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Folarin Kehinde

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Cabinet reshuffling: Handover before October 30, FG directs discharged ministers

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has directed all outgoing ministers to complete the handing over and taking over processes on or before October 30.

This followed the reshuffling of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday leading to the discharge of five ministers, nomination of seven news persons for ministerial appointment, reassignment of ten ministers and restructuring of some ministries.

In a memorandum on Wednesday evening, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, outlined the transition process.

According to the memorandum, outgoing ministers without incoming counterparts are expected to hand over to Permanent Secretaries.

The memo further said the SGF’s office, in collaboration with the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, is coordinating the merger of the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, and the winding down of the defunct Ministry of Sports Development.

It said the renaming and expansion of the mandate of the defunct Ministry of Niger Delta Development takes immediate effect, adding that relevant supervising authorities and commissions under the new ministry have been notified.

Permanent Secretaries of affected ministries must ensure seamless implementation and forward copies of handover notes to the SGF’s office for record-keeping purposes.

“Necessary directives have been issued on the implementation of the approval of Mr President, accordingly.

“All handing over and taking over processes should be completed on/or before Wednesday 30th October, 2024.

“In the case of Ministries where there are no Ministers to take-over, the out-going Ministers should hand over to the Permanent Secretaries.

“The processes for the seamless merger of the Ministry of Tourism with Ministry of Arts Culture and Creative Economy as well as the winding-down of the defunct Ministry of Sports Development are
being coordinated jointly by the Offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

“Similarly, the renaming and the expansion of mandate of the defunct Ministry of Niger Delta Development is to take immediate effect. The releasing supervising authorities as well as Commissions under the new Ministry have been duly notified on this development.

“Respective Permanent Secretaries are directed to ensure seamless implementation and also forward one copy each of the hand-over notes to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for the records,” the memorandum reads.

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JUST IN: Workers Jubilate as President Tinubu sacks Women Affairs Minister [VIDEO]

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Workers from the Ministry of Women Affairs were seen celebrating after Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye was dismissed as Minister on Wednesday.

In a video posted on the social media platform X by APC chieftain Abubakar Sidiq Usman, employees were filmed dancing in the office corridors, chanting “finally” in response to the minister’s removal.

Kennedy-Ohanenye was among five ministers sacked during the Federal Executive Council meeting, including Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo (Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development).

The development comes as President Tinubu’s administration continues to implement changes aimed at addressing the country’s challenges, with the latest being a reshuffling of his cabinet.

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BREAKING: Tinubu sacks 5 ministers [FULL LIST]

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Five ministers have been sacked by President Bola Tinubu.

The ministers were relieved of their duties on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

A statement issued by the special adviser to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun in Abuja said the five minister have been dismissed from the president’s cabinet.

The affected ministers are: Barr. Uju-Ken Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism and Professor Tahir Mamman (SAN, OON), Minister of Education.

Others are Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development; and Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Minister of Youth Development.

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BREAKING: Tinubu scraps Niger Delta, sports ministries

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council have announced the scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development.

According to a tweet by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, the decision was reached during the FEC meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday.

The statement read, “President Tinubu and Federal Executive Council scrap Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of sports development.

“There will now be a ministry of regional development to oversee all the regional development commissions, such as Niger Delta Development Commission, North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission , North East Development Commission.”

He also said the responsibilities previously held by the Ministry of Sports Development will now be transferred to the National Sports Commission, which will take charge of sports-related activities in Nigeria.

“The National Sports Commission will take over the role of the Ministry of Sports,” he stated.

Additionally, the FEC approved the merger of the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy, creating a single entity.

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BREAKING: Charges against Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema still stand – U.S. authorities

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia has refuted claims made by Nigerian media that the legal case against Air Peace chairman and CEO Allen Onyema, along with the airline’s chief of administration and finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, has been dropped.

The office clarified that the charges remain, and Onyema and Eghagha are now facing additional allegations related to obstruction of justice.

In a statement issued in response to a query, the public affairs office confirmed that arrest warrants for Onyema and Eghagha are still in effect.

The two executives are accused of submitting false documents to impede a federal investigation, leading to the 2019 indictment that includes 35 charges of bank fraud and money laundering.

Despite these legal developments, several Nigerian media outlets falsely reported on October 22 that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia had cleared Onyema of any business fraud.

The reports misrepresented old claims made by the law firm AO Alegho and Co., which had previously responded to the sentencing of U.S. citizen Ebony Mayfield, a former employee of Springfield Aviation, a U.S.-based company linked to Onyema.

