Lamorde: IG gets Senate’s arrest warrant this week

ex-Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde

The Senate may issue a warrant for the arrest of a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, this week barring an unexpected reversal, our correspondent has learnt.
This means the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, may be ordered to arrest Lamorde, who is currently undergoing a course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos.
The upper chamber had on Thursday last week asked its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to begin the process of issuing a warrant for the police officer’s arrest.
The senate is currently investigating Lamorde following a petition against him by one Dr. George Uboh.
In his petition, Uboh accused the former EFCC boss of diverting over N1tn the anti-graft agency recovered from treasury looters.
Uboh, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security Systems, had petitioned the Senate through the senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Peter Nwaoboshi, alleging that Lamorde, in connivance with other EFCC officials, short-changed the Federal Government in the remittance of funds and assets recovered from some corrupt public officers.
The petitioner alleged that under Lamorde, the EFCC opened bank accounts for the funds it recovered from corrupt officials, but the funds did not reflect in the agency’s audited accounts.
The whistle-blower also alleged that the EFCC doctored and manipulated bank accounts to conceal the alleged fraud.
Lamorde was also accused of diverting over 90 per cent of the money the EFCC recovered in foreign currencies, including those from multinational companies.
At the consideration of the report at plenary on Thursday, the ethics panel lamented efforts by the House to get a reaction from Lamorde were not successful.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who read the report, noted that Lamorde ignored all invitations extended to him and urged the House to issue a warrant for his arrest.
The committee therefore said it had become necessary to force Lamorde to appear if only to “save the National Assembly as the highest law-making body of the nation, from irreparable damage to its reputation and capacity to summon.”
Our correspondent learnt from the Senate President’s office on Sunday that Arase might get   Lamorde’s arrest warrant this week.
The source confirmed that the ethics panel had forwarded its request to the Senate President Bukola Saraki.
The source said, “I am not sure there will be any delay. The arrest warrant will be sent to the appropriate quarters anytime this week.”

2016 Oscars: Full list of winners

Actor Mark Rylance, winner of Best Supporting Actor; actress Brie Larson, winner of Best Actress; actor Leonardo DiCaprio, winner of Best Actor; and actress Alicia Vikander, winner of Best Supporting Actress during the Academy Awards 

Here is a complete list of winners at the 88^thAcademy Awards:
Best picture: Spotlight
Best actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Best actress: Brie Larson, Room
Best supporting actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Best supporting actress: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Best director: Alejandro Iñárritu, The Revenant
Best original screenplay: Spotlight, by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy
Best adapted screenplay: The Big Short, by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Best costume design: Mad Max: Fury Road, Jenny Beavan
Best production design: Mad Max: Fury Road, production design by Colin Gibson; set decoration by Lisa Thompson
Best makeup and hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road, Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
Best cinematography: The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki
Best film editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel
Best sound editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Mark Mangini and David White
Best sound mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
Best visual effects: Ex Machina, Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
Best animated short film: Bear Story, Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
Best animated feature film: Inside Out, Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
Best documentary, short subject: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Best documentary feature: Amy, Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
Best live-action short film: Stutterer, Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage
Best foreign-language film: Son of Saul, Hungary
Best original song: Writing’s on the Wall fromSpectre
Music and lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith

Best original score: The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone

DiCaprio finally wins best actor Oscar

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio accepts the award for Best Actor at the 88th Oscars on Sunday

Hollywood A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio finally snagged Oscars gold on Sunday, 22 years after his first Academy Award nomination – proving he really is not just a pretty face.
Though one of the world’s biggest and most bankable stars – “Titanic” rocketed him to the A-list in 1997 – the 41-year-old had been unable until now to take home the golden statuette despite four previous acting nominations.
This year, however, his intense portrayal of 19th century fur trapper Hugh Glass in the survival epic “The Revenant” – large sections of it without words – won immediate praise, making his victory seen almost a foregone conclusion.
DiCaprio earned a standing ovation from the crowd at the Dolby Theatre, and used his speech to drive home a message about stopping climate change, but also acknowledged the importance of the moment.
“Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted,” he said.
Later, he told reporters, “This is a journey I will never forget with Alejandro. We have a great film to look back on for years to come.”
DiCaprio bested a tough field – fellow nominees were Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender and last year’s winner Eddie Redmayne.
In the past, his Oscar dreams – his nominated roles came in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “The Aviator,” “Blood Diamond” and “The Wolf of Wall Street”- had faded in the face of stiff competition.
But this time, his all-out effort to bring Glass to the screen – eating raw bison liver, wading into icy rivers – rang true for Oscars voters.
The victory on Sunday only adds to the glow of the life of Leo, which is the stuff of Hollywood films.
The confirmed bachelor is known for dating supermodels, raises millions of dollars for charity and had an audience with Pope Francis last month to talk about climate change.
Born on November 11, 1974 to a hippie couple in Los Angeles, DiCaprio has credited his parents – who separated shortly after he was born – with encouraging him while keeping his feet squarely on the ground.
He once almost quit acting because he felt he was made to feel like a “piece of cute meat” – but he has since put his fame, money and prestige to use for humanitarian causes, especially environmental protection.
DiCaprio’s climb to the top of Hollywood’s A-list didn’t come easy.
He had humble beginnings as an actor, starring in television commercials and a soap opera before landing bit roles in a number of television series including “Roseanne” and “Growing Pains.”
In 1991, he was cast in the low-budget horror movie “Critters 3” – which didn’t even make it to the big screen and went straight to video.
But though the film did little to showcase his acting abilities, it set him on the road to becoming a teenage heartthrob and mega-star.
His breakout role came in 1993 when he played the handicapped brother of Johnny Depp in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” – a role that brought him his first Oscar nomination for best supporting actor at just 19.
He was then cast in a number of diverse roles, including as a young gunslinger in “The Quick and the Dead,” a drug addict in “The Basketball Diaries” and French poet Arthur Rimbaud in “Total Eclipse” – all in 1995.
The following year, his role in Baz Luhrmann’s reinvention of “Romeo + Juliet” alongside Claire Danes elevated him to true Hollywood stardom.
He became a matinee idol for millions of teenage girls. And it led to even better offers.
His next film, “Marvin’s Room,” put him on the screen with Hollywood royalty — Oscarwinners Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton.
Then came the epic romance “Titanic” (1997), in which director James Cameron made DiCaprio the lead, co-starring with Kate Winslet.
The film secured 14 nominations and 11 wins, but no nod for DiCaprio. Yet he acknowledged that the success of “Titanic” gave him a freedom to pick and choose roles he might not have had otherwise.
That was reflected by roles in films as diverse as Woody Allen’s 1998 comedy “Celebrity” and Randall Wallace’s period drama “The Man in the Iron Mask.”
In 2002, after three years without a hit, DiCaprio starred in a couple of blockbusters: Martin Scorsese’s bloody “Gangs of New York” and Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can,” about a con man who assumes multiple identities.
He teamed up again with Scorsese to portray eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes in 2004’s “The Aviator.” Yet still he missed out on anOscar, losing to Jamie Foxx in “Ray.”
Then came “Blood Diamond” in 2007 and “The Wolf on Wall Street” in 2013, but the Oscareluded him again both times.
As for his personal life, the famous bachelor — whose mother named him Leonardo as she felt her baby kick for the first time while standing in front of a Da Vinci painting — has been linked to a number of beautiful women through the years including Gisele Bundchen, Bar Refaeli and Blake Lively.

