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BURSTED: NSITF CEO MOVES On ₦297Billion Fund, Operates Over 100 Bank Accounts Linked To One BVN

by Leading Reporters February 9, 2026
written by Leading Reporters
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Oluwaseun Mayomi Faleye, is accused of operating more than 100 bank accounts linked to a single Bank Verification Number (BVN) and granting himself “unlimited spending powers” to siphon and misappropriate funds belonging to Nigerian workers.

Multiple internal documents, bank records, and testimonies obtained by allege that Faleye unilaterally conferred these powers on himself and authorised the disbursement of hundreds of billions of naira belonging exclusively to Nigerian workers, without lawful approval, board oversight, or adherence to federal financial regulations.

₦297 Billion Workers’ Funds, ₦243 Billion Allegedly Spent Without Approval

According to documents reviewed by US, between January 2 and October 9, 2025, the NSITF recorded total lodgments of ₦297,019,145,288.60.

The funds, insiders stressed, were derived entirely from compulsory employer contributions under the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA), a statutory scheme designed to protect Nigerian workers injured, disabled, or killed in the course of employment.

Within the same period, records show that ₦243,203,518,621.17 was spent. Multiple senior officials alleged that a significant portion of this expenditure was carried out without the approval of the NSITF Management Board, in violation of the Act establishing the Fund and existing federal financial regulations.

“This is not government money. This is workers’ money, contributed mandatorily under the law,” one senior NSITF official said.

“Every kobo is supposed to be protected by layers of checks and balances. What we are seeing here is a complete collapse of those safeguards.”

‘No Approval Limit’: How Faleye Allegedly Gave Himself Unchecked Spending Powers

Central to the allegations is a document dated March 4, 2025, signed by Mr. Faleye and obtained by .

The document is an extract from the minutes of the 46th Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting held at the NSITF Boardroom, and chaired by Faleye, detailing approval limits for financial transactions within the Fund.

According to a document obtained by US, the EXCO resolution set clear limits for other officials: other general managers, ₦25,000; General Manager (Finance), ₦50,000; other executive directors, ₦750,000; and the Executive Director (Finance and Investment), ₦1,000,000.

However, under the same resolution, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Faleye, and the chairman, approved no limit for his own spending authority.

Nsitf

According to multiple sources, this effectively gave Mr. Faleye unrestricted power to approve payments of any amount, without recourse to the Management Board or external oversight.

“He simply wrote and signed a document granting himself ‘No Approval Limit’,” a senior official disclosed. “There is absolutely no legal basis for this in the NSITF Act or in federal financial regulations.”

Another insider added, “This amounts to usurping the powers of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Under existing rules, even Managing Directors of parastatals are capped. They cannot wake up and approve unlimited spending.”

Current federal thresholds reportedly allow Managing Directors to approve up to ₦30 million for works and ₦10 million for goods and services, and even those approvals remain subject to board oversight.

“What happened here defies every known rule of public finance management,” a source said.

Several NSITF insiders described deep distress over the alleged abuses.

“This is the most reckless abuse of power I have witnessed in over 20 years in the public sector,” a senior official told Our Reporters.

“He effectively sidelined the Board, ignored the law, and treated workers’ funds as personal cash. The emotional toll of witnessing this level of corruption is enormous. I can’t even sleep.”

Millions of Dollars Allegedly Traced to Faleye, Linked Entities

In a separate document exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, investigators traced alleged inflows of millions of dollars and hundreds of millions of naira into bank accounts linked directly to Mr. Faleye and entities reportedly associated with him.

The transactions listed include: Faleye Oluwaseun Mayomisola, GTBank USD Account 0111206422 – $336,917.00

Faleye Oluwaseun Mayomisola, GTBank USD Account 0004754113 – $6,743,421.00

Faleye Oluwaseun Mayomisola, GTBank NGN Account 0004754096 – ₦291,182,605.00

Fides & Fiducia Client Account, Access Bank NGN Account 0718896883 – ₦584,950,000.00

Fides & Fiducia, Access Bank USD Account 0690403396 – $626,279.00

Fides & Fiducia, Zenith Bank NGN Account 1013806407 – ₦93,757,500.00

Pluschess Limited, Zenith Bank USD Account 071315271 – $20,000.00

Faleye Oluwaseun Mayomisola, GTBank USD Account 3001101016 – $75,558.00

Nsitf

The total dollar inflow alone is estimated at over $7.3 million, excluding naira-denominated transactions.

