Senior figures in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to Vice-President Atiku Abubakar are pushing for David Mark, former senate president, to assume the chairmanship of the party.

Sources informed TheCable that Mark is believed to have the capacity to deal with “renegade” party members who are involved in “anti-party activities”.

The PDP has been without a substantive chairman since March 2023 with the ouster of Iyorchia Ayu, also a former senate president, following his suspension at the ward level of the party in Benue state.

Ayu and Mark are both from Benue state.

Umar Ililya Damagum became the acting national chairman but the Atiku camp is reportedly uncomfortable with him as he is seen to be close to Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers state and now minister of federal capital territory in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

Atiku’s biggest supporters — Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa, Babangida Aliyu, former governor of Niger, and Adamu Maina Waziri, former minister — once tried to moved against the acting chairman but pulled back because of a possible backlash.

Wike, who lost the presidential primary to Atiku in May 2022, led a group of five governors that openly opposed Atiku in the 2023 presidential election.

“You would expect the PDP to have suspended or expelled Wike by now for his anti-party activities, worsened by his acceptance of a ministerial appointment from a rival party,” a former governor told TheCable.

“But it is very clear that the national working committee is in Wike’s pocket, so we should not expect any form of discipline in the party.”

Mark, a retired brigadier, former military governor of Niger state and former ministry of communication, is a founding member of PDP and has never defected from the party.

He unsuccessfully ran against Atiku for the party’s presidential ticket in 2019.

Another source said others being considered as next PDP chairman are Bukola Saraki, former senate president, and Gabriel Suswam, former governor of Benue state.

The issue of chairmanship will be “on hold” for now until after the presidential election petition is finally settled by the supreme court, the source added.


‘THE WIKE PROBLEM’

TheCable previously reported moves to expel Wike by Atiku loyalists.

A meeting hosted by Atiku and attended by “elders and stakeholders” who are his loyalists discussed the “Wike problem” extensively.

Most of the attendees rooted for Wike’s expulsion, but some feared that it may further divide the PDP and lead to an “ANPP” syndrome.

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), which started as All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999, was the strongest opposition party in the country, controlling nine states between 1999 and 2003.

However, a protracted internal crisis soon divided the party and it was left with just three states by 2007, after which it paled into insignificance before dissolving into the APC in 2013.

Senior party members loyal to Wike are threatening to “fight till the end” — including forming parallel PDP and creating a protracted, ANPP-like crisis — if the former governor is expelled.


MINISTERIAL NOMINATION

The PDP situation was complicated with the nomination of Wike by President Bola Tinubu for a ministerial position.

Wike’s acceptance of the nomination was seen as “the final straw” by the Atiku group.

The Wike group — formerly known as G5 — also got one over the Atiku camp by installing Simon Davou Mwadkwon (Plateau) as the senate minority leader and Kingsley Chinda (Rivers) in a similar position in the house of reps.

The defeat of the Atiku loyalists, led in the national assembly by former governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was considered another kick in the teeth.

House officers at Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LUTH), yesterday, raised the alarm over poor working conditions and the death of a house officer, Dr. Umoh Michael, for allegedly working for 72 hours.

Dr Michael allegedly died on September 17, after being on a 72-hour-call in the Neurosurgery Unit. He was said to have been on call for the duration before arriving home on Sunday morning for church service, and slumped in his worship centre (United Evangelical Church) at about 11:00a.m.

In a letter written to the Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof. Wasiu Lanre Adeyemo by medical doctors under the aegis of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), LUTH chapter, said the late doctor’s roommate attested to the fact that the deceased had hardly slept in their apartment for the past one week.

They claimed that Dr. Michael was always on call and had returned home after surgeries and other activities in the Neurosurgery unit at about 3:00a.m.

“We have long standing challenges since we resumed housemanship here and one most striking challenge is the bullying we receive from our senior colleagues, stressful call hours without breaks in between, no call food and no good accommodation”, they said.

In their request, the doctors demanded that House Officers, who were on call the previous day, should be allowed either half day the next day or allowed to resume work by midday the following day, and should not be made to work for 48 hours at stretch.

They also demanded that compulsory health checks at the beginning of House jobs should be free or grossly subsidised for House Officers. They further demanded that their senior colleagues, senior registers and registrars should make the work environment friendly for them and House officers should not do work of potters, nurses or patient relatives.

Reacting, LUTH’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Omolola Fakeye, said: “It is not true that anybody worked for 72 hours. I have not been briefed about his death. We were at a programme yesterday (Monday), but I will find out; I can’t say anything now. I will check the medical report of what could have happened because anybody can say anything, but the medical report will show to us what actually happened,” he said.

The Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Zaria has revealed that it spent N5bn on the maintenance of two redundant helicopters for about 10 years.

Rector of NCAT, Captain Akali Modibo, who made this disclosure while fielding questions from the media at the just concluded Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition held in Abuja recently, said it cost the institution N500m annually to service those helicopters, which were eventually auctioned by the Federal Government.

He debunked the news that made rounds recently that the two helicopters were missing from the College while pointing out that aeroplanes do not go missing but take off and land.

According to him, because the helicopters have to be serviceable, the institution embarked on maintenance of the two for about 10 years which was a waste because they were neither used for training nor to source any revenue.

He explained, “First and foremost, airplanes don’t get missing. If an aircraft takes off, it must land. In the process of landing, the aircraft would be asked many questions about where it is coming from and going into.

“The two helicopters were acquired by the Federal Government about 12 to 13 years ago during the time of former President Goodluck Jonathan. It was purchased for the purpose of training pilots, but those kinds of helicopters, cannot be them for the initial training of pilots. And what the college does is basic training.

“We have never trained anybody on helicopters at the college. Probably the past government did not seek advice from NCAT and when the government wanted to purchase helicopters for its agencies, it decided to include NCAT.”

According to Modibo, the government acquired 10 helicopters for the Nigeria Police, bought for the Nigeria Customs Service, the National Emergency Management Agency and others, adding that it purchased two Bell 206 helicopters for NCAT.

“If the government had involved NCAT, we would have told them the type of aircraft we can use for training, which is piston engine helicopters. You cannot use Bell 206 for training. Nowhere in the world is this helicopter type used for training. It is like using a Boeing 737 aircraft to teach someone how to become a pilot. You do not do that.

“So, the Ministry of Aviation decided to sell the helicopters and replace them with piston engine helicopters. The only way you can sell it and get your money back is by auction, which is the approved process for selling government property,” he explained.

He disclosed that the process for the auctioning of helicopters started in 2019 when the college filed all the papers and requested approval and evaluation from the Ministry.

The NCAT boss remarked, “The ministry wanted us to sell it by the bluebook rating, which is the new helicopter prices, but we cannot sell old helicopters using the bluebook pricing. So, we had to request the ministry to look into that issue and we told them that the aircraft had been with us for more than 10 years, redundant in the hangar. Yet, we maintain the helicopters annually to the tune of N500 million to sit in the hangar.

“So, after 10 years, we have spent about N5bn in maintaining the two helicopters, yet we don’t use them for training or to source any revenue from it. It is a waste for the college because the helicopters must be serviceable all the time. For the 12 to 13 years period, none of the two helicopters reached 40 hours flying time.”

He added that the management of NCAT talked to the ministry and the minister approved the sales of the helicopters.

“We wrote to the ministry, requesting the Ministry of Works to get valuers to evaluate the helicopters, which was done. The Ministry of Works sent this to approved Federal Government auctioneers that came over and the helicopters were auctioned. At the end of the day, the helicopters were sold to two different companies,” Modibo noted.

He disclosed that the helicopters were eventually auctioned at about $600,000 each but were yet to be replaced because due process had to be followed.

“The process of getting new airplanes is not a switch you put off and on. You need to start writing to various government agencies. The Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development will write to the Ministry of Finance for approval and processes, which will take a while before you are able to buy the piston engine airplanes.

“That money could have fetched us two Robinson R44 and two R22 helicopters, but I am sure the Federal Government will want to approve probably one R44 and one R22 because of the issue we are having with foreign exchange. R44 is a larger fashion than R22. The R44 has four seats and the R22 has two seats for training,” he explained.

Three communities in Shinkafi Local Government, Zamfara State have been forced to pay N3 million to a notorious banditry kingpin, who is known by the alias, Dan Bokolo, to avoid being attacked, PREMIUM TIMES has learned.

The terrorist is believed to be angry with residents of the communities- Kamarawa, Sabuwar Kamarawa and Gebe for allegedly providing security operatives with the information used in the arrest of his brother, Abdullahi.

The payment of the protection levy is against the stand of the governor of the state, Dauda Lawal, who maintained the state government would not dialogue with the terrorists.
Local sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the terrorist’s brother, Abdullahi, was arrested at a market in the area when he had gone to transact business. It was alleged that some members of the community told security operatives of his whereabouts.

“That was the beginning of our troubles,” a resident of Kamarawa who sought anonymity told PREMIUM TIMES. “Dan Bokolo was angry because he was told that it was people from any of these three communities that gave information that led to the arrest of his brother.”

The terrorist was planning to attack the communities when elders in the area decided to reach out to him for a peace deal.

“Our elders were able to convince some Fulani elders that Abdullahi was arrested by the security agents and it was not anyone from our community that gave out the information. He (Dan Bokolo) was convinced that our people didn’t “betray” his brother but he still said we must buy peace from him.

After a series of negotiations, the terrorist, Dan Bokolo agreed that the three villages should pay and fine of N3 million for telling on his brother. He had originally asked for N6 million.

Basharu Guyawa, a peace advocate and a human rights activist, said payment of protection levies has become a norm in eastern Sokoto and Zamfara.

He said he spoke to various residents in Kamarawa who told him the communities have raised the money the terrorists demanded.

“Bello Turji [another notorious terrorist] had to intervene for Dan Bokolo to even listen to the people of the communities. The problem is how sure are we that he is going to keep to his promise not to attack the area?” Mr Guyawa said.

Terrorists in the state and other areas especially in Sokoto and Katsina are fond of taxing residents of local communities.

Last year, PREMIUM TIMES reported exclusively how residents of 14 communities of Anka Local Government paid N19 million and provided a canoe to terrorists to avoid being attacked. The payment was also a levy the terrorist demanded to allow the agrarian communities to cultivate their farms.
Several communities have also been forced into paying millions of naira by the terrorists as documented by PREMIUM TIMES in a month-long investigation.


Zamfara governor reacts

The Senior Special Assistant to Zamfara governor on broadcast and public affairs, Mustapha Jafaru, said the state government was not aware and was not a part of the agreement.

“We’ve always maintained that we’ll not dialogue with terrorists in Zamfara State. Dauda (the governor) has always said that he would not negotiate with them because they’re criminals. So if the communities are discussing with bandits, we don’t have anything to do with that arrangement and we’re not part of it because that’s not our style.

“Ever since we came onboard, we’ve been trying to curtail the activities of these terrorists through different ways but dialogue is not one of the ways we’re following. We’ll continue to protect the people of Zamfara State as we’ve been doing,” Mr Jafaru said.

He said during the campaign, Mr Lawal promised to tackle the insecurity and he has been doing that.

For over a decade, terrorists have been operating in the northwestern part of the country. Their activities snowballed after the 2019 general election when they began attacking travellers on major highways in the region, especially on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.

The intensity and frequency of their attacks on rural communities in the region increased. Livestock rustling, abductions and mass killings sometimes of entire communities – were reported almost daily.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has launched investigation into a viral video of soldiers allegedly negotiating with armed bandits in Katsina State.

The Director Defence Information, Brig-Gen Tukur Gusau who stated this while reacting to the viral video, said the DHQ was aware of the resolve by bandits to repent.

He said “The DHQ is investigating the video to confirm its authenticity as regards the soldiers seen in uniform.

The DHQ is aware of the resolve of some bandits to repent and hand over their weapons to the authority. This is yeilding good results and is ongoing.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa assures Nigerians that the AFN will engage in every lawful means possible to ensure peace and stability reign in our dear nation.

The DHQ assures Nigerians that it’s non-kinetic measures aimed at restoration of peace is yielding results, with several bandits and other criminal elements surrendering to authority.

Governments at all levels are encouraged to allow bandits genuinely willing to surrender to do so while the window is still open. Defence Headquarters is doing everything possible to restore peace and tranquility all over the country and urge all citizens to remain calm and be law abiding.”

