₦airaland Forum

Pay-television service provider, GOtv, has made its website more user-friendly in a way that enables subscribers find everything they need to know about the service in one place.

The GOtv website, www.gotvafrica.com, will be the one-stop shop to manage GOtv subscriptions and find local and international entertainment as well as packages to suit individual subscriber’s needs.

The new-look GOtv website, which has been simplified to work on both mobile devices and computers, makes GOtv Eazy Self- Service easily noticeable on the homepage. Subscribers can activate accounts, resolve issues, check the TV guide from the same destination and explore GOtv WOW offers available to loyal customers through an easy-to-find tab.

“We recognise that our increasingly mobile customers are constantly looking for a user-friendly and convenient service. We have positioned self-service upfront to ensure that our valued customers can now manage their accounts quickly and efficiently and still browse the TV Guide on the same page. This will make the GOtv website user journey easier and more convenient for customers. The changes form part of GOtv’s ongoing efforts to improve the services we offer to our customers with much more to come,” said John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria.

gotvafrica.com enables subscribers to avoid the long queues and get GOtv Eazy Self- Service at their fingertips. It also enables them to easily fix errors, locate a nearby dealer, find answers to frequently asked questions, learn more about GOtv decoder, what packages are on offer and so much more.

The Senate has threatened to issue warrant for the arrest of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Glo Mobile, Mr. Mike Adenuga and other firms that failed to honour its invitation on alleged complicity in N30 trillion revenue probe.

The Senate gave the 16 companied who failed to appear before its committee a deadline of Thursday to honour the invitation or risk being arrested.

The CEOs of British American Tobacco Company, CCEC Nigeria Ltd, Dana Group, African Wire and Allied Ltd, Admiral Overseas Nigeria Ltd and Aarti Steel Nigeria Ltd. were equally issued the warning.

Others are Gagsel International, Fries Land Capina, Etco Nigeria Ltd, Encounter Ltd, Edic Chemicals &Allied Distributors Ltd, Don Climax Group, De United Foods

The Chairman of the Senate Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, gave the warning at an investigative meeting with some of the firms on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the refusal the firms to honour the invitation was a disrespect for the institution of the National Assembly and would not be tolerated.

He said of the 30 firms invited between Tuesday and Wednesday, only 14 honoured the invitation and appeared before the committee.

According to him, the CEOs are expected to cut short whatever engagement they have to honour the invitation in view of the magnitude of the investigation.

“It is only in Nigeria that the Senate will invite an entity for an interactive session, particularly in a case that bothers on investigation, financial mismanagement, infractions and the company will be complacent.

“The companies will not be willing to come or sometimes send junior officers.

“I have directed and we are working with security agencies, that any company that is invited and has something to explain and refuses to appear, we will issue a warrant for such persons to be arrested.

“We are giving them the final opportunity to appear and if they fail, we will issue a warrant.

“In this investigation we are working with the Nigeria Police Force.

“This is because we are using their facilities to process some of our data so that the information we will present to the public will be information with high integrity that will not be questioned by anybody.

“We have directed that they must come tomorrow, Thursday unfailingly,’’ he said.

Addressing the firms who were present at the meeting, Uzodinma said they would be given documents arising from the investigation carried out by the committee to study and comply.

He said the documents specified the various forms of infractions carried out by each of the firms involved in the import and export value chain.

“We have put everything in different categories and for category one it is unutilised Form M. You applied for Form M and approval and allocation were given.

“But rather than import with the allocation, God knows what happened because you did not do that.

“Then pre-arrival assessment report that was issued. You abandoned them yet you took your goods. We do not know how you took the goods away and the money is still open in the data base.

“Then Single Goods Declarations (SGDs) which you people did by yourself then abandoned and yet collected your goods.

“These are all indicated in the documents we have handed over to you.

“So, if there are such legitimate approvals, we want to see a copy otherwise we will assume that they were not cancelled in which case we will be expecting you to make payment.

“Then classification. We have cases where a pre-arrival assessment is carried out and a particular item is classified under a particular HS (Tariff Handbook) Code.

“When you now go to SGD if it is a classification of 35 per cent you see that you declared five per cent instead of the 35 per cent that was issued to you.

“So, we have worked out the difference unless there is evidence that what you shipped were no longer what came to Nigeria which we doubt.

“Then wrong classification is another category. That one deals directly with those bringing vehicles with reverse gear and you declare them as CKD.

“For instance Dag Motorcycle Industries Ltd, when you bring in tricycle which has reverse gear, there are cases where they are classified wrongly.

“All these must be submitted by Monday so that by Wednesday we will be able to deal with definite figures on what amount of money that should be expecting to receive as unutilised Forex allocation,’’ he said.

The lawmaker expressed concern that most approved Form Ms were not given to genuine users, leading to increasing exchange rate.

He said the committee would ensure that Forex was given to genuine importers to strengthen the Naira against foreign currencies as well as improve employment opportunities among other benefits.

He stressed that the committee was extending its investigation to the operation of Trade Free Zone Agreement.

Uzodinma said “most of you who have been importing in the name of trade free zone. Under that policy you know you have to do 30 per cent value addition.

“But we have identified all the trade free zones that imported finished goods and those goods did not even get to the trade free zones.

“The goods ended up in the various ware houses in Apapa and when they make the money, because there is no documentation they have surplus Naira.

“With the surplus Naira, they in turn buy dollar at any rate and in the process kill our local manufacturers who really want dollar to be able to do their businesses.’’

The Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport had been mandated to carry out a holistic investigation into alleged N30 trillion revenue leakages in Forex and the entire import and export value chain between 2006 and 2017.

The committee has so far met with all indicted commercial banks as well as government agencies and is currently meeting with the companies alleged to be involved in the corruption in the system.

Pharma-Deko Plc, recently informed a Federal High Court in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria that it has filed an application seeking to commit to prison two management staff of Guinness Nigeria Plc, for violating the law as stipulated under the Company and Alied Matter Act, CAMA.
The committal to prison proceeding arose in the course of a winding up petition instituted against Guinness Nigeria Plc over a debt of N175,699,317.99 million.
It would be recalled that Pharma-Deko Plc, in its winding-up petition marked FHC/L/CP/69/2017, had approached the court seeking winding-up of Guinness Nigeria Plc, over the said debt.
At the resumed hearing of the winding-up petition recently, counsel to Pharma-Deko Plc, Chief (Mrs) A. Williams Akinjide (SAN), told the court that her client has filed two applications in relation to the matter.
The first motion dated March 30, 2017, according to Chief Akinjide (SAN), is seeking to commit to prison two top officers of Guinness Nigeria Plc, namely: Mr. Babatunde Abayomi Savage, and Mr, Peter Ndegwa, both the Chairman and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc respectively.
While the second motion dated March 21, 2017, according to the senior lawyer, is seeking an order restraining Guinness Nigeria Plc, it’s directors, staff, agents and privies from making any application to Nigerian Stock Exchange Commission (SEC), in respect of Guinness Nigeria Plc’s stocks and shares or dealing in any of its assets.
In urging the court to grant the two applications, Chief Akinjide (SAN), said the respondents have violated sections 413 and 415 of the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), which enjoyed them to seek the leave of the court before they can deal in their accounts, shares, and issuing of right issues, once a winding-up petition have been filed against their company.
She particularly stated that section 415 of CAMA made it clear that the winding-up petition stands once the petition is filed.
However, counsel to Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. M. Mordi, in response to the petitioner’s application, said he had filed an application challenging the court’s jurisdiction in entertaining the petition on the ground that the alleged debt was status bar, having been over eight years.
Mordi said his client’s application dated January 23, 2017, is also seeking for stay of committal proceedings against his client pending when the jurisdiction issue is resolved.
The lawyer particularly stated that as a result of the petition, the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, has written to the company to put on hold its proposed N40 billion right issues.
He also informed the court that they have kept the draft of N175 million which the petitioner is demanding for with the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR) pending when the matter is concluded and that there is nothing to fear by the plaintiff.
However, responding to Guinness’ submission, Chief Akinjide (SAN), said that the respondents’ submission manifested that they don’t have regards to the Provisions of CAMA.
In the winding-up petition filed by Chief (Mrs) Williams Akinjide (SAN), on behalf of Pharma-Deko Plc, is urging the court to Wind-up Guinness Nigeria Plc, due to inability to pay an undisputed contractual debt of N175, 699, 317.99 million.
Pharma-Deko is also urging the court to appoint an official Receiver, as a provisional liquidator.
The petitioner also stated that it’s request to Wind-up the respondent was pursuant to the Provision of the Companies and Allied Matters Act Cap. C20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The petitioner in an affidavit of verifying winding-up petition deposed to by its production manager, Olukayode Isola, averred that it entered into a canning contractual with the Guinness Nigeria Plc, and as a result of breach of contract by the Guinness Nigeria Plc, an arbitration proceedings was conducted in accordance with the contract on the basis of which an award was made on July 1, 2016.
It also stated that Guinness Nigeria Plc participated in the proceedings fully and received the award at the same time it received it. Adding that by the award referred to, Guinness Nigeria Plc is contractually indebted to it in the sum of N175, 699, 317.99.
It stated further that all efforts since July 1, 2016, to get the contractual debt paid have been ignored/refused by the Guinness Nigeria Plc, despite writing and forwarding several demand notices in pursuant to statutory laws.
In response to the winding-up proceedings, Guinness Nigeria Plc, urged the court to strike out the suit in its entirety for want of jurisdiction.
Guinness Nigeria Plc in its affidavit in support of the Motion for striking out of the suit deposed to by Rotimi Odusola, the company’s legal director and Company’s Secretary, stated that by the notice of Arbitration dated February 10, 2010, Pharma-Deko Plc instituted an arbitration against Guinness Nigeria Plc, alleging a breach of contract and unlawful termination of contract canning agreement dated July 2006.
It averred that upon the conclusion of the Arbitration, the sole arbitrator, published a final award on July 1, 2016, of the sum of N195, 167, 986. 87, which was subsequently corrected and republished on August 1, 2016, in favour of Pharma-Deko Plc.
It however stated that upon the counter-claim filed by the Pharma-deko Plc, the Arbitrator awarded the sum of N21, 222, 421.43, to Guinness Nigeria Plc, thereby leaving a balance of N175, 699, 317. 99.
It further stated that Pharma-Deko Plc only presented the winding-up proceedings under the guise or pretext that Guinness Nigeria Plc, is insolvent. Adding that winding-up proceedings is not the proper mode of enforcing an arbitrary award as set out in the law regulating Arbitration proceedings in Nigeria.
It also stated that the award is statue barred and unenforceable in law.
Consequently Guinness Nigeria Plc urged court to strike out Pharma-Deko Plc’s winding-up petition for want of jurisdiction.

