The planned arraignment of former Aviation Minister, Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah at the Federal High Court in Abuja, today, Monday, on alleged N25B fraud and money laundering charges has been aborted.
This is owing to the on-going nationwide strike by judiciary workers in the country.
The Senator, who allegedly committed the corruption offence when she served as Minister of Aviation under former President Goodluck Jonathan was billed to be arraigned in court today, April 19 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
At the Federal High Court billed to be presided over by Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo where Mrs Oduah was supposed to be docked along with eight others, the gates were put under lock and key by the striking workers.
We observed around 9am that well-wishers and sympathizers of the Senator who stormed the court to witness the arraignment were turned back at the Court’s entrance gate.
Private security guards keeping watch on the court were seen politely informing the crowd that the court will not sit until further notice.
However, our Correspondent could not ascertain if the Senator representing Anambra North in the Senate was in one of the luxury cars brought to the court due to their factory fitted tinted glasses. Her lead counsel Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN simply said that his client was ready to honour the court as soon as they are ready for her.
This is the third time the arraignment of the former Aviation Minister will be scuttled in the same court for different reasons.
According to our findings, Senator Oduah’s arraignment was first stalled on February 9, 2021, following her absence in court which EFCC lawyer, Dr Hassan Liman, SAN, attributed to non service of the charge personally on her as required by law.
The trial judge, Justice Ekwo had then rescheduled her arraignment for Monday February 22, 2021 which also flopped.
Although Mrs Oduah was present in court on February 22 with her lawyers led by Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, the arraignment again failed due to non service of the charge sheet on two other defendants. EFCC’s lawyer had told the court that the commission was yet to serve the fifth and sixth defendants specifically with the court processes.
Liman had then sought for a short adjournment to enable the EFCC serve the defendants which are corporate bodies at their respective addresses.
In a short ruling, Justice Ekwo granted the request and directed that the defendants be served within 14 days. The judge subsequently fixed today, April 19 for the arraignment of the defendants to answer the criminal fraud and money laundering charges brought against them by the anti-graft agency on behalf of the federal government.
Mrs Oduah is to stand trial alongside eight others on a 26-count criminal charge bordering on corruption, misappropriation and money laundering.
In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/316/20, the defendants were in count one charged with money laundering while in count two, Oduah in connivance with one Gloria Odita, Company Secretary of Sea Petroleum & Gas Conthat, Ltd (SPGC), was alleged to have “used your position to transfer the sum of N839,780,738.00 (Eight Hundred and Thirty Nine Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty, thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty Eight Naira only) from 1-Sec Security Nig. Ltd account No. 2021756955 with First Muds Plc to Broadwaters Resources Company Ltd account No. 2023201064 with First Bank Plc which money you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: Fraud and thereby, committed an offence contra, to Section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act”.
The Senator was also accused of Illegally transferring another sum of N838,000,000.00 (Eight Hundred and Thirty Eight Million Naira only) in count three.
In count four, both Mrs Oduah and Mrs Odita were accused of laundering another sum of NI, 629,250,000.00 (One Billion, Six Hundred and Twenty Nine Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Nairn only) in February 2014 and another N1.629,250,000.00 (One Billion, Six Hundred and Twenty Nine Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) in count five.
In the aftermath of news that YouTube has suspended TB Joshua’s popular channel Emmanuel TV, the cleric has reacted to the development, describing it as a “blessing” and calling on his followers to “pray for YouTube”.
“That is the work of God! It is like honey; wherever it drops, insects seek and find it,” Joshua stated during a ‘Partnership Meeting’ held last Friday, April 19, 2021, according to a statement from the church.
“What happened is a blessing. I want you to help me pray for YouTube. Don’t see them the other way around; see them as friends,” he added, stressing that many discovered his ministry through the video-sharing website.
Continuing his message the following day, the cleric added such situations should be “expected” by believers.
“Whatever we are going through is to prepare us for the future… If you want to be strong, you need hard times to be strong. My message to the viewers all over the world – our struggle makes us stronger,” he counselled.
“Every response – take it to God. Every response – take it for prayer. The channel we are talking about, Emmanuel TV, is a Heavenly channel. This is not a worldly channel,” he calmly concluded in a video uploaded to a new channel named ‘Official TB Joshua’.
Emmanuel TV had over 1.8 million subscribers at the time of its suspension and its content had been viewed over 600 million times.
