‘We didn’t commit any offence’ — Standard Chartered reacts to CBN fine

Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited has denied committing any offence which could attract sanction from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Standard Chartered is among the four commercial banks that the apex bank fined for alleged breaches of foreign exchange regulations in connection with foreign currency remittances.

The CBN had alleged improper dividend repatriations by MTN Nigeria and requested that $8.1 billion be returned to the coffers of the banking regulator.

Of the N5.8 billion fine, Standard Chartered Bank got N2.4 billion, the highest fine.

But the bank said it did not enter into any illegal deal with MTN Nigeria.

“These transactions, some of which date back to 2001, were in respect of foreign currency remittances backed by Certificates of Capital Importation (CCIs) issued in favour of our client, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited,” the bank said in a statement.

“The bank has sent a detailed and comprehensive response to the CBN on the purported infractions and has refuted all allegations of any wrongdoing.

“As in all countries where the Bank operates, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited remains committed to ensuring that all its processes and procedures adhere to the highest levels of corporate governance, controls and compliance with applicable laws of the jurisdiction.”

The statement quoted Dayo Aderugbo, head, corporate affairs, brand and marketing, as saying: ”I would like to reiterate to our stakeholders that in Nigeria, as in all countries where Standard Chartered operates, we conduct, and remain committed to carrying on our business in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. The Board and Management of the Bank hereby use this opportunity to advise its valued clients that the action of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not impact their ability to engage with the Bank for their personal, business and corporate transactions. ”

Earlier on Monday, MTN filed a suit against CBN and the attorney-general of the federation to seek a restraining order and also an injunction to protect its assets and shareholder rights. - TheCable

Nigeria loses N1.3trn yearly as food preservation facility wastes away

Nigeria has been losing about N1.3 trillion annually due to the inability to exploit the Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF) at the Nuclear Technology Centre (NTC), Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO) in Abuja, Dr. Abduljhalil  Tafawa-Balewa, said yesterday.

Tafawa-Balewa, a nuclear chemist, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the facility which had been wasting could make over 15 per cent of the country’s annual budget.

He described as regrettable that the facility, one of the most modern commercial irradiation facilities in the world and the only one in Africa was not being being exploited.

Gamma irradiation is a technology meant for the preservation of food crops and other agricultural products; it is a process by which products like yams, tomatoes, mangoes, oranges and other food products are passed through a ray called the Gamma Ray.

When food crops are passed through the ray, it sterilises the foods crops against microbial infection. The ray also maintains the quality of the food product against spoilage, thereby curbing post-harvest losses.

The nuclear chemist said: “That facility was established strictly for food preservation, reduction of senescence, that is, reduction of ripening in fruits and vegetables which will give you an opportunity to add value to these agricultural products.

“If a crop is passed through this ray, it will make the crop to last for more than six months or one year without microbial infection or reduction in the quality of the product. This will also help to export some agricultural products outside this country without using chemicals.

“In yam, the technology inhibits sprouting and maintains the quality of the yam for the period of storage. Gamma irradiation is where the rest of the world is going. Ghana has a gamma irradiation facility that is under as ace as the one we have in Nigeria and this helps them.

“If you go outside this country and you want an African yam, you will only get a Ghanaian yam. Some people have been smart to take Nigerian yam to Ghana, have it irradiated for reduction of microbial growth or senescence.

“When they get to other countries, it is named Ghanaian yam, while it could be named Nigerian yam where it actually comes from. Ghana has about six or seven species of yam, while Nigeria has 44 species of yam but you can never get Nigerian yam out there.

“A lot of them are being returned to us for simple reason. Europe does not like and want the type of pesticides or chemicals we use on our food for preservation before we ship to them.

“They think if we want to poison our people,we should not poison them as well. So they placed an embargo on foods coming from Nigeria when we have this massive irradiation facility that can take care of all of this.”

Tafawa-Balewa said the facility, if filled with cobalt-60 could do cross-linking polymerization of acrylamide built with Potassium Caprylate which would help to have several seasons of growth for plants and other products that did not take more than 90 days to harvest

According to him, Nigeria is losing out on that even though it has both subsistence and commercial farmers.

