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Silence Of Rape Victims Helping Sexual Violence Boom In Nigeria – NHRC

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

The silence of victims of sexual assaults has been identified by the National Human Rights Commission, as one of the reasons Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) thrive across Nigeria.

NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojuku Esq. who disclosed this at a meeting in Rivers State, said unless victims summon the courage to report such unsavory incidents to relevant authorities, those who engage in abominable behaviors like SGBV may not stop.

In a statement made available by NHRC’s Deputy Director Public Affairs, Fatimah Agwai Mohammed, on Wednesday, Ojukwu noted that the commission was currently handing 40 related cases in the state, adding it would ensure that justice was served.

However, he advised others who were in similar situation across the country not to remain silent but be rest assured that the Commission’s panel would give them a voice as well as change the narrative of allowing sexual assaults perpetuators go free.

“Sexual and gender-based violence is a human problem which even though affects both sexes weigh heavily against women and girls.

“SGBV has been booming in Nigeria because most victims do not come out to speak for fear of stigma and discrimination, coupled with the lack of remedy for victims,” he added.

Furthermore, Ojukwu urged traditional and religious leaders to come out hard on those engaged in SGBV as that would send a strong message to others.

“Traditional and religious leaders are frustrating our fight on SGBV because they use cultural and traditional practices to settle cases which in itself encourages perpetrators to commit more sexual violence,” he added.

The UN Initiative has a mandate to end all “forms of violence against women and girls by 2030” and it has about €500 million seed funding commitment aimed at helping it achieve its objective globally.

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HeadlinesExclusives

Breaking: Presidency Allegedly Scouting For Custom Boss Hamid Ali and NSA Babagana Monguno Replacements

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

There are indications that President Muhammadu Buhari may have succumbed to pressure to lay off the National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno and his counterpart in the Nigeria Customs Service NCS, Col. Hamid Ali (Rtrd), a discreet source has told LeadingReporters.

Babagana Monguno, a retired Army General and former Chief of Defence Intelligence is believed to have been overwhelmed by the insecurity ravaging the country, necessitating his replacement with someone who will bring in fresh ideas on how the government may end insurgency, banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other forms of criminality that has bedeviled Nigeria perennially.

Col. Ali, who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to man Nigeria Customs Service as Sole Administrator following allegation of massive fraud perpetrated by his predecessor, the former and late Comptroller General CG Abdullahi Dikko.

Dikko was believed to have corruptly leveraged his position as the then Comptroller General of Customers to rip the nations of Trillions of Naira.

Col. Hamid Ali (Rtrd), as a Sole Administrator of NCS was expected to man the service for about six months and hand over to a career CG from the service.  However, the Presidency in their wisdom has thus far kept Ali, despite concerns that his age and health may not allow him to optimize his challenges of rejigging the service to a more effective one.

Despite criticism from some quarters that Col. Hamid Ali (Rtrd) has relegated his selflessness and modesty for a more flamboyant lifestyle, including owning new properties here and there and taking in new wife, Ali has succeeded in bringing a good level of discipline in the service which in turn has led to more result-oriented reforms that has increased the fortune of the Service.

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BusinessHeadlines

Banks to vacate Abuja choicest Area in 7days…

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

Banks and other business organization might begin to count their loss following a seven-day ultimatum given to them

by the FCTA Administration to vacate Maitama relocate to the Central Business District or risk being sealed up.

The Acting Director, Department of Development Control, Mr Garba Kwamkur, gave the warning when the department visited the popular Gana Street in Maitama on Tuesday.

Kwamkur explained that the objective of the visit was to sensitise business operators on the need to revert all the banks and other commercial hubs to their original allocated locations.

“The department had a week ago served notification to all the buildings that have been converted to commercial use to revert them to the residential purposes but they failed to comply,” he said.

Kwamkur directed the banks and other business organisations to relocate to Central Business District or Idu Industrial Estate which the FCT master plan provided for.

The acting director warned that their business premises would be sealed off at the expiration of the seven days ultimatum.

