Breaking: Willie Anumudu, Globe Motor’s Boss, Dies

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The Source

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April 21, 2020

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By Charles Igbo

The news of the death of Willie Anumudu, Chairman, Globe Motors, has hit Nigeria like a thunderbolt.

Anumudu died 4.00am Monday morning from an undisclosed health issue.

Popular as Papa Willy, he was to be evacuated to Germany Monday, but he unfortunately slumped and passed on

A native of Obilubi, Obazu, Mbieri, Imo state, he was born on November, 29, 1951.

He was an alumnus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Anumudu founded Globe Motors in 1982, and was married to his lovely Nkeiru with whom he had four children. He was senior brother to Humphrey Anumudu, a politician.

Unfortunately, his wife is stuck in London. She was on a trip to London, and got caught up in the COVID-19 crisis.

COVID 19, Kaduna: EL-Rufai Cries Out Says “I ‘m Alive”

By

Bayo Bernard

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April 21, 2020

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By Fola James

For close to 30 days, the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-rufai has not been seen in public fueling rumour about the health of the controversial helmsman, who tested positive for corona virus few weeks ago.

Governor El-Rufai had via his Twitter handle on March 28, revealed that he tested positive for coronavirus, and had embarked on self isolation.

Some have even said his health condition has become so deplorable to the extent that he has been taken to the Intensive care unit, ICU of one of the hospital in the state.

But the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT has cried out that the news about his death was a wicked one planted by his detractors.

His Chief of Staff , Muhammad Sani Dattijo hasd earlier dismissed reports that the governor is in the Intensive Care Unit.

On Monday, Governor El-Rufai attended a virtual meeting with members of his cabinet chaired by his deputy, Hadiza Balarabe.

Governor El-rufai in his response to the reports said, “Earlier today, I took 2 hours out of isolation to attend the daily virtual meeting of State Standing Committee on COVID-19, chaired by Deputy Governor DrHadiza Balarabe.

Since there is some fake news circulating that I am in an ICU in a Lagos hospital the ICU picture will help debunk the evil news!

For the avoidance of any doubt, I have been isolated for the past 24 days in a wing of the Government House, Kaduna undergoing treatment for coronavirus from doctors of the State Ministry of Health.

The former minister stated that “As the pictures show, I have not shaved since I went into isolation so that I will have a new COVID-19 look to remember when this pandemic passes, as it surely will by the Grace of God.

I appreciate these dedicated public servants as well as all those that called or sent messages expressing concern and sympathy, but I am fine and getting better every passing day. Alhamdulillah”.

He’s one of the three state governors that tested positive for the virus.

The other two governors are Seyi Makinde of Oyo state and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state, who have now tested negative for COVID 19.

COVID 19: Nigeria, Others Seek $100 bn Bailout From IMF

By

Bayo Bernard

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April 21, 2020

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By Fola James

Over 100 countries including Nigeria have approached the International Monetary Fund, IMF for bailout to cushion the effects of the corona virus pandemic.

The affected countries, the fund said have lost over $100 billion in revenue in the last three months, and are mostly in Africa, including other emerging economies of the G-20.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who disclosed this on Monday, said commodities-dependent countries are mostly affected as a result of sliding export prices, sharp reduction in tourism revenue as well as near-zero financial aids from rich economies.

She explained that the pandemic has become so difficult to handle, adding that it will take some time before the virus can be totally contained.

According to her “The outlook is dire, we expect global economic activity to decline on a scale we have not seen since the Great Depression.

This year 170 countries will see income per capita go down—only months ago we were projecting 160 economies to register positive per capita income growth,”

The global health emergency, she stated has attracted ‘response like no other’ from the IMF’s membership. Governments all over the world have taken unprecedented action to fight the pandemic—to save lives, to protect their societies and economies.

Fiscal measures so far have amounted to about $8 trillion and central banks have undertaken massive (in some cases, unlimited) liquidity injections, adding that the IMF has $1 trillion lending capacity at the service of its 189 member countries.