The Clerk of the House, Ikeja Local Government Area, Mr. Shamsideen Omotayo, has been kidnapped by gunmen in Imota, Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, confirmed the incident to newsmen.

“Details of the abduction is still sketchy,” he said.

It was learnt that the kidnappers laid ambush for the clerk on his way to the office on Wednesday morning.

Nigeria’s leading business tycoon, Aliko Dangote, has sold a 2.3 per cent stake in his cement firm, Dangote Cement, to foreign buyers.

According to Reuters, Dangote Industries Limited sold the stake in a stock market deal valued at N86.1 billion ($236 million).

The news agency reports that stock exchange confirmed the sale Tuesday, adding that a total of 416 million shares of Dangote Cement were traded at N210 in six off-market deals.

The traded deals, report said, were negotiated between Stanbic IBTC and Meristem stockbrokers.

According to Dangote Cement spokesperson, the sale of stake deal was between Dangote Industries Limited and some foreign investors.

Dangote Cement makes up one third of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE’s, total market capitalisation. On Tuesday, the company shed 0.68 percent, to value it at 3.79 trillion naira ($10.4 billion).

Sources said due to its heavy capitalisation, the company was yet to meet its minimum float requirement, thus making it difficult to find a buyer.

Dangote Industries sold a 1.5 per cent of its 95 percent stake to South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation (PIC) for $289.3 million in 2013.

In 2014, it also sold a 1.4 per cent stake to Sovereign fund Investment Corp of Dubai (ICD) for $300 million.

But the company faces competition from other local rivals including French cement maker, Lafarge, which has combined its Nigerian and South African businesses to accelerate growth on the continent.

Considered as one of Nigeria’s biggest companies, the firm was listed on the NSE in 2010.

Earlier on Monday, Dangote Cement released its financials on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange which indicated that its sales volume increased showing a growing capture of Pan-African market.

Revenues from operations in Nigeria increased by 34.5 per cent to ₦291.4 billion while Pan-Africa revenue increased by 63.7 percent to ₦124.4 billion from ₦76.0 billion mainly as a result of increased volumes and foreign exchange gains when converting the sales from country local currency into Naira.

Pharma-Deko Plc, recently informed a Federal High Court in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria that it has filed an application seeking to commit to prison two management staff of Guinness Nigeria Plc, for violating the law as stipulated under the Company and Alied Matter Act, CAMA.
The committal to prison proceeding arose in the course of a winding up petition instituted against Guinness Nigeria Plc over a debt of N175,699,317.99 million.
It would be recalled that Pharma-Deko Plc, in its winding-up petition marked FHC/L/CP/69/2017, had approached the court seeking winding-up of Guinness Nigeria Plc, over the said debt.
At the resumed hearing of the winding-up petition recently, counsel to Pharma-Deko Plc, Chief (Mrs) A. Williams Akinjide (SAN), told the court that her client has filed two applications in relation to the matter.
The first motion dated March 30, 2017, according to Chief Akinjide (SAN), is seeking to commit to prison two top officers of Guinness Nigeria Plc, namely: Mr. Babatunde Abayomi Savage, and Mr, Peter Ndegwa, both the Chairman and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc respectively.
While the second motion dated March 21, 2017, according to the senior lawyer, is seeking an order restraining Guinness Nigeria Plc, it’s directors, staff, agents and privies from making any application to Nigerian Stock Exchange Commission (SEC), in respect of Guinness Nigeria Plc’s stocks and shares or dealing in any of its assets.
In urging the court to grant the two applications, Chief Akinjide (SAN), said the respondents have violated sections 413 and 415 of the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), which enjoyed them to seek the leave of the court before they can deal in their accounts, shares, and issuing of right issues, once a winding-up petition have been filed against their company.
She particularly stated that section 415 of CAMA made it clear that the winding-up petition stands once the petition is filed.
However, counsel to Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. M. Mordi, in response to the petitioner’s application, said he had filed an application challenging the court’s jurisdiction in entertaining the petition on the ground that the alleged debt was status bar, having been over eight years.
Mordi said his client’s application dated January 23, 2017, is also seeking for stay of committal proceedings against his client pending when the jurisdiction issue is resolved.
The lawyer particularly stated that as a result of the petition, the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, has written to the company to put on hold its proposed N40 billion right issues.
He also informed the court that they have kept the draft of N175 million which the petitioner is demanding for with the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR) pending when the matter is concluded and that there is nothing to fear by the plaintiff.
However, responding to Guinness’ submission, Chief Akinjide (SAN), said that the respondents’ submission manifested that they don’t have regards to the Provisions of CAMA.
In the winding-up petition filed by Chief (Mrs) Williams Akinjide (SAN), on behalf of Pharma-Deko Plc, is urging the court to Wind-up Guinness Nigeria Plc, due to inability to pay an undisputed contractual debt of N175, 699, 317.99 million.
Pharma-Deko is also urging the court to appoint an official Receiver, as a provisional liquidator.
The petitioner also stated that it’s request to Wind-up the respondent was pursuant to the Provision of the Companies and Allied Matters Act Cap. C20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The petitioner in an affidavit of verifying winding-up petition deposed to by its production manager, Olukayode Isola, averred that it entered into a canning contractual with the Guinness Nigeria Plc, and as a result of breach of contract by the Guinness Nigeria Plc, an arbitration proceedings was conducted in accordance with the contract on the basis of which an award was made on July 1, 2016.
It also stated that Guinness Nigeria Plc participated in the proceedings fully and received the award at the same time it received it. Adding that by the award referred to, Guinness Nigeria Plc is contractually indebted to it in the sum of N175, 699, 317.99.
It stated further that all efforts since July 1, 2016, to get the contractual debt paid have been ignored/refused by the Guinness Nigeria Plc, despite writing and forwarding several demand notices in pursuant to statutory laws.
In response to the winding-up proceedings, Guinness Nigeria Plc, urged the court to strike out the suit in its entirety for want of jurisdiction.
Guinness Nigeria Plc in its affidavit in support of the Motion for striking out of the suit deposed to by Rotimi Odusola, the company’s legal director and Company’s Secretary, stated that by the notice of Arbitration dated February 10, 2010, Pharma-Deko Plc instituted an arbitration against Guinness Nigeria Plc, alleging a breach of contract and unlawful termination of contract canning agreement dated July 2006.
It averred that upon the conclusion of the Arbitration, the sole arbitrator, published a final award on July 1, 2016, of the sum of N195, 167, 986. 87, which was subsequently corrected and republished on August 1, 2016, in favour of Pharma-Deko Plc.
It however stated that upon the counter-claim filed by the Pharma-deko Plc, the Arbitrator awarded the sum of N21, 222, 421.43, to Guinness Nigeria Plc, thereby leaving a balance of N175, 699, 317. 99.
It further stated that Pharma-Deko Plc only presented the winding-up proceedings under the guise or pretext that Guinness Nigeria Plc, is insolvent. Adding that winding-up proceedings is not the proper mode of enforcing an arbitrary award as set out in the law regulating Arbitration proceedings in Nigeria.
It also stated that the award is statue barred and unenforceable in law.
Consequently Guinness Nigeria Plc urged court to strike out Pharma-Deko Plc’s winding-up petition for want of jurisdiction.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday alleged that evidence of misappropriation of public funds against his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, is so overwhelming that the former governor publicly admitted to them.
He claimed that Amaechi, who is now the Minister of Transportation, admitted paying $39 million for a non-existent Justice Karibi Whyte Mega Specialist Hospital, adding that the ex-governor allegedly confessed publicly to have sold the state’s gas turbines, the proceeds of which was diverted.
Speaking while addressing the 106th quarterly meeting of the Council of Traditional Rulers in Port Harcourt on Monday, the governor regretted that Amaechi is working against the interest of the state, and is refusing to use his position as a minister to attract benefits to the people.
His words: “All the documents that proved Amaechi’s acts are authentic. We never forged documents. The former governor himself admitted that he paid out $39 million to Clinotech, without a single block laid anywhere. Is that a document he claims was forged. Where is the hospital ?
“He has agreed in different interviews that he sold the state gas turbines for $309 million. Convert $309 million to naira and you will understand the level of fraud. Amaechi left only $204,000 in the state account.
“The bank statements of the pattern of withdrawals from that account are there for all to see. Can that be forged? The dates and amounts withdrawn are clearly written.”
Wike berated the minister for engaging in the blackmail of the Supreme Court because his appeal was pending before the apex court over the establishment of the state judicial commission of inquiry.
“There is no time that he loses a case without blackmailing the judiciary. He feels the only way he can do it is to blackmail the Supreme Court. You cannot play politics with everything,” he said.
Wike went on to warn traditional rulers in the state against working with armed gangs to cause insecurity in their communities.
On the use of hotels for electoral fraud, he warned that any hotel that opens its facility for electoral fraud and malpractice would lose its operational certificate of occupancy.
He said: “Any hotel that is used to rig elections, that hotel’s certificate of occupancy will be withdrawn. I will not take that anymore.”
In an earlier remark, Chairman of the traditional rulers and Amayanabo of Opobo, King Dandeson Jaja, lauded Wike for the commencement of the reconstruction of 175 public schools across the state.
He appealed to the governor to set up a process to check sale of illicit drugs in the state.

