Home Blog Page 1466

President Tinubu Halts Programmes Under NSIPA For Six Months

By
Ayodele Oni
-
0
Bola Tinubu

By Ayodele Oni

Following ongoing investigation into their operations, the Federal Government has suspended all programmes of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA).

This was contained in a statement by the Director of Information in the office of Secretary to Government of the Federation, (SGF), Segun Imohiosen.

The suspension, according to the statement, also included the NPower programmes.

The statement reads: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has suspended all administered programmes by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

“This is further to the ongoing investigation of alleged malfeasance in the management of the agency and its programmes.

“All four (4) Programmes administered by NSIPA, viz; N- Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and Home Grown School Feeding Programme (the “Programs”) have been suspended for a period of six (6) weeks in the first instance.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also raised significant concerns regarding operational lapses and improprieties surrounding payments to the Programs’ beneficiaries.

“He has therefore constituted a ministerial panel to conduct a thorough review of the Agency’s operations with a view to recommending necessary reforms of the NSIPA.

”During the period of this suspension, all NSIPA-related activities, including but not limited to all distributions, events, payments, collaborations and registrations are now frozen.

“The President wishes to assure the stakeholders and all Nigerians that his administration remains committed to a swift and unbiased process that will ensure that, going forward, social intervention programmes will work exactly as intended, to the benefit of the most vulnerable Nigerians.”

This development followed the suspension of Halima Shehu as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Shehu, recently screened and confirmed by the Senate, is accused of financial malfeasance.

Shehu oversaw the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari to assist vulnerable groups and individuals.

She is reportedly being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Zamfara: Wild Jubilation Greets Governor Lawal’s  Supreme Court Victory

By
Akinwale Kasali
-
0
Dauda Lawal - Zamfra State Governor
Governor Dauda Lawal

By Akinwale Kasali

Wild jubilation by supporters and members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  greeted the declaration by the Supreme Court of Governor Lawal Dauda as the duly elected Governor of Zamfara State.

Lawal of the People’s Democratic Party, was declared the winner of the March 18 Governorship election. But the then incumbent Governor, Bello Matawalle of the All Progressives Congress, APC, now the Minister of Defence, and Lawal went upto the  Supreme Court for the final verdict.

The Court of Appeal which sat in Abuja had, on November 16, 2023, sacked Dauda following an appeal filed by Matawalle.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had after the March 18 governorship poll declared Dauda as the governor-elect, after he garnered 377,726 votes.

The incumbent Governor at the time, Matawalle, secured  311,976 votes.

Bello approached the Zamfara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Sokoto, with a petition against Dauda’s election.

Matawalle’s legal team led by Akinlola Kehinde alleged wrongful collation of election results, including those of Maradun LGA.

He also argued that elections were not held in several wards in the state without any reason given by INEC.

But the Tribunal affirmed Dauda’s election and dismissed Matawalle’s appeal for lacking in merit.

After losing his second term bid, Matawalle was appointed as Minister Of State, Defence, by President Bola Tinubu.

But he went on to appeal the verdict of the Tribunal, arguing that Dauda did not score the majority of lawful votes cast during the governorship poll and that the election was inconclusive.

He contended that the Tribunal erroneously struck out evidence tendered by his witnesses including several paragraphs in his petition.

But the PDP countered Matawalle, contending that he failed to prove his petition against Dauda’s election victory.

A three-man panel of the Appeal court led by Justice Oyebisi Folayemi, declared: “It is our view that the order of the Trial Tribunal striking out several paragraphs of the appellants petition was erroneous.”

On the tribunal striking out the evidence (PW1 and PW17) tendered by Matawalle as hearsay, the appellate court held that it was evidently seen from the polling units results used by INEC that the result sheets were not signed by party agents of the appellants.

More so, the Appeal Court held that the evidence of Matawalle’s two witnesses (LG collation agents), contrary to the Tribunal’s position, are linked to the specific aspects of the appellants case.

The Appeal court maintained that in line with the Electoral Act, it shall not be necessary for a party who alleges non compliance with relevant laws, to call oral evidence if their exhibits show the same allegations.

The Appeal Court observed that the documents INEC relied on to declare results in Maradun LGA were mutilated, and as such, the same exhibits tendered by Matawalle before the Tribunal were not hearsay evidence.

“This Court resolves this issue in favour of the appellants.,” the court held.

The Appeal Court further held that the tribunal failed to properly evaluate the evidence brought before it and that the appellants placed credible evidence before the tribunal.

