burnt beyond recognition,” she said.

“Some of them could have survived but they didn’t run immediately. They were trying to make a U-turn. A whole school bus of children was consumed. A woman driving a Lexus jeep and her children were also consumed. Assuming I didn’t run when it spilled, it could have caught up with us here. See how my goods are affected.”

Pastor, one of the tricycle drivers stationed in front of Otedola Estate, said the fire incident was so tragic that none of them could wait nearby as it consumed a brand new tricycle in their park.

He said they counted more than 74 cars destroyed in the fire after it was quenched.

Pastor said: “We counted more than 74 cars the following day and they had packed some before we counted. It consumed one of our tricycles here, a brand new one. They tried to wedge the truck but they couldn’t.

“There was no way that most of them could have easily escaped because the whole place was blocked by vehicles that were trying to escape. The driver was shouting break failure when the truck started descending. As people were running, the fire was following them and caught up with some.”

Most of the survivors of the accident were taken to Gbagada General Hospital and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

Olubunmi Okogie, archbishop emeritus of the Catholic archdiocese of Lagos, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to “seriously consider” resigning his position.

Okogie, in an open letter titled ‘Dear Mr. President, Call a Spade a Spade’, said the killings recorded in the country since Buhari assumed office shows that his government has failed in the area of security, one of his core campaign points.

He said neither Nigeria nor Nigerians are protected under the watch of the Buhari administration.

According to PUNCH, the cleric said a factor responsible for the president’s failure is that he surrounds himself with “men and women who fail to tell you the truth about Nigeria and who shield you from seeing what is happening to the ordinary Nigerians”.

Okogie was quoted as saying: “Dear Mr. President, we must call a spade a spade. You were elected to protect the land and its people but neither is being protected under your watch.

“You therefore have the most important decision of your career to make. And that decision is this: Are you for Nigerians or not?”

“The number (of Nigerians) killed under your watch, Mr. President, provides more than convincing evidence that the government you lead has failed to secure our lives. You are the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

“If more than three years into your administration, you have been unable to stop these killings, why don’t you seriously consider the option of an honourable renunciation of the presidential seat?

“One of the major factors behind the patent failure of your government is the fact that you are surrounded by men and women who fail to tell you the truth about Nigeria and who shield you from seeing what is happening to the ordinary Nigerians.

“Instead of assisting you in the governance of this country, they insult those whose dissenting opinions you need if you are to succeed.”
Okogie further called on Buhari to take drastic measures in ensuring that those found culpable in relation to the killings are made to face justice.

“That is why the point must also be made that those who contravene the laws of Nigeria be brought to book, irrespective of their political, regional, ethnic or religious affiliation. But the sad reality is: under your watch, that is not what is happening.”

“Dear President Buhari, I am compelled to write to you again because, since the bloodshed of the first day of this year, there has been more bloodshed in Zamfara State and in the Middle Belt.

“The latest killings in Plateau State make us wonder: where were you, Mr. President, while innocent lives were being wasted in Plateau State? Where were your service chiefs when babies were being ripped out of their mothers’ wombs by men who claim to do so because of their cows?

“You described what is going on as a clash between herdsmen and farmers. If the identities of these criminals are not hidden, why has the Nigerian intelligence community, under your watch, failed to prevent them from shedding blood?”

This is not the first time Okogie is calling for the president’s renunciation of his position.

In January, the archbishop, reacting to hints that Buhari would contest the 2019 elections, advised him to respect himself and resign.

“What has he done in the years he had been in the saddle? He has performed woefully; that’s the verdict of Nigerians,” Okogie had said.

According to the report doing the rounds, former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Funsho Kupolokun, acquired loads of lucrative shares between 2009 and 2014 to become a major shareholder in one of Ghana’s most expensive and lucrative hotels.

In 2016, details from the leaked Mossac Fonseca’s database, known as #PanamaPapers, revealed that the Septuagenarian, who was an aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, was a major shareholder of Gold Coast Resorts International Limited, an entity incorporated in the British Virgins Island in 2006.

Gold Coast Resort International Limited is the owner of the 269-room five-star Kempinski Accra Hotel. Mr Kupolokun, we revealed, had held his holdings in Gold Coast Resort with another company, Blue Chapels Investment Limited, incorporated in Mauritius, a known tax haven.

But new documents recently added to the database have shed additional light on how Mr Kupolokun, who was named director of Gold Coast Resort on August 11, 2008, acquired a collection of shares between 2009 and 2014 to become a major shareholder of the top-notch hotel.

According to the documents, on July 15, 2009, the former NNPC boss shelled out $2 million to acquire 1.8 million shares, with certificate number 3.

On February 7, 2011, Mr Kupolokun topped his holding with the acquisition of 405,000 shares valued at $502,184.70 from Bethana Investment Inc, another shareholder.

Mr Kupolokun then transferred his shares, totaling 2,205,000, to Blue Chapels Investment Limited, his Mauritius-based firm, on February 19, 2013.

Also, on September 18, 2014, Mr Kupolokun bought additional 775,195 shares which cost him $861,328.00. That brought his total share in the hotel to 2,980,195.

Responding to a PREMIUM TIMES enquiry in 2016 when the original revelation was published, Mr Kupolokun confirmed he owned interest in Gold Coast Resorts.

“That was after I left office,” Mr. Kupolokun said. “The first money I invested was two million dollars, and I got that from UBA.”

Gold Coast Resorts is made up of other offshore entities, with its largest shareholder (45 per cent) being Zakham International SA, a shell company registered in another tax haven, Luxembourg.
At least two other shareholders of Gold Coast Resorts – Bethana Investments Inc and Uridor Investments SA- were registered in Panama, another well-known offshore tax haven.

The government of Ghana, through the Ghana Tourist Board, owns 10 per cent of Gold Coast Resorts, which has since obtained a controversial $16 million loan facility from the African Development Bank (ADB), to finance the construction of Kempinski Accra Hotel.

Gold Coast Resorts dumps Mossack Fonseca

Following the 2016 leak of 11.5 million files from Mossack Fonseca, the Panama-based law firm said it suffered “irreparable damage” and “reputational deterioration” and thus would shut down its offices at the end of March.

“The reputational deterioration, the media campaign, the financial siege and the irregular actions of some Panamanian authorities have caused irreparable damage, whose obligatory consequence is the total cessation of operations to the public,” it said in a statement.

Earlier in November 2017, the firm, in a statement sent to clients, said it had to “significantly reduce” its staff due to changes to the laws and an “adverse business environment.”

Perhaps in anticipation of the winding down of Mossack Fonseca’s operation or in a move to hide from the exposure of the company’s activities in the wake of the leak, the board of Gold Coast Resorts decided to dump the Panamanian law firm.

In a meeting held on September 27, 2017, Mr Kupolokun alongside, five other members of the company’s board of directors – George Zakhem, Marwan Zakhem, Ian Robertson, Stanislav Kotov, and Albert Zakhem – resolved to change the registered agent of Gold Coast to Quijano & Associates (BVI) Limited in Road Town, Tortola, the capital of the British Virgin Islands.

It also changed its registered address to that of its new agent indicated above.

Uche Secondus, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the All Progressives Congress (APC) should stop politicising the deaths of Nigerians.

Ike Abonyi, media aide of the PDP chairman, quoted Secondus as saying this on Friday when he received Datti Ahmed, a former senator and presidential, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

The chairman said rather than own up to its failings, the APC has “been trying to play politics with what is clear to all discerning minds that they have failed woefully”.

He asked leaders of the APC to stop denying their failure to arrest the widespread killings by using propaganda to deceive the people.

“Tinubu, Lai Mohammed (should) stop politicising deaths of Nigerians. Stop using propaganda to deceive people over the killings,” the PDP chairman said.

According to him, the PDP has undergone its worst days and it is re-emerging as a better party.

Secondus said the APC-led government has failed to prosecute its members who have corruption allegations levelled against them.

He said at the appropriate time, the PDP will produce evidence of corruption against President Muhammadu Buhari and other members of the APC.

“Nigerians know the double standard in APC over corruption and we will expose them when the time comes. You can full the people sometimes but you cannot full them all of the time,” Secondus said.

“Buhari, APC have nothing to offer, economy, insecurity and unemployment are worsening. APC administration is arresting people out of fear and desperation.”

Ahmed, founder of Baze University, is the third presidential aspirant to visit the party’s secretariat after former vice-president Atiku Abubakar and Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa state.

Ex-Watford star Odion Ighalo has received DEATH THREATS after Nigeria’s World Cup exit.

The striker missed two good chances against Argentina on Tuesday as the Super Eagles lost 2-1 in Saint Petersburg.

A draw would have sent Gernot Rohr’s side through, but Marcos Rojo’s late strike ended the West Africans’ Russia campaign.

Ighalo, who Watford sold to Chinese club Changchun Yatai for £20million last year, has now hit out after sickening threats and abuse from Nigerian fans.

The 29-year-old wrote: “For those who want to kill me, please – I am someone’s child.

“We did our best, but sometimes things don’t always go the way you want – but life has to go on.

“Great experience to be at the World Cup, and I enjoyed every moment of it.”

Nigeria had been tipped to emerge from Group D, but lost out to in-form Croatia and the Argentines – who only progressed thanks to an 86th-minute goal from Manchester United defender Rojo.

Ighalo scored 39 goals in 99 Hornets appearances following his move from Udinese in 2014.

He said after Tuesday’s game: “I apologise to Nigeria. I apologise to my team-mates.

“I take responsibility for this game, because had I taken those chances I had that would have made it a different ball game.

“It’s a sad day for me, the boys and the country because we went out in a bad manner – and we deserved more.”

The managing director/chief executive officer of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc., Dr Marilyn Amobi is in the news again for the wrong reasons, we learnt.