The management of Skye Bank Plc has written to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, detailing how Tunde Ayeni, chairman of the bank between 2010 and 2016, allegedly wrecked the financial institution.
In a series of letters and documents, the management listed details of how Ayeni allegedly used his office to perpetrate illegality.
After sending several warnings, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had taken over Skye Bank on July 4, 2016.
Godwin Emefiele, governor of CBN, said then that the action followed the failure of the lender to meet the regulator’s minimum key liquidity and capital adequacy ratios.
Ayeni had resigned after the development and CBN announced the appointment of Muhammad Ahmad as the new chairman, while Adetokunbo Abiru took over from Timothy Oguntayo as group managing director (GMD).

SUSPENSE ACCOUNT
In the letter signed by Abiru and Ahmad, the bank gave details of how Ayeni allegedly used loans from the bank to acquire major government companies.
“Upon the assumption of duty by the new board, one of the immediate concerns that needed to be addressed was to ascertain the true state of the affairs and financial position of the bank and the credibility of the IT and information systems of the bank,” the letter read.
“To this end, the following were undertaken: engagement of PWC do to half-year audit as of June 30, 2016. This was later extended to cover the full year to December 31, 2016.
“Engagement of KPMG to do a forensic audit of the bank’s IT platform and management information systems.
“The forensic audit revealed that the bank operated two sets of financial accountability/books and this was responsive for the regulators/auditors inability to detect the massive losses and infractions, particularly the balance of N280bn in suspense accounts.

INDUSTRY INDEBTEDNESS
“The bank’s total exposure to Ayeni as of the date is about N70bn. It is clear that he used his position as the chairman of the bank to obtain inside loans well above the regulatory thresholds for the acquisition of the following government enterprises: Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Yola Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and Nitel/Mtel. All the facilities are presently seriously challenged.
“As of today, Ayeni’s total industry indebtedness, covering both Nitel and the Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) is estimated at about N150bn, and little, if any, of these obligations, are being doubtful that he will ever be in a position to service these loans satisfactorily.”
The letter also said another N33 billion was traced to Ayeni, saying there was suspicion that that out of this amount, N7 billion was spent on the re-election campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The sum of N7bn was disbursed without due process to various individuals and corporate organisations on the request of Godknows Igali, a former permanent secretary of the federal ministry of power,” it read.
“The monies appear to have been expended essentially on the Jonathan-Sambo electoral campaign in 2015. That sum remains outstanding as at today.
“There is ample evidence that he (Ayeni), among others, received large amounts of cash, totalling N29.5bn, from the bank, which appears to be connected to the purchase of Mainstreet Bank Limited, but which has not been accounted for.
“He was instrumental in the approval and disbursement of the liquidity management which went on throughout his tenure.”

‘SEIZE ASSETS’
The management recommended that the government assist it to seize Ayeni’s assets.
“The former chairman should be brought to account for his central role in many of the identified infractions,” it read.
“We have been able to perfect the debenture on the fixed and floating assets of Natcom, the vehicle that was used for the acquisition of Nitel and Mtel with asset estimated at N282bn (Open market value) and N183bn (forced sale value) by Knight Frank in 2014.
“This will put us in a position to place the company into receivership for recovery. However, in order to come to fruition, this approach will require strong and unyielding support from the regulatory and political authorities in the country.”
The management also indicted Akinsola Akinfewa, Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti and Oguntayo, all former GMDs of the bank.
Other individuals listed in the petition for various acts of infraction are Femi Otedola, chairman Forte Oil Plc, Festus Fadeyi and Jide Omokore.
Ayeni could not be reached for comments as he failed to respond to a text message sent to his telephone.

In keeping with its promise to make financial services easy and accessible to its teeming customers, Keystone Bank Limited on Monday July 31, 2017 launched another innovative mobile channel enabled by dialing *533# within Nigeria.

According to the bank’s Divisional Head, E-Business Channels, Mr. Ernest Obi, the USSD code *533# platform will enable Keystone Bank customers to conveniently perform third party transfers to both Keystone Bank and other bank account holders in Nigeria, open Keystone Bank accounts, buy airtime, pay bills and access a mini statement such as balance enquiry using their mobile phones without necessarily having internet data or airtime.

“The Keystone Bank *533# USSD application is a convenient, reliable, fast, secure, and affordable way to access your Keystone bank account 24/7 through mobile phones without internet data. It works on all phone types.

“To initiate transfers to a Keystone Bank account and beneficiaries in other banks, simply dial *533*Amount*NUBAN Account No# from the mobile number registered with the bank. Also, you can top-up your airtime by dial *533*Amount# and third-party top-up can be done by dialing *533*Amount*Phone number#. Customers will then require the four digits PIN created at registration to authenticate each transaction”. Mr. Obi noted.

In his remarks, Keystone Bank’s Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Hafiz Bakare, stated: “Following the successful divestment of AMCON’s shareholding in Keystone Bank which culminated in the change in ownership and management, the bank has witnessed series of positive developments.

