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Meta starts blocking news, over law on paying publishers

by Leading Reporters August 2, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

Meta Platforms (META.O) has begun the process to end access to news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada, it said on Tuesday, in response to law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers.

The Canadian government quickly denounced the move as “irresponsible,” and said the world is watching the process play out in Canada.

The Online News Act, passed by the Canadian parliament, would force platforms like Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta to negotiate commercial deals with Canadian news publishers for their content.

“News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line,” Rachel Curran, Meta’s head of public policy in Canada, said. “In contrast, we know the people using our platforms don’t come to us for news.”

Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge, who is in charge of the government’s dealings with Meta, said in a Tuesday statement: “This is irresponsible.”

“They would rather block their users from accessing good quality and local news instead of paying their fair share to news organizations,” St-Onge said.

“We’re going to keep standing our ground. After all, if the Government can’t stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?” she added.

In a campaign against the law, which is part of a broader global trend to make tech firms pay for news, both Meta and Google said in June they would block access to news on their platforms in the country.

Canada’s public broadcast CBC also called Meta’s move irresponsible and that it was “an abuse of their market power.”

The Canadian law is similar to a ground-breaking law that Australia passed in 2021 and had triggered threats from Google and Facebook to curtail their services.

Both the companies eventually struck deals with Australian media firms after amendments to the legislation were offered.

But on the Canadian law, Google has argued that it is broader than those enacted in Australia and Europe as it puts a price on news story links displayed in search results and can apply to outlets that do not produce news.

Meta had said links to news articles make up less than 3% of the content on its users’ feed and argued that news lacked economic value.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said in May that such an argument was flawed and “dangerous to our democracy, to our economy.” NewsCredit Reuters

August 2, 2023 0 comments

Headlines

Video: How Four Nigerians, rescued in Brazil, survived 14 days on a ship’s rudder

by Leading Reporters August 2, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

On their tenth day at sea, the four Nigerian stowaways crossing the Atlantic in a tiny space above the rudder of a cargo ship ran out of food and drink.

They survived another four days, according to their account, by drinking the sea water crashing just meters below them, before being rescued by Brazilian federal police in the southeastern port of Vitoria.

Their remarkable, death-defying journey across some 5,600 kilometers (3,500 miles) of ocean underlines the risks some migrants are prepared to take for a shot at a better life.

“It was a terrible experience for me,” said 38-year-old Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, one of the four Nigerians, in an interview at a Sao Paulo church shelter. “On board it is not easy. I was shaking, so scared. But I’m here.”

Their relief at being rescued soon gave way to surprise.

The four men said they had hoped to reach Europe and were shocked to learn they had in fact landed on the other side of the Atlantic, in Brazil. Two of the men have since been returned to Nigeria upon their request, while Yeye and Roman Ebimene Friday, a 35-year-old from Bayelsa state, have applied for asylum in Brazil.

“I pray the government of Brazil will have pity on me,” said Friday, who had already attempted to flee Nigeria by ship once before but was arrested by authorities there.

Both men said economic hardship, political instability and crime had left them with little option but to abandon their native Nigeria. Africa’s most populous country has longstanding issues of violence and poverty, and kidnappings are endemic.

Yeye, a pentecostal minister from Lagos state, said his peanut and palm oil farm was destroyed by floods this year, leaving him and his family homeless. He hopes they can now join him in Brazil.

Friday said his journey to Brazil began on June 27, when a fisherman friend rowed him up to the stern of the Liberian-flagged Ken Wave, docked in Lagos, and left him by the rudder. To his surprise, he found three men already there, waiting for the ship to depart. Friday said he was terrified. He had never met his new shipmates and feared they could toss him into the sea at any moment.

Once the ship was moving, Friday said the four men made every effort not to be discovered by the ship’s crew, who they also worried might offer them a watery grave.

“Maybe if they catch you they will throw you in the water,” he said. “So we taught ourselves never to make a noise.”

Spending two weeks within spitting distance of the Atlantic Ocean was perilous.

To prevent themselves from falling into the water, Friday said the men rigged up a net around the rudder and tied themselves to it with a rope. When he looked down, he said he could see “big fish like whales and sharks.” Due to the cramped conditions and the noise of the engine, sleep was rare and risky. “I was very happy when we got rescued,” he said.

