I Won’t Return N840 Million Without Court Trial, Fani-Kayode Dares EFCC

June 16, 2016

Director of media and publicity for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign organization in the last year’s election, Femi Fani-Kayode, has made it clear to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that no amount of pressure would make him to cough out N840 Million he was alleged to have received as part of the loot for the campaign.

Fani-Kayode is facing a 17-count charged at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Fani-Kayode told the court through his counsel, Ahmed Raji that he would be ready and willing to provide a responsible surety(ies) as may be required by the court as a condition(s) for the grant of his application for bail.

He argued that under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), bail is more relaxed as all offences are bailable “and in the class of offences charged, it is the prosecution that has a burden to show why bail should be refused. More so, under the Act, all offences can be compounded by plea bargain. So, it is not about imprisonment any longer.”

He further argued that one of the co-accused in the charge, a former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, who allegedly received the money from government and paid Fani-Kayode, wrote that she did not know the money was from government. So, how would Fani- Kayode know?

EFCC slammed Fani- Kayode and Usman with a 17-count charge for fraud and money laundering.

Fani-Kayode was arrested for allegedly receiving N840 million during the presidential campaign of former president Goodluck Jonathan.

In the motion dated June 15, 2016, Raji argued that the offences, for which his client is charged, are bailable.

“The Defendant/Applicant has never been convicted of any offence in Nigeria or any other jurisdiction.

By Section 36 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Defendant/Applicant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“The reputation and past credible record of the Defendant/Applicant attest to the fact that he will not jump bail if he is granted same. The Defendant/ Applicant will not interfere with the investigation or further investigation of the charges preferred against him.”

Source: Daily Sun. [myad]

GTBank Holds 6th Annual Autism Conference

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2016

Guaranty Trust Bank plc has announced the commencement of the 6^th edition of its Annual Autism Conference. The two-day programme will hold on the 20^th and 21^st of June at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

According to the bank, the themed of the programme: “Managing Autism: The Next Generation, Consideration and Resources”, will feature specialists from Nigeria and the United States of America that will offer consulting services.

The services will include the assessment of children for Autism and other developmental challenges to the counseling of their parents, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy , Behaviour Analysis, Audiology, Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychiatry, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy.

A statement from the bank indicated that amongst the partners for the two-day programme are the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Patience Ambode, First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, the state Ministries of Health and Education, Science and Technology, Blazing Trails International, Texas, USA, College of Medicine, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Patrick’s Speech and Language Centre and the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro Ogun State.

The annual Autism Awareness Conference commenced in 2009 as part of the GTBank Orange Ribbon Initiative, an advocacy program which has been at the forefront of creating awareness for ASD to ensure autism is diagnosed early in children, encouraging investment in autism research and management as well as campaigning not only against the stigmatization of children living with autism but also that they receive the required support from parents, teachers, friends and the society.

The 5^th edition of the Autism Conference had over 1,500 participants, more than triple the number which attended the inaugural conference. Even more participants are expected at this year’s conference which starts by 9am and closes by 5pm daily.

Commenting on the 6^th Annual Autism Awareness Conference, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said: “this year, we hope to go beyond awareness and make our greatest impact yet amplifying the national awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder and increasing the expert assistance available to people living with Autism.

“Our belief that children, irrespective of developmental disorders, can reach the fullness of their potential continues to inspire us to provide support for parents, teachers and care givers of children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder through our annual Autism program.” [myad]