The Court subsequently held that the appellants successfully proved that Dauda was not duly elected, and that the INEC Results Viewing Portal(IREV) cannot be used in collating results as done by the Tribunal.

“This appeal is hereby allowed.

“The March 2023 Governorship election held in Zamfara State is inconclusive and the return of Dauda is set aside.

“INEC is hereby directed to hold fresh elections in Maradun, Birnin Magaji and Bukun Yum LGA,” the appeal court held.

But reading the lead judgment on Friday, Justice Agim Emmanuel, held Matawalle’s legal team never tendered its duplicate copies of the INEC Forms EC8A in dispute, yet the Court of Appeal erroneously held they provided evidence.

He observed that the certified copy of the polling units results in dispute did not show any form of overvoting.

Emmanuel held that the Tribunal was right while the Appeal Court’s decision on the Governor’s election was “perverse”.

The Judge held that polling units and ward results supported the results as declared by INEC.

“The appeal has merit and is hereby allowed,” Emmanuel said while setting aside the judgment of the Appeal Court.

Fencing Nigeria’s Forest From Desert Encroachment Under Threat By Bandits – FG

By
Ayodele Oni
-
0
Balarabe Abbas Lawal - Minister of Environment

By Ayodele Oni

The Federal Government has admitted that the menace of the bandits and kidnappers, in almost every forest, is a threat to the Great Green Wall project aimed at fencing the Country from desert encroachment.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, stated that bandits have taken over the Nigerian forests to terrorize the people.

He, however, assured that the Government was planning to flush out the criminals and get rid of them without delay.

The Minister made the remarks in Kaduna, at the two-day top management retreat, organized by the ministry assuring that security forces would be deployed to flush out bandits and kidnappers responsible for insecurity in those hidden places.

He explained that though Park Rangers and some Forest Guards were put in place, they were not enough to tackle the bandits and other criminals.

At the retreat themed: “Policy Embedment and Prioritization of Key Action For a Renewed Hope in Environmental Management” were the Minister of State for Environment, Directors in the Ministry, heads of agencies under the Ministry, and resource persons.

Lawal stated that “We have a very serious issue with our forests; our forests have become hibernation grounds for bandits, poachers and kidnappers. So, the only way we can save the forests and save our communities is to do something very drastic about it.

“We need to get enough force into the forests to clean them of these miscreants that have turned our forest into something else. So, we are on it. We have similar issues in oil areas and mining sites.

“Government will come up with a very strong measure of trying to get enough forces into the forests and flush these people out because if we don’t do that, there is no way we are going to make progress in our great green wall, where we have invested a lot of money in trying to fence Nigeria from the encroachment of the desert.

“We already have Park Rangers and some Forest Guards, but they are ineffective because the boots on the ground are not enough to tackle the challenges we have.

“They don’t have enough force to confront the bandits and the rest of them. We have started doing something about this, that is why I visited the Minister of Blue Economy two days ago because they are also talking about the issue of Coastal Guards, taking a queue from what Americans did when they were bedeviled by piracy in the 16th and 17th centuries.”

He pointed out that the retreat underscored the significance of the National Climate Change Policy and the pivotal role it plays in shaping the participants’ collective efforts at addressing the challenges.

“To accelerate Ogoni Clean up, participants of this retreat need to brainstorm on strategies to increase government commitment and support, improve capacity building, enhance monitoring and evaluation, create public awareness as well as, explore various conflict resolution mechanisms, and international collaboration in Ogoni Land.

“Reclaiming brownfields and greyfields into sustainable livelihood support system across the country, we collectively have to think of ways to do this through environmental restoration, economic development, and community well-being.

“This retreat should explore means of easily identifying, assessing, and mitigating the potential environmental and social impacts of all proposed projects before it is approved and implemented

“We should devise means to implement an economic system designed to eliminate waste and promote the continual use of resources.

“We should also ensure safe deployment of modern biotechnologies and new breeding techniques in agriculture, through consideration of the involvement of a combination of regulatory oversight, scientific scrutiny, and public engagement.”

Ondo Police Nabs Hotelier, ‘Side Chic’ Over Socialite’s Death

By
Ayodele Oni
-
0
Ondo Police Nabs Hotelier

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Police Command has announced the arrest of a ‘side chic’ and an hotelier over the death of an Akure socialite, Oladoyinbo Adebayo Sunday.

