Folarin Kehinde

Lightning has reportedly killed a Catholic priest identified as Rev. Fr. Faustinus Ukenongo Gundu in Benue State.

According to eyewitness reports, Gundu, an albino, was struck by lightning and died on the spot on Thursday.

The incident happened at his church in Jootar Mbaterem in Mbayenge Ward of Ukum Local Government Area.

Gundu was said to be the Parish Priest in charge of St. Joseph Catholic Church Jootar until his reported sudden death

An eyewitness, Emberga T. Joseph, posted in a popular Facebook group, Benue News Link Makurdi: “Black Thursday. Thunder lightning killed Rev FR. GUNDU (ABINO) Benue state Ukum LGA. Rest in peace.”

Another eyewitness, Aga Linus, wrote on his Facebook page: “Just in, Thunder strike and killed the parish priest in charge of Jootar in Ukum LG Rev. Fr Gundu. May your soul rest in peace Rev.”

Similarly, Olikita Ekani, a former media aide to the immediate past governor of the state, Samuel Ortom, also posted about the incident on his Facebook page.

He wrote, “Just in: Rev. Fr. Gundu slumps to death as thunder hits Jootar.

“Until his demise today, Rev fr. Faustinus Ukenongo Gundu (fondly called Albino) was the Parish Priest of St. Joseph Catholic Church Jootar, Ukum LGA of Benue State.

“May his soul rest in perfect peace!”

Scores of parishioners and other mourners flooded the comment sections of posts about the incident with farewell notes to the Catholic priest.

The immediate past chairman of the governing board, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie, has stated that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, will “never be declared” the president of Nigeria.

Onochie made the statement on Wednesday via her social media page.

Obi, on Wednesday, had asked President Bola Tinubu to reveal his true identity to Nigerians amidst his certificate saga at the Chicago State University.

Onochie, who Tinubu recently sacked as the NDDC boss, wrote: “Go home, Peter. You will never be declared president of our great nation.

Apart from the simple fact that you came a distant third, you don’t deserve to lead our nation. Your temperament and disposition are not the attributes needed to lead a diverse nation such as Nigeria.”

“You failed Anambra. You can’t even lead the south-east! Under your nose, the South-east became a war zone.

“A once vibrant economy built on hard work was destroyed. Lives and properties are ruined. Shelf your desperation. Your ambition is beyond what you deserve. It will never come to pass.”

Onochie criticised the former Anambra State governor’s media address on the identity of Tinubu, labelling the move as the “most idiotic request.”

On Obi’s request to Tinubu, the Delta-born politician stated:

“This is the most idiotic request, Nigerians have had the misfortune of hearing from one, whose advisers are people with mental health issues.

“How can you allow yourself to be used to question the identity of a man, who has been in the limelight since his youth?

“How can you come low to the level of your gullible followers to begin this late in the day, to question the identity of a man who was checked by our security operatives and cleared twice to govern the most successful and cosmopolitan state in Nigeria, Lagos?

“If you can come on national TV to question the identity of a man who was cleared by all our security operatives to become a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that’s enough justification and validation for your resounding rejection at the polls in 2023.”

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Ola Olukoyede as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson made this known in a statement on Thursday.

Olukoyede is billed to serve for a term of four years, upon confirmation by the senate.

Below are key things to know about the new EFCC boss:

Olukoyede was born in Ikere-Ekiti on October 14, 1969.

The new anti-graft agency chair is an indigene of Ekiti State.

He is an alumnus of Lagos State University; University of Lagos; Institute of Arbitration ICC – Paris, France and University of Harvard (Kennedy School of Executive Education).

He is an experienced lawyer specialised in compliance management, corporate intelligence, and fraud management.

Olukoyede has extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016-2018).

He is a Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

He served as EFCC Secretary under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2018 to 2023.

The House of Representatives has screened and confirmed the presidential designates to the Board and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

LEADING REPORTERS gathered that the designates, led by Chiedu Ebie as Chairman and Dr. Samuel Ogbuku as Managing Director/CEO, appeared before the House ad-hoc committee mandated to conduct the screening on Thursday.

In her remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, charged the designates to justify the confidence reposed in them by President Bola Tinubu.

“Now, more than ever before, the NDDC needs visionary leaders with integrity to drive the discharge of the commission’s mandate, to translate to tangible impact on the lives of the people and communities in the Niger Delta,” she said.

The screening exercise featured presentations by Ebie and Ogbuku, who shared details of their respective career trajectories and vision for the commission.

