APC Crisis: Twice In One Month V/Chair Demands Adamu’s Probe

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April 20, 2023

The third annual Africa.com Definitive List of Women Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) was revealed on April 19.

Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc and Miriam Chidiebele Olusanya, Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Holding Company made the top 10 list. Both companies are listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX.

The list is unique in that it is based on data-driven research. Sponsored by Standard Bank Group, it represents one of the first analyses of the performance of publicly listed companies in Africa conducted through a gender lens.

This year’s list of 93 women represents 17 countries who have qualified based on either large-scale revenue or large-scale market capitalisation.

BusinessDay check shows the list includes 40 women from South Africa, 12 from Nigeria, and 6 from Egypt, Ghana and Kenya respectively.

Africa.com analysed 2,020 companies listed on the 24 African stock exchanges. Of the 2,020 companies, Africa.com screened for those companies with revenue of $100 million or more, or a market cap of $150 million or more, which yielded a list of 787 companies.

The public websites of all 787 companies were examined to identify female C-suite executives. The team then researched each woman to determine those who have a title of chief executive officer or managing director or president AND conducted a review to confirm that these executives have bottom line, profit and loss responsibility for the companies. This resulted in 40 women CEOs on group 1.

The methodology for group 2 is identical to the methodology for Group 1, except that the entities evaluated were the divisions of the 787 companies, such that the divisions themselves have standalone revenue of $100 million or more.

The women running these divisions must have a title that clearly demonstrates that they are the chief executive with profit and loss responsibility for the division. This analysis yielded 28 women division heads.

Group 3 started with an analysis of global corporations with revenue over $10 billion who have operations in one or more countries on the African continent.

The regional heads of these companies were analysed to identify women executives for an Africa region or an African country, with profit and loss responsibility for the country or region. This analysis yielded 25 women. Women in this group are ranked by prioritizing those who run the Africa region ahead of those who run a single African country.

The three groups make up the final Definitive List of 93 women listed below. The 40 women from Group I are: Natascha Viljoen, CEO, Anglo American Plc, a company listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange; Nompumelelo Zikalala, CEO, Kumba Iron Ore Ltd, also listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Others are: Mpumi Madisa, CEO, Bidvest Group, a Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed company;
Bertina Engelbrecht, CEO, Clicks Group Ltd, also listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Also on the top 10 list include Nombasa Tsengwa, CEO, Exxaro Resources, listed on the
Johannesburg Stock Exchange; Albertinah Kekana, CEO, Royal Bafokeng Holdings, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange; Jane Karuku, Group Managing Director & CEO, East African Breweries, listed on Nairobi Stock Exchange; Ntombi Felicia Msiza, CEO, Raubex Group Ltd, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Africa.com is a media holding company with an extensive array of platforms that reach a global audience interested in African content and community.

Malami, Ahmed Face Arrest Over $200m Paid To Whistleblowers

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April 20, 2023

The House of Reps says the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami faces arrest over a $200 million paid to whistleblowers.

The only remedy for the minister and his counterpart, the Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed, the lawmakers said is to appear before the House Adhoc Committee investigating the issue, to shed lights on how the whistleblower was paid without recourse to the National Assembly in flagrance of the law.

According to the chairman of the committee, Mark Gbillah, Malami gave the approval to pay whistleblowers after assisting the government in the recovery of fund for the federal government.

But Gbilah said the amount recovered is not known to the House for it to be able to appropriate it as provided by the constitution, adding that whatever must be paid to whistle blowers who assisted in the recovery of such funds must have statutory approval form NASS.

To compound the problem, the chairman of the committee said, the two ministers have refused to appear before the House despite inviting them.

The House said it has no option than to extend another invitation to them following which they will order for their arrest if they fail to appear before the committee.

“We have not been getting any form of cooperation from the Ministry of Finance and Attorney General’s office regarding this investigation despite a series of correspondents sent to them on this matter that we are investigating. We’ve seen documentation from the Accountant General’s office, where the minister of finance approved the payment of a substantially significant amount of money to so-called whistle-blowers where details of monies recovered were not provided,” Gbilah said on Wednesday.

“We’ve heard media reports by the federal government indicating that millions of dollars were recovered through whistle-blower revelations on behalf of the country. But we as a parliament have not seen where those monies were routed through the constitutional appropriation process before they were expended. The constitution is very clear about the receipt and expenditure of Nigeria’s money.

