tomsonlampard:

This one way den say people we apply for wrong position are already being screened out. Me we I studied statistics and applied for Computer/ICT instead of actuarial science nko bayi

Less than 24 hours to the inauguration of the Assembly, governors, lawmakers and chieftains of the PDP held series of meetings in Abuja in a bid to influence the emergence of new leaders expected to pilot the affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives for the next four years.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the leadership of the party issued a statement urging lawmakers elected on its platform to vote Ndume as Senate President in an apparent move to deny the All Progressives Congress, APC annointed candidate, Lawan from emerging. However, Ndume could only garnered a total of 28 votes as he lost to Lawan who polled 79 votes to clinch the exalted seat.

In an exclusive chat with Vanguard on the outcome of the election, a chieftain of the PDP who craved anonymity said the endorsement came a little bit too late.

According to him, the party was all along rooting for former Gombe state governor, Danjuma Goje, only for him to bow out of the race a few days to the election.

He noted that the development left the party’s Senators with little choice order than to support whoever they felt comfortable with. He said: “We wanted Goje but he chose not to go into the contest at the eleventh hour. The party quickly called stakeholders’ meetings to determine a particular direction but at those meetings, it was clear a consensus was going to be very difficult.

“Ndume became the most suitable option after that owing largely to the fact that apart from our believe in his ability to be his own man, he was also our former member. We directed our members and his (Ndume) colleagues in the red chamber to show him solidarity but it is clear now that some ignored this directive.”

He also came short of accusing Senator Ike Ekweremadu of gifting the APC the Deputy Senate President’s seat following his loss to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

“There is a time for everything and this is all I can say concerning the Office of the Deputy Senate President. We thought we had a chance but after our meetings, we realized we had zero chances because we knew what some of our people were going to do,” he added.

Vanguard reliably gathered that though the PDP wanted a female lawmaker to succeed the immediate past DSP, Ekweremadu’s decision to seek a return to the seat he has occupied in the past twelve years left many of his party faithful stunned and disappointed.

goshen26:
Deputy pls

bettercreature:
ikweremadu behaving like a turtle,reminding members how Omo Agege stole the maize He successful made people to love Omo AGEGE more

valentineuwakwe:
i just hope the five (5) additional judges will not be fulanis and Muslims

id911:


He should have instructed his aides to write to NJC as an institution not the Ag. CJN as an individual

id911:
I'm I missing something? Is it not the NJC, through the FJSC, that normally recommend Justices to the President for appointment? Why is the President writing to the Ag CJN instead of NJC? I'm kinda confused here

President Muhammadu Buhari has written the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Tanko Muhammad, on the appointment of additional five Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The President wrote: ‘‘Pursuant to the provisions of Section 230(2) A&B of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), I am pleased to request that you initiate in earnest the process of appointing additional five Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to make the full complement of 21 Justices as provided by the aforementioned provisions of the Constitution.

‘‘This is in line with the Government’s Agenda of repositioning the Judiciary in general and Supreme Court in particular for greater efficiency, with a view to reducing the backlogs of appeals pending at the Supreme Court.

‘‘Please accept, your Lordship, the assurances of my highest regards.’’

Meanwhile, President Buhari has accepted the voluntary retirement from service of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria, effective from May 28, 2019.

The President thanked Justice Onnoghen for his service to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and wished him the best of retirement life.

Melrose is linked to outgoing Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, whose two aides- Gbenga Makanjuola and Kolawole Shittu are being prosecuted by the EFCC in respect of the matter.

Justice Cecilia Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos had on April 27, 2018, ordered the final forfeiture of the said N1.4billion to the Federal Government.

Dissatisfied with the verdict of Justice Olatoregun, Melrose General Services approached the appellate court for redress, asking it to set aside the pronouncement of the lower court.
Backstory
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on March 13, 2019 arraigned Gbenga Makanjuola, a Deputy Chief of Staff to Senate President Bukola Saraki before Justice Maureen Onyetenu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on an amended 11-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, accepting cash payment beyond threshold and money laundering to the tune of N3.5billion.

Makanjuola was charged alongside Kolawole Shittu, cashier to the Senate; Robert Chidozie Mbonu, a former Managing Director, Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, who is at large; Melrose General Services Limited; and Obiora Amobi, Operation Manager, Melrose General Services Limited.

