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  • Buhari to ASUU: Reconsider your position on prolonged strike

    Buhari to ASUU: Reconsider your position on prolonged strike

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Daura, Katsina State, urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities to reconsider their position on the ongoing strike, expressing concern that the stalemate will have generational ramifications for families, the educational system, and the country’s future development.

    According to a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), Buhari, who received some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), legislators, and political leaders at his residence, said the strike had already taken a toll on the psychology of parents, students, and other stakeholders, bringing up many moral issues that demanded attention.

    President Buhari stated that the future of the country is dependent on the quality of educational institutions and education, while assuring students that the government understands their position and that negotiations should continue in lecture halls.

    “We hope that ASUU will sympathize with the people during the prolonged strike.” Enough of keeping students at home. “For goodness sake, don’t harm the next generation,” he said.

    The President urged all well-meaning Nigerians, particularly those close to the association’s leaders and members, to intervene in persuading the lecturers to reconsider their position and the impact on an entire generation and the nation.

    President Buhari stated that students from Nigerian universities will face the challenge of competing with others in a highly connected and technology-driven work environment, and that keeping them at home only deprives them of time, skill, and opportunities to be relevant on the global stage.

    “Colonial education was designed to produce government workers. Those positions are no longer available. Our youth should be educated to prepare them for self-employment. Education is now for the sake of education.

    “We are much more efficient because of technology.” “We should encourage our children to get an education rather than just look for government jobs,” he added.

    President Buhari stated that resources should be directed more toward infrastructure development and health and education operations, rather than expanding the bureaucracy to create job opportunities.

    “By this time next year, I will have made the most of the two terms, and I will do my best in the remaining months,” the President stated.

    President Buhari urged those in positions of power and privilege to be mindful of the many Nigerians looking for work.

    “If you are greedy, you will not look around to see what is happening to those who are less endowed,” he said.

    The President informed the governors and political leaders that he had not visited his home in Daura in nearly a year due to the demands of office.

    “The Emir of Daura, Dr Faruk Umar Faruk, made the observation that I abandoned my base at the Eid prayer ground.” He held the microphone and told everyone, “The last time I was in Daura was during Eid-el-Kabir in 2021,” he added.

    President Buhari stated that he would retire to Daura rather than Kaduna, where he had a better house.

    “I’ll come here in ten to eleven months.” “I have a better house in Kaduna, but it is too close to Abuja,” he explained.

    The President explained that his work schedule was hectic, saying he recently had to sympathize with Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyema, who had to spend most of his time away from his family.

    President Buhari urged APC leaders to continue working for the good of the people and the country, saying, “We are a lucky people, and we need to reflect more on where we are coming from.”

    According to the President, the government has done well in many areas, particularly infrastructure, in comparison to the resources available and to the previous administration.

    “I wish the person who comes after me the best,” he said.

    On security, the President stated that the North West had presented more challenges, but that some success had been recorded in other regions, including the North East and South South.

    President Buhari advised some South South indigenes to refrain from endangering national assets, which also affect their livelihood.

    “I’m excited to go.” I can tell you it has been difficult. “I am grateful to God that people recognize the personal sacrifices we have made,” he added.

    In his remarks at the meeting, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, thanked the President for his leadership roles in improving the nation’s economy and the many successes recorded at the APC, including two conventions to produce the party leadership and the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    “We will work tirelessly to ensure the success of our party.” “We have reasons to work very hard,” he added.

    Bagudu, the Governor of Kebbi State, stated that the favorable seasons supported the vision of ensuring food production and making agriculture a priority, with visible results in rice pyramids in various states.

    “Despite the renegade attacks, our country remains self-sufficient in food production.” We have seen investments that were not present prior to your election.

    “There are now agriculture processing zones in at least 20 states.” “We have rice pyramids in Ekiti, Gombe, and Niger, and maize pyramids have been revived in Katsina and Kano states,” he said.

    He stated that more than 54 rice meals have been commissioned in various states, and that 57 fertiliser plants have been revitalized or rebuilt.

    “All of this was made possible by your dedication and patriotism,” the governor told the President.

    Bagudu also praised the President for making governors and political leaders more accessible, noting that the opening of the National Economic Council for a more fluid exchange of ideas has greatly aided in the improvement of the economy.

    Katsina State Governor, Rt Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Fayemi Kayode, Plateau

  • MSMEs financial access critical for economy growth – DBN boss

    MSMEs financial access critical for economy growth – DBN boss

    Mr. Tony Okpanachi, Managing Director (MD) of the Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN), has stated that providing financial access for the country’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is critical for economic growth.

    He was quoted as saying that with approximately 17.4 million MSMEs contributing 48 percent of the nation’s GDP in the last five years, providing approximately 50 percent of industrial jobs, and accounting for nearly 90 percent of the manufacturing sector, the sub-sector could not be ignored.

    According to a statement released by the bank yesterday, the MD told operators at a recently concluded MSMEs summit in Kano, “The summit is one of DBN’s stakeholder engagement strategies aimed at creating awareness around our mandate of providing access to finance, capacity building, and partial credit guarantees to MSMEs in Nigeria.”

    “This is significant because they play a critical role in accelerating economic growth by alleviating poverty, creating jobs, and creating wealth.”

    Read Also: Bandits ‘kill 18’ in Zamfara communities, forcing other residents to flee

    “It has become critical for us to pool resources and direct collaborative efforts toward strengthening the MSMSE’s capacity in order to revitalize their operations and address the challenge of access to finance.”

