‘N501m unaccounted for in communication ministry’s contract’

A house of representatives committee panel has revealed that N501 million is currently unaccounted for in a contract awarded by the ministry of communication.

At the hearing on Thursday, the panel investigating abandoned federal government projects discovered that the money is part of the N1.2 billion released for the procurement of radio monitoring equipment projects.

Musa Istifanus, permanent secretary of the ministry, told the lawmakers that the project was terminated due to some unresolved issues.

He said: “As you are aware, the ministry has one or two abandoned projects and the reason is that one of those contracts was terminated due to unresolved issues with the contractor”.

When probed further, Olusanya Agbe, director of procurement at the ministry, said the problem started when one of the principal partners who he identified as Dan Kabo died in 2004.

He said the over N4 billion contract was divided into three different schedules, with the ministry releasing a total sum of N1.176 billion for the project “out of which N675.2 million was utilised by the contractor and N501.7 million unaccounted for”.

He added that another principal partner of the onshore component also died shortly after collecting N200 million.

Asked the way forward, the permanent secretary said the only way to salvage the current situation is to re-assess the whole procurement and restructure same from scratch.

“Currently, the ministry is deploying radio monitoring equipment mounted on trucks and they are already becoming obsolete due to the arrival of updated ones into the market,” he said.

Officials from the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComsat), the Galaxy Backbone, and the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) were also grilled about the abandoned projects in their books.

-THECABLE

3 fake prophets arraigned for defrauding woman

The police on Friday arraigned three fake prophets who allegedly defrauded an applicant of N100,000, in a Magistrates’ Court in Asaba.

The police charged John Ifeokochukwu,25; Uchenna Obinna, 36, Mr. Ifeanyi Udenwoke, 31, with fraud.

The Prosecution Counsel, Mrs. Rachael Offor, told the court that defendants committed the offence on Sept. 14, at the Prescott Hotel in Asaba. Offor alleged that the defendants told the complainant, Miss Loveth Isibor, that they were prophets who have powers to deliver her from any afflictions.

She said that the offence was punishable under sections 516 and 419 of the Criminal Code Cap C21 Vol, laws of Delta State of Nigeria 2006.

After the charge was read to them, they pleaded not guilty.

The Magistrate,  Mrs. Edith Anumodu, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N100,000 each with to sureties in like sum.

- PM NEWS

Man Utd vs Arsenal: Solskjaer provides latest team news for EPL clash

Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has provided the latest update on his team’s plans for their Premier League clash against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Monday night.

Solskjaer’s side head to the game following a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United in their last Premier League encounter.

“Any injuries?” Solskjaer told MUTV on Friday.

“There might be one or two who have not really come back. Paul was really struggling with his ankle as it was really swollen, so let’s see how that repairs. He got 90 minutes but was sore towards the end again.

”Phil will be out until after the international break and, do you know, you have to count these after every game but I think that’s it.

“I don’t think we’ll see Anthony before the international break. No, I don’t think so. Luke is improving so, hopefully, we’ll see him.”

The kick-off time for the match is 8pm.

- DAILY POST

Nigeria cannot achieve the SDGs without jobs and security, Akin Adesina tells Buhari

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), says without peace and security, Nigeria cannot achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

The SDGs are development targets set by the United Nations (UN) to help create a better world by the year 2030 — they are the successors for the millenium development goals (MDGs)

Speaking at the United Nations headquarters in New York earlier in the week, Adesina told the president what must be done for Nigeria to achieve the goals.

“Mr. President, thank you for your tremendous leadership in driving the achievement of the SDGs in Nigeria. I know there are still some way to go, but I am confident that Nigeria will be able to achieve the SDGs,” Adesina said.

“Achieving these SDGs require a number of things; first, macroeconomic stability. It requires faster economic growth, it requires reducing inequality, it requires creating jobs, quality jobs, it requires accelerating quality infrastructure.

“It requires transforming agriculture, and most importantly Mr. President, it requires empowering women because when women win, Nigeria wins.

“And of course, peace and security, without peace and security, nothing can be achieved. I would like to commend you Mr. President for your steadfast dedication to the issues of national security.”

‘AFRICA WILL NOT DEVELOP BY BEGGING’

The former minister of agriculture in Nigeria also thanked President Buhari for the appointment of his new economic advisory committee led by Doyin Salami, a renowned economist.

“Mr. President, let me use this opportunity to commend you and to thank you for your new economic advisory team; I know several of them, they are world-class,” Adesina added.

“I would like to thank you for your personal leadership on agriculture,” Adesina told Buhari, adding that AfDB was ready to support the sector in the country.

“Mr. President, the SDGs cannot be achieved unless the situation in the Lake Chad basin is addressed. I would like to commend your excellency for your leadership in raising global attention to this issue.

“I want to assure you, I am fully committed to doing all that I can to resolve this issue with your leadership and that of the secretary-general, and of course my amiable sister, Amina Mohammed.

“Africa will not develop by begging, a stronger Nigeria is needed to lift Africa. Mr. President, you are a very tall man, with achieving the SDGs, help us get taller.”

Adesina highlighted the achievements of the AfDB under his leadership, and promised to do more in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.