A UK-based media organisation, openDemocracy, said it reported Joshua’s channel to YouTube over several videos in which he prayed for those with ‘same sex attraction’.
In response, YouTube terminated the channel, stating the videos violated their policies on ‘Hate Speech’.
The decision led to an outcry from Joshua’s supporters, who have started several online petitions calling for Emmanuel TV’s reinstatement by YouTube.
The Nigerian-American Press Association (NAPA) faulted Google for the decision, describing it as “discriminatory” and calling on YouTube to restore the channel and “tender an unreserved apology to The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations”.
Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church, has said he won’t take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Oyedepo, who spoke during the church’s Covenant Hour of Prayer programme, said he is not a guinea pig, hence would not take the vaccine.
Stressing that the world was confused over COVID-19, the clergyman insisted that the church has the answer.
According to Oyedepo: “I have never seen a generation where you force people to take vaccines. It is inhuman; it is immoral sir. I’m not a lawyer but I don’t think it is legal. You can’t come to my house and want to give me injections.
“On what? Did I invite you? They are confused. But the church has the answer. Did you see any outbreak of virus here? How will it enter the gate? Will it come through the air? How?
“One woman just got down after that injection in Kaduna. What kind of life? Are human beings now turned to guinea pigs? The world is confused but the church is triumphing.
“So, the triumph of the church will humble the pride of the world. They don’t know what to do, sir. In the last days, the church will be reigning in power and glory. That is God’s agenda.
“No apologies. There is a big, big bird in our land, saying, ‘don’t take it, they are deceivers’. Let me see someone who will come and inject me.
“Are you going to tie my hands? How? Did I invite you? I know you are quiet, you will hear more of it.
My job is to expose the devil and tell his agents, ‘get off, we are not guinea pigs.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately invite the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, for questioning over his alleged links to the Al-Qaeda and Taliban terror groups.
The party, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and some concerned Nigerians have also demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari sack the minister without further delay, given the sensitivity of the issue at stake.
Pantami had on Saturday renounced his previous pro Al-Qaeda and Taliban sermons and utterances amid calls for his resignation by various interest groups and security experts.
Controversy over the minister’s links with the Islamist terror groups has continued to gain traction, especially in the light of the portfolio he holds, as a custodian of data containing sensitive information on the citizens.
In a statement on Sunday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party predicated its position on heightening concerns in the public space and in the international arena of possible compromises by the communication minister, who has access to sensitive government documents and information, in addition to data of all individuals, including high profile personalities in the public and private sectors as well as the traditional and faith-based circles.
The PDP said it’s particularly worried about allegations in the public suggesting that the minister compromised the National Identification Number (NIN) registration exercise by facilitating registration of aliens and invaders from other countries as Nigerian citizens.
The main opposition party urged the DSS to investigate the allegations, which have continued to create apprehension, particularly given the rise in banditry and other terrorist activities in the country.
The National President of MBF Dr. Bitrus Pogu, who said the issues against the minister were too weighty to be ignored in view of security challenges facing the country, demanded the minister to willfully resign to pave the way for thorough investigation of his comments or outright sack by Mr. President.
“If the government is sensitive, Pantami should have gone long time ago. There were series of allegations against him even before he became a minister but the Senate and the Presidency ignored such sensitive petitions and cleared him. It is quite unfortunate that such kind of petitions from security agencies can be swept under the carpet.
HURIWA asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the minister over his past affiliations to teachings of global Jihadists movements of Al Qaeda.
HURIWA also challenged Buhari to be courageous in arresting and prosecuting terrorists and bandits such as armed herdsmen who, the group said are about pushing Nigeria into a state of civil war by their “unbridled quest to displace farmers all over the country so as to supplant themselves and other foreign based herders that officers of the internal security agencies have aided and abetted their illegal entry into Nigeria”.
It advised the president to expose and boot out all sympathisers of Islamic terror networks in his government, “if he truly means to decisively dismantle all the terror cells in existence in Nigeria and especially those who are actively threatening the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The group vowed to speak with like-minded people in the organised civil society community in Nigeria to mount pressure on the United States of America to arrest and investigate the minister should he refused to quit the public office.
Meanwhile, a massive outrage and demand for his sacking continued on social media at the weekend despite renouncing his controversial comments on terrorism.
With another trending hashtag — #PantamiResignNow, many Nigerians stated he (Pantami) could not be trusted with the data of Nigerians, especially with the ongoing National Identification Number and Subscriber Identity Module integration exercise under his watch.
