Category: Lead

• Ex-Lagos governor presents plans to union leaders
  Labour gives APC candidate charter of demands

All Progressives Congress (APC)  presidential standard bearer Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday promised to implement labour-friendly policies and programmes, if elected in next year’s election.

He said his administration will make fiscal and monetary policies to work for workers, urging them to pitch their tent with him during the poll.

The former Lagos State governor described himself as the most competent candidate with a track record of good governance.

He dissected the economy from the point of view of a financial surgeon, promising to re-enact the feat that has stood Lagos out as the fifth largest economy in Africa.

Unveiling an eclectic approach to problem solving, Tinubu promised to reposition the economy, tackle the rot in the education sector, halt unemployment and guarantee comprehensive welfare package for workers.

The eminent politician spoke during a Townhall Meeting with Organised Labour at Chida Hotel, Conference Centre, Abuja, on his plans for the country, particularly the workforce.

At the session, where the ‘Tinubu-Shettima Action Plan for a Better Nigeria,’ was dissected,  Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba and Trade Union Congress(TUC) President Festus Osifo  presented a charter of demands to the flagbearer.

Tinubu was accompanied by egg heads, including his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara) and James Faleke, Secretary of the Campaign Council.

Former NLC Deputy President and Director of Labour Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Comrade Isa Aremu, who set the tone for the engagement, told the Labour leaders and workers that the task before them and Nigerians was to choose a truly committed, tested and trusted candidate, who can protect their interest, fight poverty, industrialise Nigeria, provide decent jobs, and guarantee good pay.

Aremu maintained that Tinubu is the best to deliver on the priorities of the workers.

Exuding confidence, the APC candidate, who intermittently spoke off his written address, drew attention to his antecedent as  former Lagos State governor, who transformed the Centre of Excellence.

He said he is vying for President to resolve the challenges of unemployment, lack of credit system to allow workers own houses, poverty, problems of education, and  weak industrial base.

Urging the workers to choose wisely, Tinubu said: “Today, the questions you all you must ask yourselves are these: who can be trusted to accomplish all of these? The man who has done it before, or the man whose most lasting achievement as Vice President is the corrupt sale of national assets to his friends and cronies?

“Who has the better plan? The man whose blueprint guided the emergence of Lagos State as fifth largest economy in Africa or the man whose greatest pride is the amount of money he managed to bury in sand while his state’s infrastructure decayed and its workers suffered endless hardship? The choice is yours.

“I have always been and will continue to be a progressive democrat. In my worldview, government has a cardinal responsibility to work, not only with business, but also with labour to ensure that all constituent parts of our society are afforded their fair share of rewards without taking on undue hardship.”

Tinubu drew a similarity between his struggle for a better Nigeria and the battle of the Labour leaders for adequate welfare package for their members.

He pointed out that, like the labour leaders, he has been in the forefront of fighting for good governance, recalling that he was detained and  eventually forced into exile because of his belief.

Tinubu stresed: “As Organised Labour, you have been at the forefront of the workers’ rights movement in Nigeria, championing economic fairness and the welfare of the average person, the weak and the forgotten.

“You have also been involved in the struggle for democracy and political rights. Your collective efforts breathe life into the democratic rights and economic ideals enshrined in our constitution.

“I can speak fondly of your impact on our nation because of my personal history on the frontlines of the social justice movement.

“I may be running for president now, but I was not always in this position. Long before I started running for the presidency, I was running away from military dictators angered by my important role in protests against them and their efforts to vanquish our democratic aspirations.

“The defining moment of my public life came during Nigeria’s struggle for democracy and my membership in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) movement.

“I have dedicated my entire being to that cause. I was detained, then was forced into exile because of my refusal to accept anything less than a government based on the proposition that the will of the people is sovereign and should reign over armed might and imposition.

“I believe that those assembled here today share the same ideals of progressive and democratic good governance. I have spent my political life advocating for the rights and interests of ordinary Nigerians as you also do. We have long been fellow travellers on the same road.  I hope that we shall continue as friends and brothers.”

Read Also: We will deliver Tinubu as your successor, APC govs tell Buhari

Tinubu said his administration would make the fiscal and monetary policies work for workers and Nigerians so they can have a good life.

He promised to pursue a programme of industrialisation to give more people better paying jobs, while also opening doors to more emerging sectors for younger ones to harness.

Tinubu said: “My Action Plan for a Better Nigeria, sets out a vision of opportunity, social justice and prosperity for all. I seek a Nigeria where sufficient jobs with decent wages give people the chance to live better lives. Where the private sector thrives, we will not disrupt it. However, where the private sector cannot do it alone, my government will take the lead in lending a helping hand.