The fund she further stated, has concentrated on providing financial support for the most vulnerable countries.

At least, $100 billion will be required for such intervention in the short run, she said.

Georgieva said “we have strengthened our arsenal and taken exceptional measures in just these two months, the Fund has doubled its emergency, rapid discussing capacity to meet expected demand of about $100 billion.”

She stated that half of the 103 countries that approached the fund will received the bailout before the end of April, 23 of which have been selected from Africa.

The Executive Board of the Fund has decided to “help 29 of our poorest and most vulnerable members—of which 23 are in Africa—through rapid debt-service relief, and we are working with donors to increase our debt-relief resources by $1.4 billion.”

The IMF boss stated that rich countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, and China, have been so helpful in providing “ immediate relief to our poorest members.”

Alleged Multi Bn.Naira Fraud: ICPC May Investigate PENCOM Acting DG, Aisha Dahir-Umar

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The Source

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April 21, 2020

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By Akinwale Kasali

The Acting Director General of Nigeria Pension Commission, PENCOM, Aisha Dahir-Umar is in trouble. If the allegations against her are anything to go by.

Anti-graft agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, is said to be set to investigate Dahir-Umar for alleged misappropriation of funds, flagrant violation of procurement process and abuse of office.

The probe of the Acting DG follows recent findings by the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Pensions, which revealed alleged high level of financial recklessness in the commission she heads.

At the Committees meeting of the Upper and Lower Cadres of the National Assembly, it was alleged that PENCOM fraudulently spent N9 billion on salaries of only 386 staff, and another N12.3 billion (of the Internally generated revenue of the commission) without the approval of the National Assembly.

The committee’s, also, noted that by the PENCOM DG’s summation, the N9 billion salaries are estimated at an average of N2 million monthly per staff.

Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and Hon. Ibrahim Rurum, the Committee Chairs of PENCOM at the Senate and the House respectively, raised concerns over delays and non-payment of pension entitlements to retirees by the management of PenCom.

The lawmakers said the claim by the DG of PenCom, that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation approved the proposal on the utilisation of the revenue accrued to the Commission was baseless, stressing that it was contrary to Section 21 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, and Section 80(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

On the delays/non-payment of pension entitlements to retirees, the Committees disclosed that the number of retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme as at 30th September, 2019, were 298,614; while the Pension Industry membership had grown to 8.85 million people.

But “thousands of retirees especially primary school teachers in many states of the Federation who retired in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 have not been able to access their contributions in the Retirement Savings Account, due to unknown reasons”.

The Magazine gathered that another issue raised by the Committees is the alleged illegal appointment of Dahir-Umar as the Commission’s acting Director-General. The lawmakers noted that Dahir-Umar has been in acting capacity for four years, without any backing from either PENCOM or any other law even as the Federal Government has refused to constitute a Board for the pensions commission, in contravention of section 19 of the Pension Reform Act, 2014.

The act states in Section 19 (1), that “there is established a governing board for the commission (in this Act referred to as the Board). “The Board shall consist of a part-time chairman who shall be a fit and proper person with adequate cognate experience in pensions matters, the Director-General of the commission, four full-time Commissioners of the Commission, a representative of each of the following agencies and institutions, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Finance, Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Nigerian Employers Consultative Association, Central Bank of Nigeria, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria Stock Exchange and National Insurance Commission”.

Recall, that the Committees had rejected the Commission’s proposed 2020 budget following these anomalies.

The anti-graft agency is set to invite Dahir-Umar and other Directors of PENCOM immediately the COVID-19 lockdown is lifted by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Breaking: Chief Richard Akinjide Dies

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The Source

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April 21, 2020

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By Gideon Njoku

Legal luminary, Chief Richard Akinjide, SAN, is dead.

He passed Monday night, aged 88 years.

Akinjide, former Minister for Justice under the President Shehu Shagari-National Party of Nigeria, NPN’s government, would have turned 89 years in November.

Sources quote his daughter, Jumoke, Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, under the President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, as confirming his father’s passing as she sobbed.