Justice Onyetenu ordered that the charge be read to defendants for their plea to be taken.

One of the counts read: “That you, Gbenga Makanjuola, sometime in December 2016 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did accept cash payment of the sum of $500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Dollars Only) from Kolawole Shittu without going through a financial institution and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012) and punishable under Section 16 (2) (b) of the same Act.”

Another count read: “That you, Robert Chidozie Mbonu (now at large) and Melrose General Services Limited between the 14th day of December, 2016 and January 2017 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took control of the sum of N3,500,000,000.00 (Three Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira Only) transferred from the Nigerian Governors’ Forum’s account into Access Bank Plc account number 0005892453 by Melrose General Services Limited, when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund represented the proceeds of lawful activities to wit-conspiracy, stealing and fraud, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (9) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by the Act No.1, 2012) and punishable under Section 15( 3) of the same Act.”

Big Blow
In its judgment on the matter on Friday, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of Melrose (the appellant) and resolved the four contentious issues in favor of the EFCC (the first respondent).

The appellate court further held that Melrose appeal lacked merit and ordered the firm to pay 100,000 cost to the EFCC.
The appellate court also held that Melrose could not show that the said funds were lawfully earned by it.

It added that section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006, which the EFCC relied on to seek for the forfeiture of the said funds was constitutional.

According to the Court of Appeal, Melrose was not denied fair hearing in the matter.

Justice of the Court of Appeal (JCA), Justice Tijjani Abubakar wrote the lead judgement, Justice E. Tobi delivered the judgment while Justice O. A. Obaseki-Adejumo concurred with the verdict.

Lawyer to the Melrose, Mr Olawale Akoni (SAN) argued the appeal while the lawyer to the EFCC, Mr Ekele Iheanacho, appeared for the Commission.

The EFCC had claimed that Melrose obtained N3.5bn from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum by making false claims.
Listed as defendants in the final forfeiture application filed before the Federal High Court were Melrose General Services Limited, WASP Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services.

The firms were accused of impersonating a consortium of consulting firms engaged by the NGF for the “verification, reconciliation and recovery of over-deductions on Paris and London Club Loans on the accounts of states and local governments between 1995 and 2002.”

But the EFCC insisted that the original firms engaged by the Governors’ Forum were GSCL Consulting and Bizplus Consulting Services Limited.

‎Usman Zakari, the alter ego of Melrose General Services Limited, Robert Mbonu, made a false representation to the Governors’ Forum, causing the forum to pay N3.5bn to his company on December 14, 2016.

Zakari said the money was credited into the Access Bank account of Melrose General Services Limited, adding that Melrose and others dissipated and laundered about N2.3bn out of the money between December 15, 2016, and January 20, 2017, leaving a balance of N1.2bn.

Zakari said the anti-graft agency had also recovered N220m out of the laundered sum from WASP Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services.

The EFCC had on October 13, 2017, obtained an interim order from Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, placing a "Post No Debit" order on the accounts containing the N1.2bn and N220m.

The Judge had made the order following plea by the lawyer to the EFCC, Mr Ekene Iheanacho, that it would best serve the interest of justice for Melrose and others to forfeit the N1.4bn temporarily to prevent them from dissipating same.

The Judge, after granting the interim freezing order in 2018, directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national daily giving anyone interested in the funds 14 days to appear before the court to show cause why the funds should not be forfeited permanently.

Subsequently, one Prince Godwin Maduka and Linas International Limited showed up before the court, praying separately that the funds should be forfeited to them.

Maduka claimed that his firm, Udemgaba Maduka & Associates, had been engaged in 2011 as a consultant by Zamfara State Government to help the state recover some hanging funds, with an agreement that it would be paid 20 per cent of the recovered funds.

He urged the court to forfeit the N1.4bn to his company to cover Zamfara State's alleged indebtedness to him.
But the EFCC opposed Maduka, contending that the suit was not a debt recovery suit and that Zamfara State was not a party to the suit.

In her verdict on the matter, Justice Olatoregun upheld the EFCC's argument and dismissed Maduka's claims.
On its own part, Linas International Limited said it was entitled to the payment of $6m from Nigeria Governors' Forum.
But Justice Olatoregun also dismissed its claim, holding that the suit was not a debt recovery suit.

Having dismissed both claims, the judge ordered the permanent forfeiture of the N1.4bn to the Federal Government.