“The *533# product is Keystone Bank’s solution to facilitate customers’ access to their accounts at anytime of the day. Our *533# makes it possible for a Keystone Bank account to be viewed and transacted upon using any type of functional phone.

“The launch of this product demonstrates our culture of service excellence, strengthening the emotional bond with our existing customers while reinforcing the Keystone brand as one to be associated with by the entire banking public.

“Our internet banking is accessible on any internet enabled device while our mobile app is available on the Blackberry, Apple and Android stores. These services are enjoyed by the about 90 Million internet users in the country (according to the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC) representing almost 50% penetration of the population,” he said.

The bank’s Chief further disclosed that the lender will definitely witness more landmark events which would be communicated when it is auspicious as it moves ahead with its transition. He stressed the importance of remaining focused whilst relying on communication through proper channels as the transition progresses and the Bank awaits CBN approval of the full complement of a substantive board and management.

Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers.

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The All Progressive Congress has annulled the suspension of its legal adviser, Muiz Banire (SAN).

The party’s executive committee in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State, through the acting secretary of Mushin LGA, Taofeek Ajani-Balogun, had announced Banire’s suspension, alleging that the legal adviser was engaged in “anti-party activities.”

However, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, released a statement that nullifies Banire’s suspension, explaining that only the national executive committee had the powers to suspend him.

The statement reads: “The attention of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress has been drawn to the purported suspension of the party’s national legal adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN) by the party’s executive committee in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos state.

“We wish to state categorically that the purported suspension is a nullity, as the local chapter of the party does not have such powers to suspend a national officer.

“According to the party’s constitution, such powers reside with the national executive committee of the party.

“The party advises that whatever issues there might be, our party structure and constitution provide ample avenues for redress and dispute resolution.

“If the local chapter is unable to achieve a resolution, the NWC can and will wade in the matter to achieve amicable settlement.”

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obasekim has tasked healthcare providers to deliver quality services to the people, especially at the primary healthcare centers.
The governor gave the charge in Benin City on Thursday when he received the executives of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter at the Government House.
Obaseki, who commended the association for its contributions to the uplift of the state, observed that the passion shown by the medical women was a demonstration of their commitment to contribute meaningfully to the development of the healthcare system in Edo State.
“l am delighted to see professionals who on their own volition want to give back to their people and assist in the development of their communities. l know the force of women and the extra work you put in as medical women,” he added.
Obaseki urged the group to partner with the state government in developing a policy framework that will be used to address some of the challenges militating against the primary healthcare system.
He explained: “There are generic problems and challenges and if we do not address these challenges, whatsoever we are doing will not be sustained overtime. As a government, we have to fix the healthcare system, first by communicating our plans effectively because people equate healthcare with general hospitals.”
Obaseki disclosed that the state government at a recent two-day health workshop, found out that the problems in the healthcare system could only be dealt with from the base through capacity building and assured that the state government would soon domesticate the Federal Government National Health Insurance Scheme to give the people access to affordable healthcare.
In her remarks, the President of the association, Dr. Anthonia Inibokun Njoku, commended the governor for his developmental strides, adding that the association was confident that he would bring the desired change in the state.
She noted that the association’s mandate includes improving the health status of the populace especially women and children who are the vulnerable groups in the society.
Njoku explained that the association was also charged with advocacy work, health talks, screening exercises and medical outreaches.
The health expert said the state chapter of MWAN has a rich resource of female doctors and dentists with about 300 members and sought the assistance of the state government in providing vehicles to reach out to more people and a women’s clinic with screening facilities.

Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Emmanuel Udom, on Friday said that he could not disclose what he discussed with President Muhammadu Buhari in UK.
He however insisted that whatever was discussed, was in the best interest of Nigerians.
Udom was one of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors that met with Buhari in London on Wednesday.
Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, the Governor said “I don’t think when you hold meeting even with your wife and children you will come and make that public. The president is father of the nation and we represent the sub unit of this nation and so is not everything that we discussed that we should just come and say.
“It was a closed door meeting but be ready assured whatever the president will discuss with the governors will be in the best interest of all the citizens of this country,”
When asked to guess from what he observed during the visit, Udom replied: “I’m not a medical doctor. Let me say something here, even when you have a biological father you love your father, you take interest in his well-being. I mean as a father to the nation, in my personal opinion, I don’t think that is the issue now.
“The issue is that we should thank God that God has answered our prayers, that is where I am coming from. And let me also say, some of us behave as if the president, the governors are superhuman, we are normal human beings, we also have challenges.
“So let us not think that because we are governors or president we are superhuman. No. We are not God we mere mortals like any of us here. So that should also make us play down on the way we look at certain issues,” he added.

A divorce-seeking wife, Bola James, on Thursday told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court at Agodi, Ibadan, that her husband of 23 years is too lazy.

This is even as she told the court that her mother had been aware of her infidelity with the man whom she now loves and wants to marry.

Bola is seeking divorce on the grounds of joblessness and laziness on the part of her husband, Gbenga.

She prayed the court to end her 23-year-old marriage, saying that she had made up her mind to love another man.

“My lord, my husband’s laziness made me be having an affair with another man who is assisting me to cater for my family.

“Mother even knows about the affair.

“Gbenga lives with me in a house I built with my sweat; he is jobless and not ready to do any work. I shoulder all the family responsibilities.

“I can no longer cope with his laziness,’’ she said.

Responding, Gbenga, pleaded with the court not to grant the request.

“My lord, I still love my wife; my love for her is still intact. Don’t grant her request for divorce.

“It is the current economic situation that is affecting my business and finances; I promise to find another means of livelihood,’’ the electronic repairer told the court.

The first child of the couple, Lara, also pleaded with the court not to dissolve the marriage.

She appealed to her mother to forgive her father for her sake and that of her three siblings.

The President of the court, Chief Mukaila Balogun, urged the couple to resolve the matter amicably.

He appealed to the petitioner to put the welfare of the four children into consideration.

Balogun adjourned the case to Aug. 2 for report of settlement or continuation of hearing.

Having the consciousness and conscience to think of others first before ourselves is an extraordinary feat. And being generous is an act that often makes a difference in other people’s lives. Man of God who is the Senior Pastor at the Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle (Prof.) Johnson Suleman, is never tired of sharing and this is evident in his regular activities.
Seven convicted prisoners from Edo and Enugu prisons and a 73 years old woman are the latest receivers of Suleman’s act of kindness. The prisoners aged between 20 and 35, who had their sentences ranging between three years and five years had spent part of their sentences before God intervened through the ‘Oracle of God’ as Suleman is fondly addressed, during one of his usual liberation calls to prison yards. A bail bond of N1.5 million was said to have been signed to rescue the prisoners, while the man of God promised to later empower each of them with startup capital for various skills that they are good at.
“We needed to intervene, we needed to save and restore souls” declares Prof. Suleman of his concern while he cautioned the freed men against returning to crimes. “We are not getting you out to return to crime. God does not give third chance, He may give second chance,” he warns.
The aged woman’s case was so remarkable the church rose in ovation for Prof. Suleman’s gesture. The old woman, who survives on hawking firewood, has been working unnoticed in the church for many years. But her case got the man of God’s attention when he learnt that she was accused of being behind a missing phone where she lives. To Suleman, this was a touching story of life and a tormenting one at that for her age.
Apart from volunteering to replace the missing phone to save the old woman’s integrity since she had never been so accused in the church by anyone, Prof. Suleman also mandated her to stop hawking firewood promising to pay her N50, 000 freely every month for life. This rare gesture, which Suleman said will be coming directly from his personal purse, is needed to restore the woman’s confidence in God.
“You are not truly rich until you can reach out,” Prof. Suleman says while commenting on the basis for his everyday charity, while he encouraged all to “keep helping people, though some will abuse it and some will insult it. Remember that success without a successor is failure in disguise. Having wealth and prosperity is not about how much money you have or how many cars you have in your garage, it is about how many lives you are affecting.”
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Seven state governors on Wednesday met ailing President Muhammadu Buhari in London.

The team was led by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and the Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari.

Other governors on the delegation include Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Umar Ganduje (Kano), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo).

Here are the photos of the visit.

Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe has attracted some of the biggest sides in world football in the last few weeks, making the 18-year-old football’s most courted teenager.
The striker took Europe by storm last season, scoring 26 goals in all competitions in his first full season at senior club level.
Mbappe is one of the most sought after players in the summer transfer market in Europe.
Reports on Tuesday claimed that Real Madrid has agreed to sign the teenager for £161m
While close followers of the emerging striker acknowledge his ability to carve out goals, not much of these people know that the hugely talented player has Nigerian roots, as a recent research has shown.
Kylian’s father, Wilfred Mbappe, who has Cameroonian and Nigerian roots, was once a refuge, who migrated to France for greener pastures. According to reports, Wilfred in a bid to get a permanent stay got married to an Algerian-French lady Fayza, an ex-handball player.
Kylian was given a Yoruba middle name Adesanmi meaning “crown fits me” by Wilfred, who also adopted a son, Jirès Kembo Ekoko, a professional footballer of Congolese descent, but has a biological son and younger brother of Kylian named Adeyemi Mbappe, in recognition of his Nigerian roots.
Adeyemi is a Yoruba name meaning “the crown befits you.” Indeed, Adeyemi is the reason why Kylian celebrates his goals by posing with his arms crossed and thumbs up.
“This is how my younger brother celebrated when he beat me in the FIFA video game,” said Mbappe.
Wilfried works as coach at AS Bondy and he started training Kylian at the age of six. He also spends time coaching Adeyemi, while he is currently his Kylian’s agent.
Meanwhile, the Monaco star has also been linked as a grandson of Cameroonian midfield legend Samuel Mbappe Leppe. But findings has shown that the late Leppe, who played for Oryx Douala in the 1950s and 1960s, winning five league and three Cup title (1963, 1968 and 1970) and was the first captain to lift the African Champions Clubs’ Cup in the 1964/65 season, may not have any biological links with Kylian.
Meanwhile, the Ligue 1 champion on Wednesday reveal they are in negotiation to extend Mbappe contract insisting no transfer is close.
“I assure you that there is no agreement with a club,” he told reporters. “We have very important offers for Mbappe. He is the greatest talent in world football.
“We’re discussing a contract renewal with him. I hope we’ll get there.”

A 19 year old teenager, who sexually assaulted a 45-year-old during a robbery attack was on Wednesday tried before a magistrate court in Ikeja.
The teenager, identified as ThankGod Christopher with other gang members were on a robbery operation at the woman’s house when the incident happened.
It was learnt that while other members of the gang were busy searching for valuables to steal, Christopher reportedly marched the woman to her matrimonial bed, pulled her clothes and forcefully had sex with her.
The other gang members watched the teenager perform the dastardly act as they left with valuables such as plasma television, microwave oven, phones and other valuables.
Christopher was tried on a two count charge of robbery and rape under the Criminal Code.
He, however, pleaded not guilty as other members of his gang are still at large.
The presiding Magistrate, Mrs. C.A. Layinka in her judgement granted him bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in like sum.
He was remanded in prison custody till bail conditions are met.
The case was adjourned till 8th of August, 2017.

Former Managing Director of the defunct Finbank Plc, Mr. Okey Nwosu, alongside three former directors of the bank – Dayo Famoroti, Danjuma Ocholi and Agnes Ebubedike, are standing trial for a fraud of N10.9bn.

Nwosu, and the former directors have been standing trial on a 26-count charge by the EFCC since 2003, meanwhile the case resurfaced as a former ex-legal officer with the bank, Elonna Ezulu, testified against Nwosu.

Ezulu, while being cross-examined in court by the prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), on Tuesday told the court that it was illegal for any bank to use its own money to purchase its own shares, stressing that he and his team were unaware that the Directors used N18bn of the banks money to purchase its own shares.

“I was not informed that the N18bn of the bank money would be used to purchase its own shares.

“My unit was not involved in the purchase of the shares.

“It’s illegal for the bank to use its own money to buy its own shares,” Ezulu said.

The ex-legal officer, added that the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation in 2009 examined the bank alongside 24 Nigerian banks, and the examination reports revealed that Finbank, had a loss of N150bn for the 2009 financial year, inadequate capital, weak corporate frameworks, and high ratio of non-performing loans, which leaves the bank at a high liquidity ratio.

He added that in a bid to stabilize the bank, the CBN extended a N50bn seven-year facility to the bank and gave an order that the executive management team be replaced with the CBN appointed management team.

Ezulu stated that despite the grave situations, the bank still approved special packages for the executives.

“Following due deliberation, the board approved special compensation package for the MD/CEO, executives and group executives of the bank.

“The MD/CEO was to be given N60m, the executive directors; N45m and the group executive directors; N35m.

“Members of the board noted with satisfaction that the chairman has done so well to help the bank so the interim chairman was asked to step out of the meeting and the members unanimously decided to compensate the interim chairman with N200m,” Ezulu added.

Justice Lateefa Okunnu adjourned the case till November 6, 8, 9 and 14, 2017 for continuation of trial.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has said he will suspend his Presidential ambition in 2019 if President Muhammadu Buhari will be running.
He said this in Owerri, the Imo State capital, when he addressed youth delegates from all the geo-political zones of the country, who paid him a courtesy visit.
Okorocha stressed that President Buhari meant well for the nation and should be given all the support he deserved.
He added that he will not also run at any given time unless 10 million Nigerians would endorse him.
The governor said: “I will not run in 2019 if President Muhammadu Buhari will be running. Even at that, I will not also run at any given time unless 10 million Nigerians endorse me.
“May I remind all of you that my joy this evening has no bounds for the singular fact that the Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, northern minorities, western and eastern minorities, Muslims and Christians and others can sit down in a roundtable and speak like members of one family. If only for this, my mission for this nation is today achieved.
“I am an Igbo man with Igbo parentage. I was born and raised in the north. The north gave me education, guaranteed my childhood, even when I was not worthy to be called anybody in this world.
“I did all my schooling— primary, secondary and tertiary— in the northern part of this country. I finished and needed to be successful and wealthy. My encounter with someone from the South-West gave me the financial empowerment.
“So you can see that in my person, I have no choice whatsoever but to be a detribalized Nigerian, having been born of Igbo parentage, raised up by the North and empowered by the West. Nigeria remains my constituency.
“Most of you may not know that I am not in politics for self-aggrandizement or as a means to seek livelihood. I am in this job for the glory of the job, not for the profit and for the honour of this job, not for the wealth in it.
“I believe that one day it will become a manifest truth that somebody somewhere really cared for this nation.
“In my quiet time have I gone through lamentations, thinking about our nation and particularly. So is the youth of Nigeria, believe me, if our youths are not alright, our nation can never be alright.”

A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Sango-Otta on Tuesday dismissed charges filed against a resident of the Ogun State community for naming his dog ‘Buhari.’
The magistrate, O.O. Adebo, said the prosecution failed to substantiate its case against Joachim Iroko, consequently striking out all charges preferred against him.
Mr. Iroko’s lawyer was ecstatic Tuesday, praising the court for the verdict.
Mr. Iroko, 41, was arrested in August 2016 for causing a breach of peace after he was reported by his neighbour who alleged insensitivity in Mr. Iroko’s action.
The neighbour, identified as Haliru Umar from Sokoto State, said Mr. Iroko harboured sinister motives when he gave his name the same name as President Muhammadu Buhari.
The arrest of Mr. Iroko sparked nationwide outrage in August 2016 and critics accused the police of stifling constitutionally guaranteed freedom to satisfy the president.
The police denied that Mr. Iroko’s ordeal had anything to do with the president but strictly about the breach of peace complaints received from his neighbour.
The presidency also reacted to the arrest when Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said the president paid more attention to cartoon pages in the newspapers rather than following Mr. Iroko’s case that was generating nationwide furore at the time.
But a lack of diligent prosecution prompted Mr. Adebo to free Mr. Iroko at the resumed trial Tuesday.
The magistrate said the prosecution failed to provide witnesses since December 2016, and, at some point, stopped appearing for hearing.