Turkish defence companies have been contracted to provide high-tech security around Nigerian borders through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) among other solutions.

The latest Nigerian contract with Turkish defence companies marks the continuation of a military relationship that has evolved over the years.

According to an African online defence and security newspaper, defenceweb, Turkish defence firm, ASISGUARD was recently awarded a contract, which entails the provision of an integrated border security solution for Nigeria.

The milestone agreement underscored the company’s expertise in the field of defence technology and highlights Nigeria’s commitment to bolstering its border security capabilities.

The project includes products for detection, command and control and precautionary/intervention purposes.

At the core of the contract lies ASISGUARD’s highly advanced Songar drones. The unmanned aerial vehicles have garnered international recognition for their exceptional performance and reliability in various defence applications.

Equipped with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, Songar drones are designed to autonomously detect, track, and neutralise targets with utmost precision and efficiency.

However, this was not the first time that Turkish ASISGUARD was awarded a contract in Nigeria. In October last year, the Turkish company supplied at least 10 Songar armed drones to Nigerian counter-terror forces.

The delivery of SONGAR systems to the Nigerian Police Force and Army was completed on September 15, 2022.

In January 2022, Nigeria and Turkey entered talks on defence collaboration in counter-terrorism support as well as the acquisition of various military hardware, which may include attack helicopters, armed drones, and other infantry systems.

Another Turkish company, Havelsan, last month confirmed the export of its BAHA ‘Sub-Cloud Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’ to an undisclosed African country, which is believed to be Nigeria.

In a continued military relationship, Turkey supplied Nigeria with military hardware to support its efforts in combating Boko Haram terrorists and other armed groups and will be delivering six T-129 attack helicopters from Turkish Aerospace Industries, two offshore patrol vessels from Dearsan, and six Bayraktar TB2 UAVs from Baykar.

Recall that in recent years, the Nigerian military has fostered relationships with Turkish defence companies, acquiring equipment ranging from UAVs to offshore patrol vessels.

Written by Chibuzo Ukaibe and Sunday Isuwa


Indication emerged yesterday that the Presidency will not allow the impeachment of Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio in spite of grumblings among lawmakers.

A Presidency source told LEADERSHIP in confidence yesterday that the president was more inclined to saving Akpabio should moves to impeach him when the upper chamber resumes later this month as speculated.

The source said the presidency was wary that an impeachment of the Senate President could “cause a ripple effect that could spill into the House of Representatives which it cannot afford.”

The source said as much as the villa was uncomfortable with recent comments by Akpabio, the president is desirous of retaining Akpabio for the sake of stability, adding that “there is no anticipation of leadership change.”

The source also said the villa was conscious of not playing into the hands of political opponents who might seize the National Assembly to undo the president politically.

There have been grumblings by lawmakers who lost out in the leadership tussle as well as those who didn’t get juicy committees in both chambers of the National Assembly.

LEADERSHIP had last month reported that Akpabio’s comments on ‘token’ for senators’ holiday had caused members of President Bola Tinubu’s inner circle to commence what was described as a “secretly guided but desperate search” for Akpabio’s replacement.

Over the weekend LEADERSHIP also exclusively reported impeachment moves against Akpabio by some aggrieved lawmakers.

The impeachment move is being spearheaded by two lawmakers from the North West and other senators across the National Assembly are already meeting and mapping out plans to carry out the daring move.

Their grievance, it was alleged, is that the Senate President is a rubber stamp for the presidency and would be unable to carry out his duty effectively.

However, chairman of the Senate committee on media and publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, dismissed the impeachment threat, describing it as fake and fallacious because the upper chamber is “one united and fraternal family.”

But in a twist of events, the senator representing Adamawa North, Ishaku Abbo, accused Akpabio and his associates of being behind the story about the impeachment threat.

Abbo added that Akpabio’s camp instigated the narrative to create discord between President Bola Tinubu and northern politicians.

Abbo said, “As a Northern senator and an official of the Northern Senators Forum, I boldly affirm that this news is intentionally disseminated and propagated by the ‘camp’ of Senator Akpabio solely to pit President Bola Tinubu against the North. I call on Senator Akpabio to rein in his camp, as the seeds of discord and deep ethno-religious division they are sowing will not bode well for the country. Why the North? Why in Saudi Arabia?”

“If Akpabio and his camp wanted a united Senate, much like Ahmed Lawan, they would have known exactly what to do during Senate Standing Committees allocation and supplementary budget resources allocation. But the camp of the SP continued to treat the Senate as a conquered territory where the winner walks away with the spoils of war, a classic case of the winner takes all.”

Adamawa lawmaker further said, “How do you justify a situation where out of Category A Committees, only two were granted to his perceived rivals? How will you explain a Senate where 83.1 percent of those appointed chairmen of Category A Committees also serve as vice chairmen of Category A?

“How do you explain a third-term Senator being denied the chairmanship of a committee? How do you justify the leadership of the Senate, all being Vice Chairmen of Category A Committees? You cannot treat us as conquered people and then return to manipulate us with planted and paid newspaper reports to set us against the president.”

The Senate is expected to resume on September 26. It had been on recess.

When contacted, a lawmaker, who pleaded anonymity said, “We have been sold out as cheap articles with no rights and responsibilities of ours at all. There is no direction that can be initiated from us as lawmakers.”

The lawmaker said as far as the lower chamber is concerned, “Everything has to start and end with Villa where the man who propped the Speaker is. The 10th Assembly is the worst as we can see. We are worse than a unit, not even a department, of the executive arm.

“It is no news that the standing committees were compiled by the influential presidential aide and his associates in the villa where they ensured the total obliteration of all known or perceived opponents of Abbas to the extent that they didn’t mind if all committees were given out to the opposition.

“It is very unfortunate because in this same chamber in 2019, some of us staked our necks for them. Even Wase stepped down for them, but here we are. So if anything happens to Akpabio’s tenure, it will have an infectious impact on Abbas and no one can stop it,” the source said.


Senate Must Not Be Houseboy To Executive – CSOs

Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria have reacted to the crisis rocking the Nigerian Senate less than 100 days after their inauguration, stating that the Senate must not be a house boy to the executive.

According to the CSOs, the 9th Senate acted the same way the present Senate is acting which, according to them, is not good for democracy, rule of law and separation of powers.

There has been rumours of planned impeachment of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, but the Senate has punctured such rumours.

The CSOs who spoke to LEADERSHIP are Transparency International (TI), the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG).

Speaking through their leader, Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, the CSOs said politicians who are greatest beneficiaries of democracy don’t want inclusiveness in governance.

“Politicians need to be more inclusive because they are the greatest beneficiaries of democracy.

“If there is no inclusion and transparency, there will always be a crisis. And so, any leader that did not carry the people along, will create problems for himself,” Rafsanjani said.

According to him, politicians must do everything from a patriotic point of view, adding that the Senate must maintain its independence.

“It is important that the Senate President acts responsibly. He should ensure inclusivity.

“The Senate must not be an appendix of the executive. The 9th Senate experienced such. The Senate must not be a houseboy of the executive. The Senate must check the excesses of the government.

“What the previous Senate President did with Buhari is exactly what Akpabio is doing with Tinubu. Akpabio must have a more broad mind. There is a need to ensure they scrutinise whatever the president brings, they must scrutinise it. The Senate President must be responsible. They should not behave as if they don’t care about the people,” Rafsanjani added.

The Nigerian government has asked a federal high court in Abuja to void promissory notes issued to consultants with respect to the Paris Club refund.

The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/896/2023, was filed by the federal government, the attorney-general of the federation, the minister of finance, budget and national planning and the accountant-general of the federation.

The defendants include FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Ned Munir Nwoko, Gregory Nangor Lar, Riok Nigeria Limited, Prince Orji Nwafor Orizu, Olaitan Bello, Dr. Ted Iseghohi Edwards, and Panic Alert Security System Limited.

The controversial payment of $418 million to consultants (defendants in the suit) who were engaged by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has become a contentious issue between the three tiers of government.

On September 27, 2021, the Debt Management Office (DMO) issued 62 promissory notes worth $418,953,668 to the defendants as a result of several judgments and orders of mandamus obtained by the defendants.

The plaintiffs are contending, among others, that the promissory notes are invalid, having been wrongly issued in violation of relevant laws.

They argued that although the promissory notes were executed by the then minister of finance, budget and national planning and the director-general of the DMO, the notes were not signed as required.

In a supporting affidavit, Oyinlade Koleosho, a principal state counsel in the federal ministry of justice, said the promissory notes were wrongly and invalidly issued against the assets of the federation.

“The promissory notes in issue were wrongly and unlawfully charged on the assets and revenues of the federation instead of the assets and revenues of the states and local governments, who incurred the applicable loans/debts,” the affidavit reads.

The lawyer said sections 314 and 317 of the constitution have separated the assets of a state or local government from the assets of the federation or the federal government of Nigeria.

The plaintiffs also claimed that since the defendants were not engaged by the federal government, there is no valid consideration for the promissory notes issued to them (defendants).

According to court documents, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited was issued 10 promissory notes for a total value of $67,925,661.00, at the rate of $6,499,561.00 per note (allegedly for the benefit of Nwoko).

Gregory Nangor Lar, who is described as Nwoko’s agent, was issued two promissory notes “for the account/benefit of the second defendant (Nwoko) for the total value of $732,511.00 at the rate of $366,256.00 per note”.

Riok Nigeria Limited was issued 10 promissory notes valued at $142,028, 941.00, at the rate of $14,202,895.00 per note.

Orji Nwafor Orizu was issued 10 promissory notes valued at $1,219,440.00 at the rate of $121,944.00 per note.

Olaitan Bello was said to have been issued eight promissory notes valued at $215,195.00 at the rate of $21,524.00 per note.

The documents said Ted Iseghohi Edwards got 10 promissory notes for the value of $159,000,000.00, at the rate of $15,900,000.00.

Panic Alert Security System Limited was also issued 10 promissory notes for the value of $47,831,920.00, at $4,783,192.00 per note.

AN air of apprehension has gripped residents of Yanshanu community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State as seven more persons who, over the years, underwent surgical operations at Murna Hospital have equally claimed that their kidneys have been harvested by the embattled operator of the clinic, Mr Noah Kekere.

In an interview on Friday, the Chairman, Yanshanu Community Development Association, Alhaji Jamilu Baba, disclosed to Saturday Tribune that all those who had one form of surgical operation or the other at the clinic in the past had been asked to go for tests to confirm the state of their kidneys.

Alhaji Baba said that so far, no fewer than seven people, males and females, have been discovered to have one kidney each with the other missing. He added that other people were still in the process of going for scans based on the report before the community.

“It may interest you that those who went for scans are complaining of the same thing. At the moment, about seven have claimed that only one kidney was found in their bodies after scans. All of them had, at different times, had surgical operations performed on them by the so-called doctor at Murna Clinic,” he said.

The community leader added: “The hospital is called Murna Clinic owned by one man called Dr Noah Kekere, popularly known as Dr Yellow. He has been in this community for over 18 years. The people of this community trusted him and patronised him whenever they were not feeling well.

“But to our great surprise, we learned of his involvement in this unfortunate incident that he operated on a woman about seven years ago when she had an appendicitis. Unfortunately, after the operation, the woman was still complaining of stomach pain. Kekere has been managing her and collecting money from the family.

“After much complaining without any improvement, the husband told her wife to try Jos University Teaching Hospital, where it was discovered after a scan that she had one kidney; that the other one was missing.

“The report came to us and to the entire community as a shock. This man has betrayed the trust the community has in him. I cannot count the number of people in this community that this man has operated on. This incident has caused confusion in the community. Those he had operated on at one time or another are now jittery. We have been advising people that have been coming to us to go for tests at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and other certified hospitals.

“We are having a community meeting on Saturday (today) to discuss this issue thoroughly and tell other people who have undergone one form of operation or the other there to go for scans.

“The matter has been reported to the DPO in charge of this area and he has transferred the case to the state police headquarters. According to police investigation, the man has confessed that he removed the kidney of that woman (Mrs Kehinde Kamaru), saying that it was the work of the devil. Because of the damage he has done to our community, we petitioned the state Commissioner of Police, asking him to conduct a thorough investigation.

“The community has been so nice to him, but unfortunately, this is how he rewarded us. He had been presenting himself as a qualified medical doctor to the people, but he is not. Police investigation revealed that he has a BSc and a Master’s degree in Economics. We were told that he went to a nursing school but abandoned his programme along the way. He has done a lot of damage to our people.”

