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  • Hairdresser stabs friend over gari

    35-year-old hairdresser, Anita Samuel, was yesterday brought before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on a charge of assault.

    She was accused of stabbing her friend for not allowing her to taste the gari, which was eating. Gari is made from cassava

    Samuel pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akeem Raji alleged that the defendant stabbed Miss Ediomo Linus with a broken bottle on the forehead, following their gari disagreement

    Raji said the defendant told the complainant to let her taste the gari but she refused.

    Read also: Nine-year-old boy, three others in court over assault

    “The following day, the complainant greeted the defendant, but she did not answer.

    “This led to an argument, which made the defendant to lock the door and hit her with a broken bottle on the head,” he said.

    Chief Magistrate Oyeladun Layinka granted the defendant N200, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    She said the sureties must be employed with evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    The case has continues on April 25.

  • My life under threat, says Awara

    Rivers State governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Biokpomabo Awara has raised the alarm on plots to assassinate him.

    Awara insisted that he was robbed of his victory in the March 9 governorship election by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who, according to him, connived with leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said: “Information reaching me is that thugs have been dispatched to assassinate me, even in Abuja, since I have refused to give up on my mandate.”

    Awara maintained that as at when collation of results was suspended on March 10, he had 281,000 votes, as against Governor Nyesom Wike’s 79,000 votes. But, he said, INEC officials quickly came to the governor’s rescue. He urged his supporters to be law-abiding and not opt for violence, even as he hoped that his “stolen” mandate would be reclaimed at the tribunal.

    The candidate was also displeased that his agent, Dr. Lawrence Chuku, was barred from the collation centre inside INEC office on April 2 and 3, but said the commission’s “compromised” officials and security personnel allowed Nenye Kocha, who was accused of impersonating AAC, as the party’s collation agent.

    But PDP chairman Felix Obuah said efforts dissipated by “evil forces” to subvert the people’s will failed.

    He was happy that almost one week after Wike’s victory, jubilation still pervaded the state.

    He said: “Never in the history of Rivers State has there been a singular occasion where all strata of the society – farmers, market men and women, fishermen, civil servants, pensioners, religious groups and even members of the opposition political parties rejoiced at an electoral victory.

    “How else could a people demonstrate total acceptability of a leader? How else could they express their love for that leader; a man that is passionate about the people’s welfare; a man who has defied every odd to prove that good governance is possible? Rivers people have shown that the victory of Governor Wike is well deserved…”

  • ‘Investment in employees’ development vital for organisational growth’

    The Managing Director of Moahz Oil and Gas, Mr. Abdulqadir Ojo, has said investment in the development of employees deserves attention, as it will lead to organisational growth.

    Speaking in Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday, on the imperative of employees’ development, Ojo said workers should be given opportunities to explore.

    He said: “We need to take the internal promotion of employees very seriously, as much as we pay heavily on external promotions. As an employer at Moahz Oil and Gas, I take it upon myself to give room for the personal development of my employees. I allow them to explore opportunities. I don’t restrict them; I help them to focus on their areas of specialty.

  • Etiebet’s suit on banks’ merger for May 7

    The Federal High Court in Lagos will on May 7 hear a suit by a former petroleum minister Chief Don Etiebet challenging the merger of Access Bank and Diamond Bank.

    Justice Muhammad Liman had declined an application for interim injunction by the plaintiff.

    He noted that it was “better to adjourn the matter for hearing of the substantive suit” since the merged entity had begun operation on April 1.

    Etiebet is seeking an order restraining the respondents from continuing with the merger scheme pending the hearing and determination of his substantive suit.

    Access Bank, Diamond Bank, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are the respondents.

    Access Bank filed a counter affidavit, urging the court to dismiss the suit.

    Etibet, a major shareholder of the bank and Chairman Top Oil & Gas Development Company Limited, wants the merger nullified over fraud allegations.

    He accused the bank of hiding financial fraud cases it is involved in from the regulators, who it said would not have given approval for the merger had they been aware.

    Etiebet also petitioned SEC, contending that the merger should be nullified pursuant to the Section 124 (3) of the Investment and Securities Act 2007, which empowers interested persons to voluntarily file any document, affidavit, statement or other relevant information in respect of a merger.

