Calabar man gives out 2-year-old son as loan collateral

The Police Command in Cross River State has arrested one Mr Daniel Bassey for allegedly giving away his two-year-old son to a trafficking agent in Port Harcourt in exchange for money.

The Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr Hafiz Inuwa, who paraded the suspect before newsmen on Tuesday in Calabar, said the man was arrested on July 23 in Calabar after a report was made by the mother of the child, Mrs Magdalene Bassey.

Inuwa explained that the mother of the child reported that her husband, Mr Daniel Bassey, gave out the child to a trafficking agent for an undisclosed amount of money.

“On July 23 2018, one Mrs Magdalene Bassey reported at Efut Divisional Headquarters in Calabar that her husband, Mr Daniel Bassey, took their first son to an unknown person in Port Harcourt through one woman called `Mummy’.

“The police immediately swung into action and arrested the suspect. During interrogation; the suspect revealed that his wife was a party to the transaction.

“The duo are now in police custody to unravel the cause of this inhuman action and possible prosecution,’’ he said.

However, the father of the child told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he gave out the child as collateral for N180,000 to help him pay his house rent.

“I did it based on the debt of N21,000 I collected from a friend to pay my house rent.

“There is no work in this rainy season and I am jobless. A guy from my area informed me that he knows a woman who lends money to people.

“That my friend told me that I can give out the child as collateral to get the money without necessarily selling him.

“The woman gave me N180,000 immediately after she received the child.

“After that, my mother in-law came and asked me of the child and I lied to her that I took the baby to my brother for holiday,’’ he said. - Daily Post

Rights abuses: NHRC sets up panel to probe SARS

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has constituted a panel to investigate allegations of rights abuses and other activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

A statement by the commission, said the special investigation panel, to be headed by NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu was in furtherance of a recent presidential directive to that effect.

In the statement, an official of the commission, Uche Mebrim, quoted Ojukwu as saying that the panel was constituted pursuant to the provisions of the National Human Rights Commission Act, 1995 as amended.

He said the panel would sit in Abuja and the six geo-political zones of the country to listen to complaints from victims of alleged human rights violations against SARS operatives and members of the public, who have suggestions on reforming SARS and improving public safety and security in Nigeria.

Ojukwu said that the Panel is expected to submit its report to the Federal Government after ninety days of its inauguration and that member of the public are requested to cooperate with the panel to ensure a smooth national assignment.

Ojukwu, who has since inaugurated the panel in Abuja, called on members to brace up for the task of proffering recommendations aimed at improving policing, public safety and security in general.

He said the panel’s members were carefully selected in accordance with their deep commitment to deepening promotion of respect for the rule of law, depth of experience and knowledge in human rights and policing and their track records in public service.

He said NHRC has issued call for memoranda in two national dailies, requesting members of the public to bring forward their complaints and has also inaugurated a special panel of investigation for the national assignment.

He gave the panel’s terms of reference include: “to independently review and render advice on any value added by SARS from a public safety and security perspective and make recommendations to the government on the steps that may be taken to reform or restructure SARS.

“Measures to be taken in respect of operatives of SARS, if any, found in violation of human rights of citizens; remedial steps that may enhance the professional conduct of SARS operatives and other members of the Nigeria Police; and any other recommendations that may be considered appropriate.”

Members of the panel include Ojukwu, Tijani Mohammed (from the Police Service Commission), David I. Shagba ( Public Service Commission) and Chino Obiagwu) representing civil society).

Others are Hashimu Argungu (a retired police officer), Prof. Etannibi Alemika (an independent expert on policing) and Abdulrahman Ayinde Yakubu (NHRC, who will act as panel’s Secretary). - The Nation

Trump Is Hurting Business by Limiting Legal Immigration

The Trump administration is using the country’s vast and nearly opaque immigration bureaucracy to constrict the flow of foreign workers into the United States by throwing up new roadblocks to limit legal arrivals.