Alhaji Baba therefore called on the police to extend their investigation beyond the woman whose case exposed the fake doctor. He emphasised the need to get to the root of the matter to deter others engaging in such a dubious act,” he said.

When Saturday Tribune visited Murna Clinic and Maternity Centre at Yanshanu, the facility was closed and security men manned the gate. A source close to the clinic disclosed that the doctors who assisted him to perform the first victim’s operation have equally been arrested by the police.

The spokesman for the state police command, Alfred Alabo, could not be reached to confirm arrest of the accomplice doctors.

But the suspect, Kekere, is still under investigation at the headquarters of the state police command while his hospital at Yanshanu and others have been sealed off by the security agencies.


NMA intervention

In the meantime, the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), during the week, distanced itself from Kekere.

In a statement issued in Jos, the chairman of the NMA in the state, Dr Bapigaan William Audu, and the Public Relations Officer, Dr Istifanus Bintum Bako, said that based on its investigation, Kekere is not a medical doctor.

The statement reads in part: “This is to inform the general public and all concerned that Mr Noah Kekere, who is currently being investigated over allegations of organ harvesting, is not a medical doctor.

“Diligent investigations by the association have revealed that he is a quack pretending to be a doctor.

“Further information will be made available following the conclusion of the investigative processes initiated by the NMA as well as the Nigeria Police, respectively.”

The association called on all members and citizens to remain calm, as the association is on top of the issue and is assisting the police to get to the root of the matter.

Saturday Tribune learned that shortly after he was arrested and detained at the police headquarters in Jos, Mr Kekere pretended to have run mad and was rushed to the psychiatric section of JUTH, but he was discharged after it was discovered that there was nothing wrong with him.

Barring any last-minute change in plan, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will constitute the Supreme Court panel that will hear the appeal arising from the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Court latest on Wednesday.

The PEPC had on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, delivered a 12-hour judgment on the appeals arising from the February 25, 2023 presidential election, upholding the election of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

The presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively rejected the court’s judgment, vowing to approach the Supreme Court.

They had 14 days from the day the judgment was delivered to file their appeal at the apex court.

That 14-day timeline ends on Wednesday.

While their legal teams are working hard to beat the deadline, an investigation by Saturday PUNCH at the Supreme Court on Friday revealed that Ariwoola had yet to constitute the panel of the apex court that will hear the appeals.

Further investigation, however, further revealed that the CJN will constitute the panel latest on Wednesday when the timeline for the filing of the appeals will end.

Multiple sources at the apex court also said the identities of the Justices that may be named members of the panel were still unknown.

One of the sources at the court said, “There is no information about the panel or the justices that would make up the panel for now. What we know is that members of the panel may be named this week, latest by Wednesday.”

Saturday PUNCH also learnt on Friday that Obi’s legal team may file an appeal on Tuesday.

Our correspondents further gathered that the presidential candidate is not planning to change members of his legal team.

The spokesman of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko; and the National Legal Adviser of LP, Kehinde Edun, disclosed these in separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH.

"I just confirmed that we have not filed the appeal. That will be done between now and Tuesday. We are also not seeking to engage or tweak our team of lawyers,” Tanko told one of our correspondents on the telephone.

Agreeing with Tanko, the party’s legal adviser also said, “We have not filed the appeal yet because we are still within the time frame. It will be done any moment from now.

“To answer your other question, our legal team is still intact. They are some of our best hands. There is no reason to change them since we do not doubt their capabilities.”

When contacted, Obi’s lead counsel, Dr Livy Uzoukwu, also said the legal team was still working on the appeal, saying, “We are on it. We have not fixed a date to submit.”

A member of Atiku’s legal team, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, also said, “We are filing the appeal as soon as possible, within the constitutional and statutory period. All the lawyers are retained. Our team is intact and as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”

The ex-vice president’s lead counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, could not be reached for comment as calls and messages to his line were not answered on Friday.


PDP NEC member on CJN

Meanwhile, the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, has advised the CJN not to be part of the panel of the Supreme Court that will review the PEPC judgment.

Osadolor stated this against the backdrop of a statement credited to the CJN in the past, endorsing Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde’s membership of the G-5, a group made up of some aggrieved governors opposed to Iyorchia Ayu’s chairmanship of the PDP after Atiku emerged as the party’s candidate.

In November 2022 as special guest of the Rivers State Government in Port Harcourt at a banquet organised in honour of the then Governor, Nyesom Wike; Justice Ariwoola lauded Makinde’s membership of G-5; a development that was criticised by the National Working Committee of the PDP at the time.

“That is why we should not be scared to have these men of the integrity group. I am happy that my own Governor (Makinde) is among them because he would try to imitate his friend and in-law because we came here to marry for my Governor.

“So, Governor Wike will always threaten that he will call back his sister if my Governor fails to play ball. That is why you see him following His Excellency (Wike) because my Governor is afraid of his wife being recalled,” the CJN said in 2022.

Speaking exclusively with Saturday PUNCH, Osadolor said, “I would expect the CJN after the gaffe wherein he exposed his partisan self with his declaration of support for the then G-5 when he got too excited, to recuse himself from any panel that is constituted for political reasons, particularly one as sensitive and important as the one to look into the PEPC judgment that is contentious and vexatious for a wide range of reasons.

“He should not do anything to taint the image of our judiciary further. The whole world is watching and he of all people should know better that his membership of the panel would raise several questions.”

As of the time of filing this report, neither of the two official spokespersons of the party, Debo Ologunagba and Ibrahim Abdullahi, was ready for comment.

On his part, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, promised to reach out to one of our correspondents “after getting legal advice.”


Candidates retaining lawyers

Tinubu, Atiku and Obi will be retaining the 89 Senior Advocates of Nigeria they hired for the legal battle.

Ahead of the sittings of the PEPC, Aiku hired 19 SANs, Obi secured the services of 20 SANs while Tinubu engaged 50, making a total of 89.

Just like in the case of Obi and Atiku, the coordinator of the Tinubu Presidential Legal Team, Babatunde Ogala, in an interview with one of our correspondents said the President’s legal team would be retained. “Why do we have to change our lawyers? We don’t need any fresh people. We have more than enough lawyers in our legal team,” Ogala said.


APC, LP, PDP lose NASS seats

Meanwhile, the PDP has so far lost 11 National Assembly seats, while the APC forfeited six seats and the LP could not retain eight slots.

Also, the New Nigerian Peoples Party lost three seats, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance lost two.

Saturday PUNCH reports that the APC won 162 House of Representatives seats in the National Assembly elections held on February 25 while its closest rival, the PDP, took 102 seats and the LP won 34 seats.

The NNPP on its part won 18 seats while the Social Democratic Party and APGA got two and four seats respectively.

Also, the African Democratic Congress won two seats just as the Young Progressives Party had one seat.

In the Senate, the APC won 57 seats while the PDP and the LP got 29 and six seats respectively.

The NNPP and the SDP got two seats each, while APGA and the YPP got a seat each.

However, after the judgment of the election petition tribunals across the country, the APC lost some seats and gained the highest number of National Assembly seats with 10 seats, PDP got four, while LP won two seats and APGA won one.

The tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, sacked three LP’s House of Representative members and ordered a rerun in one constituency.

The tribunal declared Chief Daniel Okeke of the APC as the winner of the February 25, 2023 election for the Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency and ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to LP’s Okwara Osonwa.

Another tribunal sitting in Umuahia sacked the lawmaker representing Aba North/South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Emeka Nnamani and declared Alex Ikwechegh of APGA winner of the seat.

A rerun was ordered for Osisioma/Obingwa/Ugwunagbo Federal Constituency of the state and LP’s Munachim Alozie was sacked.

In Isuikwato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, APC’s Nkiruka Onyejeocha who is currently the Minister of State for Labour was declared winner while LP’s Amobi Ogah’s victory was nullified.

The tribunal in Anambra State nullified the declaration of APGA’s Uchenna Elodimmuo for Nnewi North/South and Ekwusigo Constituency and called for a supplementary election.

A rerun was also ordered in Oyi and Ayamelum Constituency, while the declaration of APGA’s Maureen Gwacham by the Independent National Electoral Commission was nullified.

The election that brought in PDP’s Fred Agbadi as a member of the House of Representatives for Sagbama/Ekeremor Constituency of Bayelsa State was set aside as inconclusive.

In Benue North-East Senatorial District, Emmanuel Udende of APC was sacked, while PDP’s Gabriel Suswam was declared the winner by the tribunal.

In Cross River, INEC was ordered to retrieve the Certificate of Return issued to APC’s Emil Inyang as the winner of Akamkpa-Biase Constituency, while a supplementary election was ordered in 19 polling units.

The tribunal in Asaba, Delta State also declared the election of Delta South Senator, APC’s Thomas Onowakpo, inconclusive and ordered a re-run.

The tribunal declared the Delta Central Senatorial District election inconclusive and ordered that the CoR issued to Senator Ede Dafinone of the APC be withdrawn while the three-member tribunal headed by Justice W.I. Kpochi ordered a re-run in 48 units across four out of eight local government areas in the district.

Similarly, the tribunal sacked a member of the House of Representatives, Ngozi Okolie representing Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency on the platform of LP and declared the candidate of the PDP, Ndudi Elumelu, winner.

In Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Constituency, LP’s Sunday Nnamchi was sacked while PDP’s Cornelius Nnaji was declared the winner.

For Ihitte Uboma and Mbano Constituency in Imo State, PDP’s Jonas Okeke was sacked while APC’s Chike Okafor was declared winner, while Ikenga Ugochinyere of the PDP for Ideato North and South Constituency was sacked and the tribunal ordered a rerun between Pascal Obi of LP and APC’s Chika Abazu.

Meanwhile in Kano, the NNPP lost three seats to the APC.

While NNPP’s Idris Dankawu was sacked, Munir Agundi of the APC was declared the winner of the Kumbotso Constituency.

For the Kano Tarauni Constituency, NNPP’s Muktar Yerima was sacked while APC’s Hafiz Kawu was declared the winner.

Also for the Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Constituency, NNPP’s Yusuf Datti was sacked while APC’s Musa Kwankwaso was declared the winner.

Similarly in Katsina State, the PDP lost two of its seats in the National Assembly to the APC while one was declared inconclusive by the tribunal.

For Katsina, Kankia-Kusada-Ingawa Constituency, PDP’s Ismail Kusada was sacked while APC’s Abubakar Kusada was declared the winner.

Also for Katsina Central Constituency, the tribunal sacked PDP’s Aminu Chindo while it declared APC’s Sani Aliyu as the winner

The election that brought in Jamilu Muhammad of the PDP for Kankara-Faskari-Sabuwa and Batsari-Safana-Danmusa Constituencies was declared inconclusive.

For Kogi Central Senatorial District, APC’s Abubakar Ohere was sacked while PDP’s Natasha Uduaghan was declared the winner.

Also, the Senator representing Kogi East in the National Assembly, Jibrin Echocho was sacked and the tribunal ordered a supplementary election in 94 polling units.

The tribunal in Lagos ordered a rerun in Eti-Osa Constituency nullifying the victory of LP’s Thaddeus Atta.

Also, the election that produced the LP candidate, Seyi Sowunmi, House of Representatives member, Ojo Federal Constituency in the state was annulled by the election petition tribunal and Lanre Ogunyemi of the APC was declared the winner.

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Minna, Niger State ordered INEC to set aside the victory of Joshua Gana of the PDP, in the February 25 National Assembly election and ordered for a rerun in 23 polling units of Edati, Lavun and Mokwa Federal Constituency.

In Plateau State, the elections of four National Assembly members of the PDP were nullified.

Beni Lar of Langtang North/Langtang South Federal constituency was sacked while APC’s Vincent Bulus was declared the winner.

Also, the representative of Jos South /Jos East, Musa Bagos was sacked while Alfred Iliya of LP was declared the winner.

Peter Gyendeng representing Barkin-Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency was sacked, while LP’s Fom Dalyop was declared the winner.

Also, Napoleon Bali, representing Plateau South Senatorial District, was sacked while the immediate past governor of the state, Simon Lalong, who is currently Minister of Labour and Employment was declared the winner.

By Ameh Ejekwonyilo


A professor who was caught and later suspended for examination malpractices has made the short list of likely recipients of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) rank.