“These are not small transfers. The volume, frequency, and structuring suggest deliberate efforts to move and possibly conceal funds,” a source familiar with the documents said.

Over 100 Bank Accounts, One BVN

Perhaps most alarming is another document obtained by US, which reportedly shows more than 100 active bank accounts linked to a single BVN belonging to Mr. Faleye.

The BVN profile details are as follows: The registration date is June 10, 2015. The first name is Oluwaseun, the middle name is Mayomi, and the last name is Faleye.

Ndit

The date of birth is August 28, 1977. The enrollment bank is Guaranty Trust Bank, and the enrollment branch is Ajose Adeogun.

Sources allege that many of these accounts received funds traceable to NSITF operations.

“The scale is staggering,” one insider said. “You don’t run over 100 accounts accidentally. This points to systematic structuring.”

‘₦5.5 Billion Commission Payments Approved Without Board or Ministry’

Beyond personal accounts, sources allege that Mr. Faleye authorised speculative commission payments totalling over ₦5.53 billion without approval from either the NSITF Management Board or the Ministry of Labour.

The payments, allegedly ranging between 15% and 20% commission, include: “09/10/2025, Assurance Services ST ADBA Ltd: ₦1,379,186,010.00, 18/03/2025, TAGG Global Resources Ltd: ₦865,000,000.00, 17/09/2025, Rate Seal Support & Project Ltd: ₦683,777,666.40, 16/05/2025, Rate Seal Support & Project Ltd: ₦659,303,810.50.

“16/05/2025, Rate Gold Solution Nig Ltd: ₦648,750,000.00, 01/08/2025, Gold Solution Nig Ltd: ₦648,750,000.00, 01/08/2025, TAGG Global Resources Ltd: ₦648,750,000.00, Total: ₦5,533,517,486.90.

“This money was approved and paid without lawful authority,” a source said. “No board resolution. No ministerial approval.”

Board Absence and Alleged Exploitation of Governance Gap

Sources further disclosed that Mr. Faleye was appointed Managing Director in July 2023, while the NSITF Management Board was not constituted until around January 2025, a gap of more than one year.

“NSITF is not meant to operate without a board,” a top official explained.

“The Act expressly forbids Executive Management from spending funds without board approval. If there is no board, spending should not take place.”

Although the Ministry of Labour has historically attempted to fill temporary governance gaps, insiders insist this does not override the law.

“At no point has Executive Management been allowed to approve financial transactions for itself,” a source said.

“What happened here is unprecedented. This is not mismanagement. It is misappropriation and outright theft.”

‘This Is Workers’ Money, Not National Cake’

Multiple officials emphasised that NSITF funds are distinct from regular government revenue.

“Government contributes nothing except as an employer like everyone else,” one source said.

“Under the law, every employer pays one percent of payroll. The money belongs to Nigerian workers, not the government.”

However, to safeguard this fund, the Act established a strict tripartite governance structure. This structure involves three key stakeholders: the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the Federal Ministry of Labour.

“These stakeholders jointly crafted the law,” a source said. “The structure was deliberately designed to prevent exactly this kind of abuse.”

When we contacted the NSITF Chief Executive Officer, Faleye, he said he was not aware of the allegations.

However, when asked about the dollar account and how $7.3 million was allegedly transferred into it, he abruptly hung up the call.

Efforts to get him to respond to the allegations afterward were unsuccessful.

We also reached out to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Salihu Usman, to ask whether they approved a ₦5 billion commissioning project and how ₦240 billion was allegedly mismanaged.

He denied being aware of the allegations.