A Police bulletin on Friday signed by the state command spokesperson Funmilayo Odunlami- Omisanya, explained that the deceased and female suspect were into an affair before his death.

The statement stated that “On the 10th of December 2023, the corpse of one Adebayo Popularly called Saybayo was found abandoned in his car within Ijapo Estate Akure.

“The SWAT team through intelligence led policing, apprehended one Atinuke Adeniyi ‘f’ aged 29years who claimed she and the deceased were involved in a romantic affair.

“That on the 9th, a day before the corpse was dumped, she and the deceased made out at a brothel in Ijapo, after which the deceased started convulsing and out of fear she abandoned him and quietly left the room.

“The suspect led the police team to the brothel where  one Adeojo Ilesanmi aged 50 years, the owner of the brothel was arrested.

“He confessed to have driven the corpse to the scene where it was found from his brothel with claims that he was afraid when he realized the deceased died in his brothel.

“Investigation is still in progress while suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigation.”

Governor Sanwo’Olu Reacts To Supreme Court Victory, Says Victory Is For Lagosians

By
Akinwale Kasali
-
0

By Akinwale Kasali

A proudly victorious Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu has dedicated his victory at the Supreme Court to the good people of Lagos State, describing it as “a revalidation of residents’ position and a victory for democracy.”

In a Statement by Governor Sanwo-Olu, he said since the March 18th election victory, he had declared it a No Victor, No Vanquished Situation.

The statement read in part, “With a deep sense of gratitude to The Almighty, I welcome the verdict of the Supreme Court, which today revalidated the position of Lagosians who freely cast their ballots on March 18, 2023.

“The victory is not just for my deputy, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; it is for the rule of law, our democracy and the entire people of Lagos State.

“Like I said in my acceptance speech after the results of the election were declared, there was no victor or vanquished.

“Our approach to governance since May 29, 2019 is a clear example of inclusive governance, which we believe in and stand.

“I therefore invite those who are still standing on the fence to show their love for our dear state by joining the train of progressive governance. We do not profess a monopoly of ideas.

“Today’s Judicial pronouncement, like those of the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in Lagos, have buoyed our confidence in the country’s judicial system. We do not take it for granted.

“I commend the judges for the well-thought-out and detailed judgment. They explained the reasons that led them to their conclusions today.

“We thank the Supreme Court judges, as well as the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal judges for their firm commitment to the principle of fairness and justice.

“I thank my political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), that gave us the opportunity to fly its flag at the March 18, 2023 governorship election.

“I commend all the party leaders and members for working tirelessly to ensure APC ‘s victory at the polls.

“I want to specially commend the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for deepening the country’s democracy.

“Mr. Deputy and I feel very privileged to have been elected to serve at this auspicious moment in the history of our State. We thank all Lagosians for standing by us all through this journey.

“Let me reiterate that this judicial victory will spur our government to continue on the trajectory of progress that we started in 2019, which has resulted in many achievements across many areas of lives.

“For us, our aim in governance is about service and ensuring that we are not distracted from all the promises we made to our people.

“The judgement will now allow us to accelerate our interventions to ensure that we continue to deliver more dividends of democracy to our citizens- in line with our THEMES+ developmental agenda.

“The ruling of the Supreme Court has ended the judicial process on the governorship election.”

The Supreme Court on Friday, had re-affirmed the re-election of Governor Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as Governor of Lagos State, in the March 18, 2023 Governorship poll.

Justice Garba Lawal, who read the lead judgment on Friday, dismissed the appeal filed by Labour Party, LP, Governirnoship candidate, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour for lacking merit.

He, also, ruled that the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, was duly qualified to contest the election.

With the ruling, the Supreme Court has put to final rest the quest of LP and Rhodes-Vivour to upturn the convincing victory of Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Dr. Kadiri Hamzat.

Kano: Kwankwaso Prevails Against Ganduje As Supreme Court Affirms Governor Yusuf’s  Victory

By
Ayodele Oni
-
0

By Ayodele Oni

The New Nigeria Peoples Party,NNPP retained Kano State  as the Supreme Court declared Governor Abba Yusuf the duly elected Governor of the State.

To affirm Yusuf, the apex Court restored his deducted votes, and ruled that the sponsorship of a Candidate is  purely the business Of a Political Party.

Following the restoration of the deducted votes, Yusuf NNPP was declared the valid winner of the governorship election that held in Kano State on March 18, 2023.

The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel of Justices, on Friday, vacated the concurrent judgements of the Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which sacked Governor Yusuf and declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressive Congress, (APC), as winner of the gubernatorial poll.

