Winners in the Dangote Cement Bag of Goodies national consumer promo Season 1 have commended the President Of Dangote Group and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote for transforming their lives.
The lucky winners said they expect to win more in the Season 2 version, expected to take off nationwide before the end of July, where other lucky Nigerians are expected to win over one billion cash and other life transforming prizes including brand new cars.
Star prizes were doled out to 40 lucky individuals across Nigeria, including brand new saloon cars in the Season 1 promo, unveiled by the group to improve the lives of 21 million Nigerians.
The happy winners have also urged more Nigerians to participate in the Season 2 promo.
Benjamin Igherighe, a winner from Delta state said he trusts Dangote Cement for his building projects, adding that buying the products have changed his life and business for good.
According to Igherighe “People stop me on the road to make inquiries about cement supply and then place orders. It has become a marketing tool which attracts attention and increased sales for me. The branded car has made me an ambassador of Dangote Cement and I keep telling people that the company stands for quality, durability and trust.”
Dangote: Transforming Lives
An elated 64-year-old bricklayer from Ijebu Ode, Ogun state, Iyowun Ezekiel who won a brand-new star prize of a GAC saloon car in Season 1, said his clients have switched to Dangote Cement product for their construction project.
He expressed his gratitude to Dangote, adding that he will participate in the Season 2 promo to enable him more.
Ugochukwu Joy said the promo is real and transparent as Dangote Cement ensured that the prizes got to the real winners, adding that her star prize, a brand new car, has made movement easy and transformed her family.
Awojobi Olusegun, a contractor form Ilorin, Kwara state, on his part said “People who were not interested in transacting business with me are now doing so because of the branded Dangote Cement car prize. God has used Dangote to save me and family. I want to use this opportunity to thank Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the entire management of Dangote Cement for giving me opportunity to own a car. I will like to participate in any of their promo in the future.”
He encouraged people to continue to patronise Dangote Cement, describing it as one of the best brands in Africa. “Dangote Cement is the best in the country. The product is second to none in the country. The company takes care of its consumers and ensure they benefit from the its generosity all the time. Dangote products remain the best,” he added.
The season 2 promo is expected to take off this month, and 1,000 Nigerians are expected to win a star prize of 1 million naira each over a promo period of 16 weeks.
Also to be won are tricycles, refrigerators, television sets, generators, Goody packs, cash prizes and airtime credits amongst others.
Late Former South Africa’s President and Aperthied hero, Nelson Mandela’s youngest daughter, Zindzi Mandela, has died.
Zindzi was said to have died in a Johannesburg hospital in the early hours of today, Monday 13th July, 2020, South Africa Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, reported.
Until her death, Zindzi was serving as the South African Ambassador to Denmark. She was aged 59 years.
The cause of her death is yet to be revealed.
Zindzi was Nelson Mandela’s sixth child and his second with late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, his second wife.
“This is untimely. She still had a role to play in the transformation of our own society and a bigger role to play even in the African National Congress, ANC,” said ANC spokesman Pule Mabe.
Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, said: “Zindzi will not only be remembered as a daughter of our struggle heroes, but as a struggle heroine in her own right.”
Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has disclosed that the group has not abandoned its struggle to lead the people of the south east to secede from Nigeria becuase his people continue to suffer untold hardship under President Muhamamdu Buhari’s administration.
The president recently, through Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity affirmed that his administration is not working against the interest of the people of the south east.
“Buhari has demonstrated uncommon goodwill towards the people of the South-East,” the presidential adviser said recently.
Responding to the issue, Kanu who flee the country in 2017 after security forces attacked his Umuahia, Abia state home said Buhari “can only deceive the gullible but certainly not those familiar with history.”
The IPOB leader in a statement by his spokesman Emma Powerful said his people have suffered greatly under the administration.
Contrary to Adesina’s claim “The truth rather, is that people of Biafra have continued to be victims of state persecution and calculated elimination.
Biafrans have been slaughtered at the slightest provocation on several occasions since the unholy amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914.
Nigeria Government and her partners in crime are sponsoring the killings and heartless massacre of Biafrans since 1945 till date.”
He condemned the genocide against his people by security forces and other state sponsored groups.
