EFCC ARRESTS BABACHIR LAWAL, TO ARRAIGN HIM TODAY FOR FRAUD

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arrested the immediate-past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal.

The former SGF, who was picked up by operatives of the agency, is expected to be arraigned today following a charge of conspiracy and fraud levelled against him by the anti-graft agency.

Lawal will be docked before an FCT High Court in Maitama to be presided over by Justice Jude Okeke.

The EFCC had filed a 10-count charge bordering on conspiracy and fraud against him and Hamidu David Lawal, Suleiman Abubakar and two companies, Rholavision Engineering Ltd and Josmon Technologies Ltd.

In the charge filed on January 30 by Offem Uket for the commission, Lawal was alleged to have conspired with Hamidu, a director in Rholavision and Abubakar, a staff in the same company, to fraudulently acquire a property and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26(1)(c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 12 of the same Act.

One of the charges accused Hamidu, Abubakar and Rholavision to have “abet the award of contract to Rholavision Engineering Ltd for the removal of invasive plant species and simplified irrigation to the tune of N6.4million by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) through the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE).”

Count 9 of the charge accused Hamidu to have “abet the holding indirectly of a private interest by Engineer Babachir Lawal in the award of a contract to Josmon Technologies Ltd for the removal of invasive plant species and simplified irrigation by OSGF through PINE to the tune of N272.5million.”

Lawal was also accused to have fraudulently acquired a private interest in a contract awarded to Josmon Technologies Ltd.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in October 2017, sacked Lawal following a report of investigations by a panel headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, into allegations of fraud leveled against him.

'MY VISIT TO NIGERIA HAS POTENTIAL TO BE POLITICISED' - BILL CLINTON

~Turns Down National Peace Invite

~Says visit to Nigeria has the potential to be politicised

Former United States President Bill Clinton has turned down an invitation by the National Peace Committee to visit Nigeria from February 12 to 13 to deliver a goodwill message at the signing ceremony of the “National Peace Accord in Abuja, hinging his decision on the fact that a visit to Nigeria at this time has the potential to be politicised.

A statement by his Spokesman, Angel Ureña, said former President Clinton however looked towards talking to both candidates and former Head of State General Abdulsami Abubakar this week.

The peace committee had invited Clinton and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland, to visit Nigeria from February 12 to 13, ahead of the Nigerian presidential election. Both were billed to deliver goodwill messages at the signing ceremony of the “National Peace Accord” on 13 February.

A statement made available to newsmen on Monday by the spokesman of the former US president said: “President Clinton appreciates General Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Nigerian National Peace Committee’s invitation to travel to Nigeria. 

He is incredibly supportive and respectful of the Committee’s efforts, of the election process, and of the work being done to try to ensure a peaceful, free, fair, and transparent outcome. This is a crucial time in Nigeria, and President Clinton is hopeful that the election’s outcome reflects the will of the Nigerian people.

“Over the course of the last several days, and after various conversations with the different stakeholders, it’s become apparent that President Clinton’s visit to Nigeria has the potential to be politicized in a way that is not in line with the goals of the Committee. Therefore, he will not be traveling to Abuja. “He looks forward to both candidates and General Abubakar this week.”

BREAKING: HIGH COURT SACKS CROSS RIVER GOV CANDIDATE RECOGNISED BY INEC

More trouble for the Adams Oshiomhole led All Progressives Congress ( APC) as a Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River state has sacked the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Senator John Owan-Enoh and other candidates of the party currently recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Hon Justice Simon Amobeda in a two-hour judgment he delivered ordered that “INEC should only receive and accept the names and candidates for the 2019 elections that emerged from the lawful executive led by Godwin Etim John.”

The court also sacked the leadership of the party led by Mr. John Ochalla.

Justice Amodeba also ordered that persons parading themselves as the executive members of the APC in Cross River State should forthwith cease and that the lawful executive of APC in Cross River State is the one led by Godwin Etim John.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after the judgement, counsel to the claimants, Ayei Okpa said, “The judgment clearly is in support of the rule of law, as it also supports the yearning of the common man.

“INEC is to use and publish only the names that emerged from the lawful executive and not any other name that emerged from any other executive in Cross River State APC.”

Details later....

NJC GIVES JUSTICE ONNOGHEN FRESH QUERY OVER EFCC'S PETITION

It is more trouble for the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, as the National Judicial Council, NJC, on Monday, ordered him to respond to a fresh petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, lodged against him.