He recently split from his latest girlfriend, Sports Illustrated model Kelly Rohrbach. Rumors swirled after he was spotted out in Paris and New York with singer Rihanna.

Falana threatens to sue Buratai for Ransome-Kuti’s release

Femi Falana

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has threatened to sue the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, for the release of a former Commander of the Multi National Joint Task Force, Brig.-Gen. Enitan Ransome Kuti, from military custody after completing a six-month prison term to which he was sentenced by a Special Court Martial on October 15, 2015.
In his letter dated February 26, 2016, addressed to Buratai, Falana said Ransome-Kuti was unjustly sentenced to dismissal from the Nigerian Army and six-month imprisonment.
Falana, who was Ransome-Kuti’s defence lawyer at the court martial, said his client had since his “unjust conviction” for “war-related crimes” remained in military detention, even when he ought to spend four calendar months in custody.
He said Ransome-Kuti’s continued detention could not be justified under the Armed Forces Act and the Constitution.
He stated that he might be compelled to approach the court for the enforcement of Ransome-Kuti’s fundamental right to person liberty guaranteed by section 35 of the Constitution and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.
He said, “We are therefore compelled to request you to use your good offices to ensure that our client is released from unjust and illegal incarceration forthwith.
“Take notice that if you fail or refuse to accede to our request by ensuring the immediate release our client we shall not hesitate to seek redress in the Federal High Court with a view to securing the enforcement of his fundamental right to person liberty guaranteed by section 35 of the Constitution and article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
In his letter titled, ‘Request for release of Brig-Gen. E.A Ransome-Kuti (N/8301) from custody after serving six-month prison term’, Falana said he had made representation to the army authority with respect to the need for the findings of the court martial to be confirmed.
He said Buratai flagrantly turned down the request for Ransome-Kuti’s release pending his appeal against the verdict of the court martial “in flagrant violation of section 160 of the Armed Forces Act (Cap A20) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
His letter read in part, “By letter dated 19 October 2015 we also requested the Authorities of the Nigerian Army to release our client from military custody pending the determination of the appeal which he intended to file against the unjust findings of the Special Court Martial which convicted him of war related crimes and sentenced him to six-month imprisonment and dismissal from the Nigerian Army.
“For reasons best known to you the request for our client’s release pending appeal was turned down by your good self in flagrant violation of section 160 of the Armed Forces Act (Cap A20) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
“Thus, you caused our client to serve the six-month prison term without the confirmation of the findings of the Special Court Martial by the Army Council.
“As if that was not enough, you have ignored our demand for the release of our client since he completed the six-month prison term on February 15, 2016.

“In our letter dated February 12, 2016 on the subject matter, we had pointed out that our client ought to have spent 4 calendar months in custody by virtue of Regulations 54 and 55 of the Prisons Regulations made pursuant to the Prisons Act (CAP. P29) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which provides that every convict is entitled to a remission of one third of the sentence imposed by a court.”

I won’t pay N5,000 to those who don’t work – Buhari

PRESIDENT BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has ruled out the possibility of his government paying N5,000 monthly allowance to unemployed youths in the country as promised by his party, the All Progressives Congress, ahead of the 2015 presidential election.
Buhari’s new position is contrary to the stand of many of his officials who have at different times claimed that the fund to implement the promise had already been provided for in the 2016 Budget currently before the National Assembly.
The President who is currently on a one-week official visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar however made it clear in Saudi Arabia during an interactive session that he could not be paying those who do not work.
He said he has a “slightly different priority” from the position of his party on the payment of the unemployed which he described as a “largesse.”
The President said rather than paying the unemployed, his administration would build infrastructure and empower able-bodied men to work.
“This largesse: N5,000 for the unemployed, I have got a slightly different priority.
“I would rather do the infrastructure, the school and correct them and empower agriculture, mining so that every able-bodied person can go and get work instead of giving N5,000 to those who don’t work,” Buhari declared.

The APC, which defeated the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the March 28 presidential election, had promised during its campaign that if elected to the central government, it would pay N5,000 monthly to 25 million jobless youths as well as introduce a free school feeding programme.

China suspends 580 social media accounts

Chinese authorities have suspended more than 580 social media accounts, including those of popular commentators, for spreading rumours, confusing people or going against the constitution.
A statement issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said the suspended accounts include those of “celebrities” on the popular microblog Weibo who had thousands of followers.
It accused them of “ignoring their social responsibilities, abusing their influence, staining the honour of the state and disrupting social order”.
According to the Australian, CAC said it had also ordered other websites to remove more than 2000 rumours affecting people’s daily lives, transportation, food security and public policies.
The statement comes amid efforts by China to tighten internet censorship.
From March, it will begin controlling the content published by foreign companies online.

These companies cannot directly publish their “creative content” on the web, including games, animation, comics, audio or video recordings, without the prior approval of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

Nigeria begins move to establish national carrier – Presidency

The Presidency on Sunday disclosed that the Federal Government has commenced discussions on partnerships towards establishing a national airline for the country.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists from Doha, Qatar where President Muhammadu Buhari is currently on an official visit.
Adesina did not however disclose the details of the discussions and the level the government has reached.
He however said that Nigerian authorities have reached an agreement with the State of Qatar which will soon translate into direct flights between major cities of both countries.
H added that the two countries have also signed an agreement that will forestall double taxation and tax evasion.
Adesina said the Bilateral Air Services Agreement and the other agreement were signed on Sunday in Doha on the sideline of Buhari’s state visit to Qatar.
According to him, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, signed the air services agreement on behalf of Nigeria while Qatar’s Minister of Transportation and Communications, Jassim Bin Saif Alsulaiti, signed on behalf the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hammad Al-Thani.
The statement read in part, “The agreement which was signed in the presence of both leaders is expected to operate on the principle of reciprocity by the designated airlines on behalf of the countries.
“The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, also signed the agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes income with her Qatari counterpart, Ali Shareef Al Emadi.
“It is also expected that the agreement on bilateral air service will promote trade, commerce and tourism between the two countries just as Nigeria has also commenced discussions on partnerships towards establishing a national airline for Nigeria.

“The agreement on the avoidance of double taxation which had been negotiated since February 2015 will no doubt bring in more investments and businesses between Qatar and Nigeria.”

