₦airaland Forum

While mediation is ongoing in an attempt at an out of court settlement of the N16 billion copyright infringement action it filed against MTN Nigeria, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) has just restated its commitment to ensuring that all organisations operating in Nigeria respect the intellectual property rights of Nigeria’s creative talents and investors in the creative industries.
In furtherance of that commitment, COSON has just fired Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Ltd, the parent company of ETISALAT, with new N12 billion lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Lagos. Joined in the big copyright infringement action filed on Friday, March 10, 2017 by Lagos Intellectual property lawyer, Mr. Justin Ige of Creative Legal, is Etisalat’s CEO, Mr. Matthew Willsher.
In the new suit no. FHC/L/C3/363/17, COSON has not only asked the court for four different declarations of copyright infringement against ETISALAT in its “Experience” or “Flagship” Centres across the country; the different ETISALAT Music Concerts, Festivals, Award Shows, Product Activations and Corporate events; the ETISALAT EASYTUNEZ platform; the ETISALAT CLOUD 9 Platform, etc., the nation’s sole government approved collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings, has also demanded that Etisalat delivers up and forfeits to COSON all infringing copies of the Plaintiff’s musical works and of any articles or technologies in the possession of Etisalat, their servants, agents and privies, specifically designed or adapted for making such copies, adaptations, distributions, communication to the public, and/or public performance of the Plaintiff’s musical works or in the alternative a destruction upon oath of all such infringing copies and articles or equipment.
With 14 distinct claims endorsed on the writ supported by a very detailed 47 paragraph Statement of Claim, COSON which also represents in Nigeria over 140 Collective Management Organizations from every part of the world and the major international music labels has also asked for a perpetual injunction restraining ETISALAT, its agents, privies and servants from the continued unauthorized copying, communication to the public, streaming, selling, broadcasting, making available for downloading and permitting the unauthorized performance to the public and infringement of the copyright in the musical works belonging to members, affiliates and assignors of COSON.
Attaching over 100 exhibits to the Statement of Claim and lining up 14 witnesses to testify during the trial of the suit, COSON warned of its concern that in frustration with the lawless behaviour of the likes of ETISALAT, individual right owners in musical works may be forced to take precipitate actions to protect their rights and this may lead to breakdown in law and order.
The new suit comes after an earlier N11billion suit filed in 2016 by COSON against ETISALAT, was said by the trial judge in open court, to have been struck out inadvertently.
Speaking on the robust actions being taken by COSON to create a sustainable and strong music industry in Nigeria, Chief Tony Okoroji, the Chairman of COSON and well-known former President of PMAN who is one of Africa’s most respected authorities on Intellectual Property rights said, “Anyone who still thinks that COSON is joking needs to have his or her head examined. We are committed to stamping out the era of “monkey dey work, baboon dey chop” from the Nigerian music industry and establishing a transparent and accountable industry in which everyone who invests his or her talent or resources can rest assured that his or her investment will be fully protected. We will not buckle under pressure from anyone no matter how mighty.
“We have sued a federal government owned agency. We have gone to court against a State government. We have had to sue Nigeria’s biggest bank, wrestle in court with Nigeria’s biggest hotels and broadcast networks. At COSON, our belief is that no one is above the law.
“Anyone familiar with COSON knows that if we say that we are going to do something, we are going to do it. At COSON, we are resolute that the labour of Nigerian musicians and investors in the music industry who toil every day to make people happy will no longer be in vain. They cannot make people happy and be sad themselves. Anyone intending to exploit their sweat to serve his own purpose has COSON to deal with. We are not just fighting for individuals, we are fighting for the Nigerian nation. The ongoing recession should make it clear to everyone that our nation must change course. We can no longer afford to anchor the future of our children and grandchildren on the vagaries of the crude oil market. Our music and our movies in great demand everywhere in the world must count for something. They should contribute significantly to the nation’s GDP and provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of our citizens. The era of monkey dey work, baboon dey chop is over. We have instructed our lawyers to go on ‘rampage’. Our brief to them is clear: there will be no untouchables and no sacred cows”.

As part of its corporate social responsibility, Heritage Bank Limited, Nigeria’s most innovative banking service provider, is promoting the country’s rich cultural heritage to the global community through the on-going Big Brother Naija.
The Bank said in a statement that the feat was executed by tasking housemates to find a common ground by drawing from and blending their different, unique personalities and cultural backgrounds to create a perfect Big Brother Nigerian wedding during the week.
Earlier in the week, the housemates were introduced to the theme of the week: Big Brother Perfect Wedding. According to Heritage Bank, Nigeria encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations and ways of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture and paintings, a powerful tool to build businesses, connect individuals across cultures, educate and enrich societies. Dressing is a component of culture, reflecting economic and socio-political substrates of the people. In the past, they have supported the arts sector and have promoted cultural heritage of our people through art exhibitions. The banks believes that culture stimulates our emotive mind and challenges our interpretation of reality by making people to become intuitive, imaginative, flexible and tolerant.
The statement further said the housemates were then tasked to find common ground and fuse and adapt their different personalities and identities and cultural backgrounds for the perfect Big Brother Nigerian Wedding. According to the Bank all housemates took part in the wedding celebration and they were required to draw from Nigeria’s customs to create a perfect Big Brother wedding.
Viewers chose the bride and groom via a Facebook poll on the previous day and the rest of the housemates decided what role they would play.
The housemates also allocated key roles from each culture according to what they chose to adapt: parents of the bride, members of the groom’s family, a marriage guide, decorators, catering among others.
The housemates were tasked with mediating the proceedings to a complete conclusion and each couple was given blackboards and chalk to assign one another their roles.
This task required housemates to draw on what makes them fit into the mould of Proudly Naija and blend each of their own ‘Proudly Naija’ identities to create a fusion of Nigerian culture for a wedding.
The ‘wedding’ preparation which started on at the beginning of the week climaxed on Thursday evening (9th March, 2017) similar to normal wedding scenario in Nigeria.
Some of the objectives of the initiative are to promote and preserve the heritage of Nigerian culture and tradition and to enlighten Nigeria youths and those in diaspora about the richness and diversity of Nigerian traditional marriages through infusion of the Heritage Bank initiatives.
Others were to show case the richness and multiplicity of Nigeria cultural heritage and to encourage Nigerians to be proud of their tradition/heritage #Iamproudofmyheritage as well as impacting the viewers of the programme on television positively through supplies of costumes and props.
The housemates also found a common ground to celebrate their diversities in a unique cultural heritage and it also showcased the way Kings and Queens in different Nigeria’s culture used to celebrate the past.
From the earlier hours of the day, the housemates were paired in groups of two (male & female) and were tasked to cook meals that were peculiar to their cultures.
Branded aprons and utensils were provided for the housemates as well as the ingredients and they then required to cook the meals.
After the housemates were done with the cooking, the meals were all arranged on a table and each housemate came forward to give a short presentation about the meal, its preparation and uniqueness to their cultures.
Later in the day the housemates were required to dress up for the Heritage Naija Old School Party. Local (Ankara) fabric were provided, with each housemate tailored to make costumes unique to each individual culture such as Agbada (Yoruba), Dansiki, Oleku, Iro & Buba, double George among others. The weddings were done in the Igbo, South South, Hausa as well as in Middle Belt traditions.
The venue set up and decoration was made up of cake, bride and groom costume and accessories, parents of bride and groom costume, catering/refreshment, bride’s luggage, music and compere.
A dedicated DJ was on ground to entertain them to local Naija tunes.

Heritage bank has denied the claim that Mr. Mary Akpobome was sent on loan-recovery mission.
In a statement made available to this medium, the bank categorically refutes the claim and stated clearly that Mrs. Akpobome remains a valued Executive Director of the Bank.

THE STATEMENT IN FULL
“Our attention has yet again been drawn to an online news story on SaharaReporters.com titled, “Heritage Bank sends Ali Baba’s Wife on Loan –Recovery Suspension”.
The Management, categorically refutes these claims and hereby state clearly that Mrs. Mary Akpobome remains a valued Executive Director of the Bank.
We strongly disclaim all allegations made on the news blog that Mrs. Akpobome or any other member of our Board and Management have in any way engaged in any fraud whatsoever.
Financial institutions have credit policies governing its processes and management. These policies are designed and enforced to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the entire credit chain.
Heritage Bank has never been controlled by any one individual or ‘powerful’ individual(s) as deceitfully stated by Sahara Reporters. Heritage bank is a legal entity, and like any other public liability company, is managed by an efficient Management and Board accountable to all its stakeholders.
We find the insistent and vehement attacks particularly by Sahara Reporters appalling, malicious, unprofessional and unethical.
Consistent with our core values, we are resolutely committed to strict adherence to regulations and to our service contract with all our stakeholders.