FantasyHub:


Which MTN server in particular did u use? They r three there.

Drdreyy:

This is a sad development for the 2016 Batch



CC: lalasticlala

"Yes, the programme is over for Batch A of the N-Build category. For the graduate category, please continue to work at your PPA and earn your monthly stipend. Thank you" - Npower

MrToothBrush:
what line did you use

The actions of the governor are seen to be targeted at the monarch. Last week, the Kano State governor signed into law, a bill creating four new emirates in the state. Also, the anti-corruption agency of the government reopened an investigation into the finances of the Kano Emirate Council, the body overseeing the state’s traditional institutions, headed by Emir Sanusi.

However, a Kano High Court had issued an order stopping Ganduje from appointing new emirs pending the determination of a suit challenging the action filed before it by two state legislators. Coming after the 2019 general elections, Ganduje’s actions have been interpreted as the fallout of the emir’s display of open partisanship during the polls, which saw the governor winning only after a second round of voting.

Revealing the specifics, officials close to the state governor disclosed that in the run-up to the governorship election in the state, the traditional ruler met about five times with the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and Ganduje’s main challenger and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf, popularly known as Abba Gida-Gida, to startegise on winning the election.

One of the sources said Sanusi also directed district heads in the state not only to vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their respective domains but to ensure that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was defeated in the general elections.

“He also summoned his relatives and directed them to work for the PDP and ensure that the incumbent governor did not return for a second term. As if that was not enough, the emir used his connections to mobilise huge funds through friends and business partners and used same in campaigning against the APC during the election,” the official said.

The government source further alleged that after the February 23 governorship election and the subsequent declaration of Kano gubernatorial poll as inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Emir called several personalities, begging them not to allow the rerun election to hold in Kano. Among the personalities he allegedly reached out to were people in the Presidency, the INEC, the APC leadership and a head of a security agency.

“He told some of them that there was every tendency of Kano witnessing another round of political riot if Abba Yusuf, the PDP candidate was not declared winner of the election,” the source said, adding, “But when it was evident that the rerun must hold, the Emir changed his strategy by moving into the security circle trying to convince personnel to work against the APC.”

He allegedly met with a senior police officer sent to supervise the rerun election and tried to influence him to support the PDP candidate, the source said.

Another state government official accused Sanusi of sticking to his guns in ensuring that Ganduje did not return for a second term, even after the governor had won the rerun election, by directing the district heads of the areas where the rerun poll was held to write damaging reports about it, with a view to discrediting it.

“Emir Sanusi directed all the district heads of the areas affected by the rerun election to come up with reports that would indicate that the poll was marred by violence. Some of the district heads complied with his directives, but others refused to do so. And even those that did it later confessed that they were directed by the Emir to do so.

“The Emir did so many things which did not only touch the governor directly but also the entire system of the APC. He also worked against the Presidency directly by inciting the public against the Buhari-led government,” the source said. Government officials told Daily Trust on Sunday that these alleged activities by Sanusi got Governor Ganduje very angry.

The governor, after assenting to the new emirates bill, quickly went round and issued the new emirs with staff of office. This is even as the state’s Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission invited officials of Sanusi’s palace for questioning over the council’s account.

Another reason for the speed with which the new emirates bill was approved by the state assembly, Daily Trust on Sunday gathered, was the fact that the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Alhaji Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, holds the traditional title of Turakin Rano and the creation of Rano Emirate would automatically make him a kingmaker. Turaki is among the kingmakers by the recommendation of the Kano State Emirs (Appointment and Deposition) (Amendment) Law 2019.

Our correspondent further learnt that there are also many other interested parties from Karaye and Gaya emirates that equally played influential roles in the creation of the new emirates.

When contacted, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, said he would not comment on anything relating to the creation of new emirates or the relationship between the governor and the emir, noting that “these emirates have already been created.”

Sanusi’s chief of staff, Alhaji Munir Sanusi, declined comment, saying, “I’m not in a position to speak to press on this issue because there are other senior council members.”

BeautifulMind2:


Op I'm still searching where he said Igbo have nothing to bargain in 2023, he only mentioned Southeast not Igbo

Question: As the first to dangle the 2023 president carrot to the Igbo, what is the situation now?

I was the first to do that but I don’t know what the situation is now. I don’t know what they will do now for voting against the APC. For refusing to support the APC, they cannot come to the table to demand the presidency slot.