“For young Nigerians, my goal will be to open the doors wide to emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment and culture, and tourism. Specific policies will empower women and young people to become more active in our nation’s leadership.

“Our industrial policy will help Nigerian businesses manufacture, create, and invent more of the goods and services we require and to export more of those products across the globe.  We will modernise and expand public infrastructure to create jobs, develop skills and spur rapid growth across all economic sectors, giving real opportunity to those who previously only dreamed of it.”

He also promised to run a government that would protect Nigerians and their property, strengthen the national security architecture to end terror, kidnapping, banditry, and all other forms of violent extremism and bring policing and the police closer to the communities they serve.

Tinubu  promised to foster a closer partnership with Organised Labour where dialogue on major policy issues and cooperation will become the order of the day.

The Deputy Director-General of the APC PCC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, hailed Tinubu’s Action Plan, saying it will bring back dead industries like Kaduna Textile that once employed over 4000 workers.

He said the support of labour and the civil society  for any candidate should be premised on the flagbearer’s capacity to implement sound social and economic policies that will make life better for the working families in Nigeria.

The former Edo State governor said Tinubu is the best candidate for the workers to adopt because of his antecedents as a successful governor in Lagos.

NLC President Wabba, who presented the workers’ charter of demands to Tinubu, said there is need for a total war on corruption.

He said corruption has almost destroyed the social and economic fabrics of the private and public sectors, adding that it is the reason Nigeria has not made progress.

Wabba stressed: “In Nigeria, our problem is people problem and we must have a government that will prioritise the fight against corruption. This is a key demand of Labour. We also need government that will make social and economic justice a priority,” he said.

On corruption, Tinubu said his administration would have a zero-tolerance to corruption by strengthening anti-corruption agencies.

The candidate condemned those receiving stolen crude, saying if there is no receiver, there will be no supplier.

Tinubu said if elected, he would ensure maximum deployment of technology to monitor, protect pipelines and block theft.

• Conviction can’t stop me, says Obi

Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate Peter Obi’s Campaign Director-General, Prince Doyin Okupe, has been sent to two years imprisonment.

Okupe, a former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was sentenced yesterday by a Federal High Court in Abuja for breaching the Money Laundering Act involving N240 million.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu handed out the sentence after convicting Okupe on 26 of the 59 counts contained in the charge on which he and two others were tried.

Justice Ojukwu said the sentence of two years per count will run concurrently.

Alternatively, the judge gave Okupe the option of fine of N500, 000 per count, which she said shall apply consecutively, implying that the convict will pay a total of N13 million in fine.

The judge gave Okupe up to 4:30pm yesterday to pay the fine, failing which he should be taken to prison.

Justice Ojukwu convicted Okupe on counts 34 to 59, which deal with breach of Money Laundering Act, in which he was found to have received cash payments in excess of N5 million, on each transaction, from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) under Col. Sambo Dasuki.

However, the judge found Okupe and the two firms charged with him – Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd – not guilty in relation to Counts One to 33 bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption. They were arraigned in January 2019 on a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/222/2018.

Justice Ojukwu held that the prosecuting agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), failed to prove the statutory elements and particulars of the offences contained in counts one to 33.

As it relates to Counts 34 to 59, Justice Ojukwu held that the prosecution proved its case that Okupe committed an offence contrary Section 1(a) & (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2009, which is punishable under Section 16(1)(d) & (16(2)(b) of the same Act.

She noted that even “the first defendant (Okupe) did not deny the fact that the money, especially the ones above N5 million, as shown in counts 34 to 59 of the charge, were received in cash and were not received through a financial institution.”

The judge noted that the defendants acted carelessly in the manner they executed their tasks when Okupe was the SSA to Jonathan, which may have resulted in the breach of the Public Procurement Act.

As it relates to money laundering offence, the prosecution must prove that the defendants converted, transferred, acquired, used, retained or took possession and control of the said money knowingly or reasonably ought to have known that the sums of money in question were proceeds of unlawful act or crime.

Read Also: Doyin Okupe’s conviction unsettles Peter Obi’s supporters

Justice Ojukwu noted: “From the evidence adduced by the prosecution’s witnesses and that of the first defendant (Okupe), it is not in doubt that the defendants took money from the office of the National Security Adviser.”

The judge however, held that having failed to prove the predicate offences of criminal breach of trust and corruption by establish that the money the defendants received were proceeds of crime or the unlawful act of Col. Dasuki, it was impossible for it (prosecution) to establish the offence of money laundering against the defendants.