Meanwhile, Kwamkur, revealed that over 200 hectares of land in the Federal Capital City had been encroached by illegal land grabbers raising unapproved structures around the Lugbe District.

According to him, over 150 criminals have encroached into areas meant for public facilities in the Sabon-Luge area of the district.

“As you are aware the FCT Administration has pronounced that Lugbe will be incorporated into the Federal Capital City proper.So the plan is being incorporated to have the same kind of infrastructure as those in the city.

“This area was planned for public facilities such as schools, markets, hospitals, and other public utilities.

“But land grabbers have now encroached into the area and captured all the plots meant for public facilities and are developing them as housing estates.

“Thereby denying space for the necessary amenities that will be needed for the district in the future,” he said.

Kwamkur added that the department would forward the list of suspected offenders to the FCT Police commissioner to track and prosecute them as specified by the law

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ExclusivesHeadlines

Azman’s Air Near-Fatal Landing: Passengers Say Worn-Out Tyres May Be Responsible For The Incident

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

Some passengers onboard Azman Air Boeing 737-500 with Registration Marks SN-SYS, which left from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja to Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos which lost four tyres on landing on 16th of February believe that bad landing on worn-out tyres may have been the cause of the near-fatal incident involving the aircraft.

The incident happened around 5pm local time in Lagos when the airline from Abuja to Lagos began to experience landing challenges.

Azman Tyres

One of the passengers who spoke to LeadingReporters on condition that his name would not be mentioned said that he started feeling that something was wrong when the pilot kept hovering around the airport.  He said that the pilot made the first attempt at landing, but had to pull up the plane again, citing bad weather condition. 

The passenger who boarded the plane said that the landing was so sudden and nerve-cracking that you would know that there was something amiss. He frowned at what he described as desperate moves by the owners of the airline to stop them from taking pictures, insisting that it infringed their right to be well informed about what happened.

LR- Azman

“Trying to force us not to take pictures was a desperate move by the airliner.  Possibly, there was something they wanted to hide. It was the height of insensitivity to treat passengers who narrowly escaped being perished the way they did.  They seemed more concerned in keeping their names than caring about the passengers.

“We thought we were not going to make it.  In fact, I started noticing that something was wrong when the pilot began to hover around the airport.  He made the first attempt at landing and suddenly pulled up the plane.  I knew something was wrong.  He announced inclement weather, but it seemed something much more than that.

LR Azman

The plane almost land-crashed.  When we were evacuated, something told me that the problem may be with the tyre.  I looked at the tyres.  I counted four burst tyres.  But beyond that, you’d notice that some of the tyres are so badly worn out before the burst.  The pictures are here to speak for themselves.

The aircraft, was said to have 49 passengers on board and 6 crew members. It had 4 burst tyres on landing on Runway 18R of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.

Azman Tyres

All effort to get the management of Azman Air to address the allegations were unsuccessful as the person who spoke to our Lead Investigation Editor said he was not in a position to answer and could not link LeadingReporters to Azman Communication Department.

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OpinionHeadlines

N30b Storm water: Am unhappy with Obaseki

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

By Tonnie Iredia

The saying that ‘government is a continuum’ makes ample sense to many because no patriot is likely to object to the continuation of well-thought-out policies initiated by a previous government.

It was perhaps the expectation that such continuity would be in the public interest that many Edo citizens in 2016 hastily embraced Godwin Obaseki, the governorship candidate of the then ruling All Progressives Congress APC. The anticipation was that Obaseki would continue with what was understood at the time to be his predecessor’s giant steps in project execution.

But based on a critical assessment of the over-publicized performance of the government of the day, this column did caution our people to be weary of hailing projects with hazy details. Government was so angered by my article for the week titled “Continuity in Edo on what?” published on July 31, 2016 that she expended huge public resources to procure nation-wide, live television coverage and full-page newspaper advertorial to denounce this writer. How I wish political jobbers who relished those paid, intemperate and defamatory adverts, had the serenity to read my response titled ‘Tonnie Iredia & the Verdict of History.’

