Banks Sack 110 Top Executives, Others In 2 Years, Over N82 Billion Fraud – FITC

August 31, 2023

The Financial Training Institution Center (FTIC) has reported that no fewer than 110 senior bank officials and junior employees have been sacked for fraud-related crimes during the previous two years.

In its ‘Reports of Fraud and Forgeries in Nigerian Banks,’’ on the second quarter of 2021 and Q2 2023, the FITC said that only four bank officials were sacked in Q2 2021, but that the figure rose by 175 per cent to 11 in Q2 2023.

FITC’s members are members of the Nigerian Banker’s Committee, which comprises the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, and all licensed banks in Nigeria.

The report said that the highest number of sacked top bank executives and junior staff members was recorded in Q3 2022 where 20 officials were fired.

It said that between Q2 2021 and Q2 2022, 52 bank staff members were sacked for fraud-related issues.

According to the report, between Q3 2022 and Q2 2023, 58 bank staff members were sacked for the same reason.

It said that within the period under review, the sacked staff members were involved in a total of 967 fraud cases.

The highest number of cases was recorded in Q4 2021, with 410 cases involving bank staff, while the lowest was recorded in Q3 2021, with 32 cases.

The report said that between Q2 2021 and Q2 2022, bank staff were involved in 657 cases, while between Q3 2022 and Q2 2023, they were involved in 310 cases.

It added that about N18.01 billion was lost due to fraud committed by bank staff and outsiders within the reviewed period out of a total of N81.69 billion involved in fraud cases.

It was earnt that the highest amount lost was N5.79 billion in Q2 2023, while the lowest amount lost was N472.28 million in Q1 2023.

For the total amount involved, the highest amount was N34.78 billion in Q3 2021, while the lowest amount was N1.18 billion in Q2 2022.

It was observed also that mobile fraud, computer/web fraud, and P0S-related fraud were the most prevalent types of fraud, and this trend persisted in Q2 2023.

In June 2022, the PUNCH reported the continued trial of three former workers with the First Bank of Nigeria facing attempted fraud charges before a Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja.

The defendants, Ozioma Ugorji, 35; Ugwu Emeka, 32; and Obike Chukwuka, 38, were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission for allegedly attempting to steal N20bn from the bank.

Wike Insists He’s Still PDP Chieftain But Doesn’t Regret Serving In Tinubu’s Govt

Greenbarge Reporters

August 31, 2023

The immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that he is still a Chieftain of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and he did not regret serving as minister in the government of the President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
Wike is currently the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), one of the presidential kitchen cabinet positions.
Wike, who featured on Channels TV Politics Today, said: “I am not working for APC. I am working for Tinubu who have trust in me to help him deliver the renewed hope renewed agenda.
“I owe nobody any apology at all. I was in PDP and I worked for Ahmed Bola Tinubu to become the President of Nigeria.”
He stressed that no body in the PDP has the gut , to suspend or discipline him.
He said: “who will discipline me? I should be the one calling for the discipline of these people who violated the party’s constitution, in the way that the party supported rotation.
“Who will suspend me? I want to dare anybody.”
The ex-governor said that he informed PDP leadership before he took the ministerial offer of President Tinubu, stressing that he remained a PDP chieftain despite working for the APC government.
“I want to support Asiwaju (Tinubu) to finish well.”
He stressed also that he owed no one an apology for supporting power shift to southern Nigeria.
“We are just waiting for the presidential panel to finish, you will know who actually are those who are working well for the party.
“How can anybody talk about expelling me? A state that brought a governor? A state that brought three senators? A state that produced 32 House of Assembly members? A state that produced 11 out of 13 House of Representatives.
“The person that would suspend me is the one that couldn’t produce a governor, is the one that couldn’t produce three senators?
“I have not seen that person, with all due respect. Nobody will do it. So, the issue of they will do it does not arise.”

UNICEF Appoints Nollywood Actor, Ali Nuhu, Others As Champions

Editorial staff

August 31, 2023

The United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria, has announced a popular Kanwood and Nollywood actor, Ali Nuhu as one of its Champions.

Others so appointed, in a statement today, August 30, are film actors: Cobhams Asuquo, WAJE and Kate Henshaw.

The statement said that the appointment will last for a period of 12 months, during which they would serve as powerful voices amplifying issues around child rights in Nigeria.