The government is denying more work visas, asking applicants to provide additional information and delaying approvals more frequently than just a year earlier. Hospitals, hotels, technology companies and other businesses say they are now struggling to fill jobs with the foreign workers they need.
With foreign hires missing, the employees who remain are being forced to pick up the slack. Seasonal industries like hotels and landscaping are having to turn down customers or provide fewer services. 

Corporate executives worry about the long-term impact of losing talented engineers and programmers to countries like Canada that are laying out the welcome mat for skilled foreigners.
At Northwell Health’s pathology lab on Long Island, a new doctor’s cubicle stands empty, her computer and microscope untouched. Other residents started on July 1, but she is stuck in India’s Punjab State, held up by unexplained delays in her visa.

“There have been delays in processing that we have not felt before,” said Dr. Andrew C. Yacht, chief academic officer at Northwell, which includes Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.
In April 2017, President Trump signed a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order, directing government officials to “rigorously enforce” immigration laws. The order did not get the kind of attention that followed the administration’s decision to separate families at the Mexican border this summer.

A few months later, the president endorsedlegislation that would cut legal immigration by half. The bill was introduced by two Republican senators, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia. But Republican leaders in Congress have not advanced it.
Some lawmakers say Mr. Trump is using administrative means to reshape immigration policy because those changes have stalled on Capitol Hill.

“If they want to have a proposal on immigration, they should send it to Congress,” said Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Silicon Valley. “The administration should engage in that conversation. To unilaterally and without any accountability change what Congress has authorized is not democratic.”
In practice, businesses say the increased red tape has made it harder to secure employment-based visas. That has added to the difficulty of finding qualified workers with the unemployment rate falling to 3.9 percent.
A recent analysis of government data by the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonpartisan research group, found that the denial rate for H-1B visa petitions for skilled foreign workers had increased 41 percent in the last three months of the 2017 fiscal year, compared with the third quarter. Government requests for additional information for applications doubled in the fourth quarter, a few months after Mr. Trump issued his order.
Experts say a sustained reduction in immigration could dampen growth over time as more baby boomers retire, leaving big gaps in the job market.

That goes for high-skilled immigrants and low-skilled workers, said Francine D. Blau, an economist at Cornell. The latter will be vital in fields like elder care and child care, as well as construction and cleaning.

“A lot of our labor-force growth comes from immigrants and their children,” Ms. Blau said. “Without them, we’d suffer the problems associated with countries with an aging population, like Japan.”
The Business Roundtable, a group of corporate leaders, recently challenged the Trump administration over changes that it says threaten the livelihoods of thousands of skilled foreign workers, and economic growth and competitiveness.

In a statement, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services said the administration was “relentlessly pursuing necessary immigration reforms that move toward a merit-based system.” It added that all petitions and applications were handled “fairly, efficiently, and effectively on a case-by-case basis.”
The H-1B program, which was created to bring in foreigners with skills that business leaders argued would strengthen the economy, has long been a target for some politicians. The visa program has been criticized because corporations have exploited it to replace American workers.

Still, many economists say H-1B holders are valuable. Immigrants file patents at twice the rate of native-born Americans and start about 25 percent of high-tech companies in the United States.
“There’s absolutely no research that supports the idea that cutting legal immigration is good for the economy,” said Ethan Lewis, a Dartmouth economist.
Hospitals in particular argue that they need foreign doctors who are more willing than native-born Americans to take jobs in less glamorous and lower-paying fields, like internal and family medicine. Of Northwell’s 1,826 resident doctors, 165 came in under H1-B or J-1 student visas.

Nearly one-third of pathology residents come from other countries, according to the National Resident Matching Program. But the number of overseas applicants in all specialties has dropped for two years in a row.
“The administration’s policies are having a chilling effect on the interest of international medical graduates coming to the United States to train,” said Mona M. Signer, chief executive of the matching program.
The missing Indian pathologist’s workload at Northwell has been spread among 11 residents, lengthening the time they are on call.


“Our nation’s ability to care for patients is dependent on international medical graduates,” Dr. Yacht said.