Excel Boys From Port Harcourt Lift 18th NNPC/Shell Cup

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2016

In a classic display of skills and talent, the golden boys of Excel Education Centre, Port Harcourt on Thursday clinched the 18th edition of the NNPC/Shell Cup with a 3 – 2 victory over their counterparts from Fosla Academy, Abuja.
The prize money is a total of N8.2 million – N3.5m for the 1st position; N2.3 million for the 2nd position; N1.3 million and N1.1 million for the 3rd and the 4th positions respectively.
Kelvin Amadi of Excel school and Joseph Ejeh of Fosla were selected by the coaching crew from Feyenoord Academy, as the two best players of the 2016 tournament and would be sponsored for a training tour to The Netherlands.
In the match played at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere Lagos, Joseph Tari of Excel opened the goals in the 13th minute when he beat the Fosla defenders and the goalkeeper to nod the ball in the net.
The thunderous applause from the team’s supporters hardly subsided when Solomon Abraham of Fosla Academy delivered an equaliser in the 14th minute. Jacob Bamaiyi shot the Excel boys back to the lead in the 33rd minute of play.
The second half saw Tari finding the net again to give victory comfort to his team. In a brilliant show of resilience and determination, Solomon converted a penalty to score the second goal for his side.
A large crowd cheered the two teams. They included the Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor; the Group General Manager CSR of NNPC, Mr. Ahmed Laminu who represented the Group General Manager of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS); and President of the Nigeria Schools Sports Federation, Mallam Ibahim Mohammed.
Earlier, the boys from the Government Science Secondary School, Bauchi had defeated their Asegun Comprehensive High School, Ibadan team by 4:3 in a keenly contested yet very entertaining third place match.
In his comment, Mr. Okunbor commended the discipline exhibited by the students and charged them to live by that standard even away from the pitch.
“The final match is highly competitive but I cannot but commend the level of discipline and fair displayed by the boys,” he said. “They should keep that behaviour in their studies and indeed in everything they do.”
He reiterated the motivation behind the sponsorship of the annual tournament as SPDC’s belief that students could combine their education with football passion without sacrificing one for the other.
In opening remarks before the match, the Group General Manager, NAPIMS, Mr. Dafe Sejebor, noted that over 700,000 students had participated in the championship since inception in 1998. “We are proud to note that some of the footballers that started from here have gone on to play for the national teams and international clubs.
The final ceremonies also witnessed a special performance of the NNPC/Shell Cup theme music by ace songster, Sonny Nnaji.
Also present to watch the final match were the representative of the Chief of Defence Staff, Commodore Ibrahim Umar and ex-international, Segun Odegbami.
The annual tournament, Nigeria’s flagship secondary school soccer championship, is organised by the Nigeria Schools Sports Federation and sponsored by the SPDC joint venture.
Sheikh Abubakar Gumi College, Kaduna won the maiden edition of the cup in 1999 while Rochas Okoracha Foundation School, Ogbuku, Imo State won the 2015 edition. [myad]

Ex President Jonathan Narrowly Missed $5 Million Mo Ibrahim Prize

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2016

The immediate past Nigeria President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, narrowly missed the prestigious $5 million Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership despite meeting a key criterion.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which instituted the prize, said on Thursday that no former African leader met the requirements for the 2015 version of the yearly award.

Namibia’s former president was named winner of the the world’s richest award that has seen a dearth of worthy candidates, for “good governance” in Africa, last year.

Hifikepunye Pohamba, 79, is only the fourth winner of the $5 million annual prize, launched in 2007 with the aim of encouraging and rewarding good governance across a continent where the likes of Nelson Mandela — who bowed out gracefully from office — remain the exception.

While elections are now the rule in Africa, many leaders seek to force through constitutional changes in order to stay in power, sometimes well into old age, while others die in office or are forced to flee.

The prize, which was instituted in 2006 by Sudanese telecoms entrepreneur, Mo Ibrahim, rewards former African leaders who demonstrated sterling qualities while in office.

The prize rewards democratically elected ex-leaders who left office in the last three years; served their constitutionally mandated term; and demonstrated exceptional leadership.

The prize also “showcases unsung heroes of the African continent; recognises African leaders who have dedicated their tenure of office to developing their countries, improving the welfare and livelihoods of their people and paving the way for sustainable development; offers opportunities for leaders who have left national office to continue in other public roles across the continent; encourages the engagement of African citizens in the leadership debate.

The award is also “a standard for excellence in leadership in Africa, and not a ‘first prize’, there is not necessarily a Laureate every year,” the foundation said.

The seven-man panel said in a statement that no African leader met its requirements.

The democratic credentials of former President Goodluck Jonathan have been globally celebrated and received yet another boost with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the United States recognizing him as the leader that provided the best moments for democracy in Africa in 2015.

In its “The Year in Review” report for 2015, the Center in March 2016 highlighted Nigeria’s 2015 elections and praised Jonathan’s classy role in ensuring a smooth transfer of power in Nigeria which “became a big confidence boost for Africa’s mass movements for democracy.”

Apart from Jonathan, who left office in May 2015, another former African leader who quit in the last three years is Yayi Boni of Benin Republic.

A winner enjoys $5m over 10 years and another $200,000 yearly for life. A winner can also ask for another $200,000 for good causes he or she supports.