Ariya Repete, the Goldberg’s Roundtable on Yoruba music in Lagos last week was a major reunification tonic for Afro Juju maestro, Sir Shina Peters and a prominent Fuji crooner, King Wasiu Ayinde, Marshall, popular known as KWAM 1.
The two leading Yoruba musicians from Ogun State used the occasion to to cement what observers described as a crack in their relationship as the duo promised to do a Collabo to consolidate the roundtable initiative.
Stakeholders in the music and entertainment industry also use the occasion to highlight the vital connection between music, entertainment and culture. The stakeholders who convened at the Lagos Airport Hotel for the first ever Roundtable on Yoruba music, Ariya Repete, also commended Goldberg lager beer for the initiative, which they say, signals a cultural rejuvenation among Yorubas.
In his keynote address at the roundtable which focused on Juju and Fuji genres of music, Professor Tunde Babawale explained that the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba provided the foundation on which the music genres of Juju and Fuji are built.
Babawale, a former Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, CBAAC, noted that the attachment of the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria to music and celebration has earned them the appellation of “Owambe”, a reference to their love for ceremonies and celebrations.
He traced the origin of Juju music to the old Saro (Olowogbowo) quarter of Lagos where the genre emerged from ‘asiko’ music associated with “area boys” in the quarter and added that the genre also incorporated Brazilian Samba elements and the guitar style of Kru sailors from Liberia.
According to the professor, the music of the culture such as Juju and Fuji has positively impacted every area of life of the Yorubas including the reduction of socio-economic tension and the prevalence of religious tolerance.
A prominent Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1) thanked the organisers and speakers at the event for what he described as an educative initiative meant to preserve Fuji and Juju, vital aspects of the music and culture of the Yorubas.
Sir Shina Peters, a frontline Juju musician also commended Goldberg for providing such a platform to discuss indigenous music and called on other corporate organisations to emulate the effort.
Ambrose Somide, a radio broadcaster with Faaji FM and a panellist at the roundtable enjoined young musicians of Yoruba extraction to endeavour to sustain the genres for the promotion of the Yoruba culture.
While welcoming guests to the forum, Mr. Kufre Ekanem, Nigerian Breweries’ Corporate Affairs Adviser, who was represented by Patrick Olowokere, the company’s Corporate Communications and Brand Public Relations Manager, disclosed that the Ariya Repete initiative was borne out of the company’s respect for tradition and values of the people.
The special guest of honour, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi, (Ojaja II), the Ooni of Ife, who was represented by Oba Adebiyi Asoya, the Asoya of Ile Asoya Kingdom, reiterated the need to sustain the current cultural revival among Nigerians as championed by Goldberg lager beer in the area of indigenous Yoruba music.

Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has said that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has developed the ability to lead Nigeria in line with the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and ensure that a better Nigeria is realized.
She stated this on Wednesday in four consecutives tweets published on her handle, @aishambuhari, to hail Osinbajo on his 60th birthday
Mrs. Buhari wrote:

“On the occasion of the birthday of Your Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN, Ag. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I wish to extend my congratulations to you and to state that the years you have spent building your reputation in multiple capacities, have today resulted in your ability to carry out your duties in line with the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure that a better Nigeria is realized. Congratulations and Happy Birthday @ProfOsinbajo”

https://twitter.com/aishambuhari/status/839359976267268096

After watching the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo in Benin City, Edo State, on TV live during his fact finding meeting with the good people of Edo state, I realised that he is totally not a Nigerian.
He listened to all speakers with rapt attention and concentrated interest. One could see him practically and personally experiencing the pains of the abandoned and raped people of the Niger Delta. Even when there was a mini riot in the hall he remained calmed and probably prayerful as an ordained man of God.
If the mild drama of mini riot that played out in the hall had happened in a situation where even a local government chairman was in charge, the chairman would have ordered the security men to shoot at sight. If the person in charge was a state governor or a President, he would have ordered a massive arrest and inglorious shot at perception and at sight, but the learned and erudite scholar and legal luminary of international acclaim did not do any of that. Rather when he responded he said he equally shared the grievance of the aggrieved Niger Delta people.
This is un-Nigerian. For a leader to share in the pains of the people and not to deal with them for daring to engage in mini riot in his presence shows that the goddess of pride, the delusion grandeur and megalomania tendency usually associated with the average Nigerian leader at virtually all levels are not in the Acting President. For him to order all the oil companies to move their headquarters to the Niger Delta is a wonderful act of justice and healing of the age long injury inflicted on the Niger Delta people.
That he visited the Niger Delta states differently and interacted directly with the people and even visited the creeks to personally access the horrible situation is worth more than commendation.
No Nigerian leader at his level has acted like this. This is the reason I doubt if Acting President Yemi Osibanjo, SAN, is a Nigerian.
Probably he is a Moses in the making to the Niger Delta people.

*Dr. Emmanuel Ufuophu-Biri is HOD, Mass Communication, Delta State University, Abraka’.

The House of Representatives committee on review of petrol pricing has summoned the Managing Directors of Oando Oil, Mr. Adewale Tinubu, Sahara Energy, Mr. Tonye Cole and the Group General Manager in charge of Crude Oil lifting in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to explain their roles in an alleged $1 billion petrol products diversion scam.

The committee also summoned the Managing Directors of SGS Inspection Services and some shipping companies in respect of products diversion in the process between importation and storage of petrol products.

The summoned officials are to appear before the committee on March 15, 2017.

Chairman of the adhoc committee, Mr. Ralph Nnanna Igbokwe, gave the directive at the continuation of hearing on Monday at the National Assembly.

Mr. Igbokwe was particularly insistent on the personal appearance of the MDs and noted with displeasure that Oando has refused to honour at least three invitations to the committee hearing.

He reiterated that the essence of his committee’s investigation is to unravel the diversion of national resources into personal pockets by importers and traders of petroleum products.

According to him, “if products are taken away to unauthorized locations, it is our collective resources involved that would have been wasted and so as a Parliament, what we are doing here is protecting the interest of country.”

The hearing witnessed occasional presentation of contradictory facts and figures by officials of shipping companies, inspection agencies and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) regarding quantities of crude oil lifted for export and refined products imported and eventually discharged at storage facilities.

At some point, the representative of SGS inspection Services, Mr. Isaac Uzor admitted mix-ups in his submissions which he blamed on the administrative department of his organization.

Recall that the House of Representatives had in November last year passed a resolution to probe the N145/litre price of petrol with a view to arriving at an appropriate pricing which could be around N70/litre.

Festus Keyamo mentioned

A Toronto, Canada based female singer, Stephanie Otobo, is presently in the police net allegedly for leading a 5-man gang to demand N500 million from famous Nigerian preacher and president of the Omega Fire Ministries Int’l, Apostle Johnson Suleman.
A statement from the church alleged that the lady who claimed that Apostle Suleman was her lover and that he promised him marriage was found to belong to a cartel comprising four male members who were identified as serial blackmailers by the police. Stephanie was said to have been arrested about two weeks ago by the IG Intelligence and Monitoring Unit alongside one Wisdom who is said to be the gang leader. The culprits are said to be talking to detectives at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on their involvement in the alleged racket.

Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, according to the church statement, backed Stephanie and her gang claiming that the lady was his client while he allegedly insisted that the Apostle pay her the said sum.
On investigating, the statement reads further, it was discovered that the lawyer was sympathetic to the gang’s cause given his desperation and open aggression to force their illegal demand.

Below is the full texts of the statement from the church admin department submitting what it said was the genesis of Stephanie’s acclaimed familiarity with Apostle Suleman;

“In 2015, the servant of God, Apostle Johnson Suleman went to Canada to preach the Gospel. After the event, a lady called Papa and introduced herself as Stephanie Otobo. Asked what did she want, she said she attended the Apostle’s crusade in Canada, it transformed her and she wanted to give her life to Christ. The man of God asked her what her job was and she said she was a stripper, that she danced naked at the nightclub. That was the first surprise. The Apostle told her bluntly that what she was doing was pure prostitution but he could help her out if truly she was ready to go back to God. Because it is of God to save and bless souls, the Apostle offered to help her.