Renowned Economist, Prof. Patrick Utomi, yesterday said that the future of Delta State had been mortgaged through excessive borrowing by successive governments in the state.
He warned that if nothing was done to check the situation, unborn children of the state may be held to ransom for the huge debt profile.
Utomi, who spoke during an interactive meeting with leaders and members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Agbarah-Otor, Ughelli North, also frowned at successive administrations in the state he said had been diverting borrowed funds to allegedly acquire property abroad.
While charging APC members and leaders to be united in order to change the retrogressive PDP administration in the state that he said had squandered opportunities for development, Utomi said unless that was achieve, the future of the next generation would be bleak.
According to him; “Until we have leaders who can think of how to harness the energy of our young people to create wealth outside the oil windfall, our nation will make no headway, because soon the oil economy will be over. The time has come for Delta people to x-ray people vying for office and shun deceitful politicians, but look out for people with character, who are ready to sacrifice for the common good.”
Meanwhile, at a lecture he delivered at the 2017 Law Week organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, Warri branch, Utomi said the current agitation for restructuring of the country was as a result of impunity and weak government institutions.
Speaking on the topic; “Law as Catalyst for Economic Recovery,” Utomi called on the Federal Government to strengthen its institutions to improve economic growth.
He noted that when all the organs of government worked efficiently, the economy would grow and everyone would feel the impact.
The economist urged the government to place more emphasis on the teaching of entrepreneurial skills instead of theoretical knowledge.
He challenged lawyers to emulate the virtues of late legal icon, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, by entrenching the rule of law, which by implication will bring development to the country.

Recently Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State was quoted to have told State House Correspondents in Abuja that whoever will take over from him as governor may be stoned by the people of his performance falls below the standard he has set.

His words: “I am in this job not for the profit of it, but for the honour and glory of the job. So I want to leave a legacy. I want Imo people to miss me and they will definitely miss me. Believe you me, they have not seen such developmental work before now and they will miss it.

“The only problem I have is that anybody that comes after me and does not perform will be stoned. Because you cannot come to Imo State now and say you want to abolish free education from primary to university, they will not accept that. I have spoilt Imo people believe me.”

However, we learnt from multiple sources in the state that the governor may be stoned when he loses his immunity in 2019, even as they noted that the governor has set the state further back in development.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial candidate for Owerri Senatorial District in the 2015 General election and former member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Uche Onyeagucha, called on Governor Rochas Okorocha to start sewing his prison uniform, saying he will definitely end up in jail when he lives office in 2019 for allegedly looting the state treasury.

The APC chieftain, who said that he was miffed by the alleged comment by the governor that he has spoilt Imo people with projects, accused the governor of littering the state with hundreds of abandoned projects.

“I was a senatorial candidate, I should be a leader in APC, while Rochas should be in prison for the way and manner he has looted Imo State. He should rather be sewing his prison uniform. This is a person who has never gone on any commercial flight since he became governor; he has been travelling around on private jet at the state’s expanse.”

Onyeagucha, who is also a civil rights lawyer, said that it is time for the deceit unleashed on Imo people by the governor to stop.

He said, “What is this nonsense? He said he built this and that in the state. Is it Concord Hotel which he renovated, Ikemba Ojukwu Centre was built by Mbakwe and he renovated it; the Imo State Commissioners’ Quarters, he just changed the roof and renovated it; the State Secretariat was built by Chief Achike Udenwa, he changed the roof when there was no need for that. Today, there are many leaky roofs at the secretariat. Avutu poultry, which he renovated, has collapsed under one year. At the appropriate time, Imo people will beam to the world, the many grisly misdeeds of this cruel administration.

“When we in APC went on campaign, we said we will build factories, industries, and create jobs. That is what we promised, even on billboards then. When I told him he is a fraud, he removed them and changed the message. Show me one factory built by Rochas and I will apologise. No block industry, no toothpick industry, no sachet water industry just the ones that could be built with little amount, none!

“He has deceived our people for too long, he has bamboozled them with lies, and we have tolerated it long enough.”

While there have been many allegations of nepotism to the extent that juicy positions have allegedly been cornered by family members and kinsmen, an Owerri based medical doctor, Dr. Uzo Ewuru, added that the state has become a home of abandoned projects. According to him, not too long ago, the governor announced with pomp and fanfare, the commencement of a state carrier, Imo Air which flew few weeks after the ceremony and stopped operation. “It appears the carrier has gone the way of many other abandoned projects littered all over the state.”

Ewuru also said that the moribund multi-billion naira Imo Modern Poultry, Avutu, built by the administration of late Governor Sam Mbakwe, which news went round before the 2015 election that its revitalisation process was almost completed (with a giant signboard erected at the Amambakwe Junction announcing the completion of the project then), has turned out to be a ruse, even as the entire complex has remained the massive forest that has overgrown the place since its abandonment in the 80s.

Governor Rochas Okorocha’s mega project, the 44 City Gates, which gulped hundreds of millions of naira, has long been forgotten by the administration. This is even as the governor’s Young Scientists College has joined the long list of the white elephant projects the governor will launch with fanfare but not complete, 20 months to the end of his administration.

This came as Hon. Raymond Emeana, a former member of the Imo State House of Assembly and the State Secretary of PDP, has alleged that the 27 General Hospitals reportedly built by Governor Okorocha are actually 26 white elephant hospital projects, 25 of them are merely homes for rodents and criminal elements.

He said: “While he owes civil servants, he said he has built 27 hospitals, there are no 27 hospitals, rather, there are just 26 buildings at the sites.

“We are now in July, which is about a year and ten months to the end of his tenure, none of those 26 hospitals has been completed except only one that is functional, and that is the one at Ikeduru LGA. It is functional not because the state government completed, it but because they handed it over to a private investor, who is now running it as his private clinic.

All the other 25, including the one for his LGA, Ideato South, including that at Mbaitoli where his deputy comes from, the one at Ezinihitte-Mbaise where the state chairman of the party is from, the one at Ngor-Okpala where the SSG is from, the one at Okigwe where the Speaker of the state House of Assembly is from, including the one at Nkwerre where his son-In-law, his Chief of Staff is from.

“None of them is functional, they are for you to see,” he stated.

Emeana further alleged that the state’s judiciary is now in terrible state of decay, operating without power supply, poor accommodation and without working materials.

He dismissed as ‘abracadabra’, the governor’s free education policy, saying with the policy, the position of Imo State has dramatically nosedived in the West Africa Certificate Examinations (WAEC) performance index. He added that the Imo State University has lost accreditation in critical study areas.

They also alleged that the governor was not obeying court orders since he assumed office. They noted that courts ordered him to reinstate the chairman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya of Obinugwu, Orlu, which he has not done. They also alleged that a court of competent jurisdiction restrained the governor from demolishing Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho’s property, but he went ahead and destroyed the property.

When one of our correspondents sought the reaction of the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodu, he went off on the reporter, asking if they heard him say so and when.

Without waiting to hear the rest of the question, he retorted in a very hostile tone saying, “This is gutter journalism where you people carry lies about people”.

He shouted, “Who is your editor? Whoever your editor is, tell him that he is not worthy to be an editor for asking you to get me to react to such nonsense. I beg get off my phone!”

He finished aggressively and promptly hung up.

Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode says the latest picture showing some APC Governors, party Chairman, John Oyegun and President Muhammadu Buhari, purportedly taken in London, is “old and fake.”
This is contained in snippets of his news article sent to us on Monday.
He said: “I have been reliably informed that the picture was taken in Abuja some time back and not yesterday in London.
“Quite apart from that, even though the picture was meant to have been taken in London curiously all the drinks on the table are Nigerian products and Nigerian-made.
“Did the Governors take all those drinks along with them to London when they went to see the President?
“Is Buhari not coming home soon again? Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo and some government officials told us that he would be back on the 28th of July which is just a few days away.
“Why the need for the APC Governors to “visit” him in far away London if he will be back in Nigeria in a few days?
“What was the purpose and point of this fake photo-shoot and this strange breakfast meeting? What was the purpose and objective of this monumental fraud and deceit?
“Whatever the answers may be to these questions the curtain must be brought down on what can only be described as a puerile and nauseating conspiracy.
“For those who still believe that the meeting actually took place there are some nagging questions that need to be answered.
“For example why were the Nigerian and foreign media not allowed to cover the proceedings and participate in this celebrated photo-soot and merry London feast?
“Why did the Villa press corps not take one of their own camera men to London and make a short video of the event?
“Why was the whole event shrouded in so much secrecy? Why is it that only one picture was taken? Why were more pictures not taken? Why was Buhari not put on audio tape and recorded talking to his guests?”