    “This will ensure their growth and increase the economic potential of this critical subsector.”

    Mr. Okopanachi stated that, despite significant growth in the MSME sector, there was still much work to be done.

    According to him, challenges faced by the sub-sector included obtaining finance, finding customers, and infrastructure deficits, and he added, “It is thus pertinent for us as a Bank to champion the conversation on how MSMEs can win despite these challenges, by exposing ways through which MSMEs can benefit from our sustainable financial offerings.”

    In addition to providing access to finance, the DBN CEO promised that his organization would continue to build capacity among operators in the country’s MSMEs sub-sector.

    Alhaji Tajudeen Dantata, the CEO of Dantata Foods, praised the DBN and its Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) in his keynote address for their roles in providing sustainable MSMEs financing in the country.

    He emphasized that this will supplement the Central Bank of Nigeria’s efforts in this regard.

    OTHER STORIES

  • Suspect Describes Ordeal of How We Killed Ahmad Gulak in Imo

    Suspect Describes Ordeal of How We Killed Ahmad Gulak in Imo

    Anosike Chimobi, one of the suspects detained by the Imo State Police Command in connection with the murder of Ahmad Gulak, a former political advisor to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has admitted to carrying out the heinous act.

    On Monday, June 27, Chimobi, who is from the state’s Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area, was paraded.

    It may be remembered that Gulak, a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was assassinated on May 30, 2021, in Obiangwu, Imo State, while traveling to the airport, ostensibly to board a flight to Abuja.
    According to Mr. Mike Abattam, the Imo State Police Command’s public relations officer, who was parading the suspects, Chimobi had been on the command’s radar ever since Gulak was killed.

    Read Also:  Election in Ekiti: EFCC speaks out about detaining pregnant woman

    Shortly after they killed Gulak, he claimed the suspect got away during a shootout with police officers and members of his gang at Aboh Mbaise. Five of the suspects, he claimed, were killed.

    After his arrest, Chimobi, who identified himself as a commercial bus driver, told reporters that he was not a part of the criminal gang.

    He claimed that when Gulak’s killers approached him to take them somewhere in his car, he tried to fight them off. But when they threatened to kill him, he eventually gave in.

    But he did admit that he had driven the criminals to the scene and stopped Gulak’s car as it headed to the airport.

  • Election in Ekiti: EFCC speaks out about detaining pregnant woman

    Election in Ekiti: EFCC speaks out about detaining pregnant woman

    The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has spoken out regarding the alleged detention of a pregnant woman, a nursing mother, and others for vote-buying during the governorship election in Ekiti.

    In a statement released on Monday by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the commission stated that it had been made aware of some media reports that claimed it was holding “a pregnant woman, a nursing mother, and others over vote-buying” as a result of some arrests made following the recent governorship election in Ekiti State.

    “The Commission declares that the reports contain not a shred of truth. No pregnant women were among the suspects detained on suspicion of buying votes during the Ekiti governorship election.

    All female suspects detained during the Ekiti governorship election had pregnancy tests performed on them at the Kwara State Hospital in Ilorin, but all of the results were negative.

    All of the female suspects’ earlier tests, which were carried out in a private hospital, were also negative.

    Read Also:  Rising Inflation, MPR Hike Hinder CBN’s FX Intervention Drive – Gwadabe

    Additionally, he emphasized that all suspects, both male and female, were being detained in accordance with a valid court order while investigations were ongoing.

    As soon as the investigations were finished, according to Uwujaren, the suspects would be charged in court.
    He said, “The Commission is committed to the observance of the rule of law in all its operations. The public is advised to disregard insinuations and wild claims about the mistreatment of suspects.”

  • Police revealed what happened between white lady, alleged yahoo boy

    Police revealed what happened between white lady, alleged yahoo boy

    The Lagos State Police Command has cleared the air over a viral video alleging that a Yahoo Boy hypnotized a woman from California, United States (Internet Fraudster).
    According to social media claims, the unidentified woman regained her senses three days after being lured to Nigeria by devilish means.

    After regaining her conscience, the lady argued with the suspected Yahoo Boy, according to some of the reactions.

    SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, described the report as a “false narrative” in a tweet.

    The woman in the viral video, according to Hundeyin, is German and has been living with her husband since February 2019.

    Read Also:  Nigerians roast Mbaka for his remarks on Peter Obi in 2023

    “False narrative!” Hundeyin wrote in response to the viral video. The lady is of German descent. She and her husband have been living in the same house since February 2019. They had a misunderstanding the day before yesterday, which necessitated the intervention of their neighbors. On time, the police arrived and took her to the station.

    “She refused to be transported to the German embassy. She was adamant about returning to her husband’s house. Her husband, too, readily made amends. They have returned home safely. Note: I purposefully omitted their names to protect their privacy.”

  • Nigerians roast Mbaka for his remarks on Peter Obi in 2023

    Nigerians roast Mbaka for his remarks on Peter Obi in 2023

    Nigerians have slammed Rev Father Ejike Mbaka, the Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry Enugu, for claiming that Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State, will not win the 2023 Presidential election.
    According to reports, the cleric said this on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, during a prayer service at his prayer hall.

    While speaking to his members, Mbaka stated that Obi would not be elected President of Nigeria in 2023 because he lacks the spirit of generosity.