Akinjide was a voracious reader, a brilliant discussant, and an intelligent commentator on public affairs.

Perhaps, his most brilliant outing as a Lawyer was his handling of the Presidential election case between Shagari and UPN’s Chief Obafemi Awolowo, SAN.

Fractionalising Kano votes, he managed to convince the Supreme Court that 122/3 of 19 was 12, not 13.That mathmatics which gave the Presidency to Shagari, over Awolowo who had a formidable array of professionals in that field – Professor Ayodele Awojobi of the Mechanical Engineering Dept, UNILAG, Professor of Mathmatics, Chike Obi, UNN, and Professor of History, J.O.K. Ajayi, including himself, a SAN – at once earned him friends and enemies, especially in his South-west region.

The Supreme Court had, thereafter, barred anybody from citing the judgement as a legal precedence.

He was fondly called the Mathematician-Lawyer or 122/3.

Born on November 4, 1931, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Akinjide attended Oduduwa College Ile-Ife and passed out in Grade One, Distinction, aggregate six. He was called to the English Bar in 1955.

He will be sorely missed by, especially, his grandchildren all of whom he dotted on, and often proudly flaunted their brilliance and achievements.

Breaking: Markets In Turmoil As Oil Sells For 15 Cents Per Barrel For The First Time In History

By

Uche Mbah

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April 20, 2020

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By Uche Mbah
Bears are running crazy in international markets as Brent futures crashed below one dollar for the first time in history.
Even the United States is worried about storage as the worst collapse that could have a domino effect on the world economy is feared.
Next week, most companies will be taking stock of their Financial report for the first quarter of the year. Though this will not refect current realities, it may well be that a bigger scene than the 1929 crash may be unfolding.This Magazine had earlier reported today that the oil crash is adversely having an effect on Nigeria. The Nigerian Stock Market has already lost more than N2 trillion in the first quarte of 2020. More details later…

Imo Denies Plans To Rename IMSU After Abba Kyari; Takes Legal Action

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The Source

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April 20, 2020

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By Adesina Soyooye

The Imo State Government has denied the allegations making the rounds on some platforms that the State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has concluded plans to re-name the Imo State University, IMSU, after the late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari.

The foundation to the allegation was laid when a corrupted version of the statement made by the Governor to mourn Kyari’s death made the rounds. Somebody had, mischievously, inserted a paragraph to the effect that Uzodinma said he would immortalise Kyari for making him Governor.

The Supreme Court had removed the Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as the Governor and replaced him with Uzodinma in January.

On Monday, the allegation grew by the minute to the effect that Uzodinma had decided to re-name IMSU to Abba Kyari University, Imo. The story was received with disbelief and numbness by Imo people. Anger began to gradually build up. And tension reigned. Why Imo? the people asked.

But Monday evening, the state government punctured the story, and dismissed it as irresponsible, the height of mischief, and a lie from the pit of hell. In a strongly worded rebuttal, signed by the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the Governor, Oguwuike Nwachukwu, the Government said the corrupted “condolence letter” was written in a forged letter-headed paper, and the name of the Governor’s Spokesperson thrown in. How could any right- minded person attribute such statement to the Governor?, the statement asked.

It said it was shocked that anybody could descend as low as playing politics with the dead in such a disgusting manner. The statement threatened Legal action as a deterrent to such lies, blaming the opposition, and insisting it knows where the lies came from.

Following, excerpts from the Government’s statement.

“The attention of the Office of the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the Governor has been drawn to fake news circulating on the social media, purporting that Governor Hope Uzodimma wants to rename Imo State University, Owerri, after the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari.

“The author(s) of the fake news had not only credited to the governor what he could not have said, but they criminally wrote the name of his Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser, Mr. Oguwike Nwachuku as the one who signed the purported statement.

“Since last weekend that Kyari passed on, the same persons have been issuing press statements, forging the logo of government and the name of Mr. Nwachuku with the intent to deceive Imolites, in particular, and the public in general, into believing their propaganda and fake news to be real.