- THECABLE

‘We were hoping he would change’– Fatoyinbo’s ex-spiritual father speaks on scandal

Emmanuel Oset, presiding pastor of Champions’ Church, Ilorin, has likened Biodun Fatoyinbo to the biblical Judas who despite being loved betrayed Jesus.

Fatoyinbo, senior pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), was in June accused of rape by Busola Dakolo, a celebrity photographer. 

In an interview aired by Arise TV on Thursday, Oset, who used to be a spiritual father to Fatoyinbo, said there was nothing the church could do for someone who is not ready to be helped. 

“Our Lord Jesus Christ knew that Judas had become a thief but it wasn’t Jesus who said so, it was John who said so. Not because Jesus was weak, but because Jesus was hoping that this man would change,” he said. 

“You always find in the scripture, the purposes of God are redemptive. Before God comes with judgement in any case, you will see that he would have tried to get through to the person. It is when His love has been rebuffed and rebuffed again that He comes with judgement. That is God’s procedure. 

“God does not rule by force, he rules by love. 

“People have spoken. People spoke in 2013, but you can only help somebody who wants to be helped. If somebody doesn’t want to be helped, even God will not be able to help him, His hands will be tight in that regard.” 

In August 2013, Ese Walter, a former COZA member alleged that Fatoyinbo had a sexual relationship with her while she attended and worked in the church. 

When the news broke, Oset said he tried many times to reach Fatoyinbo, and when he refused to come forth, he stopped being his spiritual father. 

“When in August 2013, news broke out online concerning him and his ministry, as somebody he was close to as an elder I thought it was my responsibility to get across to him,” he said.

“I was preparing to go to the United States for ministry, and after some efforts because it wasn’t easy to get through to him, his pastor in Ilorin here, I told him, get through to your boss and I want to share a thing or two with him. Eventually he succeeded, and he called me from Abuja. And I told him this news is all over the place and I want to hear from you and I want to also give you some counsel if need be. And he said he would get in touch. I said okay, I’m on my way to the US, while I’m there if I want to get through to you how do I do it? I thought he would just say sir you can get through to me using my email. Then he said his fear that time was that he was being bugged. 

“When I came back from the United States, I still tried to get across to him, because my desire is always to please God. I am not saying this to impress anybody, I wasn’t part of those already making comments on the issue. I just wanted to see how I could be useful in terms of helping him, but he didn’t show up. 

“I waited for about… from August 2013 to April 2014. When he didn’t show up, and he was coming to town, having meetings I was seeing his billboards in town, well, my wife and I said to ourselves we’ve done our bit. It was then I wrote him a letter and I said consider that we no longer have anything to do with you and your ministry. I didn’t post it, it was hand delivered by his own pastor.”

Oset said he knew Fatoyinbo got his letter but the letter but was yet to be replied years after. He said the letter ended their relationship. 

When asked if he had tried to reach him again in the wake of Dakolo’s case, Oset said Fatoyinbo is the one who now owes him that contact and not the other way round. 

He explained that when Fatoyinbo started COZA in Ilorin, he was looking for credible spiritual guidance and when he and his wife came to him, he made a number of findings and could not see any reason to reject him. 

- THECABLE

FG reveals items recovered from Buruji Kashamu’s office

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said it recovered three ambulances and a 500KVA Transformer from Senator Buruji Kashamu’s office.

According to the Commission, the items were part of 2016 Constituency Projects meant to be distributed to Ogun East Senatorial District.

The items were discovered at his Constituency Project Office in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

A statement by the Spokesperson for the Commission, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, said the commission uncovered the items following intelligence alert by a concerned citizen.

The statement said: “The three ambulances which were procured at the cost of N6m each, were meant to be supplied to Obada Healthcare Centre, Oke Sopin in Ijebu North Local Government Area; Community Health Centre, Itele in Ijebu East Local Government Area; and Community Health Centre, Ogijo in Sagamu Local Government Area respectively.

“The transformer is the last of an initial eleven meant for distribution to various communities of Ogun East Senatorial District which were procured at the cost of N3.6m each, bringing the total for the entire eleven transformers to N39.5m.

“The commission received intelligence about the items from a concerned citizen who became aware of the commission’s Constituency Project Tracking Group initiative which exercise has so far covered 12 states of the federation.

“The recovered items were seized and the vehicles were moved to a Police Station while the 500KVA Transformer was marked with the Commission’s seizure seal and in the interim, kept in the custody of the Manager of the Senator’s office.”

- DAILY POST

Canadian judge mocks Nigerian doctor Adeagbo for his English accent

A judge in Alberta, Canada faces an accusation of racism for mocking the accent of Dr. Bamidele Adeagbo, a medical expert from Nigeria who testified during a trial, according to the CBC and the Montreal Gazette.

Forty-two legal, educational and medical professionals across Alberta have united to request an investigation from the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) into language used by Justice Terry Clackson during a trial for two individuals who were accused of murdering their son.
“We are of the view that Justice Clackson acted discriminatorily,” the complaint reads in part. “Some may perceive racism.”