Today, I am patently vindicated by the prompt verdict of history that is already on ground now. Of course, Obaseki who has since become governor, has disproved the suspicion that he would naively continue with projects without rationalizing them. Instead, he has shown commensurate wisdom by refusing to continue with projects whose concealed traps to shortchange his people have become exposed.

Interestingly, there are still politicians who have refused to condemn the booby-traps of the previous administration arguing that governor Obaseki should have ‘completed’ the 5-star hospital already commissioned by no less a personality than the nation’s President. What can any coherent citizen make of a clamor for a new governor to complete a project which had been formally commissioned with glamour before he took office? Perhaps it was to give ample time to those who diverted funds from the project to quietly return and have the job properly completed, that it took about 3 years before government set-up a judicial commission of enquiry into the affairs of the hospital.

Sadly, pertinent issues raised by the enquiry have been treated with kid-gloves. For instance, not much has been heard about the recommendation of the panel that the Ministry of Justice should institute civil and criminal actions against those found culpable in the project which the panel described as ‘fraught with breaches of the state’s procurement laws.’ If the constraint of the governor was influenced by his anxiety to avoid being distracted by prolonged probes, some people are surprised that he is yet to at least recover for the state, huge sums that may have been misappropriated. It is more upsetting that after Obaseki had himself seen several discrepancies in another controversial massive project – the N30billion Benin storm water scheme, he is still at the point of threatening to probe the contract.

Whoever is prevailing on the governor to soft-pedal so as not to be accused of pursuing his predecessor, is certainly not doing society any good. After all, there is nothing wrong with a probe that is well intentioned. While no one can stop governors from maintaining good relationships with their predecessors/political parties, all governors are under oath to adhere to the greater obligation of ensuring societal development.

This seems to explain the trend in other parts of the country where some governors have had to review previous projects for the good of society; an apt example here being the changes in Osun state where governor Oyetola has courageously and correctly reversed his predecessor and party leader. More importantly, if such changes involve recovery of misappropriated funds, it would be a disservice to look the other way supposedly for the sake of inter-personal peace.

In the case of Edo, the storm water project valued at N30billion is not only too huge to be toyed with, the consequence of leaving the state capital flooded is too grave to be pushed aside. The water project is therefore not one whose probe should be delayed. We are not unaware of efforts by some people to politicize the project by raising some irrelevant issues. First, there is the argument that the governor should have known that the entire budget of N30billion had not been spent – an argument which further justifies the need for a probe.

Apart from the fact that the argument does not controvert the original value of the project, the state is entitled to knowing the exact amount already expended, and the correlation between the unspent balance and what remains to be done. Can the amount yet to be spent, complete the job? If not, under which segment was money over-spent? How much is involved and how can it be retrieved? Besides, is it true that part of the funds made available for the project was allegedly shared? These are some of the issues that immediately render the probe inevitable.

In developed societies where Auditors have the required independence and strength of character to perform, a probe would probably be unnecessary; but in our clime where a leader can over-rule professionals, it is only through an enquiry that facts can be seamlessly exposed. There is also the blackmail by some people who are planning to indict members of the present government who were part of the previous administration. Such threats are honestly in favour of the state.

All those who have facts that would expose what anyone including the current governor did in the past, are welcome to play the role of good citizens by providing such facts. On the other hand, the call by some groups that governor Obaseki should waive his immunity and appear before the probe panel begs the issue. Such calls can only arise where any fact placed before the panel warrants the governor’s appearance.

We expect that the probe panel would not spare anyone involved in defrauding the state. Indeed, our people must learn to discard the tendency of seeking to use the misdemeanour of some other persons to justify theirs. All honest people ought to know that a probe is not a basis for automatic indictment, rather it is an instrument for correcting claims and false accusations which no one should be scared of.

Accordingly, we hope no one would resort to the old practice of using the judiciary to buy time by hopping from one court to another to stop the probe panel from doing the job. We are also in support of the decision of the state government to swiftly comb relevant ministries to retrieve crucial documents on the project which could be burnt by suspected arsonists.