“We’ve looked at the functions of the Attorney General’s office and we’ve not seen any statutory powers provided for the Attorney General by the constitution to determine how Nigeria’s money should be spent.

“There was an incident about a whistleblower who made a formal report to Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about $200m paid into two companies accounts Biz Plus, and GSCL allegedly for consultancy services, which allegedly were approved, they said by the Attorney General’s office on the approval of Mr President.

“We need the Honourable Minister of Finance, and the Attorney General of the Federation to appear before this House to provide clarity on the inflows that have come in from whistleblowers’ recoveries, and about these monies that were recovered, and the CBN is required to provide information that has been provided by these whistleblowers about substantial amounts of monies that were paid supposedly and allegedly for consultancy services when there’s no record of any agreement entered into by those companies regarding any services.

“These are very weighty allegations and as a responsible House, we owe everybody fair hearing and a benefit of doubt, and this is what we’ve been seeking to accord those who have been mentioned in these allegations.

“But we find it un-actionable that the Honourable Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of Federation have not bothered to respond to any of the correspondence from the committee and this in our opinion shows a lack of regard not only to the Institution of House, but that of the National Assembly as a whole,” he said.

How 21-yr Old Scammed German Lover Of $2m

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April 19, 2023

Lagos Police Commissioner Sylvester-Abiodun-Alabi

A 21-year old Nigerian graduate Cynthia Atuonah has been arrested by the Police Special Fraud Unit, PSFU in Lagos for duping her German ‘lover’ of $2 million.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the lady, a graduate of Economics from one of the nation’s universities presented to be in a romantic relationship with the foreigner who was deceived to lodge the sum in her account.

The sum is more than N1 billion at the current exchange rate of the dollar to naira.

Speaking on scam on Wednesday, Eyitayo Johnson, spokesperson of the PSFU, Atuanah lured the victim on Instagram after claiming to be a model and owner of The-Chi-Place’’.

Johnson said “The suspect, a 2019 graduate of Economics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, lured the 50-year-old victim on Instagram by feigning romantic intentions toward him, thereby gaining the victim’s trust and goodwill.

“She promised to marry the victim; invited him to Nigeria for visits on several occasions and convinced him to emigrate to Nigeria so they could live together as husband and wife.

“In a ploy to dispel suspicion, the victim was made to meet with Atuonah’s parents at Ikot-Abasi, Akwa Ibom, where he received their blessings to marry the suspect.

“The suspect persuaded the victim to return to Germany to sell his house in Stuttgart and forward the proceeds of sale together with his pensions and life savings to her domiciliary account at Fidelity Bank plc.

“The purpose of the money was to buy a house in Nigeria where they will both live as husband and wife as well as to establish a joint business outfit as indicated in the bank transfer narration.”

During investigation conducted by the police it was discovered that the suspect used part of the proceed of the scam to acquire choice property in Lekki, a high brow area in Lagos, she also spent part of it to take care of the hospital bill of his sick father as well as supporting her mother’s business.

Operatives of PSFU said they are still investigating whether she used the proceeds of the crime to acquire other things.

NNPC Chair: Buhari, Ararume Battle Continues

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April 19, 2023

For Senator Ifeanyi Ararume it’s not yet Uhuru in his quest to be reinstated as the chairman Board of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPL.

Barely 24 hours after his reinstatement by a federal high court in Abuja, the federal government says it will challenge the ruling.

In his ruling on the matter on Tuesday, the court presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo said the former senator was illegally removed from office.

He was also awarded N5 billion as damages.

But on Wednesday, the Presidency in indicated its readiness to challenge the ruling.

According to a state by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity the judgment did not sit well with the federal government, and will be challenged at the Court of Appeal.

Adesina said the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami will has been directed by the president to challenge the judgment as soon as he received a true certified copy.

Meanwhile, a northern group, The Coalition of Arewa Civil Society Groups has criticized the judgment reinstating Ararume, saying it’s an attempt by the court to usurp the powers of the executive arm of government.

The Arewa group made its position on the issue known in a statement on Wednesday, signed by its publicity secretary, Mallam Sanni Mohammed.

Thee coalition said President Buhari acted within his powers to hire and fire Senator Ararume based on the Petroleum Industry Governance Act.

The statement read: “The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is unambiguous as Section 14 is clear on the president’s power to suspend or remove members of the NNPCL board and the conditions that could result in such removal or suspension. President Buhari as the Minister of Petroleum heads the industry with a wide range of powers to formulate, monitor, and administer government policies. Indeed, those who call Buhari’s sacking of Ararume illegal should read in-between the lines.”