Apostle Suleman prayed for her on phone and never asked to know her physically because that is his nature. He blesses anyone to whomever he is directed by the Holy Spirit. After the prayer, the lady begged Apostle Suleman if he could also help her financially in order to start a new job as she was tired of her dirty life as a stripper. The man of God asked what kind of job she wanted and she said she would like to open an African Store where Nigerians abroad could be buying Nigerian foodstuffs, vegetables and other local items. The Dollar rate at the time was N150. She was sent money enough to set her up. Later, she was sent more money because she had familiarized herself with the Apostle that she was calling him regularly and praying for him for his humanitarian help. She started attending places where Apostle held crusades. It should be noted that Apostle Suleman never met the lady one-on-one.

However, the servant of God begun withdrawing from her and ignoring her calls when during one of the phone interactions she told him that a part of her dirty past life included blackmailing men! In fact, she listed men she said she had dealt with in the past. At such weird confession, even a man of God would have a rethink fraternizing with a person of the lady’s nature. Apostle Suleman withdrew completely from her right at that moment.

Surprisingly, late 2015, perhaps out of frustration, this lady devised a way to get at the man of God for shunning her. She met members of the Apostle’s ministry and threatened to go to the media to expose their leader unless she was given a certain amount of them. When asked for what, she said that she was promised marriage by him and that they had introduction ceremony already. Such a mystery!

The questions now begging for answers are; where are pictures of the purported marriage introduction? Who are the other persons and even family members that witnessed the purported introduction and the pictures, and where and when did the purported introduction took place?

To answer these questions, the police have met with Stephanie’s father, who was shocked at their inquiry. The old man told the police that he was never aware his daughter was in Nigeria! He also confirmed to the investigators that Stephanie had always been involved in messy stuffs while he said he knew Keyamo to be a controversial character.

Now, if anything, what is baffling to us is the involvement in the matter of Barrister Festus Keyamo who we heard that the blackmailing lady has hired to defend her illicit act. Keyamo is known to be a controversial lawyer and we have found out that he was threatening to pursue the case which in its entirety is a hoax. Besides, while investigating the lady after her plan to extort the man of God, it was discovered that the lady had a connection with Keyamo.

Also, recorded voices of Stephanie and Wisdom revealed that the gang has a link with the dreaded Boko Haram because the gang had earlier threatened to unleash Boko Haram on Apostle Suleman should he refuse to release the N500 million to them.”

The wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has revealed that she was attracted to his physique, while they were both corpers.
In an interview with This Day, Mrs. Akeredolu stated that she was not looking to marry a man who was already made.
She also revealed the Governor is younger than her by three years.
“It’s a long story. Actually my husband was a youth corper then in Enugu. I was also posted to Enugu.
“So, a friend of mine visited me and then she came along with her boyfriend who also came along with my husband. That was how we met and it was love at first sight. I think people frown at love at first sight but it worked for us.
“I fell in love with his broad shoulders. Then he was really looking very cute. I can still remember what he was wearing that day. I won’t forget – a red shirt, long sleeves, and jean trousers.
“He was really looking great and then we were very young and restless. That was like 37 years ago. He couldn’t even take me out because he didn’t have money as a youth corper. It was quite magnetic and that was it. And besides I have always said that whoever that was going to marry me must be able to sweep me off my feet completely and that was exactly what happened.
“There is a three-year age difference between us. I am older than him anyway. I was like 25 then while he was 22. It was love that really endured. I had graduated and in my place when a girl graduates from the university, suitors come from left, right and centre. And your parents would expect you to go for a self-made man with everything.
“But I have always known that there was no way I could have married a self-made man. I will rather build a home from the scratch with you because I want to have a say in my home.
“My parents were educated and so they didn’t see a reason to obstruct us. My father understood what modernity is all about when it comes to relationship and also understood the fact that when a young girl falls in love, it is always difficult to talk her out of it. And knowing that I was strong opinionated right from time, he knew that this one that I have brought was the right man,” she said.

First Republic politician and a staunch Awoist, Chief Ayo Adebanjo has revealed how he played a major role in the political career of a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who he categorically described as “his own creation”.
Adebanjo however likened the alliance which the former Lagos governor entered into with the North ahead of the 2015 general elections as foolishness, asserting that Tinubu is already getting the short end of the stick in the deal he struck with Muhammadu Buhari before the polls.
The former member of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, who bared his mind in an interview with The Sun newspaper, declared that the APC leader would be deceiving himself if he thinks President Buhari would allow him become President.
Narrating how he made Tinubu, the octogenarian said, “Tinubu was abroad. We were the people facing the fire at home. When they said I imposed Akerele, they should say I imposed Tinubu too. I do not know Ajomale all this time. Ajomale is a creation of Tinubu. And Tinubu is my own creation by the grace of God.
“I signed his papers. We conducted the primaries under which he became the governor. If I was partisan, Tinubu would not have been governor. But he won a primary election which we set up which was disputed by the chairman of Lagos AD.
“When Tinubu won the primaries, he wanted another person and we said no. It was not a question of imposing, but rewarding people who worked for the party. By the time we elected Tinubu, where was Ajomale in those days? What position was he holding in any branch of the Alliance For Democracy (AD)?
“So, because he has become a stooge of Tinubu now, he can be talking nonsense. They should beware when they cast aspersion on their seniors. Tinubu would not even say what he said.”
On the pact the former Lagos governor had with Buhari and his Northern bloc which resulted in the birthing of the APC, Adebanjo said, “The purpose of the South going into an alliance with the North is different from what the North enters into any alliance with the South.
“It is like the foolishness of Tinubu when I warned him from going into alliance with them. He thought he was going to make use of Buhari and Buhari knew that he was going to make use of him.
“He has the mistaken belief which I still believe that he is still having now that if I go along with them, Buhari would allow him become the president. He is just deceiving himself. It can never be until we arrive at how we are going to have it.
“They have not been reading, when we told them that Sauduana said he was going to rule the country until he drops the Quran in the sea, they thought we were joking. When we told them about Buhari, they thought we were joking.
“Go and see when the North has been clamouring to rule the country. They do not want to share. If they say they want to go into alliance, they are just finding a way to put you in their pockets.
“Go and ask Tinubu what Buhari is doing now with this administration. Would he be honest to say that he is following what they agreed on? APC has legacy parties; what did they agree upon. Did they agree upon the fact that majority of the security posts must be Fulani as it is now.
“You media men should be asking questions. I am too old to speak this way. Tinubu and his people say they are the progressives, how progressive are they in collaboration with the CPC? What is progressive in the CPC programme? Even the supporters of Buhari say this is the most nepotistic government that Nigeria has had.
“Neither Tinubu nor the APC has said anything about it since they came into government. Is that what he promised the Yoruba when he was going there that they would be suppressed and that all the principal officers must be given to the Fulani?” he asked.

A Lagos Island Customary Court, South West Nigeria Thursday formally dissolved the marriage between Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike and his wife, Suzanne Emma. The court ordered the estranged lovers to go their different ways.
The three-man panel presided by Chief Awo Awosola, dissolved the 17-year old marriage while delivering judgment in a petition filed by Suzanne.
Other members of the panel are Mrs. Opeyemi Olanrewaju and Mr Kehinde Jacob Olayinka.
The court while delivering judgment in the suit marked LCC/15/2015, filed by Suzanne against Emeka Ike, said: “from all evidence before the court, the marriage between the couple had broken down, and it is irreconcilable, consequently, the marriage is hereby dissolved”.
The court granted Emeka Ike custody of the four children, but ordered that their mother should be granted unhindered access to them.
The court also stated that any party that is dissatisfied with the judgment should appeal within 30 days.
The court also received a photocopy of a bank draft of N300 dated July 20, 2016, which Suzanne used in refunding the bride price, paid to her family during their marriage.
Suzanne, in her petition accused Emeka Ike of beating her incessantly, molestation, and torture, which she said she could no longer endure.
But Emeka in his response, pleaded with the court not to dissolve the marriage. He denied ever beating, molesting or torturing his wife. He informed the court that his wife had moved out of their matrimonial home five times without any reason.
He also told the court that the only time the devil entered their marriage, was when his wife paid the children’s school fees.
Suzanne who said she is not thinking of a second marriage, advised other women who are going through what she experienced, to be bold.
The separated couple had their marriage contracted at Alagbole area, Lagos, in 2014.
The dissolved marriage is blessed with four children.