In the lead judgement that was delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, the Supreme Court held that the two lower courts wrongly deducted valid votes that were credited to Governor Yusuf by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).

It held that the 165,663 votes that were deducted from Yusuf and the NNPP on the premise the ballot papers were not signed, stamped or dated, were valid.

The Court held that contrary to the position of the lower courts, a total of 146, 292 of the ballot papers were confirmed to have been signed and stamped, only that they did not contain any date.

It held that by section 63(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, that ballot papers, which bore the official mark and was duly issued by INEC, were not totally invalid.

Besides, the Court held that there was no evidence that governor Yusuf influenced the non signing of the ballot papers.

More so, the court faulted the lower Courts for nullifying Yusuf’s election on the premise that he was not a member of the NNPP.

It held that the issue of sponsorship of a candidate in an election was within the domestic affairs of a political party.

It held that Yusuf won the Governorship election by a majority of lawful votes and was duly nominated by his political party.

Earlier Friday, there was tension in the city which prompted deployment of several policemen to strategic places to forestall breakdown of law and order.

Stores and shops were under lock and key while vehicles were off the roads, in anticipation of possible violence after the judgement.

LASG Partners EFCC In Combating Real Estate Fraud

By
Akinwale Kasali
-
0
EFCC Operatives

By Akinwale Kasali

The Lagos State Government, through its agency, Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority, LASRERA, has joined forces with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in combating Fraud in the Real Estate Sector.

The collaboration is aimed at curbing real estate fraudulent practices in the sector, which has been prevalent in the sector.

The new partnership between LASRERA and EFCC was facilitated by the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Housing, Barr. Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, during a courtesy visit to his office.  He led the management team of the agency to discuss several issues of fraud emanating from real estate transactions in the State.

According to Odunuga-Bakare, the partnership comes as a response to the growing concerns surrounding real estate fraud in Nigeria, revealing that the joint forces of the two organizations are needed to further enhance the regulations and enforcement of ethical standards within the real estate industry by ensuring a secure and transparent environment for both buyers and sellers.

She stressed that LASRERA and EFCC will work closely to investigate and prosecute individuals and organizations involved in fraudulent practices such as impersonation, property flipping, and document forgery.

By leveraging their respective expertise and resources, the Special Adviser informed that LASRERA and EFCC will strengthen the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms to tackle real estate fraud effectively.

Speaking further, Odunuga-Bakare highlighted the importance of the collaboration between the two government agencies in safeguarding the interests of both investors and the general public.

“Real estate fraud not only undermines the integrity of the sector but also poses significant financial risks to individuals and the economy as a whole. By teaming up with EFCC, we are sending a strong message that such practices will not be tolerated, and perpetrators will be held accountable.

“The EFCC, known for its expertise in investigating financial crimes, will bring its extensive knowledge and experience to this collaboration. The agency’s mandate aligns perfectly with LASRERA’s mission to regulate and promote ethical practices in the real estate industry,” the Special Adviser added.

She however implored the Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC to ensure that the registration status of any individual or organization being interrogated by the Commission for real estate-related fraud is ascertained through the registration portal of LASRERA to know if the person or organization is genuine or not.

Speaking during the visit, the Zonal Commander, EFCC Lagos Zonal Command, who is also an Assistant Commander of the EFCC1, Michael .T. Wetkas described the visit as a good move that will further assist the Commission in investigating corrupt cases around real estate transactions.

While saying that real estate investment-related issues constitute a major part of complaints received by the Commission in recent times, the Zonal Commander

maintained that the partnership between LASRERA and the EFCC will rekindle investors’ confidence in the Lagos’ real estate sector.

He said that the collaborative effort is expected to have a far-reaching impact on the real estate sector, restoring confidence and trust among stakeholders, just as he urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to real estate transactions appropriately, assuring them that their identities will be protected.

It should be noted that while LASRERA is a government agency established to regulate and promote the real estate industry in Lagos State by protecting the interests of both buyers and sellers through professionalism, transparency, and integrity, the EFCC is Nigeria’s leading agency in the fight against economic and financial crimes with a mandate to investigate, prosecute, and prevent financial crimes.

Ekiti Eyes Finland’s Technology To Boost Knowledge Zone

By
Ayodele Oni
-
0

By Ayodele Oni

Ekiti State Government is set to tap into science and technology innovations of Finland as part of drives to boost the state’s knowledge zone.

