Former NNPC boss, Andrew Yakubu, asks court to order EFCC to return his $9.8m, £74,000 seized from his Kaduna home

Former NNPC boss, Andrew Yakubu, has asked the Federal High Court in Kano to issue an order compelling the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to return the $9.8 million and £74,000 recently seized from one of his homes in Kaduna state.

In a suit filed by his counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, Yakubu asked the court to set aside the ordered granting FG ownership of the money discovered at his home on February 3rd.


According to Vanguard, Yakubu argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to grant FG ownership of his money.

The court paper in part reads “No aspect of the perceived offence in respect of which the Order of February 13, 2017 was made, was committed within the Kano judicial division of this Honourable Court”. “By Section 28 of the EFCC Act, only the commission, i.e. the EFCC has the vires to seek an order for the interim forfeiture of property under the Act. The power of this Honourable Court to make interim forfeiture order(s) pursuant to sections 28 & 29 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act, 2004 (herein after referred to a “EFCC Act”) is applicable ONLY to alleged offences charged under the EFCC Act and not to offences cognizable under any other law.

FG to spend funds recovered from Diezani, Yakubu to feed poor Nigerians

The Federal Government is set to invest some of the recently recovered funds on its social intervention programmes.

A top government official told newsmen on Saturday that the $9m recovered from a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Andrew Yakubu and the $153m forfeited by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, would be immediately used to fund the welfare scheme for the poor.

The official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the money would be used in paying the N30,000 monthly stipend to beneficiaries of the N-Power scheme, the job creation programme of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration; as well as the school feeding programme.

He said, “The National Economic Forum has been meeting and we are looking at the idea of investing the recovered funds on the social intervention programme which will gulp hundreds of billions of naira.”

The Federal Government is also on a mission to recover at least N399bn and $6.62bn in cash and assets from the high profile cases being prosecuted across the country.

High food prices: FG opens grain reserves in two weeks

The federal government will open the national grain reserves in the next two weeks if the prices of food continue to escalate, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has declared.


He disclosed this at the weekend after inauguration of managements of the three Federal Universities of Agriculture at the ministry in Abuja.
Describing roles of the institutions as vital to attaining food sufficiency, the minister noted prices of some staple foods such as maize, sorghum and millet were beginning to drop in the market.

He promised to fund the universities in the area of research and ensure research outputs are put to use to boost local food production.
Ogbeh said: “In another two weeks, if we find out that the prices are not going down, we will open the grain reserves.
“Already, the price of maize is falling, even cost of sorghum and millet are beginning to drop.

NDE vows to create decent jobs for Nigerians

Director-General, National Directorate of Employment, Kunle Obayan has said the agency is already taking advantage of the decent work agenda of the ILO to create jobs for Nigerians.

Obanya who attended the recently concluded International Labour Conference in Geneva told The Nation that the decent work agenda which was the theme for ILO conference fits perfectly into the mandate of the mandate of the agency.


He said the primary purpose of establishing the agency was to create jobs and impact skill on Nigerians, teaching them how to create decent jobs that will give them decent wage and be in a position to pay others decent wage.

Obanya said: “As you know, NDE is the apex agency saddled with the task of creating employment through skill acquisition, job creation and employment generation. NDE has a lot of skills and programmes set up for this purpose. Currently, we have a lot of skills that we generate.

We’ll start going after lawyers who help ‘looters’ escape justice'- EFCC acting chairman says

The acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, says that the antigraft agency will soon start going after lawyers who aid and abet financial and economic crimes. Magu said this at the opening of a one-day workshop organised by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in collaboration with the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACC) at the Rockview hotel in Abuja yesterday Tuesday July 12th.

A statement issued by EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren states that Magu said at the workshop that the EFCC could not stamp out corruption in the country without the support of all stakeholders.