Governor Obaseki has since 2016, evolved strategies for stopping the old order of fraudulent practices in government. Through technology he has been successful in removing political jobbers especially analogue revenue collectors from having access to state resources.

Having been so commended by all for the strategy, he cannot stop at that level of minor frauds. He must in addition, endeavour to take the fight higher by retrieving all stolen assets from past leaders and their influential aides. If not, the governor is likely to lose the admiration of Edo indigenes including this writer who are desirous of a speedy development of our state.

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Exclusives

Insecurity: Sack Isah Pantami for his devious past and terrorism tendencies: Group writes Buhari, AU, US, EU others

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

A group known as Security Watchers has written to President Muhammudu Buhari, Head of African Union, United States of America, European Union and other security stakeholders alleging that the current Minister of Communication Sheik Isah Pantami and Digital Economy has long history of fanaticism and provocative activities.

The group said that Pantami’s antecedence suggests a systematic link and subtle sympathy with terrorist organisation, making him unfit to head a ministry as sensitive as Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy. “Insecurity thrives on compromised communication management”.  The group wrote.

Part of the letter sighted by LeadingReporters reads:

“A man who was banished from Bauchi State at one point in time because of his activities which caused security breach cannot be honoured with a national assignment, more especially when the menace of Boko Haram, Banditry and other forms of criminalities is ravaging the nation and impoverishing millions of Nigerians.

“Security is hinged on communication.  A compromised communication system will aid terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminalities as we are currently experiencing in Nigeria under Pantami as Minister of communication.

“These criminals make calls, send messages and execute their nefarious plans in Nigeria leveraging on communication.  In other nations, most of the criminal activities have been traced through communication – calls and sms.  Pantami has either refused to initiate strategies through which these criminals should be nabbed or he does not know a jack about the ministry he prides himself as a sage.

The group further appeals to President Buhari and other stakeholders to reinvestigate the reason why Pantami was banished from Bauchi and reconsider if he is fit for a position of a minister in a sensitive ministry as ministry of communication and digital economy.

“The country now needs people with verifiable profiles and clean past that do not suggest allegiance to terrorist groups.  Pantami is highly sectional, laden with religious bigotry.  He may be selling out.

“Go through his social media official handle.  It speaks volume of a man who knows nothing about social cohesion and tolerance.  He only replies to comments made by those whose names suggest they hail from a particular side of Nigeria and from a particular religion.  That speaks volume of his precedence.

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InvestigationHeadlines

Breaking: FIRS Lands N40m Tax On Bokadi Links Supports Ltd; A Company allegedly used by NIRSAL For Fraudulently Activities

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

Information at the disposal of LeadingReporters has revealed that the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS has handed down a tax liability to the tune of N40million to Bokadi Links Supports Ltd, a company LeadingReporters investigation revealed has been perennially used by the Nigeria Incentive-Base Risk Sharing System for Agriculture Lending (NIRSAL) Plc to commit all manners of fraudulent activities.

From a discreet investigation carried out by this media platform, NIRSAL has perennially used Bokadi Links Supports Ltd FCMB Account No 3109214010 to divert and corner funds into private pockets.  One of such criminal diversion of fund was the transfer of the sum of N227,825,333 transferred into Bokadi Links Supports Ltd FCMB Account no 3109214010 under the guise of “Payment for attending seminar” on 15th of December, 2017. 