Also, some other critics said the views he expressed as a university student cannot be blamed on age.
Activist lawyer Festus Ogun said: “Pantami has now renounced his extremist views? Logically, that is an admission of guilt — that he’s an extremist. The honourable thing to do now is for him to resign. Failure, we’ll force him out of office by mass action. It is the patriotic thing to do. #PantamiResignNow”
Also a social commentator, Dr. Ayo Sogunro, said: “Isa Pantami” — this is not about age. I was once a teenager too – and I never supported killing people of different religions or beliefs. #PantamiResignNow”
Onyedikachukwu said: “Kemi Adeosun resigned over forgery. Stella Oduah resigned over corruption allegations.
“Everyone condemned them and none asked for forgiveness to continue as a minister. Pantami’s case won’t be different.”
Barcelona won the Copa del Rey title by thrashing Athletic Club 4-0 with a brace from Lionel Messi. Ronald Koeman won his first trophy as Barcelona boss on Saturday night as the Blaugrana triumphed 4-0 over Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey final played at Estadio de La Cartuja.
It was Lionel Messi’s 11th appearance in the Copa final and he scored twice to win his 35th title as a Barcelona player since he made his debut in 2004.
The loss made it a double disappointment for Athletic Club after they had lost the rescheduled 2019/20 Copa del Rey final on April 3 to Real Sociedad.
The first half was fought mostly in the Athletic half after a frantic start from both teams.
Barcelona settled and took complete control of the ball and as at the fifth minute, Barcelona had 98% of ball possession. Marcelino set up his team in a low block to deny Barcelona forwards space behind their defenders and produced some niggly tackles on Messi, to slow the great man down.
Frenkie De Jong hit the crossbar off a pass from Messi in the fifth minute as Barcelona made their intentions known.
Sergio Busquets was lucky to escape a yellow card in the 10th minute for a high tackle on Unai Lopez. Inigo Martinez almost gave Athletic a surprise lead from a corner in the 12th minute. Messi was left protesting rough treatment in the 35th minute but try as much as they did, Athletic remained unbreachable as the first half ended 0-0.
At the start of the second half, Marcelino sent on Inigo Lekue in place of captain Muniain. Unai Simon made a great save from a Busquet’s shot on 52 minutes as the Catalans cranked up the pressure.
The pressure finally told on the hour as Antoine Griezmann gave Barcelona the breakthrough goal off a pass from De Jong and three minutes later, Barcelona doubled their lead with De Jong getting on the end of a cross from Jordi Alba.
The flood gates were truly opened as Messi got in on the act with the third when he exchanged passes with De Jong before passing it into the net.
The party candles were truly lit in the 72nd minute when Alba found Messi again and the Argentine slid the ball home even though Simon got a hand on the effort but he could not stop it going into the net.
Koeman now has his first title as Barcelona manager and he can now focus his team on chasing the La Liga title, even though they are two points off Atletico Madrid with eight matches left in the season.
The Federal Government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has grounded a private chopper belonging to Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God at the Lagos Airport, investigations by Sunday PUNCH, has revealed.
It was learnt that the aircraft, AgustaWestland AW139 chopper, with registration number 5N-EAA, was suspended from flying over two weeks ago, following the expiration of some of its papers and spare parts.
The suspension, officials said, would also allow the regulator to conduct vital safety checks on its safety-critical components, especially some spare parts that are due for replacement.
Adeboye had, last Saturday during a special meeting with all ordained ministers of the mission at the RCCG, Region 21, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, called for drastic action against corrupt practices in all facets of Nigeria.
The RCCG leader, who flew a chopper to the venue, said he arrived late for the meeting because someone had requested a bribe from him to fly his chopper.
He said he had decided to embark on the trip via his chopper to avoid a possible gridlock on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The 79-year-old mathematician-turned-preacher said, “I don’t give excuses because I have discovered long ago that only failures give excuses. But you must pray for Nigeria. “Something must be done about corruption in this nation. All I can say is that I am this late because somebody wanted a bribe. And you know if you are expecting a bribe from me, you have to wait forever. “But the devil has failed. And the devil will continue to fail. I decided to come by helicopter so that there won’t be a traffic jam that would tie me down on the expressway because I know what the devil could do.
“Then, I ran into something else. But by the grace of God, we are here.”