She has been accused of flagrant disobedience to extant circulars and the desperation to allegedly amass wealth illegally thereby leading to her deployment of armed policemen with AK47 to harass and humiliate any staff who refuses to cooperate on her alleged illicit deals.

A staff who spoke on condition of anonymity confided in this medium that some staff have petitioned the Inspector General of Police on the harassment being suffered from armed policemen stationed on the floors of the Bank of Industry building occupied by NBET at the Central Business Area, Abuja each working day. The policemen, we learnt, are being funded by NBET with taxpayers’ money.

Dr. Amobi, we gathered was said to have bought cars worth over N400million in the last one year without commensurate performance in collections from Electricity Distribution Companies, otherwise called DISCOS. Our source disclosed that all the cars and office relocation expenses in the 2017 budget worth over one billion naira were allegedly procured using over-invoicing, contract splitting to avoid being queried by either the Federal Executive Council or ministerial approval threshold as virtually those procurements were wasteful spending of public funds. More worrisome is the shocking revelation from Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission that the commission was prudent by transferring the vehicle used by the vice chairman of the commission to the newly appointed chairman of NERC so as to minimise wasteful spending of public funds.

We authoritatively learnt that both the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation have swung into action aimed at unraveling the alleged massive corruption being perpetrated in Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc by its boss and her cohorts. A whopping sum of N102million contained in the 2018 budget awaiting assent under the heading of library is currently being sponsored by a foreign donor in addition to funding for provision of legal advisory services among others, these amounts of money are still budgeted for by NBET in the 2018 fiscal year. Investors and other stakeholders are wondering why Dr Marilyn Amobi appears untouchable and why pre/post consideration of NBET budget by the National Assembly are not subjected to scrutiny given all the atrocities she has perpetrated since her assumption of office.

However, Dr Amobi is not new to scandals. A training institute in Denmark attended by both staff and non-staff of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) has affiliate with the firm incorporated in Nigeria by Dr Marilyn Amobi.

Several hundred millions of Naira from capital budget and receipts from distribution companies are being used to fund all the illegal foreign training, we learnt. Our source further divulged that Dr. Amobi is able to perpetrate the fraud using her company incorporated as ESL Economics and Management Associates Ltd with RC NO- 1025108.

The registered address of the company is Plot 604, Hunkuyi Close, Area 11, Garki, Abuja and has the first directors as Dr Marilyn Chikaodili Nwanneka Amobi and Dr Ifeoma Edna Amobi holding 80% and 20% share respectively. A certificate number 751030 was issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission for increase in the company share from 1 million to 20 million and the address was changed to 46, Lobito Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

Upon the appointment of Dr Marilyn as NBET’s MD/CEO, we gathered that the NBET Chief resigned from being member of the board of directors but retained her shareholding of 80% in the company till date. Professor Erik Reimer Larsen who was responsible for the academic training programme in Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University Denmark regarding professional training programme is a partner in ESL Economics and Management Associates Ltd.

Another scandal was loading when on 28th of November 2017, a whopping N65 Million from public funds was alleged to have been spent by the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) under her for an 11-day trip to Gainesville, Florida, despite federal government’s restriction on foreign travels and trainings abroad.

A circular conveying the message, titled ‘Restrictions on Foreign Trainings and International Travels by Public Servants,’ was issued from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to all ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government in 2015, placing an embargo on foreign travels and international trainings.

“Public servants invited for foreign trainings/study tour, conferences by any organisation, government or other bilateral/multilateral organisation will be allowed to travel provided that no travel cost, estacode application or any other cost on government is involved,” the circular stated.

In defiance of the federal government’s rule, Dr Amobi had given a directive to spend $96,350 USD of public funds for participation at the 43rd International training programme on the utility regulation and strategy held in January 15-26 2018 in Gainsville, Florida, USA, by members of the National Assembly committees on power.

A whistleblower had alleged that the National Assembly members did not attend the event, describing it as a shocking waste of tax payers’ money.

The National Assembly members were Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, (PDP Abia), Senator Adamu Aliero, (APC Kebbi), Senator Lanre Tejuosho, (APC Ogun), Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, (PDP Abia), Hon. Daniel Asuquo, (PDP Cross River) Hon. Mohammed Garba Gololo, (APC Bauchi).

Independent investigation revealed that an additional $7,200 was charged by the organizers of the training for each participant, revealing an additional N15 million tab by the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc.

More revelations show that Dr Marilyn has unplucked wings because of her rooted relationship in the Ministry Of Power, Finance, National Assembly and the Presidency that she can do and undo. Our undercover journalist had earlier reported how N650million not included in the 2017 budget proposal submitted by Mr President to the national assembly found its way into 2017 appropriation tagged as office relocation wherein the current office being used by NBET is befitting enough.

The approved N650million was forcefully cash backed and has been syphoned. Reports had it also on how Dr Marilyn used the national assembly through house committee on power to publish public hearing notice on the dailies against her employer, disagreement erupted when the document given to Dr Marilyn for publication on Calabar PRG was tampered with before been published; the said public hearing was eventually swept under the carpet because of the betrayal of NBET boss. A clerk with the knowledge of the shoddy dealing informed us on the condition of anonymous that there was no evidence of neither approval nor payment for the publication of the public hearing notice.

Several reports on social media shows unethical dealings of NBET boss since her assumption of office till date and nothing was done to investigate those deals by the anti-graft agencies of the federal government due fear.

Our reporter contacted Dr. Amobi for her angle to the allegations, but there was no response as at press time.

Nollywood actress turned producer, Etinosa Idemudia, has teamed up with award-winning film director Charles Uwagbai, to release her debut movie titled ‘The Washerman’ with a rather interesting poster.

According to the pretty actress, the movie, which is set to hit the cinemas in August, is not just like every other movie showing at the cinemas.

“The Washerman was not made to compete with any film or break box-office or be proud. That’s the major issue with films at the box-office today. When purpose is not defined, abuse is inevitable.

After the huge success of some comedy movies at the box-office, some people lose purpose and determine in their heart that the only way to “hammer” is by doing star-studded comedy; whether that is their strength or not, or whether they have a good script or not and also not caring about the most important part of the movie- the viewers,” she said.

She added: “The movie was made at a time people desire good real life stories, when people need to see a movie and see themselves inside that movie like they are beholding a mirror. That is the essence of The Washerman. It is meant to drop a strong message in your heart, to make you re-assess your life; to make you see your life through the eyes of our well-developed characters.

This movie will speak to all who have been used, cheated, knocked around by life, people who no longer believe anything good can come out of themselves, lost their self-worth; people in search of true love, true sense of belonging, and even people who think their life is perfect.”

Speaking further, she noted that the movie is unique, well written with purpose and grace, cast selected prayerfully and purposefully and well shot with standard equipment, tasteful locations keeping purpose in mind, to bring our audience as close to reality as possible.

With a star-studded cast including Sound Sultan, Ik Ogbonna, Mofe Duncan, Chris Okagbue, Jaywon, Sani Danja, Bryan Okwara, Frank Donga, Judith Audu, Sexy Steel, Stephen Damian, Mercy Isoyip, Idemudia is confident that her movie will not only crack ribs but leave a life changing message in the lives of her audience.

Ever since Etinosa took to her Instagram page to officially announce the release date of the movie and share the poster social media has been aroused with anticipation of the trailer which she also announced would be out on the 1st of July. Here’s a first look at the poster

A manuscript written almost ten years ago has been selected as the winner of the Dusty Manuscript Contest; a Prize organized for budding Nigerian writers. Written by Kukogho Iruesiri Samson, the winning manuscript, titled Devil’s Pawn clinched the top prize ahead of The Orchid Protocol by Onoche Emeka Onyekwena andThe Other Side of Truth by Nneoma Anieto, which came first and second runner-up respectively.

Organized in partnership with Kachifo Ltd. and Okadabooks, the Dusty Manuscript Contest is the latest in a long line of GTBank’s YouREAD initiatives aimed at fostering the culture of reading and creating a platform for the appreciation of Africa’s literary excellence. As part of the contest, Nigerians were invited to submit their unpublished stories and stand a chance to get publishing deals for their works. The contest received over 1,000 entries and had a panel of four judges made up of authors Eghosa Imasuen, Yejide Kilanko and Toni Kan and Assistant Professor of English, Dr Ainehi Edoro-Glines.

As part of the prizes in the Dusty Manuscript Contest, the authors of the top 3 manuscripts received 1,000,000, N500,000 and N250,000 respectively, as well as publishing contracts with Kachifo Ltd. The authors of the 10 manuscripts also received e-publishing contracts with OkadaBooks, while the authors of the top 20 manuscripts were hosted to a two-day intensive writers boot-camp to sharpen their literary and business skills.

Speaking about the winning entry, the lead judge, Dr Ainehi Edoro, said; “Devil’s Pawn was a unanimous choice. Told in a fast paced narrative style that keeps you glued to the pages, the story is a gift that keeps giving’’. “The Orchid Protocol is an intriguing detective story, call it CSI Lagos and you won’t be too far off the mark,” said Eghosa Imasuen, one of the judges. “The Other Side of Truth presents a woman’s life, without judgement. In making the case for the novel a single word comes to me: Empathy,” added another judge, Toni Kan.

Commenting on the Dusty Manuscript Contest, Mr Segun Agbaje, the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, said; “At GTBank we see Art as not just a medium for creative expression but also as a means of livelihood, and by organizing the Dusty Manuscript Contest we are helping budding writers share their stories with the world whilst providing them with a platform to build successful writing careers.”

GTBank is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run African financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation. The Bank’s footprints in Corporate Social Responsibility are guided strategically by its decision to operate on four major pillars: Education, Community Development, Arts and the Environment, which it believes are essential building blocks for the society and prerequisites for economic growth and societal development.