The trial in Lethbridge, Alberta was the second for David and Collet Stephan, who were being tried for charges connected to the 2012 death of their 19 month old son Ezekiel. Instead of taking Ezekiel to a doctor immediately, the Crown accused, the two treated his bacterial meningitis with naturopathic medicine.

Dr Bamidele Adeagbo: mocked by the Canadian judge over his Nigerian accented English

When Ezekiel died, the crown charged them with failing to provide the necessaries of life, having delayed to bring him to the hospital for treatment. They were already convicted in 2016 by a trial in Lethbridge—the Alberta Court of Appeals upheld this verdict, though the Canadian Supreme Court found that the judge had erred in his instructions to the jury.

The expert witness for the defense, Dr. Anny Sauvageau, argued that Ezekiel’s viral meningitis was not the cause of his death. Instead, she blamed a lack of oxygen for his passing. However, Crown expert Dr. Bamidele Adeagbo, a forensic pathologist who autopsied Ezekiel, testified that the child had bacterial meningitis and a lung infection, the former of which contributed to his death.

Justice Clackson accepted Sauvageau’s testimony over Adeagbo’s, saying it was impossible to charge the Stephens with killing their son.

In his verdict, Clackson spent a full paragraph complaining about Adeagbo’s thick Nigerian accent while summarizing concerns the defense expressed about his level of expertise as a witness. But his own concerns were grammatical.

“His ability to articulate his thoughts in an understandable fashion was severely compromised by: his garbled enunciation; his failure to use appropriate endings for plurals and past tenses; his failure to use the appropriate definite and indefinite articles; his repeated emphasis of the wrong syllables; dropping his Hs; mispronouncing his vowels; and the speed of his responses,” Clackson wrote.

“Justice Clackson harshly mocked Dr. Adeagbo’s manner of speech and accented English, and thereby inappropriately implicated his national or ethnic origin as a person of African roots,” the letter sent to the CJC said.

“It is hard to imagine that if Dr. Adeagbo, who is of African origin, had spoken in a typically American, Australian, British, or other more familiar accent, Justice Clackson would have been so scathing,” it continued.

The letter goes on to say that Clackson may have given Dr. Adeagbo’s words less weight because of these presumed speech problems, and note that Clackson made no reference to the thick French-Canadian accent of Dr. Sauvageau.

The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service has not announced whether or not they plan to appeal Clackson’s verdict. A spokesperson for Alberta’s Court of Queen’s Bench said that the court is “aware” of the complaint.

*Reported by Newsweek

Boko Haram: 9 killed, 10 abducted in Borno

Seven people were reportedly killed along Damaturu, Biu road on Thursday, when a golf car ran into an IED planted on the road by suspected Boko Haram fighters.

Travellers along the road said the golf car was carrying seven passengers.
DAILY POST learnt that the insurgents also abducted 10 other persons during the attack.
In another development, the insurgents attacked Mafa killing two people and burnt down a market in the area.

Attempts to get reaction from the authorities did not yield result, however, a senior military officer in Maiduguri confirmed the incident.

- DAILY POST

Gbajabiamila reveals those responsible for power sector failure

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila says that unpatriotic activities of serving and retired public office holders are responsible for the socio-economic misfortune in the power sector.

Gbajabiamila spoke while declaring open the investigative hearing into the Federal Government’s abandoned power projects from 1999 to date.

The Speaker, represented by the Chief Whip, Rep. Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno), expressed his displeasure with the state of power in the country.

He said that the motion on the need to review government’s expenditure on the power sector to ensure sustenance of the power reform programme in Nigeria was referred to the Ad-hoc Committee on Thursday.

“You will agree with me that from 1999 to date, the National Assembly has appropriated huge sums of monies in the power sector and there are lots and much to be desired from the sector.

“The problem is you and I; we are not patriotic enough in the discharge of our responsibilities to our nation.

“Again, I want to state that it is embarrassing that when you pick-up newspaper, what you read is probe, probe, and probe; many heads to roll; EFCC to investigate.

“It is time in our nation building to rethink and press the reset button on what we do, how we do them with a view to ensuring that we get value for the monies appropriated for projects,” he said.

Gbajabiamila said that Nigerians were virtually in every part of the world largely in search of stable electricity supply, good medical health facilities, quality education among others.

According to him, it is time we set our hearts correcting all that is wrong so that we can create an enabling environment for our children.

“The constitution of this Ad-hoc Committee is to enable the House in moving forward, take a critical evaluation of monies appropriated vis-a-vis their utilisations.

“However, in the course of carrying out this assignment, the committee is at liberty in line with Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to invite any organisation, agency, person, either still in active service or retired to make clarification where necessary,” he stressed.

Also, Rep. Usman Kumo (APC-Gombe) Acting Chairman of the ad hoc committee, explained that the exercise was aimed at reviewing government’s expenditure in the power sector from 1999 to date.

He said that committee was constituted on Wednesday with a clear mandate to investigate the Federal Government’s abandoned power projects.

Kumo said that the aim was to find the major encumbrances affecting the projects and to make appropriate recommendations on the ways to complete the projects within the life span of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

“Having established the powers and legitimacy of our action, we are here today to provide all relevant stakeholders the platform and opportunity to make their informed submissions and contributions on the matter.

