President Muhammadu Buhari is currently meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan, at the State House in Abuja.
Arriving at the President’s office at about 11am, the former President went into a closed-door with Buhari as details of the meeting is still unknown.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended about 12 senior officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, P.M News reports.
The notice of suspension was communicated to the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Mohammed Umar, on Tuesday night by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The suspension of the about 12 senior officials is connected to the probe of alleged atrocities committed under the leadership of Ibrahim Magu, the disgraced and suspended Chairman of the EFCC.
According to P.M News, sources close to the presidency disclosed on Tuesday night that the executive secretary of the EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede was not spared the sweeping suspension at the agency.
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P.M News, the Nigerian newspaper reported that a source said: “they were suspended for various alleged criminal and corrupt infractions”, so as to not compromise ongoing investigations into alleged corruption leveled against the officials.
“All the top officials in the agency have been suspended, their offices locked, to prevent any tampering with files at the commission”, the source added.
President Buhari suspended Ibrahim Magu, the former acting chairman of the agency last week and appointed the director of operations, Mohammed Umar Abba, to lead the agency in acting capacity.
It was said that Umar was spared the sweeping suspension because he was not culpable in the alleged criminal dealings leveled against Magu and some senior officers.
Following his confirmation by the Senate in November 2018, Olukoyede was appointed the Secretary to the EFCC.
The senior member of the Nigerian Bar Association was first a chief of staff to Magu, and later ascend to the position of Secretary of the EFCC after the five-year tenure of Emmanuel Aremo expired in July 2018.
The former acting chairman of the agency is facing for the second week, grilling by the presidential panel headed by Justice Ayo Salami, over financial allegations and improprieties, including money laundering.
He is facing tough questioning over allegations that he re-looted funds recovered by the commission. And that he accepted bribes to pervert cases of graft.
He is also accused of mismanagement of recovered assets by the EFCC.
Among the issues Magu is helping the panel to resolve are wide discrepancies in figures of recovered monies published by the agency.
The panel has also asked him to react to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit(NFIU) report accusing him of siphoning money from the EFCC.
NFIU report showed that a particular Bureau de Change, owned by Ahmed Ibrahim Shanono linked to the Acting Chairman based in Kaduna has more than 158 accounts and has been receiving huge sums of funds.
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The report also accused Magu of laundering money through Pastor Emmanuel Omale of Hand of God Prophetic Ministry.
Omale was alleged to have bought a landed property on behalf of Magu worth N573 million in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“Another individual who is helping in laundering funds for the Acting Chairman and who has been referred to in several petitions is one Pastor Emmanuel Omale (Hand of God Prophetic Ministry)” a source quoted by P.M News stated.
The President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government may July 24 close the popular Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos for repair works.
This was disclosed on Monday by the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr. Olukayode Popoola.
He explained that consultations are ongoing for another phase of repair works to begin on the Third Mainland Bridge on July 24.
Popoola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the consultations were geared towards evolving a perfect traffic management architecture among others.
“We want to do maintenance work on the Third Mainland Bridge very soon. Most likely from July 24. We may close it from July 24.
“We are still working out the modalities, and when we perfect the traffic management plan, we will move to the site.
“Everything being expected for the repairs of the bridge had arrived in the country, that is why we want to start the repairs now,’’ Popoola said.
Idowu Sowunmi
Amidst ongoing trial of a cyber-crime suspect, Ramon Abbas a.k.a Hushpuppi, who was recently arrested in the United Arab Emirates and extradited to the United States, President Muhammadu Buhari has had cause to celebrate a Nigerian for his acts of honesty, propriety and sincerity.
Buhari Saturday sent warm greetings and commendation to a Nigerian doctorate student in University of Tsukuba, Japan, Ikenna Nweke, who returned a missing wallet with huge sums of money to the police, and also turned down offer of a percentage by the authorities.
The President saluted Nweke for projecting the values of honesty, integrity and contentment that should be the hallmark of a people, noting that good virtues and propriety are the hallmark of every culture in Nigeria, while crimes and criminalities are exceptions.
He noted that “Nweke’s behaviour, coming at a period that the country needs a positive spotlight and close-up on its real values, clearly signposts what should hold the nation together, inspired by solid foundations laid by most families, religious bodies and communities for success in life.”
Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, wished Nweke all the best in his studies and work as a teaching assistant in same university, urging all Nigerians, home and abroad, to keep celebrating the age-old, irreplaceable attributes of honesty and decorum, and shun the microwaved, get-rich-quick tendencies that bring individual and collective shame.
It would be recalled that Nweke on June 19 demonstrated uncommon virtues by reporting a loss wallet, containing a huge sum of money, a credit card, and other valuables, to the police.
Narrating his experience, Nweke said: “On June 19, while I was going home from the university, I decided to get my wife her favorite kebab. As I was climbing the staircase around Tsukuba center, I noticed something on the ground. As I drew closer, I saw that it was a wallet. When I opened it, I saw a huge sum of money, a credit card, and other valuables.
“I immediately reported to the police. One of the officers was surprised and asked me why I did not take the money. I told him that there was no need for that, because I was raised by responsible parents, and that I am also a Christian.
“He told me that according to Japanese law, that I was entitled to 10% of the money found inside the wallet. Again I declined. The look on his face indicated bewilderment.
“Yesterday, the owner of the wallet called me to show appreciation. Today, I got a letter from the Ibaraki/Tsukuba Police. They expressed their gratitude towards my incredible and selfless behavior.
“Not every Nigerian is criminal-minded. There are a lot of Nigerians abroad working so hard to erase the bad name given to ‘us’ by the criminal few.”
Idowu Sowunmi
The All Progressives Congress in Ogun State has been advised to put its house in order so as not to scuttle its chances of winning the governorship seat in the state at the 2019 general elections.
A public relations professional Tope Adaramola warned in an interview that if political actors in the state and at the national level do not sheathe their swords the fortunes of the party at all elective levels might be affected drastically.
Adaramola who made this known in Abeokuta last Sunday called on Governor Ibikunle Amosun and the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole to institutionalize the party and not allow their disagreement put the party in Ogun state in a difficult situation.
The political analyst also berated Governor Amosun who has been vocal about the situation. He said, “the other man in the person of Dapo Abiodun appeared to be more matured in his outlook and handling of the situation unlike the governor who has been throwing tantrums at every opportunity”.
It is understandable that it is painful for the candidate of the governor to lose out against his plans and agenda, he should also know that the party is supreme and it is better to have power retained within the house than giving it to the opposition, ADC especially” Adaramola said.
While commenting on the consequence of the political imbroglio, Adaramola said that the APC is unwittingly strengthening the chances of Gboyega Isiaka of the ADC, a native of Yewa who had contested twice under the platforms of Peoples Democratic Party in 2011 and Peoples Party of Nigeria in 2015. He stated that if all issues are not resolved amicably the situation will whip up sentiments for Isiaka riding first on the Yewa agenda and secondly on public sympathy for coming out to contest for governorship at a record third time.
About two days ago, President Muhammadu Buhari had sent a reconciliation committee to the state who met All Progressives Congress (APC) state assembly candidates to resolve the crisis, which resulted from party primaries in the state.
The committee is headed by Hon. Sandra Oladele, who assured party members that all aggrieved parties would be reconciled.