A bank manager, Elliot Abiodun, who allegedly stole $110,000 (N40 million) from Sterling Bank, was on Friday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Abiodun, whose residential address was not given, is standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Friday Mameh, told the court that the accused committed the offences on June 3 in Lagos.
He said the accused stole the $110,000 property of Sterling Bank Plc.
The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 287( and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015 and punishable under same.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Counsel to the accused, Mr. T.J. Agoro, urged the court to grant his client bail.
Agoro told the court that he would stand surety for the accused and ensure his presence in court throughout the duration of the case.
The Magistrate, Miss O. A. Olagbende, released the accused to his counsel on the grounds that the lawyer would ensure that he attends court’s proceedings.
The Magistrate adjourned the case till September 19.

Nigerian music sensation and Effyzzie music group lead act, Yemi Alade, has unleashed the official music video of her hit single, dubbed “Charliee”.
The track serves as the lead single of her “Mama Afrique” EP which is a continuation of her acclaimed sophomore album, “Mama Africa – The Diary of an African Woman”.
According to a statement sent to us, “The E.P is a musical continuation of the L.P, which spawned the classic numbers “Na Gode”, “Tumbum”, “Africa”, “Ferrari” to name a few; and sees the praised performer deliver fresh continental dance pop gems and revamped multilingual versions of numbers originally housed on the “Mama Africa” album.
“The set houses cuts produced by heavyweights Ricii Lompeurs, Maleek Berry, DJ Coublon, Philkeyz, Fliptyce, BeatsByEmzo, Rotimi Keys, Selebobo; and a collaboration with Kenyan music star, Nyashinski.”
The Paul Gambit directed flick was produced by prolific Nigerian music producer, Fliptyce.
Yemi Alade is currently in the U.S for her Mama Africa World Tour.

United Bank for Africa Plc has reacted to Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Lagos interim order for seven (7) commercial banks in Nigeria to remit a total of $793,200,000, allegedly hidden with them in violation of the Constitution and the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of the Federal Government.

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had on Thursday 20th July 2017 mandated UBA to remit the sum of $367.4m to a designated Federal Government Asset Recovery Account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

In a statement by the bank’s Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Bola Atta, the lender denied any wrong doing, stating categorically that UBA has fully remitted all NNPC/NLNG dollar deposits since August 24, 2016.

THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:

“Our attention has been drawn to the order of the Federal High Court in Lagos directing that seven (7) commercial banks, including UBA Plc, temporarily remit a total of $793,200,000 allegedly hidden in contravention of the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account policy pending the determination of the suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation on behalf of the Federal Government.

“We wish to state categorically that UBA has fully remitted all NNPC/NLNG dollar deposits since August 24, 2016. We hereby emphasise that none of such funds are currently in the Bank’s books.

“Our action was further corroborated by a clearance memo published by CBN on its website on same date (http://www.cbn.gov.ng/Out/2016/CCD/UBAPress%20Statement240816.pdf).

“We would like to thank all our customers, business partners and other stakeholders who have reached out to us on account of this judgement.

The management of Skye Bank on Friday confirmed holding about $41 million (about N12. 9billion) belonging to the Nigerian Investments Management Services, NAPIMS, allegedly kept away from the Treasury Single Account, TSA account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
The money is part of about $793.2 million (about N249.9 billion) allegedly kept illegally in the custody of seven commercial banks.
This was in violation of the directive by the Accountant General of the Federation that effective September 15, 2015, all such funds be transferred to the TSA account domiciled with the CBN.
The affected banks include Skye Bank, United Bank for Africa, UBA; Diamond Bank Plc; First Bank Limited; Fidelity Bank Plc; Keystone Bank Limited and Sterling Bank Plc.
The funds allegedly kept by the banks include revenues, donations, transfers, refunds, grants, taxes, fees, dues, tariffs, etc by different government ministries, departments, parastatals and agencies.
A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered the banks to remit the various amounts sum into the TSA account at the CBN.
Justice Chuka Obiozor had in the case brought by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation ordered the seven banks to immediately remit the various amounts allegedly kept illegally in their custody to the designated Federal Government’s Asset Recovery dollars account with the CBN.
Details showed about $367.4million was concealed by three government agencies in UBA, while about $41million belonging to NAPIMS, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, subsidiary was placed on fixed deposit account with the Skye Bank.
Others included $277.9million in Diamond Bank, $18.9million in First Bank; $24.5million in Fidelity Bank; $17million in Keystone Bank; and $46.5million in Sterling Bank.
But, Skye Bank, in a statement on Friday, confirmed the $41 million in its custody, but denied keeping same illegally or concealing the transaction.
“The management of Skye Bank hereby states that it neither colluded nor unilaterally hid the reported sum or any other funds in its custody.” it’s spokesperson, Nduneche Ezurike, said in the statement.
“On the contrary, the said funds are held with the full knowledge of the relevant agencies of government, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the DSS, the National Assembly and the Inspector General of Police’s Special Investigation Panel, with whom we have engaged extensively over same,” he explained.
As a law abiding institution , Mr. Ezurike said Skye Bank would not conduct itself in breach of the laws or policies of the government, including the TSA policy.
He said the bank would take appropriate legal steps to respond to the ruling of the Court come August 8 when the substantive hearing is scheduled.

Court documents filed in Houston by the US Justice Department in the assets forfeiture proceedings filed against former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and her business cronies, Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore, have revealed the third man in the $1.7 billion swindle of Nigeria.

He is Igho Sanomi, one of Nigeria’s young billionaires, who owns the Taleveras Oil Group.

Taleveras, along with oil traders Arcadia and Glencore, were found to have paid $1.2 billion into Kola Aluko’s account in Switzerland, proceeds from crude oil lifted from Aluko and Omokore’s company.

This money, the US Justice Department contends, was used to fund Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s luxury lifestyle. But in a statement Wednesday, Taleveras said its involvement in the alleged dubious transactions followed best international practices, as a third party.

“This legal case is not against Taleveras or Igho Sanomi.

“As it relates to the US department case against Atlantic Drilling, please note that Taleveras and the other two major oil trading houses (Glencore and Arcadia) were not faulted for embarking on a legitimate transaction, as all payments were made based on legitimate third party contracts with private companies and not NNPC,” the company said.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke, as oil minister between 2010 and 2015, used her influence to facilitate inappropriate business opportunities for Messrs. Aluko and Omokore by assigning to their companies, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts (AEDC) Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development (AEBD) Limited, eight oil mining leases (OMLs).

The OMLs were assigned under Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs) with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Despite lacking the technical expertise and financial capacity to operate the OMLs, as noted in a February 2014 report of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Alison-Madueke greenlighted the process for her cronies.

What followed, said US prosecutors, was the sale by AEDC and AEBD of the oil-lifting allocations they were assigned under the Forcados and Brass SAAs to third-party oil trading companies. They made tonnes of money, by not fulfilling the obligations stated in the agreements, using some of it to bribe Mrs. Alison-Madueke.

Court papers show that Taleveras Group, one of the third-party oil trading companies, paid copious sums into Mr. Aluko’s personal accounts.

The stream of payments, prosecutors observed, began shortly after the award of the Forcados SAAs. Over a period of six months, Mr. Aluko received the sum of $15million in his personal account domiciled at LGT Bank (Schweiz) AG in Switzerland (the “LGT -090038 Account”), from which various purchases for Mrs. Alison-Madueke were funded. The money came from Taleveras Group and its affiliates, including Taleveras Trading Limited and and Taleveras Petroleum Trading BV.

On July 12, 2011, prosecutors found that the sum of $1.5million was wired from Taleveras to Mr. Aluko’s account. Two days later, the sum of $1million also arrived the account from RFB Lengard JVA in which Mr. Igho Sanomi, founder and chairman of Taleveras, owns 30 per cent stake. Another $1million arrived on July 20, 2011, from Taleveras Trading Limited. This was followed on 15 August 2011 by $1million wired by Taleveras to Mr. Aluko’s account in Switzerland as payment for a Joint Venture contract with RFB Lengard. The same day, he received $650,000 from the same source.

On September 12, 2011, Taleveras Trading Limited paid $1million and $1.6million four days later. On 5 October of the same year, Mr. Aluko’s account was credited with $1.5million by Taleveras Petroleum Trading BV and $500,000 six days later. The next batch of cash arrived on 14 November 2011, when his account received $2million wired by Taleveras Group. On January 3 and 10 2012, $600,000 and $1million respectively were paid by Taleveras Petroleum Trading BV.