“Over the course of the next year, these champions will work together with UNICEF to elevate pressing concerns related to children, spanning sectors such as health, education, nutrition, child protection, water sanitation, and hygiene.”

The UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Cristian Munduate, who issued the statement, lauded the commitment and unmatched influence of the champions.

“We are truly elated to join hands with such influential voices in the entertainment industry – Cobhams, WAJE, Kate Henshaw, and Ali Nuhu. “Their dedication and passion for children’s rights will undeniably amplify the urgency of the issues we fight for daily.

“This collaboration symbolizes a bridge between the commitment to child rights and the power of art and storytelling. Through music, film, and public engagement, we hope to touch hearts, shift perspectives, and inspire action.”

As UNICEF champions, Cobhams, WAJE, Kate Henshaw, and Ali Nuhu will engage in numerous initiatives and campaigns designed to ensure that every child’s right to survival, growth, development and protection is upheld and championed.

Vice President Shettima Blames Poor Governance For Backwardness Of North

Editorial staff

August 30, 2023

Vice President Kashim Shettima has blamed poor governance for the backwardness of the Northern Nigeria, especially the Northwest.

He therefore called on the Northern stakeholders to go back to the drawing board, re-assess the state of affairs in the North and come up with robust platforms of re-engineering the society.

The Vice President spoke today, August 30, when he granted an audience to a group of Northern States Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (CONSCCIMA), led by its President, Mallam Dalhatu Abubakar at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Senator Shettima said: “poor governance has a direct bearing on what we are harvesting in the North-West today.”

He stressed the imperative need for the north to therefore, embark on re-strategizing and re-engineering of the region in order to reposition it for accelerated development.

The Vice President told leading industrialists and agents of change from the North: “most of the issues highlighted by the President of CONSCCIMA are very poignant as these are issues that touch the lives and wellbeing of our people.”

He observed that any society that seeks to achieve economic development must cultivate peace and stability, restating: “there can never be development without peace and there can never be peace without development.”

This was even as the leader of the delegation, Mallam Abubakar, expressed the readiness of its organisation to seek partnership with the Federal Government towards the revitalization of the economy in the North.

He highlighted some projects that can help to galvanize the economy of the North to include the revival of moribound industries and setting up of new ones; establishment of pharmaceutical industries; establishment of modular refineries; recharging of the Lake Chad; completion of Mambila Power and other Power projects; acquisition of Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company.

Also today, the Vice President Shettima reiterated the value of the traditional institution in the country when he granted audience to a delegation, led by the Chairman of the Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, Sidi Bage Muhamamad I.

Vice President Shettima acknowledged the role of the traditional rulers, saying: “you are the custodian of our rich cultural heritage, the people listen to you more than us because you are the closest to the people. “We appreciate you and value you because you are our link to the past.”

He asked the people of the State to be peaceful in order to develop, noting that Nasarawa State is home to all the solid minerals in the country.

“If we productively utilize our solid minerals, Nasarawa can be to the North what Lagos is to the South-West and can be the engine room in this region because of its proximity to the FCT. Opportunities abound more in Nasarawa State.”

In the delegation of the Nasarawa State were first Class Emirs, Chiefs and other prominent sons of Nasarawa State.

Information Minister Eulogises Designer Of Nigerian Flag, Late Taiwo

Editorial staff

August 30, 2023

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris has described the designer of the Nigerian national flag, Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi who died today , August 30 at the age of 84, as a national icon.

In a condolence message he personally issued, the minister said that he was saddened over the news of the demise of Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, whose contribution to national unity will remain indelible.

“The death of Pa Akinkunmi came at the time Nigeria was reinventing itself for peace, development and enduring national reconciliation; the country would miss the contributions of the deceased especially at this time that the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is banking on the Renewed Hope Agenda to build on the national fervour that characterized Nigeria’s journey to independence.”

The minister expressed confidence that Pa Akinkunmi will continue to live in the minds of Nigerians for generations to come.

“The National Flag, one of our revered national symbols is an asset for which Pa Akinwunmi has etched his name in the annals of Nigerian history.”

Alhaji Idris expressed his heartfelt condolences to the immediate family of the deceased, praying that God will grant them the fortitude to bear the great loss.

President Tinubu Is Worried Over The Spread Of Coup In African

Editorial staff

August 30, 2023

President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep concern over the spread of coup, which he called “autocratic contagion” that appears to be spreading in some parts of the African continent.