So far, only the former presidents of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano; Botswana’s Festus Mogae; Namibia’s Hifikepunye Pohamba; and Pedro Piers of Cape Verde have clinched the award.

Ex-South African President, Nelson Mandela was awarded an honorary prize in 2007. [myad]

How Ex Journalists’ Union Boss, Chuks Ehirim Died In Abuja

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2016

A family friend, Chucks Ohuebe had called on the cell phone of the former chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abuja chapter, Chuck Ehirim, to congratulate him as he turned 50 on Thursday. But to his shock, Chuk’s wife picked the call and announced that he was dead on the same day.

“I was totally gutted!” Mr. Ohuegbe wrote on Facebook.

Chucks Ehirim, who led the Abuja council of the NUJ between 2012 and 2015, was said to have died after a protracted illness.

He graduated in 1992 from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and worked with Tell magazine before he later returned to the same university where he obtained a master’s degree.

He was an Associate Editor of the National Accord on which platform he contested the 2012 NUJ chairmanship election. He last worked as assistant editor, northern operations of the Niche Magazine before his death.

Another Chucks Ehirim’s friend, Amos Dunia, himself a former chairman of the FCT Chapter of NUJ, described the death of Chuks Ehirim as “shocking and devastating.” [myad]

Lawyers, Judges Fingered As Frustrating Anti-Corruption War – Babachir, Others

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2016

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) and rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN) have reached a consensus that activities of professionals, particularly lawyers and judges are frustrating efforts by the Federal Government to curb corruption and impunity in the country.

Lawal, Sagay, Falana and others, who spoke in Abuja at a workshop on the “Role of professionals in the fight against corruption,” were unanimous on the need for professionals to put societal interest above individual preferences, uphold professional ethics, and support government’s efforts to enthrone transparency in the conduct of state affairs.

The workshop was put together by PACAC, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) and the Convention on Business Integrity (CBI).

Lawal said that the role of lawyers and some compromised judges, who offer their expertise to indicted individuals and deploy delay tactics and other underhand methods to frustrate the successful prosecution of criminal cases, was particularly injurious to the federal government’s anti-corruption campaign.

Represented by the Director, Nigerian national Volunteer Services (NNVS), Tor Tsavsar, the SGF said there was need for professionals to see themselves as stakeholders in government’s anti-graft efforts if the country was to grow and attain needed development.

“From recent revelations, corruption is usually aided and facilitated by conniving civil servants and professionals in the public and private sectors. It is no news that most stolen funds are laundered through our banks and other offshore entities that are owned and managed by professionals.

“A recent case of the ‘Panama Papers scandals’ is an example of how politicians, criminals and rogue industries were assisted by professionals to launder stolen funds. It is equally regrettable that some of the professionals do not stop at aiding, abetting and facilitating the stealing of public funds, but more often than not, go further to offer direct and indirect support to indicted officials to beat the law.

“It is no more news that corrupt officials are able to engage some of our seasoned lawyers, who employ negative tactics ‘in or out of court’ to frustrate trials of indicted officials. The retinue of frivolous interlocutory applications, which are pursued up to the apex court, while action on substantive matters are stayed, are common examples of how professional lawyers frustrate the fight against corruption.”

Sagay, who deplored the conduct of professionals who aid corruption and fraud, said the federal government was looking at ways of ensuring that those, who aid acts of fraud and corruption, are also prosecuted.

He said the workshop was intended to seek the support of professional bodies, and draw their attention to their responsibilities in this regard.

Falana urged the federal government and anti-graft agencies to look beyond public officers and politically exposed individuals to include professionals, drug dealers and human traffickers in their activities. [myad]

Man Tries To Dispossess Tinubu Of Estate With Forged Documents

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2016

57-year-old man Akanji Eshinlokun, who tried to dispossess Madam Iyalode Tinubu of her estate with forged documents, is now facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, forgery, fraud and giving information to the police.

Eshinlokun, popularly known as “Alfa Insha Allahu,” of No. 28, Olorunshogo Street, Mushin, Lagos, was said to have presented documents which showed that he is the Trustee in the Estate of Madam Tinubu .

He is standing trial before Mr. W. B. Balogun of an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Henry Obiazi, alleged that sometime in August 2014, at Mushin, the defendant and others at large conspired and forged a Power of Attorney “with intent that it may in anyway be used or acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of another.