Other diversions into the account include:

  • N15,528,900  paid into the said account on 22/09/2017
  • N12,309,841  paid into the said account on 10/10/2017
  • N10,301,200 paid into the said account on 17/11/2017
  • N55,000,000 paid into the said account on 05/12/2017
  • N55,197,000 paid into the said account on 14/12/2017
  • N227,825,333 paid into the said account on 15/12/2017
  • N12,500,000 paid into the said account on 25/01/2019
  • N10,860,000 paid into the said account on 28/01/2019
  • N54,991,589 paid into the said account on 08/10/2019
  • N10,000,000 paid into the said account on 28/01/2020
  • N10,000,000 paid into the said account on 03/03/2020
  • N18,000,000 paid into the said account on 05/03/2020
  • N15,000,000 paid into the said account on 12/03/2020
  • N2,000,000 paid into the said account on 20/04/2020
  • N1,500,000 paid into the said account on 08/05/2020
  • N2,000,000 paid into the said account on 13/05/2020
  • N6,950,000 paid into the said account on 02/06/2020
  • N3,000,000 paid into the said account on 05/06/2020
  • N10,000,000 paid into the said account on 30/06/2020

Fraud and criminal diversion of public fund have become synonymous with NIRSAL, a company heavily funded by the Nigeria Tax Payers through the Central Bank of Nigeria and other donor agencies.  NIRSAL over the years has garnered notoriety of criminal diversions of funds, using every available processes and means.  Despite public outcry of the perennial looting going on in NIRSAL, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor, Godwin Emiefele has continued to look the other way.  A recent investigation carried out by LeadingReporters has revealed Bokadi Links Supports Limited FCMB Account is one of the conduits through which monies are perennially fleeced the agency. 

Bokadi Links Supports Limited, according to our investigation was floated for the sole purpose of using it to fleece NIRSAL as these monies were paid into the Company’s FCMB Account under frivolous purposes.  An inside source in NIRSAL told this media platform that Bokadi Links Supports Ltd is one of the more than 15 corporate accounts floated by the Aliyu Abdulhameed-led NIRSAL using proxies through which hundreds of millions of monies are fleeced the company.

Further investigation revealed that the MD of Bokadi Links Supports Limited is paid 20% of every money moved into the company’s account, while the remaining 80% were usually changed into dollars and returned to the top management staff of NIRSAL.

Our investigation further revealed that bubbles burst when the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS landed a tax liability of N40,000,000 on Bokadi Links Supports Ltd.  Following the pressure mounted on the MD of Bokodi Links Supports Limited to pay the company’s tax liability of N40,000,000 to the Government, the MD was said to have approached the “ogas” in NIRSAL to inform them that Government, through FIRS is already on his company demanding for tax to be paid.  The ‘Ogas” were said to have denied him, insisting that he was given enough portion of the looted fund through which he should have used to pay whatever tax liability FIRS was asking for.

All attempts to get the Managing Director of Nirsal to address the allegations failed because he neither picked calls nor returned to text messages sent to him.  Mails couriered to his office were rejected by the security at the gate who claimed that the MD gave them a standing order never to pick any mails aside from Central Bank and few government agencies.

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Headlines

Holy Thief: Isah Pantami Stinks Of Corruption, Nepotism and Religiosity: His Digital Economy A Hoax

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

Sheikh Isah Pantami is one of the holier than thou political appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari who hides under the umbrella of religious titles to commit atrocious acts such as diversion of public funds, and nepotism.

Those who know him well will readily tell you that Sheikh Pantami is an eye-servant, holier-than-thou heck of a political appointee who thrives on rubbishing the hard earned reputation of others. From National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA to the current Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, the story has been that of one-sidedness in appointment, highhandedness, corruption, and self-praises without any glaring achievements.

At NITDA, Pantami created every opportunity to steal from the coffers of the agency.  That includes collecting a sum of N20m with which he claimed to have used to bring in personal car from Saudi Arabia where he lived prior to his appointment, to Nigeria.

The said car was the car he used in Saudi Arabia before coming to Nigeria. Insider information revealed that the N20million was never used to bring in any car from Saudi Arabia. Rather than returning the money, he began to victimize workers who he believed were responsible for the public knowledge of that atrocious act.

Our investigation further revealed that Pantami, before being appointed  Minister of Communication and Digital Economy leveraged on his position as the then DG of NITDA and struck a deal with telecommunication companies, especially the GSM operators to shortchange the government by giving them waiver from the statutory remittances they should make to the Federal Government. These companies have consistently posted profits and have not at any point posted loss that should suggest availing them waiver.