    He also referred to Section 127 of the Act, which says: “The Commission may revoke its own decision to approve or conditionally approve a small, intermediate or large merger if the decision was based on incorrect information for which a party to the merger is responsible and the approval was obtained in deceit.”

    Etiebet drew SEC’s attention to the fact that Access Bank, its Managing Director Herbert Wigwe and other directors face criminal charges before a Shagamu High Court in Ogun State.

    According to him, the banks allegedly did not disclose the pendency of the criminal charges to the regulators knowing that doing so would have resulted in SEC and CBN withholding approval for the merger.

    He urged the Commission to revoke the approval-in-principle and cancel the merger having been empowered to do so by Section 127 (2) of the Investment and Securities Act 2007.

    Shareholders of Access Bank Plc and Diamond Bank Plc unanimously approved the merger at extraordinary general meetings of both banks.

    The banks said the merger followed due process.

  • PDP and energy sector reforms

    In August 2013, 15 companies made up of 10 Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and five Generation Companies (GENCOs)  paid $2.238billion to  take over 60% of unbundled PHCN after federal government’s injection of between $8.2b-$15b of taxpayers money. President Jonathan on the occasion assured Nigerians that his administration will ensure that “Nigerians enjoy a minimum of 18 hours of electricity supply a day”, while Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the minister of power, described the development as “a great milestone in the power sector reform roadmap that should give hope to all Nigerians, and inspire confidence in government’s power reform programme and President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda”.

    But as against 10,000-15,000MW promised in the roadmap which Jonathan had earlier launched with fanfare in Lagos on August 26, 2010, Buhari inherited less than 4000MW when he was sworn in as president  in May 2015.

    The privatisation of the power sector was meant to ensure adequate, regular and stable supply of electricity to the consumer at a reasonable cost. It however failed because of our environment. First, privatisation itself according to the World Bank, its architect, was designed for high and middle-income countries ‘with a competitive market, a market-friendly environment with a good capacity to regulate’. Besides it has been established we are a ‘fantastically corrupt’ nation. The new investors were for instance, mainly PDP stalwarts doubling as Disco owners. Jerry Gana headed the delegation of Disco owners to government where the former minister of petroleum promised a facility of N213billion. As it later turned out, the biggest donors, (N2b – N5b) to President Jonathan’s failed re-election bid in 2015 were Disco owners.

    Even with the best efforts of the current government, the nation today faces serious energy crisis with factories either closing down or relocating out of the country. The result is the massive unemployment of our youths and impoverishment of craftsmen and other Nigerians who depend on cheap Chines generators to run their businesses and power their houses. To change the narrative, many concerned Nigerians have called on stakeholders in the energy sector and government to address issues of appropriate tariff, inefficiency of the Discos and the need for the Discos to give up part of its equity for new investors to come in with fresh capital to make the industry more efficient.

    In this regard, the Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Alex Okoh, was recently quoted as saying “If the Discos currently in place, because of the way their balance sheet is compromised, are not able to raise sufficient investment capital, to recoup the distribution network and improve the provision of meters, then we have to look at the possibility of admitting other investors who may have the capacity, financially and in terms of the technical expertise, to improve the distribution infrastructure. We cannot continue to have a situation where the general populace is at the wrong end of the stick all the time. What the public wants is power supply delivered at a reasonable cost”.

    Bola Tinubu, APC national leader and former governor of Lagos State added his own voice during   the 11th Bola Tinubu Colloquium that took place in Abuja recently. According to him, “The PDP administration shared our generation, distribution and transmission to their friends and cronies without very deep and thoughtful research and evaluation. It has now become pork chops”; he therefore  suggested  that “for a more constructive reform to improve generation, transmission and distribution, this privatisation must be reviewed by putting experts together at all costs”, without prejudice to the legal implications of the privatization of the sector.

    Unfortunately, while others are trying to find a way forward, those who as a result of massive fraud wrecked the energy sector privatisation initiative are refusing to be part of the solution. Speaking for PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan has said his party is opposed to the review of the current position because President Jonathan, according to him, ensured due diligence in the privatization sector’ while in office. “In as much as the nation deserves improvement in our power sector, whatever we must do must be guided by the law if we do not want to cause confusion and crisis”, he says.