    “It is preferable to have a president who is a gifted old man than a young man with ‘gum’ hands,” the cleric said.

    He went on to say that Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President, has demonstrated that he is ready to run for office by declining to run alongside Obi in 2023.

    Mbaka claims that Obi will only win the upcoming presidential election if he kneels at the Adoration altar.

    “Peter Obi has a mouthful; he has nowhere to go unless he kneels on the Adoration altar,” the cleric continued.

    Nigerians slammed the reverend father, calling him a charlatan for accusing Peter Obi of being stingy with his donations to the church without a project.

    They went on to tell the priest that he should concentrate on God’s work and not on politics.

    “Anuofia, shebi, it is Buhari who is generous now, look at nigeria,” phizbarz wrote. Christians were slaughtered as if they were chicken upandan. If you follow all of these religious leaders na bush, you’ll discover that it’s all about personal gain for them.”

    “Generous men have brought us to this point,” wrote stardocofficial_. Let’s see if we can find a stingy man.”

    “If being prudent in the management of public resources equals stinginess, then I support PO; this is the kind of man we need to govern us,” hardewuzy wrote. “Frugality” and “stinginess” are not the same thing.

    ‘An IGBO man saying this about an IGBO, y’all need to unite for real, a Hausa man will not come out to castigate and Hausa man like this, I sad’, wrote la catchiii.

    “Because he didn’t donate money to your church,” nonye okelue wrote. What criteria did you use to label him as stingy, Ndi Uka? #Afulefu” Onye igbo Ibe gi.

    “Fr. Mbaka Zukwanuike,” iam jenny.c wrote. Respect your Priesthood and focus on the Lord’s work, which God has entrusted to you. Allow Politics to leave you and you to allow Politics to leave you. It’s bad to have too much of anything.”

    ‘Lord save us from religion,’ pejuamadi wrote. After displaying such inconstancy over the last few years, someone like this should normally have no single audience.’

    ‘So stingy in what way?’ wrote trixie hair dynasty. If it wasn’t for the fact that I respect priesthood, I’d keep my mouth shut.’

    cliff courage wrote, ‘After endorsing Buhari and causing this mess. Mbaka, you will not be forgiven by God.’

  • Hoodlums storm Osun hospital, attempt forceful evacuation of corpse

    Hoodlums storm Osun hospital, attempt forceful evacuation of corpse

    On Wednesday, there was chaos on the premises of Osun State University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, as some suspected hoodlums stormed the facility and attempted to forcefully remove a corpse that had been deposited in the hospital’s morgue.

    On many motorcycles, the hoodlums arrived at the facility and ordered that a corpse brought by them on Tuesday be released without any documentation.

    They became enraged when the personnel they approached, whose name could not be ascertained right away, told them they would have to fill out some paperwork, it was learned.

    Unless the corpse was released to them, the hoodlums, who openly displayed charms, threatened to cause chaos.
    Many hospital employees, including those who had relationships with patients in the wards and others who had business on the premises at the time of the drama, could be seen fleeing the area where the hoodlums had gathered to avoid being caught up in the chaos.

    Read Also:  Delta group asks EFCC to investigate Okowa vice presidential race

    Later, armed police officers arrived at the hospital and escorted the thugs from the premises.

    When contacted for comment, Dr. Babatunde Afolabi, Chairman of the Hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee, simply stated, “The matter has been rested, they have done the coroner for the corpse.” So they’ve taken the body away to be buried.”

  • Delta group asks EFCC to investigate Okowa vice presidential race

    Delta group asks EFCC to investigate Okowa vice presidential race

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been asked to investigate an alleged payment of $3 million by the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to some senior officials of the Peoples Democratic Party as part of lobbying efforts to secure the party’s Vice Presidential slot in 2023, according to a group called the Delta Centre for Integrity and Good Governance.

    According to the group, the alleged $3 million “is the Delta people’s money being diverted for selfish political motives,” according to a statement signed by Comrade Stanley Oshiovorie.

    As a result, the group has urged the EFCC to save the people of Delta State and recover the $3 million that it claims was already shared among PDP leaders in the name of allocating the VP slot to Delta State Governor.

    Read Also:  Shell Files Appeal Against Jurisdiction Over N700 Billion Spill Compensation

    “The money belongs to the Delta people, and it must be reclaimed.” Instead of spending state funds on development, they are giving it to the highest bidder, according to the statement.
    The group claimed that the $3 million was intended to sway key decision-makers, including Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, and his team, before settling on a concrete and acceptable candidate.

    According to the group, $1 million of the alleged funds were set aside to lobby members of the party’s inner circle, while the remaining $2 million was set aside to lobby northern elders.

    “It is Delta people’s money and it must be recovered,” read part of the DCIGG statement. They are using our state funds for the highest bidder rather than for development.

    “The funds were part of Okowa’s cash set aside after he decided not to run for the Senate to be used for his earlier planned presidential bid.” Only God can keep Okowa from being Atiku’s running mate, he boasted recently.

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  • Shell Files Appeal Against Jurisdiction Over N700 Billion Spill Compensation

    Shell Files Appeal Against Jurisdiction Over N700 Billion Spill Compensation

    Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has challenged the Federal High Court in Yenagoa’s jurisdiction to hear a N700 billion oil spill compensation suit filed by residents of Bayelsa’s Aghoro 1 community.