The rank is reserved for Nigerian lawyers who have distinguished themselves in legal practice, either in the advocacy or academic lines.

The integrity and reputation of the candidate is also a major factor for consideration for the award.

Benedicta Daudu, the dean of the Faculty of Law at the Taraba State University, was shortlisted alongside 68 other lawyers for the SAN award by the LPPC which is domiciled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES had extensively reported on how authorities of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State, suspended Ms Daudu for one academic session after she was caught “cheating” in a postgraduate course examination.

Ms Daudu, an associate professor of law and head of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law of the Faculty of Law at UNIJOS, was caught cheating while taking an examination for a Master’s degree in Research and Public Policy in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the same university.

The development, after it was exposed by PREMIUM TIMES, earned her the sack from then President Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidential Committee Advisory Committee on Corruption (PACAC) in May 2016.

Confirming her exit from PACAC, the Executive Secretary of the body, Bolaji Owasanoye, a law professor and now chairman of Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, ICPC, had in a text message to this newspaper as then executive secretary of PACAC, said the committee discussed the allegation against Ms Daudu, and she “voluntarily” stepped down from the committee until the matter was resolved.

“The Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption has discussed the allegations against Dr Benedicta Daudu based on information in the public domain and Dr Benedicta Daudu has voluntarily stepped down from the committee until the matter is officially concluded by the university,” Mr Owasanoye wrote.

Ms Daudu, who was an associate law professor, was working towards another master’s in Research and Public Policy when she was caught in the examination malpractice scandal.

The Department of Research and Public Policy accused her of smuggling in prepared answers during the examination for the Global Context in Public Policy course.

Sources said the matter was subsequently reported to the university’s examination committee but some students and faculty claimed there were attempts at cover-ups by the university authorities.

Efforts by the university management to sanction Ms Daudu based on her position as a lecturer failed owing to a legal action she instituted against the varsity.

However, the university in December 2016, suspended her while trying to properly investigate the issue.

But it was later learnt that Ms Daudu and the UNIJOS management reached a settlement agreement, where she resigned her appointment and was paid off.

She, from there, left for the Taraba State University, where she became a professor in 2019.


Fierce test ahead

Ms Daudu may face another bumpy ride in her bid to clinch the SAN rank as the second stage of the process of selecting the candidates offers the public an opportunity to send petitions about shortlisted candidates.

The Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Hajo Bello, in a statement Thursday announcing the shortlisted candidates for the awards, invited members of the public “to comment on the integrity, reputation and competence” of the shortlisted candidates.

During the interview that will come up in October, shortlisted candidates will be confronted with complaints about their suitability for the rank.

The first stage of selection of SANs from a pool of applicants was more about ensuring that each candidate met the basic requirements such as having the records of the required number of High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court judgements.

The LPPC also conducts chamber inspections at the first stage of the selection process to ensure that candidates, especially lawyers working in private law firms, to ensure the law offices have the baseline facilities, libraries and financial records.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the LPPC, a body chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and established to give the prestigious rank to deserving lawyers annually is domiciled at the Supreme Court.

Ms Bello, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, doubles as the secretary of the LPPC.

Some of the shortlisted candidates include Fumi Falana and Kayode Ajulo, both human rights lawyers; Emmanuel Enoidem, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legal adviser; and Agada Elachi, erstwhile chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Abuja branch.

There are 12 academics, including Ms Daudu on the list.

It was a tale that shocked neighbours and family members when a man simply identified as Tubosun alleged his wife recently had a baby for his childhood friend, Prophet Oluwaseun Akinnubi.

The wife, who had three girls for Tubosun, is pregnant with another baby for Prophet Akinnubi.

It was gathered that bubble burst when elder brother of Tubosun, Moses Akinnuoy, reported activities of Prophet Akinnubi at their father’s house, in Mobolade Street, Ore, Odigbo local government area.

Prophet Akinnubi had converted a sitting room of his friend to a church where he held deliverance services for people with the name Christ the Helper Foundation Ministry.

It was gathered that Tubosun took in Prophet Akinnubi who was homeless at a time.

Sources said it was in the course of staying with the couple that Prophet Akunnubi impregnated his friend’s wife.

He reportedly told his friend that God has ordained the woman to be his wife.

A source said: “After impregnating the woman, the prophet rented another apartment and moved the woman out of her husband’s house.

“To the dismay of neighbours, after mama Precious gave birth, they noticed her husband was going to the prophet’s new place to wash clothes for his wife and the new baby.

“A neighbour called Tubosun and told him that the prophet had taken over his wife, but he was unperturbed. Rather, he kept going to the place to wash his wife’s and the baby’s clothes. He also use to clean the house.

“At that point, we knew the prophet had already hypnotised Tubosun, because his act was awkward. We believe he is no longer in his right frame of mind.”

Another neighbour said: “The prophet’s sudden action is diabolical. Tubosun has not been normal since he accommodated him.

“Some months after he moved in with the couple, people came en masse to worship in the church. We were amazed the man has been collecting a bag of rice each from his members who came for deliverance, while he didn’t proffer solutions to their problems.

“Later, I discovered the so-called G.O. was having an affair with Tubosun’s wife, a mother of three girls. I personally drew his attention to the illicit affairs. But to my surprise, he didn’t believe me.

“Tubosun later found out and confronted Akinnubi. But the pastor replied him that he has been joined together with his wife from heaven.

“After a while, Akinnubi rented another apartment for the woman, while he holds church service everyday at Tubosun’s residence in the morning and night,” he narrated.

Elder brother of Tubosun, Moses Akinnuoye, who confirmed the incident, said he was shocked at the police station when the Prophet laid claim to the baby and the pregnancy.

“Four rooms were burgled in the house and I decided to invite the police since people were complaining that certain persons used to come after others have left for work.

“He was doing church service in my brother’s sitting room. It was at the police station I started hearing different story. The Pastor claim he is the owner of the baby. My brother said he cannot change the will of God.

“The Pastor told my brother that God told him he cannot marry the woman. When my brother declared he heard the voice of God and left the wife for his friend, what can anybody do? I just need the Pastor to move his things away from the House. The Pastor has been granted bail.”

A 26-year-old woman, Jennifer Dan, has been found dead at a hotel in Ikotun, Lagos, and her suspected killer nabbed by the Police. The woman lodged in the hotel with a 30-year-old man, Wale Samuel, at about 8:00a.m. before the incident.

Samuel, who confessed to the crime, did not state why he killed the lady. Spokesperson for Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident, yesterday, said the suspect will soon be charged to court.

He said: “On September 11, 2023, at about 11.a.m., one Solomon reported at the Ikotun Division that at about 8:00a.m., same day, Dan, one of his lodgers was found to have been killed in her hotel room by a 30-year-old man seen last with her.

“Based on the report, a team of detectives was mobilised to the scene, and the deceased was seen lying on the floor with her stomach pierced with a scissor.

“Her remains were evacuated, and the suspect arrested at his hideout in the Ikotun area. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for further investigation.”

By Fidelis Mac-Leva


The special investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu and his support team are set to commence quizzing officials involved in alleged sharp practices at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and related entities, Daily Trust findings reveal.

Following the sacking and subsequent arrest of Godwin Emiefele, Tinubu appointed Jim Obazee as a Special Investigator to probe the activities of the CBN and other related entities.

In a letter dated July 28, Tinubu said the appointment of Obazee, relying on the fundamental objective outlined in Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, was in furtherance of his administration’s anti-corruption fight.

Daily Trust reports that the Inspector General of Police had on September 6 deployed a four-man team of senior officers to support the special investigator to probe the activities of the apex bank and related entities.

The deployment was in response to a letter by Obazee dated August 18 requesting the IGP to deploy senior officers to his office to facilitate the smooth take-off and execution of his assignment.


In response, the IGP in a letter titled, ‘Deployment of Police Personnel’ with reference number TH:5361/FS/FHQ/ABJ/T.5/428, listed the deployed officers as DCP Eloho Edwin Okpoziakpo; CSP Celestine Odo; CSP Segun Aderoju and DSP Tijani A. Bako.

It was gathered that preliminary findings based on developed intelligence by the investigating team led by DCP Eloho are already causing sleepless nights to the top management at the CBN and NIRSAL.

Daily Trust had in December 2022, investigated multiple corruption allegations that rocked NIRSAL under the former managing director, Aliyu Abbati Abdulhameed, who was later fired by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.

Apart from revisiting the N5.6 billion wheat project scandal in Kano and Jigawa states, a source confided in Daily Trust that the investigators would be digging into the alleged allocation of about N600,000 monthly for the upkeep of the former MD’s dogs.

It was gathered that some close aides of the embattled ex-CBN governor and officials of other affected entities are jittery as the crack team is set to start quizzing them over some contracts at NIRSAL, as well as the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme soon.

Among the contracts is that for the design, development, and hosting of the Jigawa State unemployed graduate database for NIRSAL which was first awarded to a company, Syspec Network Limited of No.20 Jalingo Shopping Complex, Jalingo, Taraba State.

The contract award letter dated May 23, 2016, with Reference Number: MD/PROC/013 was signed by the ousted Managing Director of NIRSAL, Aliyu Abdulhameed. It was said to have been re-awarded several times as a conduit.

“The investigators are also set to unravel how the Anchor Borrowers funds were being kept as fixed deposits by parties close to the embattled CBN governor. This scheme was to allow parties involved to scoop the interest generated by the deposits.

“This development led to a significant delay in the delivery of fertilizers and other inputs to farmers, and by the time the inputs were eventually supplied, the planting season would have been over even as they (farmers) were expected to pay for the unsupplied inputs,” a source told Daily Trust.

Daily Trust reports that the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme guidelines stipulate that upon harvest, benefiting farmers are to repay their loans with produce (which must cover the loan principal and interest) to an anchor, who pays the cash equivalent to the farmer’s account.

Another source confided in Daily Trust that among those involved in the fixed deposits racket is an aide of the ex-CBN governor (names withheld) who is said to have operated a total of 61 bank accounts that included 44 fixed deposit accounts and 2 treasury bills accounts.

Daily Trust reports that in a letter dated July 28, Tinubu said the appointment of Obazee, relying on the fundamental objective outlined in Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, was in furtherance of his administration’s anti-corruption fight.

Prior to his appointment, Obazee was the chief executive officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) until 2017. His job was with immediate effect, and he was asked to report directly to the president.

It was gathered that startling preliminary intelligence by the investigator’s team headed by DCP Eloho is already sending jitters down the spines of top management staff of the CBN and NIRSAL.

The IGP is said to have nominated Eloho, a renowned investigator, as head of the Special Investigator’s support team as part of his desire to boost President Tinubu’s fight against corruption and economic sabotage.

The president recently gave a marching order that all funds allocated to these agricultural programmes be recovered.

It is widely believed that DCP Eloho is a thoroughbred investigator within the police force who worked under the IGP when he was DIG FCIID. It was there that the IGP identified Eloho’s capacity and penchant for thorough investigation.

Sources within the Nigeria Police Force said Eloho, whose work as an investigator spans over 20 years at the top level of investigations, holds a degree in Psychology and a master’s in International Law and Diplomacy with hands-on-deck experience in economic, financial, cybercrime and other white collar crime investigations.

DCP Eloho is said to have started his investigative journey at the state level with the FCT Police Command where he headed the Commissioner’s Monitoring Unit between 2005 and 2008. In this position, the CP referred matters of importance directly to him and he was always asked to take over the most difficult investigations from other sections.

At the national level, he worked at the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, and Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in 2008 where he was appointed to head several sensitive sections after being a part of the General Investigation Section of the unit.

The sections he headed include the Cybercrime Section, Assets Fraud Section, Bank Fraud Section, and the Anti-Money Laundering Section.

Currently in charge of the Counter Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) having previously been in charge of the Bureau’s Cryptography & Cybercrime Unit (CCU), Eloho served in various investigative capacities both at the state command levels and the Force Headquarters (FCIID) level.

He was the pioneer head of a unit created at the request of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in conjunction with the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF), with the major aim to assist the Nigeria financial sector in the investigation of e-Payment and card crimes.


Destruction of files, and records at NIRSAL

Daily Trust gathered that there are attempts by some of the officials targeted for investigation at CBN and NIRSAL to scuttle the process. This is said to have led to the alleged destruction of office files, contract documents and related records.