Although Sunday PUNCH could not ascertain who requested the alleged bribe from the revered servant of God, investigations by the paper revealed that the cleric’s chopper was suspended from flying by the regulatory authority over safety issues.
Multiple aviation sources confirmed that Adeboye could not fly his chopper with registration number 5N-EAA to the Ibadan programme but had to fly another aircraft reportedly belonging to Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel).
A top official of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, who is close to the operations of the two choppers belonging to the servants of God, said, “The team relating directly with Daddy G.O. should have told the man of God otyn time that his chopper had not been cleared by the NCAA and, as such, it couldn’t go on the Ibadan trip. They shouldn’t have waited till the last minute. The NCAA (aviation regulatory agency) that we have now is different from what it used to be. There is a new man in charge who always insists that things must be done properly as far as the safety of lives is concerned. The church’s protocol team should have told him that the NCAA has not cleared the aircraft and it may not clear it within a short time because certain procedure must be followed. As such, an alternative arrangement should have been made.”
The NAMA official, who chose to speak on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, further said, “On that last Saturday morning, when it later became obvious that the jet was not cleared to fly, they had to make an alternative arrangement with Bishop Oyedepo’s chopper. They had to quickly begin that process by filing the flight plan, etc. It was Bishop’s aircraft that Pastor Adeboye later flew to the event. He could not use his own.”
A top official of Omni-Blu Aviation, the airline operating the chopper for Adeboye, confirmed the development.
The official, who chose to speak on condition of anonymity, said a letter from Italy-based Leonardo, the manufacturer of Adeboye’s AW 139 helicopter, requesting the NCAA to grant a time extension on some spare parts that are due for replacement came late.
The spare parts due for replacement have been ordered from the manufacturer but they have yet to be shipped into Nigeria because they are usually produced on demand, according to Omni-Blu Aviation. He said, “The NCAA that we have now is different from what it used to be. It always insists on standard. We don’t want any disappointing situation for anybody, especially for a globally reputed servant of God like Daddy G.O. It appears the man of God was not properly briefed. But we thank God an alternative arrangement was made to rescue the situation. Safety is first and paramount. No life is worth toying with, how much more that of a servant of God like Daddy G.O. As an airline, we won’t compromise safety no matter the pressure.’’
The Omni-Blu official denied knowledge of any bribe request, either by the airline or aviation officials. He, however, said it was not impossible that some people might have cashed in on the situation to demand a bribe.
“You know some people don’t fear God no matter what. They can even go to the extent of asking a servant of God for a bribe. So, it is not impossible. But on our part, I am not aware of such.” As it stands, it is uncertain when Adeboye’s chopper will be allowed to fly.
However, findings revealed that NCAA had directed maintenance and safety checks to be conducted on the aircraft.
As such, the operator has secured a date for this at Aero’s maintenance hangar.
When contacted for comments, the Director-General, NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu, confirmed that the regulatory agency had suspended flights on the aircraft for safety reasons.
According to him, the NCAA does not often deal directly with individuals or owners of aircraft but the operator.
In this case, he said the NCAA only had business with the operator of the aircraft, Omni-Blu Aviation. Nuhu said, “There are safety-related issues that must be resolved before the aircraft will be approved for resumption of flights. Safety is the paramount consideration in all approvals given by the NCAA. No matter what, we must not sacrifice safety for flights; that is the whole idea.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for RCCG, Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi, said the matter was being resolved already.
On the bribery allegation, he said the church would not want to take issue with the aviation authorities on the matter.
Olubiyi said, “We will not want to take issue with the aviation authorities but I can assure you that an amicable solution is being found to the issue.”
Nigerians have joined the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged printing of N60 billion by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to support the federal allocation to the three tiers of government for the month of March, 2021, calling on the Federal Government to come out clean by telling Nigerians, not just if it indeed printed the money as alleged but also the real situation with the nation’s economy.
Thet Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State kick-started the controversy, when he alleged, during the Edo transition committee stakeholders engagement in Benin, that the Federal Government had to print N60 billion to support allocation for the month of March.
The governor, who painted a grim picture of the economic situation in the country, said: “Nigeria has changed. The economy of Nigeria is not the same again whether we like it or not. Since the civil war, we have been managing, saying money is not our problem as long as we are pumping crude oil every day.
So, we have run a very strange economy and strange presidential system where the local, state and federal government, at the end of the month, go and earn salaries. We are the only country in the world that does that.