The effect of lower-skilled immigrants is more debatable. George J. Borjas, a Harvard economist, has found that an influx of such workers reduced the incomes of people without a high school degree between 3 and 5 percent.
Giovanni Peri, an economist at the University of California, Davis, agrees that individual workers can be hurt by competition from lower-paid foreigners. But he said the overall effect on wages was modest. Immigration also tends to bolster the incomes of college-educated Americans.

Mr. Peri points to what happened when the government deported between 400,000 and 500,000 Mexicans between 1929 and 1934, most of whom worked in agriculture and construction. With fewer people to work the fields, farm owners and agricultural businesses cut administrative, sales and clerical jobs because there was not enough to do.
“Out of eight or 10 positions held by Mexicans, maybe one or two were taken by Americans,” Mr. Peri said. “The rest disappeared.”

Rob Hurst is not concerned with the macroeconomics of immigration. He is just struggling to keep bathrooms clean.
This summer, he has found himself on his hands and knees scrubbing toilets and tubs at Edgartown Commons, a hotel he manages on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Five Jamaican workers who had long worked at the property failed to get H2-B seasonal-work visas.
“I’m 65 years old, but you got to do what you got to do,” he said. “We did hire contract workers, but it’s never going to be as good as people with years of experience.”

In the past, returning H2-B visa workers were not counted against the program’s annual cap of 66,000. Congress declined to renew that exemption in December 2016.
Foreign workers are also growing frustrated about the clampdown on visas and rising anti-immigrant sentiment.

Uday Verma is leaving after 12 years in Iowa, time he spent earning a graduate degree in computer science and working for a technology company.

Mr. Verma, 37, who emigrated from India, has repeatedly renewed his H-1B visa while waiting fruitlessly for permanent resident status — also known as a green card. Had he been successful, he could have easily switched employers or started his own business.

“I can’t make a plan here,” Mr. Verma said. “You’re perpetually in this state of limbo. It just doesn’t make sense anymore to stay here and keep pursuing this American dream.”

Mr. Verma, his wife and their 9-year-old son plan to be living in Toronto by the time their American visas expire in the second week of September.

He is taking advantage of the Global Talent Stream  initiative the Canadian government started last year. It lets companies in innovative fields, like artificial intelligence, quickly secure visas for workers with vital skills.

With experience with A.I. programming tools, Mr. Verma got a visa in two weeks, and could become a permanent resident in six months or so.

His employer, Kira Systems, makes software that reads and analyzes legal contracts. The company has more than doubled its employment in the past year, to 115 people. Noah Waisberg, a co-founder and the chief executive, said half of Kira’s technical staff was from China, India, Russia and other countries.

Canada has long welcomed immigrants. “But that is even more so relative to the United States, given the climate in America now,” Mr. Waisberg said. “It’s certainly helped us recruit.”

Mr. Trump’s “hire American” push is helping some domestic businesses. One of those is Nexient, which provides software services and competes with firms in India and elsewhere. Fearful of becoming too dependent on offshore firms, corporate customers are increasingly interested in having domestic partners, said Mark Orttung, Nexient’s chief executive.

“You still have to win the business, but it has been an accelerator for us,” he said.

Nexient is based in Newark, Calif., but its programmers are mainly in Michigan and Indiana. The start-up employs more than 500 people, up from 400 last year.

About 10 percent of Nexient’s employees have H-1B visas, typically engineers who have mastered old software systems and other niche technologies in corporate data centers.

Those foreign workers are fielding more government requests for information and waiting longer for visa renewals, Mr. Orttung said. “It adds a great deal of uncertainty to the lives of some of our employees.” - The New York Times

MTN to FG: Re-opening $2bn tax arrears claim ‘is sad’

The management of MTN Nigeria has responded to the allegations of a $2 billion tax debt by the office of the attorney general of the federation (AGF).

In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by Funsho Aina, the company’s public relations manager, MTN said it is “regrettable and disconcerting” that the case has been reopened despite multiple tax assessments carried out over the years.