Reacting to the bloodless military coup which took place in Gabon, a Central African country today, August 30, President Tinubu said that he is closely watching developments unfolding in that troubled country.

Tinubu, whose position was made known by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, also expressed concern for the country’s socio-political stability in the wake of the coup d’etat.

“The President, as a man who has made significant personal sacrifices in his own life for the cause of advancing and defending democracy, remains steadfast in his unwavering belief that power belongs in the hands of Africa’s great people and not in the barrel of a loaded gun.

“The President affirms that the rule of law and a faithful recourse to constitutional instruments of electoral dispute resolution must not be allowed to perish from our great continent.

“To this end, the President will continue to communicate with other Heads of State within the African Union and beyond toward a comprehensive consensus on the next steps forward.”

To Fight Terrorism, Nigeria’s First Lady, Remi, Wants World To Combat Forces Of Hatred

Greenbarge Reporters

August 30, 2023

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has called on the people across the world to join in combatting hatred as a way of eliminating terrorism, with its devastating consequences.
Senator Oluremi, who performed the wreath laying ceremony in honor of the victims of the bombing of the United Nations Building in Abuja which occurred on August 26, 2011, called for a world where terrorism is effectively combatted.
She said that to achieve this, the global community must channel more energy towards fostering peace, promoting dialogue and combating the forces of hatred and division.
The First Lady insisted that the world must not only draw strength from the sacrifice of those serving the cause of peace, but must also recommit to the values of unity, understanding and cooperation that the UN represents.
“On this solemn occasion, we remember and honor the lives that were lost. I pay tribute to the dedicated individuals who were serving the cause of peace and development within the walls of UN building.
“Today we stand united in our resolve and determination to create a world where the principles of peace, justice and cooperation that the United Nations stands for are not merely ideals, but reality for all.”
She was joined by the Undersecretary General of UN, Office of Counterterrorism Valdimir Voronkov in performing the ceremony laying.
The Under Secretary General also harped on the need to build solidarity and provide support to victims of terrorism across the world as terrorism continues to threaten peace and security, leaving in its wake, hundreds of thousands of victims and survivors.
“The Federal Republic of Nigeria knows the consequences of terrorism within and around its borders all too well.
“Indeed, parts of Africa have experienced the highest impact of terrorism for many years.
“The United Nations itself is not immune from terrorism. Two weeks ago, we marked the 20thanniversary of the devastating attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, on 19 August 2003.”
The brief ceremony was witnessed by heads of some of the United Nations Agencies in Nigeria.

How We Are Encouraging Local Entrepreneurs, Creativity – NCC Boss

Greenbarge Reporters

August 30, 2023

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Offer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta has said that the Commission has been nurturing the country’s local talents, encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship and creativity.
He added that the aim is to gradually propel Nigeria onto the global stage of technological leadership.
Professor Danbatta spoke at the second edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content EXPO (NTICE ,2023), held in Lagos. It is the only telecom event in Nigeria that is solely focused on Indigenous
Content promotion, development and adaptation.
Professor Danbatta stressed that NTICE is a place to nurture and support the burgeoning talent pool within
Nigeria.
“By showcasing indigenous innovations and providing opportunities for
young entrepreneurs, we are not only nurturing our local talents but also
encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship and creativity that will propel Nigeria onto the global stage of technological leadership.
“Having recognized the persistent digital divide that exists within our nation, let us seize the opportunities presented by NTICE 2023 to bridge this gap by advocating for accessible technology and ensuring that the benefits of innovation are extended to every corner of Nigeria.
“This inclusivity is crucial in
driving equitable growth and empowering communities to be active participants
in the digital revolution.
“We note that in a world that is increasingly interconnected and digital, the concept of technological sovereignty holds immense significance.”
The NCC boss said that this year’s event themed: “Harnessing Indigenous Content for Economic Growth; Networking to boost
Investment” was carefully designed by the Commission to build on the
maiden edition of the NTICE.
According to him, NTICE is not only an exhibition but it is also a gathering of industry players that embodies the spirit of innovation, resilience, collaboration, and progress.
“It presents a remarkable opportunity to celebrate and showcase Nigeria’s
achievements in the world of telecommunications, technology, as well as indigenous content creation and adoption.”
He stressed the need for the stakeholders to recognize the transformative power of domestic innovation and the pivotal role it plays
in shaping digital future of nations, their economies and their futures.
Professor Danbatta said that the Nigerian Telecoms Sector has been amongst the biggest contributors to socio-economic growth of the country, “as evidenced by the numerous achievements of the sector.
“It is not out of place to mention that the sector’s performance was instrumental to lifting Nigeria out of recession with 12.45% contribution to the GDP in Q4 2020. This figure increased to 14.13% as at Q1 2023.”
The NCC boss saw the event as a beacon of Nigeria’s commitment to taking charge of its technological destiny.
“By promoting indigenous content, we are not only fostering economic growth but also asserting our autonomy and self-reliance in the digital realm.”
He emphasized that the Nigeria Telecom Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) 2023, is a declaration of Nigeria’s commitment to shaping its digital destiny.
“As we navigate this dynamic landscape, let us remember that our progress is intrinsically linked to our ability
to harness the power of indigenous innovation, leverage technology for positive change, and ensure that no one is left behind on this transformative journey.
“Let’s embrace NTICE as a symbol of our collective potential, a platform to
celebrate our achievements, and a driving force to propel Nigeria towards a brighter, more digitally empowered future.”
Professor Danbatta expressed confidence that the best would come out of event, and would chart a new course.