Kanu said “It is still fresh in our memory how this present Federal Government led by Buhari and his cabals killed innocent, peaceful and unarmed members of IPOB in Aba, Onitsha, Nkpor, Umuahia, Asaba, Igweocha, Enugu, Owerri and other cities.
Fulani terrorists, Boko Haram and terrorist groups have continued to slaughter with reckless abandon, Christians in Nigeria particularly Southern Kaduna Indigenes and Biafrans in their farms and villages, yet the Federal Government has done nothing drastic to stop the genocide.
“Ordinary designating the killer herdsmen terrorists has become a difficult task for the Federal Government which ironically tagged unarmed IPOB a terror group with the speed of light.”
He challenged Buhari to demonstrate his love for the South east.
According to him “How does a government which pampers globally acknowledged terror groups but suppresses and kills peaceful agitators want to prove its innocence of bloodshed?
On their unsubstantiated claims of being the best thing that has happened to Ndi Igbo, IPOB is challenging Femi Adesina, Arthur Eze and their likes in this Government to show Nigerians, Biafrans and World at large what they did and where this government and cabals sited any tangible federal project in Biafraland.”
He said the south east has not been fairly treated in the area of capital projects distribution by the federal government, adding that the region has been abandoned since Buhari came to power five years ago wondering “why the Nigerian government will claim to have executed 69 different projects, and spent N680 billion in South East alone without showing or mentioning where those projects are sited.”
In view of these injustices, Kanu said “We are leaving Nigeria in the shortest possible time. Time for this fake, concocted and deceptive news has gone and there is nothing anybody can do to change our resolve to restore Biafra freedom and independence from Nigeria.”
This is good news for Manchester City. Its players and Coaches have been unbanned by the Union of European Football Association, UEFA. The Union had placed a two -year ban on the team over alleged infraction of Financial Fair Play Regulations.
Manchester City has, now, successfully had their two-year ban from all UEFA competitions overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS.
The Club was facing a two seasons away from the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League when they were found guilty of breaching UEFA’s club licensing and financial fair play regulations.
The former Barclays English Premier League Champions right from the very outset, had vigorously denied any wrong doing, and their appeal against the punishment was heard over three days by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month.
After listening to the evidence, CAS overturned the suspension, meaning City are free to compete in next season’s Champions League without any fuss.
A statement released by UEFA said: “UEFA takes note of the decision taken by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reduce the sanction imposed on Manchester City FC by UEFA’s independent Club Financial Control Body for alleged breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play regulations.
“UEFA notes that the CAS panel found that there was insufficient conclusive evidence to uphold all of the CFCB’s conclusions in this specific case and that many of the alleged breaches were time-barred due to the 5 year time period foreseen in the UEFA regulations.
“Over the last few years, Financial Fair Play has played a significant role in protecting clubs and helping them become financially sustainable and UEFA and ECA remain committed to its principles.
“UEFA will be making no further comments on the matter.”
For the first time since he came out of detention, Sambo Dasuki, the National Security Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to allegations that he betrayed his former boss for President Muhamamdu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.
‘I never campaigned for APC or Buhari as NSA to President Jonathan,’ the former NSA said on Sunday.
Dasuki described the claim that he worked against Jonathan’s re-election “as being recklessly insinuated by mischief makers on their blogs and in the social media.”
Buhari defeated Jonathan in that election and reports claimed that some power individuals in his party, PDP, including Dasuki did not do enough to get him a win in the keenly contested election.
For instance, a former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, following the defeat of the PDP in the election, named a former chairman of the party Adamu Muazu as one of those that frustrated Jonathan re-election.
The former president has also admitted that he lost the election because some of those close to him worked for the APC.
Muazu has, however denied he worked against his party’s interests.
According to a statement on Sunday, Dasuki who was put under house arrest for four years, by the Buhari administration for allegedly mismanaging over $2 billion security fund, allocated to his office for purchase of weapons to fight Boko Haram, said he did not campaign for Buhari.
The ex-NSA said it has become expedient for him to put the record straight following media reports that he was among the fifth columnists in Jonathan’s administration.
He said his relationship with Buhari after the 2011 presidential election was only personal and not political.
Dasuki claimed that, “The truth is that I was involved in an attempt at forging an alliance between the Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party and the Congress for Progressive Change, among others, prior to the 2011 elections, which was not successful.