Osun workers demand full salary from Aregbesola

Labour leaders in Osun  State have asked Governor Rauf Aregbesola  to henceforth start paying  salaries of all categories of workers  in full.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Jacob Adekomi and  Chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating  Council, Mr.  Bayo Adejumo, made this demand at a press conference in Osogbo on Saturday.
They said labour leaders  did not sign any agreement with the government that they would be collecting half salaries contrary to what some former commissioners and government appointees have been saying.
Workers from grade level 01-07 are being paid in full while those from level 08 and above have been receiving half salaries since July 2015 but the NLC said they did not sign this agreement with the government.
The labour leaders blamed some of the former aides of the governor for plunging the state into the financial crisis It was facing now because of their alleged recklessness.

The NLC chairman said, “Our demands are that government should start to to pay our 2014  bonus which was factored into the bailout given to the state.

Boko Haram no longer poses threat to us, says Buhari

Buhari

Despite the bombings still being carried out in parts of the country by members of the Boko Haram sect, President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday said the sect is no longer in position to cause serious threat to his administration’s development programmes.
While admitting that the sect’s activities had led to loss of many lives and displacement of innocent people in the country, the President boasted that since his assumption of office in May 2015, Boko Haram has been systematically decimated.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke at a bilateral meeting he had with the the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hammad Al-Thani, on Sunday.
Buhari was also said to have talked on the situation in the Middle East and commended the role Qatar is playing in resolving the present Syrian crisis, the Palestinian cause and efforts in reconstructing Gaza.
He said, “The conflicts in Yemen and Syria with their attendant humanitarian crisis need genuine international effort to solve.
“Nigeria as a peace-loving country identifies with the State of Qatar in all her peace efforts in the world to end terrorist activities.
“Nigeria is a victim of terrorism. It is with heavy heart that I stand before you and say activities of Boko Haram have led to loss of many lives and displacement of innocent people in our dear nation.
“We, however, take pride to inform you that since our coming to power, Boko Haram has been systematically decimated and are in no position to cause serious threat to our development programmes.
“I wish to reiterate that Nigeria rejects violence and extremism in all their ramifications, and assure your Highness that we are with the State of Qatar in your efforts to fight terrorism and injustice in your region and in the world at large.”

Buhari also called for a lasting solution to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict , saying “we in Nigeria, like the State of Qatar, favour a ‘Two State’ solution, with the State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel.

Sign Rev. King’s death warrant, neighbours beg Ambode

Revd King

Barely 24 hours after the Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence passed on a Lagos-based pastor and the General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, aka Rev. King, some of his neighbours have asked for his immediate execution.
The landlords appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to sign Rev. King’s death warrant to hasten the process.
A five-man bench of the Supreme Court led by Justice Walter Onnoghen, in its unanimous judgement, had on Friday dismissed the appeal by the cleric challenging the verdict of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed the conviction and the sentence passed on him by the Lagos High Court.
Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who read the lead judgement of the court, resolved all the 12 issues raised by Rev. King in his appeal against him and dismissed the entire appeal for lacking in merit.
The judgement dealt a final blow on the last effort by Rev. King to free himself from the death sentence, which had been hanging around his neck for over nine years.
A next door landlord in Ajao Estate where the church is based applauded the Supreme Court for the judgement, saying he expected it.
The landlord, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Now, we need the governor to quickly sign the papers, because if he does not, we are in trouble.
“The church members had been saying they would take over our houses and they had been threatening to deal with some of us. They ask us to just wait for his return and see what would happen.
“That was why immediately we heard the news of the judgement, we were happy. In fact, if I cannot talk for others, I can tell you that I am very happy. I am happy because it marks the end of a group constituting a nuisance to us.”
Another landlord, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said he wants Ambode to sign the death warrant as soon as possible.
“I hope the governor will not be afraid of signing it. He should do it on time.
“The truth is that the church has not impacted the community in any way. We are waiting for what will happen next after this.
The Lagos State Government, in a statement on Friday through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, said the judgement affirmed the seriousness of the state government in fighting crime.
Church members sad
It was earnt that the news of the apex court judgment shook the membership of the church, as many of them wailed openly.
A resident, Chidi, said many of the church members could not contain their grief and disappointment.
He said, “It was a bad news for the church. Most of them have been boasting that we would see what would happen when he returns but I saw many of them crying openly after the news broke (that his death sentence had been upheld), while others tried to hide their grief.”