Coup In Gabon, Few Days After Election: Military Take Over Government

Greenbarge Reporters

August 30, 2023

A coup d’etat has just occurred in Gabon, a Central African, French speaking country, as senior military officials made a public appearance on national television today, August 30, asserting that they have taken control of the government due to their doubts about the legitimacy of the recent weekend elections.
In the early hours of today, August 30, the officers were featured on Gabon24, where they declared the annulment of the elections, the dissolution of all governmental bodies, and the sealing of the country’s borders.
The statement emphasized that they were acting on behalf of the entirety of Gabon’s security and defense forces.
This announcement swiftly followed the declaration by the state’s electoral body that President Ali Bongo Ondimba had secured a third term in office during the contested elections on Saturday.
“On behalf of the Gabonese populace, we have opted to safeguard peace by bringing an end to the existing regime,” the officers stated.
According to the Gabonese Election Centre, Bongo attained 64.27 percent of the vote, while his primary contender, Albert Ondo Ossa, secured 30.77 percent. However, the electoral process was marred by significant delays.
Reports said that there was considerable uncertainty surrounding the military intervention and a palpable sense of tension.
The military leadership contended that the government has been neglecting the will of the Gabonese people for an extended period and insisted on change.
During Saturday’s election, the opposition faction labeled the proceedings as a “deception orchestrated by Ali Bongo and his supporters.”
This assertion was made amid the shutdown of the internet and the imposition of a curfew. The French media outlets France 24, RFI, and TV5 Monde were also prohibited from reporting due to alleged bias in connection with the ongoing general elections, as asserted by the government.
Soi indicated that the internet was still inaccessible, echoing the fears and trepidation of the populace.
Access to information concerning the unfolding situation in Gabon remained limited.
President Bongo, the candidate of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), which was founded by his father, Omar Bongo, has held a firm grip on power since succeeding his father, who ruled Gabon from 1967 to 2009.
The current location of President Bongo is unknown, as the military has not disclosed this information.
Tensions escalated during Saturday’s vote, with the opposition advocating for change and an end to the enduring influence of the Bongo family over Gabon.
Following the military’s proclamation, reports from Reuters and AFP confirmed the sounds of gunfire in Libreville, the capital city of Gabon.

Kogi Gov’ship Poll: INEC Moves Against Rigging, Promises Electronic Transmission Of Results

Editorial staff

August 29, 2023

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised that results of the Kogi State November 11 governorship election will be transmitted electronically directly from polling units to its server.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Professor Gabriel Longpet, said today, August 29, at a two-day media roundtable Engagement on the Kogi election, Organized by the Independent Press Center (IPC) in Abuja that the electronic transmission of the results will help to eliminate rigging.

He said that it would also curtail electoral fraud and other irregularities for the enthronement of credibility and transparency in the electoral process.

“Of course, we will be transmitting the Kogi election electronically. A lot of infractions do happen between the polling units and the collation centres; the transmission of the results through electronic methods will definitely prevent such issues of infractions from occurring.

“By the electoral acts, any results figures on form EC8A that appeared mutilated cannot be allowed. If results are transmitted electronically to the IREV, there will be no need for results to be hijacked in the first place, mutilated or changed.”

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