Another blunder by Pantami is his inability to get ICT incubating centers across all the states functional despite, funds voted for the project, including those from donor agencies.  Sheikh Pantama thrives in stirring noises about what he can do and not what he has done. The digital economy is still a long dream that has not contributed anything to the coffers despite plunging hundreds of millions of Naira of tax payers’ money into the project.  Recall that under Pantami, the ministry of Communication was changed to Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy after convincing the Federal Government that he was going to use the ministry and ICT to drive economic growth just like India and USA. A check on the economy will reveal that under Pantami, revenue from the ministry and its agencies have rather plunged. 

The Technology Village in Abuja which Pantami taunted so much about is still one of his white elephant projects with which he deceives Federal Government into believing that he has the capacity to create a huge economy from ICT.

Furthermore, it was revealed that Pantami is using his offices as a conduit to amass as much money as much as he can to prosecute his political ambition. An insider informant said that Pantami is gunning for governorship election come 2023 in Gombe State. To keep the money coming from NITDA, Pantami convinced the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint his former Personal Assistant Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi as the current DG/CEO of NITDA.

Our investigation further revealed that Pantami has usurped the powers of all the DGs in all the agencies under Ministry of Communication and digital economy by centralizing all contract awards on his desk.  This is to enable him choose who to award contract to and who not to award contract to. Pantami is currently the one awarding contracts in all the agencies his ministry is supervising.

In our next publication, we will reveal to you how Pantami employed about 90 staff in NITDA, with over 50% coming from his home State and religion and another 25% from from Northern Region without approval from Federal Character Commission.  Recall that Pantami dismissed staffs that were employed by his predecessor, describing the processes as lacking in merit, only for him to do worse that the evil he accused his predecessor of.  The dismissed workers dragged Pantami to court and the case is currently in Appeal Court now. Stay tuned

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Exclusives

Nigeria Security Printing And Minting Plc: The New Cash-Cow Being Milked By Emiefele’s Loyalists: MINT MD/CEO May Head NDIC

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

The fortune of Nigeria Security, Printing and Minting, MINT is currently on a downward trend under its current Managing Director Mr. Abbas Masanawa. 

MINT, as the company is popularly known is now run by gang of thirsty hawks, mainly Emiefele’s boys and loyalists right from his days at Zenith Bank. 

These men are more concerned with bleeding the company than building it.  For instance, the Katsina State born Managing Director, Mr. Masanawa-led MINT board has concluded plans to increase the remuneration of the board members and key staff by 60%, while a paltry 15% salary increment is being considered for staffs who toil under excruciating working condition every other day, including Sundays to keep the company running.

Aside from that, the current MINT Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director has suspended series of incentive programmes initiated by his predecessor that saw an upward surge in productivity and profitability.  Instead, he is diverting the benefits to himself and his gang-men, while productivity and profitability keep dwindling.  Again, the company board structure is so one-sided.  Again, Mr. Masanawa has resumed the era of unnecessary casualization of staff. 

Mr Masanawa has been the CBN Governor’s ally and right-hand-man who worked with him in Zenith bank. MINT is currently experiencing abysmal performance as a result of the nepotistic tendencies, ineptitude, and recklessness of the current Masanawa-led management.  But instead of showing him the way out, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emiefele is bracing Mr Masanawa’s ineptitude by expanding the executive capacity of the company’s top management.  Currently, Seven senior officers of the Central Bank of Nigeria have been deployed to MINT.  Despite this, the performance of the company still at its lowest level.

According to investigation carried out by this news platform, Emiefele is worried at the dwindling fortune of that company.  But he is constrained from effecting efficiency in MINT.  One, because of the bond that exists between him and the current Managing Director of MINT dating back to their days in Zenith Bank.  Emiefele would rather continue to plunge in more resources than to show Masanawa the way out. 