The winner of the Porsche 911 Giveaway Draw organized by Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Abdulkareem Buhari, 30, has opted for the cash equivalent of his Porsche 911 Carrera reward.
The Kaduna base trader, was announced as the winner of the GTBank Porsche 911 Giveaway Draw after a raffle draw held on Wednesday, 15 December 2016, at the Corporate Head Office of the Bank.
The cheapest of Porsche 911 Carrera brand goes for US$89,400.00 (N35,000,000)
Following his preference of a cash equivalent, the Bank then presented Abdulkareem with a cheque.
The GTBank Porsche 911 Giveaway is part of the Bank’s Platinum rewards for its Platinum Banking Customers, a niche segment that enjoys premium products and dedicated services such as access to personal banking lounges, fast track banking services, Platinum MasterCards and specialized Credit Facilities as well as higher transaction limits on alternative channels.
“The GTBank Porsche 911 Giveaway Draw is our special way of expressing our gratitude to our customers for making our success possible,” said Mr. Segun Agbaje, GTBank MD/CEO in December, 2016.
He further stated that, “As a bank that is committed to creating memorable experiences, we are excited at how happy we have made one of our loyal customers.”
GTBank has consistently played a leading role in Africa’s banking industry.
The GTBank brand is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run 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 Lagos State Government has paid N801 million to another set of 179 retirees as accrued Pension rights for the month of February, 2017.
The beneficiaries of this payment, who are from the mainstream Civil Service, Local Government and State Universal Basic Education Board, Teachers Establishment Pensions Office and other Parastatals of government, expressed gratitude to the state government for its consistency in the payment of terminal benefits.
Speaking at the 36th Retirement Benefit Bond Certificate Presentation Ceremony held on Tuesday at the NECA House, CBD, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, the Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), Mrs. Folashade Onanuga congratulated the beneficiaries and implored them to use it judiciously.
According to her, the current recession made it mandatory for individuals to be prudent and enjoined them to adjust their lifestyle to the economic realities.
“This is the evening season of your life and it is expedient to manage your level of expenditure so as to reduce the stress that can hamper your health. Most importantly, be contented and avoid quick gains as many schemes designed to empower you are actually traps to deprive you of what you laboured for.
“This Administration is very much interested in your wellbeing and as such, the Commission intends to keep in touch with you often in order to get feedback on your lives out of office and how the State could be of help”, she added.
The Head of the Technical Department, LASPEC, Mr. Olawale Otun also educated the retirees on the importance of writing will and on how to process their Retirement Benefit Bond Certificates and the two exit options available to them.

Evicted housemates at the ongoing Big Brother Naija reality TV show, Gifty Powers visited Heritage Bank Head Office in Lagos over the weekend.
Gifty as she is famously addressed was seen with Fela Ibidapo, Group Head, Corporate Communications, Heritage Bank Plc and Omobolaji Mogaji, Media Sales Executives at Multichoice.
The light skinned Gifty was evicted penultimate Sunday after spending four weeks in the house, thus becoming the fourth housemate to be evicted.
With her eviction, Gifty’s dream of winning the show’s star prize of N25m has evaporated.
As a housemate she had stirred several buzzes in social media over her kisses and foreign accent.
After her eviction, she wrote: “Greetings to all families and friends… just want to use this opportunity to say a big great thank you to everyone who got my back.
“With or without you voting for me just know I still love you and know say nothing spoil.
“God bless una hustle oo cuz e no easy..okwa
Big Brother Naija reality show is aired 24/7 in 45 countries from Nigeria through East, West and Southern Africa on DStv channel 198 and GOtv channel 29.
It would be recalled that Heritage is a proud sponsor of the live reality show currently going in South Africa.

While the indigenous telecommunications service provider, Globacom, has been commended for its cheapest data plans initiative, subscribers however decry the persistent poor service experience on the network which had already compelled some customers to exit the network.
Some visibly angry customers who spoke to Market Place noted that Glo’s attractive data tarriff was probably a strategy from the service provider to entice more and unsuspecting customers to its service in order to offset cost, having realised its weaknesses.
In his comments, Oluwole Isreal pointed out that “Of all the cellular network providers operating in Nigeria right now, Glo has the cheapest data plans. The GSM network has always come to the rescue of Nigerians, introducing insane tariffs that often make other network providers adjust their plans and pricing. When it introduced its latest data plans recently, a lot of Nigerians thought liberation had come and I wasn’t an exception.
“It’s a known fact that Glo network isn’t the best around but it is actually getting worse. I subscribed to the 24GB data plan for N5,000 and I ended up regretting this move. The network quality has been so terrible that I haven’t been able to cross 50% of the data allocation and it’s almost 20 days.
“MTN offers this same amount of data for N10,000 and I thought getting it for ₦5,000 with Glo was a great way to save some money. I was wrong.Network quality on the Glo network varies by location, everyone knows this. However, the coverage in most regions is terrible.”
Although, there had been general problems with browsing from all the networks especially since the introduction of fourth generation/long-term evolution (4G/LTE) of which many people said that its arrival was like a salt added to an injury, customers said that the Glo network was most frustrating both in it data and voice services.
They added that Globacom present status has not been justified by performance as they do not get value for their money,hence,feel exploited.
Effort to get the company to comment on this didn’t work out as the series of phone calls put to its was not successful.

*As customers cries out over dubious deductions *We’ve done no wrong, it’s blackmail – Bank