“We consider everybody a stakeholder, as the EFCC does not have monopoly of knowledge to defeat all shades of graft. We will not stop going after people who are involved in laundering money. It doesn’t matter who you are, the law is a respecter of nobody especially those who commit crime. Whether you are EFCC, SAN or whatever, sooner or later we will start going after people who buy properties with stolen funds as well as people who help others to escape justice"he said

Power supply improves by 140Mw

The energy supply from the Nigerian Electricity System Operator (SO) of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) rose by 140mega watts (Mw) on Saturday, information posted on the website of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) yesterday indicated.

In its daily summary of the electricity market performance, the NESI noted that power supply to the 11 distribution companies (DisCos) rose from 2,762Mw on Friday to 2902Mw on Saturday.

During the period under review, energy loss as a result of gas constraints reduced marginally from 3,741Mw to 3736Mw, indicating a recovery of 5Mw.

Gas to power had been on the decrease owing to the spate of vandalism of the gas pipelines by militant groups in the Niger Delta.

The NESI added that there was no water management constraints, although report line constraint was rose by one Mw to 312Mw on Saturday.

Nigeria Customs impounds over N1.3 Billion worth of contraband goods in six months

 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’, Owerri has continued to beam its search light on smugglers of contraband goods in the country resulting in the seizure of a total of one hundred and sixty-nine (169) items with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of one billion, three hundred and seventy-nine million, seven hundred and seventy-two thousand, five hundred and seventeen naira (N1,379,772,517.00) and a total of three hundred and ninety-four million, eight hundred and fifteen thousand, and thirty eight naira (N 394,815,038.00) as an underpayment recovered within the period in question; forty-two (42) suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures made, while twenty-five (25) cases are now pending in court for possible prosecution of the culprits between January and June this year. This is in contrast with a total of N39,644,813.00 underpayment recovered and a DPV of N1,013,833,362.00 which the unit recorded in the year 2015.

Diversification: "We realize the urgency of the moment" says VP Osinbajo

These are exciting times for Agriculture in Nigeria, considering President Muhammadu Buhari's vision for the (agric) sector, as an integral part of the country's plan for sustainable economic growth and development.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, expressed this view earlier today during a meeting at the Presidential Villa with a group of Nigerian and Mexican agro-business interests.

 "President Buhari has said it repeatedly that agriculture and solid minerals, especially agriculture is our economic way out. This is the president's vision, and our job-the rest of us- is to look for ways to get that dream actualized," Professor Osinbajo said at the meeting which was also attended by the Minister of State for Agriculture & Rural Development, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri. Lokpobiri led a Mexican agro-business concern, the San Carlos Group and their Nigerian partner Wells Farm, from Edo State.

The CEO of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, Mr. Segun Awolowo, Jnr was also at the meeting.

New NNPC Boss, Baru unveils 12-point agenda

Maikanti Baru, the newly appointed group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has unveiled a 12-point agenda for his tenure at the corporation.


In his agenda, Baru pledged to continue with the ongoing comprehensive restructuring exercise of the NNPC, which he said had become inevitable.

“Engagement of staff in major restructuring exercise is a key success factor that I will pay attention to while continuing with the restructuring effort,” he said.

In a statement by Garba Deen Muhammad, spokesperson of the NNPC, Baru unveiled his 12-point agenda as:

I’m not wanted by EFCC, I’m ready to defend myself - Maina

Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), has denied being on the wanted list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).


In November 2015, EFCC had declared him wanted over his alleged role in the N2bn pensions biometric contracts scam, and listed him on its website as one of its wanted persons.

Three months earlier, Maina was charged alongside three others before a federal high court on a 24-count bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.

But responding to ‘EFCC’s 7 most wanted fugitives’ — a report published by TheCable on Friday, Maina said the anti-graft agency never listed him in the charges but “merely mentioned” his name.

“I am not wanted by the EFCC or any anti-graft agency in the country. Secondly, and important too,  I was never at any time joined in any suit with the ex-head of service, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, who I have much respect for,” he said.

EFCC secures court order to detain Omisore

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) yesterday secured a warrant from a court to detain a former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Otunba Iyiola Omisore in connection with the ongoing investigation of N1.310billion illegally allocated to him and three companies by the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA).