N330m vehicles: Senate under fire for buying exotic cars

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki

The Senate came under harsh criticisms by eminent Nigerians on Saturday for defying Nigerians, including President Muhammadu Buhari on the purchase of exotic vehicles.
Eminent Nigerians including the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN),   Senator Femi Okurounmu and Dr. Junaid Mohammed, condemned the Senate for purchasing the vehicles.
The contractor in charge of delivering the vehicles, Lanre Shittu Motors, on Saturday confirmed that it had delivered “a lot of vehicles to the Senate.
It was gathered that the Senate had taken delivery of the exotic vehicles and that the deliveries were done from Lagos and Abuja.
The Group Executive Director, Lanre Shittu Motors, Mr. Taiwo Shittu, in an interview with one of our correspondents, stated that a lot of deliveries had been made to the Senate.
We have delivered a lot of vehicles to Senate— Lanre Shittu Motors
When asked to confirm if the Senate had taken delivery of the vehicles from his company, Shittu replied, “Yes, they’ve taken a lot of deliveries but the deliveries are handled from the head office. I’m in charge of commercials like trucks, equipment and buses for the company, but not deliveries that have to do with the cars.
“They are not taking delivery of commercial vehicles but they are taking passenger vehicles, although Toyota Hilux can be seen as a commercial vehicle. I can confirm to you that the Senate has taken delivery of some vehicles but I can’t give you the accurate number presently.”
Many Nigerians, including Buhari and former President Olusegun Obasanjo had a few months ago urged the National Assembly to shelve the plan to buy N330m exotic vehicles.
While advising the Senate, Buhari in his first media chat had said, “I turned down a N400 million bill for cars for the presidency, because the vehicles I am using are good enough for the next 10 years.”
Anger over purchase
In his reaction, prominent Yoruba leader, Okurounmu, on Saturday described the purchase of the vehicles as disgraceful.
Okurounmu, who represented Ogun-Central senatorial district between 1999 and 2003, said the purchase of vehicles at a time when over 20 states could not pay salaries was callous.
He said, “If this is true, the action of the Senate is completely unpatriotic, callous and shows that they don’t care about the welfare of the Nigerians that they are supposed to be representing and they are only there to look after their own interests. They are selfish.
Also speaking, Sagay described the senators as a group of “shameless people” who are unfit to occupy public office.
Sagay said their profligate lifestyle was capable of causing poor Nigerians to revolt against the government.
He said, “It shows that we are dealing with a group of people that are totally incorrigible in their love for material things at the expense of Nigerians. They have no limit and have no sense of shame or restraint. They will go all out and continue to live in luxury and obscenity until they can ground Nigeria
“These people are unfit to hold public office. They are a disgrace to this country and somehow, if it was possible, I would want them to be shamed out of the National Assembly. They are unfit for that position and a disgrace to any civilised community.”
Lending his voice to the controversial acquisition of vehicles, a former Governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, wondered where the Senate got the funds to purchase the vehicles since the 2016 budget had not yet been passed.
Describing the incident as ‘mindlessness’, the former governor said the matter must be investigated by the relevant authorities.
He said, “Who authorised the purchase of the vehicles? The budget has not yet been approved so where did they get the money to buy the vehicles? Are they using the law which authorises the President to spend the equivalent of what was spent last year to buy the vehicles?
“Besides the mindlessness of such an act in the face of the economic crisis, why should lawmakers use their position to enrich themselves? Has the National Assembly allowed itself to be involved in illegality?”
Saraki’s convoy changed only one vehicle – Aide
But the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, to the Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said in a statement on Saturday that only one new vehicle had been changed in the convoy of his principal, Bukola Saraki.
Olaniyonu, explained that the new vehicle, a Mercedes Benz, was meant to replace the old spare car in the convoy that he inherited and had been using since he assumed office in June 2015.
He said, “It is an obvious fact that the official and spare cars that the Senate President inherited and has been using are old and have been malfunctioning.
“There are instances like the day Saraki visited Keffi for the marriage of the daughter of Senator Abdullahi Adamu and another day at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport that the spare vehicle broke down.
“In both instances, the spare vehicle did not return home with the convoy. The same vehicle had malfunctioned at the Presidential Villa and National Mosque on different occasions.
“It is for this reason that the Senate President approved that instead of providing two vehicles for him as he is entitled, only one should be bought to replace the official vehicle while the old official car should be converted to spare car.
“Also, if the National Assembly Management chose to provide operational vehicles for security agencies, should that be presented as if they are personal or official vehicles meant for the use of Dr. Saraki?
“These are vehicles that cannot be used for other purposes and by other people. The Senate President also has no control over the security vehicles.”
Repeated calls made to the Senate spokesperson, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, were not responded to and a comprehensive text message sent to him had not been responded to as of the time of sending this report.
Also, the Chairman, Senate Committee on House Service, Ibrahim Gobir, and the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, could not be reached on phone as their lines were switched off.
However, a member of the Senate Committee on House Services, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, said he was not aware of the procurement and distribution of the exotic cars.
He said, “As a member of the Senate Committee on House Services which is in charge of the process of taking delivery and distribution of such vehicles, I can confirm that there is nothing like that.”

Man kills 14 members of his family with knife

A 35-year-old man allegedly murdered 14 members of his family including seven children with a butcher’s knife before committing suicide outside India’s financial capital of Mumbai, police said Sunday.
The attack happened after family members gathered late on Saturday at one of their homes in Thane, some 32 kilometres (20 miles) from Mumbai, for a family function, police said.
“The attacker, Hasnin Anwar Warekar, hung himself after slitting the throats of all other family members including his parents,” a Thane police spokesman, Gajanan Laxman Kabdule, told AFP.
The sole survivor of the attack, Warekar’s sister, was taken to hospital after neighbours heard her screaming for help after midnight and alerted police.
“We still haven’t been able to speak with the attacker’s 21-year-old sister, the lone survivor of the attack, who is in deep trauma at a city hospital,” Kabdule said.
Warekar attacked his family after apparently lacing their food with a sedative, according to several local media reports.
But the Indian Express newspaper said the chartered accountant stabbed his victims after they went to bed, having all decided to spend the night at the house.
“Prima facie evidence suggests that the accused bolted all the doors of the house and murdered his family while they were asleep with a knife that we found near his body,” Ashutosh Dumbre, joint commissioner of Thane police, was quoted saying.
Kabdule said he could not confirm whether the victims had been sedated, saying investigators were awaiting medical test results.
Television footage showed men lifting bodies wrapped in sheets in to the back of an ambulance, as crowds gathered outside the white-walled home.
Kabdule said details of the attack “are still sketchy” along with the motive.
According to the Press Trust of India news agency, a property dispute was behind the killings, but Dumbre said initial investigations have so far found no trigger for such an “extreme step”.
“In our inquiry so far, no one has yet been able to give the reason for this,” Dumbre told the ABP news channel.

“He worked with a private company in Mumbai. There were no known financial troubles or disputes and now we are hoping that the lone survivor can tell us something about the trigger,” he said.

Oliseh’s resignation shocks NFF

Super Eagles Coach, Sunday Oliseh

Ademola Olajire, an Assistant Director of Communications in the Nigeria Football Federation, on Saturday said the resignation of the Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, surprised the body.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the former Eagles gaffer resigned his appointment on Thursday via his Twitter handle, citing contract violations, unpaid wages and benefits to players and assistant coaches.
Subsequently, the NFF announced the former coach of the Super Eagles Samson Siasia as interim manager in his place.
Olajire told NAN on telephone that the impression Oliseh gave in the course of the week was that he was preparing for the next match against Egypt.
“His resignation was a surprise. There is no way we could have known, and he gave us little premonition about his resignation; we did not see it coming.
“All through the week, Oliseh kept on talking about meeting the Super Eagles players in Europe and assessing their form and all sorts; that is all we got from him.
“After his YouTube error, he called everybody, including the NFF and apologised for the misbehaviour and promised it will never happen again.
“Now that Oliseh has resigned it was a surprise to us, but to bridge the gap, (Samson) Siasia has been appointed to take charge with (Emmanuel) Amuneke assisting him,” he said.

Army establishes Motorbike Battalion

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai

The Nigeria Army on Saturday established a motorbike battalion to add impetus to its war on insurgency in the Northeast.
Also on Saturday, the Army released a fresh list of 100 suspected members of the terrorist sect, Boko Haram, wanted for various act of terrorism in the country.
The Army also on the same day opened one of the major road leading to Maiduguri, Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu road closed to traffic for over two years as a result of the surge of insurgency in the area.
The Army had late last year published the first set of 100 suspected members of the terrorist sect, Boko Haram wanted by the Nigerian state.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai who launched the Motorbike Battalion of the Nigeria Army at the 25 Task Force Brigade, Damboa, Borno State said the decision for the introduction of the combat motorbike is to ensure that “our roads are safe.”
He said the combat motorbike would ensure a force multiplier effect and give the military an edge in the ongoing counter-insurgency war in the North-East.
He said with the introduction of the combat motorbike “our troops will be able to pursue the Boko Haram anywhere.”
He added that the reach of the motorbike will be very important and will ensure that we can improve on our successes.
On the reopened road, Buratai said: “The road Sent from my iPad
He added that: “The safety on this road is in care of the Brigade Commander of 25 Task Force Brigade. I do not want to hear any attack on this road, motorists plying this road must be safe.”
The COAS appealed to the public to come out with information that will assist in the arrest of terrorists, adding that many terrorists in the first list of 100 wanted were identified and arrested.
He said the new list of 100 suspected terrorists is for the members of the public to identify and report their whereabout so that they could be brought to justice.
He said: “The hundred Boko Haram members declared wanted have their faces on the poster. The members of the public should look at the poster very well and report appropriately.”
On the reopened Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu road, the Secretary of Borno State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Adamu Musa, expressed appreciation to the COAS for making it a reality.