TheCable broke the story that the AGF has asked MTN to pay $2 billion in arrears of taxes over the last 10 years.

FULL TEXT OF MTN’S STATEMENT

Following the receipt of the letter from the Central Bank of Nigeria on foreign exchange repatriation, MTN Nigeria (“the Company”) has today provided an update on the company’s position on the issue. The company has also notified the market, and all stakeholders that it has received a notice from the Attorney General of Nigeria that he intends to recover up to US$ 2 billion of tax relating to, inter alia, import duties, VAT and withholding taxes on foreign imports/payments.

MTN continues to strenuously deny the allegations being made by the Central Bank of Nigeria and has provided further clarity on the company’s position. MTN equally strenuously rejects the findings of the Attorney General’s investigation and believes it has fully settled all amounts owing under the taxes in question.

It is both regrettable and disconcerting that despite the historic engagements with the Nigerian authorities by MTN Nigeria, the senate investigation into the CCI matter, and the multiple tax assessments done by the Nigerian tax authorities over many years that were satisfactorily concluded, that these matters are being reopened.

Speaking on the CBN allegations MTN Corporate Relations Executive Tobe Okigbo (pictured) said: “From the CBN’s own letter and subsequent statements, it is clear that there is no dispute that the capital captured in MTN’s books and for which CCIs were issued was imported into Nigeria, and this is acknowledged explicitly by the CBN. It is equally clear that Nigerian law provides for guaranteed unconditional transferability of funds through an Authorised dealer in freely convertible currency relating to dividends or profits attributable to the investment, payments and in respect of loan servicing where a foreign loan has been obtained.”

He went on to say: “All dividend repatriation done by MTN Nigeria to its shareholders was done on the basis of its equity capital and all the historic dividends were declared against valid equity CCIs and in fact no preference dividends were declared and no interest in respect of these preference shares was paid. This means that it is incorrect to suggest that the conversion of a shareholder loan to preference shares has any relation to the repatriation of dividends. The two are simply not connected and we are trying to understand this position that the Central Bank has taken.”

Speaking on the Attorney General’s ‘demand notice’ for historical tax obligations, Mr Okigbo said: “MTN has conducted a detailed review of these claims, and provided evidence of tax remittance to the Attorney General’s office. The Attorney General’s notice indicates that he is rejecting this evidence. We believe that all taxes due to the Nigerian government have been paid and these allegations have not been raised by any of the revenue generating agencies that MTN engages with regularly, and from whom MTN has received numerous awards for compliance.” 

MTN Nigeria will continue to engage with the relevant authorities on all these matters and we remain resolute that MTN Nigeria has not committed any offences and will vigorously defend its position.

Update on the CBN letter on foreign exchange

MTN Group and the original shareholders injected a total of $402, 625,419 into MTN Nigeria between 2001 and 2006 in the form of loans and equity. These initial inflows were the basis for the issuance of various legacy CCIs obtained from Authorized Dealers in accordance with regulations. The inflow of capital has been confirmed by the CBN.

The CCI process is essentially in place both for the protection of investors as well as to provide the CBN with documentary evidence for monitoring capital inflows and outflows. Although over time the CCIs have been re-issued, consolidated and re-constituted to reflect the changing MTN capital and shareholding structure, the amount of  402, 625,419, has remained the same.

One aspect of the changing capital structure was the conversion of shareholder loans to preference shares. It is important to note that all the historic dividends were declared against valid equity CCIs and in fact no preference dividends were declared and no interest in respect of these preference shares was paid.

The Attorney General’s notice of intention to recover tax

The Attorney General notified MTN that his office made a high-level calculation that MTN Nigeria should have paid approximately $2,0 billion in taxes relating to the importation of foreign equipment and payments to foreign suppliers over the last 10 years and he requested MTN Nigeria to do a self-assessment of the taxes in this regard that have been actually paid.

In August 2018 MTN submitted comprehensive documentation to the office of the AG. MTN Nigeria has also completed an initial assessment of the full period which indicates that total payments made to the tax authorities in regard to these foreign imports and payments in aggregate are $700 million. There are valid reasons for the differences between the actual payments and the AG high-level assessment.