Subsequently, the Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Ali Isa, moved the motion for the designates to take a bow in deference to the fact that the Senate had similarly screened and confirmed them, and also in consideration of the fact that some of the designates are former parliamentarians.

The motion was seconded by Deputy Leader of the House, Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims, and unanimously carried by the committee.

Consequent on the ad-hoc committee’s resolve to confirm all the designates, the National Assembly is expected to immediately transmit its resolution to the Presidency, having effectively fulfilled Section 2 (2) (a) of the NDDC Act, which prescribes that the nominees must be screened and confirmed by the Senate in consultation with the House of Representatives.

The designates confirmed include:

Boma Iyaye, ED, Finance & Admin (Rivers)
Victor Antai, ED, Projects (Akwa Ibom)
Ifedayo Abegunde, ED, Corporate Services (Ondo)
Senator Dimaro Denyanbofa (Bayelsa)

Abasi Ndikan Nkono (Akwa Ibom)
Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya (Delta)
Chief Tony Okocha (Rivers)
Hon. Patrick Aisowieren (Edo)
Kyrian Uchegbu (Imo)
Otitio Atikase (Ondo)
Chief Dimgba Eruba (Abia)
Rt. Hon Orok Otu Duke (Cross River)
Hon. Nick Wende (North Central)
Hon. Namdas Abdulrazak (North East)
Senator Dr. Ibrahim Gobir (North West)

The House leader, Hon. Prof. Julius Inhovbere, charged the designates to be just and fair to all the communities in the Niger Delta, and to be guided by the fear of God and respect for the constitution in the discharge of their duties.

“Nigerians expect to be proud of your achievements. You all owe the duty to Nigerians to perform.” Justice for all is justice for one, and justice for one is justice for all.”, he said.

Controversial media personality Daddy Freeze has taunted Nigerian pastors for being silent over Big Brother Naija All Stars winner Ilebaye Odiniya’s offer to pay N12m tithe to her church from the N120 million prize she won from the show.

He said despite many clerics condemning the reality show and tagging it “immoral”, none of them had spoken against the offer by the winner to give part of the prize money to her church.

The OAP said many Nigerian clergymen worship mammon.

On his Instagram page, Daddy Freeze wrote, “Many pastors say Big Brother na immoral show… Ilebaye bring N12m tithe from N120m prize money, everybody quiet.

President Bola Tinubu has appointed a new chairman and secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

LEADING REPORTERS gathered that the new appointees are Mr. Ola Olukoyede, who will act as the new Executive Chairman of the Commission and Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda as EFCC’s new Secretary.

This was made known in a statement on Thursday.

The statement reads:

PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS NEW EFCC CHAIRMAN AND SECRETARY OF THE COMMISSION

By the powers vested in President Bola Tinubu as established in section 2 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, that “the Chairman and members of the Commission, other than ex-officio members, shall be appointed by the President,” President Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede to serve as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a renewable term of four years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation.

Mr. Ola Olukoyede is a lawyer with over twenty-two (22) years of experience as a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence. He has extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016-2018) and Secretary to the Commission (2018-2023). As such, he fulfills the statutory requirement for appointment as Chairman of the EFCC.

Mr. Olukoyede’s appointment follows the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa.

Furthermore, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda to serve as the Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a renewable term of five years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation.

Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda is a public administrator with extensive experience in public finance management who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Maiduguri and a Masters in Business Administration from the same university. He began his career as a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi. From there, he went into banking, including successful stints at the defunct Allied Bank and Standard Trust Bank.

President Bola Tinubu tasks the new leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to justify the confidence given to them in this important national assignment as a newly invigorated war on corruption undertaken through a reformed institutional architecture in the anti-corruption sector remains a central pillar of the President’s Renewed Hope agenda.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

October 12, 2023

The presidency has reacted to a recent report of President Bola Tinubu’s failure to preside over the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting since August.

According to presidential media aide, Abdullaziz Abdullaziz, President Tinubu has other priorities other than convening FEC meetings on a weekly basis.

“I think this is not an issue because there is no specific time for FEC meetings. Nobody said there are specific provisions for FEC meetings and every government can work out things that will suit it. The most important thing is that ministers are working,” Abdullaziz said.

“In fact, the president has a different idea of the functions of the FEC because what we have seen, which a lot of experts have criticized, is how FEC reacts to contract awarding, but that is not the principle of FEC.

“He (the president) will hold the FEC, but those policy advisory and supervision kinds of functions, not the traditional way of coming every week announcing contract awards.

“There is more to FEC than contract award and the most important thing is that cabinet is in check and minsters are busy working and there is a consultation with the president. So, lack of FEC meeting doesn’t stop anything,” he said.