He however called for between 20 and 30 checkpoints on the road in order to check against the threat of the terrorist sect.

FIFA reforms’ll reduce corruption, football lovers say

A cross-section of football enthusiasts in Abuja says the new reforms introduced by the International Federation of Football Associations will reduce corruption in its administration.
The football enthusiasts told the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday that FIFA deserves praise for the reforms, and urged the football body to follow the reforms to the letter.
NAN reports that the new reforms approved at Friday’s extraordinary congress of the body in Zurich, Switzerland include the disclosure of salaries on an annual basis for the FIFA President.
The same will also apply to all FIFA council members, the Secretary-General and relevant chairpersons of independent standing and judicial committees.
Also, the FIFA president’s tenure has now been limited to three terms of four years.
This will also apply to FIFA council members and members of the audit and compliance committee and the judicial bodies.
The reforms also include a minimum of one female representative to be elected as a council member per confederation in order to promote women in football.
One of the enthusiasts, Mansur Abdullahi, who is a former assistant coach at Plateau United FC of Jos, acknowledged that the reforms are a welcome development.
“If FIFA has approved reforms, then it is a good thing, because when holding a public office such as this, what you take home should be known.
“But why is it only the salaries? Why not the allowances as well? I just hope that this will reduce the corruption in FIFA,” he said.
Another football enthusiast, Alex Mana, who is of the National Institute for Sports in Lagos said the reforms are a good development.
He said the reforms are important to the game at this point in time, especially with the new place given women in the running of affairs.

Hong Kong leader swarmed by ‘angry’ emojis on Facebook

Hong Kong’s beleaguered leader is nearly 100 times more unpopular than US presidential hopeful Donald Trump, according to Facebook’s new “angry-face” button that allows ‘netizens’ to voice their displeasure on the social network.
Chief executive Leung Chun-ying received nearly 133,000 angry emojis on his Facebook profile picture by Saturday, three days after a raft of new emojis were introduced by the social network. Trump’s picture, however, only garnered 1,400 angry faces.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s Facebook profile picture earned around 40 angry faces, while US President Barack Obama’s avatar received just 27.
Earlier this week, Facebook also introduced “sad”, “wow” and “haha” emojis to compliment its “like” button.
Facebook posts on Leung’s page, where public viewers cannot leave a comment, also attracted thousands of angry emojis.
The unpopular leader, who was often caricatured as a vampire by protestors during pro-democracy rallies in 2014, is seen by many as out of touch with the city’s residents.
Locals in the southern Chinese city are also discontent over soaring property prices and lagging wages, which has taken a further toll on the government’s popularity.
Street battles with police earlier this month in the commercial district of Mong Kok left more than 100 injured following an attempted crackdown on hawkers in the area.
In December, Leung said his Facebook page was hacked after reports said scantily-clad women had appeared on his friends list.

I’m in touch with PDP defectors – Sheriff

Ali Modu Sheriff

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, said he has started reaching out to those who left the party for the All Progressives Congress and other political parties.
But he said he won’t mention their names yet.
The former governor of Borno State refused to say if he had also met with the President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki on whether the latter would return to the PDP or not.
Sheriff, who spoke to our correspondent through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Inuwa Bwala in Abuja on Saturday, said the controversy that trailed his appointment was as a result of alleged panic in the camp of the ruling party.
He said the APC leadership was aware of his capability to unite the members of the PDP and also bring back those who defected to the APC, hence the controversy on his appointment.
Bwala said, “We have started reaching out to those who left the PDP and we are discussing already.
“We are getting positive results from them, but we won’t go to the pages of newspapers to announce their names.
“The APC and its leadership are aware that Sheriff has the ability to unite the members of the PDP and also bring back those who have left the party.
“This was why we had the initial controversy on the appointment. But now, we have thrown that behind us as we have resumed work fully.”
Meanwhile, a former Minister of National Planning under the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Suleiman Abubakar, has scolded Governor Ayodele Fayose over his comments that President Muhammadu Buhari was turning Nigeria to an Islamic state.
Fayose had alleged that the trip by President Buhari and five governors to Saudi Arabia was an attempt to transform Nigeria into an Islamic nation.
The former minister described said that the statement “should be seen as a misguided utterances and not a true reflection of the perceptions of most members of our party.”
He said in a statement that the statement was “not only capable of heighten the centrifugal tendencies in our country,
but could be counter-productive to the reform agenda been driven by some patriotic elements in our party.
“The mere visit by the President and some government functionaries is not enough to suggest an attempt to Islamise the nation.

“Any divisive statement from any leaders of our party is condemnable and not in the best interest of Nigeria.”

Buhari makes case for Nigerians killed in Saudi stampede

President Muhammadu Buhari has requested the authorities of Saudi Arabia to come out with the outcome of their investigation into the stampede at Muna in 2015 during which 274 Nigerians were believed to have died.
Buhari has also made a case for compensation for six Nigerians killed in the crane incident in the precincts of the Kaaba.
According to a statement on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President raised the issues during the talks he had with Saudi rulers during his one-week official visit to the country.
Shehu said following the completion of talks with rulers of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom, Buhari directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Hajj Commission to sit down with the Saudis to negotiate improved terms and conditions for Nigerian pilgrims performing the Umrah and the annual Hajj.
This, he said, followed the acceptance by the Saudi government to freely and openly discuss outstanding issues with Nigeria.
“President Buhari, among other things, requested the Saudis to conclude all issues with the Nigerian Hajj Commission, such as the undetermined outcome of their investigation into the stampede at Muna last year, where our officials believe that 274 Nigerian lives were lost.
“There is also the case of compensation for six Nigerians killed in the crane incident in the precincts of the Kaaba and 35 others from the stampede whose DNA profile is feared to be missing.
“President Buhari equally charged the Ministry and the NAHCON to seek a reduction of fees associated with the Umrah Visa,” he said.
Among the 17 issues tendered at the initial meeting between the officials of both countries, Shehu said Nigeria appreciated the increase offered for Umrah pilgrimage but asked that the 76,000 seats maintained for the Hajj be also increased.
The meeting was said to have been led by Nigeria’s Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Fatima Abba Ibrahim and Chairman of NAHCON, Abdullahi Muhammed on the Nigerian side while the Saudi side was led by their Minister of Hajj Affairs, Dr.Bandar bin Muhammad al-Hajjar.

The two countries are expected to follow up on all the issues in the coming weeks.