We were notified by the office of the AG last week that they have not accepted the documentation presented and they have given notice of an intention to recover the $2.0bn from MTN Nigeria. Based on the detailed review performed MTN Nigeria believes it has fully settled all amounts owing under the taxes in question. -TheCable

Police invasion: Clarke demands public apology

Ijaw Leader, Chief Edwin Clark has demand an unreserved apology from the Nigerian Police Force over the invasion of his Abuja residence.

In a statement signed by his lawyer, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, Castle of Law, Chambers, Abuja, described the action of the police as despotic, an indication of clampdown on opposition voices in the country.

The statement reads: “”This afternoon , officers and men of the IGP Special Tactical Squad, a unit under the direct command of the Inspector General of Police, turned upside down and raided the Asokoro Residence of our  Client, the foremost Politician, Nationalist and Elder Statesman, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark on the pretext that they were in search for arms and ammunitions.

“However, despite the siege and search, they found nothing incriminating our Client.

“Our Client believes that the rather unfortunate pretext or reasons given by the Nigerian Police is just another figment of their wild imaginations.

“The fact that a man of Chief Edwin Clark’s stature could have his house raided in this uncivil, undemocratic and brazen manner by the Nigerian Police underscores an anomalous/despotic tendency and is an indication of the recent clampdown on opposition voices in Nigeria.

“Our Client at a graceful age of 92, has played a very active role in the promotion and restoration of peace and order in the Niger Delta Region, his patriotic disposition to issues of national affairs clearly puts him in a class of his own, second to none. It is also a fact that cannot be gainsaid or misconstrued that his inputs in the Federal Government Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta Militants clearly paved the way for the eventual resolution of the crisis”.

“Therefore, it can be safely concluded that our Client is not deserving of such humiliation and embarrassment as meted out to him by the Nigeria Police Force. In the final analysis, our Client finds the act of the Nigeria Police Force as reprehensible, inexcusable and absolutely unacceptable”.

“Consequent upon this, we demand that an unreserved public apology be tendered to our Client by the Nigerian Police Force. - The Nation

27-year-old man ‘sells’ father to kidnappers for N45,000 in Osun

A 27-year-old man, identified as Isah Ibrahim, has been paraded by the police in Osun for allegedly masterminding the kidnap of his father, Ibrahim Adamu, who eventually died in the kidnappers’ den.

According to Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Fimihan Adeoye, the suspect, on April 17, 2018 was reportedly conspired with one Jolaanobi Saheed and three others to kidnap his father for ransom at Owode-ede.

He explained that the kidnappers later killed the victim after collecting three million naira from the family victim, and buried him in a shallow grave near a river.

Adeoye said the prime suspect, Saheed was later apprehended by the police and charged to court, but eventually released on bail.

“Our detectives swung to action immediately the matter was reported to us, we made an headway and arrested the prime suspect, he eventually jumped bail after releasing him on bail by the court.

“Other two accomplices were arrested as we continue to launch a manhunt for the prime suspect, the two suspects we are parading now include the person that dug the shallow grave in which the victim was said to have been buried at a river bank.

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to recover the body of the deceased, may be it has been washed away by water, we don’t know.

“The suspects promised to give the son of the deceased a sum of five hundred thousand naira initially, but later shortchanged him and gave him 45,000 out of three million naira they collected from the family.

“So, this young man sold his father to death for the sum of 45,000 only, “Adeoye lamented.

The son of the deceased, while fielding questions from newsmen, said the initial plan he had with the gang was not to kill his father but to collect money from him.

He expressed regret over the incident, saying his father hostile disposition towards him compelled him to seek for means to “punish” him.

Meanwhile, the mother of the prime suspect, alongside his younger brother and pastor were paraded on Tuesday. - Daily Post

Ibadan man, father of three commits suicide

A 27-year old welder and father of three children, Mr. Yahya Tunde Adeyemi has committed suicide by hanging himself in a bush inside Odogbo Barracks in Ibadan, Oyo state.