The suspended CJN was handed seven days to respond to allegations the EFCC raised against him.

The Council, which took the decision at the end of its emergency meeting in Abuja, further constituted a Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee, to consider responses to both Onnoghen and the Acting CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad, to various petitions against them.

The NJC said it would reconvene on Wednesday to take a final decision on the fate of Justices Onnoghen and Muhammad.

Details soon...

NJC RECONVENES OVER JUSTICES ONNOGHEN, TANKO MUHAMMAD TODAY

The National Judicial Council (NJC) will reconvene today to consider the responses of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad to the queries issued to them by the council.

A council member who was not authorised to speak with the media confirmed that the meeting would take place as scheduled.

The council had at its emergency meeting held on January 29 given both top jurists seven days to respond  to petitions written against them.

A statement by the council’s Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, said the decision to query the two senior jurists were taken during the emergency meeting held at the council’s chambers in Abuja.

None of the lawyers, who had so far represented Onnoghen, would volunteer information regarding his response to the query.

However, some council members were said to favour a decision that would lead to easing out the embattled CJN.

Others are quick to argue that Justice Muhammad too should go having accepted to be sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari in the absence of council’s recommendation to the president.

A judge of Abia State High Court was punished in similar circumstances when for no fault of his, the Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, appointed him acting chief judge of the state after the governor had illegally suspended the then chief judge.

At its January’s council meeting, NJC elected Justice Umaru Abdullahi,  a former President of the Court of Appeal as Interim Chairman to preside over the meeting. He will preside at council meeting today.

The council’s statement issued in January read: “The National Judicial Council held an Emergency Meeting today and considered four petitions filed at its Secretariat.  The petitions are: Petition against Justice W.S.N. Onnoghen, by Zikhrillahi Ibrahim of Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civil Education; Petition against Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad by Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative; Petition against Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, by Olisa Agbakoba, SAN; and Petition against Hon. Danladi Yakubu Umar, Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal by Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative.

“Council referred the petition against Hon. Danladi Yakubu Umar to the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), which is the appropriate constitutional body empowered to deal with it.

“In line with its procedure, Council also forwarded the petitions against Justices W.S.N. Onnoghen, and I. T. Muhammad, to them for their responses.

“In view of the gravity of the matters involved, council abridged the usual response period from 14 to seven working days for the justices to respond.

“Justice W. S. N. Onnoghen and. Justice I.T. Muhammad, recused themselves from the meeting.  Consequently, Council elected Justice Umaru Abdullahi former President of the Court of Appeal, as interim chairman to preside over the meeting.”

FG’S TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT ON MINIMUM WAGE READY

The report of the Technical Advisory Committee on National Minimum Wage that was inaugurated by President Mohammadu Buhari has been finalised and is ready for presentation to the president this week, barring any unforeseen circumstance.

A source in the presidency, who disclosed yesterday, said members of the committee have notified the president of their preparedness to submit the report.

“The report is due early this week. The committee has notified the presidency that the report is ready. It is an advisory committee to optimise revenue and to ensure that the implementation is short-lived. The committee was asked to explore everything possible and they were given a one-month mandate which elapsed today (yesterday).

“So, when it is submitted, the president would have to study it and either accept or reject the recommendations by the committee or issue a white paper,” she explained.

The president had last month inaugurated the Technical Advisory Committee on National Minimum Wage.

The committee is headed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane.

According to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, the task of the technical committee was to identify additional sources of revenue to pay the minimum wage and the consequential salary adjustment that would follow.

Udoma had also explained that the committee would, among other things, identify additional sources of revenue to ensure that the government could meet the increased costs that would arise from the implementation of a new minimum wage without affecting government’s ability to meet the other obligations, particularly with respect to the ambitious infrastructure development plans of the current administration. The minister had explained that whenever a new minimum wage bill is enacted, there are demands for some wage increases even from those already earning more than the new minimum wage.

Udoma had said, “All these salary increases will impose additional costs on the government. Therefore, the committee is expected to make suggestions as to how the government can raise additional revenues to ensure that the government can still meet its expenditure on other services such as education, health, infrastructure and other important functions of the government, after paying the increased salaries.