Sources familiar with the investigation said among the destroyed office documents is a contract for the development of NIRSAL’s ICT Policy.

“Although financial trails show payments made multiple times for the same contract, the record of this contract has disappeared from NIRSAL’s procurement department,” an insider who wouldn’t want his name mentioned said.

Another source told Daily Trust that unless the investigation team deploys ways and means of obtaining the necessary contract records and documents, it may have hitches getting to the root of the matter.

Contacted on phone, the Head of Procurement at NIRSAL, Sheriff Salaudeen, however, said the organisation does not destroy its files or other records.

He declined further comments, insisting that he would only do so if a written request is communicated to NIRSAL.

The Senate on Thursday threatened to take legal action against the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the claim that lawmakers got N100 million each as a palliative from the federal government.

Christopher Onyeka, an aide to the NLC President Joe Ajaero, was reported to have said members of the National Assembly received over N100 million each as a palliative to cushion the effect of the petrol subsidy removal.

The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, dismissed the claim, describing it as strange, ludicrous and unthinkable.

Adaramodu, in a statement on Thursday, said the claim was another “satanic ploy of a miserable gang of media and political dark angels to bring the Nigerian parliament into disrepute and pitch the legislators against the Nigerian public.”

“We believe that the public is aware that popular democracy is an anathema to some unpatriotic political mercenaries, hence their systemic blackmail of the parliament, which undoubtedly is the soul of democracy and sovereignty,” he added.

He urged the public, especially the Nigerian workers, to disregard “these unscrupulous pontiffs.”

He said, “The National Assembly shall not hesitate, henceforth to take constitutional and legal actions against these irreverent merchants of rumours and ill wills against legislators. The National Assembly should not be taken as a political scapegoat.

“We don’t expect anything less from the NLC leadership, we only opined that they would place national interest above partisan nihilistic outbursts.

“If the Congress wishes to serve as the conscience of Nigerian workers, it must purge itself of catalytic political voyages that can truncate our democracy. We believe that Nigerians see this new unscrupulous advocacy as a comedy to entertain only the unsuspecting.”

The scarcity of foreign exchange is hitting hard on manufacturers in the country, according to findings by The PUNCH.

As a result, manufacturers have been faced with the burden of cutting production, jobs and raw material imports.

The value of items imported under the category of industrial supplies declined by N480bn as manufacturers struggled with forex scarcity.

Data obtained from the foreign trade statistics reports of the National Bureau of Statistics for the first six months of 2022 and 2023 showed that the forex crisis is affecting manufacturers’ ability to import the necessary items they need for industrial production.

The PUNCH observed that in H1 2022, the value of imported industrial supplies was N2.66tn.

By H1 2023, the total value has dropped to N2.18tn, showing a decrease of N480bn despite the fact that it now cost more to import following the exchange rates unification policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.


Operators lament

Speaking with The PUNCH, the National Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Segun Kuti-George blamed the scarcity of foreign exchange for the significant drop in the importation of industrial supplies.

According to him, the scarcity of forex which prevents industrialists from importing the needed raw materials for production forces them to scale down on capacity utilisation.

He said, “It is a combined factor of forex scarcity and drop in capacity utilisation. When ma manufacturers do not have the forex they need to import raw materials, it means they have to scale down production. The environment is really hard, and they are getting harder and harder by the day.

On his part, the Deputy-President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gabriel Idahosa cited the prevailing economic realities as a big factor that has forced manufacturers to scale down production.

Idahosa said, “If manufacturers do not have foreign exchange to bring in whatever they need to bring in like raw materials and industrial supplies, then, of course, it will reflect in the figures we are seeing.

“Since the economy is organic, anything that affects one part will affect the others. If the is low consumer spending power, especially with the kind of inflation we have now, no manufacturer will have reasons to bring in plenty of industrial supplies because he just doesn’t have the money to do it.

“Because capacity utilisation has come down, it doesn’t make sense to keep producing and piling it up at the warehouse when the ones there have not been sold. It is just an expression of the organic nature of the economy. Anything that affects one part, affects all the other parts.”

The Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, recently said addressing the forex volatility was vital to manufacturing production.

According to him, the forex shortage being faced by manufacturers translates to a high cost of imported inputs and by extension high cost of production.

This, he said, would result in higher prices of goods.

He said, “But the reality is that the government lacks the needed forex to cover the demand in the economy, including that of the sector. Crude oil proceeds are the major source of forex inflow into the country, and Nigeria has not even been able to meet the OPEC export quota for the country.

“The situation is that the government has limited forex available for the economy and the recent floating of the rate of exchange has complicated the supply side constraints.

In his recommendation, Ajayi-Kadir urged the government to prescribe a definite rate for calculating the import duty for production inputs, such as raw materials, machines and spares that are not available locally.

A former president of MAN, Mansur Ahmed, while speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Cross River/Akwa Ibom State branch of the association this year, had said that manufacturers could only source 5 per cent of their forex needs from the banks.


Output declines

Also, the contribution of the manufacturing sector to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product in real terms declined to N1.5tn in the second quarter of 2023.

This represents a 17.24 per cent Quarter-on-Quarter decline compared to N1.8tn contribution recorded in Q1 2023.

The manufacturing sector’s contribution to real GDP in percentage terms also fell to 8.40 per cent IN Q2 2023 from 10.13 per cent in Q1 2023.

The manufacturing sector comprises 13 activities: oil refining; cement; food, beverages and tobacco; textile, apparel, and footwear; wood and wood products; pulp paper and paper products; chemical and pharmaceutical products.

Others include non-metallic products, plastic and rubber products; electrical and electronic; basic metal and iron and steel; motor vehicles and assembly; and other manufacturing.

The drop in the sector’s contribution to the economy has been linked to an array of bottlenecks, which be-devilled the real sector of the economy in the second quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, in its Manufacturers CEOs Confidence Index report, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria said that the Aggregate Index Score of MCCI declined to 52.7 points in the second quarter of 2023 from 54.1 points recorded in the first quarter of 2023.

According to the report, manufacturing activities in the second quarter of the year suffered due to factors such as multiple taxation, high energy costs, forex illiquidity, and high cost of borrowing, among others.

Those factors, the manufacturers said, had led to low capacity utilisation, job cuts and adoption of other survival tactics to keep production activities afloat.


Job, production cuts

A report by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria showed that manufacturers are cutting down jobs and production to adjust to economic challenges in the country.

According to the report, the number of jobs was slashed by 2,818 between Q2 2022 and Q1 2022.

The report read. “Based on MAN survey since 2013, cumulative manufacturing employment was estimated at 1,686,725 at the end of 2022. However, in the second half of 2022, manufacturing employment dipped to 6741 down from 8508 and 9559 recorded in the corresponding half of 2021 and the first half of 2022 respectively.”

On the reason for the decline, it added, “The decline in the number of jobs created in the sector during the period corroborates the poor operating business environment that was perverse with high energy cost, exorbitant cost of borrowing, high inflation, low sales due to limited cash and many more.”

The report also showed that manufacturing output declined by N1.31tn or 32 per cent between Q2 2023 and Q1 2023.

It read, “Manufacturing sector factory output value declined to N2.68tn in the second half of 2022 from N3.73tn recorded in the corresponding half of 2021; thus, indicating N1.05tn or 28 per cent declined over the period. It also declined N1.31tn or 32 per cent when compared with N3.99tn recorded in the preceding half.

“The value of manufacturing production totalled N6.67tn in 2022 as against N7.39tn recorded in 2021. Manufacturing production was severely affected in the second half of 2022 by absence of implementation of new capital project by the government as they focused on the election.”

On the factors that affected production in the country, the report noted, “Production in the sector was also negatively affected by limited purchases by households due to the naira redesign policy, the high inflationary pressure in the country, high cost of energy, particularly diesel and gas, acute shortage of forex for importation of raw materials and machinery needs of the sector that are not locally manufactured in the time being and many more.

Some students, predominantly female students of the UNICAL law faculty in August protested in the school, accusing Ndifon of constantly harassing them sexually.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, has been caught on tape threatening to jail a female law student of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) who accused the suspended dean of the law faculty, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, of sexual harassment.

Some students, predominantly female students of the UNICAL law faculty in August protested in the school, accusing Ndifon of constantly harassing them sexually.

Following the protest, the school authority suspended Ndifon and subsequently constituted a panel of investigation to hear from both Ndifon and his alleged victims on the issue.

SaharaReporters gathered some victims – current and past students – and other witnesses already testified before the panel but Ndifon is scheduled to give his own testimony this week.

However, SaharaReporters was informed that rather than prepare and present his case, Ndifon has been exploring other means to get himself off the hook, including getting the support of the women affairs minister to intimidate the victims and prevent the panel from doing its job.

Some of the victims have complained about the minister calling to intimidate them into not testifying before the panel or changing their stories in favour of Ndifon.

SaharaReporters learnt that Kennedy accused the victims of working with some interested parties in the school including its vice-chancellor to unfairly remove Ndifon from the school.

Kennedy has taken over the case, reportedly saying it is under her jurisdiction. It was learnt that she had been calling and threatening the victims, claiming that the students had denied being raped or sexually harassed and that they were being used.

In a leaked audio conversation that she had with one of the female law students who have accused Ndifon of sexual harassment, the minister is heard saying, "At least you save my number, so soon you will come and visit me, right?" to which the student said, "If my VC approves."


The minister quickly interrupted her and shouted, "What do you mean by if your VC approves?" But the student in a frightened voice said, "I don't know na; okay, I will come and visit."

Continuing the conversation, the minister said, "My dear, I want you to understand something, the day I spoke to you, I told you I recorded it. If your VC makes you go and lie against somebody, you will go to jail. Trust me, I personally will put you in jail.

"I want you to be very careful because your future is at stake. You can't join anybody and maltreat a fellow human being. I won't equally want you to be maltreated.

“The day I spoke with you, I recorded what we spoke and you told me the whole truth, and if your VC, because I contacted your VC, I don't know what her plans are, I don't want to quote anybody. I don't equally want to condemn or judge anybody.

"But I want you to be very careful because this thing is going to bring fire. So, be very-very careful. If I were you, as you have already said to me nobody raped you, nobody did sexual harassment, keep off from this case because if she makes you go there, she is recording whatever you people are saying in that panel and if she records you and I bring my own, you got contradicted.

“And this man has gone to court, my ministry will join them and make sure you go to jail so that you will be an example to others.

"So, I want you to be very-very careful. This one you are telling me if your VC permits you, there is nothing she can do for you. She is not the one paying your school fees. So, save your future by standing on the truth at all times.

"Save my number. When you have time to visit me, I will find a way to empower you people so that your lives will be easier for you but keep away from things that will…, I am a minister, I'm above her (the VC) by position, you know that.

"So, don't go and do anything that will put you into a very big trouble that will scandalise you in the whole world because this matter has gone far and beyond. I won't play what you people said to me except you people try to deny it. I have to conceal it as something you told me in confidence but I'm warning you to keep off from lying against anybody."

It was gathered that an alumnus of the university and a lecturer in the faculty of law in the school, identified as Prof. Okom told the panel investigating the allegations against Ndifon, that the suspended professor of law, was her project supervisor in 2008 when she graduated from the faculty and that "if all his victims were to come out to testify, it would take more than a month to hear their testimonies."

Okom reportedly said, "During my time at the university, I heard many of my classmates talk about how Ndifon sexually harassed them. In fact, there was one of my classmates that dropped out of the faculty because of the randy behaviour of Ndifon."

When SaharaReporters contacted the minister, Kennedy, over the leaked phone conversation with one of the victims, she said it was a wrong number, even though TrueCaller showed the name associated with the number as Uju Kennedy.

Recently, the minister told CITY LAWYER that no fewer than 10 persons had called to threaten her over the sexual harassment scandal.

She said the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, had ordered a thorough investigation into the allegations, adding that she had also assigned her Special Adviser on Women Affairs to follow through on the matter.

According to Kennedy, she has been “scandalized” due to her commitment to get to the root of the matter.

She said her quest to get to the root of the matter was being misconstrued.

She was quoted by CITY LAWYER as saying, “How can I want the man to go free if he has committed such hideous crime? I only want the truth to prevail, especially after hearing from the three girls that the VC sent me their numbers.

“I equally sent an official memo to acknowledge the extra one week the VC said they would (need to) round up the investigation and told her to please go on and send the report to me, Minister of Education and to the SA to First Lady on Women.