The cash was part of the N4.745billion slush funds allegedly disbursed by ONSA.

The N1.310billion was remitted as follows: Fimex Gilt Limited(N160m)-8/8/2014in UBA; Metropolitan Consortium(N350m)—9/7/14 in First Bank; Sawanara(N300m)—1/8/14 in First Bank and Metropolitan Consortium(N350m)-1/8/14 in First Bank.

His other accomplices include Governor Ayodele Fayose and ex-Minister of Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, who has gone on self-exile in the United States.

According to a source in EFCC, the depth of the ongoing probe demanded that Omisore should be in custody for a while.

NNPC made N217m profit under my watch, says Kachikwu

Former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Emmanuel Ibe-Kachikwu, said in his handover remarks yesterday that the corporation, which he said had never made profit before, made N217 million profit under his watch.

“I am happy to announce that in our May results, for the first time in the history of this company, the NNPC made a profit of N217 million,” he told the gathering at the NNPC Towers while handing over to the new GMD, Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru, in Abuja. .


On the production volume that has reduced owing to the vandalisation of oil pipelines by the Niger Delta Avengers, Kachikwu, who remains the chairman of NNPC’s board of directors and Minister of State for Petroleum, said, “We are doing 1.9 million barrels.”

According to him, the Federal Government had been working on bringing an end to the crisis in the Niger Delta.

He added that he was still studying what created the gap in order to further engage the people and bridge the gaps.

He said: “We are working on it and I need to meet with Mr. President for I have just returned and obviously there is a lot more engagement that is required.

“There are gaps that seem to have developed and I need to understand what issues warranted that.

“But we will work towards closing those gaps.”

NDLEA plots to abduct me, Kashamu cries out

The Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has raised the alarm over a plot by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to abduct him as well as plans by some individuals to assassinate him.


 In a statement issued yesterday in Lagos, Kashamu alleged that the plot to abduct him was being coordinated by the NDLEA and some powerful individuals in the agency.


Kashamu said that the plot was to either have him abducted or attacked on the streets or at a social function. He wondered why anyone would want to usurp legitimate authorities and resort to such crude tactics and self-help in a democratic Nigeria.

“I do not know what I have done to them that they want to do as if Nigeria is a Banana Republic. If anyone thinks he has a case against me, he should approach the courts and allow the rule of law to prevail. “I urge the masses and Nigerians in general to help me beseech the Almighty Allah who has been my help and shield to continue to protect and guide me from all manners of evil machinations.

Gov't officials take inspection tour of Dangote's Lekki Refinery, Petrochemical projects

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo alongside Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, and some Ministers took an inspection tour of the Dangote Lekki Refinery and Petrochemical projects today June 25th. Osinbajo after the inspection, said the project is an incredible industrial undertaken, being the largest and the most ambitious in Africa.


Osinbajo who was accompanied on the inspection by the Ministers for Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, said the Gas Project upon completion has the capacity to produce about three billion cubic feet of gas daily, which would permanently address the two billion cubic feet daily gas required to power the country.

"This is incredible if that can be done because it would be a major strategic asset for Nigeria, It would boost our power supply tremendously," the Vice President said.

On his part, the Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, said the project when completed would have great multiplier effects on the nation's economy:

LESSON FOR NIGERIA: How Corrupt Leaders Are Punished In Other Countries

The light sentence handed to a director in the Police Pensions Office, Mr. John Yusuf, by a Federal High Court in Abuja is still the subject of what is gradually turning out to be a nation-wide debate on the moral substance of the ruling.
Yusuf was convicted for defrauding the Office of the sum of N27.2bn alongside six others, an offence punishable under Section 309 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria, 2007. He was subsequently sentenced to a two-year jail term.

Apparently worried that Yusuf, like a few other public office holders convicted for graft before him, had managed to negotiate this light sentence through the doctrine of plea bargain, many Nigerians have wondered if the judiciary is actually deaf to outcries against corruption and the present campaign to rid the country of the evil.