    The residents of Aghoro 1 in Bayelsa’s Ekeremor Local Government Area sued SPDC in Federal High Court in Yenagoa over an oil leak from the company’s Trans Ramos Pipeline on May 17, 2018.
    When the case came up for hearing, SPDC’s lawyer, Mr Michael Amadi, told the court that the oil company is contesting the court’s jurisdiction and intends to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

    Read also:  Over 1.5m people in Zamfara receive COVID-19 vaccines – Official

    He also asked the court to put the case on hold pending the outcome of the interlocutory appeal, as required by the hierarchy of courts, because the Court of Appeal was already hearing SPDC’s appeal.

    Although the records claimed by the defendant’s counsel were in front of the court, trial judge Justice Isa Dashen stated that he had yet to go through them in order to keep up with the case’s developments.

    He claimed he had the right to review the Court of Appeal’s procedures and records before the matter was put on hold.

    He postponed the hearing until October 19 to allow time to review the documents filed with the court and to wait for the appellate court’s decision, as required by the rules.

    On behalf of the Aghoro 1 community in Ekeremor LGA, Bayelsa, the pantiffs are Mr Victor Akamu, Pastor Erebimienkumor Goddey, Mrs Jane Alex, Miss Edith George, Mr Israel Tomonye, and FASF Associates Ltd.

    Read also:  In Ogun, CAN, Islamic leaders sign peace pact

    They are seeking compensation for the damages caused by the oil spill, claiming that SPDC’s offer of N33.49 million was a far cry from the N700 billion claim based on damage assessments in the affected areas.

    Shell Petroleum Development Company, Shell International Exploration and Production BV, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

  • In Ogun, CAN, Islamic leaders sign peace pact

    In Ogun, CAN, Islamic leaders sign peace pact

    The Christian Association of Nigeria and the League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State have signed an agreement to continue living in peace despite the country’s insecurity.

    The agreement was reached on Wednesday, when a delegation from the League of Imams and Alfas delivered a condolence letter to the CAN Chairman, Bishop Tunde Akin-Akinsanya, in response to the attack on Christians in Owo, Ondo State.

    Unknown assailants attacked a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State, killing 40 worshippers.

    The Secretary-General of the League of Imams and Alfas, Sheikh Tajudeen Adewunmi, who led the Islamic leaders to the CAN Chairman’s office in Abeokuta, described the Owo attack as unfortunate.
    Adewunmi, who was accompanied by the Imam of Makun, Sagamu, Dr. Tajudeen Ashaye, and other religious leaders from across the state, presented a letter of condolence to the Christian community in the state, saying that Muslims in the state were distressed by the incident.

    He reassured Christians in the state of peaceful coexistence, saying that no Muslim would invade a church or attack a Christian in the name of religion.

    Read Also:  OPL 245: Why Nigeria Lost $1.7bn Claim To JP Morgan

    “On behalf of all Muslims in the state, we decided to pay a condolence visit to you over the Owo incident,” he said.

    “We’ve come to express our displeasure with the killings, as well as to reassure you that Muslims are not murderers and will not attack Christians in the state.”

    “We’ve always seen ourselves as a family, and we’ll continue to do so.” In our family, we have both Christians and Muslims. We have no justification for attacking ourselves.

    “The league, on behalf of all Muslims in Ogun State, was concerned, which is why we were asked to come down and express our condolences.”

    “We, the Muslims, have come to express our sorrow. And we’re here to reassure you that Muslims in Ogun State are very peaceful, and we’re very friendly with Christians. We hope this never happens again.”

    The CAN chairman responded by applauding the league’s gesture.

    Christians, according to Akin-Akinsanya, do not confuse Muslims with the attackers of Owo church, whom he describes as “arch enemies.”

    Given the level of mutual relationship that exists between the two religion adherents, he said he found it difficult to believe that such a heinous act could occur in South West.

    There is a divide between the two religions’ adherents.

    “It is not easy for us to fight here,” he said. It was carried out by people who are neither Muslims nor Christians. They’re a cult of Satan.

    “They are our adversaries.” They aren’t Muslim at all. Because we are a family, things that happen in the north cannot happen here. It’s rare to see a family without members of both religions, so it’s unfortunate that this happened. Our arch-enemies launched the attack.

    “I am overjoyed. Let’s just say this is the first time something like this has happened, and I applaud the leadership of the Islamic religion in Ogun State for it. I pray that the Almighty God blesses us all.

    Read Also:  Over 1.5m people in Zamfara receive COVID-19 vaccines – Official

    “In my own family, I have someone who was close to Chief Imam in Ijebu-land before he died, my elder brother, who has the same father and mother as him and with whom I was close.”

    “These assailants aren’t Muslims or Christians.” They are satanic if they cannot find a place in the Quran or Bible where people are commanded to kill others.”

  • OPL 245: Why Nigeria Lost $1.7bn Claim To JP Morgan

    OPL 245: Why Nigeria Lost $1.7bn Claim To JP Morgan

    Nigeria lost a $1.7 billion lawsuit against JP Morgan Chase, a US investment bank, on Tuesday over the transfer of proceeds from the 2011 sale of Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245.

    Nigeria claims JP Morgan was “grossly negligent” in transferring funds paid by Shell and Eni to an escrow account controlled by a former minister, Dan Etete, who was convicted of money laundering in a separate case in France in 2007.

    Nigeria sought damages in the amount of $875 million paid to Etete’s company, Malabu Oil and Gas, in three instalments between 2011 and 2013, plus interest, for a total of over $1.7 billion.