“I can never as a mother support evil on innocent children, and will take drastic action if the man is found guilty. Let the truth prevail and let justice be done to put an end to this menace.”

OLUMAYOWA SAMUEL


As ordinary Nigerians continue to grapple with the effects of President Bola Tinubu’s harsh economic decisions, business executives are smiling to the bank because the policies favour them, says The Economist.

The British weekly newspaper argued in its recent publication on September 7 that Mr Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of exchange rates, which it described as a bold move, is popular with the elite businessmen who now cash in as the poor lament the rising cost of commodities.

“Ordinary folk may be grumbling about Mr Tinubu’s reforms, but investors are delighted,” the newspaper said. “The main index of stocks on the Nigerian exchange has risen by almost 30 per cent since his inauguration.”

Despite Mr Tinubu’s resolve to hit the ground running, the London-based newspaper accused his government of “indecision, poor preparation, and in-fighting” as insurgents continue to attack communities in the northern states.

“A lawyer at an investment bank whispers that if Mr Tinubu walked into her offices, everyone there would bow at his feet. Yet, the president’s initial clear-headed resolve appears to be giving way to indecision, poor preparation, and in-fighting among his team. And it has not begun to deal seriously with Nigeria’s daunting security challenges, which include a jihadist insurgency in the North,” it said.

The Economist said the timing of Mr Tinubu’s “controversial” unification of exchange rates was not auspicious enough, as it came “abruptly.”

“Changes in the foreign exchange regime have also proved controversial. The previous administration tried to keep the naira artificially strong through currency controls, which resulted in shortages of dollars and a vibrant black market. Mr Tinubu’s government scrapped this system and allowed the currency to float.

“Overnight, the naira slumped by 34 per cent against the dollar, and it has continued to slide by a total of 63 per cent. The move came so abruptly that it caused chaos in half-completed transactions. The timing also stoked anger since the devaluation was just before the start of the new school term in America and Britain when there is a surge in demand for hard currency to pay the fees of the more than 100,000 Nigerians who study abroad,” it stated.

It also predicted the rise of Nigeria’s inflation rate to 28 per cent this year, as it wonders if the president would be able “to hold his nerve or be forced to reverse course, particularly in the face of rising fuel prices “. However, it warned that “turning back would certainly deepen Nigeria’s economic malaise.”

The publication also accused the president of repaying political favours to associates and supporters in appointing his cabinet to oversee economic reforms.

“Mr Tinubu appears to have been less reform-minded when it came to belatedly filling his cabinet seats. Although he has a reputation for having built strong teams during his tenure as governor of Lagos state from 1999 to 2007, his new administration is remarkably thin on technocrats. Instead, he seems to be repaying political favours and shoring up support. No fewer than nine former state governors now have cabinet posts,” the newspaper said.

The media outfit also quoted political commentator Feyi Fawehinmi as saying, “This lack of technical expertise is a shame because Mr Tinubu’s policies are facing unexpected headwinds.

“In August, when the Central Bank published its first audited accounts since 2015, these revealed a huge hole in the country’s foreign reserves.

“More than 40 per cent of the $34bn in foreign reserves the bank held at the end of 2022 were encumbered, either as collateral for loans from foreign banks or by being tied up in forward contracts. Nigeria officially claims to have enough foreign currency to cover almost eight months of imports, but after subtracting these obligations, that falls to little more than four months, leaving it vulnerable to external shocks. “[The central bank] still does not have any firepower to anchor the market… and calm things down.”

However, the president has, in the past few weeks, visited different countries, the latest being India, to attract investors into the country to get the ailing economy back on its feet.

By OpeOluwani Akintayo


The 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery is yet to begin production after the August commencement date, earlier announced by the President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.

While delivering his speech at the official commissioning of the refinery by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May, he said, “Your excellencies, distinguished guests, our first product will be in the market before the end of July or beginning of August this year.”

However, no drop of refined petroleum product from the refinery has hit the market weeks after the promised production deadline, according to findings by The PUNCH.

Spokesperson for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Garba Deen in June, said that the company would cut down its fuel imports programme in August, once the Dangote Refinery began to push out refined petroleum products latest August.

A top source among the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria also confirmed that NNPCL had cut down importation.

Corroborating Deen, while speaking to journalists after a meeting with oil marketers in Abuja, also in June, the Chief Executive, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency, Farouk Ahmed, also said NNPCL had cut down on importation.

Officials of the Communications Department of Dangote Refinery could not speak on the matter as of press time.

However, a source at the refinery told The PUNCH that the management was unsure of when petrol refining would begin at the Ibeju-Lekki facility.

The source who was not authorised to speak said, “For now, the management has not come out with any official date.”

The President, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Festus Osifo, advised the Federal Government to focus on completing the Port Harcourt refinery rather than focus on the Dangote refinery.

He said, “We should rather focus on making other refineries work because it would cut down on freight rates from importation, and would reduce prices. Dangote is a private businessman and can decide tomorrow that he would not refine again, although the government has a 20 per cent stake in the refinery. We should rather push for our own refineries, and ask the government the question such as; when is the Port Harcourt refinery going to start refining petrol?”

The National Controller Operations, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mike Osatuyi, also said there was no cause for alarm as far as petrol supply was concerned as the NNPCL was still importing.

According to him, management of the Dangote refinery may have delayed production, due to some internal challenges.

He also advised the Federal Government, to ensure that other local refineries come on stream rather than depend on the Dangote refinery.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Pedro Obaseki, has accused the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, of plotting to weaken the structures of the party to make it easier for him to run on its platform for the 2027 presidency.

Obaseki who worked as Director of Planning and Strategy for the PDP 2023 Presidential Campaign Council also described Wike as a ‘nobody’ who rode on the structures of the party and the goodwill of some of its chieftains to power only to betray them when he got to the top.

He stated this on Monday in an interactive session with a handful of journalists in Abuja against the backdrop of a call by the FCT minister to suspend Atiku from the PDP.

Speaking as a guest on the Channels Television programme, Politics Today on Thursday, Wike was quoted as saying, “Look at the areas that the PDP did not win because of high-handedness, because of greed, because of impunity.

“If the PDP had done what they were supposed to do, then you could have talked about that. There should be equity, there should be justice, there should be fairness and that is why I am calling on the National Working Committee to suspend the presidential candidate (Atiku Abubakar) and people like Aminu Tambuwal so that they can rebuild the party.”

Reacting to Wike’s television outing, however, Obaseki said, “It is not hidden that the only thing Wike is interested in is becoming the President of our country, and anything that seems to stand wittingly or otherwise in his achieving that quest will be flushed away and that is what he has been doing.

“What we are seeing now is that he is fighting to decimate the PDP, so that he can also decimate the All Progressives Congress to create a vehicle for himself to run in 2027, but we are not stupid.

“It is important that we caution Wike. There is a limit to the continued brigandage of a man who should be grateful to God. Chinua Achebe in his book, Things Fall Apart, warned us that ‘Those whose palm kernels were cracked for them by benevolent spirits should not forget to be humble.’ But someone like Wike… has continued to overstretch his luck.

“Who is Wike? He is a nobody. He rode on the back of the electorate of Rivers State to national prominence and betrayed everybody along the way. From being a Local Government chairman, a Minister of State, became Governor of Rivers State and now minister of the FCT.”

He noted that the former Rivers State governor had been in the business of championing a personal cause for long noting that he fought for the removal of his friend and political ally, Uche Secondus, as the PDP chairman because he considered him an obstacle to his presidential aspiration in 2023.

Obaseki continued, “Wike plotted a graph from the time he supported Prince Uche Secondus to arrest the structures of the PDP. He then forced the removal of Secondus because he knew that as chairman of the party, his own local government and senatorial district, it’s goodbye to his running for the presidency.

“But he ran for that same presidency and lost. He swore to support whoever won and reneged on every point along the way.

“Time has come for the PDP and those who want to strengthen democracy in Nigeria to see Wike for what he really is. He is brave enough to come to the public space to say that he is the sole financier of the PDP, a party founded in 1998.

“This is a party where he became governor in a state where (Peter) Odili was already a governor for eight years on the platform of the party; where Rotimi Amaechi had been governor for seven years before defecting to the APC.”

While noting that it is Wike who ought to be suspended from the PDP, Obaseki narrated what he called a number of misdeeds by the former Rivers State governor, which prompted other leaders of the PDP to defect to other parties.

“Wike should tell us why Atiku should be suspended from the party. The person who deserves to be suspended from the party is the man who is calling for the expulsion of others from the party. Wike is the one who created a cult within the party and called it the G-5.

Against the will, constitution and structures of the party, he campaigned against the party. If anybody had done anything anti-party, it is Wike.

He has fought every known person within the party. If you remember, Bello Matawalle, former Governor of Zamfara State, cited him as the reason for leaving the party. David Umahi cited him as the reason for leaving the party.

Prof Ben Ayade cited him as the reason for leaving the party. He has become the proverbial tortoise featuring in every bad story.”

There is panic and apprehension within the top hierarchy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as the team deployed to support the Special Investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to probe the activities of the apex bank and related entities commences intelligence findings, Daily Trust reports.

Recall that sequel to the sacking and subsequent arrest of Godwin Emiefele, Tinubu had appointed Jim Obazee as a Special Investigator to probe the activities of the CBN and other related entities.

In a letter dated July 28, Tinubu said the appointment of Obazee, relying on the fundamental objective outlined in Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, was in furtherance of his administration’s anti-corruption fight.

The appointment of Obazee, who was the chief executive officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) until 2017, was with immediate effect even as he was asked to report directly to the president.

Daily Trust gathered that following his appointment, the Special Investigator in a letter dated August 18 wrote to the Inspector General of Police requesting for the deployment of four senior officers to his office to facilitate the smooth take-off and execution of his assignment.

In response, the IGP conveyed approval in a letter dated September 6 and signed on his behalf by CP Abaniwonda S. Olufemi. The letter titled, ‘Deployment of Police Personnel’ with reference numberTH:5361/FS/FHQ/ABJ/T.5/428, listed the deployed officers as DCP Eloho Edwin Okpoziakpo; CSP Celestine Odo; CSP Segun Aderoju and DSP Tijani A. Bako.

It was gathered that startling preliminary intelligence by the investigator’s team headed by DCP Eloho Edwin Okpoziakpo is already sending jitters down the spines of top management staff of the CBN and the Nigerian Incentive Risk Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).

Among other intelligence DCP Eloho and his team are said to have developed is that on NIRSAL and the Anchor Borrowers Programme which have over the years been at the centre of investigations.

President Tinubu recently gave a marching order that all funds allocated to these agricultural programmes be recovered.

Daily Trust had investigated multiple corruption allegations that rocked NIRSAL under the former Managing Director, Aliyu Abbati Abdulhameed, who was fired by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in December last year.

It was further gathered that the investigators are also set to unravel how the Anchor Borrowers Funds were being kept as fixed deposits by parties close to the embattled CBN governor.

An insider confided in Daily Trust that some of the individuals involved in the fixed deposits (names withheld) are currently in panic mode, including an aide of the ex-CBN governor who is said to have operated a total of 61 bank accounts that included 44 fixed deposit accounts and 2 treasury bills accounts.

Apart from investigating the N5.6 billion wheat project scandal in Kano and Jigawa states, a source confided in Daily Trust that the investigators would also probe the alleged allocation of about 600,000 monthly for the upkeep of the former MD’s dogs.

Why IGP opted for DCP Eloho

The IGP is said to have nominated a renowned investigator, Eloho Edwin Okpoziokpo, as head of the Special Investigator’s support team as part of his desire to overhaul the Nigeria Police Force and boost President Tinubu’s fight against corruption and economic sabotage.

It is widely believed that DCP Eloho is a thoroughbred investigator within the police force who worked under the IGP when he was DIG FCIID. It was there that the IGP identified Eloho’s capacity and penchant for a thorough investigation.

Sources within the Nigeria Police Force said Eloho, whose work as an investigator spans over 20 years at the top level of investigations, holds a degree in Psychology and a masters in International Law and Diplomacy with hands-on-deck experience in Economic, Financial, Cybercrime, and other white collar crime investigations.

DCP Eloho is said to have started his investigative journey at the state level with the FCT Police Command where he headed the Commissioner’s Monitoring Unit between 2005 and 2008. In this position, the CP referred matters of importance directly to him and he was always asked to take over the most difficult investigations from other sections.