A former Governor of Kaduna State and immediate past Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has joined the race to contest the nation’s presidency in 2019.

The two-term senator said at a press briefing in Kaduna on Sunday that, “after wide consultations with party men and women as well as other major stakeholders,” he had decided to seek the party’s nomination to contest the poll.

According to Makarfi, he is now ready to pick the PDP nomination form ahead of the 2019 presidential election…

More details later…

The Governing Council of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is at the moment locked in a battle with the Agency’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Usman Yusuf, over a N30 billion residual fund and another N17 million allegedly blown on an unapproved foreign trip by the latter.

As a result, the Council has issued the NHIS boss a query dated May 25, 2018 demanding explanations on the N30 billion and another dated June 4, 2018 asking Prof. Usman to explain why he blew N17 million on a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, without approval. The latest controversy is coming barely five months after the NHIS boss was recalled by the presidency from an indefinite suspension slammed on him by his supervising ministry.

According to the first query signed by the Chairman of Council, Dr Enyantu Ifenne and seen by Saturday Sun, the NHIS boss was accused of procedural gaps, deceit and violation of Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy in engaging Cowry Asset Management Ltd as asset manager/financial adviser to invest the controversial N30billion. This is in addition to approving the payment of N2.4million engagement fee and N500,000 quarterly retainership fee for Cowry Asset Management Ltd on May 8. The Council argued that this was in clear violation of a specific directive from the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and the Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole stopping NHIS from tampering with the N30billion residual fund.

The TSA policy requires all federal ministries, departments and agencies to domicile their funds in the TSA with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), except where the agency is granted exemption by the Federal Government. But Yusuf, who was suspended by Adewole last year over corruption allegations and nepotism, has defended himself saying the Health Minister gave his approval for the investment of the N30billion.

Part of the Council’s query dated May 25 to the NHIS boss reads, “You may recall that based on the detailed situation and financial analysis, council approved the investment of N30, 000,000,000.00 (Thirty Billion Naira) in federal securities on the condition that no commission should be paid to third parties. The provisional approval, so granted, directed management to initiate due process and submit a proposal to enable Council seek authorization by the Honourable Minister of Health.

“As it stands, Council’s attention has been drawn to new information which you failed to disclose in your earlier presentation. This includes:

That while the ministerial approval dated 18th August 2017, was referenced in the two memos presented, you failed to disclose that ministerial memo dated 29th August, 2018 withdrew same approval.

That you failed to disclose to the Council that the withdrawal letter explicitly stated the Honourable Minister of Finance’s advice against the investment of residual funds in securities because “such investment will be an indirect violation of the Federal Government’s treasury single account (TSA) policy”. Significantly, this advice was not disclosed to Council on either occasion.

“That on 28th February, 2018, you formally engaged Cowry Asset Limited as NHIS asset manager/financial Adviser without stating the terms and conditions of engagement. Again, this material fact, was not disclosed to Council.

That on 5th March 2018, on the eve of the Council’s inauguration, you approved, wholesale, a proposal titled “Indicative Offer To Sell Fgn Bonds” and directed General Manager Contribution Management to expedite disbursement of N25,000,000,000.00 (Twenty Five Billion Naira) for long term investment in FGN BONDS without obtaining prior approval of the Honourable Minister of Health as required under the Act.

“That on 3rd May 2018, while referencing Council approval of 24th April 2018, you again, formally engaged Cowry Asset Management Ltd, without an INDICATIVE investment proposal, as Financial Adviser/Portfolio Manager. Indeed, the vague and elastic terms of engagement states, “as in a similar way it did its Forensic Auditors and retained Lawyer——“. Presumably the INDICATIVE OFFER TO SELL FGN BONDS of March 5th 2018 subsists in the new engagement OFFER. That in furtherance of the above, you instructed General Manager, Procurement to process Cowry’s engagement on 8th May, 2018, without further reference to Council for approval.

“In summary, it is evident that there are procedural gaps. Also, Council was not presented with all available information to enable informed decision making on the matter. Indeed we believe that non-disclosure of significant information misled Council into error in decision, which may compromise her standing. Furthermore, we note, in particular, that the non-disclosure of the advice and directive of Honourable Minister of Health, may have led Council to provisionally approve the investment of funds, which if implemented, would contravene TSA policy.

“Therefore, you are required to explain, in writing the observed procedural lapses and failure to disclose critical information to Council on the matter. It will be appreciated if such explanation is presented to Council at its meeting scheduled for 12th June, 2018.” It is however not certain if Prof Yusuf has defended himself against these allegations raised by the Governing Council. On the heels of this is another allegation that Prof Yusuf blew N17million on a single foreign trip, for which he did not get the required approval.

The second query dated June 4, 2018 also seen by Saturday Sun reads in part:

“Please recall your request for permission to attend the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland vide NHIS/ES/064/XIV/134 of May 16, 2018.

“In the letter, you claimed that you were nominated to the Nigerian delegation by the Honourable Minister of Health. To facilitate approval, I requested that you attach the nomination letter to the application. The letter was not presented. Instead, you postulated that the request for note verbal signed by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, is equivalent to ministerial approval.

“Notwithstanding the absence of supporting evidence of nomination and due to intervention by some Council members, approval was granted on condition that the 4 other names on the note verbal were not approved to travel. Approval for the listed staff was denied for three reasons. First, we observed that heads of the key program departments, formal and non-formal, which drive NHIS thrust towards universal coverage were not included. Secondly, the inclusion of Mr. Mu’azu Aliyu, a lawyer and your personal assistant, cannot be justified. Thirdly, Council expects NHIS to derive maximum value (from) an activity that costs a whooping seventeen million (17m)naira. However, in clear defiance of directive, you travelled with the four officers. It has been reliably confirmed that; Honourable Minister did not nominate you to attend the conference and 4 officers who travelled in defiance arrived one day before conference closed.

“Please clarify the motive for, misrepresenting the Minister in your request and misleading Council to grant approval, enabling staff to travel in defiance of Council directive. We request that you respond, in writing within 48hours. Furthermore, please copy all council members accordingly.”

All attempts to speak with both the Chairman of Council, Dr. Enyantu Ifenne and the NHIS boss, Prof. Yusuf failed as they neither picked several calls to their phone numbers nor replied text messages sent to them seeking their reactions.

However, an emailed reply to the Council on May 19, 2018, on why he traveled to Geneva without the required approval, Prof Yusuf said he got his approval to travel via a letter signed by “the Permanent Secretary FMoH on the authority of the Honourable Minister.”

According to him “The World Health Assembly is an annual event attended by Ministers of Health from over 94 member nations. Nigeria’s delegations include the Hon. Minister of Health as the leader of the delegation and the Heads of Agencies under the Ministry. “As a signatory to the Commitment to Universal Healthcare Coverage, (UHC), Nigeria’s delegation will be ably represented by the NHIS which is the lead Agency in that quest. With the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to fund the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) for the first time since the passing of the National Health Act in 2014, the NHIS is expected to receive N28.5b to cover vulnerable Nigerians across all six geopolitical zones. All our development partners and donor Agencies are very encouraged by this development, which will be a dawn of new beginning in Healthcare in Nigeria. There will be several fora where this will be discussed and NHIS Nigeria needs to be on the table.”

Responding to a similar allegation recently, Prof Yusuf had said that his mandate in the NHIS remains to sanitise the system and grow the scheme, while accusing those reporting him to the media as corrupt Nigerians who wanted the status quo to remain. “They won’t have the time to do all the nonsense they did in the past. Every penny will be taken back into the scheme. I am in NHIS to do the right thing. And I will do it transparently. I will follow what the NHIS Act says. Corruption will no longer be condoned in this scheme,” he said.

On concerns that the yield on the investment was meant to stockpile funds for Buhari’s re-election bid, as speculated, the NHIS boss said: “This is not the Jonathan era. They think Buhari will do that nonsense? Where we come from, we are brought up well. NHIS money is blood money, and it is meant to serve our people. Billions have been stolen. Now I am here as the chief executive officer, I will grow the scheme for our people. Every penny that comes in as an investment will be shown to the world, not all the nonsense they did in the past.”

By Habib Aruna

Prescient Nigerian observers who are watching what’s going on in Lagos State would rightly agree that hard work in the right direction delivers enduring fruits. Hard work doesn’t kill; it yields life that history acknowledges ultimately. That is the enviable story of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State as he marks his 55th birthday today.

To Ambode, the ideal celebration would not be to organize an elaborate feast, to bring friends and well-wishers together for a mother of all feasts. Doing so is not in his character. If there would be a get-together at all it would be with the deprived, the vulnerable, children of the poor or the special class of the handicapped as he has done in nearly three years as the governor.

Therefore, It’s only appropriate to seize the occasion of his middle age birthday to examine his relentless work schedule that has benefited the state and made it possible to refer to it as the investors’ destination, tourism hub and construction site. It is in addition Africa’s fifth largest economy. Demographers also say without disputation that Lagos is Nigeria’s most populated state, surpassing the figures for a couple of some African countries put together. In recent times it has begun to wear a new look with state of the art road network and city intersections and terminals that transport you to scenes in Europe and oil-rich Gulf states.

Most of these have taken place only under the watch of Ambode, even if I must admit that government is a continuum. But every age would have to carve out its own distinct identity. History has a keen interest in taking note of this identity aspect in the unfolding of events. No administration can appropriate the honour due its successor or predecessor, the continuum theory notwithstanding! You have to carve out your own niche, as it were.