The decision of the presiding judge, Justice Abubakar Talba, in not responding positively to the plea of the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, to sentence Yusuf as stipulated by law, has further weakened public confidence in the ability of the judiciary to uphold the principles of justice and fairness.

If you steal public treasury, we will go after you - EFCC Chairman

Despite being vilified for selective graft war and facing possible removal by some influential presidential aides, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has said that he is ready to take the war to an end and give the nation a new lease of life.


Magu has ruled out the possibility of sparing any corrupt person in the fight, claiming that any Nigerian who commits an economic crime must pay for it.

“There is no sacred cow as far as this fight against corruption is concerned. We will go after anybody who has committed an offence. We will collect the money back, so that it will go back to the treasury and be used for the original purposes.

'Please stop pipeline bombings'-President Buhari begs Niger Delta militants

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday pleaded with Niger Delta militants to soft pedal on the bombing and destruction of oil and gas installations. 

He asked those close to the militants to prevail on them to take it easy in the interest of the nation. Buhari made the call during the breaking of fast with All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.


“I honestly don’t know how many factions the militants are in the Niger Delta compared to the Northeast where you have Boko Haram,” he said. “The technology being deployed by the militants to destroy oil installations is high tech.The way they can go on high sea and international waters and target oil installations is a national problem. It is affecting development.

“No insurance company will want to insure installations that will end up being blown up and no banks will want to finance such installations. “Those of you who have friends among the leadership or even the militants themselves should plead with them in the name of God Almighty to take it easy. “We need to stabilize to create employment. We need to stabilize the economy etc. I agonize over these things. “We are in a very difficult time, so we have to organize ourselves. Anybody that says he has any other country than Nigeria should go out and see.”

8 million Nigerians will benefit from FG’s Social Intervention Project - Presidency

Mrs Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Protection Investment, says no fewer than 8.4 million Nigerians will benefit from the Federal Government’s Social Intervention Project.

Uwais made the statement on Thursday in Abuja in a presentation, “Investing in our People,’’ she made at a workshop on National Social Protection Policy Framework by Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) She said that the Special Intervention Project was designed for delivery under five clearly defined programmes to restore livelihoods, economic opportunities and sustenance for the poor.

The Presidential Aide listed the five programmes to include N-power, Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF), Cash Transfers (NCTP), Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) and STEM Bursary Programme. She said that 500,000 graduates and 100,000 non-graduates jobs would be targeted to train unemployed graduates as teachers, and non-graduates as artisans under the N –Power programme. She said that 5.5 million pupils would be targeted under the School feeding for primary school children from foods locally sourced from within the country.

N1.2billion allowance not in budget - Adeosun

Workers of the federal ministry of finance have been told to forget the N1.2 billion Special Overtime Allowance they are asking for.

A statement from the ministry signed by the Special Assistant to minister of finance Festus Akanbi said the minister Mrs Kemi Adeosun has ruled out paying that allowance.

According to Festus Akanbi, the finance minister had told the protesting workers of the ministry that, “the N1.2 Billion Special Overtime (SOT) payment being demanded by workers, which had been discontinued since 2014, is neither in the 2016 Budget of the Federal Ministry of Finance nor the Federal Inland Revenue Service from where the funds to cover the allowance had hitherto been sourced.”

The payment of SOT the minister said “was stopped by the previous administration on the grounds that it was not listed in any extant government Circular, Financial Regulations or the Public Service Rules.”

Police confirm attack on Shell facility in Imo

The police have confirmed an attack on a facility belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) at Awarra, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo.

DSP Andrew Enwerem, the Public Relations Officer of police in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Owerri that the police received report of the attack in the early hours of Thursday.

Enwerem could not disclose the extent of damage done to the facility or the group that carried out the attack.

Mr Precious Okolobo, spokesman for SPDC said “the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), which runs through Awara, Imo State at the Assa-Rumuekpe line, has been shut for repairs since June 8, following a leak at Okolo launch, Bonny in Rivers State.

“We are investigating the reported incident at Awara’’, he said.