My involvement in that political process ended after the elections of 2011.”
Following his appointment as NSA, Dasuki said all that mattered to him was to protect the interest of the former president.
“At the point of accepting the appointment to serve as the National Security Adviser in 2012, I made clear to President Jonathan that I had relationships with General Muhammadu Buhari of the CPC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu of the ACN and Chief Ogbonnaya Onu of the ANPP, among other opposition elements and that my appointment would not cause me to sever the relationship.
I, however, assured him that I would never betray him. As a man of honour, I kept to my words.”
He described the claim of betrayal as spurious and plot by mischief makers to destroy him through damaging media campaigns.
I don’t know if the sacked National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, was at the inauguration of the party’s Edo State Governorship Campaign Council led by Governor Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano State.
I am not, now, sure I saw his face in the few photographs published from the ceremony.
If he was present, it was a good thing his face was not shown. If he was not present, at all, that is great for the APC, and yes, for Oshiomhole. It shows he still has a little self esteem.
The reason is simple.
Oshiomhole is a bad advertisement for the party in Edo State. It is not good to flaunt his face, or credentials, at APC political events in the state, especially, when such events have to do with the campaign of the party’s candidate in the September 22 election.
Politicians are a different breed of human beings. They have a diabolical sense of humour. Otherwise, what would an Oshiomhole be doing in the Campaign Council for Ize-Iyamu’s governorship election?
When I saw the list of the members of the Campaign Council, I was amused by two names. Oshiomhole’s, and that of former National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
Oyegun was the gentleman, polished party Chairman who Oshiomhole succeeded in a blaze of controversy and bad blood.
The former Federal super Permanent Secretary- turned-politician was humiliated out of office as party Chairman. He wanted a second term. Afterall, he had just led the party to victory at the National level. But he was forced to step down for Oshiomhole when he saw that the gang-up against him was huge and ugly.
Oshiomhole had the full backing of the Party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to humiliate Oyegun out of office. At the time, I don’t know about now, Tinubu was a moving train in the affairs of the party. A moving train crushes anything on its part without pity. That was Oyegun’s fate.
Since then, Oyegun and Oshiomhole, both former two-time Governors, have not been political friends. It was no surprise, therefore, that when Oshiomhole fell out with Governor Godwin Obaseki, Oyegun stood like a rock behind the Governor. He was vehemently against the inexplicable denial of a second term ticket to Obaseki.
Oyegun is not likely to change his stand on Obaseki’s suitability for the state, and its people.
Oshiomhole, who was Obaseki’s champion, in 2016, has since turned full circle.
To help make Obaseki Governor, Oshiomhole ran Ize-Iyamu down no end. He called him names. A thief. A school drop-out. A cultist, who engineered the throwing of acid on a fellow student at the University of Benin, over which he was expelled. A fake Pastor. A corrupt man, neither fit, nor proper to be given a Councillorship seat. And more.
At the time, Ize-Iyamu had just decamped from the APC to the PDP, and was facing Obaseki for the Governorship seat.
Oshiomhole was Obaseki’s Chief Campaigner, and Chief Marketing Officer.
As Obaseki’s frontline man, Oshiomhole praised him to high heavens – A highly educated man who went to good schools. Brilliant man who helped set up banks. The man who helped raise money for my Governorship Campaign when I told him I had no money to run.
Adams Oshiomhole
No longer.
In the past few months, Oshiomhole has been in an awkward and embarrassing situation. He is swallowing his vomit from both sides – Obaseki’s and Ize-Iyamu’s. He has boxed himself into an untidy corner. And, not even Ize-Iyamu trusts him.
That is why I was amused when I saw the names of Oyegun and, especially, Oshiomhole on the list of the Edo APC Governorship Campaign Council.
Oyegun is not likely to campaign against Obaseki. Meaning that he would not also campaign for Ize-Iyamu, party or no party. He would keep a respectable silence and distance. So, why put his name on the Campaign Council?
But Oshiomhole’s case is the limit.
When he was appointed a member, I thought he was going to excuse himself from the ordeal of swallowing his vomit. The honourable thing to do, I thought, would have been to say: “Look guys, I am with you in spirit, but there is no way I can show face. Excuse me from it,” – especially, as he had just been sacked as party Chairman.
They would have understood. But he did not decline. If he did, it was not public.
