The House of Representatives has given the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, 24 hours to appear before its committee on Public Procurement over alleged abuse and breach of the Procurement Act, 2001.
The committee, today, Monday, walked out on officials of the Finance Ministry led by the Legal Director, Gabriel Christopher, who it said had no the competence to speak on the matter.
The committee is saddled with the responsibility to investigate ‘Allegations of Abuse, Breach, and Violations of Public Procurement Act 2001 in the Engagements of Contractors for Pre- shipment, Inspection, and Monitoring of Crude 0il and Gas Export from Nigeria.’ [myad]
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has re-arraigned former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode and former Finance minister, Nenadi Usman before a Federal High Court in Lagos. Also included are one Danjuma Yusuf and a company; Joint Trust Dimension Nig. Ltd.
They are being charged with money laundering and alleged diversion of N4.6 billion. They are facing 17-count charge.
The defendants pleaded not guilty before a new Judge handling the case, Justice Rilwan Aikawa. The Judge took over trial after Mr. Fani-Kayode applied that Muslim Hassan should excuse himself from the trial on the grounds that he was the EFCC officer who signed a criminal charge filed against him.
Fani-Kayode, was the spokesperson of former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election campaign organisation. [myad]
Cleaners and porters, today, Monday, shut down Abuja Specialist Hospital in Gwagwalada, demanding the immediate payment of their five months accumulated salaries from their employers.
Eye witness accounts said today, Monday, that the angry workers, who arrived in the hospital as early as 6am, barricaded all entrances into the premises of the hospipital, including the main gate, making it impossible for medical and other essential personnel to gain entry into the premises.
It was learnt that the protesting workers stationed themselves in strategic places around the hospital to prevent essential staff from carrying out their duties, even as the services of the porters and the cleaners were completely grounded.
It was learnt that most of the outpatients were forced to either go to other nearby health facilities for medical attention or return to their houses. This was even as the patients on admission were left to their fate.
The protesting workers, who are said to be earning between N12, 000 and, N15,000 per month, are under direct employment of private companies to which the cleaning job and that of the porters are contracted.
It was not immediately known whether or not the Federal Ministry of health, under the which jurisdiction the Specialist Hospitals operate, had actually disbursed funds to the private company, from where they would pay their workers. [myad]
Doctors in Kogi State have suspended their 10-day old strike to give room for dialogue with the State Government.
In a statement issued after its ordinary General Meeting in Lokoja, the association said that the decision to suspend the strike was unanimously taken to honour the Kogi paramount ruler, Attah Igala, and other imminent stakeholders, for their intervention.
“NMA has agreed to suspend its strike for two weeks to enable prominent personalities and stakeholders, mediate.
“Since the Attah of Igala, NMA National President and our honourable members of the House of Assembly have requested the association to suspend the action and give them time to intervene, we have no choice than to honour them.
“We will reconvene in a forth night to decide on the way forward if no positive progress is made and our demands are not met.”
The statement was signed by the Chairman of NMA in the state, Dr. Godwin Tijani,
The doctors embarked on industrial action despite threat by Kogi Government to terminate the appointment of any of its staff, under its health sector, that participates.
Acting Head of Service, Kehinde Lawal, in a circular, warned that the state government will also adopt the policy of ‘no work no pay’ for any doctor on strike.
Kehinde had said that government was doing its best to make sure that all the salary arrears of cleared officers, by the screening committee, would be paid within the shortest time possible.
“It is equally noteworthy for every union to realise that the best way to resolve any issue is through peaceful dialogue and not strike action.
“In view of the foregoing, any staff of Kogi State Government that decides to go on strike is hereby notified that such person will have his/her job at stake.
“The policy of ‘No Work No Pay’ will be adopted for any worker that embarks on strike action,” she said. [myad]
Eugene Anenih, son of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) chieftain, Chief Tony Anenih, has reportedly slumped and died at a Lagos club on Saturday. Eugene was said to be playing table tennis when he suddenly collapsed and passed away.
Until his death, he was the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nova Finance & Securities Limited.
Eugene also used to be the Head of Corporate Finance and Treasury Operations at A and Hatman Ltd before moving on to Nova Finance & Securities Limited as Chief Executive Officer.