For people like us in the APC, if the Igbo had come and voted Buhari, they would boldly tell Mr President and the National Chairman of the party that presidency should go the Southeast since the South-south; South-west and North-west have produced president. What argument would the Southeast come up with now to convince anybody that they deserve the slot for 2023 president?

BLUELemon:
Education is a continuous process which lasts a lifetime. After my first degree, graduating in 2016, I have made-up my mind to further my education a notch ahead this year. I believe others too might be going for their masters in order to brighten their career prospects.

The main purpose of this thread is to discuss University of Ilorin Postgraduate studies, registration procedures and admission.

Cc FlyingTomatoe IamZod yns4real Okobest Fynestboi

The Federal High Court in Lagos Friday heard that a former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) authorised the transfer of N2.2billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.

Fayose is on trial for allegedly receiving and keeping N1.2billion and $5million allegedly stolen from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) through Obanikoro.

A CBN senior official, Aliyu Mohammed, confirmed that payment mandates tendered before the court emanated from the CBN’s payment section.

According to him, they were with instructions to pay N200million and N2billion on different days in June 2014 into the Diamond Bank account of Sylvan McNamara from the ONSA.

Obanikoro had admitted during his evidence when he testified for the EFCC that he controlled the account and that he was instructed to move the money to Fayose.

Mohammed said the money was co-authorised by Dasuki and an NSA director S.A. Salisu, who were signatories to ONSA’s CBN account.

The witness said the payments followed the due process as done with accounts of government ministries and agencies.

Under cross examination, the witness said the due diligence did not include ascertaining the purpose of payment or the legal status of the entity being paid.

A stir was caused when a prosecution witness, Mr Adewale Aladegbola, who was led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), said he did not move cash to Afao-Ekiti, Fayose’s hometown.

Aladegbola, a bullion van driver with Zenith Bank, Ado-Ekiti Branch till 2015, said he was asked to lie by the bank’s cash officer, Okemute Oputu.

The witness said he drove two bullion vans, but that both were broken down the day it was alleged that a bullion van transported huge amounts of money to Fayose’s residence.

He said on April 16, 2015, the Zenith Bank bullion vans were grounded and there was no operation.

Midway into the trial, Jacobs told Justice Mojisola Olatoregun that the witness was showing signs of being hostile from responses given so far.

He said he would, therefore, need an adjournment to determine his next line of action.

“My Lord, from indications I am getting from responses from this witness, it looks as if this witness might become hostile as he is making statements absent from his extra-judicial statement in the proof of evidence,” he said.

Jacobs said he needed time to consider the nature of application to be made in the circumstance.

“I had no prior indication that the witness was going to change his mind. I want your lordship to adjourn this matter for me to make appropriate applications because he has cast aspersions on his cash officer,” the SAN said.

Jacobs said he would have declared the witness hostile immediately, but he had no necessary documents to prove that the witness was making contrary statements.

He said he needed previous statements made by the witness to prove that he has turned hostile and to declare him as such.

But, Fayose’s lawyer Ola Olanipekun (SAN) said he was surprised the prosecuting counsel was making such a prayer.

“Witnesses are meant to say the truth and the fact that a witness is casting aspersions is no ground to seek adjournment.

“This is a court of justice and we ought to take what the witness says. An application for adjournment because the prosecution is not comfortable with the evidence of a witness is no ground for adjournment,” he argued.

Counsel for Spoless Ltd, Fayose’s co-accused, Olalekan Ojo (SAN) added that the ground for adjournment had no legal basis.

“The multi-million naira question is: what is the reason for the application for adjournment? According to the prosecution: ‘It appears the witness from answers he is giving is hostile and I need to know the nature of application to make.’ This reason is untenable in law.

“They should be prepared for all situations. The statement made is not before your lordship to even arrive at the possibility of a conflict. The law is trite that an adjournment cannot be given for counsel to go back to their chambers to figure out how to go about their case,” he said.

However, Justice Olatoregun reluctantly agreed to adjourn until May 14 to the displeasure of defence counsel.

Fayose had pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned on an 11-count charge on October 22 last year.

EFCC said he and Abiodun Agbele, who is facing a different charge, allegedly took possession of N1,219,000, 000 on June 17, 2014 to fund the former governor’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign.

The commission said Fayose “reasonably ought to have known” that the money “formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing.”