At the national level, he worked at the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, and Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in 2008 where he was appointed to head several sensitive sections after being a part of the General Investigation Section of the unit.

The sections he headed include the Cybercrime Section, Assets Fraud Section, Bank Fraud Section, and the Anti-Money Laundering Section.

Currently in charge of the Counter Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) having previously been in charge of the Bureau’s Cryptography & Cybercrime Unit (CCU), Eloho served in various investigative capacities both at the state command levels and the Force Headquarters (FCIID) level.

He was the pioneer head of a unit that was created at the request of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in conjunction with the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF), with the major aim to assist the Nigeria financial sector in the investigation of e-Payment and Card Crimes.

He is currently the head of a new unit; Counter Intelligence Unit (CIU – FIB) as its pioneer head. It is a general counter Intelligence Unit under the Force Intelligence Bureau but with a focus on economic crimes with transnational links.

DCP Eloho is said to be presently developing intelligence on economic crimes being committed against the country by oil companies that have allegedly stolen crude oil worth several billions of dollars. One of such oil companies alone is said to have, in collusion with some top government officials, stolen crude worth over $3 billion.


Destruction of files, and records at NIRSAL

Daily Trust gathered that the intelligence being developed by DCP Eloho and his team which is said to be causing sleepless nights to the top management at the CBN and NIRSAL has to do with the investigation of some contracts at NIRSAL, as well as the Anchor Borrowers Programme by the Inspector General of Police.

This is said to have led to the destruction of office files and records to scuttle the ongoing investigation of NIRSAL by DCP Eloho and his team. Sources familiar with the investigation said among the destroyed office documents is a contract for the development of the ICT Policy.

“Although financial trails show payments made multiple times for the same contract, the record of this contract has disappeared from NIRSAL’s procurement department,” an insider who wouldn’t want his name mentioned said.

Another source told Daily Trust that unless the investigation team deploys ways and means of obtaining the necessary contract records and documents, they may have hitches getting into the root of the matter.

Contacted by telephone, the Head of Procurement at NIRSAL, Sheriff Salaudeen, said the organisation does not destroy its files or other records.

He, however, declined further comments, insisting that he would only do so if a written request is communicated to NIRSAL.

A Rivers State-based vigilance group, ONELGA OSPAC, said its men arrested three persons, including two pastors, over the death of a 24-year-old man, Lucky, in the Port Harcourt area of the state.

Lucky reportedly died after an operation to remove his hunchback.

An officer with the Planning and Advisory Committee of the security group, codenamed OSPAC, told Sunday PUNCH that the suspects were nabbed while trying to flee Port Harcourt.

One of the suspects, who was said to be the pastor of a new generation church in Osiakpo, near Omoku in the state, Olatoye, 54, said the victim was handed over to him by his father, Ejike, and Ejike’s younger brother, Pastor Paul.

Olatoye, during interrogation, was said to have revealed that the duo brought Lucky to him for a surgical operation to enable the family to extract ‘mercury’ from his hunchback.

He said, “Paul said his brother (Ejike) had a son who had a hunchback which he was planning to do away with.

“I asked him why, and he said the boy was a thief; the boy was this and that. He said when the boy was much younger, the father attempted to sell him, but it didn’t work out well.

“He asked whether I knew the people who could take up the boy. I told him that I would make inquiries.”

The suspect noted that they all agreed to a surgical procedure and contacted an associate said to be in Abeokuta, Ogun State, who promised to pay N10m for ‘mercury’ which would be taken from the victim’s hunchback.

He added, “The boy in question (Lucky) even came to meet me, begging me that if the hunchback could be removed, I should help him. He said he wanted to be like a normal human being.

“I told them that he might not survive the procedure, but he said he would survive it. That was when we fixed a date for us to travel for the procedure.

“My first contact was an NGO in Owerri, Imo State, which said they would extract the ‘mercury’ and pay us N5m.

“I asked him what would be our own percentage. At last, both Paul and Ejike accepted the N5m offer, but the NGO didn’t show up again.”

The suspect explained that he approached another ‘contact’ in Abeokuta, Ogun State, which offered to pay N10m but that the payment would be made in two or three months’ time, which all parties agreed to.

He noted that the victim’s father, Ejike, kept visiting his office and disturbing him.

“The day we travelled for the surgery in Lagos before heading to Abeokuta, Ejike handed over the boy to me and Paul gave me N15,000 for transportation.

“At the hospital, I called the father because of the document we were to sign, but he told me to go ahead and sign on his behalf.

“The operation was carried out, but in the end, the boy couldn’t make it,” he added.

Ejike’s brother, Paul, 38, expressed sadness at the incident, but denied any involvement, saying he only introduced Olawale to his brother

He stated thereafter he was not involved in their subsequent discussion with Olawole and his brother, even as he also denied giving them transport as claimed by Pastor Olawale.

The OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwobakata, while addressing newsmen, said the arrest would serve as a deterrent to anyone trying to indulge in ritual acts.

Speaking through his media aide, Obed Douglas, he confirmed the arrest, adding that the two pastors and the victim’s father had been arrested.

“All three suspects have been handed over to the Assistant Inspector General, Monitoring Unit, Zone 16, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for further investigation and prosecution.”

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, proved abortive, as she did not pick up calls put across to her phone by our correspondent.

She had also yet to reply to a text message sent to her as of the time of filing this report on Saturday.

Noah Kekere, the doctor who allegedly removed a woman’s kidney in Jos, Plateau State capital, exhibited traces of mental disorder in the police cell on Saturday evening.

Kekere was arrested on Wednesday following a report lodged at the Nasarawa Gown police division on the removal of the right kidney of Mrs. Kehinde Kamal during an operation in 2018.

The state police command had earlier confirmed the arrest of the suspected harvester.

Our correspondent reports that Kekere was rushed to the Psychiatric unit of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), after he exhibited symptom of madness in the police cell.

A source from the police headquarters confirmed to Daily Trust that suspected harvester was taken to the hospital when he started tearing his clothes in the cell and started behaving like a “mad” person.

“This made the police rush him to Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in handcuff.”

A source from the hospital also confirmed to Daily Trust that Kekere was admitted at the psychiatric department of the hospital.

The source said ”On arrival, he was just screaming, yelling and shouting. He was saying ‘they want to silence my daughter’.”

Our correspondent reports that there is heavy police presence around the Psychiatric unit of the hospital.

Spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Alabo Alfred, didn’t respond to the inquiry by our correspondent.

Daily Trust gathered that Kekere had prior his arrest been carrying out medical treatment, including surgery, for more than two decades at his Murna Clinic and Maternity, located in Yanshanu Community of Jos North Local Government Area of the state.

The plan by the Akwa Ibom State Government to distribute 100,000 bags of rice to residents of the state would not ameliorate the economic hardship in the state, some residents of Uyo have said.

The oil-rich state is said to have over five million population as of 2016.

Prices of goods and services have continued to climb in Nigeria, and many families have been thrown into poverty and severe hardship since President Bola Tinubu announced the federal government’s withdrawal of fuel subsidy in May.

The pump price of petrol is now N650 or more (it was N250 before the subsidy was removed).

“A total of 100,000 bags of rice will be distributed statewide. Forty bags per village to the 2,272 gazetted villages and other strategic groups,” the Commissioner for Information in Akwa Ibom, Ini Ememobong, said on 31 August, as part of the state government’s intervention.

The government had approved N2 billion in financial support for government workers and pensioners.

“Fridays will become a ticket-free day for transport operators and traders in markets in all the local government areas until December 2023.” Mr Ememobong said.

The government also approved the payment of N10,000 bursary to undergraduate students of Akwa Ibom origin in all public tertiary institutions in Nigeria and the distribution of free exercise books to primary and secondary schools in the state.

“Discussions on transportation means like CNG buses and electric taxis are ongoing to ensure an effective, efficient and sustainable rollout,” the commissioner said.


‘Not interested’

In separate interviews with a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, on Monday, some residents of Uyo said the state government’s intervention would not offer meaningful help to the people.

“We have seen government interventions through palliatives before, but the impact is always minimal. Random, unorganised palliatives rarely help the situation,” Daniel Nweke, a dealer in automobile spare parts, said.

“So I am not interested in this kind,” he added.

He advised the state government to create access to credit for small businesses in the state.

Uduak Godwin, a periwinkle seller in Itam Market, said other foodstuffs, not only rice, are required in families’ food menu, and therefore, it would not make much sense to distribute rice to residents.

“The real solution to the hardship we are facing is to return the price of fuel to N250 (per litre),” she said.

Ms Godwin spoke on how the fuel price increase has hit her business.

“I used to buy a bag (of periwinkles) for N7,500, but today I am buying it for over N20,000. Even to collect the bag of periwinkles, I pay up to N1,500 for the waybill as against the N600 or N700 I used to pay,” she said.

Jennifer Edoho, a fashion designer in Uyo, said her business relies so much on electricity and that in the absence of electricity supply from the national grid, she had settled for a power-generating set, which compelled her to buy petrol frequently.

She had to increase her charges to customers to offset the high fuel cost, adversely affecting the business as patronage reduced drastically, she told PREMIUM TIMES.

The situation forced her to reduce her charges. “There is basically no profit (for me),” Ms Edoho said.

Saviour Jack, a student at the University of Uyo, advised the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, to go for a sustainable solution like making education affordable instead of paying N10,000 as a bursary, which he said he was not even sure of getting.

“They should reduce school fees and provide scholarships to the less privileged students.”


Pay raise, not rice

Aminigbo Paul, a software developer in Uyo, said the challenge of providing electricity for his tech business in the city has “drained” him and brought down his productivity.

James Agbom, a resident of Uyo, said, “Sharing rice and relief materials is not the answer to the problem we’re facing right now.

“Let’s start with how the government intends to determine the poorest of the poor in the country; what are the parameters? My fear is that the people who need these things the most may not get it, and at the end of the day, it will still be the same old story.”

Mr Agbom said the sharing of rice and other items to residents was not sustainable and that the people would continue to suffer the impact of the subsidy removal.

“I am not particularly interested in the rice or other materials they want to share. After collecting five cups of rice and cooking it, what happens tomorrow? I think making fuel easy to buy at this moment is what we need and not palliative,” a petty trader, Monica Silas, said, adding that her business has been experiencing low patronage since the fuel subsidy was removed.

“I have to pay my rent, pay for other bills, yet there is no money,” she said.

Hamza Osaro, a paediatrician, said he would prefer a pay raise to receive rice from the government.

Mfon Sam, a university student in Uyo, said she sometimes skipped classes because of the lack of transport fare to school.

“I was happy about the N10,000 bursary for students, but when I found out that we needed to register with N1,000 to be able to get it, I just quit.

“The money my parents send to me goes for my feeding, and it’s not even enough. N10,000 cannot do anything for me right now. Let the government subsidise the price of fuel and transportation, please.

“There are rumours about the increase in our fees; I just pray it is not true. If it comes to pass, the government should know that they would have denied Nigerian students the right to education,” she added.

President Bola Tinubu’s choice of Femi Gbajabiamila as chief of staff (CoS is to forestall a repeat of Nigeria’s experiences during the first term of former president Muhammadu Buhari, when the late Abba Kyari was CoS, Daily Sun has gathered.

A source in the Presidency told Daily Sun that President Tinubu “was keenly aware of the intricate terrain of Nigerian politics, particularly after Kyari’s influential tenure” in the position.

He said: “Tinubu known for his decisiveness and thorough consideration of key appointments was seeking a chief of staff with a specific set of qualities, experience and a proven track record were non-negotiable criteria. He had no intentions of entering the presidency with a chief of staff who was still learning the ropes of how to support a president in running a nation.”

The source said the choice of Gbajabiamila, the immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023 and other principal officers of the administration, as well as cabinet was based on a meticulous process to select individuals who possessed a unique blend of qualities to navigate the complexities of Nigerian politics successfully.

He further said: “Tinubu closely observed the performance of Gbajabiamila during his tenure as speaker of the House of Representatives, and Gbajabiamila’s experience in managing various national challenges, including handling national strikes and negotiating with unions, made him stand out among contenders for the role.

“None of the other contenders came close to the level of nation building experience that Gbajabiamila had acquired during his time as the No. 4 man in the country. This commitment to competence and experience showcased his determination to hit the ground running and effectively lead Nigeria.