He was an authorized Dealing Clerk of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers. [myad]
Liverpool beat West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday to return to third place in the English Premier League, with striker Daniel Sturridge scoring his first goal since January.
Philippe Coutinho’s sublime pass on the half-hour mark cut open the Hammers defence and picked out an unmarked Sturridge who went around goalkeeper Adrian before slotting home.
The Brazilian then scored two of his own after the break before Divock Origi fired in a fourth to complete the Liverpool procession.
In a frenetic opening period, there were chances for both sides. But, as both teams settled down in the London sun, it was Liverpool’s Brazilian magician who turned up the gears and once again orchestrated a Liverpool victory.
The playmaker produced an exquisite pass from behind the halfway line for the opener as Sturridge evaded the offside trap and rolled home a tidy finish.
In spite of Liverpool’s dominance, West Ham could have however been level before the break had it not been for an astonishing miss by Andre Ayew.
They were then left to rue that mistake as the second half became a Liverpool procession orchestrated by playmaker Coutinho.
Georginio Wijnaldum’s thunderbolt pinged back off the bar and the Brazilian was the first to pounce.
He drove another shot home to make it three after a quick Liverpool counter-attack.
The Hammers woes were compounded when goalkeeper Adrian flapped at a high ball causing chaos in the box before Origi drilled in Liverpool’s fourth.
A win against Middlesbrough on the season’s final day will book Liverpool a Champions League spot in 2017/2018 season.
Liverpool were Champions League winners in the 2004/2005 season, beating AC Milan in the final in a penalty shootout by a score of 3–2, after 3-3 draw in regular time and extra time.
Liverpool’s unprecedented comeback gave rise to the final being known by LFC supporters as the Miracle of Istanbul, and is regarded as one of the greatest feats of the football club, and most thrilling finals in the history of the tournament. [myad]
In spite of a lull in Forex trading activities towards the end of last week, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has assured of its determination to sustain stability in the foreign exchange by continually making intervention in the inter-bank market.
Information reaching us indicated that the CBN had vowed not to allow the gains made by it recent in recent time to be frittered away by temporary setback.
It was learnt that the apex bank did not make major interventions all through the week ending May 12 because there was a surfeit of foreign exchange in the system, and that the bank would continue to make necessary interventions to ensure the stability of the naira.
It was further gathered that the windows established by the CBN for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as for investors and exporters were yielding the desired results by providing access to forex and easing pressure on the market.
Meanwhile, the apex bank’s Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor confirmed the development and said that the bank’s commitment to ensure that there is enough supply of forex to genuine customers to achieve the goal of forex rates convergence.
It will be recalled that the CBN since February 2017 has been involved in massive interventions in all segments of the interbank market to ensure liquidity and availability of forex. [myad]
The Managing Director of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Hon. Emmanuel Jime, has said that new welfare package is being worked out for the workers of the authority as a way of motivating them towards the realization of its mandate of spearheading the process of Nigeria’s industrialization.
Jime, who spoke in Calabar, Cross River State while addressing NEPZA staff at the weekend, said that the duty of marketing the Authority to the Nigeria and the international community was incumbent upon all staff, adding, however, that “only a well-motivated staff can key into the noble agenda.”
“There is a new welfare package coming, I want to assure you. And it is not too long from now. One of the first things I did upon assumption of office was to set up a high-powered, management panel to look at the issue of welfare, salaries, promotions as well as contract staff, and advise me accordingly.
“So, I am committed to staff welfare. From my experience in public life, it is my understanding that only a well-motivated staff can enable NEPZA to achieve its mandate, and, hence, drive Nigeria’s twin-agenda of economic diversification and industrial growth.
“So, I am suing for the cooperation of all staff of the authority. Wherever they may be, we need to be on the same page. I have come into office with a dream, a dream about NEPZA taking Nigeria to the next level, and I urge you to identify with the new vision. And since history belongs to dreamers, join me – let us dream together for our country.”
Jime said that his trip to Calabar was part of his fact-finding and familiarization visits to the Free Trade Zones in the country to see things for himself so as to enable him formulate policy from a position of first-hand information.
“China’s economic magic is anchored around its innovations in the FTZs. And this is why we must market the concept to all industry stakeholders so as to remove all misconceptions, close all gaps and do away with red tape so that our FTZs can attain the roles envisioned for them in the regulatory framework.