In what appears to be a case of fraudulent manipulation of customers’ accounts and utter violation of banking ethics, the Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State branch of First City Monument Bank Plc, has been accused of illegal loan transactions targeted at defrauding unsuspecting customers.
One of the customers, who blew the whistle, Mr Kolawole Adepoju, had obtained a loan worth about N2.55 million from the bank in 2013, with expiration tenor scheduled for late last year. But a phantom loan top-up on his account, which he never applied nor requested for, and which he also never got to withdraw, has now taken his repayment tenor to 2019.
This case, according to findings, is besides other complaints of loan fraud and illegal charges, especially in the same Ijebu-Ode 2 branch of FCMB, and similar complaints arising from various branches of the bank, which an insider source told our correspondent was giving the Group Internal Audit department of the bank grave concerns. Adepoju had, in May 2013, obtained a loan facility from the Ijebu-Ode 2 branch of FCMB to the tune of N2, 554,000.00, with his salary as collateral. And a monthly repayment deduction started in July of the same year.
But, according to documents made available, a top-up of another N2,416,750.84, with a value date of January 1, 2015, was done on his account on January 19, just as a withdrawal of N2, 340,902.36 was made on the same date. Interestingly, he got no form of notification of the transactions, either by electronic mail or text message.
Meanwhile, the documents showed that normal deductions by the bank continued as his salary was paid on a monthly basis.
Also, his loan repayment tenor had been restructured and extended to reflect an end date of 2019. On December 4, 2015, an unsuspecting Adepoju said he applied for and got a statement of his account and discovered that, earlier in January 2015, his account had been credited with the said sum of N2.41 million by way of a top-up loan disbursement and debited almost immediately with N2.34 million.
Alarmed by the discovery of the wrongful transaction on his account statement, he wrote a letter of complaint, dated December 14, 2015 to the manager of the FCMB Ijebu-Ode 2 branch, asking for a reversal. But Adepoju alleged that for several months, no action had been taken by the bank till date to investigate the wrongful entry and transaction on his account and right the wrongs.
Another letter was reportedly sent to the Group Managing Director of the bank, which was neither acknowledged nor treated. Shockingly too, the bank had, according to Adepoju’s statement of account, continued to make deductions in line with the phantom loan top-up from his salary account, even up till January 2017.
“It left me with no other option than to conclude that it was a deliberate and well thought-out fraud against me,” he recalled. In a letter from Olatunde OlaDada and Co, Adepoju’s lawyers, titled,“Fraudulent Debit, Charges and Interest in Account No 2122624017, and dated November 9, 2016, FCMB’s attention was drawn to the alleged fraudulent transaction, and a N10m compensation demanded.
The letter read in part: “Our client never got value for the phantom top-up loan amount of N2, 416,750.84 (or of any amount whatsoever). He never withdrew same, never saw it, and never touched it. He knew nothing about it until sometime after December 4, 2015 when he applied for, and got, a statement of his account.
“Based on the foregoing, we have our client’s instructions to demand that:
1) The wrong or fraudulent entry in our client’s account statement showing a phantom loan disbursement of N2,416,750.84 be reversed, with immediate effect.
2) The extension of his Repayment Schedule from 2016 to 2019, consequent upon the phantom topup loan, be reversed to end at 2016, as originally agreed by the parties…
3) That the sum of N10, 000,000.00 be paid to our client as damages for the troubles caused him by your bank in the course of this phantom top-up loan.”
On how a customer’s account could be used to perpetrate such fraud, a banker in the credit departmnent of a first rate commercial bank, who spoke in confidence to our correspondent, explained that, where the control lines were a bit weak, some fraudulent bankers “use the accounts of depositors, who had taken previous loans to divert funds for personal use, while leaving the unsuspecting depositors to suffer the impact of illegal loan repayment charges.”
He added, “But many bank customers may not be able to easily detect this anomaly. In such cases, the alert system is disabled. So the customer never gets to know when his account is credited or debited.
He only gets alerts of interest deductions, which he may disregard as normal deductions, based on his earlier loan. “In this particular case, the customer would not have known because those who committed the fraud internally, programmed the repayment to start after the expiration of the first loan.”
Another customer, Adekanmbi disclose that, on his part, he obtained a N1 million loan from FCMB around June/July 2013, with a tenor of 60 months, which was supposed to end around July 2018.
He said, “I started the repayment on July 25, 2013 at about 23.95 per cent, and the FCMB marketer who came to our office then said it would be a fixed percentage. I then complained that the interest rate was on the high side and now in 2017, it has increased to 26.95 per cent.
“The loan was supposed to end in July 2018, but to my surprise, I am now seeing November 25, 2018 while the payment has increased from the earlier stated amount, with an additional five months and with no form of explanations.”
Investigations are still ongoing as regards fraudulent top-up loans as more customers have begun to bombard our correspondent with calls on shady transactions, which they said they would back with documents.
When contacted, FCMB’s Group Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Diran Ojo, after getting the details of the cases and allegations from the Ijebu-Ode branch, told our correspondent that the bank had committed no infraction against the customers.
He said that the customers were only abusing their access to the media and trying to blackmail the bank. Ojo said, “I have found out that these two young men work in the public relations department of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, and because they have access to the media, that is why they have come to you.
But unfortunately, they are now using that access to perpetrate what is wrong. They are trying to blackmail us and we would fight back with everything in our possession. That is what we are going to do with these guys.”
Ojo also read out a mail, which he said was sent to him, from one of his colleague in the Consumer Improvement Department, Mr. Folarin Lewu.
According to the mail, Lewu said that Adepoju was the instigator and that he knew nothing about the other customer. Ojo read, “Adepoju requested for loan restructure, and top-ups subject to confirmation two or more times.
The changes in the exchange rate over the tenor of his loan gave the customer the wrong impression that there was never any loan. We have provided a convincing proof that there was nothing underhanded at least twice in the past two years.
On one occasion, Adepoju Kolawole independently reported to the control staff in Ijebu-Ode 2 branch and mentioned my name. “The control staff engaged him in a conversation for over 30 minutes to get a clear picture, after which he volunteered to explain to Mr. Adepoju.
The matter appeared to be closed thereafter. Adepoju characteristically came back each time that the burden of repayment was biting him, because of his now depleted income. He apparently secured another loan within his organisation that depleted his disposable income further.”
However, Adepoju has challenged the bank to produce documents proving that he requested for a top-up loan, describing the allegation as not only false, but a further proof that some of the banks’ officials were involved in the shady deal.
While our investigation was on, one of the bank’s executives, who claimed to be a staff of FCMB from its regional head office in Ibadan, allegedly reached out to the two customers, asking them to prevail on the newspaper to drop the story and that they would give them redress on the case on or before Monday, February 27.
He specifically told Adepoju that the Branch Manager from Ijebu-Ode 2 would visit him. Interestingly, early on Wednesday, February 22, our correspondent also received several calls from some of the bank’s officials in Lagos, who had earlier claimed that the bank did no wrong, asking her to discontinue the investigation and publication.
Meanwhile, disguising as a lawyer who was investigating some cases of fraud, our correspondent gathered from two competent and highly placed sources at the bank’s head office that similar cases of customers, who had been defrauded by the bank staff, had become rampant in recent times.
The sources, in the belief that they were assisting an old time friend and associate, later gave our correspondent tips on the channels to explore in getting proper redress for the cases being handled.
They, however, noted that such cases, where a top-up loan would be given without the account holder initiating it, had been going on without the knowledge of the management of the bank, adding that with the whistle that had been blown, investigations would definitely fish out the culprits and flush them out of FCMB.
Reacting to the development, a forensic accountant, Mr. Ori Adeyemo, after a thorough perusal of the documents made available by Adepoju, said there was an evidence of account manipulations.
He said: “Merely looking at this account, it is a fraud. The customer was also debited for insurance to the tune of N63, 850 on May 20, 2013. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s revised guide on bank charges of April 1, 2013, said that customer and insurance company should go and negotiate in the area of insurance transaction.
“It is a breach of the law or public policy for which appropriate sanctions are imposed. The bank was charging interest beyond contractual tenor. Having unilaterally terminated the contract; the bank should have stopped charging interest.
“There are different categories of fraud. Some are insider related, while some are to make up the outrageous targets given to them by the banks, which when they cannot balance, they dip their hands into customers’ accounts with all sorts of charges to balance their books.”
Questioning the level of transparency in the banking industry, he said, “When these banks want to steal money, and pass those offensive charges into a customer’s account, there won’t be any alert to that effect.
The only thing you will see is the withdrawal and deposit alert.” Adeyemo, however, noted that he had over 400 cases on fraud related issues that he was prosecuting for customers against various banks.
The Consumer Protection Council had also last year directed the management of FCMB to refund N1.54 billion to the Bauchi State Government, being the amount said to be illegally deducted by the bank from the state’s loan account.
According to the council, the order was made after the conclusion of an investigation into a petition by the state government. The state had claimed that it was short-changed by the FCMB to the tune of N1.86 billion as excess interest and other charges on its loan account with the bank.
The CPC also stated that the state government decided to send the petition to the council, after the CBN had declined further adjudication on the case through a letter dated July 15, 2015.

Keystone bank is one of the flagship financial institutions in Nigeria offering robust, convenient and reliable self-service banking products to customers.

The Keystone Mobile App
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The Mobile App allows Keystone Bank customers carry out a wide range of banking transactions from their Keystone Bank accounts including flight ticket bookings, funds transfer, electronic bill and utility payment, account balances and mini statement. The bank also uses the product to drive Financial Inclusion and Sustainable Banking policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Card Payment on the web
The card payment on the web comes with secure authentication methods and makes payment across the globe on all platforms. The bank offers a web and branch based payment option for electronic bills collection (E-Bills) which gives companies same day delivery of funds irrespective of the bank where transaction was initiated as well irrespective of the channels (Branch collection, Internet banking and Mobile) that was used for the payment.
The E-Bills Collection Platform handles different customers (Private & Public sector). Included within the scope of the e-Bills collection platform are pre-payments and post-payments for goods and services such as utility bills (water rate, electricity bills, telephone bills, etc.), purchases, various categories of revenue collections, and other fees e.g. subscriptions, levies, premiums etc.