Tafawa-Balewa said that the technology could also be beneficial to medical practitioners as it could be used for sterilisation of medical, clinical and pharmaceutical products and equipment.

He said: “Gamma irradiation can be used to sterilise medical equipment because you can go into a hospital and go home with a different disease from what you went with because of poor sterilisation. It can also be used for cross-linking of rubber and other organic materials to engage in the polymerisation of these rubber products.

“About N1.3 trillion is being lost annually because we have not been able to exploit this. We have been placing square pegs in round holes. The managers do not know how to run the facility.”

Tafawa-Balewa said that the facility could employ about 220,000 people when it is optimally operational. - The Nation

800,000 people commit suicide annually, says WHO

No fewer than 800,000 people commit suicide annually, the World Health Organisation (WHO), has said.

The world body identified suicide as the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 15 and 29 in 2016.

It made the disclosure yesterday in a statement to mark the World Suicide Prevention Day.

The global health agency said the common methods of suicide were hanging and firearms occurring in all countries and regions, whether rich or poor.

It added, however, that most occurred in low and middle-income countries, which accounted almost four-fifths of global suicides in 2016.

“In high-income countries, there is a well-established link between suicide and mental health issues such as depression and alcohol use disorders. But many suicides take place on an impulse during moments of crisis.”

The UN health agencies estimated that a person died every 40 seconds by suicide and up to 25 times as many make a suicide attempt.

To prevent suicides in communities, WHO and the Mental Health Commission of Canada released a toolkit.

The toolkit outlined ways to prevent this serious public health problem, one of which is knowledge of the most commonly used methods, and restrictions of access to these methods.- The Nation

He gives me groundnut for sex – 14-year-old girl accuses Bricklayer

A 35-year-old bricklayer, Dayo Samuel has been arrested for allegedly raping his neighbour’s 13-year-old daughter.

The incident happened at Ijoka area of Akure, Ondo State.

Speaking to newsmen, the victim whose identity was not disclosed said Samuel used to give her groundnuts or N50 to have sex with her.

“He would give me money or groundnuts before having sex with me. I later told my mother. It is my mother that told the civil defence people to arrest him,” she said

However, the suspect while being paraded denied the allegation.

He accused the mother of the victim of using her daughter to frame him just because they were having a quarrel.

“I didn’t defile the girl; the woman and her child are not telling the truth,” he said.

Parading the suspect before newsmen, the state Commandant of the Ondo state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Pedro Awili, said the suspect had threatened to kill the victim if she told anybody that he defiled her.

“Abuse and defilement of minors have becoming a recurring crime in Ondo State and NSCDC has been collaborating with other security agencies to ensure that the trend is brought to an end in the state.

“The suspect will soon be charged to court after the completion of the investigation,” Awili said. - Daily Post

2019 : Unscrupulous 'Buying Agent' And Electoral Nomination Form

I view the motive of individual/groups buying electoral form on behalf of candidates for the up coming 2019 polls as self-serving and high service agenda. Though is their rights but is morally wrong and unspeakable.

Moreover, those candidates could be the actual people paying for their form through those Unscrupulous individual/groups in order to promote fake popularity among people. Nigeria is where everything is possible.

N45 million APC presidential nomination form was bought for Buhari. 
N22.5 million APC governorship nomination form was bought for Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, Niger state governor 
N12 million PDP presidential nomination from was purchased for Atiku.

Factually it is morally wrong for any aspirant seeking another term to accept such a gesture from public. So far the president, Atiku and Niger state governor are the only one taking undue advantage of these gullible individuals/groups. 

What have they done to impress these individuals and small groups that other Nigerians did not see or know?

What is the correlation between their performance in office and undeserved financial supports they are getting from these oppressed who are buying them electoral form ?

What moral justification have they got to collect form from those that are less rich than them especially when they are earning salaries, allowances, security vote, pensions and other office perks for four years running into billions of naira ?

Where are the infrastructures Buhari provided for Nigerians and what measures have Niger state governor taken to reduce the financial burden on his state workforce vis-Ă -vis free healthcare, free education and potable water ? 

Where is Buhari, Atiku and Niger state governor and their families seeking healthcare services ?