Justice Ojukwu held that both the prosecution and the defence failed to call relevant witnesses in the persons of former President Jonathan and Dasuki.

She noted that while the prosecution claimed that the defendants acted without the approval and directive of the former President, and that Dasuki had no authority to have paid the money in question to the defendants, it ought to have called them (Jonathan and Dasuki) as witnesses or tendered their extra-judicial statements in evidence.

The judge added that since the defendants claimed to have acted on the approval and directive of the then President, who they alleged directed Dasuki to hand the money to them, they also ought to have called both individuals as witnesses.

She discharged and acquitted the two companies on the grounds that since the prosecution failed to prove the offence of money laundering against Okupe, who is the signatory to the account of one of the firms, they could not be held liable for the offence of money laundering.

After Okupe was convicted, his lawyer, Francis Oronsaye, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.

He said Okupe is a first time offender, who is advanced in age and suffers health challenges.

Oronsaye also prayed the court to allow his client exercise his right under Section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to call witnesses to testify about his character, a request the judge granted and suspended proceedings for about two hours.

At the resumption of proceedings around 1:45pm, Okupe’s wife, Omolola and his son, Adesunkanmi (31 years), took to the witness stand and appealed to the court to be lenient with the convict.

Omolola urged the court to consider his age, being 70 years, and his health condition.

Omolola and Adesunkanmi spoke glowingly about the convict, describing him as a decent and upright man.

It was learnt that Okupe was able to pay the fine before the deadline given by the court and was allowed to go home subsequently.

• Marketers seeks equity allocation

Fuel scarcity will end if the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) ensures equitable allocation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), marketers said yesterday.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), whose President, Debo Ahmed, spoke via a statement in Abuja, also urged NNPCL to improve PMS importation.

There has been a lingering scarcity of PMS in major cities, with stakeholders trading blame over the cause.

This is despite a 48-hour ultimatum on December 8 by the Department of State Services (DSS) to the NNPCL, IPMAN and other stakeholders in the oil sector to resolve the crisis.

For weeks, Nigerians continued enduring pains to buy petrol at filling stations, especially those belonging to IPMAN, where products sell for as high as N300 per litre.

The government has pegged the pump price at between N165 and N169.

But the scarcity appears to be easing in Abuja. There were virtually no queues around the retail outlets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday.

The IPMAN boss said: “To stop the tide of this fuel scarcity, NNPC Ltd should improve on its importation and be equitable in its allocation of petrol to marketers.”

He added that IPMAN has the highest market share, but its members do not have an allocation of petrol commensurate to their market share.

Read Also: We hope refineries will work this month, say petrol suppliers

Ahmed said: “Leaving IPMAN members at the mercy of private depot owners at that high rate will not bring down the prices nor douse the scarcity.

“IPMAN members cannot access petrol effectively from private depots with their over-blotted prices ranging from N215 – N220 per litre excluding transportation and depot expenses.”

He said that NNPC Ltd should allocate petrol to IPMAN at designated depots across the country for IPMAN members to buy at a controlled price.

The statement reads in part: “Sales at the various filling stations was smooth as per government control price but immediately private depot owners started increasing their prices, the bandwagon effects became noticeable at the filling stations.

“The increase in the price of petrol at the filling stations was a result of the increase in price at the private depots where IPMAN members buy their products.

“The other aspect that exacerbates the fuel scarcity was the non-availability of petrol in the system. Usually, when importation cannot meet up our consumption the demand becomes more than the supply which invariably distorts pricing equilibrium. NNPC Ltd should import massively.”

Ahmed also spoke on the perception that its members were hoarding the product, saying it was false.

In Benue State, there was petrol at almost all the filling stations in the state capitals and local government areas.

There were few queues of vehicles waiting for PMS in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital and environs. .

In Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, a majority of the filling stations did not dispense fuel.

A few petrol stations that did sold it at N250 per litre.

There were long queues at filling stations in Plateau State with only a few dispensing fuel at between N350 and N400 per litre..

Petrol sold at N179 per litre in filling stations of a major marketer, MRS, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, but there were long queues.

In Delta State, the fuel crisis worsened with petrol stations in major cities and others selling at N270 per litre.

However, it was unclear if the increase in pump prices was due to the festive season or an upsurge in the number of Southeast-bound travellers driving through the town.

Petrol was still being sold at N250 per litre at most filling stations in Benin and its environs in Edo State.

Long queues returned to petrol stations across the state especially in Osogbo as fuel scarcity lingered ahead of the Christmas celebration.