    JP Morgan should have known there was corruption and fraud in the transaction, according to the lawsuit, and there were red flags that JP Morgan should have seen and stopped the transfers.

    It was unable to back up its claim.

    The Federal Government claimed it was the victim of a “fraudulent” scheme because payments “were suspected to have flowed,” according to its lawyer Roger Masefield.

    It claimed JPMorgan had failed to fulfil its obligations by allowing bank transactions in 2011 and 2013 despite “reasonable grounds” to suspect fraud.

    Read Also:  In Nigeria, NSCDC destroys five illegal refineries that distributing adulterated fuel

    Judge Sara Cockerill dismissed the claim in a 137-page ruling on Tuesday at London’s High Court, ruling that Nigeria had failed at the first hurdle because there was no evidence of a fraud against the country.

    She noted that the Nigerian government could not prove that it had been defrauded, and that while “JP Morgan would have done things differently” with the benefit of hindsight, “none of these things individually or collectively amount to triggering and then breaching” the bank’s duty of care to its client.

    Judge Cockerill stated that the bank was “aware of a risk” of fraud at the time of the 2013 payments.

    “There was a risk – but it was nothing more than a possibility based on a shaky foundation based on the evidence.”

    In February, Masefield argued that Nigeria’s case hinged on proving that there was a fraud and that JP Morgan was aware of the risk.

    The lawyer told the court at the time, “The evidence of fraud is a little short of overwhelming.”

    “Under its Quincecare obligation, the bank was entitled to refuse to pay as long as it had reasonable grounds to believe its customer was being defrauded,” the court wrote.

    Quincecare is a legal precedent that states that if a bank believes it will be defrauded by making a payment, it should not do so.

    The judge ruled that there had been no Quincecare breach and that Nigeria had failed to prove its case.

    According to the Financial Times, Nigeria was “naturally disappointed by the outcome of the judgement and will be reviewing it carefully before considering next steps,” according to an unnamed Nigerian official. The FRN will continue to fight fraud and corruption while also working to recover funds for Nigerians.”

    “The judgement reflects our commitment to acting with high professional standards in every country we operate in, and how we are prepared to robustly defend our actions and reputation when they are called into question,” JPMorgan said in a statement to the Financial Times.

    How it all began

    Etete awarded OPL 245 to Malabu Oil and Gas, an oil company in which he has a large stake, as an oil minister under Sani Abacha’s military rule in 1998.

    Following Abacha’s death and the country’s return to democracy, successive administrations challenged Etete’s rights to the field until a deal was struck in 2011 to end the impasse by selling the field to Shell and Eni.

    The oil giants paid about $1.1 billion, and Malabu relinquished its interest in OPL 245, allowing international oil companies to buy the block.

    The agreement would later lead to a criminal trial for the Italian government’s alleged corruption.

    The defendants were, however, discharged and acquitted by a Court of Milan in March 2021, after a three-year trial.

    Read Also:  Over 1.5m people in Zamfara receive COVID-19 vaccines – Official

    As a result, the Federal Government filed a lawsuit seeking a $1.7 billion award against JP Morgan Chase Bank, which facilitated the transaction, for allegedly failing to meet its Quincecare obligations when it transferred $810 million to Malabu from the proceeds of the OPL 245 sale.

    In the trial, the Nigerian legal team accused Mohammed Bello Adoke, the Attorney-General of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, of corruption.

    Adoke, on the other hand, has consistently denied the allegations.

  • Over 1.5m people in Zamfara receive COVID-19 vaccines – Official

    Over 1.5m people in Zamfara receive COVID-19 vaccines – Official

    Over 1.5 million people in Zamfara have received COVID-19 vaccines, according to Dr Tukur Sama’ila, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Board (PHCB).

    Dr. Sama’ila made the announcement on Tuesday in Gusau at the board’s quarterly media engagement and sensitization meeting.

    The meeting was attended by representatives from the media, health partners, and executives from the state’s health ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), according to Nigeria’s News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    According to him, the purpose of the meeting is to inform the media about the board’s programmes and activities aimed at improving health-care delivery.

    “We invite you, especially the media, to this meeting to seek your support in advocating for various challenges and promoting our activities,” he said.

    Despite the lingering security challenges, he claims that the state was able to achieve tremendous success.
    He explained that Anka has the best performance record out of the state’s 14 Local Government Areas, with a 57 percent success rate.

    Read Also:  Breaking: Moghalu resigns from the ADC after losing the presidential Ticket

    “We expect other LGAs to achieve up to 70% achievement records by September of this year,” he said.

    Pregnant women in the state have a low rate of delivery at health facilities, according to the Executive Secretary.

    He stated that “one of the major challenges we are facing in Zamfara is women having their babies in their homes.”

    “This is fantastic; our antenatal care (ANC) data is constantly rising in our facilities, but only 70 to 80 percent of our pregnant women attend ANC in hospitals, and delivery rates are extremely low.”

    “Immunization is another area of difficulty; we have the vaccine, and we have eligible children, but the vaccine is not reaching them.”

    “We have issues with noncompliance, children not being available, and religious and cultural challenges from communities,” he explained.

    Behavioral change, he believes, is also a major source of concern that requires serious consideration.

    “We’re also pleading with the media to promote COVID-19 vaccination and child birth spacing to the general public in the state to dispel myths about these issues,” he added.

