Akeredolu bans NURTW, RTEAN activities in Ondo, as govt takes over levy collection

 

BY REBECCA AJANI

GOVERNOR Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has banned the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria in the state.

In line with the latest development, the unions have been banned from collecting dues and levies from commercial drivers across all motor parks in the state.

Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy to the Governor, Doyin Odebowale, who disclosed this in Akure on Monday, explained that the ban on the activities of the transport unions was as a result of the leadership tussle among the groups.

According to him, government officials will handle the sale of new tickets directly.

“Every attempt to make life difficult for the people will be restricted and the security agencies have been notified to effect timely arrest and prosecution of the defaulters,” Odebowale said.

-Thepoint

 

 

Maina uncovered monumental fraud as pension boss, witness tells court

 

NGOZIKA Ihuoma, first defence witness (DW1), on Monday, told the Federal High Court, Abuja, that Abdulrasheed Maina, uncovered monumental fraud when he was the Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT).

Ihuoma, a management consultant, whose firm, Crincad & Cari Nigeria Ltd was contracted by the PRTT for consultancy service, told Justice Okon Abang.

Justice Abang had, on Feb. 25, ordered Maina to open his defence in the charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the prosecution closed its case.

Maina (1st defendant) was arraigned before Abang, on Oct. 25, 2019, by the EFCC alongside his firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd (2nd defendant).

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the 12-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N2 billion.

Ihuoma, while being led in evidence-in-chief by Anayo Adibe, counsel to Maina, told the court that Maina was appointed to chair the PRTT by President Goodluck Jonathan-led government, following his (Maina’s) achievement in pensioners biometric capture exercise he conducted at Customs, Immigration, Prison Pension Office (CIPO), Gwagwalada, FCT.

“In 2010, precisely May 6, 2010, there was a change of government that brought in President Goodluck Jonathan, the then acting President, as the substantive president following the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

“One of his agenda then was to ensure a pension reform which was a thorny issue to pensioners then.

“Anybody that lived in Abuja, especially within Wuse axis and Federal Secretariat would feel sorry and disappointment with the way past government maltreated pensioners at their old age.

“The last pensioners verification exercise conducted in May 2010 under Chief Steve Oronsaye as Head of Service (HoS), with EFCC monitoring the exercise through their SERVICOM Unit, revealed monumental fraud.

“One of it was that a bank, FCMB, in their Abeokuta Branch in Ogun State, opened 555 accounts for one person and that individual in question was never a pensioner.

“These and other issues led the SERVICOM Unit of EFCC into writing an interim report to the then HoS and made recommendations on the way forward,” he narrated.

The witness said after a stakeholders’ meeting, which included the pensioners’ union, administrators, the National Pension Commission, etc, conducted by Oronsaye, they decided to adopt the biometric capture exercise used at CIPO.

So the 1st defendant (Maina) was invited to head the task team,” he said.

He said members of the team were drawn from “CIPO, ICPC, DSS, NIA, Office of the Accountant General of Federation, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, Public Complaint Commission and EFCC.”

The witness said the EFCC, as an anti-corruption agency, was part of the PRTT on an institutional capacity.

“The task team embarked on a verification exercise in view of the EFCC interim report by the SERVICOM Unit that had uncovered monumental fraud by ghost pensioners,” he said.

He said the biometric capture exercise took place in two trenches; the first was in 36 states and FCT and the second was pensioners in diaspora.

“In diaspora, we have about 6 centres; one in Washington, Atlanta, United Kibgdom, South Africa, Ghana and New York,” he said.

Ihuoma said that at the end of the exercise, the PRTT discovered 71, 320 ghost pensioners in government payroll and 73, 000 accounts were opened for ghost pensioners by the various banks in the country.

He said that before this time, the Budget Office of the Federation usually received demand for 285, 000 pensioners annually with monthly pension of N5 billion released to the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation for monthly payment of pensioners.

“And as at May 2010, prior to the establishment of the task team, the whole N5 billion was being paid out by the banks,” he said.