In Kano, fuel was available at between N310 and N350 per litre in filling stations owned by independent marketers, but hawkers sold theirs at up to N450 per litre in the ‘black market’.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Monday told Labour to vote for him in the 2023 general election because he is the most qualified of the presidential candidates.

He said his track record as a former governor of Lagos State speaks volumes of his commitment to good governance.

Tinubu spoke during a town hall with Organised Labour at Chida Hotel Conference Centre in Abuja to dissect the “Renewed Hope: Action Plan for a Better Nigeria”

The President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Ayuba Wabba and his Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Festus Osifo led the two labour groups in the country to the interactive session.

The APC flag bearer said he transformed Lagos and powered it to become the 5th largest economy in Africa.

He said: “Today, the questions you all must ask yourselves are these: who can be trusted to accomplish all of this?

“The man who has done it before, or the man whose most lasting achievement as Vice President is the corrupt sale of national assets to his friends and cronies?

“Who has the better plan? The man whose blueprint guided the emergence of Lagos State as the fifth largest economy in Africa or the man whose greatest pride is the amount of money he managed to bury in the sand while his state’s infrastructure decayed and its workers suffered endless hardship?

“The choice is yours. But permit me to now talk a little about myself and my vision.

“I have always been and will continue to be a progressive democrat.

Read Also: 2023: Tinubu defying all odds

“In my worldview, the government has a cardinal responsibility to work not only with business but also with labour to ensure that all constituent parts of our society are afforded their fair share of rewards without taking on undue hardship,” Tinubu said.

The former Lagos governor said just like the labour leaders, he has been at the forefront of fighting the government for good governance all his life, a move for which he was detained and eventually forced into exile.

He added: “As Organised Labour, you have been at the forefront of the worker’s rights movement in Nigeria, championing economic fairness and the welfare of the average person, the weak and the forgotten.

“You have also been involved in the struggle for democracy and political rights. Your collective efforts breathe life into the democratic rights and economic ideals enshrined in our constitution.

“I can speak fondly of your impact on our nation because of my personal history on the frontlines of the social justice movement.

“I may be running for president now, but I was not always in this position.

“Long before I started running for the presidency, I was running away from military dictators angered by my important role in protests against them and their efforts to vanquish our democratic aspirations.

“The defining moment of my public life came during Nigeria’s struggle for democracy and my membership in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) movement.

“I have dedicated my entire being to that cause.

“I was detained, then was forced into exile because of my refusal to accept anything less than a government based on the proposition that the will of the people is sovereign and should reign over armed might and imposition.

“I believe that those assembled here today share the same ideals of progressive and democratic good governance.

“I have spent my political life advocating for the rights and interests of ordinary Nigerians as you also do.

“We have long been fellow travellers on the same road. I hope that we shall continue as friends and brothers”

On his plans if elected, Tinubu said his administration would make the fiscal and monetary policies work for the workers and Nigerians so they can have a good life.

He also said he would ensure the nation is massively industrialised to give more people better-paying jobs, while also opening doors to more emerging sectors younger ones can harness.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday sentenced a former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, to two years imprisonment for breaching the Money Laundering Act.

Okupe is the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP).

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu earlier convicted Okupe on 26 of the 59 counts contained in the charge on which he and two others were tried.

She sentenced him to two years per count, which are to run concurrently.

Alternatively, Justice Ojukwu gave Okupe an option of a fine of N500,000 per count, amounting to N13million.

The judge gave Okupe up to 4:30 pm Monday to pay the fine, failing which he should be taken to prison.

Read Also: Controversy over Okupe’s Labour Party membership

Justice Ojukwu convicted Okupe on counts 34 to 59 which deal with breach of the Money Laundering Act, in which he was found to have received cash payments above N5million on each transaction from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) under Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).

The judge, however, found him and the two firms charged with him – Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd – not guilty in relation to counts 1 to 33 bordering on many laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption.

Justice Ojukwu held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) failed to prove the relevant elements of the offences contained in counts 1 to 33.

Details shortly…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, for breaching the Money Laundering Act.

Okupe is the Director General of Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP).

In a judgment on Monday, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu found Okupe guilty of contravening sections 16(1)&(2) of the Money Laundering Act, for accepting cash payments without going through financial institution, in excess of the threshold allowed under the Act.

Read Also: Okupe remains LP member, campaign DG — party

Okupe was said to have received hundreds of millions in cash from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) while Col. Sambo Dasuki (retired) was in office.

Justice Ojukwu has stood down proceedings till 1:45pm for Okupe to exercise his right under Section 310 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to call witnesses to testify about his character, before the court could proceed to pronounce sentence on the convict.

Details shortly…