When we contacted the Chairman of the NSITF Board, Shola Olofin, he said, “Please give me time to verify this information and claims.”
News credit: saharareporters.com

February 9, 2026 0 comments
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An image taken from video released by the US Department of Defense showing the strike on alleged Islamic State targets in northwest Nigeria on December 25. Dept. of Defense
Africa & WorldHeadlines

Trump launches Christmas night airstrikes on ISIS ‘Terrorist Scum’ in Nigeria after killings of Christians

by Leading Reporters December 26, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

President Donald Trump has said the US launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against the Islamic State (IS) group in north-western Nigeria.

The US leader described IS as ” terrorist scum”, accusing the group of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians”.

Trump said the US military “executed numerous perfect strikes”, while the US Africa Command (Africom) later reported that Thursday’s attack was carried out in co-ordination with Nigeria in the Sokoto state.

December 26, 2025 0 comments
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HeadlinesAfrica & World

India Orders $570 Million Payout in Major Fraud Case Against Nigeria’s Sterling Oil

by Leading Reporters November 27, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

In a sweeping move, India’s Supreme Court has allowed billionaire siblings Nitin and Chetan Sandesara to evade full prosecution in a massive alleged bank-fraud scheme if they settle with a payment equal to about one-third of their assessed debt.

The ruling, which allows the pair to settle for about $570 million on liabilities pegged at $1.6 billion, could end years of criminal proceedings that New Delhi has pursued across multiple jurisdictions.

The ruling could open the way for economic offenders to strike similar settlements, leaving lenders struggling to recover their entire dues, said Debopriyo Moulik, a Supreme Court lawyer in independent practice, told Reuters.

“This is very similar to the approach adopted in foreign countries where fines are an alternative to facing trial,” Moulik said.

For the industrialists, the decision marks the closest India has come to resolving a scandal that has stretched from Mumbai to Abuja and into the offshore oil fields of West Africa.

Yet the brothers’ fortunes have never been brighter.

Far from the Indian courts that have hounded them since 2017, the Sandesaras have built one of Nigeria’s largest independent oil producers, turning a once-minor set of onshore licenses into a sprawling African energy empire delivering tens of thousands of barrels of crude a day.

Their success in Africa, combined with Nigeria’s persistent refusal to extradite them, has long frustrated Indian authorities and underscored how geopolitical and commercial interests have shielded the pair from consequences at home.

Nigeria, Africa’s top crude producer, has embraced the Sandesaras even as India brands them fugitives responsible for what investigators call “one of the largest economic scams in the country.”

Their flagship companies, Sterling Oil Exploration & Production Co. and Sterling Global Oil Resources Ltd, pump roughly 50,000 barrels of crude daily, according to a 2023 Bloomberg report, operating under contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.

The brothers’ rise in Nigeria accelerated after they pivoted away from India in the mid-2010s. What began almost 20 years earlier with two modest onshore licences in the Niger Delta matured into a vertically integrated drilling and crude-export business.

The Sandesaras transferred operations to Lagos, hired the former head of Nigeria’s petroleum regulator to oversee their expansion, and secured major state contracts that cemented their standing in the country’s energy sector.

Their companies now rank among Nigeria’s top oil exporters, and in 2019 the government said taxes and royalties paid by Sandesara-linked entities accounted for 2 percent of national revenue.

According to the Indian Times, their operations have also cleverly sidestepped the endemic sabotage of Nigeria’s pipeline network by shipping crude via barges to a floating offshore storage vessel. The approach has allowed them to keep exports steady even as peers disrupted by oil theft and militant activity scaled back.

Nigeria has also doubled down on the Sandesaras’ involvement in its future oil ambitions. Government officials last year announced the discovery of as many as 1 billion barrels of crude in the country’s arid northeast, part of a multi-billion-dollar hydrocarbons push that relies partly on drilling contractors connected to the brothers.

To New Delhi, the brothers are not pioneers but perpetrators of a sweeping financial fraud. Indian agencies allege the Sandesaras built their now-collapsed domestic conglomerate, Sterling Group, with the help of fabricated documents, inflated valuations, and an intricate network of shell structures designed to siphon overseas cash.