“On August 11, 2014 at Zonal Police Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, the defendant did conspire to cause one Akindele Afolabi and Alhaji Adio Kazeem to be charged with offences knowing that both persons were innocent of the alleged offences.

“In the same month in the Mushin area, Eshinlokun, with intent to defraud people, falsely represented himself to be a trustee in the estate of Madam Iyalode Tinubu.”

The offences, the prosecutor said, contravened Sections 94, 363(3)(m), 378(1) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The defendant denied the charges.

Magistrate Balogun granted Eshinlokun bail in the sum of N500,000 and two sureties and adjourned the case to June 28 for mention. [myad]

Abuja Writers’ Forum Hosts Talented Artists: Yakuzak, Ogbowei, Okwoche

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2016

The trio of Edify Yakuzak, G.’Ebinyo Ogbowei and SidneyOgirinye Okwoche are expected to take the spotlight in the June 25 Guest Writers’ Forum, on the twin issues of environmental challenges and sectarian violence.

Edify Yakusak, who hails from Kaduna State, is a lawyer with a flair for writing. Born in Jos, Plateau State, she started writing at age 16, experimenting with screenplays and short stories. She loves reading books and considers herself an eclectic reader.

Ms Yakusak’s debut novel, After They Left is set in Jos and confidently explores the inherent evil nature of man and the madness that resides within him. It portrays man as selfish, greedy and having no limits to acts of wickedness against his fellow man. Full of suspense, the story also shows man proclivity to adapt and be resilient in the face of daunting and excruciating challenges of life. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the Middle-Belt killings that has plagued Northern Nigeria for over a decade and with no end in sight.

‘Ebinyo Ogbowei was born in Port Harcourt but hails from Bayelsa State. He was educated at Federal Government College, Sokoto (1969 – 1973) and Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene (1974 – 1976). Ogbowei, who graduated B. A. (Hons) English from the University of Lagos, also holds an M.Phil. in African Literature from the University of Port Harcourt.

A former Chairman of the Association of the Nigerian Authors (ANA) Bayelsa Chapter, one time Associate Editor of The Beacon Newspaper, and founding Editor of the Educational Rescuer, he is a lecturer in the Department of English and Literary Studies, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State and CEO, Roselight Nigeria Limited, a publishing and Engineering company.

His literary career began while he was an undergraduate and poetry has been his forte, with several of his poems appearing in a variety of journals including Idoto, Matati, PRISM International, ARIEL, Black Literature Forum, Okike and DRUMVOICES Revue.

Ogbowei, is the author of let the honey run and other poems (2001), the town crier’s song (2003), the heedless ballot box (2006), song of a dying river (2009), and marsh boy and other poems (2013). He has been on the LNG Nigerian Literature Prize long list in 2005, 2009, and 2013.

Sidney Ogirinye Okwoche, , a guitarist, and songwriter, hails from Oju Local Government of Benue State.

A final year student of Forestry at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, he has an album to his credit with songs touching on the issues of the environment.

The Guest Writer Session which also features a raffle-draw for books runs from 4-7pm at the Nanet Suites, Central Business District and is open to the public. [myad]

Registration Of 500,000 Unemployed: Matters Arising, By Deen Adavize

Deen adavize

June 16, 2016

The Federal Government had, on Wednesday, June 8, announced, through the office of the vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the registration of 500,000 unemployed youths to be employed as teachers.

The registration, through a crafted online portal, according to the announcement, would commence on Sunday.
The portal for the recruitment exercise was given as ‘www.npower.gov.ng.’ According to the Federal Government, the programme is designed to help young Nigerians acquire and develop life-long skills to become solution providers in their community and to become players in the domestic and global markets.

The announcement came at a time when there was increasing call on the APC led government to quickly start implementing the various Social Investment Programmes which it promised during the electioneering campaigns. Before then, the masses were being overwhelmed by, and groaning in extremely hardships.

What appeared to be painstaking preparations for the exercise, many Nigerians thought it would be hitch-free. But so far, the exercise is being executed so poorly that its planning is also being questioned.

Indeed, the registration platform has continued to experience unabated breakdown even as the jobless Nigerians are wasting monies on the process without success.

Added to their frustration was the recent announcement of the successful registration of about 500, 000 applicants by the Presidency via the online platform despite the obvious hitches. This of course, raises suspicion on the exercise.