“Ordinarily, the blackmail through the two fake statements they credited to the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the Governor should have been ignored, knowing that no right thinking person will believe them.

“In one of such fake statements they issued and also circulated on social media, they mischievously credited Governor Uzodimma to have said he would immortalise Kyari for “making him Governor.”

“How would any person believe the complete thrash that Governor Uzodimma will, in a condolence letter, say that the late Chief of Staff to the President made him governor of Imo State?

“Such a senseless and irresponsible blackmail! Not done, they went further to credit yet another fallacy to the CPS/Media Adviser that Governor Uzodimma will rename Imo State University after the late Kyari.

“It was their desperation to deepen the propaganda and criminal intents that drove them to the latest fake news of purported renaming of Imo State University after Kyari, something that only exists in the imagination of their tiny brain’s imagination.

“These heartless and infantile fabrications do not ordinarily deserve the dignity of a refutal by the respected Office of the CPS/Media Adviser.

“But the circumstances are not ordinary because it is about playing politics with the dead. It is sad to admit that anybody could lose every sense of decency and fall to the beastly level of denigrating the memory of the dead.

“One is not shocked, therefore, to notice that even in their desperation, they could go so low to commit the sacrilege of dragging the name of a late distinguished statesman into gutter politics. This act of madness is both ridiculous and reckless beyond our imagination.

“We are not surprised at the level the propagandists of these fake news and their surrogates have descended, but concerned about how some people will elect to deliberately deceive the public with information they know is outright false and misleading.

“For the avoidance of doubt, let it be known that the two statements in reference were not issued by the office of the CPS/Media Adviser. They were fabricated and issued and wickedly credited them to his office. We know exactly the person behind this, and appropriate legal steps have been initiated to bring him to book.

“No doubt, we would have loved to ignore these agents of distraction and fake news, but for the fact that we owe Imo people and the public the right to factual information on the activities of a responsible government like ours.

“That is why we enjoin the public, including Imolites, to ignore all the fake news being churned out around the death of Kyari by criminally-minded agents and to also bear in mind that their appetite for wrong causes may not be easy to quench in one fell swoop.

“We also advise the reading public to take fake news seriously and make conscious efforts to identify the promoters and ensure that they join others who stand against fake news globally to make their trade unattractive.”

Kyari’s Burial: SGF, Boss Mustapha, Admits Error, Apologises; Says Body Decontaminated

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The Source

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April 20, 2020

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By Gideon Njoku

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, has admitted errors during the burial of former Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari. Mustapha is, also, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force, PTF, on COVID-19.

Most Nigerians, shocked that some of the guidelines and protocols, as directed by the NCDC and WHO, especially, social distancing, were broken, have continued to criticise the government harshly.

There was a crowd at the funeral held in Abuja, including some government officials. Mustapha was at Kyari’s official residence, Defence House, where hundreds of people had also gathered to bid him farewell. Social distancing was completely discarded.

Admitting errors on the part of the PTF, Mustapha, in a statement he personally signed, blamed the situation on poor crowd control, assuring it would never happen again as lessons have been learnt.

He, however, revealed that all the other guidelines on the handling of the body of a COVID-19 victim were observed. For instance, he disclosed that Kyari’s body was decontaminated. He also said that both the body bag and the casket were decontantaminated, after which the casket was sealed before his body was flown to Lagos.

In the statement, Mustapha said: “The burial of the late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, on 18 April, 2020, has attracted a lot of concerns from Nigerians over the non-adherence of physical distancing measures and mass gathering restrictions at the Gudu Cemetery.

“The non-observance of physical distancing, and the flouting of mass gathering restrictions were due to the failure of crowd crowd control measures.

“We acknowledge that mistakes were made; we have learnt from these mistakes, and would ensure that future events are adequately regulated in accordance with the Presidential Taskforce and the Nigerian Centre for Control, (NCDC) protocols.

“It is, however, important to state that the body of the late Chief of Staff, who died on 17th April 2020, was prepared for burial in line with the NCDC interim guidelines for the safe management of a deceased person with COVID infection.