“We, therefore, urge you to be objective, truthful and observe decorum throughout our sitting here today,” he said.

Stakeholders at the event include Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), management team from all the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and GENCOS, among others.

(NAN)

$157bn left Nigeria illegally between 2003 and 2012, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria lost $157.5 billion to illicit financial flows between 2003 and 2012.

He said international laws and other systems make it difficult to repatriate stolen funds.

Buhari said this at a high-level event on illicit financial flows (IFFs) which was held on the sidelines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

He said such massive loss of assets, resulted in dearth of resources “to fund public services or to alleviate poverty”, in the country.

He said though his administration has recovered “millions of dollars stolen from our country in the last five years, a lot more was still stuck in foreign bank accounts”.

According to him, a combination of “international laws, different jurisdictions and justice systems”, make it deliberately difficult for repatriation.

Buhari said any lasting solution to stem illegal financial flows would require international cooperation and coordination.

He also acknowledged the lack of sufficient capital and corruption as impediments to the socio-economic development of the continent.

“This is why, as Africans, we have no choice but to break the back of corruption. That is why our government has made it a war we intend to win,” he said

“We will give all it takes to ensure there is no hiding place for purveyors of corrupt practices who are truly enemies of the people.

“Therefore, here lies a role for the African Union. The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) must be supported to play a critical role in securing the cooperation of African countries and their international counterparts.”

The president commended the organisers of the meeting for their shared commitment to root out corruption from Africa.

“I am motivated by the belief that, if we join hands, we can bequeath to our children an Africa that is not defined by corruption,” he said.

- THECABLE

Brazil vs Nigeria: Super Eagles suffer major injury blow ahead of friendly match

Nigeria’s head coach, Gernot Rohr, could be without Rangers midfielder, Joe Aribo due to injury when the Super Eagles take on Brazil national team in an international friendly game on October 13, at the Singapore National Stadium.

Aribo sustained a head injury during Rangers’ 1-0 victory over Livingston in the Scottish League Cup on Wednesday night at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

The 23-year-old was caught by an elbow from Livingston defender, Ricki Lamie which left him with blood pouring from his head. He was later substituted.

Providing the latest update on Aribo’s injury. Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard told Rangers TV: ”I think he is okay, he’s got a nasty gash on his head which was stitched up, he was on the end of a bad one there.

”Joe is a tough lad, I am sure he’ll get on with it, I am not sure whether it will affect him in the coming games, we’ll have to assess that tomorrow.

”But he, himself, wanted to play on and that’s the kid, that’s the character, he is a tough lad”.

- DAILY POST

Two brothers beaten to death for open defecation

Two children were beaten to death in India for defecating in the open, police said Thursday, underlining the violence sometimes unleashed to enforce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship cleanliness drive.

The children from the Dalit community, India’s lowest social caste previously known as “untouchables”, were on their way to their grandfather’s house in the Shivpuri district in the central state of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday.

“It was early morning and they had stopped to attend to nature’s call” when they were attacked, police inspector general Raja Babu Singh told AFP by phone.

“The kids were taken to the hospital but they succumbed to their injuries.”

Two brothers had been arrested, one of whom appeared to be “mentally unsound”, Singh added.

Modi is set to declare India free of open-air defecation on Wednesday, coinciding with the 150th birthday of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, who also campaigned vigorously for better sanitation.

Modi, currently in his second term, launched his pet Clean India Mission in 2014, promising to build toilets for all by 2019.

His government says it has built more than 100 million toilets, particularly in rural areas, a major public health issue in the country of 1.3 billion people.

The multi-billion-dollar campaign combines raising awareness, subsidies for making latrines, and communal naming and shaming of those still relieving themselves in the open.

Critics, however, say lack of running water, poor maintenance and slow behaviour change are hampering the programme.

Catching those defecating in the open has previously resulted in violence.

In 2017, a man was lynched after he tried to stop authorities from photographing women who were defecating in the open.

A news channel earlier urged viewers to send in images of those defecating in the open so they could be shamed on national television.

The father of one of the children who died in the latest incident alleged his family had been facing discrimination from higher caste men.

“We don’t have a toilet at home. The children went out to defecate in the morning,” Manoj Balmiki was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.

“The (brothers)… shouted at them for defecating on the road and rained sticks on their heads while the children were relieving themselves, killing them in seconds.”

- PM NEWS

EFCC arraigns one of most wanted FBI suspects in Ilorin

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ilorin zonal office, Thursday arraigned a 36-year-old Joseph Oyediran, one of the most wanted suspects by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, FBI.

Oyediran was arraigned before Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, on a five-count charge bordering on internet fraud and other fraud-related offences, obtaining money under false pretense among others.

Count two of the charge read; ” that you Joseph Oyediran (Joe MG, Morris Graves) sometime in May 2015, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N1,421,968.00 from one Andrea Smith, a white American man in love with her, a representation you knew to be false, punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advanced fee fraud and other related offences Act no.14 of 2006.”

Oyediran, however, pleaded not guilty to all the count charges levelled against him by the anti-graft agency.