In case Oshiomhole does not know, his name is bad news for the Ize-Iyamu campaign. He is the most potent weapon the PDP has against his candidacy.
As pointed out earlier here, in 2016, he dismissed Ize-Iyamu as not fit and proper to be appointed a Councillor. What has changed? He called Ize-Iyamu a thief . What has changed? He called him a cultist. What has changed? He said he was a school drop-out. What has changed? He called him corrupt. What has changed?
When Ize-Iyamu goes out on campaigns, these are the questions likely to be hurled at him. If Oshiomole is present, Ize-Iyamu would, of course, tell them he lied. In that case, what will Oshiomhole do? Keep a straight face? Or bow his head in shame, and/or embarrassment? Or, “do bold face”, take the microphone, apologise to Ize-Iyamu and the people by saying: “Sorry I lied in 2016. I was playing politics then. This man is a good man. I deliberately scandalized his name”.
Perhaps.
But where does that leave Oshiomhole? Who will believe him again? How will they trust him? Where lies his credibility? And integrity?
That is the problem with a number of Nigeria’s politicians. They have no shame. They speak from both sides of the mouth without a blink of the eye, and think nothing of it.
As I listen to, and watch the, now, viral Oshiomhole’s 2016 campaigns videos for Obaseki, and against Ize-Iyamu, on WhatsApp, I, at once, feel both shame and pity for him. I blush in embarrassment.
Whatever happened to our poster boy of yester-years? Our cerebral Labour leader who spoke truth to power?
Let me confess that I am a fan of the Comrade. I was sold on his courage as a Labour leader. I loved his grass to grace story. I rooted for him when he first contested for the governorship seat. I was sad when he lost at the polls. But celebrated when the Election Tribunal gave him victory.
He began well as a governor. I applauded his campaign for one man, one vote. I applauded the death blow he gave to the politics of godfatherism in Edo. I clapped when he dealt with the godfathers.
But, soon , I began to blush at his manner of speaking. His brashness. His traits of dictatorship.
But, I always made excuses for him.
Ize Iyamu
Then, he gradually unravelled.
He ran down, publicly, to the utter dismay of many, a couple of people who helped him, in one way or the other, even from across party lines, to be Governor. But the greatest damage was his about-face on political godfatherism.
Both Oyegun and Obaseki insist the problem in Edo APC stemmed from his wanting to re-institute political godfatherism in the state. They allege he had become an Emperor, and desired to become the Asiwaju of Edo politics. Well, the ambition has suffered a set-back.
It is sad that Oshiomhole who started so well, whose political future was on the ascent, seem to have ended in this manner. It will always be said, of him, that he was sacked as the National Chairman of the APC.
It will always be said, of him, that as the National Chairman of a ruling political party, the party was so fictionalized it led to his suspension and sack. Oyegun ended better than him.
It will always be said, of him, that he deliberately assassinated the character of his fellow man – Pastor Ize-Iyamu for political gain. And, make no mistake about it, these have removed a chunk from Oshiomhole’s integrity.
But I believe he can rebuild himself.
Here is how.
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole should, for now, excuse himself from political activities both at the National, and local State levels. He should not take part in his party’s governorship campaigns in Edo. If he does, he would only embarrass the candidate and the party. He is poison in this campaign.
I suggest Oshiomhole takes a looooong holiday. He needs it. He deserves it. Eight years as a governor; from there, to the National Chairmanship of the party; he needs a break.
And there is no better time to take that break than now.
Factional Group of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Oodua Progresssives Care Initiative, OPCI, has condemned, in strong language, what they described as the unguarded outburst and vituperation of Gani Adams, the Aare Onakankanfo of Yorubaland, against the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The National President of OPCI, Chief Maruff Olarewaju, said it was nauseating, saddening and disheartening to hear the Yoruba Generalissimo in a recent interview pour venom on Asiwaju Tinubu.
The OPCI Leader said seeing a man that claim to be a promoter of Yoruba culture, values and unity, descending so low to be attacking a Yoruba leader as Gani Adams did is pathetic and absurd.
He said: “Having carefully watched and monitored reactions and counter reactions from different quarters, the Oodua Progressives Care Initiative, an organisation that believes in efficacy of Yoruba culture and values with unreserved respect to the Elders and Leaders who deserved it, hereby openly and outrightly condemn the verbal attacks on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Mr. Gani Adams.