Adeyemi’s body was reportedly discovered around 4 pm on Sunday by some Igede farmers.

Residents of Lakuru area, where the deceased’s welding shop was located, said that they could not believe the story until they got to the scene of the incident.

It was gathered that Adeyemi entered the bush through a hole in the barracks’ fence and without informing anyone, committed suicide by hanging himself.

DAILY POST gathered Tuesday morning, that no one could ascertain what made the young man to take his own life.

However, his friend, who gave his name as Taiwo Oladejo, said it may not be unconnected with some unfinished welding jobs given to him.

Father of the deceased, Mr. Hamidu Adeyemi said his son was a gentleman, and did not inform him of any problem he was probably confronted with. - Daily Post

‘Stronger than 18 European countries’ — Nigerian military rated 43rd best in the world

The Global Fire Power (GFP), an institution which ranks the military of different countries, has rated the Nigerian military as the 43rd best in the world, in its 2018 survey.

This places Nigeria above 18 European countries namely: Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria, Austria, Ireland, Macedonia, Finland, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Serbia, Albania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Egypt leads the African military power followed closely by Algeria, South Africa and Nigeria, thereby making the country the 4th in Africa.
The ranking is based on population of the country, manpower/personnel strength, financial strength and military arsenal.

Nigeria is credited with 181,000 total military  personnel, 172, 400,000 available manpower, those fit for service stood at 40,710,000, citizens reaching military age stands at 3,456,000.
Out of the total military personnel, 124,000 are active while 57,000 are reserved.
According to GFP, the United States retained its prime position as the country with the greatest military firepower beating Russia and China.
The US has a total military personnel strength of 2,830,100 with available manpower of 145 million from a total population of 326 million.

The country is also credited with 13,362 total aircraft strength comprising attack, fighter, transport and trainer aircraft, 20 aircraft carriers, 38,888 armoured fighting vehicles, 5,888 combat tanks, 1,197 rocket projectors among others. - TheCable

Transfer news : Tottenham were ready to spend €40m on Chelsea target Diawara

Tottenham were reportedly very close to launching a €40 million move to sign long-term Chelsea target Amadou Diawara this summer.

Reports in Italy from Calciomercato claim that Spurs were very keen to bring him to London, but new Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti was refusing to sell.
Ancelotti is said to be a huge admirer of the player and even tried to sign him whilst at Bayern Munich, so he was keen to not miss out on the chance to work with the player.
Diawara, who is very highly thought of in Italy, has long been linked with a move to Chelsea.

Spurs themselves had earmarked the player as a replacement for Moussa Dembele, who is being linked with a move away from the club.

Diawara was one of the many Napoli players to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge over the summer, despite playing a fringe role under Maurizio Sarri during his time at the club.

The young midfielder is one seen as one for the future but is set for a key role in the Napoli first team going forward. - Read Sport

Transfer news : Arsenal planning January move for Filipe Luis

Arsenal could be about to offer former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis another chance to impress in the Premier Leauge.

According to reports, as cited on the Mirror, Luis is being considered as a target for the Gunners as he enters the final months of his contract with Atletico Madrid.
Luis was previously believed to be a target for Paris Saint-Germain this summer but has remained Atletico Madrid.

Unai Emery is said to be keen to add to his defensive options but may need to convince the player to give the Premier League another go.

Luis had a far from successful stint with Chelsea under Jose Mourinho. The Brazilian failed to hold down a regular place in the side and quickly returned to Madrid.

The defender is valued at around £27 million by the La Liga side but is out of contract at the end of the season. - Read Sport

100 injured in train accident

The ER24 paramedics said Tuesday that some 100 people have been injured in a train collision near the South African city of Johannesburg.

“Approximately 100 people have left injured this morning following a collision between two passenger trains in the Eloff extension in Selby, south of Johannesburg … Fortunately, no serious injuries or fatalities were found.