When the matter was called Thursday, the prosecuting counsel, Sessan Ola, told the court, “my Lord, we have a five-count charge before this honourable court dated 19th September 2019, we urge the court to accept the charge and allow the accused person to take his plea.”

Counsel to the accused, M A. Bello, did not object to the application.

After the plea was taken, prosecuting counsel informed the court that “in view of the defendant’s plea of not guilty we are asking for a trial date to enable the prosecution prove its case, we also pray your Lordship to remand the defendant in prison custody pending the hearing and determination of this matter.”

Ruling on the submission, Justice Abdulgafar ordered that the accused person be remanded in Mandala prison and adjourned the case till September 9, 2019 for commencement of trial.

- DAILY POST

Former French president, Jacques Chirac dies at 86

A former President of France, Jacques Chirac,has died at the age of 86, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

France’s National Assembly stood for a minute of silence after learning of the news, with one deputy gasping loudly when it was announced by assembly president Richard Ferrand.

The conservative Chirac was best known abroad for his staunch opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

At home, perhaps his greatest legacy was his acknowledgement, for the first time, of the French state’s role in the wartime round-up and arrest of Jewish people to Nazi death camps.

Chirac was president of France from 1995-2007.

Under his presidency, France entered into the single European currency and abolished compulsory military service.

Chirac also cut the presidential term of office from seven to five years.

He disappeared from public life in recent years. He reportedly suffered from severe ill-health.

- DAILY POST

Lagos residents raise alarm over incessant shootings

Some residents of Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State have raised alarm over incessant shootings inside the council secretariat.

The shooting had created fear in the residents, forcing some to run away from their homes to avoid stray bullets. On Sept. 18, there were sporadic gunshots within the council secretariat, which saw many running for dear life following the booming of guns.

It was gathered that the gunshots were carried out by some suspected cultists called “Agbalajobi Boys” allegedly doing the bidding of a senior council official (name withheld). When the alleged council official was challenged over the incessant shootings by some political leaders in the area, the official claimed that “he was trying to test the efficacy of his newly acquired bulletproof charm.”

“As if the September 18 shooting was not enough, the police orderly to the said council official held another round of shootings on September 20, thus becoming a norm in the Ajegunle council secretariat. These cultists move around during the day with guns unmolested or check by the security agencies. The police station is just a stone throw away from the secretariat, but the officers seem not bothered,” a source told NAN.

As people in the area continued to live in palpable fear, concerned residents were beginning to question if the police were aware of these security breaches or if the said senior official was licensed to bear arms.

“I feel I owe it to posterity to draw attention to a very dangerous and quite unbecoming aberration happening right inside the Ajeromi Ifelodun Secretariat. Enough is enough. This is not the first time that this same senior official will do this. Indeed, the first time it happened, it was a very scary scenario. I think something drastic needs to be done on this matter before it becomes endemic. I think that the police in Lagos State should look into this issue before it escalated,” said a resident of Ajegunle who craved anonymity.

When contacted, Spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Bala Elkana, told NAN he was yet to receive such a report.

“I have not received such brief,” Elkana said.

- PM NEWS

Pat Utomi: Nigerian regulators more likely to kill businesses than any market risk

Pat Utomi, a professor of political economy and former presidential candidate, says regulatory risk is the biggest challenge to any business operating in Nigeria.

Utomi made this claim on Tuesday while speaking at the Regulatory Conversations 4.0 themed ‘Foreign Exchange Restrictions on Food Imports and Implications for Regulating and Growing the Nigerian Economy’.

Utomi said many companies had collapsed in Nigeria due to regulatory risk and lack of national strategy.

“We should have a clear national strategy that we want to become global leaders in this one, two, three areas,” he said.

“We can do isolated industrial policy to those areas of which our endowments allow us to become competitive globally and dominate that value chain.

“The biggest risk in doing business in Nigeria is a regulatory risk. The regulator is more likely to kill a company than any market risk.”

Utomi said certain sectors of the economy had been wiped out by an unthinking regulator’s actions

He said the government needs to think through the consequences of its policies before implementation, noting that restrictions would not take the country anywhere.

Utomi explained that players in the industry should educate each other on the consequences because the economy belonged to everyone.

“Part of our duty as players in this, is to say to ourselves, look this economy belongs to all of us; can we begin to educate ourselves on the consequences,” he said.

In his comments, Muda Yusuf, the director-general of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said that the regulatory environment is one of the biggest challenges being faced currently in business in the country.

Yusuf said that regulators meant well for the country but the problem was in strategy and how to achieve it.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have regulators who are in government, who actually listens or engages so that you can have the right kind of strategy to achieve the desired result,” he said.

“There are too many regulations in the country and the damage it is doing to the economy is enormous.

“To do business with integrity in Nigeria today is a tall order.”

He said that many businesses had gone under because of challenges of regulatory compliance adding that many have transited to become informal sector players.

The LCCI boss said that smugglers had taken over businesses in Nigeria, adding that the country was losing because smugglers don’t pay taxes.

He explained that the emphasis should be on building domestic capacity for the development of the country.

- THECABLE

UK probes killing of farmers by Fulani herdsmen in Benue

Catriona Laing, UK High Commissioner in Nigeria

The United Kingdom has opened an investigation into the killing of farmers by suspected herdsmen in Benue State and other parts of the country, including two catholic priests and 17 worshippers.