    Ologbondiyan is speaking of laws as if it is not on record that PDP bungled the whole privatization effort between 1999-2014 by breaching the laws. It was on account of this the 7th Senate report of November 30,  2011 directed the National Council on Privatization to “rescind the sale of Abuja International Hotels Limited (Nicon Luxury Hotel) as well as Sheraton Hotel and Towers;  that the sales of assets of Daily Times Nigeria PLC  by Folio Communications Limited and its directors  be investigated by anti-graft agencies and the sold assets recovered; that the Share Purchase Agreement of Volkswagen Nigeria Limited now (VON)  be rescinded and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the economic crimes being perpetrated against the nation at VON Automobile Nigeria Limited premises in Lagos by Barbedos Ventures Limited; that NICON Insurance PLC  should immediately refund with interest ,the sum of N900 million to the federal government being money paid by BPE in February 2007 as contribution for recapitalization with accrued interest; that Nigeria Re-insurance Plc should immediately refund the sum of one billion naira paid by BPE in February 2007 as contribution of the federal government for recapitalization with accrued interest and that  the former Directors-General, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Dr. Julius Bala and Mrs. Irene Nkechi Chigbue be reprimanded by the National Council on Privatization; and the then Director-General, BPE, Ms. Bolanle Onagoruwa be relieved of her appointment for “gross incompetence in the management of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and for illegal and fraudulent sale of the 5 % FGN residual shares in Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited (EPCL)”.

    When PDP was not breaking laws as they did above to impoverish Nigerians, they were passing self-serving laws such as the PPPRA bill or the monetization bill to short-change Nigerians. Under the former, PDP leaders and their children defrauded the nation to the tune of about N1.7 trillion under the fuel subsidy scandal. With the latter, Dimeji Bankole, former speaker of the House of representative was accused of immorally purchasing  his official house  while David Mark, former senate president is currently in court in a suit Okoi Obono-Obla, the chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property (SPIPRPP), described as a “a disguise to scuttle criminal investigation”, trying to prevent EFCC from questioning him on the “2011 purchase of the official residence of the senate president,  built on 1.6 hectares of land, a national monument that was not meant to be acquired by an individual and was never reflected in the federal government’s gazette as required”.

    Ologbondiyan and PDP understand that that while many Nigerians have short memories, a great many others cannot articulate our problems. It is obvious many of the 11 million Nigerians who voted for PDP in the March presidential election were unable to link the massive unemployment and impoverishment of our people to the bungled privatisation programmes that ceded ownership of our budding industries to those who were only interested in asset-stripping which eventually reduced the nation to a net importer of the labour of other societies while our qualified university graduates roam the streets. Ologbondiyan and his PDP exploited the lacuna in our laws to short-change Nigerians and are now trying to use same to hold on to their disproportionate share of the nation’s resources they immorally confiscated.

  • APC’s position on Lawan in line with global parliamentary best practices, says group

    A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), led by Centre for Policy Advocacy and Leadership Development (CPALD), has thrown its weight behind the choice of Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan for the next Senate.

    The group described Lawan’s adoption by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as in line with global parliamentary best practices.

    In a statement signed by the Director, Democracy and Governance of CPALD, Comrade Joe Mesele, the CSOs expressed their support for the APC’s stance on Lawan’s candidature, declaring that there was nothing wrong with it.

    The statement reads: “We have watched with keen interest for some weeks now debates as to the proprietary of the leadership of the APC in nominating Senator Ahmed Lawan as its candidate for the President of the Senate of the Ninth Assembly.

    Read also: On APC’s near fall in Kano

    “We at the CPALD alongside 10 of our sister civil society organisations hereby unequivocally state that we are on the same page in advancing the course of democracy in Nigeria and, therefore, view the development as a welcome development because it’s in line with international parliamentary best practices.

    “We have studied parliamentary developments in several advanced democracies and came to the conclusion that the leadership of those parliaments are usually members with the requisite cognate experience – usually leaders of the ruling party’s caucuses. And right now in Nigeria, the leader of the APC caucuses in the Senate is Lawan.

    “He is, therefore, without sentiments, eminently qualified to hold the position. The people criticising the APC for taking the position of supporting Senator Ahmed Lawan are simply ignorant of parliamentary  ethics and norms the world over.