“Everywhere else, the government relies on the people to produce taxes and that is what they use to run the local government, state and the federation. But with the way we run Nigeria, the country can go to sleep. At the end of the month, we just go to Abuja, collect money and we come back to spend. We are in trouble, huge financial trouble”, he said.
Not done, Obaseki, released the bomb that has continued to reverberate all over, when he said:“When we got FAAC for March, the Federal Government printed an additional N50-N60bn to top up for us to share. This April, we will go to Abuja and share. By the end of this year, our total borrowing is going to be within N15trn to N16trn.’’
This revelation has continued to upset many, including the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, who both reacted but differently. While the finance minister outrightly denied printing of the said amount and insisted that whatever money was shared came from the country’s revenue, Emefiele tried to be smart by half, without completely admitting or denying but rationalizing such a hugely important national discourse.
In her response, the Minister, Ahmed said the claim by Obaseki was not just false but sad, insisting that the money being shared monthly at FAAC is revenue generated. “The issue that was raised by the Edo State Governor, for me, is very sad because it is not a fact.
“What we distribute at FAAC is a revenue that is generated and in fact, distribution revenue is a public information.
“We publish revenue generated by FIRS, the Customs and the NNPC and we distribute at FAAC.
“So, it is not true to say we printed money to distribute at FAAC. It is not true’, Zainab Ahmed said with a bold face.
However, standing by his claim, Obaseki called out the finance minister, accusing her of playing the Ostrich and the federal government of monetary rascality, in a series of tweets.
Obaseki tweeted: “While we do not want to join issues with the Federal Ministry of Finance, we believe it is our duty to offer useful advice for the benefit of our country.
“The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed should rally Nigerians to stem the obvious fiscal slide facing our country.
“Rather than play the Ostrich, we urge the government to take urgent steps to end the current monetary rascality, so as to prevent the prevailing economic challenge from degenerating further.
“We believe it is imperative to approach the Nigerian project with all sense of responsibility and commitment and not play to the gallery because ultimately, time shall be the judge of us all.”
Emefiele, while trying to rationalise and justify the action of the government, ended up painting a grimmer picture of the state of the economy, even worse than Obaseki had done in his initial allegation.
According to the CBN Governor, it was the job of the CBN to print money and lend it to government, slamming the allegation by Obaseki, which he failed to deny, as “unfortunate and totally inappropriate”.
Insisting that printing is a key mandate of the apex bank, Emefiele said the bank must always act to support the government at times of ‘financial difficulties.’
He said: “If you understand the concept of printing of money. The concept printing of money is about lending money.
“That’s our job – to print. It’s about lending money and so there’s no need putting the controversy about printing of money as if we are going into the factory, printing the Naira and start distributing on the streets.
“For us to see some people playing some games, overheating the polity talking about printing of money, I think it is unfortunate and totally inappropriate. I would like to advise that this should stop. We should all work for the growth of our country and not play politics.
“It is very inappropriate for people to just give some colouration to the word ‘printing of money’ as if it is a foreign word coming from the sky.
“In 2015/2016, we were in a similar [fiscal] situation, but it is far worse today. We provided budget support facility to all the states of the country and that loan remains unpaid till now. We are going to insist on the states paying the loan back since they are effectively accusing us of giving them loans.
“Most countries of the world today are confronted by not just the health crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic but also economic crisis. I keep saying this: it would be irresponsible of the Central Bank of Nigeria or any Central Bank to stand idle and refuse to support its government at this time. Whatever we do in Nigeria is being done in any clime.
“Nigeria is unfortunately in a very bad situation and we cannot pretend about it in the sense that we are facing problems about productivity output which is gross domestic product (GDP). We are working very hard to see how we can get our heads above water. We are also concerned with issues of inflation.”
For Emefiele, printing of money to lend to government for sharing among the three tiers is not a new thing, as he alluded that it had been done in 2015/2016 when the situation was not this bad. He also said it is the same thing that is being done in other countries facing similar challenges.
The question most Nigerians are asking is why the finance minister, Zainab Ahmed denied the allegation. Most of them are worried as to Why she tried to cover up what will eventually become public knowledge with time.
For many Nigerians, Minister Ahmed’s denial only follows what the Nigerian government has been known for over the years; denying the obvious and painting the picture of an Eldorado that only exists in the minds of government officials and their spin doctors.