The brothers deny any wrongdoing and say they are victims of political persecution.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claims the group owed more than 140 billion rupees ($1.7 billion) to state-owned lenders, including State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, and Bank of Baroda.

A 2019 charge sheet accused the family of channeling loan proceeds into offshore ventures, including their Nigerian oil operations.

The same banks later pursued the group abroad, winning two UK High Court rulings in 2018 and 2021 that ordered Sandesara-linked companies to repay nearly $60 million after defaulting on obligations related to the Sterling Oil business.

India also sought the brothers’ extradition from Nigeria. But in a blow to New Delhi’s efforts, Nigerian officials in 2018 refused to arrest them, saying India’s allegations “appeared to be political in nature,” according to correspondence published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and reviewed by Bloomberg.

The brothers subsequently applied for Nigerian citizenship, according to CBI filings.

November 27, 2025 0 comments
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HeadlinesOpinion

Group hails Remi Tinubu’s National Library Project; appeals to FCT minister to make library/ICT centers mandatory for estate approvals

by Leading Reporters September 26, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

A pro-literacy, pro-vocational group, Books Across Borders Initiative, has hailed the First Lady’s effort at completing the national library project and her other pro-literacy activities.  Speaking during a media chat, the Chairman Board of Trustees of Books Across Borders Initiative, Light Shedrack, said that literacy and skills acquisition are the only antidote to poverty and insecurity, a belief that the First Lady has validated through her pro-literacy activities. Mr Shedrack also appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and other urban planners to ensure that every neighbourhood and estate is integrated with a functional library/ICT center to serve as a gathering place for the youths and adults alike.

”The First Lady has demonstrated and validated the widely accepted fact that literacy and skills acquisition are the only cures for poverty and insecurity. Poverty and illiteracy are interconnected. A nation that fails to promote a reading culture among its young population will likely be poor and restive. Poverty is a byproduct of illiteracy and a lack of skills. It breeds insecurity. Literacy, on the other hand, broadens and enlightens the mind. It promotes tolerance and human dignity.  A well-informed mind understands human unity and the sanctity of life. Skills acquisition makes us self-sufficient. A literate, innovative, and self-reliant society will effortlessly combat terrorism and other forms of insecurity.

“Let me use this opportunity also to appeal to the Minister of FCT Nyesom Wike, to integrate it into the FCT policy framework that each estate within the Federal Capital Territory should have a spot that serves as a functional library/ICT center as well as a gathering place for the youths. Even if it is a modular library.

“The First Lady has set the pace.  It would be ideal if the other States’ First Ladies toe the same line and ensure that literacy and ICT advancement are prioritised in their respective states, as their pet projects.

Speaking further on the activities of Books Across Borders Initiative, Mr, Shedrack made a case for skills acquisition, calling on organised private sectors, the governments, the religious bodies and other stakeholders in nation building to wade into the educational deficiency bedeviling the country.

“No efforts would ever produce any positive result if we do not prioritise education and skills acquisition.  Today, the world is migrating to AI and robotics.  How prepared are we as a people?  The time to make decisive efforts in advancing education, skills acquisition, especially in the areas of ICT, robotics and AI, has come.  Religious organisations such as Mosques and Churches, traditional organisations, NGOs, governments at all levels, as well as the organised private sectors should be at the fore of this indispensable message and support of mass education and skills acquisition.  This has been our central message and activity in the Books Across Borders Initiative and Academy for Creating Enterprise.

September 26, 2025 0 comments
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Anti-Corruption Fight: The moral dimension of the job, and the towering guts of Mr. Ola Olukoyede
HeadlinesOpinion

Anti-Corruption Fight: The moral dimension of the job, and the towering guts of Mr. Ola Olukoyede

by Leading Reporters September 15, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

The task of combating corruption in a country like Nigeria requires exceptional morality and rare bravery. It demands a willpower that surpasses the challenges of everyday work. Fighting corruption is a risk endeavour because you are not only dealing with corrupt individuals but also their destructive ideologies, inflated self-entitlements, ruthless manoeuvres, and moral decay. You are confronting a menace that has become ingrained in our collective consciousness.