Where are their children schooling ?

Who among their families is using public transports ? 

If all these support groups and their families are not enjoying the same quality of service in terms of healthcare, education and public transport and other basic things of life like Buhari, Atiku and Niger state governor then they are fools for providing financial supports to these ungrateful people.

These various support groups to each aspirant are proclaiming love and belief for their actions.

The support group knows as Women and Youth Support for Atiku (WAYS) led by one Princess Adekemi while presenting the form to him at his campaign office in Abuja said they resolved to tax themselves to raise the funds for the form as expression of their commitment to support Atiku in his presidential bid.

She said that Nigerians, especially women were looking up to Abubakar to rescue the country. 

“I speak the voice of millions of mothers in Nigeria who bear the brunt of the gale of jobs losses in the country. “I speak on behalf of women of this country urging you to rescue Nigeria from this current bad situation. “To show you that we are solidly behind you, we have chosen to purchase your nomination form and expression of interest form from the PDP to contest for president in 2019, and we shall give you all of our support,” she said. 

Atiku, as ex vice president for 8 years and being a business man has no moral justification accepting the form from his so called supporters that have to taxed themselves in order to buy it for him. He claimed to be getting such love and support first time in his political career. 

Hear him “This is because she aptly described the challenges every Nigerian is facing in this country today, and she believed honestly and sincerely from the bottom of her heart that I could be an instrument to addressing those challenges’’. 

“I have been in politics for the past three decades and in those three decades I have only been on the ballot for the presidential election only once and that was in 2007. “But not once in those three decades have I received this much love from the people as you have done today by choosing to purchase nomination forms on my behalf. “By this action, there is a pact between you and me that we are going to do this work together'' he said. 

In the Niger state the struggling market men and women from across the state bought nomination form for their governor who is seeking second term. The group claimed that tenure of governor has brought lot of blessing to them. Their leader, Alhaji Ahmed Salihu told newsmen that traders in the state came together to contribute money to purchase the form, stressing that they were heading back to Minna to present it to the governor as a surprise gift. 

He said “In the history of Niger state, this is the first time that Market Association decided to buy the nomination and expression of interest forms for the present governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sadiq Sani Bello. 

“We are doing this because the governor has achieved a lot not only for market people but to the entire Niger people. Talking about the market people, for the first time the governor fixed all the roads in the market.

“He provided three 500 KVA transformers to the market. He did this because he wants to discourage the use of small power generating sets in the market in order to avoid fire disaster.

“So because of his achievements, the market people decided to come together to do this for him. We are here on his behalf without even his knowledge. After here we are going back to the state present it to the governor as a big surprise.

“If the market association has a chance, it would have first purchased the form for President Muhammadu Buhari for what he has done.”

This is nothing but self-service on the part of this group of Niger market men and women association. Is the transformer going to give them stable electricity when we all know the erratic state of power in Nigeria. Their last statement has said it all that they would have been the first to purchase Buhari's form for what he has done. This is the highest level of high service because Buhari has done nothing. 

Regarding President Buhari, it is very clear that his so called integrity and fight against corruption are ruse because he claimed in 2014 that he had to take loan from his bank to purchase his 2015 nomination form, up till now he has not deemed it fit to inform Nigerians whether he has pay back the loan and how he did it. 

Fast forward to 2018 he shamelessly accepted nomination form of N45 million from group of individuals known as the Nigerian Consolidation Ambassadors’ Network despite all the perks of office including billions of security votes he collects monthly and his failure to address Nigeria's problems. This issue of high cost of electoral nomination form is another thing he failed to address because he is not being sincere. He failed to realise the implication and the end results of costly electioneering campaign — stealing and looting by the elects. That's a topic for another day. 

President Buhari. Atiku and Nigeria state governor are shameless people and morally bankrupt politicians for accepting electoral nomination forms from 'struggling Nigerians'. 

Conclusively, if only these various groups realized that they are on a self-service and high service journey. And that these politicians and their families have access to the best basic things of life (healthcare delivery and education) at the expense of tax payers which they and their families are lacking or paying heavily to enjoy. - Irunmole-nla