According to Oladele Bello, a banker and economic expert, what is happening is obvious, as the current government has tried hard to keep the real situation away from Nigerians, just to hoodwink citizens with fake reports of performance and reeling out numbers that only exist in their imaginations.
“This is not rocket science, the boat of government was rocked by the revelation by Governor Godwin Obaseki. I can tell you for free that they never expected that the printing of the money will become public knowledge, thereby, rocking the boat of the artificial image of performance and robust economy it had always laid claim to.
“The reality is that Nigeria is not just broke but the economy is already in shambles. Government is not generating enough revenue to keep up with what is needed, and they do not want to admit it. We are indeed in trouble with the insatiable appetite of this administration for loans, with those saddled with running the economy constantly telling us that the nation’s debt is still tolerable. How can the debt profile of a country that uses a huge chunk of its budget to service be tolerable? These people qualify to be called Voodoo economists!”, he said.
For Akintoba Olaore, a chartered accountant with an audit firm in the Ikeja area of Lagos, what the federal government did is indefensible, reeks of financial recklessness and portends greater danger for the nation.
Olaore said: “What government did through the CBN cannot be defended at all. It is better government opens up that the nation is in distress and we all will know what has come upon us. I do not think it is right hiding behind one finger, telling Nigerians all is well when nothing is actually well. That’s deception and it will not help this government or Nigerians.
“As it stands, what government has done is concealing the true position of the national economy from Nigerians. It is just like the management or board of a publicly quoted company concealing the true financial position of the company from shareholders. It is a major corporate infraction that can lead to the sacking of the board. Government needs to urgently give a full disclosure of the true situation of the state of the economy and stop living in denial.
“Also, government officials must know that their offices and positions are held in trust for the Nigerian people and they must be accountable to them at all times. The people are their employers and only them deserve their loyalties.”
Also, reacting to the controversy, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), called for the sacking of the Finance Minister for attempting to cover up the printing of the money.
According to the PDP, the admission by the CBN Governor has vindicated it that the apex bank has been printing the nation’s currency at the behest of the Buhari administration and that the government under the APC has been characterized by “concealments, deceit, and falsehood”.
The party said in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan on Friday: “Indeed, the admission by the CBN governor that “Nigeria is unfortunately in a very bad situation” further justifies our position that the Buhari-led APC administration has wrecked the economy of our nation.
“Our party is worried over the huge negative impact of indiscriminate printing of currency which has led to the unprecedented rise in inflation rate to 18.17% as disclosed by the Federal Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.
“The PDP calls out President Buhari to come clean on the amount that has been printed so far by the CBN to finance the deficit caused by the financial mismanagement of his government as well as what the funds had been used for.
“Furthermore, for failing the full disclosure test, the PDP demands that the Minister of Finance should immediately be relieved of her position, while the President accepts responsibility for the indiscriminate printing of currency in our Naira.
“Our party implores President Buhari to save our nation by allowing better hands to manage and salvage our economy before it is too late.”
The ex-2nd National Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association NBA, Monday Ubani, has withdrawn his suretyship of the ex-chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund NSITF, Ngozi Olejeme from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC.
This is coming barely two years after, Ubani and Senator Christopher Enai from Bayelsa State, were detained by the EFCC on March 19, 2019 for failing to produce Ngozi Olejeme, who they stood for as sureties.
Olejeme is facing a N6.4 billion fraud allegedly perpetrated while she was chairman of NSITF.
However, an FCT High Court, Apo, presided by Justice Silvanus Orji, in March 2019, granted bail to Monday Ubani and Senator Christopher Enai in the sum of N50 million with two reasonable sureties, who must be civil servants on level 15.
The court had also ordered that the applicants deposit their international passports.
Justice Orji gave the order after listening to the submissions of the applicants in an ex-parte motion filed by their counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN).
Ozekhome, in the motion ex parte, prayed the court to order the EFCC to grant the applicants bail on self-recognition or liberal terms pending arraignment.
While announcing his withdrawal in a statement made available on Saturday, the Abia-born former NBA Vice Chairman, Monday Ubani slammed the sacked chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Ibrahim Magu over acts of lawlessness while at the helm of affairs of the Nigeria anti graft agency.