“The patients were treated for their injuries and were thereafter transported by several services to nearby hospital,” the paramedics said in a statement.

The details of the incident are not yet known, local authorities are on the scene.

In January, 226 people were injured in a train collision in the city of Germiston.

Anglican Primate, Okoh explains why homosexuality has taken over Nigeria

Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, says homosexuality is “veritably poisoning” the Nigerian society.

Okoh told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the unlawful act was being fed by “disintegration of social values and cultures.’’

The cleric blamed the development on the influence of western culture facilitated by the internet and satellite broadcasting.

“Homosexuality hinders the progress of a nation and such ungodly images should never be shown in Nigeria.

“It is pertinent to note that the advent of satellite broadcasting has continued to pose a serious challenge to our traditional cultures, religious values and our identity as a people.

“Our youths are now being deceived by the international media with values that are at variance with our culture and the teachings of our religion.

“What is happening in the Nigerian society is a result of international influence and urbanisation.

“As people move from villages to the cities, they are detached from their ancestral authority, parents, chiefs and others.

“Anti-social behaviours that used to be tackled are no longer tackled all because of modernisation; essentially, people are destroying themselves,” he said.

Homosexuality was outlawed during the administration of former President, Goodluck Jonathan through the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) of 2014. - Daily Post

2019: House of rep aspirant dies few days after picking nomination forms

Hon. Egwuatu Egbulefu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State is dead.

DAILY POST gathered that the late Egbulefu, before his sudden death on Monday, had last week picked nomination forms of the PDP in Abuja to contest for Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency seat in the 2019 general elections.

The real cause of his death could not be ascertained as at press time, but a close associate of the late politician, who gave his name as Nwogwugwu, told DAILY POST on Tuesday morning that the deceased passed away shortly after a meeting with his supporters in Abia Hotel on Monday.

He said, “Yes, Chief Egwuatu Egbulefu died on Monday afternoon after a meeting he convened at Abia hotel in Abia. He died around 2pm yesterday.” - Daily Post

Enugu headmaster defiles 4 pupils, blames devil

The Police Command in Enugu State has arrested a school Headmaster, one Idoko Nathaniel, aged 50, of Mkpamteulo village, Enugu Ezike community, Igbo-Eze North Council for allegedly defiling four pupils put under his care.

Police spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu, in a statement on Monday, said that the incident happened at Migrant Farmers Children School located at Aguibeji community in Enugu Ezike, Igboeze North local Government Area.

Amaraizu said that operatives of the Gender Unit of the state’s Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department investigated the suspect for weeks in relation to his alleged nefarious activities.

He noted that the suspect had allegedly in the afternoon of July 17 at a bush near the school sexually abused and defiled the four minors aged between five and six years.

“It was gathered that the school headmaster had allegedly used his fingers on the private parts of the four female school pupils, inflicted serious injuries on them and thereby making them to be walking abnormally.

“It was further gathered that this was revealed as one of the victim school pupil opened up to her parents on what transpired in the school where she was defiled by the headmaster.

“This, however, led to the arrest of the headmaster. In his response, the headmaster regretted his act and blamed it on the Satan,” Amaraizu said.

The spokesman further revealed that the headmaster claimed that he was a father and had a wife at home.

“My wife is not happy with me over this incident. I am begging my wife, the parents of the children and God to forgive me,” Amaraizu quoted the suspect as pleading.

On whether he had been sexually assaulting other school children before now, the headmaster declared that this was his first time and that it was not done for anything.

The police spokesperson said that the affected pupils were currently being treated by medical doctors at the Police Medical Unit of the command, while investigation had begun.

Amaraizu said the headmaster would be arraigned in court on conclusion of investigation. - Daily Post

‘CBN investigated MTN on three charges’ — Emefiele clears the air on $8.1bn sanction

Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, says MTN was investigated over three allegations by the bank’s committee of governors.

In an interview with TheCable from China — where he is attending the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation with President Muhammadu Buhari — on Monday, the governor said the “painstaking investigation” into MTN’s forex repatriation lasted 30 months.