He, however, said with the conclusion of the biometric capture and 71, 320 ghost pensioners removed, the Federal Government’s monthly expenses dropped to N1.3 billion from N5 billion.

He said with this development, additional 50, 000 pensioners, including those who had retired as far back as 1968 but who had never been in the payroll as a result of corruption, were brought into the system.

The witness explained that this jerked up the monthly payment to N1.7 billion instead of the earlier N1.3 billion.

He said as at then, N600 million was being released monthly for the next of kin of deceased pensioners by the Budget Office but that there was no evidence that any next of kin was paid because the funds could not be accounted for by the banks.

“On the whole, a total of N4.2 billion was saved starting from January 2011.

“The payment schedules were signed by the HoS and accounting officers in his office,” he said.

Ihuoma said despite the task before the PRTT, the team was an inter-ministerial task team that had no budgetary appropriation from the National Assembly.

“The task team was an ad hoc arrangement and every expenditure of the task team was through a requisition made to the HoS to approve such payment,” he said.

According to him, as at March 2011, a task team through the EFCC and ICPC had charged 46 persons and companies to court for their roles in fraud and ghost pensioners involvement.

“One of the people charged included a director of pension at the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Tiedi Shaibu, including Nigerian Union of Pensioners’ President, Alhaji Ali Abatcha and his Secretary, Zack Orji,” he said.

He said the success of the team made the then Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to add the Police Pension Office to the assignment of the task team with the aim of capturing the biometrics of the police pensioners.

“Again, as at Oct. 2011, the Police Pension Office was paying N1.5 billion every month to pensioners and next of kin.

“But after the exercise, by Nov. 2011, the payment was N466 million. So about N1.1 billion was being saved after the biometric capture.

“The payment was being signed by the Coordinating Minister of Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Okonjo-Iweala and the then HoS, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi,” he said.

The witness told the court that “in all, by Nov. 2011, the task team had recovered cash of N181 billion which was warehoused at the CBN by EFCC and ICPC.”

He said for those charged to court, order was made by court for interim forfeiture of assets and cash.

“In March 2011, the court had asked EFCC and ICPC and the task team to take custody of the assets and cash valued at N1.63 trillion.

“Almost all the newspapers in Nigeria reported the order of the court showing the location of the property all over the country, cash in banks both in dollars and in pounds,” he said.

The witness said under a plea bargain arrangement at the Police Pension Office, an officer, John Yusuf, was convicted for misappropriating over N32 billion police pension fund.

“He was asked to make refund and payment of fine of N750, 000. A pronouncement that raised a lot of dust all over the country.

“Based on the cry, the task team and the EFCC appealed that judgment at the Court of Appeal and he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and was asked him to refund N22 billion out of the N32 billion,” he said.

Justice Abang adjourned the matter until March 2 for continuation of trial.

– NAN

 

 

Abduction of 300 Zamfara students a national disgrace – ADC National Chairman

 

The African Democratic Congress has condemned the abduction of about 300 students from their school in Zamfara State, on Friday, 26th of February and the party demanded the instant and immediate release of the students. The National Chairman of ADC, Chief Ralphs Nwosu therefore called on the APC led government to quit ridiculing the country.

Chief Nwosu in a press issued on Sunday insisted that the abduction and massacre of farmers in the North-East and North-West within the last 3 months: 344 at Government Science School, Kankara, Katsina State on the 11th of December, 2020; 80 at Islamiya Schools Mahuta Town, Katsina State on the 20th of December, 2020; 42 at the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State on the 17th of February, 2021; to the 317 at the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, was a national disgrace.

It would be recalled that over 300 girls were kidnapped in Chibok, Bornu State on the 14/15th of April 2014 and about 113, at the Government Girls Secondary and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State on the 19th of February 2018, making over 1157 people, mostly young girls who have been kidnapped by either bandits or boko haram over the years.

The National Chairman said that ADC in collaboration with eminent and concerned patriots in this country had advised President Buhari to embark on serious stakeholders’ consultation and national conference to proffer solutions to the security and myriad of other challenges facing the country especially now.