“The conversations regarding the chief of staff appointment reportedly gained momentum after the removal of the fuel subsidy, a move that initially stirred concerns about national stability, and the president’s resolve to find a perfect fit became more urgent as he needed someone that is both loyal and is also able to support the president in maintaining calm and peace during this challenging time.”

The source added that two other factors that influenced the choice of Gbajabiamila were hard work and ability to use government resources to support the people.

He said: “Gbajabiamila was always with the president during the campaign, many times travelling late at nights putting in a lot of hard work during what was a dicey campaign.

“President Tinubu was impressed by the timing of the Students Loan Bill which he signed to the applause of many in the country because of the wide appeal for the legislation by many Nigerians. The signing of that bill orchestrated by Gbajabiamila gave huge political capital to the president.

“The meticulous process behind President Tinubu’s chief of staff selection underscores his commitment to delivering effective leadership to Nigeria. His vision for a strong, competent, and experienced chief of staff reflects his determination to navigate the complex political terrain and address the nation’s pressing challenges.”

The source described Tinubu as a visionary leader, who recognises the significance of the chief of staff role in his administration, adding that Gbajabiamila and other principal officers of the administration, as well as the ministers were chosen based on a meticulous consideration of their “unique blend of qualities to navigate the complexities of Nigerian politics successfully.”

He described Tinubu as a forward thinker, who was not swayed by how long someone has been around him but rather focused on capacity, posture, and competence when selecting his chief of staff.

He noted that Tinubu had decided on the choice of people out of his several associates that would make his cabinet before he declared his intention to contest for the office of president.

“President Tinubu had articulated his vision for the ideal chief of staff before publicly declaring his interest to run. He was determined to select an individual who possessed a unique blend of qualities to navigate the complexities of Nigerian politics successfully.

“President Tinubu’s knack for selecting capable individuals for key positions is widely praised. His history of successful appointments, from vice president to governors, ministers, legislative leaders among other highlights his deep understanding of Nigeria’s political landscape,” he said.

In the past one week, Abubakar Sambo has been battling to save the image of his company, AMA Business Solutions — an Abuja-based Bureau De Change firm that is in the middle of an extortion and bribery scandal involving some members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives.

The 44-year-old businessman sat down with PREMIUM TIMES for a tell-all interview, revealing how an agent of the lawmakers and a university vice-chancellor used his business as a vessel for the scheme. The interview provided more details corroborating our reports on the scandal.

Mr Sambo said his company fell victim to being used as a vessel for the shady deal because he was ignorant of the questionable undercurrent of the transaction. The deal involves an ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives receiving bribes from vice-chancellors of Nigerian federal universities and shaking down the unwilling ones among the heads of the country’s higher institutions of learning.

A PREMIUM TIMES investigation had revealed how the House Committee, set up to probe alleged corruption in the personnel recruitment process of federal agencies, launched an extortion ring to collect bribes and shake down unwilling officials.

The report exposed how some vice-chancellors of universities agreed to pay N2 million bribe to the committee through Mr Sambo’s account domiciled at Providus Bank.

“There was no reason to suspect anything” – Sambo

When Mr Sambo’s phone rang on 16 August, the name that popped up on the screen could not be ignored because it was from a very important client — Stella Adoga.

Ms Adoga is not a social caller. She works for Lead British International School (LBIS), a big, privately-owned secondary school in Abuja, Nigeria’s political capital. By the time they ended their brief telephone conversation, Mr Sambo was upbeat, looking forward to hearing from a man whom Ms Adoga had said would call to buy dollars.

“She (Stella) called me and said that there was one of their clients that wanted to buy dollars,” Mr Sambo said. “She said she would give them my number. That’s a referral—which is very normal in our business.”

What Mr Sambo did not know was that Ms Adoga equally works for Oluwole Oke, the proprietor of LBIS and member of the House of Representatives.

“There was no reason to suspect anything,” Mr Sambo said while showing this reporter other transactions between him and LBIS.

Further narrating his experience, the businessman explained that hours after the call from Ms Adoga, he was contacted via WhatsApp by a man who introduced himself as Professor Tanko Ishaya, who said that he got his contact from “Stella (Adoga) from the National Assembly”, and would like to know the rates of naira to dollar, and naira to pounds sterling.

The professor later requested the account number of Mr Sambo with the understanding that he would send him money in naira which he would like to convert to dollars. He was given Account Number 5400495458, domiciled in Providus Bank.

Mr Sambo noted that he got a stab of surprise when he started getting credit alerts of N2 million from different sources. He raised his concerns with the two individuals involved; they assured him that the payments were from an association and that the payment to him was structured in that manner.

“Good morning sir, they are sending the money in N2 million tranches,” Mr Sambo had in a WhatsApp message informed the UNIJOS vice-chancellor of the unusual inflow of the funds into his account. His concern was not addressed, he said.

“Normally, if a customer is buying dollars, they pay you bulk money. So it was surprising to me, that was why I indicated it to him (Mr Ishaya) in the WhatsApp message,” Mr Sambo told this reporter.

Mr Ishaya kept in touch with Mr Sambo to monitor how his colleagues were complying with the payment ahead of the 24 August deadline given them by the lawmakers. “By the weekend, he asked me, how many transfers have you received, I said 10.”

“I did not ask many questions because I thought it was the school. I thought he was a staff member of the school because it is the school that I have been dealing with all this while. We did not go into any deal, and I did not ask. I have been dealing with the school for a long time, always selling (dollars) to me, but they never bought (dollars) from me,” he said.

The payments into the account continued until 29 August when PREMIUM TIMES published the report of its investigation. At that point, 14 universities had paid into the account. The continued cash inflow from the vice-chancellors into the account beyond the 24 August is indicative of a readjustment of the deadline earlier given by the lawmakers.

Worried by the PREMIUM TIMES story of August 29, Mr Sambo said he immediately contacted both Ms Adoga and Mr Ishaya.

He said while Ms Adoga promised to look into the matter and get his organisation’s lawyers to sort things out, Mr Ishaya kept mute. He read the businessman’s WhatsApp message but did not respond.

“On Tuesday morning when I saw the article, I called him (Ishaya), but he did not pick up. And I sent him a message. I told him ‘What is happening? Why am I seeing my company and my details saying I am fronting for someone?”

Mr Sambo said after reading our report, he printed his bank statement and realised that the payments into his account were actually from universities.

“When messages (credit alert) come in, it does not show like that. It was when I printed my bank statement, that was when I saw the narration. It was the story that made me look at my bank statement,” he said.

He said the following day, 30 August, he wrote a letter to Providus Bank asking it to revert all the transfers from the 14 schools that sent money to him. In the letter, he listed the 14 transactions linked to Mr Ishaya.

A lien (restriction) has been put on the Providus account on the order of the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) after the story.

Mr Sambo said the action of the lawmakers and their collaborators in the universities has put his business at risk.

“I have been in the business since 2010. I worked for two different companies. First, Sahara Exchange and then 313 Bureau De Change before I started my own company in 2016. That’s all I do. I don’t do any other business,” he said.

The ICPC had last week announced the commencement of an investigation into the committee.

This followed a petition by PREMIUM TIMES and the Chairman of the controversial House Committee, Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau) to the anti-graft agency to probe the matter.

PREMIUM TIMES called for a thorough investigation with a view to prosecuting culpable individuals in the extortion and bribery scheme

Mr Gagdi urged ICPC to investigate Mr Sambo’s account to see if it has any link to any member of his committee.

So far, the ICPC has frozen Mr. Sambo’s Providus Account as part of the ongoing investigation into the saga.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, has sent a second list of commissioner-nominees to the state house of assembly for screening and confirmation.

The house announced the receipt of the list of nominees during the plenary on Monday.

The Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, has expelled four students and reportedly restricted others from accessing its registration portal for protesting against insecurity two months ago.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that 34 students were invited to face a disciplinary committee before they left for semester holiday for partaking in the protest.

Three of the students who were questioned said they had been handed letters of expulsion while others are waiting to receive their expulsion letters from the school’s management. Most of the indicted students are in 300 or 400 levels.

During the protest, some of the students said they were tired of being abducted by terrorists.

Zamfara, like several other states in the North-west, faces more than a decade long terrorist insurrection.

The terrorists locally referred to as bandits attack rural communities, travellers and educational institutions.

Many students have been abducted within the period.

Three of the students – Rejoice Guga, Georgina Bulus and Abdulsalam Onimisi, said they have collected their expulsion letters. PREMIUM TIMES saw Mr Guga’s letter.

Ms Guga’s expulsion letter.

“For now, four of us have collected their expulsion letters from the management; other students are not back from semester holiday,” Ms Guga said.

“The University Management at its 84 emergency meeting held on 3 August, 2023 considered the report of the committee of inquiry into students demonstration on the 17, June 2023 as well as the attempted demonstration to disrupt students from writing the second semester examinations 2021/2022 of Monday 19 June 2023. The committee has found you guilty of violating the rules of demonstration as contained in Section A, item xxv, page 60 and Section H, item vii page 63 of the students handbook.

“The committee has therefore recommended that you be expelled from the university for organising and participating in the two protests….,” a part of the expulsion letter sent to Ms Guga said.

Ms Guga, a 400 level student of Plant Science and Biotechnology, said the students didn’t attack any building neither did they stop fellow students from gaining access into or out of the university during their protest.


It’s unfair

One of the students who participated in the protests, who asked not to be named, said he would not bother going to the school to collect his expulsion letter.

He said it was unfair for the Vice Chancellor to take such a decision because he addressed them during the demonstration.

“After the protest that happened following the abduction of our fellow students, a committee asked to see us a week after examinations. They kept bringing out lists of those they wanted to see in the school. We were like 30.

“Before you enter the room (office), they would collect your phone and go through your photos and delete the pictures of the protesters,” a female student, who asked for anonymity told PREMIUM TIMES in one of a series of WhatsApp voice notes.

In one of the voice notes, the student said she felt “terrible” facing members of the committee because they asked questions that “tried to make me feel guilty to protest.”

Though she is yet to resume, she said she knows the fate awaiting her because she could no longer access the school’s online portal.


University speaks

When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, the university spokesperson, Umar Usman, said he was unaware of the expulsion of the students.

He asked for time to get details of the incident from the school’s management.

But when this reporter told him that he had copies of the expulsion letters, and the list of 34 students invited for questioning, Mr Usman said what was in the dismissal letter should be used as the reason for expulsion.


List of those invited for questioning by university authority


“Since you said you’ve seen the dismissal letter and a reason was given to the decision, I think there is nothing for me to add. That’s the stand of the University,” Mr Usman said via phone.

The Federal Government’s expenditure exceeded revenue by N1.43tn in the first three months of 2023, according to figures obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The CBN revealed in its economic report for the third quarter of 2023 obtained by The PUNCH on Friday that this was 9.6 per cent higher than the last quarter of 2022 figure.

It stated, “The fiscal operations of the FGN in 2023, Q1, resulted in a deficit. At N1.43tn, the provisional fiscal deficit of the FGN was 9.6 per cent higher than the level in the preceding quarter but 22.1 per cent below the target.”

According to the report, the fiscal performance in 2023, Q1 was impaired by low oil revenue realisation. Consequently, the retained revenue of the FGN fell by 10.7 per cent, relative to 2022, Q4, and was 46.1 per cent below the quarterly target.

FGN’s aggregate expenditure also declined by 1.3 and 36.0 per cent, relative to the preceding quarter and the quarterly target, respectively.

It said, “Thus, the FGN overall deficit widened relative to 2022, Q4, but narrowed by 22.1 per cent when compared with the proportionate budget. Consolidated public debt, as at end-December 2022, stood at N46.25tn (or 22.8 per cent of GDP).

At N3.48tn, the CBN report said, gross federation revenue fell below the levels in 2022, Q4 and the budget benchmark by 0.4 and 26.6 per cent, respectively.

Non-oil revenue continued to dominate government revenue, accounting for 61.4 per cent, while oil receipts accounted for 38.6 per cent.

Oil revenue, at N1.34tn, declined by 3.0 and 43.5 per cent, relative to 2022, Q4 and quarterly target. The performance was indicative of revenue shortfalls from petroleum profit tax and royalties, following lower domestic crude production.

“Conversely, non-oil receipts, at N2.14n, improved against the preceding quarter by 1.2 per cent, but was 9.6 per cent below the quarterly target of N2.37tn,” the report said.