Emefiele told TheCable: “Our examiners had been investigating three charges of infractions against four banks — Citibank, Diamond Bank, Stanbic IBTC Nigeria and Standard Chartered Bank — in relation to repatriations involving MTN.

“The first charge was how Nigerian investors bought forex to pay for their shares in the telecoms company. The second was the failure of the banks to issue certificates of capital importation (CCIs) within 24 hours of receipt of funds in-flowed into Nigeria as stipulated in our regulations.

“Now, the third and the most critical is the unauthorised conversion of a loan of $399 million to preference shares by the MTN and the banks, which led to the repatriation of  $8.1 billion without CBN final approval over eight years, from 2007 to 2015.”

He said the issue of forex purchase to buy shares, in what amounted to round-tripping, was not punished because the regulations at the time allowed it.

“CBN examiners discovered that the local investors purchased forex from the Nigerian foreign exchange market, repatriated the funds and these funds formed part of the total funds in-flowed by MTN totalling $402 milion between 2001 and 2003,” he said.

“By our regulations, only funds in-flowed into Nigeria qualify for the issuance of CCI. However, examiners observed that the forex regulations at the time of investment allowed Nigerians to purchase shares with foreign currency. So the transactions were not voided by the CBN.

“On the second allegation, the regulation provides that banks must issue CCIs for in-flowed funds within 24 hours. The examiners reported that the banks failed to issue some of the CCIs within 24 hours. This should attract sanctions.

“Again, the CBN decided to overlook this offence since these transactions took place over 10 years ago. This informed the CBN letter dated February 22, 2017, which was published by the media on Monday, granting MTN the permission to continue paying dividends on the CCIs.

“When our directors were summoned by the senate to provide the CBN perspective, they told the senators that the CBN had pardoned the offences and based on this, the senate also cleared MTN and the banks. This is a completely differently matter. MTN and the banks are not being sanctioned over this issue.”

MTN’s sanctionable ‘offence’

The “crux of the matter”, he said, is the conversion of $399 million shareholders’ loans to preference shares in 2007, which led to the repatriation of over $8 billion as dividends by MTN.

CBN had granted a “provisional approval” in 2007, he said, but the banks did the transactions without getting the “crucial final approval”.

“The facts from the last examination which commenced in March 2018 is that, at the inception of the company, the shareholders in-flowed the sum of $402 million and reported that $343 million was equity and $59 million as loan,” Emefiele said.

“The examiners later discovered that in its 2007 audited accounts MTN’s auditors reported that the investment of $402 million was stated as $2.99 million in equity and $399 million as loan, a statement that was in conflict with their earlier disclosure and on the basis of which CCIs had long been issued to the company.

“Soon after, the company, through its bankers approached the CBN for the conversion of the loan of $399 million to preference shares. The CBN thereafter gave an approval in principle subject to fulfilling certain conditions.

“Notwithstanding, MTN and the banks went ahead and concluded the conversion to preference shares without CBN’s final approval and based on this, repatriated the sum of $8.1billion outside the country.

“In order to give the MTN and the banks a fair hearing, a meeting comprising the CBN committee of governors, the over 20 examiners, the MTN officials and the banks was held on May 25, 2018.

“At this meeting, we gave the company the opportunity to defend itself over the breach but unfortunately, it couldn’t. In fact, the bank that concluded the conversion and apologised, stating that it was an unintended error.

“The committee of governors  further directed  MTN and the banks to meet with the examiners to provide any evidence within one week that could convince the examiners to change their position. Indeed, the deadline for the submission of documents and evidence was extended to over 12 weeks.

“Despite granting these extensions, the examiners’ position never changed as MTN and the banks had no new evidence to provide. Based on this, the examiners concluded their reports and made their recommendations which was subsequently adopted by the CBN committee of governors.”

The apex bank has since ordered MTN to refund the $8.1 billion repatriated and meted out a fine of N5.8 billion to the four banks involved.

MTN has denied any wrongdoing. - TheCable