Housewife wants divorce over €550,000 debt by husband

A 36 year-old housewife, Helen Owie on Tuesday at the Asaba High Court 3, Delta State broke down in tears, begging the court to help recover €550,000 from her husband, one Chidi Ike who from Imo State.
Helen in a mild drama at the dock inside the High Court room while she was being cross-examined by her counsel, Mr. Raphael Okhouoleigbe said: “I got a contact from one of my customers in Benin City where I was then trading in clothes around New Benin Market in 2009 by one Obina who later introduced me to my husband Chidi”.
On how the relationship started, the housewife who claimed she knew nothing about Chidi said: “I showed interest that I will marry the brother after we had discussed and my photograph was sent to Chidi.
Three weeks later, Chidi and I met and we started planning marriage, in the process I got a visa to travel to Italy and in 2012 I returned to Nigeria for the marriage, after the marriage, Chidi my husband demanded for a loan of N3million, and I loaned to him €550,000 and also sponsored our marriage for N180,000”.
Speaking further, the housewife who claimed she was duped of several huge sum of money said: “I spent two years in the Europe and when I returned home, my husband Chidi refused to make love to me for three years, I spent in Nigeria, and each time I asked him to take in, he will dribble me, unknown to me he had a wife and children in Mbaise, Imo State, but he told me he was never married when I met him. He moved into Asaba after our marriage”.
Prosecution witness, CPL Elizabeth Ezeh had told the court the Chidi was arrested and subsequently detained at the Police “A” Division Asaba for alleged fraud, adding that he was granted bail and charged to court on three counts of conspiracy stealing and obtaining under false pretence.

But the accused person, Chidi Ike pleaded not guilty to the charges. The presiding Judge, Justice Daniel Maidu in his ruling adjourned the case till March 21, 2016 for further hearing.

Biafra: Ohaneze demands creation of South East Development Commission

Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra protesting at the Alaba International Market in Lagos...

The Pan Igbo social, political and cultural organisation, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, has demanded the establishment of the South East Development Commission with the sole objective of tackling the infrastructure deficit in Igbo land, as the panacea to end agitation for the creation of the Biafra Republic.
National President of the Ohaneze Ndigbo youth wing, Mazi Okechukwu Iziguzoro, in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Saturday, said the commission, should have such mandate like that of the Niger Delta Development Commission and the proposed North East Development Commission.
Iziguzoro said lack of federal government presence in the South East geopolitical zone was the main reason for the current agitation for the creation of a separate country for the igbos.
He said, “If there is a strong federal presence in the zone, our youths will not see Biafra as an alternative while fortune and fame seekers will not capitalise on that to hoodwink our gullible youths
“Talking about infrastructure, there is no federal presence in Igbo land. There are no good roads there and there are no viable industry owned or facilitated to the zone by the federal government that can cater for the employment of the teeming youths.”
He therefore urged the federal government, to as a matter of urgency, put necessary machinery in motion to repair all major roads in the zone, and start construction of the second Niger Bridge, in order to create enabling environment for the establishment of industries.
He said, “We actually need the South East Development Commission that will be a counterpart of the NDDC that will be well funded to comprehensively tackle infrastructure deficit and engage our youths in productive ventures.
“There is also the urgent need to revive the Enugu Coal Mine that had been closed down for 43 years now which can be an alternative power supply to the nation and create employment too.
“If the federal government can address these fundamental issues, we believe so much that the Biafra agitations would end.”
He said that the igbos are currently being marginalised either in form of federal appointment or in the allocation of resources to develop infrastructure adding that the south east should be accommodated in the current effort to tackle social infrastructure crisis in the country.
He said the position of Ohaneze Ndigbo was that legal means should be followed in the current agitation for self determination in the South East.
Iziguzoro explained that the group had perfected necessary arrangements to present the need for the inclusion of referendum in the nation’s constitution by sending a delegation to the National Assembly to include it in the proposed constitution amendment.

He also said that the leadership of the Ndigbo had initiated disscussions with the presidency and notable traditional institutions in the country, on how to get the proprietor of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, off the hook.

Man, 30, remanded for stabbing his mother to death

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A 30-year-old man, Ibrahim Oniyide, who allegedly stabbed his mother to death was on Friday ordered to be remanded in prison custody by an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
The Chief Magistrate, B.O Ope-Agbe, ordered that the accused be remanded at Ikoyi Prisons pending the release of legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Oniyide is facing one count of murder.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the plea of the accused was not taken.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Sgt. Jimah Iseghede, told the court that the offence was committed on February 5 at about noon at No. 3, Olubunmi Christopher St., Off Arowolo St., Abule-Egba, Lagos.
He alleged that the accused stabbed his mother, Taiwo Oniyide, 50, to death with a kitchen knife.
The prosecutor said that the accused had a disagreement with his mother and in annoyance stabbed her to death.
Iseghede said that the offence contravened Sections 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
NAN reports that Section 221 prescribes death sentence for convicts.

The case has been adjourned to March 8 pending legal advice from the DPP.

UN peacekeeper kills commander, doctor in Mali

A soldier in the Chadian contingent of the UN’s peacekeeping force in northern Mali killed his own commander and an army doctor on Thursday following weeks of tensions over living conditions, UN sources told AFP.
The soldier had started an “insurrection” against the contingent’s top brass the previous evening before shooting the two men dead, said a source within the UN force, known by the acronym MINUSMA.
“Dozens of Chadian peacekeepers have been unhappy with their working conditions in northern Mali,” the MINUSMA source said.
“The peacekeeper decided he wasn’t going to stand for how his superior spoke to him after being accused of some pretty serious things,” the source added.
The man was arrested, along with a dozen other Chadian soldiers accused of “disobedience”, at the contingent’s base north of the city of Kidal.
The 2,000 Chadian soldiers of the African-led International Support Mission in Mali, MINUSMA’s predecessor, were at the forefront of a French-led military intervention launched in January 2013 to oust Islamist rebels who had taken over vast stretches of the north in the chaos following a coup.
Dozens of Chadian troops deserted their posts in a dispute over pay and conditions in recent years, complaining that they hadn’t received a salary for months.
“Everyone knows that the Chadian soldiers are always complaining about their living conditions. But that’s not a reason to shoot your boss,” a local politician told AFP without wanting to be named.

Twenty-nine members of MINUSMA were killed last year and more than 80 were injured, making it the most deadly active mission for the UN.