He said, “The Federal Government may continue to deny knowledge of the persons involved in these national chaos and anarchy, but they should understand that the people cannot be fooled any longer. The APC style of  “successful negotiations” by the Nigerian government officials is another avenue for wastage and corruption, and should be stopped. Kidnapping and abduction should not be treated as a business venture that must be paid for.”

“If the government can negotiate with bandits, insurgents, kidnappers and abductor,  what kind of country are we running? Needless to say that young and innocent Nigerians, yet in their prime who raised their voices to say it was time to end bad governance,  police brutality and injustice were murdered in broad day light in the night, on the 20th of October, 2020.”

With the general challenges the country is faced with: bad roads, electricity, education, lack of job opportunities, health amenities and corruption, that was arrogantly professed would be dealt with by the present administration; Chief Nwosu restated that security issues are fast doing worse than the initial problems. He said that in a country where celebrated kidnappers are now even being kidnapped, our security challenges might remain unchanged this year.

“It has become a well known fact that bandits and boko haram terrorists are first negotiated with, after which they are crowned as Kings. Little wonder that they continue to destroy everything and humans they find in their path. If things degenerate more than this, we can’t imagine the volcanic eruption waiting to be seen in our delicate country.”

He concluded that this latest one after the Niger State, is one too many. He therefore calls on the government of APC at the national level to throw in the towel and save the country any further embarrassment and more loss of innocent lives.

-Theinsidernews.com.ng

ADC Calls For Internal Audit Of INEC By-Elections

 

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has called for an internal audit of the incessant by-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying that the cost is too heavy for the state, Political Parties and citizens.

The National Chairman, ADC, Chief Ralph Nwosu, while briefing newsmen on Friday, said another budget guzzling area that should concern Political Parties, INEC and the National Assembly is the state of elections in Nigeria and the effect on the economy.

According to him, “if anything untoward happens to our democracy, the National Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Political Parties will be the most hit, as having happened in our not too distant history. We must therefore be wary.

“Recently INEC has been on the offensive to create more polling stations in addition to the 120,000, in spite of the Nigeria budget limitations and economic struggles. INEC and the National Assembly has shown apathy to due diligence and efficacious financial management. The ration and rationale of election expenses to the GDP of the country are mind boggling and sparks signs of irresponsibility”, he said.

Nwosu further noted that many state Governors run their States from their expensive mansions in Dubai, London or States in the US, adding that at the national level, Legislators have become deal making and self-serving conspirators, whose salaries and allowances are far above that of their counterparts in any part of the world.

He also stated that Nigeria has become more divided than ever before, saying that the leaders at the national and state levels have learned the art of designing and borrowing framework to source for money across the world to no end, while they leave the country and future generations in perpetual debts.

Speaking on the progress of the Party, he said, “To show that we have made good progress, in 2018, ADC emerged as a party of choice after due diligence scrutiny conducted by eminent persons and leaders of civil societies in the country.

“Within the last 4months various Nigerian youth and women organizational leaders have openly endorsed ADC, and have integrated their structures into the struggle”.

While noting that Nigerians in the diaspora have adopted to embrace ADC, he added that they have started the formation of the largest global diaspora network with the formation of ADC Diaspora Network (ADC-DN).

“Also 23 political parties have agreed to party with ADC because our DNA appeals to them. Nevertheless, as no true and lasting foundation can be without challenges, ADC has become the number one target of the so-called parties in power.

“The positive has come as one to champion the cause and together, we shall prevail,” he said.

-Newsbreakng.com

 

 

Nigeria More Divided Under PMB led Administration – ADC

 

The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralphs Okey Nwosu has accused the present administration of running the country at it’s  pace.

Mr. Nwosu who made the accusations while addressing a press conference in Abuja at the party head quarters said, Nigeria has become more divided than ever under President Buhari led administration.

“Today the President can afford to stay away for many months without handing over to the Vice, and many of our State Governors run their States from their expensive mansions in Dubai, London or US. At the national level, Legislators have become deal making and self-serving conspirators, whose salaries and allowances are far above that of their counterparts in any part of the world”. He said.