A cyber-cafe owner who identified himself as Michael said that since the registration portal was launched on Sunday, the duration of hours the website opened and processed could not have received the kind of applicants the Presidency government announced.

He said that he has been monitoring the site 24/7 and that sometimes, the website is not accessible for 24 hours not to talk of processing any application.
He said that the figures quoted by the Presidency could either be bots or bogus, meaning that they were uploaded through the back-door.

Also, an applicant who identified himself as Chinedu, said that since the launching of the portal on Sunday, he has been running from one cyber-cafe to another to register but couldn’t, even after spending about N2,000 in the centres. He complained of frequent breakdown of the website. He suspected that the registration might have been skewed to favour certain sections of the country.

A website developer, Shaibu, however, dispelled the insinuation about the manipulation of the registration exercise, adding that the breakdown of the portal might be caused by huge traffic from applicants. He said that though, the Open Source framework (WordPress) used for the portal was not the best for this type of important website. He blamed the developers who recommended and are using such framework. He explained that the Open Source framework like ‘WordPress’ has so many security breach and can easily develop problems when receiving a huge traffic as it cannot handle too many database quarries or high traffic. This is because multiple script that process within the framework core files and server, especially when multiple ‘Plugins’ (extensions) are used.
Shaibu therefore, advised the government to quickly look into the problem and fix it as many Nigerians are yet to register.

A young artisan, who identified himself as Abdullahi called on the Federal Government to extend the period of registration exercise and provide a mechanism for people in the rural communities that have no access to internet to register. He said that the government should have conducted this recruitment through the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) platform which cut across all the Local governments in the country.

As Nigerians are anxiously waiting to see the outcome of the much talked about exercise; an exercise that will define the readiness of this government to sincerely run social Investment programme, it is imperative for the government to urgently investigate the actual cause of the breach in the registration platform so as to resolve the suspicions it has generated amongst Nigerians. [myad]

African Youths Score Leaders Low On Ending Conflicts On The Continent

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2016

About two-thirds of the nearly 86,000 African youths have accused African leaders of not doing enough to stop conflicts on the Africa continent.

This fact was obtained from a survey through mobile-based poll conducted in nine African countries conducted by the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF).

Using a messaging tool called U-Report, the short survey was sent to 1.4 million mobile users in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Central African Republic, Senegal, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Guinea, from 18 May to 1 June 2016.

The U-Report users surveyed, who are typically between 15 and 30 years of age, were asked to provide their opinion on conflicts and crises in Africa through short multiple choice questions on their mobile phones.

The findings of the survey will be shared with African leaders on the Day of the African Child, which is marked every year on 16 June by the African Union.

“It is so crucial, and even urgent for the leaders to heed the voices of the youth, if we must silence the guns by 2020, as set in our Agenda 2063. This is flagship project to which the youth must also recognize their role and take their responsibility,” said the African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

Key findings:

Asked whether African leaders are doing enough to stop conflicts and crises in Africa, two out of three respondents (70 per cent) believe that African leaders are not doing enough.
When asked why Africa is more prone to conflict than other regions, 56 per cent of respondents believe that ‘politicians fighting for power’ is the main reason while 19 per cent said ‘inequality’, 17 per cent said ‘poverty’ and 4 per cent said ‘access to food and water’.
What can leaders do to stop conflicts? Nearly a quarter of respondents (24 per cent) said a ‘strong economy’ while 20 per cent believe African countries needs to be more independent in their ‘foreign policy’, 19 per cent said investing in ‘good education’, 14 per cent said ‘talk to each other’, 10 per cent said ‘talk to other country’ and 9 per cent said ‘security’.

Humanitarian crises in Africa continue to spill over borders in recent years, with children and families increasingly on the move. More than 1.2 million people face insecurity in the Central African Republic due to a complex humanitarian and protection crisis that has spread to neighbouring countries. Nearly 1.3 million children have been displaced by violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency across Cameroon, Chad, the Niger and Nigeria. Two years into the conflict in South Sudan, nearly 2.4 million people have fled their homes, including 721,000 living as refugees. Burundi is facing a protection crisis that has driven some 265,000 people to flee across borders.

“The lives of millions of children and their families are disrupted, upended or destroyed by conflict every year in Africa,” said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “This survey speaks to every child’s right to be heard and gives African youth an opportunity to express their hopes for the future of their continent.” [myad]

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