The State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji expressed the readiness of his administration to partner with the Government of Finland to bring cutting-edge technology and expertise to the Ekiti Knowledge Zone, which is aimed at  propelling the state into the forefront of technology -driven development in the country.

Governor Oyebanji, who made this known during a working visit to the Finish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, in Abuja on said his government is embracing cutting edge technologies for sustainable development in the state.

While explaining that the Ekiti Knowledge Zone has capacity to lift the people out of poverty, the Governor said the collaboration would harness Finland’s renowned prowess in science, innovation, technology, and provide the with a transformative impetus for economic growth and social development.

Oyebanji pointed out that Finland, which is renowned for her robust tech- ecosystem and innovation-friendly policies, would also contribute significantly to Ekiti’s aspiration to become a hub for technology-driven solutions in Nigeria.

He added that the partnership envisions knowledge exchange, skill development, and joint initiatives that will propel Ekiti State into the forefront of technological advancement in Nigeria and African Continent.

“We have an ecosystem that is called Ekiti Knowledge Zone and it’s an innovation hub that is going to leverage on services and I discover that services contribute more than 70 percent  to Finland GDP, so we have a lot to learn from Finland and a lot to do together.

“My visit  is to tell you that we are a partnership with Finland. We are looking for partnership with friendly countries and agencies that will see what we have and collaborate with us so that we can lead our people out of poverty, reduce insecurity, create wealth and employment for the people.”

In her own remarks, the Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, commended the Governor’s commitment to fostering international cooperation for the development of Ekiti State and emphasized Finland’s interest in engaging with the state for mutual benefits.

Acknowledging the state’s potential for growth and the importance of collaborative efforts in achieving sustainable development goal, the Ambassador said that the collaboration marked significant step towards strengthening diplomatic ties and creating opportunities for mutual development.

Shock: Moribund Ajaokuta Steel Mill Owes N33bn Electricity Bill; FG Launches investigations

By
James Orji
-
0

The Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, says the federal government has commenced investigation into the N33 billion owed by the Ajaokuta Steel Mill to the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.

The minister spoke barely 24 hours after the Steel Mill was disconnected from the national grid by TCN over the huge debt.

According to Audu, it is unfathomable that the government owned company could owe so much when there is no operations going on there for years. He spoke after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock, Abuja.

According to the details provide by TCN, the N33 billion comprises N30.85bn for energy and capacity delivered by NBET and N2.22bn owed to service providers.

The minister said he has spoken to the management of the company saying “we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”

Audu said, “I mean these are some of the things that need to be clearly looked into. One of the things I spoke to the MD of Ajaokuta today, and this was one of the questions I asked and we’re going to get to the bottom of it: why consumption of so much electricity in a place that is not operating at full capacity.

“Part of what we also need to do is that we’re trying to revive Ajaokuta in a collegiate system, in piecemeal, and so we may not have the capacity to be able to pay all those outstanding amounts immediately.

“Part of what the MD of Ajaokuta told me is that most of them money is in interest payments. And NBET, the electricity company that has disconnected it is also a government agency.”

Banker’s Suicide: Police Commence Investigation

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
-
0

The Lagos state police command has commenced investigation into the death of a banker, Amarachi Ugochukwu who died on Thursday.

Sources at the command informed the magazine that the corpse of the deceased has already been taken away from the bank, and is now awaiting autopsy.

“The body of the young lady who took her own life has been recovered. Investigation on the issue has commenced immediately. We are talking to some of her colleagues to find out what actually happened. It is very sad,” a source said.

Ugochukwu, a staff of Globus Bank committed suicide yesterday in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos, citing various problems as her reason for taking her own life.

The deceased who left a note said the economic challenges in the country pushed her to commit suicide, was found dead in the rest room of the new generation bank by her colleagues.

She was said to have consumed a deadly substance.

She said in the note: “Nothing is working in my life, my figures are low, my brain is clogged up; the economy is getting harder, my decisions are wrong, my mind is messed up.

“The future doesn’t seem bright at all, I see extreme hardship. I can’t bear the pain anymore.

“I’m sorry mum, I’m sorry dad, I’m sorry Nene, Okwe, Toto Nazor, Chuchu, Ifunanya.

“Dear Lord, have mercy on me!”.

According to analysts, the rate of Nigerians committing suicide due to economic hardship lately has become worrisome. The government should holistically deal with the issue, they insist.

1...1,4651,4661,467...3,103Page 1,466 of 3,103