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing disclosed this during a meeting with Governor Samuel Ortom in Makurdi, Benue State capital, Channels TV reported.

The probe follows a UK parliament resolution mandating the Prime Minister to investigate the alleged killing and persecution of Christians in the state.

Laing said she was in the state as part of her fact-finding mission to areas affected by the farmers/herders conflict in the state.

“The killing of the Chief Priest and others in April last year was the subject of our case study. This is why I have come here to find out myself what is really going wrong and speak to people affected to understand the issue better,” she said.

Governor Ortom, while briefing the High Commissioner on the crisis lamented the difficulty in resettling the victims of attacks.

“We are happy that gradually peace is returning and some are going back to their farms but it has not been easy trying to reconstruct the schools and hospitals affected in the crisis.”

He also raised concerns concerning IDP settlements noting that more provisions are needed for the IDPs.

- PM NEWS

Reports: Nigerian soldiers using 40 year-old guns to fight Boko Haram

Shilka artillery guns: Nigerian soldiers complain they have outdated ones bought more than 40 years ago

Nigerian soldiers deployed to fight Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East are using outdated weapons and

equipment, including Shilka artillery guns procured during the administration of late Alhaji Shehu Shagari, president of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983.

The PUNCH quoting unidentified Nigeria military officers said the archaic and defective weapons place our soldiers at great disadvantage when they confront the terrorists, during operations.

The report said the poor weapons are responsible for the heavy casualties the country had suffered in the anti-insurgency war in recent times, noting that there ere times the Shagari-era weapons failed during operations.

The top military officers explained that Shilka, an artillery gun mounted on fighting vehicles, being used by the Nigerian troops at the battlefront are outdated but that they were refurbished and deployed

Nigerian troops

One of the officers said, “The Shilka guns were acquired under Shagari’s government. We have many of them but they are outdated, so they were refurbished, even though a lot of their components are missing. However, they were deployed in the North-East for the anti-insurgency war like that, hence they fail during battles.

“Recently, Boko Haram even stole one from the troops. So, while we are battling with the refurbished Shilka, ISWAP fighters deploy the latest technology to attack us, and you know the President said a week ago at an ECOWAS meeting that how the terrorists deploy more sophisticated weapons is a matter of concern.”

Another officer, who is currently engaged in operations in one of the toughest operational zones in the North-East, said apart from Shilka, they used to have in their inventory Tank 72, also known as T-72, which was made in Russia and manufactured in 1971 but sold out in 1972. T-72 are Soviet-era tanks.

He added, “They were procured by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration towards the 2015 elections and they were used to capture lost territories, but unfortunately, the tanks came without spare parts.

“From time to time, we cannibalized one to fix another until they broke down and they were withdrawn from operations because there were no spare parts. What we have now is called Vickers MBT (Vickers Main Battle Tanks).

“They are even older than the T-72. So, as I’m talking to you, Shilka is what we have and the outdated guns we were supplied with and that is why the insurgents seem to be having the upper hand. The equipment is really outdated.”

In a similar revelation, another top military officer at the battlefront told the newspaper that the attacks on soldiers had increased in recent times because the insurgents were now using the weapons and equipment they once stole from the military.

He noted that superior weapons and equipment, like Armoured Personnel Carrier and Mine-Resistant Ambush, Protected vehicles, popularly known as MRAP, which is both bullet- and bomb-proof, were urgently needed by
 the troops.

The sources explained further that beyond using drones, the insurgents were now using night vision goggles, thermal detectors and other modern equipment to attack the Nigerian troops.

The Nigerian Army had in November 2018 pointed out that Boko Haram’s attacks on troops had revealed that the insurgents were using drones and foreign fighters.

- PM NEWS

UK Labour party rejects EU ‘remain’ position

Members of Britain’s Labour Party voted against deciding to immediately campaign to stay in the European Union, a boost to leader Jeremy Corbyn who wants to first secure a national election and then determine Labour’s stance.

In a show of hands, members at the party’s annual conference voted against a motion brought by EU supporters to force the party to adopt a so-called “remain” position now before an election and possible second referendum.

Corbyn has been under pressure to back staying in the EU, but the Labour leader has argued it is more important to unite a party split over Brexit before deciding which way to campaign – either to leave with a deal or to remain in the bloc.

- PM NEWS

Mourinho found dead in CRUTECH

A popular bookseller in the Cross River State University of Technology, (CRUTECH) in its Calabar campus was found dead in Hall 2 Hostel on Saturday morning.

Though the cause of death was not immediately known at the time of this report, some students and other people were seen discussing the incident.

An eyewitness said the deceased also sells pens, visual art materials and snacks in front of Hall 3 Hostel and he is most popular as he was generous.

One of the students, who gave his name as Ekanem, said, “I saw him last on Tuesday. Why so soon? I can’t believe it is true! May his Soul Rest in Peace.”

Another student, Francis Asuquo, said Mourinho has been of help to him since he was admitted into the University. “If I don’t have money to buy material for my exams, I always remember his place first, and he had never disappointed me. Why him? May his soul rest in peace”, Asuquo lamented.