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The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Diaspora Affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said that contrary to the common belief that greed and poverty are to blame for the indulgence of most Nigerians in acts of corruption, lack of adequate sanctions is the reason corruption continues to thrive in the country.
She stated this while making her remarks at the flag-off of South-West Women Against Corruption (WAC) project in Lagos.
Dabiri-Erewa said that many young Nigerians are inspired to engage in acts of corruption when the society celebrates those who have been handed light sanctions for looting large sums of money from the national treasury.
She urged members of the public to rise against corruption and impunity in Nigeria; adding that the recession the country is currently facing was a direct product of corruption in the country.
The presidential aide called on women from the South-West geo-political zone to support President Muhammadu Buhari and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, Ibrahim Magu, in their efforts to tackle the malaise of corruption in Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa further enjoined women to inculcate the qualities of contentment, integrity, value, virtue, and valour on their children, stressing that as mothers of the nation, women can be agents of change.
She said: “The reason there is so much corruption in Nigeria is not greed but lack of adequate sanctions.
“As long as we see corrupt people go to jail, come out and we celebrate, we worship, we clap for them; corruption will continue to thrive.
“I think we are at a point where we need to say ‘enough is enough! Never again should we go back to the days where we are coming from. Never again should we have anybody steal our commonwealth, live with impunity and get away with it.’
“That is why I want to appeal to you; let us support President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption. For the first time, we are having a president who is fighting corruption headlong. We need to support him.
“I am ashamed that at a function today, when I said ‘women against corruption’, people shouted me down. But I say ‘one bad apple should not spoils the whole bunch’
“We, as Nigerian women, are people of integrity, value, virtue, and valour. Most importantly, if we have contentment we have everything. If there’s no contentment we will keep stealing until we steal our on hearts out. We need to raise our children with the virtues of contentment.
“As women and mothers of a nation, we can be agents of change. We can do it.
“Let us also support the EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu because; we love what he is doing. We hope the Senate confirms him because we know that he will earnestly fight corruption.
“Let us all support the WAC project. If we get it right, the nation gets it right.
“Let’s support the fight against corruption and be determined that we will take Nigeria out of this recession, and this recession is corruption.”

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied endorsing Ali Modu Sheriff as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Since Friday when the appeal court recognised Sheriff as chairman of the opposition party, he has been consulting stakeholders.
He visited Ibrahim Babangida, former military ruler, over the weekend, and was with Jonathan on Monday.
After the meeting, there were reports that Jonathan had endorsed the PDP leader. But in a statement issued on his behalf by Ikechukwu Eze, his media aide, the former president said he only received Sheriff in the interest of peace.
The statement said Jonathan met Ahmed Makarfi, chairman of the other faction of the PDP, and Walid Jibrin, chairman of the party’s board of trustees (BoT), after Sheriff left.
“Jonathan as a former president and foremost leader of the party welcomed Sheriff and some of his supporters to his house, in line with a mediation role he is playing towards unifying and strengthening the PDP,” Eze said in a statement.
“Indeed, it may interest you to know that after meeting with Sheriff, the former president also met with Senator Ahmed Makarfi, leader of the PDP caretaker committee, and the party’s board of trustees chairman, Senator Walid Jubril, later in the evening.
“As a peace-loving leader of the party, the former president’s interest is to help reposition PDP to enable it play a constructive role in the affairs of the nation, in view of the imperative of deepening the nation’s democracy.
“I wish to let those spinning this falsehood know that it just doesn’t add up to fly a contrived banner of endorsement in one breath, and in another, concede that the former president explained his commitment in meeting with different interest groups, towards resolving the differences in the party.”
Eze reproduced the exact words of Jonathan in the meeting with Sheriff.
He also appreciated the interest shown in covering activities of Jonathan, but urged journalists to avoid misleading the public.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the following are the former president’s exact words during the interview with newsmen, as had accurately been reported by most online and major national newspapers, as well as broadcast organisations: ‘We (PDP) are not factionalised. We are one. We are solving our problems. There are bound to be differences in politics. It is the way we resolve these differences that make us human beings and that is what makes us leaders. I have met with Sheriff. And I have met with others.
“While we appreciate the interest of journalists in the coverage of the activities of the former president, we urge accurate and constructive reporting, as it is a known fact that we cannot truly develop our nation, if journalists continue to twist and fabricate stories with the intent of misinforming the public.”

Nollywood actor, Uche Maduagwu has claimed that most single ladies in the industry now visit movie locations without underwear.
Maduagwu, who recently predicted the collapse of another celebrity marriage after popular actress, Tonto Dike, broke up with her husband accused said most single Nigerian actresses do not wear their panties to movie locations.
The actor made the allegation via his Instagram page, where he claimed that he has confirmed the development himself, describing the act as suspicious and disgusting.
He wrote, “Why is it that most female Nollywood Actresses who are single No longer Wear ‘PANTS’ to movie locations? This is giving me headaches.
“Is it that most female celebrities, especially Nollywood actresses who are single have developed the habit of not wearing pants to movie locations? I can tell you of 4 different star actresses I had personally confirmed, and this is really giving me headaches because, aside the very fact that it is suspicious, its also disgusting.
“That’s why most of our directors are always losing concentration when they are directing on set, the worst is that these group of actresses are fond of spreading their legs wide unnecessarily just to seduce fellow actors and directors.
“Their aim and motives are what I am yet to understand, that’s how I walked out of a shoot in Asaba when one actress was just misbehaving on set, someone said she just finished smoking marijuana, but that’s not my own business, I am an actor and not her doctor, but what I frown at is when someone is opening her legs any how and misbehaving in the middle of a shoot, distracting both the directors, actors and crews, that’s what I can’t stand, if we want to shoot a movie, let’s be professional and let’s not turn movie locations into strip clubs.
“May God deliver us in this industry, some people are just here to play around, they are the very few giving nollywood a bad name.”

A witness in the corruption trial of Justice Adeniyi Ademola has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari gave the embattled judge N500,000 while his certificate controversy was pending before Mr. Ademola.
Some persons had filed a suit challenging Mr. Buhari’s candidacy prior to the 2015 elections, alleging the president had no secondary school certificate as required by law.
The witness said the money was given through Mr. Buhari’s former lawyer, Kola Awodeyin.
The witness, however, said he does not consider the money a bribe.
Mr. Ademola is being prosecuted by the Nigerian government for alleged corruption. He has denied the charges and requested accelerated hearing at the trial in Abuja‎.
The federal judge is being prosecuted alongside his wife, Olubowale, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joe Agi.
Details later…

FCMB Group Plc has announced the re-organisation of its leadership at the Group level, as well as its flagship company First City Monument Bank Limited (FCMB Limited). Effective March 20th, 2017, Ladi Balogun, having served as Group Managing Director of the Commercial banking arm, FCMB Limited for 10 years, will be stepping down in this capacity.
He will assume the role of Group Chief Executive of the holding company, FCMB Group Plc. The holding company comprises FCMB Limited, FCMB Capital Markets, CSL Stockbrokers and CSL Trustees.
Under Ladi Balogun’s leadership, FCMB Limited has undergone a successful transformation from a merchant bank to a top 10 commercial bank in Nigeria across key metrics. During this period the bank has emerged as a leader in consumer finance, agricultural banking and electronic banking.
The bank’s franchise has grown to 4 million customers, 220 branches and a successful banking subsidiary in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Balogun will be succeeded as Managing Director of FCMB Limited by Adam Nuru, who is currently the Executive Director in charge of Business Development for the bank.
He previously served as Regional Director, in charge of Abuja and Northern Nigeria, where he was responsible for growing the bank’s Northern franchise to become the largest and most profitable region of the bank.
Adam Nuru has 28 years of banking experience, with 7 years spent with FCMB. He is a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he studied Business Administration, and has attended management programmes at leading international educational institutions.

The whereabouts of top socialite, ex-Skye Bank Chairman, Tunde Ayeni, has been a source of concern to the teeming admirers of the boardroom guru, who was once on the lips of those that matter in the corporate sector and society at large.
Though 2016 was not a particularly good year for Ayeni, who stumble again and again, and barely a month after losing control of Skye Bank Plc, with the sacking of the bank’s board by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ayeni suffered another setback, when he was again booted out by Ntel, a telecoms company.
Ayeni, who acquired Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), and rebranded into ntel, was the Chairman of the company until General TY Danjuma, in July 2016, made a significant investment into the company and took over as the Chairman.
The takeover was confirmed by Kamar Abass, ntel’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in the company statement. “Our new Chairman, and as a shareholder, we welcome his support as we add momentum to our growth and development in Nigeria’s telecoms industry.”
The takeover development saw Ayeni went a step lower in the company’s hierarchy, as he became the Vice Chairman of ntel.
Insider sources disclosed that the new restructuring of the board of the telecommunications company on account of Danjuma’s significant investment in the company, after the former Chairman, Mr. Tunde Ayeni, reduced his investment in ntel, following ‘financial servicing troubles,’ Ayeni was allegedly going through at Syke Bank.
The CBN had, on July 4, 2016 sacked the board and management of Skye Bank led by Ayeni, over the rising bad loans in the bank.
According to reports, Ayeni, who had been ntel Chairman since inception, had borrowed heavily from the bank and at the time of his exit, was allegedly indebted to the lender to the tune of N30 billion.
While many consider Danjuma’s investment into the company as a step in the right direction for Ayeni, who originally bought the company, the psychological effect of losing a prime position seemed too much for Ayeni to handle.
The million-dollar question on the lips of many in the social space now, is where is Tunde Ayeni?