    Aliyu Maikiyo, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Health, reiterated the state government’s commitment to continuing to support health care delivery in a statement.

    “We are all aware that the current administration, led by Governor Bello Matawalle, has built 147 standard Primary Health Care Centers in each of the 147 political wards in the state’s 14 LGAs.

    Read also: Wike to emerge as Atiku’s running mate in 2023

    “Among the administration’s major efforts are the recent recruitment of health personnel for state general hospitals, the establishment of a state contributory health care agency, and the upgrade of the state-owned drugs management agency, among others.”

    “The current administration has been working hard to ensure that counterpart funding for various partnership programmes to improve health care delivery in the state is paid,” Maikiyo explained.

    The Permanent Secretary praised the state’s partners, particularly UNICEF and the WHO, for their generous assistance in health care delivery.

    Mustafa Alinkilo, the Programme Manager, State Emergency, Routine Immunization Coordination Center, also spoke, urging the media to intensify the state’s immunisation, health facility delivery, and ANC activities awareness campaigns.
    Alinkilo also stressed the importance of raising public awareness about integrated Primary Health Care.

  • Wike to emerge as Atiku’s running mate in 2023

    Wike to emerge as Atiku’s running mate in 2023

    Governor Nyesom Wike is set to be announced as the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Vice Presidential Candidate for 2023.

    Wike was reportedly chosen as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate.
    The decision was made following a closed-door meeting on Tuesday held by a committee formed to oversee the selection process.

    Ifeanyi Okowa, the Governor of Delta State, was also a candidate for the position, but Wike was chosen by several high-ranking members of the party.

    Read Also: In Nigeria, NSCDC destroys five illegal refineries that distributing adulterated fuel

    After finishing second in the Party’s Presidential Primaries, the Rivers State Governor made headlines.

    It was widely assumed that he would have won the election if fellow aspirant and Sokoto state governor Aminu Tambuwal had not decided to step down for Atiku.

    There will be more.

  • In Nigeria, NSCDC destroys five illegal refineries that distributing adulterated fuel

    In Nigeria, NSCDC destroys five illegal refineries that distributing adulterated fuel

    Five refineries suspected of producing and distributing adulterated fuel across Nigerian states have been discovered and destroyed.
    The illegal refineries were reportedly discovered in Delta State’s Delta South Local Government Area.

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, stormed and dislodged the reported refineries in an operation led by the Commandant General’s Special Anti-Vandal Monitoring Unit (SAVMU).

    The security agency was said to have received information about the nefarious activities of vandals and oil thieves operating a large camp and acted quickly.

    Read Also: Three Military Officers slump at Eagle Square Parade During Democracy Day Parade

    During the operation, two (2) suspects were apprehended, while other collaborators remained at large, according to reports.

    According to an intelligence report made available to journalists on Monday, the illegal refineries are owned by three people: one woman and two other men.

    The alleged owners, it is understood, have been apprehended and are currently in the custody of the NSCDC, where they are providing information to aid in the investigation.

    The Squad Commander, DCC Brah Umoru Samson, assured Nigerians that the SAVMU will not tolerate any act of economic sabotage, and warned all illegal operators to engage in legitimate business that will not break the law or jeopardize the safety of the country’s Critical National Assets and Infrastructure.

    When the investigations into their operations are completed, DCC Samson assured that the perpetrators will be prosecuted according to the law.

    Read Also:  Breaking: Moghalu resigns from the ADC after losing the presidential Ticket

    He emphasized that the Squad will conduct a full manhunt for those still on the loose.

    According to him, the illegal refineries and other equipment used in the illegal business have been destroyed, and a thorough investigation will be conducted to identify and prosecute any other criminals linked to the crime.

  • Breaking: Moghalu resigns from the ADC after losing the presidential Ticket

    Breaking: Moghalu resigns from the ADC after losing the presidential Ticket

    Kingsley Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, left the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday after losing the party’s presidential nomination.
    In a letter to the party’s National Chairman, Okey Nwosu, Moghalu announced his decision to resign his membership.

    It was previously reported that Moghalu had lost his bid to run for president in 2023 to Dumebi Kachikwu, the founder of Roots Television.

    While stating his reasons for leaving the party, the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria cited a lack of transparency in the party’s presidential primary.

    Read Also: We lost the battle, not the war – Osinbajo on losing the APC ticket to Tinubu in 2023

    “I am writing to resign from my membership in the African Democratic Congress, effective immediately,” the letter reads. I resigned because the process and conduct of the party’s presidential primary on June 8, 2022, in Abeokuta revealed a fundamental value clash between me and the party’s leadership.

    “Despite the circular you issued to the primary a few days ago committing the party to provide transportation and lodging for delegates to and from Abeokuta, which we agreed would provide a level playing field for all presidential aspirants, the party under your leadership failed to do so.”

    “Some aspirants, including myself, donated to the ADC party account for this purpose, as requested by the party.” This failure, which appeared to be deliberate, allowed for widespread electoral abuses such as delegate capture and financial inducement of delegates.

    “This is just one of the many inconsistencies and lack of transparency and predictability in the party’s management that I had been complaining about.”

    “As you know, I have consistently refused to join the APC or the PDP in order to avoid “cash-and-carry” politics. To remain a member of the ADC after the events in Abeokuta involving thousands of party members would be to endorse political corruption of the most heinous kind.