Earlier, staff of the Authority in Calabar had appealed to the new managing director to prioritize staff welfare, and bring it at par with other sister-agencies in the country as a way of boosting morale and productivity. [myad]
A humanitarian organization under the aegis of Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC), in Jos, Plateau State, has called on the Nigerian Army to keep a close watch on a journalist, Ahmad Salkida, who it said, had turned himself into the spokesman of the dreaded Boko Haram.
The group, which expressed concern over a new Boko Haram video being promoted by “a supposed journalist, Ahmed Salkida,” asked security agencies move fast and stop him from threatening Nigerians, simply because he lost out in the negotiations that led to the recent release of 82 Chibok Girls.
According to the group, the recent video clips from Boko Haram is being promoted by Ahmad Salkida, “who claims to be a journalist and is hiding under the noble profession to justify his possession of this terrorist material and other activities against humanity.”
The Executive Director of SHAC, Dr. Leonard Pukat, in a statement, said that it had become apparent that the terrorists’ spokesman, Salkida is back to his old haunts and would do anything to seek relevance and ingratiate himself on the undiscerning.
“His old trick was to cause panic and drive spanners in the wheel of progress and it is apparent this has not changed. We learnt Salkida, who fed fat on phantom peace deals and fictional ceasefires under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, lost out in the negotiations that freed the Chibok girls and is now trying to reinvent himself by promoting the supposed new video.
“The previous ceasefire talks he had been part of turned out to be nothing but well choreographed performance by paid actors and international jobbers. His present outing is nothing short of this fraudulent arrangement.
“Even when coming from a known fraud, we call on the Nigerian Military and other security agencies to keep an eye on Salkida and his associates. Such persons, who were at one time or the other campaign coordinators for Boko Haram to get soft treatment, might have become desperate and eager to cause panic and apprehension in the minds of citizens who are going about their peaceful life.
“Authorities must however not treat the threats from Salkida and the actors in his video with levity as past experience have proven that they would do anything, including killing and maiming the innocent with bombs, to make the point about their relevance.
“The nation’s security agencies must therefore go after Boko Haram’s propaganda arm now before they have the time rebuild their scare infrastructure using the swapped prisoners as justification to terrorize Nigerians. Salkida’s point of view tallied smugly with the projections of some other notable collaborators and roles of such people in reviving the terror machinery must also be investigated.
“Nigeria’s military, which observes the highest rules of engagement possible, must henceforth take a cue from the so called superpowers of the world that do not take terrorists prisoner since experience has shown that such criminals do not relent until they are eliminated in battle. Any Boko Haram prisoner that was swapped for the Chibok Girls and goes back to fighting the Nigerian state deserves no soft treatment even if a thousand Salkidas campaign for such.” [myad]
A Boko Haram insurgent who claimed to be one of the commanders in the terrorist group, Shuaibu Moni has threatened to launch attack on the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, even as the Nigerian Army dismissed such threat as a mere propaganda.
In video clips, obtained by a journalist, Ahmed Salkida, the purported Boko Haram commander claimed that more than five of them were released in exchange for the recently released 82 Chibok girls and quoted him as saying that they were set to launch fresh attacks in parts of the country, and that a bomb attack on Abuja was imminent.
However, in a statement today by the Director of Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman, the Nigerian Army described the new video clips as propaganda and called on Nigerians to disregard the “empty threats” of the terrorists.
The Army described the claims by the Boko Haram group as boastful, spurious, out of tune with current realities and aimed at seeking relevance and attention.
The Army asked Nigerians to ignore the freed Boko Haram commander, adding: “we would like to assure the public that the Nigerian Army is totally committed to the Federal Government’s determined efforts of rescuing all abducted persons and peace in the country.
“We will not relent our determined efforts of clearing the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists as manifested through the ongoing clearance operations.”
The army called on Nigerians to shun the Boko Haram propaganda and show more support, cooperation and understanding with it so as to completely eliminate the group out of the country.
“We should not give in to terrorist’s propaganda and empty threats. We have come to a very critical stage of the fight against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria that requires more patriotism and security consciousness by all and sundry.” [myad]
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