Meanwhile, a student who gave his name as Mayor said he has not even used the papers he bought from the late Bookseller on Friday. He said “Oga Mourinho, I have not used the A3 and A4 papers you sold to me on Friday evening. Now it is a different story they are saying about you. I don’t believe it”.

Speaking with DAILY POST on Sunday evening, the CRUTECH Chief Security Officer, Iwarra Ibiang said the corpse had been evacuated by the family.

“The deceased was found dead in the morning of Saturday, our people (Security) saw the body in the morning and then we called in the Police

“The Police came and the family also came in and picked the corpse. To say what killed him, there was no injury to say so but the autopsy will reveal what was responsible for his death, but for now, that has not been done,” he stated, adding, “I was not even around but my deputy was around, he went there with other men on ground.”

- DAILY POST

NDLEA arrests 16 suspected drug dealers from APC office

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) has said that it has arrested 16 suspected drug dealers and users in Dutse metropolitan.

The Deputy controller in charge of Operation and Intelligence, Mr. Oko Michael confirmed the arrest to DAILY POST.

He said the suspects were arrested at the premises of the State headquarters of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in Dutse.

Mr. Oko explained that the raid was carried out by the NDLEA on Sunday evening in response to several complains by the public on the activities of drug users that use the party office to perpetuate their illicit acts.

“The raid was carried out following several complaints from the public of the nefarious activities of illicit drug users at the ‎premises of the APC headquarter in the state capital, Dutse” he stated.

He said several wraps of cannabis was recovered at the point of the raid and those arrested would be prosecuted latest after investigation.

State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Nasiru Dahiru confirms the raid and arrests‎ by the NDLEA, but,however, refute that the suspects were members of the APC.

- DAILY POST

Primary school teachers decries non-payment of salary in Kogi

Over 7,000 teachers in public primary and junior secondary schools in Kogi State have appealed to Gov. Yahaya Bello to look into the issue of non-payment of their salary for the past 8 to 39 months.

The appeal was contained in a communique issued at the end an emergency meeting of the Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BASAN) held in Lokoja on Monday .

The group traced the teachers plight to the staff screening exercise the government embarked upon since 2016 , lamenting that the affected teachers had been begging to feed themselves and family members.

The communique signed by Mr Onotu Yahaya and Mr Mohammed Sule, Acting Chairman and Secretary of the Kogi State chapter of BASAN also bemoaned the refusal of the state government to fully implement the N18,000 minimum wage to teachers in the basic education sector.

Onotu and Sule stated that their counterparts in the senior secondary school cadre and other state government staff had started enjoying the N18,000 minimum wage since Dec. 2011 , wondering why teaching and none-teaching staff at the basic education sector were not being fully paid.

The communique urged the government to put a stop to the payment of 35 -50 per cent salary to its members , insisting that they deserve full payment of salary like other workers in the state.

” Several of the basic education staff retirees are yet to access their monthly pensions besides non-payment of their gratuity ,” the statement said.

It also raised concern over the poor state of basic infrastructures in schools across the state, warning that the development was an impediment in meeting the desired productive curriculum delivery.

” We are passionately appealing to Gov. Bello for intervention on the above inflammatory issues for the ‘change’ mantra of the next level and change of narrative of this critical sector of education,” the communique added.

- DAILY POST

Falana to FG: VAT increase illegal without national assembly passing a bill

Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, says the proposed value-added tax (VAT) increase by the federal government is in violation of the law if the national assembly has not passed a bill to that effect.

Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, had announced that the federal executive council (FEC) approved an increase in VAT from 5% to 7.5%.

She said the council is working towards ensuring that the implementation of the proposed increase takes effect from 2020, after an amendment in the VAT act by the national assembly.

The senior advocate of Nigeria advised the federal government to propose a money bill to the national assembly before the implementation of the increase.

“It’s illegal, under a democratic dispensation you cannot impose a tax or increase tax without a law made by the National Assembly or the State Assembly as the case may be,” he told NAN in Abuja.

“In this case, it has to be realised that we are not under a military dictatorship.

“By virtue of section 59 of the Nigerian Constitution, any increase, levy or tax will have to be presented to the National Assembly by way of money Bill by the President, it has to be passed into law.”

Falana said the national assembly erred by inviting the minister of finance to clarify the issue.

He urged the federal lawmakers to insist on passing a law before the proposed increase can be implemented.

“The Senate erred in law by inviting them to come and clarify, the National Assembly has invited the Minister of Finance and the Federal Inland Revenue Services to come and clarify,” he said.

“No, the National Assembly must insist on its powers under Section 59 to pass a law to increase VAT or any tax, there can be no taxation without legislation.

“The Federal Executive Council has no power under the Constitution to increase VAT or any tax in the country.”

- THECABLE

I will succeed Buhari as Nigeria’s President – Bakare

Senior Pastor and founder, Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare is in the news again, as he said he will replace President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s president in 2023.

Bakare, during his ministration said nothing could change it because he was born for that purpose to be president.

According to him, while Buhari is number 15, he would be the 16th president of Nigeria.

The controversial pastor said God had prepared him for this job for more than 30 years.