    “We are calling on other stakeholders to align with the initiative of the APC in order to flow along with international norms and procedures in the election of the leadership of parliaments”.

  • Marketers warn against imminent petrol scarcity

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday raised the alarm over the fear of a looming fuel scarcity.

    Its National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, who spoke with The Nation in Abuja, said members who paid for the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) since last two weeks were yet to get the product.

    He said: “We have paid the money and we cannot access the product. The way we have been buying products from them is above government stipulated rate of N133.28. We are buying it at the rate of N140 and N141, yet you cannot access it.  If the government does not take extra care, definitely we are expecting a serious scarcity.”

    Reacting to the development, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it has imported  10 vessels laden with petrol currently offshore Lagos.

    Its  Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, in a text message yesterday, added that the oil firm  has over one billion litres  of petrol that it has spread across the various depots in the country.

    He urged IPMAN to pay for the products to private depots only when they are sure of availability.

    Ugahmadu said: “We have over one billion litres spread across many depots nationwide with 10 import vessels currently offshore Lagos laden with PMS.

    “We advise marketers to patronise NNPC depots, pay for product to private depots only when they are sure such depots have stock to avoid being used to finance their procurements and report to DPR, depots  that sell above N133.28.”

    Maigandi said an attempt to deregulate the petrol market will aggravate the situation, urging the government to fashion out a measure for managing the fuel market before it gets out of hand.

    He said the NNPC depots that are selling the product at the official pump price of N133.28 per litre while the private depot owners have hiked their rates to between N40 and N41 per litre.

  • Police bust suspected child theft syndicate

    The police in Ogun have arrested members of a suspected child theft syndicate and rescued three of their victims.

    Kate Njoku, Joy Okorie and Onyeka Joseph were alleged to have stolen eight children from various parts of the state, who they sold to buyers in Anambra State.

    A statement by command spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the suspects usually pretended to be accommodation seekers and in the process, would kidnap their victims.

    “The syndicate’s mode of operation is to use two of their members to disguise as a couple looking for an apartment to rent, most especially in a place where children of their interest live.

    Read also: Is state police not the answer?

    “They have succeeded in stealing eight children from locations across Ogun State and sold them to buyers in Anambra State, consequent upon which the command launched a manhunt for members of the syndicate.

    “The Anti-kidnapping/Cultism Unit, which was given a mandate to bust the syndicate, embarked on an investigation, which paid off when the principal suspect, Mary Paul, was trailed to Ondo State, where she is on trial. She has been remanded in prison custody.

    “Through synergy with the Ondo Command, information was extracted and that led to the arrest of three other members of the gang. Three of the abducted eight children were subsequently recovered from them.

    “One of the children, Temidayo Ajayi, who was kidnapped with his brother in Sagamu last July, has been reunited with his parents. Efforts are on to rescue his brother from the gang.

    “The suspects have made useful statements to the police on how they stole the children and sold them to their accomplices in Anambra State,” Oyeyemi said.

    He said Police Commissioner Bashir Makama has ordered investigation into the case to nab other members of the syndicate.

     

  • FEC okays N2.8b contract for digital decongestion of prison

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved N2.8 billion  contract for digital decongestion of prisons.

    The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami briefed State House correspondents at the end of a meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was with the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, Minister of State Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, and Minister of FCT, Mohammed Bello.

    From the click of a button, Malami said that the stakeholders would be able to assess the daily situation of inmates in every prison in the country.

    The information to be obtained, according to him, include how many inmates in a prison on a daily basis, how many inmates have overstayed their sentences etcetera.

    Stressing that the system is to be operated by Prison staff, he said that it will also involve capturing the biometric of prison inmates across the country.

    He said: “At a point, it was said 70 percent of prison inmates across the prison formations in the country were awaiting trails. Arising from these concerns, the Federal Government has been working to come up with policies, legislation and associated programmes that are targeted at decongesting the prisons.

    “One of the policies put in place was the legislation of the criminal justice act, which has partially succeeded in addressing decongestion to an extent.

    “Recall that Mr. President had put in place an adhoc committee under the chairmanship of FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello, to move around the prisons in the country, look at the conditions and come up with suggestion.