    Read Also:  Three Military Officers slump at Eagle Square Parade During Democracy Day Parade

    “I joined the ADC with the best of intentions in October 2021. Since then, I’ve dedicated my entire team to growing and improving the party, including increasing the party’s visibility across all media platforms, recruiting over 10,000 new members, and providing new offices for various state chapters at my own expense.

    “It is deeply regrettable that other incentives appear to have played a larger role in determining the primary’s outcome than party loyalty.”

  • Three Military Officers slump at Eagle Square Parade During Democracy Day Parade

    Three Military Officers slump at Eagle Square Parade During Democracy Day Parade

    Three military officers participating in the Democracy Day Parade slumped in Eagle Square, Abuja, during the June 12 celebration, creating palpable tension.

    They were said to have passed out from exhaustion after standing in one spot for hours in the scorching sun.

    Some security and medical personnel rushed to the parade ground with stretchers, whisking the collapsed colleagues to the medical shed on the left side of the State Box, where President Muhammadu Buhari was seated, causing some confusion.

    Read Also:  Mixed reactions trail killing of 32 residents, burning of houses by terrorists

    However, there were no casualties because they were successfully treated and quickly recovered consciousness.

    The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Police all performed at the ceremony. A combat display by the Nigerian Army Female Corps was followed by traditional dance performances from various ethnic groups.

    The President, who was the Special Guest of Honour, inspected the guards and was followed by a slow and fast military/police march past.

    Before the parade advanced in review order, there was a combined silent drill display by the Armed Forces and Police, as well as a playlet performance.

    Read Also:  We lost the battle, not the war – Osinbajo on losing the APC ticket to Tinubu in 2023

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, National Assembly Presiding Officers, Service Chiefs, Diplomatic Corps Members, Youth Corps Members, and Babagana Kingibe, a former Cabinet Member under President Yar’Adua, were among those in attendance.

    Kingibe, who was M.K.O. Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 presidential election, was introduced as a former Vice President and invited to join President Buhari, Jonathan, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief Justice of the Federation Ibrahim Tanko, and the All Progressives Congress national chairman Abdullahi Adamu in a group photograph.

  • PDP aspirants in Lagos seek fresh Assembly primaries

    PDP aspirants in Lagos seek fresh Assembly primaries

    Aspirants for the Peoples Democratic Party’s House of Assembly in Lagos State have asked the PDP’s National Working Committee to conduct new primaries, just as it did for their counterparts in the House of Representatives.

    On May 22, 2022, the hopefuls said, both House of Representatives and Assembly primaries were rigged.

    According to the candidates, the state’s ruling APC has entered the party’s structure.

    On Sunday, May 22, 2022, they confirmed that no primary elections will be held in the state.

    House of Assembly candidate for Surulere constituency 2, Oladotun Sodunke; Mainland constituency 1 candidate Aduragbemi; and Oshodi constituency candidate Muyideen, according to a statement released on Sunday.

    “Delegates of the PDP were marginalized by those who had only just joined the party a few months ago, in connivance with PDP leaders renowned for working against the party during elections,” the statement stated in part.

    Read Also:  Breaking: Many feared dead after bomb explosion in Ondo church

    “They forced their way through over the state Executive’s objections to the skewed ad hoc list to guarantee that their candidates emerged winners, despite evident protests from all other hopefuls, and no election was held.”

    “We appealed with the NWC to intervene before the situation became a serious issue,” said the group. For the sake of the party’s survival, the PDP Presidential candidate and other statutory authorities should summon the committee immediately.

    “The impromptu list submitted to Lagos was slanted in favor of the governorship candidate implicated in these egregious actions. Because the candidates’ lists were written at hotels and private houses of some of the manipulators, INEC and DSS personnel who were supposed to oversee the process were refused access.

  • Blasphemy: If they can kill fellow Muslim, no one is safe – HURIWA laments, blames Osinbajo, others

    Blasphemy: If they can kill fellow Muslim, no one is safe – HURIWA laments, blames Osinbajo, others

    HURIWA, the Nigerian Human Rights Writers Association, has warned that no one is safe if Muslims can accuse one of their own of blasphemy, lynch and burn him in broad daylight.

    All of this occurred without the assistance of the police, according to the organization, implying that Nigerian policing had completely failed.

    Due to a lack of professionalism and leadership, the Nigeria Police Force’s response time to violent situations is uncertain, according to HURIWA.

    This comes after a horrible incident on Saturday in which Ahmad Usman, a 30-year-old member of a local vigilante group, was slain in Lugbe, Airport Rd, Abuja, for allegedly insulting Islam. The killing was also termed as crude by HURIWA.

    The event at the Federal Housing Estates in Lugbe, Abuja, is the second in recent months in which Islamic extremists have slain people accused of blasphemy or suspected to have committed blasphemy in Abuja, according to HURIWA.

    According to the report, these heinous acts demonstrate that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is tolerant of Islamic extremism because it lacks the resources and political will to act decisively to apprehend those who murdered many Nigerians on similar fabricated charges by mobs, and the killers were allowed to roam free.

    According to HURIWA, the Federal Government has a frightening practice of living with mass murderers, terrorists, and kidnappers under the current administration.

    It claimed that in the previous seven years, there have been an overwhelming number of killings committed beneath the noses of Buhari’s government that have gone uninvestigated, with no known steps taken to bring the culprits to justice, such as sending them to firing squads.