The coalition urged the nation to grow past petty sentiments and avoid using the judiciary to cause chaos, setting the country backward by damaging its image before the eyes of the international community.

“The essence of any judicial intervention is to ensure orderliness and good conduct in government’s affairs.

“When a judicial pronouncement seeks to usurp the powers of another branch of government, it is a recipe for anarchy and breakdown of the rule of law.

“It is in this regard that we in the Coalition of Arewa Civil Society groups note with great displeasure and consider as an aberration the judgement by the Federal High Court in Abuja, restoring Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as non-Executive Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

“The Coalition views as usurpation of the duties of the Office of the President and an affront on the powers of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“For a start, the 1999 Constitution provides that “5(1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the executive powers of the Federation — (a) shall be vested in the President and may, subject as aforesaid and to the provisions of any law made by the National Assembly, be exercised by him either directly or through the Vice-President and Ministers of the Government of the Federation or officers in the Public Service of the Federation.”

“Also, the cabinet and the larger administrative team, except where specifically established by the constitution, hold their appointments at the pleasure of Mr. President,” the statement said.

Adamawa: Tinubu Weighs-in, Calls For Police Investigation; Buhari Mum

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April 19, 2023

By Gideon Njoku

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, President-elect, has urged the Police to institute a full investigation into the Adamawa Governorship Supplementary Poll which winner was announced on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.

The supplementary poll was held on Saturday, 15 April between incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Aishatu Dahiru Binani of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

But the outcome was marred, almost, by the confusion caused by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Hudu Yunisa Ari, who announced Binani as Governor-elect while collation of votes was still on-going, with Fintiri in a comfortable lead.

INEC Headquarters quickly contained the embarrassment by cancelling Binani’s declaration as winner, and dismissed it as null, void and of no consequence.

It, also, invited both Ari and the INEC Returning Officer, Professor Mohammed Mele, whose job Ari usurped and announced the result, to Abuja, after it suspended Ari from office on Monday.

Professor Mele, in the authentic result on Tuesday, declared Fintiri Governor-elect, while INEC invited the Police to arrest Ari.

Reacting to the embarrassing incident, Tinubu, in a statement he personally signed, urged the Police to institute a thorough investigation into the debacle.

He said, “With the conclusion of the 2023 elections, I now welcome all of us who have been elected to brace up to serve our people with diligence and dedication and to join hands with me as your President-elect in the pursuit of our agenda to renew the hopes of our people in a better, stronger, more secure, economically vibrant and prosperous Nigeria.

“I congratulate the winners of the Supplementary Governorship elections held in Kebbi and Adamawa States on Saturday, April 15, 2023.

“I also rejoice with those elected into the Senate, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly during the last round of elections in states where such took place.

“These victorious men and women have earned the trust of their people and I call on them to rededicate themselves to the service of their respective constituents.

“The supplementary polls have now brought the 2023 elections to a final, fitting conclusion.

“I observed, with satisfaction, the largely peaceful atmosphere that pervaded the supplementary election on Saturday. It was a further testimony that our citizens have accepted democratic norms and have unalloyed faith in the electoral process.”

Commenting on Adamawa, the President-elect said:

“I note the matter of Adamawa Supplementary Governorship Election and I urge police authorities to fully investigate all that transpired in the election given the attendant controversy.

“In every democratic contest there has to be one winner. I call on those aggrieved to pursue legitimate means of addressing their grievances.”

President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to comment on the Adamawa incident, but not a few Nigerians have urged for the prosecution of Ari.

US CDC Hosts Meeting To Review HIV Program Progress

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April 19, 2023

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) hosted federal and state ministries of health, Government of Nigeria health agency leadership, and HIV program implementing partners for a two-day meeting to review President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program performance over the last six months and plan for government-led program sustainability going forward. The meeting was a follow up to an event last October where the group developed a roadmap for HIV programs in US CDC-supported states to help Nigeria reach epidemic control.

In her opening remarks, US CDC Country Director Mary Boyd commended states and partners for their work over the last six months and highlighted recent US CDC-supported activities like the Nigeria Sustainability and HIV Impact Program. She reiterated US CDC’s commitment to working with the Government of Nigeria, states, partners, and communities to increase the number of people with HIV who know their status and receive life-saving treatment.