Since President Ahmed Bola Tinubu appointed Mr Ola Olukoyede, precisely two years ago, as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, he has brought with him an untamed courage, not only to dare the corrupt elements but to unclutter the bureaucratic bottlenecks that embolden corruption and everything that pushes the ideology of corruption. Corruption in Nigeria transcends stealing of public funds; it is a social aberration and a retrogressive menace that has permeated every aspect of our lives – social, economic, political, and even religious.

Perennially, the big question has been whether Nigeria can upturn this devastating trend and build a true nation where the principles of accountability, stewardship and morality in service delivery become an integral part of our existence. So many will answer “NO”, while most, especially those who have taken time to understand the journey of true nationhood, believe it is achievable. To achieve this tall order, Nigerians need to understand that a true change is mostly self-induced. A change comes when we reflect on our collective consciousness.

Without this self-introspection and self-awareness, no angel can effect the needed change we desperately desire. Nigerians have realised the dangers of corruption. We have understood the many great things and opportunities we have lost as a result of untamed corruption in Nigeria. Now is the time to re-engage our minds and choose the greater good. True change comes when we are ready and willing to do the right thing. Change comes with self-reformation. The moment we stir our collective consciousness to act on the greater right, change will come.

Talking about self-reformation, a story about America’s early days towards greater nation-building comes to mind. It was said that an agency of the American government once put out an advert that read ‘Reformers Wanted”. Within days, countless applications flooded the agency. Many applicants copiously quoted their qualifications and why they believed they were the best fit for the job as nation-reformers. Days and months went by, and there was no response from the agency that placed the advert.

The applicants, tired of waiting for a response, besieged the agency’s office to enquire why there was no response from it, many months after it posted an advert for an appointment. The agency pacified them with the assurance that the official response would be released in a matter of days.  A few days afterwards, as promised, the agency released another advert. This time, the tone of the message changed from “Reformers Wanted” to “Reformers of Selves Wanted.” To its surprise, the agency did not receive one single application.

The import of this story is that we all want a society that is reformed. We want politicians who are reformed. We want leaders who will be as flawless as angels, but we are not ready to introspect on our own weaknesses as individual citizens. We hype frivolity over virtue. There is no conscious effort towards creative statecraft. We act like tuna fish, flowing with the waves of the social media frenzies. We criticise others even when we have the tendency to act worse than they do if allowed to occupy the positions that those we criticise occupy.

I always ask myself, would I have done better than those I accuse today? Would I have had the courage to stand out and do better for the sake of greater nation-building, or am I just screaming corruption because I have not had the opportunity to be in a position that is morally demanding?

Not digressing, every keen observer who has been following the activities of Mr. Ola Olukoyede-led EFCC will understand the enormous load on the shoulders of one man against countless Nigerians. From those in elective and appointive positions to the yahoo-boys; from the civil servants to ordinary Nigerian business owners, corruption has nearly become our new normal. Unlike what we were used to in the past, Mr. Ola Olukoyede seems more concerned with ridding Nigeria of corruption and rebranding the battered image of the country within the polity of nations. His approach to the fight against corruption seems more subtle, incisive, and result oriented.

He does not seem to be a fan of media frenzies. In Nigeria, the loudest is assumed to be the toughest. Media toughness has not reduced corruption. The corrupt elements, too, are louder in the media. This seems to have prompted Mr. Olukoyede’s subtle approach to getting the job. This is by far a better approach, and it is expected that with more Nigerians understanding their roles in the anti-corruption fight, Nigeria can and will become the country of our collective dream.

Light Shedrack light is a life-skill coach, an ideation specialist and a public issues manager. He resides in Abuja and can be reached via mclightlogistics@gmail.com

 

 

September 15, 2025 0 comments
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MINT
Headlines

Shame of a country: MINT Disqualified from Printing WAEC Papers for lack of contract performance

by Leading Reporters July 13, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

A Nigerian government company, Nigeria Security, Printing and Minting company also known as MINT has lost the bid to print this year’s West African Examination Council WAEC examination papers, on safety concerns and unpreparedness, LeadingReporters can authoritatively report.