In his words: “I will succeed Buhari as President of Nigeria, nothing can change it. I am number 16, Buhari is number 15. I never said it to you before. I am saying it now and nothing can change it.

“In the name of Jesus, he is number 15. I am number 16. To this end was I born and for this purpose came I into the world. I have prepared you for this for more than 30 years.”

- PM NEWS

Fulani herdsmen abduct 14 passengers in Osun

Some criminals, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have kidnapped about fourteen passengers at Ajeoku junction, along Otan-ile-Okemesi road in Obokun Local Government of Osun State.

According to an eyewitness, Chief Saka Adelu, some of the criminals, who pretended as passengers boarded an Abuja-bound bus from Osogbo before striking at the said location around 5pm Sunday evening.

He said while 14 of the passengers were taken away, others were left behind who later reported the case at a nearby police station.

The police is yet to react to enquiries by newsmen over the issue, as the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Folashade Odoro was said to be in a meeting with the Commissioner of Police when contacted by our Correspondent.

Meanwhile, a top-notch member of Odua People’s Congress(OPC) in Osun confirmed the incident to our Correspondent, saying his men and police officers were already ‘combing’ the bush to rescue victims.

“It is true, some of the passengers who were left behind reported the case to our people at Otan-ile, they said the criminals were in the bus with them from Osogbo, before they eventually struck.

“We are presently trailing them and we are going to definitely get them”.

- DAILY POST

Ex-President of El Salvador, Saca sentenced to 2 yrs in prison

Antonio Saca with his lawyers in court.

Former President of El Salvador, Elias Antonio Saca  has been sentenced to two years in prison for bribery, the country’s attorney general’s office said on Thursday.

Saca, 54, who is already serving a 10-year prison sentence for misuse of public funds and money laundering, was found guilty of having offered $10,000 to a court employee to obtain information about a case against him, the attorney general’s office said.

He pleaded guilty in both cases and sought to reduce his prison term.

According to media reports, judge was yet to decide whether the two years would be added to his existing sentence.

The convict was a former businessman who ruled the Central American country from 2004 to 2009.

He was detained in October 2016 during his son’s wedding.

- PM NEWS

Female politicians: How men promised to vote for us if we had sex with them

The Nigerian Labour Act has no provisions for criminalising sexual harassment at the workplace. Most cases go unreported. A history of gender inequality, political instability, insecurity and the absence of legal authority to protect women at the workplace deny millions of women their voices – even powerful female politicians.

One would think that female politicians would be less exposed to these predatory practices. The reality is further from this. Okunola Abiola, 27, ran for a house of representatives seat in Lagos state in the 2019 general election.

“Notable residents in Ikeja demanded sexual commitment from me as collateral if I wanted to win. Electorate promised me their vote if I can date or have sexual affair with them,” she said.

“On many occasions, I have been harassed sexually: both verbally and by physical actions and this was a major setback for me.”

Some men supported her cause without any demand

Abiola contested on the platform of the Alliance for Social Democrats (ASD), seeking to represent Ikeja federal constituency of Lagos. 28 years ago, Lagos was the capital of Nigeria. Ironically, the state is the first in Nigeria to make laws against sexual harassment. Unlike the Nigerian Labour Act, the criminal law of Lagos state 2011 has provisions criminalising sexual harassment through Section 262(1) it makes clear that:

“Any person who sexually harasses another is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.”

Posters during campaigns weren’t enough, some men demanded more

Only 11.36% of nominated candidates for the last election were women, according to the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

There are constraints: violence, and intimidation of voters and candidates. But in addition to this, gross cases of sexual harassment against women. The CDD said these need to be examined and the prosecution of perpetrators will serve as a deterrent.

Two things are common across stories of political harassment. On one side, political intimidation through violence, and on the other – dirty politics through harassment of political opponents.

In one sentence, Sylvanus Okeoma, who contested the  Agwu north constituency in Enugu state house of assembly, narrated her experience as a candidate of the African Democratic Party: “I faced a lot of sexual harassment, and my agents were attacked.”

In the north, Ndi Kato,  political activist and politician, agreed that criminalising sexual assault by perpetrators will help to deter such behaviour.

“As a woman, I know better than to hope for this. I am the villain in every situation. If I point out sexual harassment in the political space, I get further removed from the space,”  she said

Ndi Kato once contested the house of assembly position in Kaduna.

While advocating the prosecution of sexual offenders, Kato expressed the concern: “in theory we agree to this but in terms of practicality, we are not at this conversation yet. Who are we having conversations with?”

TechHer, a platform providing support for Nigerian women through technology, is responding to this beyond conversations.

Chioma Agwuegbo, the founder, said she is working to balance the odds: “We have a Technology for Governance pillar that focuses on the application of technology and innovation in the promotion and protection of women in business and governance spaces. We see technology not as a panacea, but as a tool that can be wielded in many ways to support and assist women in dealing with harassment.”

Agwuegbo believes that if women are exposed to the ways technology enables their daily activities, they will be more productive and empowered to have a voice in their community.

Abang, an award-winning journalist and a 2017 United Nations Journalism fellow, focuses her work on issues facing vulnerable populations.

-THECABLE