EFCC said Fayose, on the same day, received cash payment of $5million from Obanikoro, without going through a financial institution.

The commission said the sum exceeded the amount authorised by law, thereby violating the Money Laundering Act.

The Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday asked the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to withdraw as a member of the five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

In a petition received in the Court of Appeal’s President’s office in Abuja, on Thursday, the party alleged that as the chairman of the five-man panel, Bulkachuwa would likely be biased in the handling of the tribunal’s proceedings because of her ties to family members belonging to the All Progressives Congress.

The party, in the petition which was signed by its National Chairman, Uche Secondus, and its National Secretary, Umaru Tsauri, specifically said Bulkachuwa’s husband, Adamu Bulkachuwa, contested and won the Bauchi North Senatorial District election on the platform of the APC during the February 23, 2019 poll.

“We are reasoning that, armed with this golden rule of justice and fair hearing and given your direct intimacy, through your dear husband, with the APC, one of the parties in this election petition, Your Lordship, would have exercised your constitutional right and powers guardedly, judiciously and judicially, by excluding yourself from the panel of this honourable court’s sitting over this particular petition,” the party stated.

The party also complained that Bulkachuwa could have, by a comment she made during the inaugural sitting of the tribunal on Wednesday, prejudged its petition challenging the outcome of the February 23, 2019 presidential election.

It stated that Bulkachuwa’s claim in her speech to the effect that there would always be complaints no matter how an election was well-conducted, had “rocked” its confidence in the panel led by her.

It stated, “Furthermore, My Lord, in your address at the opening of the pre-hearing, you made some remarks that were both frightening and heartwarming. For instance, in your opening paragraph you said: ‘Elections are held in Nigeria every four years into elective positions. No matter how well the election is conducted, there are bound to be complaints…’

“This remark rocked our confidence in a panel led by Your Lordship to determine our fate in an election which could be one of the ones that were very well ‘conducted’ in Your Lordship’s opinion.

“The question then is how can a petitioner convince Your Lordship otherwise over an election, which in Your Lordship’s opinion, was very well ‘conducted’?”

The PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had jointly filed their petition before the tribunal to challenge the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the APC, at the presidential poll which held on February 23, 2019.

The party’s petition is one of the four filed at the tribunal to challenge Buhari and APC’s victory at the poll.

The PDP said due to the intimacy Bulkachuwa had with APC through her husband and other family members, it was not expecting her to be part of the tribunal panel not to talk of her chairing it.

The party’s complaint read, “On March 7, 2019, when our ex parte application in Suit No. CA/A/P/EPT/1/2019 seeking the leave and the order of this honourable court for us to inspect polling materials in the custody of the 1st respondent (INEC) used for the election of February 23, 2019, came up, it was heard by a panel of this honourable court led by His Lordship, Hon. Justice Abdu Aboki. We did not complain as there was no reason for us to do so.

“However, we were totally nonplussed, jolted and extremely surprised today, May 8, 2019, when Your Lordship sat and presided over the five-man panel of the court which conducted the opening of the pre-hearing session in our petition.

“We were surprised that Your Lordship, could choose to be part of the panel talk less of presiding over the petition which is between our Party, the PDP and the APC, a party which members of your family, especially your dear husband, are very active members.

“My Lord, it is no more a secret, that your dear husband, Adamu Mohammed Bulkachuwa, contested the February 23, 2019 election for the position of a Senator in Bauchi North senatorial District and won same on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

“This information is not just in the public domain but has dominated both public and private discussions to the extent that it has become a sore source, not just to members of our party, but to the generality of Nigerians because of your very unique and critical position as the President of the Court of Appeal, which is saddled with the sacred responsibility of hearing petitions arising from the presidential election.

“This fear was palpable enough just with you as the President of the Court of Appeal but has now been worsened and compounded by the discovery that you have decided to appoint yourself as the chairman of the panel to hear the petition.”

The party said it would be impossible for Bulkachuwa to convince any reasonable man that her husband never discussed the PDP’s petition, which he was interested in its outcome with her, throughout the period of the trial.

The party also quoted a portion of Bulkachuwa’s speech stating that “Justice demands that Judges who will sit in the panel of a tribunal be divested from all forms of bias”.

It noted that the only way Bulkachuwa could have “divested” herself of bias was to have exercised her “constitutional right and powers guardedly, judiciously and judicially, by excluding yourself from the panel” sitting over the petition.