“In every sense of reasoning, no responsible and reliable Yoruba will support Gani Adams on this unwarranted attack. For those who care to know, it is on record that all predicaments and tribulations faced by Chief Obafemi Awolowo during his lifetime, 90 per cent of it came from his Yoruba people, the predicaments and the untimely death of Chief MKO Abiola while pursuing his June 12 mandate, Yoruba contributed above 80 per cent of it, and we in OPCI ask, why Yoruba against Yoruba all the time, when we are not accursed people?
“Sadly too, the biggest enemies of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo today are Yoruba, and I wonder why.
“It is highly unfortunate that Gani Adams, as Aare Onakakanfo, would not reason and think twice before throwing verbal missiles on any Yoruba personality that failed to give him (Gani Adams) money, forgetting that he is writing another unforgivable history for himself.
“Gani Adams has never seen anything good about Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the same thing he did to the late Dr. Frederic Fasheun after he plotted a coup against his OPC leadership in 1999. Now it is Tinubu? Why is it Gani Adams all the time? Was Gani Adams appointed Aare Onakakanfo to unite Yoruba land and its people or to bring disharmony?
“OPCI is not a political party, neither does it have an affiliation with any, but we belong to all political parties and all political parties belong to us as far as Yoruba are in the parties.
“For those of us who knew where Adams was coming from, it came to many of us as a surprise that he could quickly forget the roles and efforts of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his life, especially when he was Mr nobody, it is very unfortunate.
“We hereby call on the general public to ignore the Gani Adams’ unfortunate comments on Tinubu. We know him for such when he’s down financially, very smart and brave when it comes to roping and blackmailing, Gani Adams is a fantastical liar.
“To refresh our memory, the activities of Gani Adams during the 2015 general elections where he openly declared support for President Jonathan, it will be foolish of anybody to believe that Adams has the interest of Yoruba. In his heart, the philosophy of our friend is money for hand, back for ground.
“What should be paramount to all Yoruba now is how to overcome all the challenges facing our dear Yoruba Nation and to support ourselves to achieve the achievable goals”, he concluded.
Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has taken his issues with former Acting Managing Director of the Interim Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Joy Nuneih, personal.
The ex-MD had made damning allegations against Akpabio, including diabolical oath-taking and corruption all of which have shocked Nigerians.
But defending himself of the allegations, Akpabio, during a television interview, went from the serious to the ridiculous, without addressing the issues raised against him by Nunieh.
First, he alleged that Nunieh, a lawyer, was not qualified to head the NDDC because she has no certificates, including the NYSC certificate.
Then, he descended to the gutter by telling Nigerians that she had been married four times, and divorced four times.
In a television interview that has gone viral on social media, Akpabio did not address the damning allegations, but, said the former NDDC MD has a character problem.
The Minister charged his interviewer to bring the four husbands of Nunieh, whom she had allegedly divorced, to the studio to attest to her temperament.
Said the Minister, “I don’t want to discuss her because that’s not the job of a Minister.
“The last MD you mentioned, Joy Nunieh, I wish she can go to hospital, see a doctor take some injections and relax.
“I’m not saying that there’s something wrong with her, but I’m saying there’s something wrong with her temperament.
“Remember she had about four other husbands that she married.
“You also need to bring all the other former husbands to the studio so that you ask them questions one after the other because it looks like character.
“They will have answers to her problem. Not a professional conduct, is she a professional?
“They will tell you about her character because what I’m seeing here…if somebody comes up and says something on television channel…then the whole world…Nigerians love bad news, and my job is to protect the citizens of the country and the administration of Mr. President .
“I must tell you that even Mr. President, President Buhari was not aware of all these things because I did not want to bother because he will be shocked”.
Former Ekiti State Governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose has called for a full scale investigation on the corruption Allegation charges and insurbodination levelled against suspended Anti-Graft Chief, Ibrahim Magu.
Fayose, who is also being tried over an alleged N2.2bn fraud case, said properties seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under Magu have, allegedly, been sold to associates of Magu, “including some so-called human rights lawyers.”