“The committee is expected to, amongst other things, look at how to get additional revenues so that as our wage bill goes up, we are able to increase our revenues to ensure that our spending on capital projects, our spending on basic infrastructure, our spending on health, our spending on education and others is not reduced.

“In short, the committee is to advise on ways to ensure that notwithstanding the increase in payroll costs, there continues to be adequate funding for other government activities. This is not just for the 2019 fiscal year. The federal government had approved N27, 000 as the new national minimum wage, which was rejected by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other trade union groups in the country.

SENATE ABANDONS MINIMUM WAGE BILL FOR ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

Barely two weeks after the Senate set up an eight-member Ad-hoc Committee   for further legislative inputs into the N27,000 New Minimum Wage Bill sent to it by President Muhammadu Buhari for approval on January 24, 2019, it can be authoritatively confirmed that the committee is yet to sit over the matter.

This is against the backdrop that a similar committee set up the same day in the House of Representatives with the same mandate has held a number of public hearings on the bill, during which it recommended N30,000 as minimum wage.

Findings indicate that the Senate ad-hoc committee has not had a sitting due to the political engagements of six of the eight members and the general lackadaisical attitude of the senators towards their legislative duties as the 8th National Assembly winds down.

The chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Senator Olusola Adeyeye (APC, Osun Central) confirmed this last week to newsmen when he said that since six out of the eight-member committee are contesting in the National Assembly election fixed for February 16, 2019.

Senator Adeyeye, who is also the Senate’s Chief Whip, lamented the development, saying it had been difficult to mobilise the six senators for the required public hearing session on the bill.

He said: “I am not contesting any election but many of the committee members are contesting and very busy with electioneering in their various senatorial districts, making it difficult for us to sit all this while.

“But we shall try all we can to have the sitting or public hearing before the Senate reconvenes in line with the duration of time given for the assignment by the Senate.”

The Senate had, in mandating the committee for the assignment, given it two weeks to submit its report which must be ready before Tuesday, February 19, 2019, the day fixed for its resumption from the ongoing recess.

But since the election is just a week now and the planned meeting for next week will be few days to the elections, the affected six members of the committee may not be disposed to such an arrangement.

Members of the committee who are busy with their re-election  bids to the Senate are Emmanuel Adokwe (PDP, Nasarawa South), Sam Egwu (PDP, Ebonyi North), Shehu Sani (PRP, Kaduna Central), Deputy Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo North), Adeola Olamilekan (APC, Lagos West) and Binta Masi Garba (APC, Adamawa North).

The last member of the committee, Abu Ibrahim (APC, Katsina South ), is also not contesting in any of the elections.

Meanwhile, the president, United Labour Congress (ULC), Comrade Joe Ajaero has commended the leadership of the  House of Representatives over the speedy passage of the minimum wage bill, saying that  as far as welfare is concerned, the position of the lawmakers has in no small measure given workers a sense of belonging.

Ajaero made this comment while speaking with correspondent in a telephone conversation in Lagos.

He said, “We recall that the lawmakers gave their word to speedily facilitate the National Minimum Wage Bill  whenever it was brought before them and they have kept their word.

“To us, it means we still have men and women with the milk of human kindness. While we thank you for the brave move, we also urge you to follow the bill through until the Senate and the Federal Government give a go-ahead to effect payment.”

He said that this position of N30, 000 can be achieved if the governors have the people at heart.

On the part of the Senate, he urged the senators to emulate  the lower house as soon as they reconvene after the election.

“ We believe this is a political period that lawmakers need to attend to their electioneering activities but as soon as the election is over, they should please give it a speedy action,”, he added.

He explained that the president should not delay the signing into law after it must have been passed by the National Assembly..

“I believe the president is seriously awaiting the bill on his table for signing,” he said.

TWO FEARED KILLED, 8 INJURED IN PETROL TANKER FIRE IN AWKA, ANAMBRA

No fewer than two persons were confirmed dead and six others injured, when a tanker bearing PMS (petrol) fell at AmaObia Roundabout in Awka and went up in flames on Saturday night.

Eyewitnesses report that at least eight vehicles and some residential buildings within the vicinity were also destroyed in the inferno. It was gathered that the fire occurred in front of the AmaObia Fire Service and near the Police Headquarters, Anambra Governor’s Lodge and other public buildings.

Narrating his experience, one of the victims, Mr Paul Igwemma, whose car got burnt in the fire, said the tanker was negotiating a bend when it fell and subsequently burst into flames.