Rev. King must die by hanging, Supreme Court ‎affirms

The Supreme Court has affirmed the death sentence passed on the  General-Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo (aka Rev. King), ‎by a Lagos High Court in Ikeja for the murder and attempted murder of some members of his church in 2006.
The cleric was sentenced to death by hanging by then trial judge of the Lagos High Court, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole (now Justice of the Court of Appeal) on ‎January 11, 2007.
‎A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Friday, dismissed the appeal filed by the cleric against the concurrent judgments of the Lagos High Court in Ikeja and Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, which had both convicted him of the alleged crimes.
The condemned cleric, was  arraigned before the Lagos High Court in Ikeja on September 26, 2006 on six counts of murder of a member of his church, Ann Uzoh, and attempted murder of five other devotees.
He was said to have poured petrol on the deceased and the five other victims and set them on fire thereafter.
One of the victims, Uzoh, was said to have died on August 2, 2006, 11 days after the incident, as a result of the injuries said to have been sustained from the burnt.
She was said to have been 65 per cent ‎burnt in the fire incident.
Ezeugo had appealed to the Court of Appeal against the judgment of  Justice Oyewole.
But the judgment of the Lagos High Court was affirmed‎d by the Court of Appeal in its verdict delivered on February 1, 2013.
The judgment of the appeal court was further affirmed by the Supreme Court on Friday.
In his opening remarks, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who read the lead judgment, said‎, “The fact of this case could have been lifted from a horror film.”
The Justice Amina Augie-led three-man panel of the appeal court, had unanimously dismissed Ezeugo’s appeal, stating that the prosecution had “surely and effectively” proved its case against him at the trial court.

Justice Fatima Akinbami who read the lead judgment had dismissed the appellant’s contention that there were “contradictions and inconsistencies” in the prosecution’s evidence.

Sunday Oliseh resigns as Super Eagles coach

                                                                  

Oliseh

Sunday Oliseh has announced his resignation as Super Eagles Coach.

The former Nigerian International announced his decision to end his increasingly controversial tenure on Twitter early this morning.
He attributed the decision to lack of support and contract violations by the Nigerian Football Federation.
The 41-year-old, who was appointed as the Super Eagles Head Coach in July 2015, has had a tough time leading the National team with a poor run of results recently. He had recently had to apologise to the NFF and Nigerians after posting a video in which he attacked his critics. Earlier in his tenure he had fallen out with former Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, leading to the latter’s decision to quit the team. Oliseh noted that he was, however, grateful for the opportunity to lead the Super Eagles.

Benue killings getting out of hand, says governor

Samuel Ortom

The Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, has lamented that the killings currently going on in Agatu Local Government Area of his state is getting out of hand.
He said the situation, which had led to the death of many people and the destruction of several settlements, had degenerated.
Ortom, who spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, said he was forced to travel to Abuja to brief the Presidency due to the situation on the ground in Agatu.
Media reports had it that at least 145 persons had been killed in 25 villages in the local government area.
Ortom said he could no longer sit back in the state and continue to watch the ugly events without seeking help from the Federal Government.
The governor said, “There are issues in my state, especially the invasion of herdsmen in one of my local governments, Agatu Local Government.
“While we are making our own efforts to ensure that we maintain law and order, I thought it was necessary to also brief the Presidency.
“We also discussed other issues of interest. I think that the security situation in Benue, especially in Agatu, is getting out of hand.
“Right now, as I talk to you, several settlements have been razed, an undisclosed number of people were killed and my people are refugees all over the place. I cannot sit back in Benue State when such a thing is happening.
“The security agencies within the state are also trying, the police, the Army, the Civil Defence and the DSS. We have been holding a series of meetings. It is really alarming.”
He added, “Like I keep advocating, there is a need for us to find a lasting solution, which is creation of ranches. That is the best global best practice. That is what is happening everywhere in the world.
“The land that used to exist in 1950s, when we had cattle routes and grazing areas, is no longer there. It is the same 923,000 square metres that is still existing. Then, the population of Nigeria was less than 60 million. Today we have a population of over 170 million. How do you cope with allowing grazing areas and all that?
“But what I have been telling our people is that what we need as a lasting solution is ranches. I have been telling them to sheathe their swords; we must learn to live with one another.
“The herdsmen must appreciate that the farmer lives on his farming and the farmer must appreciate that the herdsman lives on his cattle.
“There must be mutual understanding so that we work together and address this. We must adopt the method of live and let’s live. It is not a matter of who has won. The herdsmen and farmers must work together while the government is looking at establishing ranches just like it is done globally,” he said.
The governor said the response he got from the Vice-President showed that the state and the Presidency were on the same page on the need to resolve the matter on time.
He said the issue would also be discussed at the next meeting of the National Economic Council with the aim of taking a definite step that would put an end to the situation.

Senate uncovers N5bn shortfall in education ministry budget

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

The Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education on Thursday said it had uncovered N5bn shortfall in the amount provided for meal subsidy for the unity schools across the country and the personnel cost of King’s College, Lagos in the 2016 budget proposal submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Vice-Chairman of the committee, Senator Rose Oko, said the anomaly was discovered   during the collation of the 2016 budget by the Senate Committee on Appropriation.
Oko explained to the lawmakers that only N6.8bn was proposed for meal subsidy in unity schools instead of N11.2bn needed.
The amount, according to her, was inadequate for the unity schools meal subsidy, adding that the implication was that the amount provided would only be enough for six months.
This, she added, meant that the ministry would need to look for N5bn to meet up with the shortfall.
She also told the appropriation committee that there was an omission of N338m from the personnel cost of King’s College.
She explained that instead of N375m, the ministry budgeted N37m as a result of typographical errors which brought about the shortfall of N338m.
However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, assured Nigerians that the committee would accommodate the omission in the final budget.
He said his panel would find a way of looking for N5bn in order to cater for meal subsidy in unity schools and personnel cost at the King’s College.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Thursday assured Nigerians of effective monitoring of the 2016 budget implementation by involving the various civil society groups in its oversight functions.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Civil Societies Organisations, Senator Rose Oko, who stated this in her office, said the Eight Senate had resolved in its legislative agenda that it would engage, very robustly, the major stakeholders.
She said the civil society groups remained major stakeholders that were critical to the success of the current administration’s determination to tackle corruption and achieve fiscal discipline.
She said that the contributions of all the civil society groups who participated in the interactive session with the National Assembly on the 2016 budget would be taken into consideration and adopted by the federal parliament.
She said, “Going forward, the Senate has promised to involve adequately the CSOs in the process of budget passage, monitoring of its implementation and oversight on Ministries, Departments and Agencies, to curb corruption and extravagance.
Oko said the Senate would soon draw out a programme of action that would bring on board, the CSOs in the area of oversight and other aspects of legislation.
She said, “We will work out the details of the oversight since this is the first time we are experimenting such an arrangement. The CSOs have also challenged us to be more open with our budget and we have assured them.”
The report of her committee’s engagement with the CSOs, was considered on Thursday, with the various groups asking the Federal Government to allocate 10 per cent of the 2016 budget to agriculture.
They also frowned on the inflation of contract in virtually all the parastatals in the Federal Ministry of Education and urged the National Assembly to address the issue as part of measures to tackle the rot in the sector.
The groups, therefore, urged the federal parliamentarians to ensure proper clean-up of the budget before its eventual passage next month.