“These human rights lawyers were his promoters and today, they are the ones defending him because they know that if this investigation goes deeper than just looking for what Magu did wrong so as to remove him from office, their dirty secrets will be revealed for Nigerians to see,”
Fayose said in a series of tweets via his verified account on Friday.
“This investigation must not end up as their usual paddy-paddy arrangement,” Fayose added. “It should not end up as a tool just to remove Magu because removing him will not be enough, the loots already ‘relooted’ must be ‘re-recovered’ and those who ‘relooted’ the loots brought to book.
“Also, those holding money and properties in trust for Magu as well as those who must have helped him to launder money must be revealed.”
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday approved the suspension of Mr Magu as the acting Chairman of the EFCC.
Magu’s suspension by the President, which took immediate effect, was announced in a statement from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
The Minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr Umar Gwandu, who signed the statement, explained that the presidential directive was to allow for an unhindered inquiry by the Presidential Investigation Panel under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act and other relevant laws.
EFCC Director of Operations, Mohammed Umar was appointed to oversee the activities of the Commission.
Meanwhile, Mr Magu, through one of his Counsels, Tosin Ojaomo, has written to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to release him on bail after spending several days in detention.
In his first reaction to the investigation of the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Magu, President Muhammadu Buhari says after a preliminary review of the allegations against Magu, there are enough grounds for a detailed investigation of him and some of his officers.
The President, also, said that nobody is above the law, and warned those who think they “have a halo over their heads that their heads are numbered”
President Buhari spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
In the statement Shehu explained why Mr President approved the suspension of the anti-corruption fighter from office.
Magu was dragged before a five-man Presidential Panel, headed by a retired President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Ayo Salami.
Magu is facing a 22 allegations prefered against him by the Attorney General of the Federation, and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
He has; since that July the 6th, been in custody of the Police, from where he appears before the Panel.
On Friday, his Counsel, Mr Wahab Shittu, wrote an appeal to the Chairman and Panel members, to grant Magu bail for, among other things, his deteriorating health while he is in custody.
Following is the full text of Shehu’s statement, entitled:
Ibrahim Magu
PRESIDENCY’s STATEMENT ON THE SUSPENSION OF MR. IBRAHIM MAGU
“A series of documented allegations were made against the Ag. Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Following a preliminary review of the allegations leveled against the Ag. Chairman and several other members of his staff, there were grounds for a detailed investigation to be conducted.
“Hence, an investigative panel was constituted in compliance with the extant laws governing the convening of such a body.
“As is the proper procedure, when allegations are made against the Chief Executive of an institution, and in this case, an institution that ought to be seen as beyond reproach, the Chief Executive has to step down from his post and allow for a transparent and unhindered investigation.
“The EFCC does not revolve around the personality of an individual, and as such cannot be seen through the prism of any individual.
“Therefore, the suspension of Mr. Ibrahim Magu, allows the institution to continue carrying out its mandate without the cloud of investigation hanging over its head.
“The EFCC has many good, hardworking men and women who are committed to its ideal and ensuring that the wealth of our country isn’t plundered and wherein there is an act of misappropriation such person(s) are brought to justice.
“Meanwhile, Mr. Magu is being availed the opportunity to defend himself and answer the allegations against him. This is how it should be, as is the fact that under the Laws of Nigeria every citizen is presumed and remains innocent until proven guilty.
“We must realize that the fight against corruption is not a static event, but a dynamic and ever evolving process, in which the EFCC is just one actor; and as we continue to work towards improving our democratic process so shall every institution of ours also embark on that journey of evolution.
What is however important is that there must be accountability and transparency and our people must realize that they would be held to account. This is the building block in the fight against corruption, the establishment of the concept of Accountability and the recognition of the Rule of Law.
“Those who see Mr. Magu’s investigation, as a signal that the fight against corruption is failing, have unfortunately, missed the boat.
“There is no better indication that the fight is real and active than the will to investigate allegations in an open and transparent manner against those who have been charged to be custodians of this very system.
“Under this President and Government, this is our mantra and guiding principle. There are no sacred cows, and for those who think they have a halo over their heads, their days are also numbered.
“Mr. Magu was not immune – and regardless of the obvious embarrassment that potential acts of wrongdoing by him, given the office he held, may appear for the government, no other administration in the history of Nigeria would have moved to bring into the light and public domain such an allegation.”