Igwemma, who was full of praises to God, said he had to abandon his vehicle and ran for his dear life. “I saw the vehicle trying to negotiate to this direction and all of a sudden the tank fell and hit the pavement of the roundabout so I immediately out of my car.

“Few seconds after, there was an explosion accompanied by fire and as you can see, my car is burnt beyond recognition, together with about ten other vehicles,” he said. An eyewitness, Mary Anyaora, who was seen weeping at the scene, said the number of casualties could still be more.

Anyaora said that many more people were still trapped in their buildings and might not be able to escape from the fire. She said that the effect of the fire could have been minimal, if there was an immediate intervention from the Fire Service.

Confirming the incident, Mr Andrew Kumapayi, Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), blamed the incident on careless driving on the part of the tanker driver. Kumapayi said that two persons died, while six others sustained injuries with eight vehicles burnt beyond recognition.

“The driver did not stop when the tank fell, the incident happened in front of the Fire Service and fire fighters were still making efforts to put out the fire,” he said. The fire was reported to be still raging at the time of filing the report, while men of the fire service were seen battling to put it out. 
(NAN)

HOW GOV. ABUBAKAR DIVERTED N400 BILLION USING GHOST WORKERS - RT. HON. DOGARA

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has uncovered massive fraud and theft perpetrated by Bauchi State government under Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar to the tune of N400 billion from May 2015 when he assumed office to date.

Newsmen gathered that while speaking at a campaign rally in Dass, headquarters of Dass local government area on Friday, Hon Dogara presented documented evidence to a mammoth crowd of his constituents showing how thousands of non-existent people were said to have been employed in 2015 shortly after the governor came into office.

The Speaker challenged Governor Abubakar to take him to court and promised that he will defend the allegations and added that as a lawyer he knows the law and would not level false allegations against anyone if he does not have evidence.

A perusal of one of the documents indicates that not fewer than 1,200 people were said to have been employed and added into the state's payroll beginning from July 2015.

However, one of the ghost employees by name, Bappale Adamu, was said to have been born in 1899, which is 120 years ago and started work with the Bauchi state government on July 24, 2015 and will retire from the service in 2023.

Another startling revelation showed that all the 1,200 workers, though have different names and dates of birth, have the same Bank Verification Number (BVN), meaning that their entire salary was being paid into one and same bank account under different names.

The salaries vary from N39,000 to N86,000 and above.

The speaker also wondered how Bauchi State monthly salary skyrocketed from N2.6 billion per month in May 2015 to N7 billion without recruitment of additional workers, especially as the governor had early in his administration, fired thousands of political appointees engaged by former governor Isa Yuguda, which should have reduced the state's wage bill drastically.

He also accused the governor of diverting billions of local government funds in the last 3 1/2 years.

The Speaker also recalled how the governor chased away contractors renovating Dass Central Mosque but failed to renovate it after repeated promises and revealed how he personally paid for the renovation of the mosque.

It would be recalled that the Bauchi state Government had owed workers more than one year salaries following series of verifications allegedly to remove ghost workers from the state’s payroll by the present administration at its inception in 2015, but sadly, shortly after that, the monthly salary bill increased from N2.6 billion to about N7 billion.

In August 2016, political leaders and stakeholders from the state led by the Speaker sought President Mohammadu Buhari’s intervention on the non-payment of salaries which didn’t yield any result and has been the major source of disagreement between the Speaker, political leaders, stakeholders and the Bauchi state Governor.

RIVERS APC SAGA: PDP HAILS SUPREME COURT’S RULING ON RIVERS APC

The @OfficialPDPNig hails the judgment of the Supreme Court, upholding the law in nullifying the legally defective primaries of the @OfficialAPCNg in Rivers state, as victory for democracy and the rule of law. 

The party commends the apex court for its courage in delivering the landmark judgment, which has saved the nation from a serious constitutional crisis that could have marred the 2019 general elections and detract from our overall electoral system.

The judgment of the Supreme Court serves as a huge lesson to politicians and political parties, to eschew impunity and always conduct their affairs in a manner that is in tandem with the provision of the law.

The courage displayed by the Supreme Court in delivering the judgment at this critical time in our national life has also restored the confidence of Nigerians in the institution of the Judiciary and our democratic order.