This explains the reason some leaders, desirous of standing out of the crowd in the history books, would burn the midnight oil for brand-new ideas to tackle the seemingly intractable challenges of society. They don’t want to be classified as simply adorning the wall of the governor’s office with their portraits. They want to live in the hearts of the people through their performance. This is a governor, who at any time of the night, come to the office to scribble down new ideas that come to his head. He once told me and a cabinet member that even if he is asleep, his brain never sleeps.

Ambode has pitched his tent with this history-making camp. It comes with a price: courage. According to Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States of America, “One man with courage makes a majority.’’ This U.S leader is credited with numerous courageous policies that toppled the established norms of his time. He was not afraid to take a decision as long as it was in the interest of the people.

For instance, Ambode displayed rare courage and compassion by approving a hefty N11billion to be paid as backlog of arrears to retirees few weeks after coming to office. It was unprecedented. But more than that, it presented the appealing image of a governor who can’t be accused of caring only for those in service.

The point has long been established that Ambode is a man who does not sleep, in a literal sense, until he has touched every citizen’s life. He packs a thousand and one activities into the 24-hour schedule he has at his disposal in a day. This was demonstrated early in the life of Ambode’s government in 2015, when he moved like a hurricane to prove that government business isn’t meant for the laid-back.

Few weeks ago I was in the office of a prominent commissioner and we were talking about on-going projects spread across the state and the amount of time and capital the governor is committing to making Lagos a smart city. The bottom line and the aggregation of opinion of those at the meeting was that of a governor who is restless, committed, determined and passionate to change the face of the state for good.

Consider these staggering statistics: in his first year in office, the governor initiated and successfully completed more than 40 impactful projects, including injection of 434 new BRT buses for Ikorodu corridor, fortification of security in Lagos with a whopping N4.7billion equipment for the Police and subsequently up to N7billion, employment of 1300 teachers to revive primary education, setting up of N25billion Employment Trust Fund, massive road rehabilitation and reconstruction in inner Lagos, approval for development of N49billion medical park in Ikoyi, provision of 20 mobile care unit ambulances and 26 transport ambulances, building of flyover bridges for Ajah and Abule-Egba areas, rebranding of One Lagos Fiesta to boost tourism and entertainment, creating enabling environment for foreign direct investment etc.

Also in the first year, he planned for gigantic schemes that began to blossom into reality in his second year. For instance, he signed an MOU with Kebbi state on the development of commodity value chain (rice production). In his second year, Lake Rice became the talk of the town. Lake is the acronym for joint effort of Lagos and Kebbi to produce the grain.

Another achievement of this toiling governor is his boundless vision to move the state from a pedestrian plane to the sophistication of a 21st megacity through the erection of structures of gothic and exotic expressions. Examples: Ojodu Berger Flyover Intersection, Tafawa Balewa Bus Terminus and the breath-sapping Ikeja Bus facility recently commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Shortly after, the governor declared open 21 roads and two bridges with a combined stretch of 27.4 kilometers in Alimosho-Agbado-Oke-Odo area. Yet, other iconic construction going on across the state has turned Lagos into a huge construction site to make it look like the People’s Republic of China when it was being transformed into a world power by Mao Tse Tung between the 1950s and 1960s. But as much as Ambode appears rooted to work in the office and on the streets to commission projects, he is also addicted to seeking compassionate affinity with the people he governs. He has been known to show up at road accident scenes to help rescue victims. Once when he read of a woman whose husband ran away from home because she gave birth to three sets of twins, Ambode directed prompt welfare support that brought back the fugitive man.

The governor has received notable local and international recognition for outstanding governance and the service to the people. For a man who has demonstrated severally that experience can indeed be an asset in governance, the governor is always calm and dutiful when there is a major challenge in a state that is becoming increasingly complex to govern.

For sure, Lagos under the pragmatic, humanist and visionary leadership of Governor Ambode can only get better. And as the governor rightly noted recently, “Where ever you come from, as far as you labour and add value to the productivity of our dynamic and vibrant State, our government shall work with you to make Lagos State a better, livable and more prosperous home”.

Happy birthday sir!

*Aruna is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ambode.

Dangote Group, from Nigeria has emerged as the most admired African brand, of African continent origin, by consumers ahead of telecommunication giant, MTN according to the South African based Brand Leadership Movement in collaboration with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)

The Dangote brand which is also the leading brand in Nigeria came atop in the fresh ranking of 100 best brands in Africa themed “Brand Africa:100”, the sixth edition announced in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Brand Africa 100” was established in 2010, in recognition of the growth of African brands, which were beginning to challenge global brands in Africa or lead global brands in new categories such as telecommunications.

The aim of Brand Africa is to identify, acknowledge and promote African and global brands that are catalysts for Africa’s growth, reputation and value.

Describing the brand, “Dangote”, The Brand Africa revealed that the “Nigerian industrial brand Dangote is the number one African brand recalled when consumers are prompted about the continent (Africa) of origin while the South African tele-communications brand MTN is the number one African brand spontaneously recalled irrespective of continent of origin.

The United States sports and fitness brand, Nike, is the overall brand in Africa spontaneously recalled by consumers.

The Brand Africa 100 ranking is based on a survey among consumers 18 years and older, conducted in 23 countries across Africa. The countries, representing all African economic regions, collectively account for 75 per cent of the population and the 74 per cent of the GDP of Africa.

Chief Corporate Communication Officer of the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina said the management was not surprised at the ranking because the company has continuously deepened and delivered on its core values. The focus of the company, according to him, is to be a world-class enterprise that is passionate about the quality of life of the people and giving high returns to stakeholders.

“And this philosophy is driven by values, which include customer service, entrepreneurship, excellence and leadership. In any of our subsidiaries, the focus is to provide local, value-added products and services that meet the ‘basic needs’ of the populace. Through the construction and operation of large scale manufacturing facilities in Nigeria and across Africa, the Group is focused on building local manufacturing capacity to generate employment, prevent capital flight and provide locally produced goods for the people.

“The expansion of our business especially the Cement which has operations in 14 African countries including Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, among others has added to popularity of our company and the products, Chiejina stated.

African brands rose slightly to account for 17 per cent of the Top 100 brands in Africa, non-African brands retained their firm position in Africa with 83 per cent share of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa.

Brands from Europe leads the table with 40 per cent, North America at 24 per cent and Asia 19 per cent. West Africa 6 per cent, with only Nigerian brands and Southern Africa per cent.

The Top 100 is dominated by technology and electronic brands (29 per cent), consumer (non-cyclical) (19 per cent), apparel (15 per cent), automobile (8 per cent), food (7 per cent) and sports & fitness (5 per cent) categories are the top categories.

“Overall, the 2017/18 Brand Africa 100 list, which started out with over 15,500 brand mentions covering over 2,200 admired brands, illustrates a very diversified portfolio of categories and brands in Africa.

Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa and Brand Leadership. Said “African brands have an important role in helping to build the African brand,” says These rankings are an important metric of the progress Africa is making in creating home-grown world-class brands that are changing the narrative on African competiveness, image and reputation and contributing to its socio-economic transformation.

“There is an incredible year-on-year consistency, with 60% of the Top 10 brands common among the Top 10 Most Admired African Brands and Most Admired Brands in Africa, led by Nigeria’s Dangote and Glo, South Africa’s MTN and Shoprite, Kenya’s Tusker and Ethiopia’s Anbessa. Out of the 16 African brands in Top 100 in 2016/17, 6 exited and 7 entered the Top 100 in 2017/18.

“The The major change on the list is the status of the Safaricom/Mpesa brand. Because Vodacom/Vodafone recently became majority owner of the business, in the 2017/18 tables the Safaricom/Mpesa brand was consolidated into the Vodacom/Vodafone brand. Singled out, the Safaricom/Mpesa brand ranked 27, higher than the Vodacom/Vodafone brand, which is at #31. Collectively, the Vodacom/Vodafone/Safaricom brand is now at #17…

“Safaricom/Mpesa remains a highly recalled ‘African’ brand among Financial Services and the Most Admired Brands in Africa. Zimbabwe’s Econet made the most spectacular first time entry into the Top 100 at #40. After a long stay on the list despite its innumerable challenges, BlackBerry finally fell off the list as the brand exited the consumer markets. On the other hand, Etisalat, which dropped 31 spots remains on the list of the Top 100 despite exiting Africa in 2017.

“The highest gains are dominated by apparel and lifestyle sport brands Ralph Lauren (+48), Versace (+41) and a resurgent Reebok (+43). The sports category, led by Nike (#1), remains a strong performer, due to strategic repositioning or expansion in their positioning towards lifestyle and high profile endorsements and partnerships which have freshened and broadened the brands’ appeal, particularly to youthful and young consumers.”

An employee of Zenith Bank Plc in Lagos simply identified only as Bunmi, has been declared wanted for allegedly defrauding some customers of the bank.

It was learnt that the modus operandi of Bunmi was to hack into customers’ bank accounts and divert their money into some private accounts.

We learnt that the fraud was uncovered after owners of the accounts complained about their disappearing funds, which made the bank to launch an investigation.

The bank management reportedly blocked the accounts into which the funds were transferred.

Owners of the blocked accounts, who were reportedly unaware that their accounts were being used for fraud, were said to have reported at their various branches and complained of the development.

The bank management was said to have handed them over to the police.

The Zone 2 police spokesperson, CSP Dolapo Badmos, said investigations led to the arrest of Bunmi’s accomplices, Babalola Akinyele, aka Olumba; and Adeshina Adenekan, aka Oluwo Ake.

She noted that the two men tricked the account numbers into releasing them, adding that the duo shared the proceeds of the fraud with the prime suspect, who was at large.

Badmos said N3m had already been traced to the suspects.