“As a matter of fact, the body of anyone who dies from COVID-19 infection will not be released for burial without following these guidelines.

“Consequently, the body of the late Chief of Staff was thoroughly decontaminated, put in a body bag, and then a sealed coffin in Lagos, before being flown to Abuja. On arrival in Abuja, all safety measures were strictly adhered to, from the plane to the burial ground. At no time was the body openly exposed to the environment.

It is worth noting that while COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that is significantly less infectious when compared to Ebola or Lassa fever, the protocols for safe burial must still be strictly followed.

“The incidents that were recorded after the burial, which may have compromised due safety procedures, have been duly recognised, and correct steps taken to limit any risk to the public”.

The Presidency had, immediately, after the funeral, barred all Presidency staff, including the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno, from entering the Villa, and ordered them to a 14-day self quarantine.

It also affected State House Correspondents.

Boko Haram Sacks Yobe After Troops Kill Commanders

By

Bayo Bernard

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April 20, 2020

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By Fola James

The death of key Boko Haram/ ISWAP commanders in the hands of Nigerian troops, two days ago did not go down well with the insurgents. They have fought back in a ferocious manner.

On Saturday, many terrorists were killed and their structures destroyed in air strikes conducted by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole at Durbada, the Nigerian military said.

The military had yet to disclosed the names of commanders killed in the air raids.

But barely few hours after the Defence Headquarters, DHQ announced the killings of leaders of the group, the rampaging terrorists launched fresh attacks on Geidam, a local government in Yobe state, a move analysts described as a fight back by the fleeing insurgents.

The insurgents have suffered serious casualty in the hands of both Nigerian and Chadian troops in the last few days.

Their recent setback also came on the crest of the relocation of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Burutai, two weeks ago, to Borno state, the theatre of war in the battle against terrorism.

The military have been trenchantly criticized for not doing enough to completely wiping out the insurgents.

The DHQ, however, disclosed on Monday that troops have successfully neutralized hideouts of Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist groups in Borno State, and there top commanders killed.

Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, in a statement on Monday, said the insurgents are now on the run.

According to him, the terrorists were killed and their structures destroyed in air strikes conducted by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole at Durbada.

He said “The operation was executed on 17 April 2020 on the heels of credible Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports, which were confirmed by series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, indicating that the settlement was one of the locations where some of the terrorists’ hierarchy often hibernates.

Fighter jets dispatched by the Air Task Force took turns in attacking the location, scoring accurate hits within the target area which resulted in the death of some of the terrorists.”

General Enenche added that others, who were seen attempting to flee the area had also been taken out.

He said the Nigerian Armed Forces would continue to sustain the offensive against the terrorists until they are completely wiped out.

The Defence spokesperson said the operation will continue until the federal government’s objective of restoring peace and security in the North East is attained.

Breaking: Oil Heads Towards $10 Per Barrel

By

Uche Mbah

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April 20, 2020

0

By Uche Mbah
Crude oil price crashed overnight to $14 per barrel, and experts say it is expected to stabilize at $10. This was attributed to the disruption of the supply chain by COVID 19.
With oversupply wrecking the industry, there appeared to be no hope Nigeria will get out of the woods even after the lockdown is lifted. This magazine had reported the international Monetary Fund fears that Nigeria is headed to the worst recession since it became a nation.
Currently, Nigeria is facing a storage crisis since her oil is floating at the high sea with little prospect of buyers. China, one of Nigeria’s heavy buyers, recently shows signs of recession after the Coronavirus pandemic. Besides, many countries are divesting from the country, the latest discussion of divestment coming from Japan, which has had the Olympics postponed due to COVID 19.
Nigeria has no reliable inland storage facilities.
Nigeria crude production cost is said to stand at about $28. The budget was initially predicated on $57 per barrel.
OPEC and other producers had decided to cut production, but this appears to have no effect on the slide. There has been a huge drop in demand since most countries are on lockdown due to COVID 19, besides the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Russia supplies most of Europe.