The meeting served as a review of accomplishments, challenges, and best practices from the last six months. It also focused on aligning national and state program activities with each other and the strategic pillars of PEPFAR’s new five-year strategy to ensure long-term program sustainability.

In a presentation given by the National AIDS and STDs Control Programme, the importance of strengthened collaboration between national, state levels, and local levels, as well and with key partners, was emphasized. Also highlighted was the recently issued government-to-government award which directly reengaged government institutions to strengthen national and state HIV program ownership.

A third program performance review and planning meeting will be held in six months to ensure Nigeria stays on track to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.

12,000 Applicants Scramble For Teaching Job In Ekiti

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Ayodele Oni

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April 19, 2023

By Ayodele Oni

Over 12,00 applicants who applied for teaching job in Ekiti state have been pruned down to 1,300 candidates.

The applicants had earlier sat for the recruitment examination aptitude test for teachers in public primary schools in Ekiti State after which those of them that scaled the first hurdle were invited for second round of interview.

The Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof. Femi Akinwumi who disclosed this in Ado Ekiti during the interview/documentation process for successful candidates, said only applicants that scored 45 percent and above in the qualifying examination were shortlisted.

He added that the focus was to fill existing vacancies for teachers in the state’s public primary schools, insisting that there was no room for compromise in conducting the exercise to meet global best practices.

According to him, special consideration was accorded to people living with disabilities among the candidates, as well as candidates from communities with hard-to-staff schools, saying that the move would address the difficulty in providing staff for schools in difficult terrains and remote locations.

The SUBEB boss pointed out further that a bulk of the successful candidates in the ongoing exercise would be posted to rural communities to ensure the provision of qualified personnel in all schools across the state.

Expressing appreciation to Governor Biodun Oyebanji for approving the Board’s proposal for the recruitment of qualified personnel into the Basic Education sector in the state, he assured that the exercise would be fair and just.

Akinwumi also solicited the continued support of the people on the recruitment exercise, urging those that were not invited to the interview not to be discouraged as the exercise would be a continuous process.

“The present administration in the State understands the plight of the unemployed graduates and will continue to do everything within its powers to reduce the number of people in the labour market.”

Democracy: CNPP Commends Justice Ekwo, Says Judiciary Now The Last Hope Of Nigerians

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April 19, 2023

Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has hailed Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja for temporarily declining to hear an application by Senator Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, seeking an order of the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from invalidating her declaration as winner of the governorship election in Adamawa State.

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Binani, had on Monday approached the court for leave to file an application for judicial review of the administrative decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made on April 16, 2023 in respect of her declaration as winner of the governorship election in Adamawa State which held on March 18 and the supplementary elections of April 15.

The CNPP, in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, noted that the judiciary has by the court’s verdict saved the state from anarchy, saying that “it is now left for our Judges and Justices to rekindle the courage with which they delivered landmark judgments during the military dictatorship while delivering justice in all litigations on the 2023 general elections without fear or favour.”

According to the umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in the country, “the judiciary is said to be the last hope of the common man and as far as the Nigerian democracy is concerned today, only the judiciary ensure its sustenance in view of poor conduct of the 2023 general elections.

“This has become imperative as INEC, the supposed Independent electoral umpire, has failed the country by performing below expectations of majority of Nigerian people in the way and manner it conducted the general elections.

“On their path, most security agencies portrayed themselves as instruments in the hands of politicians and this was equally evident in Adamawa State where the police provided cover for the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barr. Yusuf Hudu Ari, who usurped the powers of the Returning Officer for the Adamawa State governorship election.

“There were many instances where the security agencies deployed to states on election duties failed to protect the electorates and, as seen in some viral videos, allegedly provided cover for hoodlums who attacked and maimed innocent citizens whose sins were going out to exercise their franchise.

“The security agencies equally performed below President Muhammadu Buhari’s directives in post-2023 general elections in parts of the country.

“The courageous decision of Justice Inyang Ekwo on the experte order brought before the court foiled a civilian coup in Adamawa State.

“All Nigerians of good faith and lovers of democracy all over the world have their eyes fixed on the judiciary to restore hope in our people, especially the youths, and re-energise the confidence of the electorates who trusted INEC and went out to vote in the 2023 general elections”, the CNPP averred.

Iwuanyanwu Is New Ohanaeze Ndigbo President General; Government To Implement Imo Charter of Equity

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April 19, 2023