She said: “Between November 2017 and January 2018, the Zone 2 command through its Zonal Intervention Squad arrested two suspects who were members of a fraud syndicate. They specialised in hacking into bank accounts.
“One of the suspects, Babalola Akinyele, operated with one Bunmi, who is still at large and a worker at Zenith Bank. Bunmi’s role is to hack customers’ account and transfer money into different bank accounts supplied by Adeshina Adenekan, who thereafter withdraws the money with different Automated Teller Machine cards and returns same to the syndicate.

“Akinyele and Adenekan receive 10 per cent each of the proceeds from Bunmi, the arrowhead of the fraud. They withdraw the money with ATM cards because they do not want to enter into bank premises and be caught. So far, N3m has been traced to them.

“We urge members of the public to be careful and not disclose their BVN and phone numbers to strangers because those are the things they use to access the funds. The case is under investigation and effort is on to arrest the bank worker, who is at large.”

Akinyele, 35, an indigene of Ondo State, said he worked as a bet agent, adding that he met Bunmi at a car wash after a football match.

He said: “ Bunmi helped me to unblock my ATM card. I did not know he worked in a bank until then. He later said I should get some accounts for him and I called my friend, Adenekan, to assist me, which he did. Bunmi simply said he wanted to transfer money into the accounts.

“I don’t know how the man used to do it, but whenever he transferred money into the accounts, he would call us and we would use ATM cards to withdraw the money. He usually take 70 per cent, while we shared the 30 per cent.

“Bunmi later called me and said he had left the bank and I should throw away the SIM we had been using to communicate.”

The second suspect, Adenekan, a land agent, said he had tricked a woman into providing him the account numbers used for the fraud.

“I met Akinyele in Lagos in November 2017. He then called me in December and said he needed some account numbers. I then approached a female customer of mine, telling her I needed three account numbers for my land business. I told her someone wanted to pay me and the money could not be paid into a single account. After she was arrested, she brought the police to me. I then led the cops to Adenekan,” he added.

A police source said when the woman was interrogated; she claimed not to have shared from the proceeds of the crime.

The police spokesperson said the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Ibrahim Adamu, had ordered that the suspects be arraigned at the end of investigation.

First Bank of Nigeria (FirstBank) says the contempt order served on Ibukun Awosika, its chairman, and Adesola Adeduntan, managing director (pictured), is not valid.

On June 6, Ibrahim Buba, a judge of the Lagos division of the federal high court, ordered the bank to pay Ogoni community in Rivers state N122 billion bond guaranteed on behalf of Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC).

The N122 billion bond is in respect of a June 2010 lawsuit against SPDC in an oil spill suit launched by Ejama community in Ogoniland, Rivers state.

But in a statement on Sunday, the bank said the order could “not hold water” because it was not a party to the suit.

“FirstBank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) was not a party to the suit and earlier order of Honourable Justice I.N Buba dated 14th June 2010 in respect of which His Lordship has now committed the Board Members of FirstBank for contempt,” the statement read.

“In view of the fact that FirstBank and its board members were not parties to the earlier orders of Honourable Justice Buba, over which he subsequently assumed jurisdiction in respect of contempt outside the face of the court, and His Lordship’s earlier orders did not direct either FirstBank or its board members to perform any obligation, neither did it impose any task on FirstBank, suffice to say that FirstBank did not and could not have disobeyed any order made by Honourable Justice I.N Buba in Suit No: FHC/PH/CS/231/2001 Chief Isaac Osaro Agbara & 9 Ors. V. Shell Petroleum Development Ltd, Shell International Petroleum Ltd and Shell International Exploration and Production BV (Shell) made on 14th June 2010, since there was no order made against it.”

The bank assured its customers of its resolve to continue providing “first-class service”.

“In the face of constant, persistent and unprovoked use of judicial processes to intimidate, harass and threaten the bank, it has decided to remain calm, steadfast and unflinching in its resolve to continue to provide first-class services to its teeming customers within and outside the country,” the statement read.

“FirstBank further asserts that it will always defend its interests within the ambit of the law and seek redress for any temporary injustice done to it.

“The bank is not aware and has not been advised as to the provision of any law in Nigeria which allows the use of criminal contempt to enforce monetary judgements or obligations.”

…says no African country can win W/Cup

Former Super Eagles coach, Bonfere Jo, has said national team captain, Mikel Obi, should be benched if he failed to act according to the dictate of the coach.

Speaking during a radio programme monitored in Lagos at the weekend, the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games gold medalist said it is important that all the players must play according to the instruction of the coach.

“It is pertinent that any players that failed to play according to the pattern of the coach should be drop not minding who,” he said.

“If Mikel cannot play with other players, then he should be asked to stay on the bench and allow others who are ready to make the country proud play.

“I am not saying a particular player should play, but for me, if you asked Mikel Obi to do a particular thing and he failed to do so, then you should be able to tell him to stay on the bench like every other player.

“Mikel have what it takes to perform at the World Cup, but if he cannot play with other players, then he should be asked to stay on the bench let other player play and do the country proud.”

Meanwhile the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Gold medalist has said no African country has what it takes to win the World Cup.

According to him, African team lack the experience to get far at the World Cup and it will take a while for them to make great impact at the world football biggest stage.

He added: “They (African teams) cannot handle the pressure associated with the World Cup, they cannot handle the press and other things associated with the Mundial,

“You must have good control of everything, players must be kept under good control but we cannot do that.”

“African teams can do a lot but they don’t have the experience and the team to make it from the group to the later stages of the Mundial. They need a strong people behind the team and without that they cannot make it far in Russia.”

Five countries Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal will be representing the continent in Russia and all will be looking forward to getting to the next round of the biggest footballing event around the world.

A Federal High Court, Lagos, on Wednesday convicted Ms. Ibukun Awosika, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, the chairman and Managing Director of First bank Plc, respectively, as well as the bank for their refusal to honour the payment of N122 billion bond guaranteed by the bank.

The N122 billion bond, is in respect of the judgment debt against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), in an oil spill suit instituted by Ejama community in Ogoniland, Rivers State.

The court presided over by Justice Ibrahim Buba, however suspended the serving of their conviction, for three months, to enable them to purge themselves of the contempt.

The judge however stated that if by September 6, 2018, the convicts failed to purge themselves of the contempt proceedings, they shall immediately send to prison.

In convicting First Bank, its chairman, and managing director, Justice Buba had dismissed all the applications filed by First Bank lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), describing contempt proceedings as abuse of court process and been statue bar.

It would be recalled that 10 indigenes of Ejama community, in the substantive suit had sued Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Netherlands, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, United Kingdom, and SPDC, over alleged oil spills that occurred when Shell operated in the community at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

Justice Buba had in his judgment in 2010, awarded N17 billion to the representatives of the Ogoni people.

The court equally granted the Ejama Chiefs 25 per cent interest charge on the principal sum of about N17 billion.

SPDC had then appealed against the judgment and applied for a stay of execution of the judgment pending the appeal.

As a condition for granting the stay of execution, the court required Shell’s bankers, First Bank Plc, to provide a guarantee of the judgment sum.

This condition was complied with. But Shell’s appeal failed at the Court of Appeal on technical grounds, ostensibly because it filed its processes out of time and without regularising them.

Consequent upon the failure of the appeal of SPDC at Appeal Court, and the refusal of First Bank Plc, to honour the payment of judgment debt which the bank had early guarantee through a bond, the applicants, through their lawyers, Chief Lucius Nwosu (SAN), A.A. Salawu-Rabana (SAN) and Ken C. Njemanze (SAN) filed Form 48 and Form 49 (committal to prison) against the bank, its chairman and managing director.

However, ruling could not be delivered in the contempt proceedings until today, due to several applications that were filed by the contemnors, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which sought to join as party in the suit, and SPDC.

Human rights activist and renowned lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has dared the Muslims Rights Concern, MURIC, to sue his rapper son, Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz, if they are aggrieved by his trending ‘This is Nigeria’ video.

You will recall the group during the week released a statement, ordering Falz to take down “This is Nigeria” video which, according to them, ridicules their religion because some girls were seen in the footage wearing hijab and dancing Shaku Shaku.

They also threatened to take a legal action against the rapper after the expiration of the ultimatum given to him.

But reacting to the threat, the renowned lawyer told Vanguard that in as much as freedom of speech is constitutionally guaranteed in the country, nobody has the right to threaten another person.

According to him, the video in question contains a lot of messages and desired to be encouraged by anybody who has the interest of this country at heart.

Speaking further, Falana said he has confirmed that his son, who’s also a lawyer by profession is handling the threat within the ambit of the law.

“My son is a lawyer and I have confirmed that he’s handling the threat within the ambit of the law. The video in question contains a lot of messages and it should be encouraged by anybody who has the interest of our country at heart.

“Since the group has threatened to sue him or threatening to sue him. My son has promised that he would meet them in court. I support that decision.

“We all belong to this country, nobody can threaten another person. Freedom of speech is constitutionally guaranteed.

“If you are aggrieved as a result of any publication or record, the appropriate thing for you to do is to go to court. I’d hope that they will go to court at the expiration of the ultimatum given to my son,” said the renowned lawyer.

There is nothing in human-form, that bears a heart as vile and petrifying as a traitor’s. He that befriends a traitor, is lost to truth and loyalty emblematic of unwavering comradeship. He is forever subjected to the studied sly and ensnaring wile of his treacherous friend. And none other but Governor Akinwunmi Ambode understands this sad fact.

The embattled factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State Mr Fouad Oki has made a shocking revelation during an interview by popular Presenter Jimi Disu on Morning Digest, a programme on Lagos Talks 91.fm.

Mr Oki claimed that Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Hon. Bayo Oshinowo aka Pepper of the Lagos State House of Assembly are plotting to ensure that Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode does not get a second term.

He stated that the two men came to him to discuss the plot and challenged them to come out publicly to state their own sides of the story.