This comes as a result of reported perennial inefficiency of the current acting leadership of MINT.  A discreet source from the WEAC office who spoke to LeadingReporters said that WAEC management had been patronizing MINT prior to this time, but had to withdraw their patronage after what he described as the MINT management’s unreadiness to deliver on time amongst ‘other concerns’.

LeadingReporters gathered that just a few weeks before the examination, MINT could only deliver less than 50% of the total printing contract awarded it by WAEC, a situation that irked WAEC.  The contract was invalidated due to a lack of performance and ineptitude.

“We have been a MINT client for a very long time.  However, this time around, we did not get guarantees of timely delivery and efficiency.  We had a series of meetings, and they gave a lot of complaints, which bordered on internal issues.  We felt that would not be in our best interest.  So we resorted to handy alternatives.

An insider source in MINT confirmed internal wrangling and corruption as the reason why MINT’s fortune continues to decline.

“When you throw expertise to the winds and allow your thoroughbred technicians and professionals to walk away, you cannot get it right.  Most of the staff of MINT who left recently were all professionals who were trained on the technicalities of the job.  MINT is a purely technical outfit.  You do not pick technicians and currency experts on the road or from beer parlours.  These men and women have been trained and retrained for and on the job. Some of them have been trained in Nigeria and overseas, and suddenly, you are throwing these ‘assets’ away and hoping to achieve results.  No way!

The source also stated that MINT of yesteryears has gone and would only be revitalized if the right people are at the helm of affairs. The source said that there are cliques in MINT working against the CBN Governor’s plan to reposition the company for optimum performance.

“We have management team members who were picked from the back door.  Some of the Executive Directors working in MINT and claiming to pilot the affairs of the company are just busybodies who come to enrich themselves.  You can never get it right when there is no synergy, fairness between management and staff, as well as sound professionalism.  That is the bane of MINT’s growth today, as it were”.

July 13, 2025 0 comments
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Exclusives

Exposed:  Face of  MINT Acting Director Adesoji Ogungbesan Who Wasted N86m On Rat Gum

by Leading Reporters July 13, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

The last may not have been heard of the level of wastefulness, stealing, corruption and ineptitude bedeviling Nigeria Security, Printing and Minting company, as information has revealed that the Acting Director Corporate Services, Mr Adesoji Ogungbesan cornered a staggering  Eighty Six Million Naira (N86,000,000) to buy 100 pieces of Rat Gum as seen in the pictures. This is the latest of the untamed stealing that has characterised the current management staff, whose ineptitude is fast rendering the company near-moribund.

Recall that more than 200 staff of the company were pressed into involuntary resignation over the dwindling fortunes of the company.  A move Mr Adesoji claimed was a cost-cutting exercise.  A source who spoke to LeadingReporters on condition of anonymity revealed that MINT, as it stands now, is bereft sense of direction, despite the efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria governor at repositioning the corruption-infested government company.

The source, one of the coerced early retirement victims, said that MINT will soon become a company no progressive-minded person would desire to work in.  He attributed the current abysmal status of the company to the activities, ineptitude and overzealousness of the Acting Corporate Services Director, Mr Adesoji Ogungbesan and his clique in the company.

“MINT, as it stands now, prints and imports over 70% of the Nigerian currency from Europe.  The staff welfare is nothing to write home about. Most staff now house themselves in the factory and only go home on weekends due to transportation challenges.  Their morale is at the lowest level, and they are not going to take it lightly again, from the information we gathered. Do not be surprised if you hear about a showdown between the management and the staff soon.

The source said that the corruption is so untamed, and the company owner, the Central Bank of Nigeria, has been making frantic efforts at redirecting the affairs of MINT in a productive and profit-oriented direction, a move that has repeatedly boomeranged owing to vested interests in the company.

“Mr Adesoji Ogungbesan and a few other management staff were brought to the company by elements in CBN.  We understood that one of the aides to a deputy governor of CBN brought him through the backdoor. He was interviewed for a lesser position, but suddenly, he was placed in the position of acting executive director.  He does things his way and rebuffs everyone.  He claims he is a product of “Aso Rock” and cannot be touched. That could have been why the CBN Governor, Dr Olayemi Cardoso, is helpless under the circumstances.