Father Paolo Parise, a priest at the Sao Paulo shelter, said he had come across other cases of stowaways, but never one so dangerous. Their journey paid testament to lengths people will go in search of a new start, he said. “People do unimaginable and deeply dangerous things.” New Credit: Reuters

August 2, 2023 0 comments

Headlines Investigation

LUTH, Dr, Francisca Egube Disguises As Contractor, Corners 13 Contracts from Lagos Government Worth Over N600 Million

by Leading Reporters August 2, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

By the Nigerian Civil Service regulation, section 6 (b) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act states that except where a civil servant is not employed on a full-time basis, he shall not engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession or trade; but nothing in this paragraph shall prevent a public officer from engaging in farming or participating in the management or running of any farm. But in sharp violation of this act, it has been discovered that a civil servant, Dr. Francisca Egube, of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital secured a total of 13 contracts from various government departments.

The contracts, worth N623,715,561.23, were awarded to Quevedo International Limited, a private organization owned and run by Egube, a doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. According to public procurement records obtained by Our reporters, Egube managed to secure these contracts by allegedly bypassing established procedures and manipulating the system. The contracts cover various projects, including medical equipment, renovation of schools, construction projects, and transportation-related services.

The first contract listed in the documents is titled “Provision of Lane Markings across the State LOT5” and was awarded by the Ministry of Transport. With a cost of ₦160,058,701.36, the project was assigned to Quevedo International Limited, the same company that secured the subsequent contracts investigated. The Ministry of Health also awarded multiple contracts to Quevedo International Limited for supplying and installing medical equipment in various hospitals across Lagos State.

These contracts include procuring hemodialysis equipment, oxygen concentrators, endoscopy machines, monophasic defibrillators, phototherapy machines, and radiology equipment, with a combined value of over ₦46 million. Furthermore, the State Universal Education Board entrusted Quevedo International Limited, once again facilitated by Egube, with a contract for the construction of a fence, gate, and gatehouse at Community Primary School in Ikotun, Alimosho LGEA, amounting to ₦15,826,121.15. Another contract involved the emergency renovation of Ewuntuntun Junior Grammar School in Mafoluku, Oshodi, costing ₦31,613,510.30

Additionally, two contracts for the renovation of Apapa Senior High School and Araromi Junior Secondary School Apapa were awarded by the Special Committee on Rehabilitation of Public Schools, with a total worth of ₦99,896,137.86. The Office of Drainage Services & Water Resources assigned Quevedo International Limited to construct outfall channels along Ijede Road, amounting to ₦209,121,090.56.

While it is not uncommon for private organizations to win government contracts, the involvement of a civil servant in securing multiple contracts for the same company raises serious questions about the integrity of the procurement process. Civil service regulations are designed to ensure transparency, fairness, and competition in government contracts, and prevent conflicts of interest.

August 2, 2023 0 comments

Headlines

BREAKING:Tinubu Appoints Jim Obazee, EX-FRCN Boss to Probe CBN

by Leading Reporters July 30, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

Tinubu Appoints Jim Obazee, EX-FRCN Boss Who Almost Sacked Pastor Adeboye From RCCG To Probe CBN

President Bola Tinubu has appointed a Special Investigator to probe the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Related Entities.

In a letter sighted by Leading Reporters, the president named Jim Osayande Obazee, the Chief Executive Officer, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), as the investigator.

The President asked the Special Investigator to investigate CBN and key Government Business Entities (GBEs).

He also said Obazee would report directly to his office.

“In accordance with the fundamental objective set forth in Section 15(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), this administration is, today, continuing the fight against corruption by appointing you as a Special Investigator, to investigate the CBN and Related Entities. This appointment shall be with immediate effect and you are to report directly to my office.”

“The full terms of your engagement as Special Investigator shall be communicated to you in due course but, require that you immediately take steps to ensure the strengthening and probity of key Government Business Entities (GBEs), further block leakages in CBN and related GBEs and provide a comprehensive report on public wealth currently in the hands of corrupt individuals and establishments (whether private or public).

“You are to investigate the CBN and related entities using a suitably experienced, competent and capable team and work with relevant security and anti-corruption agencies to deliver on this assignment. I shall expect a weekly briefing on the progress being made,” the letter read.