His statement partly read, “If an accused person jumps bail, the surety certainly has not committed any offence under our law. It is a civil matter which is to the effect that the surety forfeits the bail bond. It is only when the surety is unable to pay the stated sum in the bail bond that he or she will be sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
“Ibrahim Magu’s EFCC read their own law upside down and criminalised a purely civil matter. I even over heard that they said I breached the Rules of Professional Conduct of the NBA. When did EFCC start enforcing Rules of Professional Conduct for the NBA? That was how EFCC under Magu operated; lawless, clueless and brash.
“To say the least, I was elated and grateful to God for answered prayers. She(Ngozi Olejeme) is back to face her case and the onus is on EFCC to prove the theft of N69 billion against her.
“The newspaper and public trial characterisation of Magu era is gone, perhaps for good.
“Let everyone accused of crime in Nigeria be given fair trial and let those who are guilty be jailed, while those who are innocent be discharged and acquitted. That is how it is done in every civilized clime.
“I have applied and withdrawn my suretyship of the woman from EFCC. The letter to that effect was written and acknowledged on the 16th of April, 2021”.
A popular Islamic cleric, philanthropist and Estate mogul, and founder, Sebilu Nnajat TV, Sheikh Hammed Olanrewaju Alfulaany, has offered scholarships to two sexually abused underaged girls, aged 14 and 16, who were sexually molested by their parents.
The victims, Ayomide Rachael Johnson, and Motunrayo Ogunsanwo, were allegedly sexually assaulted by their fathers in Meiran, and Epe respectively before they were rescued by Lady of Africa Foundation.
The organization reported the matter to the police and the fathers were arrested. The case is presently in court.
The Cleric was approached by the Founder and National Coordinator of the Foundation, Princess Oluwabukola Fasuyi, to assist the victims in furthering their education. Since their case became public knowledge, the victims had been under the care of the Foundation.
Upon hearing the plights of the victims, the business mogul offered to sponsor their education to University level and promised to take care of their feeding and daily expenses.
The elated Princess Bukola Fasuyi expressed gratitude to the cleric for coming to the aid of the victims, and urged other philanthropists to follow suit by coming to the assistance of the Foundation in providing succour to the needy.
Apart from the victims, the business mogul also offered scholarships to a 22year old Barakat Hassan and her 24-year old sister, Azeezat, who were abandoned by their mother for 22 years after she packed out of her matrimonial home.
Their situation became worst after the death of their father, as they had no one to take care of them.
Barakat lost her sight in the process, placing a heavy burden on her sister to fend for both of them.
Their plight was brought to the attention of the philanthropist who offered to foot the medical bill of Barakat running into millions of naira. She is presently receiving medical attention in one of the top hospitals in Lagos.
The two sisters have also been given accomodation by the philanthropist and are on the verge of enrolling in school.
While eulogising the philanthropic gesture of Sheikh Olanrewaju Hammed Alfulaany, Princess Oluwabukola Fasuyi said the philanthropist has demonstrated there should be no religious or ethnic biases towards helping the needy, adding such gestures should be emulated by every Nigerian.
She called on International community, government and well-to-do Nigerians to support Sheikh Olanrewaju Hammed Alfulaany in his philanthropic gesture as well as come to the aid of Lady of Africa Foundation in it’s quest to give back to the society.
Nigerian stocks stretched gains by N80 billion or 0.61 per cent on Friday, building on the tenuous rally
reported at the previous session, even though the losses seen so far this week outweigh gains. Against analysts’ expectations, equities have bucked macroeconomic trends for two days now to close
in the positive territory. The announcement by the statistics office on Thursday put the inflation figure
for March at 18.17 per cent, the highest in more than four years. The advance derived strength from high buy orders on the shares of Guinness, Dangote Cement and
MTNN, with investors’ renewed interest in the telco coming after the Ministry of Communications
and Digital Economy decision to remove the freeze on SIM card sales in Africa’s biggest economy. Also helping gains, the industrial goods index took the top spot in the pecking order of performance of
the five sectorial indices tracked by the Nigerian Exchange Limited, jumping 1.19 per cent There were 21 gainers and 12 losers, causing the market to close with a positive breadth The all-share index rose by 236.12 points to close at 38,801.01 basis points, while market capitalisation
to N20.310 trillion. Year to date, the index is down by 3.63 per cent.
TOP FIVE GAINERS Chams led gainers, appreciating by 10 per cent to close at N0.22. Sterling grew by 9.72 per cent to end
trade at N0.79. Guinness went up by 9.26 per cent to N31.85. NNFM rose to N5.35, notching up 9.18 per cent in the