With the recent focus of the Federal government of Nigeria on diversification of the economy, Agriculture is being promoted in many quarters as the next frontier in driving the economy of the nation. The reason is not farfetched as agriculture was the major export industry before the discovery of crude oil in the late 1950s with cocoa, groundnut, palm oil being major export products among others.
Before independence in 1960, the economy was characterised by the dominance of exports and commercial activities. There was no viable industrial sector. After independence, agriculture continued as the mainstay of the economy. In spite of fluctuations in world prices, agriculture contributed about 65 per cent to GDP and represented almost 70 per cent of total exports. Agriculture provided the foreign exchange that was utilised in importing raw materials and capital goods. The peasant farmers produced enough to feed the entire population.
But Nigeria’s status as an agricultural powerhouse has declined drastically over the years. While Nigeria once provided 18% of the global production of cocoa, second in the world in the 1960s, that figure is now down to 8%. And while the country produces 65% of tomatoes in West Africa, it is now the largest importer of tomato paste.
The Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, which was initiated by the CBN as a sub-shoot of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF), was created to support farmers and increase their production capacity. About N19billion was disbursed in the last farming season with reported 90% success rate. The programme was initially designed for Rice Farmers only but the scope has since been expanded to other farming sectors.
One financial institution that has been involved in the Anchor Borrowers Programme is Keystone Bank.
Managing Director of Keystone Bank, Mr. Philip Ikeazor has underscored the importance of financial institutions in driving the agricultural sector. “Financial institutions have a crucial role to play in providing support to players along the agriculture value chain and the CBN’s initiative of the Anchor borrowers programme is a step in the right direction. Financing in agriculture is one factor of production which facilitates the acquisition, procurement and management of the other factors of production like, land, expertise and management”.
Mr. Ikeazor however noted that there are challenges to financing of the agricultural sector. He highlighted that in spite of the good efforts of the federal government there have been challenges experienced in reaching the targets of effective financing. He stated, “We however have to take into consideration the issue of uneven distribution of credit which is present at sub-sectorial levels of allocation” He stated that if some of these challenges are to be overcome, programmes of both the private and public credit institutions need to shift focus to the rural areas.
According to experts in the agricultural sector, the low volume of business in the rural areas where poverty is most prevalent cannot guarantee sustainable business activities to encourage the establishment of commercial banks to provide the needed finance for agricultural production.
Moreover, the cost implication of processing agricultural loans in the rural economy makes it unattractive for conventional banks to channel their resources to farming. Although, the commercial banks finance agricultural activities but their credits are urban based and so small that their impact cannot be felt in the rural areas where farming actually takes place. Lack of priority attention to rural population in credit delivery by commercial and other banks in the economy contributed to the depressed economic conditions in the rural economy, and this situation also affects the overall economic growth and development of the nation.

The Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue has sealed off eight banks in the metropolis, for failure to remit about 1Billion Naira tax to the government.
The exercise started on Monday morning at about 5:30am, and has affected Access Bank PLC, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Skye Bank, Union Bank, Unity Bank, Heritage Bank, Keystone Bank and Sterling Bank, in the metropolis.
The Chairman, Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr Emeka Odo, made this known to newsmen in Enugu, that the board obtained an order from the state High Court to seal the affected banks.
Mr Odo, said sealing of the banks which is the first phase of the enforcement exercise on the major companies and institutions will remain under lock and key, to ensure that they perform their civic obligations to the state government.
He however called on customers of the affected banks not to panic as the banks are expected to take necessary actions, to enable the government serve them better.

If information reaching us is anything to believe, then, these are not the best of times for Mr. Phillip Ikeazor, the managing director/chief executive officer of Keystone Bank Limited over an alleged N4.2 billion illegal transaction as some aggrieved shareholders of the bank have expressed dissatisfaction with the poor performance of the bank’s chief and are therefore calling for his resignation.
We learnt, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has raised a team to interrogate the managing director/chief executive officer of alongside two other directors of the bank.
The two other directors under investigation by the agency, a source at the anti-graft agency said, are the executive director, corporate bank and treasury, Mr. Hafiz Bakare and executive director, North directorate, Dr. Shehu Muhammad.
According to the source, the call for the investigation came on the heels of the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) submission urging the anti-graft agency to beam its searchlight on the lender over its illegal movement of N4.2 billion from the Industrial Trust Fund’s account domiciled with the bank.
The committee said circumstances that led to the transfer of the fund without due permission from ITF should be investigated to ascertain the rationale behind such action.
Citing the auditor-general’s report, deputy chairman of the committee, Rep Ibrahim Baba (APC, Bauchi), who presided over the panel’s session on the matter said Keystone Bank moved money thrice from ITF’s account domiciled in the bank in November 2010.
He said on discovering the irregular transaction during one of its audit visits, the auditor-general’s team raised a query on the matter, saying an interest of N23.5 million was supposed to be paid by the bank.
But ITF’s director general, Joseph Ari, in his response said the transaction was carried out without the agency’s authorization and that the bank had explained that it was done in error.
He read a letter from Keystone Bank in which the bank said it had reversed the transaction but that no interest was paid to ITF.
He said as part of efforts to get the transaction rectified and the accrued interest paid, ITF reported the matter to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and that the apex bank advised an amicable settlement.
He said, however, that despite meeting with the officials of the bank on the matter, no solution could be found. Thus, the committee called on the EFCC to come into the matter with a view to investigating the transaction.
Meanwhile, one of the shareholders who spoke to our correspondent said that until the appointment of Ikeazor, the bank was doing well.
“Phillip Ikeazor does not have the ability to drive the bank. Since he assumed office in 2013, the bank has been struggling for survival; the fortune of the bank has continued to dwindle.”
“Recalled earlier last year, Mr. Ikeazor disclosed plans to sell the bank’s subsidiaries in three West African nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Uganda due to insufficient funds to operate an international license or recapitalize them.” Why won’t it get to that point when he cannot present the bank viable for business?”
“This is an institution that buyers were jostling for as at 2012 but today, reverse is the case.
“He should honourably resign his position for a more competent hand,” the source noted.
Our findings on some of the bank branches showed that they were struggling from low patronage and it has closed down some of them in Lagos. The bank had shut down its Oko-Oba Branch and Ojodu Branch in Lagos.
Efforts to speak with Mrs. Omobolanle Osotule, Head of brands and corporate communications of the bank proved futile as her mobile line was not reachable as at press time.
Keystone Bank is one of the three commercial banks that were acquired by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) through a ‘bridging’ process. The bank was established from the carcass of the defunct Bank PHB in August 2011.

The Nigerian Community in South Africa have confirmed attacks and looting of Nigerian-owned businesses in Pretoria West on Saturday.
Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, President, Nigeria Union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria, South Africa, that the attacks began at 4.00am. He said that the union had reported the incident to the Nigeria mission and South African police.
“As we speak, five buildings with Nigerian businesses, including a church have been looted and burned by South Africans.
“One of the buildings is a mechanic garage with 28 cars under repairs, with other vital documents, were burned during the attack. Also, the pastor of the church was wounded and is in the hospital receiving treatment,” he said.
Anyene said the union had informed Nigerians in South Africa to be vigilant in the face of renewed xenophobic attacks. According to him, the union received information that there will be xenophobic attacks against foreigners on February 22 and 23. “We began taking precautionary measures when the incident took place today.
“The attack in Pretoria West is purely xenophobic and criminal attack because they loot the shops and homes before burning them,” he said.
Anyene called on the Federal Government to persuade its South African counterpart to protect Nigerians in their country.
“These attacks should not be allowed to continue because it is a big setback,” he said.