    “So, we are also aware that by the Constitution, Mr. President is vested with the prerogative of mercy targeted at setting free inmates that satisfy certain conditions.

    “Arising from this, the office of the attorney general presented a memo today, which is web-based automated inter-connectivity system, which is a digitalised way of decongesting the prisons.

    “The idea is to digitally connect all the prison formations to the office of the attorney general of the federation, the police, prison service and indeed selected courts.

    “The essence is to have an idea on the daily basis what obtains at our prisons across the nation. So, at a glance at a click of the button, one can access what obtains at the prisons across the country,” he said.

    He added: “For instance, who is going to court today, who is being released today, those that have been in prison longer than their years of sentence, who is in prison that is not meant to be there?

    “This will aid stakeholders in decision making on a daily basis through digital process of inter-networking. This is against an adhoc committee moving across the country to have physical presence in prisons,” he stated.

    On allegations by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that Federal Government is plotting to reverse Rivers S/Court judgment, Malami said that it was freedom of speech taken too far.

    Malami said: “Regarding that was levelled against me by PDP, I think it remains an accusation. It has to remain so until proven through a judicial process.

    “But for me I think it is freedom of speech that has been taken too far.” he said.

    Udoma said that the Federal Government’s N24.38 trillion debt stock was sustainable.

    He said: “With regards to our debts, our debts are sustainable. We do have a revenue challenge and we are focusing on that. Once the revenues come up, it will be obvious that we don’t have a debt problem at all.

    “We are working on a number of initiatives to increase our revenues. We are looking at initiatives to widening the tax payers’ net. We are looking at initiatives to increase efficiency in collections.

    “We are looking at a single window, which will help to increase efficiency, custom collections. We are looking at many different ways to improve revenues.

    “The debts are sustainable, every nation borrows. We are working on increasing our revenues,” he added.

    Read also: FEC approves N2.8 billion digital prison decongestion contract

    Udoma said that the executive arm of government is happy with the focus of the National Assembly on the 2019 Appropriation bill.

    “With regard to the budget, we are happy to see the focus of the National Assembly on the budget and we look forward to whenever it’s passed and the executive receiving it.”

    He also said that FEC approved two contracts under the national social investment programme.

    “Both of them are under N-Power Built programme. The  N-Power Built programme is a non-graduate  programme that seeks to deliver accelerated training and certification skills to 75,000 Nigerians between ages of 18-35 years old.

    “It aims to build a high crop of highly competent and skilled workforce of technicians, artisans and service professionals, who will be trained and tooled and transitioned annually to take up jobs as electrical installation technicians, plumbing and pipe fitting installers, mason, carpentry and gentry experts, welders, fabricators, professional painters, built technicians and so on.

  • Army kills scores of terrorists in Damaturu attack

    THE Army has released details of Tuesday attempted attack on Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, saying several insurgents were killed in an ambush following credible information of the planned attack.

    According to Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Sector 2 Operation Lafiya Dole, Lt. Njoka Irabor, the superior firepower of the land troops with the support of the Air Component of Operation Lafiya Dole overpowered the terrorists, who suffered a heavy casualty.

    The troops recovered many items from the insurgents, including two gun trucks and anti-aircraft guns among others.

    Irabor’s statement reads: “Following credible information of planned efforts by Boko Haram terrorists to attack Damaturu, troops of Sector 2, Operation Lafiya Dole, successfully laid an ambush, which led to the extermination of many Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) that attempted to attack Damaturu, Yobe State, at about 5:15 pm, on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

    “The vigilant troops effectively ambushed the criminals few metres ahead of Maisandari community at the outskirts of the city of Damaturu.

    Read also: Yobe PDP gov candidate concedes defeat, rules out court action

    “The terrorists were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the gallant troops and the well-coordinated air support, from the Air Component of Operation Lafiya Dole.

    “Consequently, many terrorists met their Waterloo, some were also wounded and the following items/equipment were recovered: two gun trucks; two anti-aircraft guns; one 60 Millimetre Mortar; four AK 47 Rifles; one General Purpose Machine Gun and 1,245 rounds of 7.62 mm (NATO).

    “Troops have embarked on the hot pursuit of the fleeing terrorists, mop up/combing of the general area is ongoing.

    “Further details and possible recoveries would be provided on completion of the mop-up operations.”