Prosecutors reckoned that the payments were made to Mr. Aluko in return for assigning the AEDC’s rights to Taleveras and RFB Lengard to lift oil under the corruptly acquired SAAs.

They discovered that each of the transactions was subsequently transferred into and out of correspondent bank accounts at a financial institution, which processes its U.S. dollar wire transactions through Newark, New Jersey.

According to prosecutors, AEDC entered into an agreement with the Arcadia Group and its subsidiaries, from which AEDC purportedly took loans. In return, Arcadia was repaid with assignments of AEDC’s crude oil liftings under the dodgy SAAs. The company describes itself as a “global commodity trading firm covering oil, agricultural, gas and power markets”.

“In particular, two months after the last payment from Taleveras, Arcadia Energy (Suisse) SA and Arcadia Petroleum Limited began making payments to an account held in the name of AEH at LGT Bank (Schweiz) AG ending in -108031 (the LGT -108031 Account),” said prosecutors.

On April 18, 2012, Arcadia paid $10million into the above stated account. On May 14 of the same year, it paid $1.3million and on July 23,

$2.4million. On July 24, 2012, the company paid $1.3million into the same account. Less than a month later, it paid $2.9million into the same account and followed it up with a whopping $25million September 17, 2012.

The next day, it paid $2.091million into the same account. This preceded a hefty transfer of $23.4million on January 8, 2013. A couple of days later, Arcadia paid $1.6million and on February 4, 2013, wired $2million to the account. This was followed by the payment of $1.1million, $6million and $1.7million respectively.

The stunt continued with payments to a company, Glencore, by AEBD, which sold to Glencore over 7million barrels of crude oil acquired through the Brass SAA. Glencore’s payments for these allotments, said prosecutors, were made to an account in the name of AEBD ending in 184001 at Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA and an account ending in -630350 in the name of AEBD at Standard Chartered Bank, London. They were also made into accounts in the name of AEBD ending in 677644 at Standard Chartered Bank, London; and 9941 at Stanbic IBTC, Nigeria.

Glencore, for example, paid $83.6million to AEBD on April 5, 2013; $80.5million, $79.4million on July 4, $19.8million July 17, $19.5million on July 19 and $83.4million on July 21.

*Taleveras full statement:

The attention of Taleveras legal team have been drawn to online publications related with a case against Atlantic Drilling Fluids. This legal case is not against Taleveras or Igho Sanomi.

Some of these publications are misleading, grossly inaccurate, it is thus proper to set the record straight.

One of Taleveras core activities since 2000, is sourcing, trading and engaging in third party contracts, inclusive of oil and gas upstream operations. Taleveras due to its capacity, trading expertise and financial strength, continues to source and engage in procuring third party oil contracts.

Taleveras performs on these contracts handling the physical delivery, risk management and logistics from start point to its numerous first class end users and major refiners. This process involves verification of the contracts with the issuing authority to authenticate and further compliance with our lending banks internal due diligence processes. This is no different from International Trading Standards performed by the numerous international and major oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria.

As it relates to the US department case against Atlantic Drilling, please note that Taleveras and the other two major oil trading houses (Glencore and Arcadia) were not faulted for embarking on a legitimate transaction, as all payments were made based on legitimate third party contracts with private companies and not NNPC.

This is indeed compared to a buyer of a property who embarks on verification of property title documents with the issuing authority and upon verification, goes into a sales contract and then makes contractual payment to the seller. The Buyer certainly has no business in whatever the seller does with his proceeds from the sale.

In concluding, the ultimate aim of contracting is to off-take crude oil from asset productions. It is worthy to note that neither Taleveras nor its associated companies lifted any oil from this production through Atlantic. Terms of the agreement were breached and hence a legal dispute and appropriate filings made in respected court of jurisdiction.

We will thus refrain from making further comments.”

An armed mobile policeman fleeing from an irate mob after shooting a tanker driver disrupted banking operations at the Sterling Bank branch on Creek Road this morning. He ran into the premises of the bank to escape being lynched.
Security operatives attached to the bank disarmed and arrested the fleeing mobile policeman but did not hand him over to the irate mob.
The mob got upset and attacked the bank with the intention of unleashing mayhem on staff and customers. The branch’s reception area was vandalized and set ablaze.
The security operatives attached to the branch prevented the mob from entering the branch while evacuating staff and customers before the arrival of police reinforcement. The branch has been temporarily shut down.
We wish to inform all our customers that normal services will continue at nearby branches and through all our electronic channels.
Sterling Bank is working with security agencies to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, Anti-riot policemen have been drafted to the area to maintain peace. Policemen are now patrolling the area to forestall more crises.
An eyewitness in the area said other banks have closed down for business to avoid being attacked by the truckers as tension brew in the area, especially banks on Warehouse Road.
A top police officer discloses that more policemen were being drafted to the area to nip the crisis in the bud.

Robbers have invaded a branch of Deeper Life Bible Church and stole a motorcycle belonging to one of the members, Ebeh Andrew and escaped.
The owner of the Bajaj motorcycle, Andrew suffered his fate after he went to the church for service.
The incident happened at the church branch located at Oluwa street in Ogba, Lagos.
It was gathered that the Bajaj motorcycle with the registration number, EKY309QE was stolen where the owner parked it in the church premises.
One of the suspects, Sadiqu Morufu has been arrested and charged before a Lagos court for his alleged involvement in the theft.
It was gathered that it was not only Morufu that invaded the church premises but was the only suspect arrested while other escaped and were said to be at large.
We gathered that the victim discovered that his bike was missing after the service ended when he came out to look for it.
When he did not find the bike where he parked it, he raised an alarm which attracted other church members.
The matter was reported to the Police at Area G Command who arrested Morufu and charged him before Ogba Magistrates court for stealing.
He pleaded not guilty.
The presiding Magistrate, Mrs F Dan-Oni granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in the like sum.
He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition.
The matter was adjourned till 31 July 2017.

Arsene Wenger has confirmed he will not sell Alexis Sanchez this summer – and added that if the Chilean is so fond of the Champions League he should give his all to ensure Arsenal qualify next season.

Public remarks from Sanchez about his desire to be involved in Europe’s top club competition have fuelled the theory he is trying to bolt for the Emirates Stadium exit before the transfer market closes.

Wenger, however, will not be swayed from his decision to make him honour the final year of his current contract even if he continues to reject a proposed new deal, thought to be worth more than £300,000 a week.

‘We have played for 20 years in the Champions League,’ said the Arsenal boss.

‘That’s 17 years before Sanchez arrived and three years with him. So he can get us back in there.

‘When you play in the Champions League, everyone says: Is that all you do? Suddenly when you don’t play in there it becomes a major problem.

‘At the end of the season, only one team can win the Champions League.

‘We have to focus on the competitions we play in and prepare seriously for that. We can’t feel sorry for what we do not play.’

Arsenal will compete in the Europa League in the campaign ahead but the manager admits the top target is to win the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.

‘The main focus for us is to concentrate on the Premier League,’ said Wenger.

‘The Premier League for me today is more important than the Champions League. We rested sometimes players in the group stages of the Champions League for the Premier League, so that’s become the biggest importance for us.

‘After that, if you look in the Premier League in the last two years, and the last two champions, Chelsea and Leicester did not play in Europe at all.

‘We have to focus on the Premier League and prepare well.’

Wenger is on tour with his team in China – they face Bayern Munich in a friendly on Wednesday – and has not made contact with Sanchez since his contentious remarks, made on a Chilean radio station.

Sanchez, not on the tour because of his extended international duty in the Confederations Cup, is wanted by Manchester City.

Arsenal sold their best player to a title rival in 2012 when captain Robin van Persie was sold to Manchester United when he refused to extend a contract which was into its final 12 months.

‘Every case is different,’ said Wenger. ‘Van Persie was going from 30 to 31 and when he left he had one year on his contract.

‘Sanchez is younger. It is difficult to speak at the moment about that but the decision has been made and we will stick to that. The decision is not to sell.’

Bayern were also heavily linked with a move for Sanchez this year but manager Carlo Ancelotti said it was ruled out when it became clear Arsenal did not want to sell.

‘We talked about Sanchez in the past, in the last two months,’ said Ancelotti. ‘The clubs spoke about this but there was no opportunity and if there was no chance of a transfer then we thought about other players.’

The German champions have signed James Rodriguez on a two-year loan from Real Madrid.