The president also sent a copy of his directive suspending Godwin Emefiele as Governor of the CBN on June 9, 2023.

Emefiele has been in DSS custody since then. He was arraigned in court last week and granted bail but the secret police rearrested him.

Obazee had in the past led major investigations Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Bank of Industry (BOI); Zenith Bank of Nigeria Plc; Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Access Bank Plc.

He has also participated in 16 technical committees including 1. Technical Committee on Accounting in the Petroleum Industry – Upstream Activities; Technical Committee on Accounting for Insurance Business; Technical Committee on Accounting for Statement of Cash Flows; Committee on Implementation Guide to Accounting for Leases and Technical Committee on Accounting in the Petroleum Industry – Downstream Activities among others.

Recall that Obazee, in connection with the implementation of the controversial corporate Governance Code 2016 made the headlines when Pastor Enoch Adeboye relinquished his position as the General Overseer of RCCG and announced Pastor Joseph Obayemi as the new overseer of the church.

The code limits the tenure for heads of religious groups and civil rights organisations to 20 years. He pushed for the implementation against Buhari’s wish.

July 30, 2023 0 comments

Investigation

Contract Racketeering: How Chairman Of NEPZA, Former Rep Member, Adamu Abdu Fanda, Received Contracts Worth Millions Of Naira

by Leading Reporters July 30, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

The Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Adamu Abdu Fanda, has soiled his hands in the illicit activities of contract racketeering, familiar with public office holders, thereby violating Section 6(B) of the Code of Conduct Bureau for public servants in Nigeria which forbids civil servants who are employed full time by the Nigerian government from owning or managing a private business or company.

During investigations by this online media, it was discovered that Adamu Abdu Fanda, while in his capacity as the Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority NEPZA, was also managing the affairs of a private company with which he used to secure a contract from the Kano state government in the year 2021.

During a thorough assessment by LeadingReporters on the public procurement portal of Kano state, it was gathered that the Kano state government, under the administration of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the former governor of Kano state, awarded a contract through the State Universal Basic Education Board, worth N6,150,596.50 to Jangaci International Ltd, for the renovation of a classroom block at “Khadigawa P.S.

With registration number 900462, Jangaci International Ltd was incorporated in Kano state, Nigeria, on 16 July 2010. It is located at No. 6, Beirut, Kano state Nigeria. It was discovered that the company, with its status unknown, has three directors as key management staff, who oversee the affairs of the company’s activities.

(Screenshot showing the board members) Adamu Abdu Fanda, who hails from Kano state, was a former House of Representatives member. He was appointed the chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority by the administration of former president Muhammadu Buhari in the year 2020. The appointment took effect on September 26, 2020. News Credit Secretrepoters.com

July 30, 2023 0 comments

Headlines

Japa Cycle: Recession is global, stay in Nigeria – NIS

by Leading Reporters July 30, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has warned Nigerian youths about the dangers inherent in illegal migration and human trafficking, adding that economic downturn is a global phenomenon.

The NIS said many Nigerian youths have had their organs harvested and perished in the process of leaving the country for sweet promises.

It insisted that illegal migration had become rampant following the national socio-economic downturn, but maintained that the “Japa Syndrome” embraced by the youths in recent times was not the solution.

Mrs Kemi Nandap, the Deputy Comptroller General of Immigration in Charge of the Directorate of Migration, made the remarks at the weekend in Gwagwalada, Abuja, during sensitization visits to the District Head of Gwagwalada, the Government Day Secondary school, and the Gwagwalada main market.

She said the sensitisation which was in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of NIS was designed to educate the youths, parents, community leaders and other stakeholders about the danger of illegal migration and human trafficking especially through the Mediterranean and North African deserts.

As she described the Japa Syndrome as alarming, especially amongst youths,

Nandap revealed that over 1,200 youths died in the Mediterranean Sea and deserts last year alone.

Nandap said many of those who reached some countries had their organs harvested by people they trusted.

She said, “Don’t be deceived, economic downturn is now a global phenomenon. If you have been watching events across the world, you would have noticed protests in some countries. So, it is not about Nigeria alone. It is a global issue. Stay here with us and let us pull our country out of this challenges together.