Mr Oki noted that the men’s grouse was that Mr Ambode was having some issues with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and since Tinubu is their godfather, they have taken it upon themselves to thwart Ambode’ second term ambition.

Mr Oki who called Asiwaju Bola Tinubu many unprintable names including a bigot, noted that the era of impunity and imposition was almost over in Lagos APC

He stated that as a grassroots man he had a formidable team backing him against the party bigwigs who do not want to enthrone internal democracy in the APC.

He revealed that his group had gone to court to seek an interpretations of the constitution and the party’s byelaws concerning holding primaries in 57 LGs and LCDAs instead of 20 LGAs only.

He said his battle with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a fight to to finish, adding that though he is a cousin of both Dr Muiz Banire, SAN and Babatunde Fashola, SAN, they were not part of his group.

Asked if he had any axe to grind with Governor Ambode, he described two instances were he met the Governor in recent times, noting that their relationship was cordial.

He threatened that if the matter was not settled in good time, APC may not field a candidate in the 2019 Gubernatorial election.

After falsely claiming a victory at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Chairman of Innoson Motors, Dr Innocent Chukwuma has deleted his declaration on social media that the apex court has ordered GTBank to pay him N14bn within 14 days.
The retraction, judicial analysts believe, was advised by Innoson’s lawyers who fear that contempt of court charges on defaming the Supreme Court may be brought against the embattled businessman.

Innoson had earlier on Thursday caused a social media storm by claiming that Supreme Court had ruled in his favour for GTBank to pay him N14bn.

However, records of the court proceedings showed no such ruling. Instead, what the Supreme Court had directed was for both parties, Innoson and GTBank, to return to the Court of Appeal, Enugu Judicial Division, for a hearing on GTBank’s appeal scheduledfor the 14th of June 2018.

In fact, it is in the tradition of the Supreme Court to issue definitive rulings only on Fridays, and what it delivered on Thursday was more or less a directive for both parties to return to the Appeal Court.

However, court feelers say this is actually a win for GTB as it grants what the Bank has always wanted—and what Innoson has consistently stalled, which is for the Court of Appeal in Enugu to hear the Bank’s appeal.
As facts on ground became clear that Innoson’s claim on social media was completely false, the embattled businessman moved to silently delete the Fake News Tweet from his company’s Twitter.

However, Nigerians on social media did not miss this. “I wonder why Innoson Vehicles deleted the tweet claiming Supreme Court ordered GTBANK to pay them N14bn?! ��” wrote one Twitter user.

“The handler of that @innosonvehicles account needs to answer questions. What he’s done is punishable by law; and I’m sure the Supreme court won’t take it lightly,” another Twitter user said.

Total Telecoms Solutions provider, Globacom, has announced the first batch of winners in its on –going GO Russia promo.

Globacom in a press statement issued in Lagos, said seven Nigerians emerged from the first draw of the promo, adding that more winners will be unveiled from the next set of draws to be conducted soon.

The lucky winners are Orewa Edwin Ehi, Aghaegbunem Marvel Chukwufumnaya, Oladunjoye Joseph Babatunde, Kome Sunny Ikpeba, Agbede Temidayo Bayodele, Adeoye Adefisoye Simon and Olugbokiki Mukail Omolola.

Eventually, 22 lucky winners will emerge from the promo and they will be beneficiaries of an all-expenses-paid trip to Russia.

The promo which runs from May 16 to July 8, 2018, is open to all new and existing Prepaid/Postpaid customers on the Glo network nationwide.

“The GO Russia promo was unveiled to reward our amazing subscribers who have stood solidly behind the brand over the years. Their patronage and support have been overwhelming, and this was why we launched the promo to appreciate them”, Globacom explained.

Under the GO Russia promo, a subscriber who uses N3, 000 on Voice calls or a minimum of N5, 000 on Voice and Data will qualify for a draw. However, incremental usage of N500 over N3000 for Voice or N5, 000 for Voice and Data attracts an extra entry to the draw. The more the airtime used by subscribers, the higher the chances of winning.

Globacom, therefore, urged Nigerians to make utmost use of the opportunity provided by the promo to be part of the trip.

Interested customers can participate in the promo by sending GO to 240 on the Glo network.

Winners will be contacted by Glo Customer Care.

A Federal High Court, Lagos, on Wednesday convicted Ms. Ibukun Awosika, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, the chairman and Managing Director of First bank Plc, respectively, as well as the bank for their refusal to honour the payment of N122 billion bond guaranteed by the bank.

The N122 billion bond, is in respect of the judgment debt against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), in an oil spill suit instituted by Ejama community in Ogoniland, Rivers State.

The court presided over by Justice Ibrahim Buba, however suspended the serving of their conviction, for three months, to enable them to purge themselves of the contempt.

The judge however stated that if by September 6, 2018, the convicts failed to purge themselves of the contempt proceedings, they shall immediately send to prison.

In convicting First Bank, its chairman, and managing director, Justice Buba had dismissed all the applications filed by First Bank lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), describing contempt proceedings as abuse of court process and been statue bar.

It would be recalled that 10 indigenes of Ejama community, in the substantive suit had sued Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Netherlands, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, United Kingdom, and SPDC, over alleged oil spills that occurred when Shell operated in the community at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

Justice Buba had in his judgment in 2010, awarded N17 billion to the representatives of the Ogoni people.

The court equally granted the Ejama Chiefs 25 per cent interest charge on the principal sum of about N17 billion.

SPDC had then appealed against the judgment and applied for a stay of execution of the judgment pending the appeal.

As a condition for granting the stay of execution, the court required Shell’s bankers, First Bank Plc, to provide a guarantee of the judgment sum.

This condition was complied with. But Shell’s appeal failed at the Court of Appeal on technical grounds, ostensibly because it filed its processes out of time and without regularising them.

Consequent upon the failure of the appeal of SPDC at Appeal Court, and the refusal of First Bank Plc, to honour the payment of judgment debt which the bank had early guarantee through a bond, the applicants, through their lawyers, Chief Lucius Nwosu (SAN), A.A. Salawu-Rabana (SAN) and Ken C. Njemanze (SAN) filed Form 48 and Form 49 (committal to prison) against the bank, its chairman and managing director.

However, ruling could not be delivered in the contempt proceedings until today, due to several applications that were filed by the contemnors, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which sought to join as party in the suit, and SPDC.

…Investment in infrastructure geared towards boosting sector -Ambode

…Receives delegation in Lagos House

Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili on Wednesday said that Lagos would play a pivotal role in the organisation’s quest to promote new tourism destinations across the world.

Pololikashvili, who made this known when he led a high powered delegation, consisting eight Ministers of Tourism and representatives from 44 countries across Africa on a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, said the Technical Visit to the State, as part of the activities for the just concluded 61st UNWTO/CAF Meeting in Abuja, was a pointer to the role Lagos would play in developing tourism in the continent.

Describing the visit to Lagos as the best part of the meeting, the UNWTO Scribe said, “We are here to promote new tourism destinations. You can count on us, thanks to you, to promote this fantastic place. Thanks for receiving us and rest assured that Lagos will be one of the most important parts of our strategy branding.”

Responding, State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode said the massive investment in infrastructural renewal by his administration was a well thought out strategy to position Lagos as a tourism hub.

He said his administration was not unmindful of the massive economic benefits yet untapped from the tourism sector, adding that conscious efforts are being made to maximise the potentials for the benefit of the people.

“We believe that with the kind of population and the market that Lagos has, we must start to create tourism infrastructure to be able to grow the economy, that’s why as you move across Lagos, you would observe that it is technically a construction site; from the airport and as you go on the bridges and also when you go to the Eko Atlantic City.

“But the ultimate goal is that these infrastructure will now drive people to come and spend their weekend here, just the way you have decided to spend your Wednesday here in Lagos and the government gets some form of revenue from taxes when people use our hotels.

“So there is a cycle of development that tourism tries to drive and that is why we have continuously supported whatever has to do with tourism and let me reiterate also that we would continue to support everything tourism because anything that can integrate and bound the continent together, that’s where we should go because we are the next story,” Governor Ambode said.

He said a UN report in 2016 showed that 86 people enter into Lagos every one hour, with only Mumbai coming close with 79, followed by New York and London with 7 and 9 respectively, adding that it was a viable opportunity to use tourism to drive human and capital development.

“Lagos has almost a population of 24 million right now. According to UN report, as at 2016, 86 people enter into Lagos every one hour and most likely not wanting to go back. Next is Mumbai, 79; New York 7; London, 9.

“So, why are people coming to Lagos and not wanting to go back? It means that at a point where we are not able to provide jobs for them, we need to start looking at the area of tourism to be able to create that next port of building the State’s GDP and tap into the creative mind of our people, which is something that we have not really been doing across Africa,” the Governor said.

Welcoming the delegation to the State, Governor Ambode said the technical visit by the delegation was auspicious, as it would provide an avenue for top players in the tourism sector from the across the continent to rub minds and forge a common course towards making Africa the choice destination for tourists across the world.

The Governor noted that Africa, despite being the least travelled tourism continent in the world, houses the best tourism destinations, adding that stakeholders must use the summit to create a synergy and collaborate going forward to change the narrative.

“In this whole tourism industry, we are just an integral part of the whole bonding story that we are trying to build across Africa. This is very significant for us because now that we are beginning to see that every destination is an important destination across the continent, it is important that we integrate ourselves and also share whatever possibilities and opportunities that we have together.

In his remarks, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed thanked Governor Ambode for his support towards the hosting of the 61st UNWTO/CAF Meeting in Nigeria, saying that it was largely responsible for the success of the event.

“Without the generous support and cooperation of Lagos State this 61st UNWTO/CAF Meeting would not have been possible. When I ran into difficulties it was my brother that I came to and he bailed me out. I remain eternally grateful to you and Nigeria is very grateful to you because your support has made the Meeting successful,” the Minister said.