The City of London police has opened a criminal investigation into the disastrous Ponzi investment made by Matthew Ashimolowo’s Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) with Richard Rufus, a member of the church, which led to the loss of £3.9 million by KICC.
According to The Guardian newspaper of London, the criminal investigation of KICC’s Ponzi investment follows a Charity Commission report into “mismanagement” at KICC, which invested £5 million with Rufus, a former Charlton Athletic player.
The newspaper also reported that the church’s Chief Operating Officer, James McGlashan alleged that the founder and senior pastor of the church, Ashimolowo knew about the disastrous investment.
McGlashan made the allegation in an interview with the Guardian.
“Detectives from City of London police’s fraud teams are investigating. There have been no arrests,” a London police spokesman confirmed to The Guardian.
Rufus was found by a civil court judge in 2015 to have operated a Ponzi-style scheme between 2007 and 2011, losing or spending £8 million from several investors.
The former professional footballer was a leading member of the KICC whose founder, Ashimolowo, preaches a “health and wealth” gospel to a congregation of thousands at his “Prayer Palace” in Kent.
The largely African and Caribbean churchgoers are urged to give regular tithes and the church collected £5.8 million from them in 2015, according to the latest accounts.
In 2009 and 2010, the trustees agreed to give Rufus £5 million to invest after he promised them returns of 55 per cent a year at a time when interest rates were less than 1 per cent; as well as millions in donations from churchgoers – which were boosted by gift aid tax relief.
It had recently received £10 million from the London Development Agency, a public body that needed to demolish the church’s then home in east London to build the Olympic Park.
The regulator said they failed to check if Rufus had any investment qualifications or experience and gave little thought to the extraordinarily high rate of return Rufus was promising.
The church’s senior management team concluded his “personal guarantee makes this as safe an investment as any” and produced a report on the investment that included no checks on Rufus’s past investment performance or any references from clients.
It was the second time the Charity Commission has had to investigate the church.
In 2005, when it was known as the King’s Ministries Trust, the regulator ordered Ashimolowo to repay £200,000 after it emerged he used church assets to buy a £13,000 Florida timeshare and spent £120,000 on his birthday celebrations, including £80,000 on a car. New trustees were subsequently appointed and Ashimolowo was removed from his role as chief executive.
None of the current trustees were involved at the time of the Ponzi investment.
Meanwhile, McGlashan’s allegation that Ashimolowo is in the know about the Ponzi investment is contrary to earlier denials by the KICC Senior Pastor that he was not part of the decision to invest the money as he was not a trustee of the KICC.
“The trustees actions were totally independent and were not influenced in any way by pastor Ashimolowo,” said Dipo Oluyomi, KICC chief executive in a recent statement in Lagos.
But McGlashan rubbished this in the Guardian of London interview.
He (Ashimolowo) sometimes jets into London on Sunday morning, delivers back to back services and then flies out of the country later that day, said McGlashan.
Before the problem with the British Charity, Ashimolowo delivers sermons to his congregations at branches of the church in the UK, Ireland, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo that teaches how God wants them to be rich, including lessons on the “irrevocable laws of wealth creation”.
One regular preacher at the KICC is the multi-millionaire United States TV evangelist Creflo Dollar who teaches “biblical money management” and tells worshipers that “honouring the Lord means trusting him enough to release our tight grip on our wallet, and giving generously”.
The US TV evangelist once asked followers of his own church to pitch in $300 each to buy him a new Gulfstream private jet.
In 2015, the bankruptcy registrar Clive Jones said Rufus had accepted more than £16 million from investors between 2007 and 2011 – without authorisation and in breach of financial regulations.
He had lost more than £5 million through currency-exchange trading and used more than £3 million for his “own purposes”.
The Charity Commission told the current trustees of KICC that they had “a strong legal claim” against the old trustees who oversaw the investment decision. But they have instead settled out of court with payments agreed confidentially.
KICC said the trustees “acted in good faith and had no reason to suspect that the investment on behalf of the charity would go wrong” and that “pastor Ashimolowo is not one of the trustees was not part of the decision to make the investment that went wrong and that neither the church or its trustees have been accused of or investigated by the UK authorities for wrongdoing”.
In a damning set of conclusions published in December, the Charity Commission said the trustees “did not exercise sufficient care” when they gave Rufus the church’s money.
Pastor Femi Faseru of KICC Nigeria was evasive when ThisDay tried to speak to him last night on the criminal investigation of the church’s Ponzi investment in the United Kingdom.
He sent a press statement that did not address the issue raised and insisted that it was all they wish to say.

In what could best be described as a battle for the control of power in Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom, has reshuffled his cabinet, which affected four commissioners with his political godfather, Senator George Akume’s loyalists, dominating the list.
Of the affected commissioners include, Nick Wende from Ministry of Water Resources and Environment, Mrs. Mwuese Mnyim of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, that of Culture and Tourism, Sekav Iortyom, as well as Chief Odeh Ageh, who was in charge of Information and Orientation.
Our observed that the first three commissioners, (Wende, Mnyim and Iortyom) were brought into Ortom’s cabinet by Senator Akume and both hail from the same senatorial axis (Benue North West, aka zone B) with the Senator; while Chief Ageh was brought in by the governor and he hails from Benue South senatorial district.
Mr. Iortyom was booted out of office over his alleged involvement in the gruesome murder of a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Mkar, Mr. Wilfred Aondosoo Bula last year, a development that prompted the governor to relieve him of his appointment and eventually sack.
Several efforts by Senator Akume to save Mr. Iortyom’s name did not work as we learnt that the governor’s decision to rejig his cabinet follows months of criticisms from political analysts that his administration has recorded low performance, two years since he was elected.
The exercise is also coming barely three days after former Minister of Steel in the Second Republic, Wantaregh Paul Unongo, promised to mediate in the political face-off between Governor Ortom and his predecessor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam to reconcile them in the interest of peace and development of the state.
It was gathered that the cabinet shakeup was a deliberate strategy by the governor to put his foot soldiers on ground and consolidate his forces to enable him sail through his second term dreams, come 2019.
Meanwhile, the governor in a statement by his Media Adviser, Tahav Agerzua, a copy, obtained by this medium also named Prof. Anthony Ijohor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as the substantive Secretary to the State Government (SSG). He replaces the ailing Barrister Targema Takema, who had been on sick leave.

Experts and industry analysts have said that the current corruption scandal rocking the global head of Samsung Electronics in South Korea could exert negative impact on its business operations in Nigeria and other countries.
The analysts, who spoke on anonymity, said the development would make governments of many countries to be wary of doing business with the global phone manufacturer.
“This is an image issue and there is no way it will not bring about a lot of suspicions around Samsung operations in different markets where Samsung currently operates as a global company including Nigeria,” said one of the experts working in a government agency in Abuja.
Not only will governments across the world be suspicious and highly critical of any business they want to do with Samsung, “the firm itself may slow down its investment in major markets until the issue is resolved,” said another telecoms expert.
The firm’s products, ranging from telephones, television sets and refrigerators, are widely embraced by Nigerians, who will surely miss the items should the conglomerate be forced to scale back its operations because of the scandal
Many Nigerians will still recall how another South Korean giant, Daewoo, which flooded the country with affordable cars in the early 90s only to be dismantled by the Korean government in 1999 due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which plunged Daewoo Group into deep financial trouble.
The acting head of Samsung, South Korea’s biggest conglomerate, Jay Y. Lee, was arrested Friday in connection with the corruption and influence-peddling scandal that threatens to topple the country’s impeached president, Park Geun-hye, theguardian.com has reported.
Special prosecutors investigating a scandal that has rocked South Korea’s political and business worlds accuse the 48-year-old Lee, scion of the country’s richest family, of bribing a close friend of Park to secure government support for a business deal that would propel him to the top of the Samsung group.
They reportedly plan to indict him on charges including bribery, embezzlement, hiding assets overseas and perjury, after the Seoul central court approved the billionaire’s arrest.
Lee is officially vice-president of the Samsung group, but has been the firm’s de facto head since his father, Lee Kun-hee, had a heart attack in 2014.
While prosecutors decide whether to indict Lee, he will be forced to swap his $4m (£3.2m) mansion in Seoul for a 6.65 sq m cell equipped with a mattress, TV and a toilet. He is being held in a single cell and will not be allowed any contact with other prisoners, according to a detention centre official.
Prosecutors have up to 10 days to indict Lee, Samsung’s third-generation leader, although they can seek an extension. After indictment, a court would be required to make its first ruling within three months.