“Don’t follow sweet promises that are not real. People who are telling you to follow them, ask them why they couldn’t carry their own children. Why didn’t they Japa with their cousins and other close relatives. It is dangerous.

“They deceived our youths, made them to pass through the deserts and the Mediterranean Sea, some died in the process and their bodies washed off the Sea. Some had their organs harvested by people who took them out the country.”

July 30, 2023 0 comments

Headlines

Lost Character: As Commission Sells Jobs To Nigerians – Chairperson

by Leading Reporters July 30, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

The initial whispers have now snowballed into full-blown admission that the once respected Federal Character Commission (FCC) has over the years become a castle of corruption where lucrative jobs are sold to unemployed and even employed Nigerians of all creeds and ethnic backgrounds.

This unfortunate classification of the Commission is coming from its current Chairperson, Dr Muheeba Dankaka, who described the FCC as “a marketplace for selling job slots” before her appointment to the office by immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari on April 28, 2020.

Emphatically, Dr Dankaka claimed that her bold attempts to check the alleged corruption and obvious drift of the Commission from its original mandate have unfortunately seen some commissioners ganging up against her within the system.

Speaking during an appearance before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged job racketeering and abuse of Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) by Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), the FCC boss said there is no denying the fact that government officials have become notorious for selling job slots to Nigerians without batting eyelids.

She informed the Committee thus; “Before I came to this place, they were selling slots. The place was like a market, and you can find out from people who live in Abuja if I am lying. When I came in, I met all the commissioners, and I told them that they gave us the Qur’an [to swear on]. I don’t want anything that would destroy me or my family”.

Quite interestingly, Dankaka was not alone in washing the FCC’s dirty linens in public as some Commissioners, going by the ‘Integrity Group’ tag also accused her of highhandedness, job racketeering, abuse of extant laws and the FCC establishment Act since arriving to head the Commission.

The unfolding drama was against the backdrop of the House Committee’s directives that the FCC’s Chairperson and all the 36 commissioners must appear before it to answer questions on their current duty tour and activities in the Agency.

Addressing the House Committee on their counter-allegations, the Commissioner representing Osun State in the commission, Abdulrazak Adewuyi, and Rivers State counterpart, Okwacha Augustine claimed that Dr Dankaka has been running the Commission’s affairs in violation of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 2 of the FCC Act and other extant laws.

However, Dankaka denied the allegations and accused the commissioners from the ‘Integrity Group’ of mischief and blackmail, insisting that those making the allegations had been antagonistic following her refusal to compromise and accede to their whims and caprices.

In a viral video of the panel session, Dankaka said her move to stop the sale of job slots at the commission on her assumption of office did not go down well with some of the commissioners.

She said, “Before I came here, I have made my name. I have made my money. Let me tell you a small story. Some of them (commissioners) have reasons why they are attacking me. When I first came in, most of them were my close people. All of them were always in my office, but what they wanted me to do I told them I cannot do it.

“I am a very quiet person and I keep certain secrets as executive chairman. I have to swallow certain things and leave everything in the hands of God. Before I came to this place, they were selling (job) slots. The place was like a market. And you can find out from the people living in Abuja if I am lying. When I came in, I met all the commissioners and told them I don’t want anything that will destroy me and my family. All of them can bear me witness.”

She further alleged that a commissioner bought a landed property and promised the seller to pay for it with job slots, but she deliberately thwarted the evil plan which drew the ire of the said Commissioner and his comrades in the fraudulent business.

Having listened to the feuding parties, the House Committee Chairman, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, directed the chairperson to submit her response to the allegations in writing as well as all other documents required for the investigation by Friday, July 28, 2023.

The Committee also directed that the FCC Chairperson should appear with all the 36 commissioners on Monday, July 31, 2023 for the resumed investigative hearing.

July 30, 2023 0 comments

Headlines

DSS Invites Kogi APC Guber Candidate

by Leading Reporters July 30, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

The Department of State Services (DSS) in Kogi State yesterday invited the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Ododo Ahmed Usman, over a petition against him by some members of the opposition.

LEADING REPORTERS gathered that he was with the service for several hours.

It was further gathered that the DSS decided to invite him for discussion on issues that will bring peace to the state.