Senate plans Lamorde’s arrest over alleged N1tn diversion

Lamorde

The Senate on Thursday asked its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to begin the process of issuing a warrant for the arrest of a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde.
The Senate had been investigating Lamorde on a petition written against him by one Dr. George Uboh, on the alleged diversion of over N1tn allegedly recovered from treasury looters by the anti-graft agency.
Uboh, the Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security Systems, had petitioned the Senate through the senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Peter Nwaoboshi.
He had alleged that Lamorde, in connivance with some other EFCC officials, short-changed the Federal Government in the remittance of the funds and assets recovered from some eminent public office-holders.
Uboh alleged that under Lamorde, the EFCC operated accounts in banks, which did not reflect in the EFCC audited accounts.
He also alleged that the EFCC doctored and manipulated bank accounts to conceal its diversion of funds, and also released recovered funds to unidentified persons and some EFCC officials.
Apart from this, he was accused of also converting over 90 per cent of the money EFCC to recovered to foreign currencies.
At the consideration of the report on Thursday at the plenary, the ethics panel lamented that efforts made to get Lamorde’s reaction to the allegations were not successful.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who read the report, noted that Lamorde ignored invitations extended to him and therefore recommended that a warrant for his arrest should be issued.
He said that Lamorde had been invited on three occasions through letters dated August 19, 2015, November 3, 2015, and November 11, 2015, but that all the invitations were turned down by the former EFCC boss.
He added that the panel was convinced that Larmode deliberately refused to appear to defend the allegations against him.
The committee therefore said it was good for the Senate to force Larmode to appear if only to “save the National Assembly, as the highest law-making body of the nation, from an irreparable damage to its reputation and capacity to summon.”
The committee also recommended that a warrant for Lamorde’s arrest should be issued by the Senate.
But the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, cautioned the Senate against any act capable of causing a constitutional breach.
He said sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) had spelt out criteria for issuing a warrant for arrest on any individual.
According to him, the constitution does not indicate that such a warrant should be agreed upon through a resolution of the Senate, but on the recommendation of the committee.
Ekweremadu said the ethics committee was supposed to forward a request to the Senate President to issue a directive to the Inspector-General of Police.
According to the DSP, sections 88(1) and 89(1) (1-5) of the constitution clearly stipulates the mechanism for the two arms of the legislature to summon a person and also generate warrants in case of disobedience to the summons by the concerned person.
The DSP noted that the power to issue an arrest warrant lies with the committee and not the Senate in session. He urged the Senate to do the right thing.
He said, “So what is required here is for the committee to issue a warrant for arrest and then the President of the Senate will direct the police to effect the arrest.”
“It is not the business of the Senate during plenary to do so. Otherwise, we will be offending this part of the constitution.
“So, the issue of warrant of arrest is not something that we will take a resolution on. The resolution has already been taken by the committee.
“If there is any consequential order that needs to be made, the committee can deal with that and direct it through the Office of the President of the Senate, who will direct the Police to effect the warrant.”
The Senate President agreed with his deputy’s submission as he ruled that the committee should do the right thing to get the warrant of arrest issued on Larmode.
He said, “The issue has been well spelt out by the DSP and clearly referred to in the constitution. Based on the constitution, the issue should be left at the level of the committee and in accordance with Section 89 of the Constitution.”

EFCC re-arraigns Metuh for obstruction of operatives today

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has amended the charges of destruction of evidence filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja, against the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh.
With the amendment, another count of obstruction of officers of the commission has been added to the initial two, and the PDP spokesperson will be made to take a fresh plea to all the three counts when the matter comes up before Justice Ishaq Bello on Friday (today).
The amended charge has been filed before the FCT High Court and served on Metuh’s lawyers on Thursday.
Before the amendment, the EFCC had on January 21 arraigned Metuh on two counts, including destruction of his statement on January 5, 2016, allegedly to prevent it (the statement) from being tendered as evidence against him in court.
In the second count, Metuh was accused of “mischief,” which he was said to have committed by allegedly tearing the said statement “with the intent to cause wrongful loss or damage to the property of the EFCC.”
He had pleaded not guilty to the two counts, and the trial judge, Justice Bello, had fixed Friday for trial.
But the defendant will have to take a fresh plea with the fresh amendment to the charges.
Metuh was said to have torn a statement, which he made to the commission under caution on January 5, while he was being investigated for the charges of alleged fraud bordering on the N400m which he collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014.
However, under the additional third count, the PDP chief is accused of obstructing officials of the EFCC on the same day.
According to the anti-graft agency, the said offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 38(2) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004.
The law provides for a punishment with a maximum of a five-year jail term or N20,000 fine or both imprisonment and fine.
Meanwhile, Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday fixed March 9 to decide on whether or not Metuh had a case to answer with respect to the charges of fraud and money laundering instituted against him by the EFCC.
The judge, also on Thursday, dismissed a suit by Metuh, challenging his trial for the two separate charges instituted against him before the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court.
Justice Abang dismissed the case for lack of diligent prosecution and ordered Metuh to pay N20,000 each to four out of the six defendants, including the EFCC.
Apart from the EFCC, the beneficiaries of the total sum of N80,000 which Metuh was ordered to pay, are the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of the Police and the Nigerian Immigration Service.
Justice Abang on Thursday adjourned the fraud and money laundering case till March 9 after counsel representing the parties in the case adopted their written submissions for and against Metuh’s no-case submission.
The EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited, on seven counts of alleged N400m fraud and money laundering.
The EFCC accused the defendants of fraudulently receiving from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014 the sum of N400m meant for the procurement of arms.
It also accused Metuh of laundering $2m.
The prosecution alleged that part of the N400m received from ONSA was used by Metuh to fund the PDP’s presidential campaign for the 2015 election in which former President Goodluck Jonathan was the party’s candidate.
After the prosecution closed its case, Metuh on February 18, sought and obtained the leave of the court to file a no-case submission.
In the no-case submission, Metuh urged the court to discharge and acquit him on the grounds that the EFCC had made no case against him with the eight prosecution witnesses called and all the documents tendered.
At the hearing on Thursday, Metuh’s lawyer, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), urged the court to discharge and acquit his client, arguing that the prosecution had led no credible evidence linking him (Metuh) to the alleged crime.
But the EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, maintained that the prosecution had led credible evidence through its eight witnesses and documents tendered before the court, warranting the court to direct the defendants to “give their own side of the story.”
The judge then adjourned the case for either ruling or judgment, depending on the merit or otherwise of the application by Metuh.
Justice Abang ruled, “The court will be adjourned for either ruling or judgment.
“If the no-case application succeeds, the court will deliver judgment and the charge will be struck out; and the defendants will be discharged.
“In the event that the court overrules the application, then the court will deliver ruling, dismissing the applicant’s no-case submission.
“The court, on the same day, will call on the defendants to enter their defence.
“In the light of this, this matter is hereby adjourned till March 9 for ruling or judgment as the case may be.”