He said the visit to Lagos was a major part of the conference and Lagos was chosen because of its foremost place in the country’s tourism architecture, adding that the massive investment in tourism infrastructure by Governor Ambode has gone a long way to show the State’s seriousness to emerge as a leading tourism hub in Nigeria and Africa.

He said the day-long Technical Visit will see the 101 delegation from UNWTO, including Ministers of Tourism from eight countries and representatives from 44 countries in Africa visit the Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island, arguably the biggest of its kind in Africa with world class facilities that would further drive tourism in Nigeria.

-Your comments insensitive and callous

The Igbo Canadian Community Association (ICCA/Umunna) have described as insensitive and callous the insinuations made by President Muhammadu Buhari that the Nigeria Army showed a lot of restraints on Biafrans during the civil war.

In a statement issued from Toronto, Canada, the President of ICCA/Umunna, Chief Ugochukwu Okoro, said Buhari making such comments at a time when Igbos all over the world were observing a remembrance of their loved ones who died during the war is unfortunate and does not reflect the qualities of a democratic leader that should be liberal and inclusive.

President Buhari had during his investiture as Grand Patron of the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) at the presidential villa in Abuja, said that the Nigeria Army were issued strict instructions by the then head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, that Biafrans were not enemies, but “brothers and sisters of the rest of Nigerians.”

Okoro said: “It is appalling that President Buhari, being the Commander-in-Chief and an active participant during the civil war meant to exterminate people of Igbo origin across the country could make such statements credited to him. We find his remarks misguided and calculated to assault the emotions of Ndigbo in a manner designed to re-open the wounds of pogrom, holocaust and attempted annihilation meted against the Igbo people in the 30 months civil war waged on the people of the South East region leading to the deaths of over three million Igbo sons, daughters and children.

“Choosing to use such tragic event such as the civil war, which left three million innocent and defenseless men, women and children dead, to commend the activities of the Red Cross leave more to be desired from the leader of a country. One would have thought that President Buhari ought to have made reference to recent incidents that occurred under his watch to encourage the Red Cross.

In March this year, 11 people including three aid workers were killed when suspected Boko Haram militants attacked a barracks in Rann, Borno State leading the United Nations (UN) to evacuate aid workers in the region. It would have been honourable and compassionate if President Buhari showed some humanity by using the event of his investiture as a patron of the Red Cross to reach out to the families of the aid workers hundreds of Nigerians that have lost their lives to attacks under his leadership,” Okoro said.

The ICCA/Umunna demanded to know from President Buhari what manner of restraint would leave three million persons dead.

“When President Buhari said the Nigeria Army troops showed a lot of restraints we beg to ask in what ways were these shown; was restraint used in the pogrom carried out in the Northern region during the months of February- July 1967 in which over 500,000 Igbos were continuously being killed in the Araba riots? Was the indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, schools and market places with innocent men, women and children targeted and killed part of the restraint? Was the massacre that occurred in Asaba which left every living male shot to death also a form of restraint by the Federal troops? Was the blockage of food and relief materials from entering Biafra also regarded as the orders of restraint Federal commanders were given? Even with the ‘No Victor No Vanquished Declaration’ by the Gowon government, was the Abandoned Property Decree and Twenty pounds payment policies of the Federal Government among the restraints President Buhari was referring to?”

The ICCA/Umunna urged President Buhari to, rather than open fresh wounds of what Ndigbo went through the war, restrain himself and his loathing for Ndigbo by telling the world where the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his aged father are being kept; Buhari should show some restraints towards Ndigbo by stopping the deployment of soldiers to South East region in whatever disguise to kill young Igbo youths indiscriminately.

“This is a President that will blame the late Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi, for his inability to check the incessant killing of Nigerians by the Fulani herdsmen of which he is a patron with no arrests made but will order the Nigeria Army to kill Ndigbo and citizens of Nigeria as witnessed in the so called the Operation Python Dance in September last year.”

Okoro went on to say that in the spirit of unity among Ndigbo, ICCA/Umunna will host a special event in remembrance of Igbo sons and daughters who lost their lives during the war.

“On June 16, the ICCA will host the 2018 Biafra Memorial Event where we will be showing what Ndigbo went through and have been able to achieve despite the setback of the war. This will also afford us an opportunity to remember our loved and lost ones. And we will use the event to educate President Buhari if that the ingenuity and brilliance of Ndigbo was what sustained the civil was to last the length it did and that same ingenuity will drive Ndigbo towards emancipation from the marginalization and cruelty they Buhari administration has shown to the people of the South-East.”

The National Assembly has threatened to invoke its constitutional power of checking President Muhammadu Buhari if he fails to accede to their demands.

The Chairman of the National Assembly, Bukola Saraki, read the resolutions of the lawmakers after a closed door session which lasted about three hours on Tuesday.

The resolutions were on insecurity around the country, ongoing prosecution of lawmakers, disregard of National Assembly authority by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, among others.

The lawmakers said they won’t hesitate to invoke their constitutional right if Mr Buhari fails to act.

Mr Saraki said, “The joint session of the national assembly in closed session resolved that the security agencies must be given a marching order to curtail the killings of Nigerians across the country and protect the lives and properties of Nigerians. This is the primary responsibility of any responsible government.

“Two, the Senate harassment and humiliation by the executive … must stop.

“Three, there must be strict adherence to the rule of law and protection of all citizens by the President and all his appointees.”

The lawmakers urged President Buhari to take responsibility for the actions and decision of his appointees.

They further charged him to desist from being selective in his anti-corruption war.

“Four, The president must be held accountable for the actions of his appointees and must be ready to sanction any act which will ridicule the country and our country’s democracy.

“Five, the government should show sincerity to the fight against corruption by not being selective and also prosecute current appointees pending against them.”

Mr Saraki also announced that he and his colleagues have resolved to involve international organisations in their demands while calling on the executive to bring to book hoodlums who stole the Senate mace.

“Six, the sanctity of the National Assembly (must be) protected and preserved and prosecute those who invaded the Senate to seize the mace.

“Elections must be competitive and inclusive [away] from the rule of fear and intimidation, particularly as we approach the forthcoming 2019 elections.

“The National Assembly will meet a few international communities through the IPU ECOWAS parliament, CPA, EU and United Nations to secure our democracy. The National Assembly will also work close to the civil society organisations to further deepen and protect our democracy.

“Resolution nine, the president must take immediate steps to curtail the growing rate of unemployment especially now that we have the advantage of rising oil price.”

While supporting it leadership, the lawmakers passed a vote of note confidence on IGP Idris.

Mr Idris for three consecutive times failed to honour the Senate invitation to give explanation on security situation in the country and treatment of a senator, Dino Melaye.

“Ten, both chambers of the National Assembly pass a vote of confidence on the Senate President and the Speaker and the entire leadership of the National Assembly.”

“Eleven, we also hereby reaffirm our earlier resolution of the vote of no confidence on the Inspector-general of police who does nothing but preside over killings of Nigerians and outright disregard for constitutional authority of both the executive and the legislature.”

The lawmakers threatened to invoke their constitutional powers if Mr Buhari fails to heed to their resolutions.

“Finally, the national assembly will not hesitate to invoke its constitutional power if nothing is done address the bulk of resolutions passed today,” Mr Saraki said.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has asked Folarin Falana, aka ‘Falz’ to withdraw his ‘This is Nigeria’ video and apologise to Nigerians, or face legal action.

‘Falz’ had explained that some girls dressed in hijab seen dancing the “shaku shaku” dance were a representation of the abducted Chibok girls still in Boko Haram captivity.

But MURIC, in a statement by Ishaq Akintola, its director, insisted that the dancers do not depict the situation of the girls.

The group also condemned “a character that dressed like a Fulani man, who suddenly abandoned his traditional guitar and beheaded a man” featured in the video.

MURIC described the video as “thoughtless, insensitive and highly provocative,”

“MURIC rejects Falz’ explanation that the girls in hijab in his ‘Shaku Shaku’ dance symbolize the Chibok girls because nothing in the video indicates that the girls represent the Chibok girls,” the statement read.

“At least none of the Chibok girls have been seen dancing like a drunkard. They are always in pensive mood. Do they have any cause to be dancing? Are they happy?

“The video manifests ethnic bias against Fulanis while it ignored the criminal activities of ethnic militia of the Middle Belt who have also massacred Fulanis and rustled their cattle in their thousands.

“It is a hate video. This video has the potential of causing religious crisis of unprecedented dimension.

“It is an assault on the self-dignity of every Muslim. It is freedom of expression gone haywire.

“We therefore demand its withdrawal and an apology to Nigerian Muslims within seven days or the authors and their agents will face legal action if they fail to comply.

“Only the scenes portraying police brutality and the money-swallowing snake in the video are near the truth.

“We call the attention of security agencies to this hate action.

“We remind Nigerians of the outcome of similar provocative actions in the past and their unpalatable outcomes.

“The National Film And Video Censors Board (NFVCB), a regulatory agency set up by Act No. 85 of 1993 to regulate films and the video industry has a case to answer. ‘Shaku Shaku’ video was shot and released under its watch.

“Instead of going violent, Nigerian Muslims should take those behind the ‘Shaku Shaku’ video to court in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

“We therefore give notice of impending legal action against the artist behind the ‘Shaku Shaku’ video unless the latter is withdrawn and an apology is widely published within seven days.”

1. The attention of the All-Atiku Support Groups, umbrella body of millions of supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has been drawn to a newspaper report credited to the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Professor Itse Sagay.

2. The AASG wishes to correct the erroneous impression which the purported claim by someone in the calibre of Professor Sagay must have painted in the minds of the unsuspecting public and innocent Nigerians, most of whom are lovers of the former Vice President of Nigeria and Waziri Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar.