Meanwhile, LeadingReporters investigation has revealed that the rat gum project was one of the many avenues used by Adesoji to siphon money from the coffers of the company.

“I just heard about it.  Unfortunately, that is how heartless the new management has become.  Wasting resources at the expense of the staff who toil under horrible work conditions.  We lost more than 200 staff recently who got fed up with suffering and left the company.  I think the rat gum is the smallest of the brazen embezzlements that the subject person and his co-travelers, popularly known in MINT as the “Villa Boys”, are perpetrating in MINT.

July 13, 2025 0 comments
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Life Style

11-Year-Old Kuku Hamidah Steals the Spotlight as First Youngest Female Rider at Ojude Oba 2025

by Leading Reporters June 14, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

At just 11 years old, Kuku Hamidah Anjolaoluwa rode her way into the hearts of thousands at Ojude Oba 2025, earning recognition as the youngest female horse rider in this year’s grand cultural parade.

Representing the prestigious Kuku Royal Family, Hamidah made a stunning return for her second official appearance at the annual celebration — and this year, she delivered a performance that wowed the crowd and drew admiration from all corners of the festival ground.

Hamidah began horse riding at the tender age of 6, trained diligently by her father — a seasoned horseman and cultural custodian who saw not just potential in his daughter, but purpose. She had appeared alongside him for years, quietly learning the ropes and earning respect behind the scenes.

But it was in 2024 that everything changed.

That year, Hamidah stepped into the spotlight solo, commanding attention with a rare blend of poise, confidence, and elegance that stunned even the elders. Her performance instantly made her a standout — and the first youngest female rider to ever shine in the historic parade.

“Ojude Oba is more than a festival to me. It’s a celebration of our heritage and unity,” Hamidah shared. “Riding symbolizes strength and courage. It reminds me that being a young woman doesn’t limit me — I ride to represent tradition and progress.”

In a heartwarming twist, her 2025 appearance came with extra meaning: Hamidah was joined by her 6-year-old younger brother, marking his debut ride and adding another layer of legacy and family pride to the moment.

“Before the festival, I remind myself who I am, who I represent, and why I ride,” she said.

Her father, proud and emotional, added:

“This isn’t just about riding horses. It’s about raising children who understand the richness of where they come from and are proud to represent it.”

The crowd’s reaction said it all — cheers, applause, and phones lifted in the air capturing the moment a young girl, trained by her father, rode with the spirit of royalty and inspired a new generation.

Kuku Hamidah’s story is more than just a festival highlight. It’s a powerful reminder that the future of tradition is already in motion — galloping forward with pride, purpose, and possibility.

June 14, 2025 0 comments
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Investigation

FRSC boss Shehu Mohammed to spend N1.2b on tours, N350m on house rent out of N10.8billion 2025 overhead budget

by Leading Reporters April 2, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

The Federal Road Safety Corp Marshal, Shehu Mohammed has budgeted to spend the sum of N1,180,000,000 in local and international travels out of the N10,829,243,787 it budgeted for overhead expenses under the 2025 budget proposal of the commission, a LeadingReporters finding has revealed. The budgets which has organizational code no 0161007001, account code no 22020101, and programme code no POH001000687 has local travel and transportation expenses placed at N250,000,000, N800,000,000. Other travels include two international and local travels and transportation put at N65,000,000 each, totaling N130,000,000. Another N120,000,000 was earmarked for international training and another N650,000,000 for local training.

Other frivolous conduits through which monies are budgeted and diverted through overhead expenses include N87,500,000 to be spent as sitting allowance, another N87,500,000 earmarked for fumigation.  The Shehu Mohammed-led FRSC also earmarked N740,000,000 purportedly for publicity and advertisement.  This is despite owning and operating its own radio station. 