In fact, it is highly believed that Emiefele is considering moving Masanawa of his post as the MD, to another juicy agency under CBN.  There is every likelihood that Emiefele may send Mansanawa to head the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC.  A source described it as a smart way of easing him out from MINT to enable a total overhauling of the company and thus return it to  the path of profitability. Masarawa may be calling the shot in the Nigeria Deposit Insurers Corporation NDIC any time soon, according to an insider information.  NDIC is another parastatal under the supervision of CBN.  Others include MINT, NIRSAL

Prior to being appointed the Managing Director of Nigeria Security, Printing Minting Ltd, Masarawa was Emiefiele’s errand boy while the latter held sway as the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank.  But there relationship transcends what is known to be a normal boss-staff relationship, it has esoteric origin. 

He is one of the trusted allies of the current CBN Governor not because he was too smart to hold that position, but because over the years, his loyalty to the then GMD of Zenith Bank and now the current Central Bank Governor has been enigmatically deep.  In fact, it was rumored that Emiefele had already promised to clear the way for Masanawa to become a Deputy Governor of Central Bank when a vacancy was created as a result of the exit of one of the Deputy Governors who went to contest for gubernatorial election in his home state.

Prior to the emergence of the erstwhile Managing Director of the company, MINT never posted any tangible profit. Corruption, nepotism, casualization of staff and recklessness was the order of the day. MINT at that point was surrounded by hawks who nearly ran down the company. 

Nigeria currencies at that point were printed overseas, particularly Malaysia.  Most staff were on contract employment for as long as 10 to 15 years.  Amidst these, the Hawks held sway and continued to bleed the fortune of that company. Unfortunately, the vices that truncated the profitability of MINT has returned again with Emefiele hitmen dominating every corner without tangible results and improvement.

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Headlines

Buhari sacks Head of Service, Oyo-Ita

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

Weeks after she was grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC], President Muhammadu Buhari has relieved Winifred Oyo-Ita of her duty as Head of Service.

Oyo-Ita has been directed to proceed on an indefinite leave pending the completion of investigation by the
EFCC.

This is according to a statement by director of information at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, on Wednesday, September 18, 2019.

Meanwhile, President Buhari has approved the appointment of Folashade Yemi-Esan as the acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation with immediate effect. 

Yemi-Esan, who is then Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources is expected to over from
Oyo-Ita.

Dr. Mrs. Yemi-Esan, who is the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources takes over from Mrs.
Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, who has been directed to proceed on an indefinite leave to allow conclusion of the investigation being carried out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The President has also approved the extension of the tenure of seven (7) retiring Permanent Secretaries for a period of one calendar year with effect from 1st October, 2019 to ensure stability in the Federal Civil Service and effective
delivery on the nine priority areas of the administration as well as the mandates given to the new Ministers.

The affected Permanent Secretaries are:

  1. Mrs. Georgina
    Ehuriah – Ministry of Interior
    ii. Mrs. Ifeoma I. Anagbogu – Federal Ministry of Women Affairs
    iii. Mrs. Grace Gekpe – Federal Ministry of Information & Culture
    iv. Dr. Umar M. Bello – Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural
    Development
    v. Suleiman Mustapha Lawal – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    vi. Mrs. Comfort C. Ekaro – Federal Ministry of Water Resources
    vii. Mr. Olusegun A. Adekunle – General Services Office (Office of the
    Secretary to the Government of the Federation)

Similarly, Mr. President has directed the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to commence the process for the selection of new Permanent Secretaries to replace all retiring Permanent Secretaries.

The decision of Government to extend the tenure of these Permanent Secretaries is premised on the need to ensure that the new Ministers are properly guided, briefed about their sectors and to ensure that a solid foundation is laid for the delivery on the Presidential Mandate which they jointly signed.

The Permanent Secretaries will also help the Ministers to manage the process for the preparation of the 2020 Budget
in line with the commitment of Government to return to the January-December budget circle and help develop various policies and programmes aimed at lifting 100million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.

The action of Mr. President is in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 171 (2) d of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

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