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, Alhaji Usman said the invitation was normal.

According to him, they had fruitful discussions and as a good citizen of the state, he and his party would always maintain peace. He assured that the coming election would be free and fair.

He further stated that as far as he was concerned, there is no tension in the state ahead of the election, and urged his supporters to continue to maintain peace before, during and after the election.

Also speaking with newsmen, the commissioner for information and communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, said Ododo was invited by the DSS, and as a law-abiding citizen who is aspiring to lead the state, he honoured the invitation.

He said, “The allegations contained in the petition are frivolous and unfounded, but it was incumbent on the APC candidate to respect a constituted authority such as the DSS. Alhaji Ododo was questioned by a team of operatives at the DSS for hours, and he gave convincing explanations to the interrogators.

“We commend the professionalism of the DSS and pledge our cooperation to whatever measures are taken or that would be taken to ensure a peaceful poll.

“We assure supporters of the APC governorship candidate that he has since left the DSS office to continue his consultations with Kogites ahead of the poll. Our commitment to peace and tranquility is iron cast.”

July 30, 2023 0 comments

Headlines

JUST-IN: Residents Loot Warehouses to Survive Hardship As Governor declared a 24-hour curfew

by Leading Reporters July 30, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has declared a 24-hour curfew on Adamawa State, following a breakdown of law and order across the State.

The development followed looting of warehouses by residents, who carted assorted foodstuffs and other valuables under guise of looking for ‘palliatives’.

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Humwashi Wonosikou, in a statement made available to LEADINGREPORTERS on Sunday afternoon, said the curfew takes effect immediately on Sunday, July 30, 2023.

July 30, 2023 0 comments

PENCOM boss received millions of dollars from 2019 when she was an acting Director General of PENCOM Leading Reporters

Headlines

Documents Expose How Nigerian PENCOM Boss, Dahir-Umar Received Millions Of Dollars For Foreign Trips During COVID-19 Lockdown

by Leading Reporters July 30, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

The Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) Aisha Dahir-Umar received millions of dollars in estacode for foreign trips even during the Covid-19 lockdown, documents obtained have shown.

The documents further revealed that the PENCOM boss received millions of dollars from 2019 when she was an acting Director General of PENCOM and continued in 2020 when she was confirmed as the substantive DG.

She received the funds through a Nigeria Uniform Bank Account Number, 20165261012 domiciled with the GTB, used by government officials for internal purposes.

For instance in 2019, specifically on January 3rd, she was paid $1,800,480 in estacode on a Washington DC trip. No specific reason was attached to the trip, which has a transaction reference number 269574350 with Batch number 6309.

Also, in another transaction reference No 366902094 with Batch No 815; Dahir-Umar collected N4,965,327 on 9/01/2020 on airfare to Mauritius for the fourth Pension Fund Africa Conference. On that trip, she collected $259,200.

In the document SaharaReporters obtained, Dahir-Umar pocketed N4,243,116 on 13/03/2020 on airfare to attend Reinventing HR Summit in London and collected an additional N3,077,648 in estacode.

SaharaReporters had reported on January 1, 2023, that the Centre for Public Accountability (CPA) petitioned the anti-graft agency Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), demanding an immediate probe of the PENCOM DG, Aisha Dahir-Umar.

Although the CPA Executive Director, Olufemi Lawson, commended the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on its effort to probe Dahir-Umar, SaharaReporters reported in December 2022 that the group had expressed dismay over alleged high-level corruption in PENCOM under Dahir-Umar, in a petition to the EFCC.

It had been reported that the group in the petition signed by Lawson, said that during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Dahir-Umar was allegedly paid tens of thousands of foreign currencies for courses she never attended.

The CPA’s earlier petition read, “It is on this basis that we write this petition to your commission for a thorough investigation, into several acts of corruption, particularly as related, into several funds received by Aisha Dahiru Umar, from PENCOM for foreign trips and courses that she never attended.

“In recent times, it has become a practice for office holders to swindle public funds under the guise of foreign courses but subsequently divert the same into private pockets.

“We hope to also intimate you, of the fact that after collecting those funds, Aisha Dahiru Umar, hides in her Abuja residence or outside Abuja for a few days and returns to work pocketing Tens of millions of Naira and several sums of foreign currency.