    Mrs. Eunice Elisha, a Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor, was hacked to death by suspected Muslim fanatics while giving an early morning preaching in the Gbazango neighborhood of Kubwa, Abuja, in the first of two assassinations by Islamic extremists in Abuja.

    Read Also:  Anambra: HURIWA calls on Peter Obi to to help in finding missing LP governorship candidate, Obiora

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria (CBCN) were also blamed by the organization for failing to speak out and maintain a moral stance in the face of Islamists’ serial murders of Christians. According to the report, Christian leaders just issued flimsy remarks full of immaturity and terror, and then went to sleep, while Christian deaths continued unabated.

    The incident, CAN stated in its first public response, was “yet another religious, hatred-motivated brutal murder” that was becoming more common under Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    “Discrimination against non-Muslims in Nigeria under the Buhari Administration has taken on a hazardous dimension that should not be left to the vagaries of time and circumstance to settle,” the group said.

    HURIWA also condemned Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is also a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, for doing nothing to stop the horrible murder of Mrs. Elisha, a female preacher from his church.

    The fact that the latest victim of Islamist assassination was a Moslem is irrelevant, according to the rights group, because it demonstrates that the Federal Government, under Buhari, is complicit in all religiously motivated hate crimes by failing to take administrative, security, or operational measures to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators.

    Despite the fact that the victim of the recent mad mob action in Abuja was a Moslem like his attackers, HURIWA believes that anybody may be framed and publicly murdered, and that the Nigerian police can only come after the crime has been performed and the assassins had dispersed on their own.

    HURIWA recalled that while the most recent avoidable incident, which occurred at the Lugbe timber market section of the Fruit Market in Federal Housing Estates in Lugbe Abuja, involved a Moslem, the person killed was a Nigerian citizen with all of his constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights, and the government failed in its legal obligation to protect the citizen.

    It also faulted the police for failing to act quickly to prevent the crime from occurring rather than waiting for armed Islamists to kill the civilian before inciting a rush as police fired rounds to disperse the crowd.

    “Nigeria police have no capabilities in responding quickly to crises and incidences of crime,” HURIWA noted, “but they sometimes arrive hours after the incidents and begin harassing witnesses who may be completely innocent.” This policing strategy of responding to crimes after they have occurred demonstrates the collapse of policing in Nigeria, which necessitates immediate action to revive, reform, and restructure policing institutions in Nigeria, including the Department of State Services, because because the government is deliberately inactive, anyone can become a victim tomorrow.”

    “It’s appalling that the police did nothing and allowed the mob action to happen about 1 p.m. on Saturday after Usman took safety in the market’s vigilante office. The local security force was overpowered, according to the findings, before Usman was slain in front of the office and his corpse set on fire. Despite the fact that the police were not physically there to prevent this, the cops were able to come up with the amusing statistic that the mob numbered more than 200 persons. Is the Nigerian Police Force now a unit of the National Population Commission, to the point where they abandoned their law enforcement and crime-prevention duties to conduct a head count of the killers of the blasphemy execution victim in Abuja over the weekend and failed to apprehend even one of the 200 people counted? If he (Usman) was discovered shopping for food at the afternoon market. Why did the police not respond much sooner and earlier in the morning when the blasphemy occurred and a stick was used to beat him in the head, or do the police lack Intelligence collecting skills? He was stoned only after that before rushing into the workplace. Due to the large number of people chasing him, his coworkers were unable to protect him, and after he became unconscious, petrol was poured on him and he was burned in front of the office, and only then did people witness the arrival of police officers after the heinous crime had been committed, and the Federal Government will not sanction the police chief in the FCT for dereliction of duty because the current government appears to be pro-Islamic extremists.”

    Read Also:  Breaking: Many feared dead after bomb explosion in Ondo church

    HURIWA reported that on May 12, a mob in Sokoto gruesomely murdered Deborah Samuel, a female student at Shagari College of Education, and set her body on fire after she was accused of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammed in a message on the school’s Whatsapp group, with the perpetrators still at large.

    The rights group demanded that the President take steps to ensure that the perpetrators of this and other crimes of a mass execution by Islamists are apprehended, prosecuted, and punished, just as the FCT’s police claim that normalcy has been restored following the brutal murder of a citizen in Lugbe was dismissed by the rights group. Normalcy can only be restored when the killers are identified, convicted, and perhaps sentenced to death for their crimes against humanity, and when the police become professional and respond quickly to crime situations, according to the report.

  • Breaking: Many feared dead after bomb explosion in Ondo church

    Breaking: Many feared dead after bomb explosion in Ondo church

    The St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, in the Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, was rocked by an explosion that killed many people.

    On Sunday, while mass was in progress, an attack occurred on the church grounds.

    Images of dead individuals, including children and women, were shown in footage seen by.

    Read Also:  Anambra: HURIWA calls on Peter Obi to to help in finding missing LP governorship candidate, Obiora

    According to an eyewitness, Kehinde Ogunkorode, the explosive strike, carried out by suspected bandits, produced chaos in the region, with inhabitants fleeing for their lives.

    The reason of the tragedy, according to Ondo State Police Command spokesperson Funmilayo Odunlami, is yet unknown.

    “The Commissioner of Police is en route to the area to investigate the event.” When contacted by, she stated, “We’ve been hearing a lot about it and I’ll get back to you.”

  • AN ABUJA SCHOOL OF DISTINCTION FOR YOUR CHILD

    AN ABUJA SCHOOL OF DISTINCTION FOR YOUR CHILD