3. It is indeed sad and in bad taste that Itse Sagay, a learned Professor of Law for that matter, and someone who by his calling, training and experience is expected to know better and sufficiently informed is the one who made such mischievous statement alluding to, and implying the idea that refusal to grant a request for an entry visa by the United States of America which was based on “Administrative” procedure, is a prerequisite and precondition for qualification to becoming the President of a sovereign nation like Nigeria.

4. We hold strongly that it is the prerogative of the United States of America or any other country for that matter, its embassies, diplomatic missions and consulates to grant entry visa to whoever it pleases, but also hold that denial of same for whatever reason as they may deem fit does not qualify anyone of criminal complicity. Several Nigerians have been denied in the past, and many more will still be denied, but Nigerian citizens so denied are not criminals. Waziri Atiku Abubakar is no exception.

6. The United States of America has never at any time accused nor alluded to any legal or criminal infraction against Waziri Atiku Abubakar and one would have thought it answers to intelligence, common sense and the calling of Professor Sagay to speak to facts of law in this regard and not corner street discussions, beer parlour gossips, rumours and hearsays.

7. Atiku Abubakar has been out of government since 2007; and that is about eleven years ago; as a businessman and a successful one at that, he has travelled to several countries all over the world including the United Kingdom, and many of these countries signed extradition pact with the United States of America, and he has not been declared wanted in any.

8. We observed that Professor Sagay has been so eager to retain his job with the present administration and nothing would be considered too odious for him to please his employer and paymaster even if such puts his integrity at stake and push him to the lowest level of esteem. It beats every imagination that Professor Sagay has constantly overreached his core mandate in advisory capacity to Mr. President and has become another vocal tool in the propaganda machine of the APC.

9. However, we at All-Atiku Support Groups and indeed all men and women of goodwill have a different view about how political battles should be fought and won. We are of the view that our democracy, having gone through the crucibles of trials and errors should have matured to a level where issues, policies and programmes are the plank upon which public discourse should rest. We think persons in his status should be above petty and mischievous hearsays and beer-parlour gossips, a new vocation that Professor Sagay has suddenly graduated himself into.

10. Nigerians are, more than ever before, interested in robust discussions bordering on policies and programmes of the current administration and the APC led Federal government. They want to know how the policies and programmes have impacted positively on their lives and improve their living conditions and not deliberate ploys of the handlers of President Muhammadu Buhari to stifle dissenting voices and members of the opposition. Sadly, our democracy is the greatest victim of the self-righteous war which is being directed at hounding free citizens but sparring members of the exclusive club of APC and Aso Rock cabals.

11. We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in and call Professor Sagay to order on his not-too-responsible statements which are capable of hurting our hard won democracy.

Signed:

Oladimeji Fabiyi
Chairman, All-Atiku Support Groups
Abuja
5th June, 2018.

…All the state’s 1,016 public primary schools to benefit

Wife of the Lagos State Governor and founder, Hope for Women in Nigeria Initiative, (HOFOWEM), Mrs. Bolanle Ambode on Tuesday flagged off the distribution of 50,000 shoes and branded socks to primary one pupils of public schools across the State.

Mrs Ambode flagged off the distribution at the Cherubim and Seraphim Primary School, Lagos Road, Majidun in Ikorodu.

The distribution is the 2018 edition of the “Project Bright Steps,” a pet project of HOFOWEM, to boost the morale of the children and sensitize the society that the welfare of pupils is important, in getting the best of them in their academic pursuits.

In the first edition of Project Bright Steps in February last year, 175,000 shoes and HOFOWEM-branded socks, were distributed to all Primary 1-3 pupils of public primary schools across Lagos State.

Flagging off the distribution, Mrs Ambode said getting the best from education began with proper dressing to school, saying that the foundation had observed with some pain, that many pupils were less than properly dressed to school, as some turned up in bathroom slippers while many others went barefooted.

The First Lady stated that this sort of daily appearance for school activities certainly could not guarantee them the desired self-esteem, for confidence to excel in their academic work.

“Our Foundation had pondered this and settled on the mass procurement and distribution of shoes and socks to the pupils, at least to prepare them for school. By the grace of God, upon the huge success recorded in the first edition, we are flagging-off the second edition of the project today, with a plan to distribute no less than 50,000 shoes and branded socks, to the primary one pupils of public schools across the State.

“The distribution centres are: Agege, Maryland, Yaba, Ojo, Amuwo Odofin, Epe, Lagos Island and Ikorodu which doubles as the flag-off venue. This arrangement is for easier accessibility to the various schools and the benefitting pupils,” she disclosed.

Mrs Ambode noted that Project Bright Steps was planned as an annual event, and would continue as such, by God’s grace, to touch as many pupils as possible in the state’s public primary schools.

Thanking all public-spirited individuals and corporate bodies, who had assisted HOFOWEM in its humanitarian endeavours, she urged the pupils to be serious with their academic work and that they should not make excuses of challenges and limitations.

“You can learn something new every day, if you listen attentively in class. And with strong determination, you can overcome all barriers to achieve your desired dream. Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet to the ground, do small things, in great ways. It is about your attitude of mind,” she counselled the pupils.

Chief Executive Officer, CEO, HOFOWEM, Mrs. Oyefunke Olayinka said since the commencement of operations, the foundation had touched the lives of many and is still putting smiles on the faces of the less-privileged without wavering, adding that through the foundation’s various humanitarian programmes, hundreds of women, children and youths had been reached.

She said the Project Bright Steps was a programme aimed at increasing school attendance by equipping pupils for school, thereby serving as a means of support for indigent parents, who might find it difficult to provide the basic school needs, required by their children and wards for enjoyable schooling.

“Parents and guardians should know that anything worth having does not come easy. All hands must be on deck, backed by prayers to achieve our most ambitious goals for our children,” she said, while charging the pupils to put in their best in everything they set out to do.

Speaking at the event, Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Dr. Ganiyu Sopeyin said the distribution of the shoes and socks would take place in all 1,016 public primary schools across the State.

He said last year, pupils in primary one to three benefitted from the distribution in 1,010 primary schools.

Commending the Governor’s wife for the gesture, Sopeyin added that the exercise was a testimony that the present administration’s clarion call to Non-Governmental Organisations, NGO, was yielding the needed synergy between government and well meaning Nigerians to raise the standard of basic education in the State.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Elizabeth Adekanye described the project as laudable and a step in the right direction to provide quality and accessible education to pupils in Lagos State Primary Schools.

“The First Lady has a burning desire to touch the lives of the less privileged in the society. She is everywhere assisting the indigents. This initiative is continuous all through the year,” she said.

A representative of the parents, Mr. Ajayi Ajibola commended Mrs. Ambode for the gesture, as it would relieve parents the burden of providing shoes and socks for their wards.

Yaya Toure has incredibly hit out at Pep Guardiola, suggesting the Manchester City manager has a problem with African players in an explosive interview with France Football.

The former Manchester City midfielder, 35, has claimed he and former Barcelona players have noticed his “treatment” of African players.

Toure also claimed he was treated differently by Guardiola… and will buy him a cake if he ever picks a team with five African players in it.

Incredibly, the Ivorian also hit out at his former manager for the manner of his departure from Manchester City, saying he “stole” his farewell from the Premier League champions.

Toure told France Football: “It feels like he was jealous of me, he saw me as a rival… as if I was taking the limelight away from him.

“He was cruel with me. Do you really think he could’ve been like that with Iniesta?

“It got to the point I asked myself if it was because of my colour.

“I’m not the first, other Barca players asked the question too. Maybe us Africans aren’t always treated the same by certain people.

“When you see the problems he [Pep] has often had with African players, everywhere he has been, I ask myself questions.

“He’s too intelligent to be caught. He’ll never admit it [not liking Africans].

“But the day he picks a team with five Africans in, I promise I will send him a cake!”

“Beyond that, Pep likes to dominate and wants to have obedient players who kiss his hands.

“I don’t like that kind of relationship. I respect my coach but I’m not his thing.

“He stole my farewell with City, a club with beautiful fans.

“I would have liked to leave with emotion of this club the way Iniesta [left Barca] or Gianluigi Buffon [left Juventus]. But Pep prevented me.”

Toure’s spent two spells working under Guardiola, first at Barcelona before being sold to Manchester City and then again at the Etihad after the Spaniard followed him last year.

Toure became something of a bit-part player under Guardiola last season, making just one start in the Premier League and nine appearances off the bench.

He also missed the EFL Cup final, despite having played in four of the previous rounds.

Toure’s contract expired at the end of the season with no offer from the club to stay.

Manchester City paid tribute to Toure by renaming a training facility in his honour. A tiled mural of the midfield celebrating his winning goal in the 2011 FA Cup final was also created.

Manchester City have been contacted for comment.

Nollywood filmmaker and winner of the maiden edition of Celebrity Housemates, Eniola Badmus, has likened the television reality show to a scam.

According to the actress, more than three months after the show ended, she has not received her prize money.

The organisers had announced her the winner of the show, saying she would get N7 million as the prize money.

“This is one thing I really don’t want to discuss right now because Celebrity Housemate was for me a platform where I could learn one or two things and where be able to coexist with other people, things that we were not used to in our house that we had to go out to learn,” the actress told HipTv.

“Also, about the money, I’m yet to receive my money. To me, I see them like a scam but we will sort it out.”

The celebrities who took part in the show were Ruggedman, Yomi Fash-Lanso, Eniola Badmus, Emmanuel Ikubuese, Peggy Ovire, Bolanle Ninalowo, Funky Mallam, Muma Gee, Fredrick Leonard, Ada Ameh, Ogenna Ekwubiri and Doris Simeon.