“This act of corruption was also repeated a few weeks/months ago as she was paid over Forty million Naira, and after being questioned by a whistleblower, with a threat to expose her, she quickly returned about Twenty-Five million, out of the said amount.

“During the COVID-19 global pandemic, Aisha Dahiru Umar was paid Tens of thousands of foreign currencies, for courses she never attended.

“We urge the EFCC to carry out an audit of payments made to her for foreign courses, requesting attendance certificates, air tickets, and boarding passes as proof of attendance.

“This will help to identify if the attached bank statements and payment advices correspond, which we believe will uncover the massive fraud and gross abuse of office with such impunity.

“PENCOM had paid about N1 billion into her various bank accounts between 2015 and till date which we believed your commission can verify via the BVN system.

“During her tenure as acting DG, from the proceeds of such massive fraud, she purchased a house worth hundreds of millions of Naira located at plot 309, No.20 Adamu Aliero Crescent Guzape Abuja. Also from the travel fraud and other corrupt activities at PENCOM, She bought an N700 million property at No. 53 Nelson Mandela, Asokoro, Abuja.

“She has also secretly acquired several assets with family members fronting for her including Millions of Naira paid into accounts of family members. She also has allocated several assets of the commission including cars and uses commission staff to service houses of her relatives and has defrauded the commission of Millions of Naira for the monthly procurement of diesel fuel for two houses belonging to her children.

“A forensic audit of her expenses and the finances of PENCOM should be carried out to stop the looting in the public interest. This subject matter is not new to you and several Nigerians have repeatedly drawn your attention to this. We have decided to take up this challenge after you called for a petition through your social media account on Twitter.

“We, therefore, call on you to investigate this act, trace the money, and ensure that same is not channeled towards any purpose other than being returned to the commission.”

Sequel to the petition, Oluwafemi commended the ICPC for having commenced an investigation into the allegations against the PENCOM boss, saying that the anti-graft agency has shown greater commitment to exemplary service delivery to all its stakeholders.

He had said, “We commend the ICPC for swift action but it is also important that we inform them not to go to sleep over this as we expect that effort must be put in place to bring her to book for her corrupt practices.

“We understand that the woman (Aisha Dahir-Umar) in question has boasted to compromise everyone as she tried to infiltrate the CSO organization calling for her prosecution.”

Meanwhile, the group again called on the EFCC to as a matter of urgency investigate the petition written and submitted to its office regarding allegations of corrupt practices levelled against Dahir-Umar

PenCom reacts to allegations its DG spent millions of dollars on estacodes

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has described as outrageous falsehood and fiction allegations that its Director-General, Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar, was paid millions of dollars as estacode during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.

The reaction of the commission followed online reports that it spent such a huge amount as Estacode in 2020, as well as further claims that there were documents showing how the monies were paid into her account.

This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by PenCom on Sunday, July 30, 2023, and can be seen on the commission’s official Twitter account.

PenCom said no government official could claim foreign travel allowances in 2020 when there was a global restriction on international travel and most airports were closed, forcing people to work from home and hold virtual meetings.

The commission said all rates for estacode payments are standardized and foreign trips require strict documentation, “including air tickets, stamped passport pages and evidence of several days spent”.

It stated that even if the PenCom boss were to spend 2 years outside the country non-stop, her estacode allowances would not be up to a million dollars.

Allegation a fiction

The statement from PenCom reads,

‘’Management would like to alert the public to the renewed campaign of outrageous falsehood against the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and its Director General, Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar, over some imagined financial impropriety. Although the promoters of this fiction went to the extent of manufacturing documents and listing non-existent bank accounts to make the fabrication look real, fiction remains fiction and can never become the truth no matter how many times it is repeated and recycled.
‘’It was alleged that the Director General was s paid millions of dollars as estacodes for foreign trips she did not embark upon in 2020. This poor attempt at calumny is exposed by the fact that there was a global lockdown in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic during which international travels were restricted. Offices were shut down and most people had to hold virtual meetings. It is, thus, most outlandish to suggest that any government agency would claim to be paying allowances to its officials for international travels when most airports were shut down globally.’’

July 30, 2023 0 comments

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