“The State Legislators are mere rubber stamps and boys/ladies of Ogas. Legislation has been turned upside down to legislooting. Ours has become a democracy where none of the  players strive to become statement/ladies, but money men/ladies; the new billionaires in town a few months after the election, specializing in giving handouts to their constituencies instead of providing opportunities and assuring quality health of the systems”.

He expressed worries over the members of the National Assembly who do not recognize their role in a tri-camera democracy, as according to him, the National Assembly is a treasure house from where they can deep hands into the treasury bank of the Country.

Nwosu further accused the speaker Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila of starting a willful journey that will further undermine the integrity of the National Assembly by orchestrating the APC  national poaching game into the house.

This he said, he did it by illegal announcing that Hon. Peter Makinde of Ondo East  and West decamped from ADC due to crisis in ADC.

“As the world can see, except the speaker and his co-travellers want to start a phantom storm in our party, ADC is intact and not just ready, but determined to take Nigeria to a great and new democratic leadership experience, by taking over the presidency and wininng most of the states and General Elections in 2023”. He noted.

While calling on internal audit of the bye-elections which according to him take place every month, he lamented the cost are too heavy for the state, political parties and Citizens.

“In some democracies, vacant positions especially at the legislative level are filled by Executive, the State Assembly members or a special arrangement  of political parties. Our elections and democracy must not continue to sap the country because leaders are inept, corrupt and uncreative. Therefore, all hands must be on deck to ensure that the labour of our heroes last doesn’t end in vain”.Nwosu explained.

-Theinsidernews.com.ng

 

Buhari asks Senate to confirm Abdulrasheed Bawa as EFCC Chairman

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Senate to confirm Abdulrasheed Bawa as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The President, in a letter to Senate President Ahmad Lawan, said he was acting in accordance with Paragraph 2(3) of Part1, CAP E1 of the EFCC Act 2004.

Bawa, 40, is a trained EFCC investigator with vast experience in the investigation and prosecution of Advance Fee Fraud cases, official corruption, bank fraud, money laundering, and other economic crimes.

He has undergone several specialised trainings in different parts of the world, and was one of the pioneer EFCC Cadet Officers in 2005.

Bawa holds a B.Sc degree in Economics, and Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy.

 

 

NIRSAL facilitates N148bn investments in agric sector – MD

 

BY BANYO TEMITAYO

THE Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending has facilitated over N148 billion in finance and investments for agriculture and agribusiness.

Managing Director, NIRSAL, Aliyu Abdulhameed, who disclosed this at a media briefing in Abuja, said the company also facilitated over N30 billion into the agric sector from January last year to date.

He said the organisation grew its balance sheet to N140 billion, adding that equity rose by 1,415 per cent and total assets by 87 per cent through prudent management of resources.

NIRSAL is a wholly-owned corporation of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Aliyu said though the company suffered a a stall during the COVID-19 induced lockdown in 2020, NIRSAL had to continue working.

“The stomach does not know whether there is pandemic or not,” he said.

He added, “In the course of the last 13 months, we facilitated the flow of over N30 billion into agricultural value chains from commercial banks and other sources.

“Even though our operations suffered a stall during the lockdown of 2020, our technological depth gave us a pathway to return to work while remaining safe and socially-distanced. As you know, it was important to continue, even increase, food and raw materials production as the pandemic bit harder.

“As enablers of actors in the agricultural value chain, we remained operational for those who were allowed by the Federal Government to move around for the purpose of producing food and rendering essential services in the society.”

“By remaining operational, our numbers grew: As at fourth quarter 2020 (Q4 2020), we had achieved the following: Facilitated over N148 billion in finance and investments for agriculture and agribusiness; aggregated over 3,000 agro geo-cooperatives with 500,000 farmers on nearly 800,000 hectares of land; and enrolled 1.4 million persons onto innovative insurance products designed by NIRSAL in collaboration with a consortium of agricultural insurance underwriters,” the MD said.