It said, “This is the only way you could have divested yourself from all forms of bias and be seen to be fair, both to yourself, our party, that is contesting against your husband’s party in this petition, and indeed, all Nigerians, who are keenly interested in the just, transparently impartial and unbiased determination of this Petition over an election which outcome obviously did not respect their wishes as expressed through their votes.

“It is based on the above premises, therefore, that we are constrained to respectfully request your lordship to recuse yourself from presiding over and/or sitting as a member of the panel hearing the instant petition as it would be impossible for Your Lordship to convince any reasonable man that your dear husband never discussed this Petition, which he is patently interested in its outcome with you, throughout the trial.

“This is so because Justice must not only be done but it must be manifestly seen to be done.”

The tribunal had on Wednesday fixed May 15 for the commencement of the pre-hearing session on the PDP’s petition.

In its reaction, the APC alleged that the PDP interest was mainly to remain in the news and that it would not help it (the PDP) to achieve that.

While saying he would like to get a copy of the letter to know its content, the spokesman for the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the APC would not want to help the PDP to remain in the news.

He said the APC would only respond to issues raised by the PDP “when it is absolutely important.”

According to him, “I will like to see the letter to enable me to know if it is important for us to respond. The PDP interest is to remain in the news. We will not help them to achieve that.

“We will respond to them when it is absolutely necessary, otherwise we will just ignore them. So, that is just it.”

The Joint Account System in place in most states will only exist for the receipt of allocations but not disbursement, according to the guidelines.

Besides, each of the 774 local government areas may get N500,000 cash transactions limit per day.

All financial transactions by local governments will be registered and monitored by the NFIU through e-payment module.
These are some of the highlights of the new guidelines, which the NFIU will launch today in Abuja as part of steps to check mass looting of the treasury by local government officials and diversion of LGA funds by governors.

It was learnt that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari floated the idea to restore the financial independence of local governments.

A top source, who spoke in confidence, said the new Director of NFIU, Mr. Modibbo Hamman-Tukur is set to roll out the comprehensive guidelines which will cover government, corporate, Bureau De Change and individual financial transactions.

The source said: “The NFIU will on Monday launch new financial guidelines, including those bordering on the operations of the local government accounts.

“The guidelines will limit cash transactions in the accounts of local governments and promote registered transactions by all the local governments.

“Governors will also lack control over the utilization of these funds of local governments.

“The Joint Account System in some states will only exist for the receipt of federal allocations meant for local governments and not disbursement.”

Another source said: “The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is taking his anti- corruption campaign to a higher level by also blocking sources of stealing in government at all levels, money laundering, terrorism financing and others.
“We should expect more transparency in governance, especially at the third tier, which is the local government level.”

President Buhari on July 11, 2018 signed the NFIU Bill into law – in line with the requirements of Recommendation 29 of the Financial Action Task Force Standards and Article 14 of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

The new Act has separated the NFIU from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The NFIU began operations on April 1.

A statement by the NFIU through its Acting Chief Media Analyst, Mr. Ahmed Dikko, said it will soon complete the beneficial ownership data base for politically exposed persons.

The statement said: “”The main focus of the NFIU will be to fight all crimes through money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation of weapons real time analyses in the entire country.

“Significant measures to be implemented by the NFIU in the near future will include full implementation of the National Sanctions regime to all detected areas of vulnerabilities within our systems. Other areas include issuing guidelines, advisories etc. that will affect cash transactions processes of local, state, federal governments and bureau de change etc.

“The Unit will also release new reporting requirements on suspicious transactions for terrorism prone areas and on suspects taken into custody in violent and flashpoint communities to check vices of terrorism, proliferation of small arms, kidnapping, ethnic violence, cattle rustlings etc. with the view to providing credible intelligence for law enforcement and national security.

“Finally, efforts of the Federal Government to set up the beneficial ownership data base for politically exposed persons and public servants will be completed and expanded to capture additional necessary areas.

“The new process which includes new approach to analysing compliance in public account expenditures will almost shut down corruption from the way we used to know and new transparency methods will come to governance.”

Saifullah01:
That's just poor translation or rendition from the original Arabic word "bid'a" which means fabrication in this context

tmlewin13:
please who has past questions and answers? should share here biko

taymmy:
This is what I'm getting. Please help me