Our findings revealed that more than four years after floating a radio station, FRSC has not remitted any money as proceeds from that investment.  Rather, in its capital expenditure proposal, the commission is asking the national assembly to allow it spend N290,037,631.84 with which to acquire software for its radio communication renewal license fee for 2017 to 2023 vide programme code ERGP29227969, while the sum of N90,000,000 was budgeted for tea and meals.

The Corp Marshal 2025 residential rent is put at N350,000,000 while another N900,000,000 was requested for the purchase of two (2) units of 5 bedroom duplexes for Deputy Corp Marshals in Abuja N435,000,000 each, and purchase of 6 flats for senior officers’ official residence put at N30,000,000 each.

Another incredible spendings are N52,000,000 to be spent as grant to private companies and N70,000,000 to be spent in preparing and administering 2025 budget.

April 2, 2025 0 comments
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Investigation

Group threatens to sue OAGF if it obliges FRSC N2.3b ‘Operating Surplus” reimbursement request without a forensic audit of revenue leakages  

by Leading Reporters April 1, 2025
written by Leading Reporters

A pro-accountability group, League of Patriots has threatened to sue the office of the Accountant General of the Federation if it obliges the Federal Road Safety Commission FRSC a request to refund it the sum of N2,308,843,267.20 (Two Billion, Three Hundred and Eight Million, Eight Hundred and Forty Three Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty Seven Naira, Twenty Two Kobo) which the FRSC described as operating surplus for 2024 fiscal year.  

The group said that the time has come for the Federal Government and all the relevant anticorruption agencies to shine a forensic searchlight on the FRSC. It further said that there are high chances that the FRSC is not remitting all that comes to it. The group said it is aware of the many grants FRSC receives from local and foreign donors, which are unaccounted for to date.

“Leakages and unreported revenues have continued to characterize the operations of the current Shehu Mohammed-led Road Safety Management Team.  There are many unreported sources of revenue.  Road safety has its radio station.  While many privately owned stations that started operation later than the road safety’s have continued to rake in millions of naira in profit, FRSC has not declared a dime as revenue from that investment.  Instead, it keeps cornering hundreds of millions of Naira as money spent on publicity and advertisements.

The group said that in the 2025 overhead budget proposal, FRSC has projected to spend a whopping sum of N740,000,000 on publicity and advertisement despite owning and operating its own radio station. The group said this money would end up in the personal pockets of the commission’s management staff. It also said that FRSC’s claim that it only generated N30,306,700 from sales of unserviceable items in 2024 is another falsehood taken too far.

The League accused the commission of pocketing grants running into hundreds of millions of naira it receives from local and international partner organisations and donor agencies.

“The Federal Road Safety Commission is one of the agencies that receive grants from international donor agencies.  These grants are supposed to aid its operations and efficiency.  To date, these grants have not been accounted for in any of their financial records.  We have a list of these donors and our next step is to write them to stop those grants until the commission braces its culture of accountability”

The group reiterated the need for the Federal Government to initiate a forensic audit on the Federal Road Safety Commission to ascertain why a revenue-generating agency like road safety was boastful of remitting a paltry N3,251,311,832.27 into the Consolidated Revenue Fund Account.  The group said it was high time the Federal Government reviewed the perennial anomalies, glaring diversion of funds under guises of operational expenditures, including the inability of the Commission to creatively position the commission for optimum performance. 

“Despite allocating huge resources to safety campaigns, and personnel training, accidents on Nigerian roads have continued unabated, and the commission’s personnel have continued to engage in woeful manners with motorists across the country.  Unfortunately, a once revered Corp has become a laughing stock in the eyes of the public because of poor management.

Speaking during a virtual meeting, exclusively monitored by LeadingReporters, the group said that it is time the FG either repeals the act establishing the commission or merges it with the VIO that has shown better innovative strategies in road safety monitoring and enforcement.

The League of Patriots, popularly known as the “League” is a Texas-based Nigerian Pro-Good Governance group that works in collaboration with many Nigerian anti-corruption civil society organizations.  Its membership is drawn from patriotic Nigerian professionals across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The group meets virtually every month to assess performances in strategic government agencies and ministries and proffer workable solutions.

April 1, 2025 0 comments
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