Mayfield was sentenced in 2022 to three years’ probation and fined $4,000 after pleading guilty to signing fake documents connected to a $20 million Air Peace transaction involving five Boeing 737 aircraft in 2016.

While the media reports suggest that no bank losses were incurred, the U.S. legal process against Onyema and Eghagha is ongoing, with new charges complicating the case further.

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Police operatives arrest suspects with human tongues inside Lagos taxi

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) have arrested two suspects for having suspected human tongues with them in Lagos.

The suspects, Isah Amohullahi ‘m’ aged 30 and Abubakar Isah ‘m’ aged 32 were arrested in a taxi on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, during a routine stop-and-search on Otedola bridge.

Ben Hundeyin, Lagos police command spokesman in a statement, said further investigations led the operatives to the arrest of another suspect from whom the parts were bought, Gbolahan Temidayo ‘m’, in Oyingbo Market, Lagos.

He added that an investigation is ongoing at the Command headquarters, after which the suspects would be arraigned if found guilty.

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BREAKING: FG Drops All Charges Against Binance Executive Gambaryan

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The federal government has dropped all charges against Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance Holdings executive who has been detained since April and facing trial for money laundering.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the withdrawal of charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday morning.

It should be recalled that the judge, Emeka Nwite, had previously denied Gambaryan bail twice, citing flight risk concerns.

Gambaryan’s health had reportedly deteriorated during detention, with prison officials describing him as “very sick”.

Gambaryan, a United States citizen and former IRS agent, was arrested in February while visiting Nigeria to address regulatory concerns about Binance. He was accused of money laundering and operating an unlicensed financial institution.

The prosecution’s lawyer stated that Gambaryan was merely an employee of Binance, not involved in the company’s broader financial decisions.

Mark Mordi, Gambaryan’s defence lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria agreed with the prosecution’s assessment.

It is understood that there were intense diplomatic efforts between Nigerian and US government officials to secure Gambaryan’s release.

US lawmakers had campaigned for Gambaryan’s release, writing to relevant authorities to intervene.

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48 hours after, FIRS yet to upload recruitment link as fraudsters flood internet with fake links

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Barely two days after the announcement of recruitment from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), internet fraudsters have storm the Internet with fake links for the recruitment exercise.

Recall that the agency announced the recruitment opportunities for young graduates to join their team for tax officers (Officer II and Officer I) in various locations across Nigeria.

Investigation by Leading Reporters revealed that several fake links such as https://mpetition.org/Federal-Inland-Revenue-Recruitment-Form.html,
https://dataplugz.org/Federal-Inland-Revenue-Recruitment-Form.htm and a host of others have been seen and shared on various WhatsApp groups.

Despite this, the agency is yet to release a press statement to caution Nigerians on fake links and update on their authentic link.

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“It is unacceptable” CAN rejects tax policy for churches in Abia state

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Abia state chapter, has rejected a tax policy for church signposts in the state.

The Christian body lamented that, as a Christian and God’s own state, it is regrettable that Abia is the only state in Nigeria that is taxing churches on their signposts.

In a letter titled ‘Taxation of church signposts in Abia State,’ dated October 22, 2024, signed by the State CAN chairman and State CAN secretary, Rev Ojo Ojo Uduma and Rev. Dr. Francis E. Okere, respectively, the group urged the Governor to rescind the policy to avoid compelling Christians in the state from seeing the state government as anti-Church.

The letter read: “We write to express our displeasure over the state government policy of compelling churches to be paying taxes on their signposts.

“As a Christian and God’s own state, it is regrettable that Abia State is the only state in the whole federation that is taxing churches on their signposts.

We therefore passionately plead with your Excellency as a matter of urgency to carefully look into this matter and possibly rescind the policy to avoid compelling the body of Christ in the state from seeing the regime as anti-Church.

Furthermore, leaders of the Christian body in the state can be invited for a roundtable discussion on the way forward over this very little but delicate issue.

While looking forward to your favourable response, accept our esteemed assurances of our unalloyed support and prayers

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Business

Prices of cooking gas set to crash as FG bans export of LPG

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has banned the export of locally produced Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, starting November 1, 2024.

This was announced by Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), to prioritize domestic supply in a bid to alleviate the escalating costs of LPG for Nigerian households.

The decision was revealed in a statement from the Minister’s spokesman, Louis Ibah, following a high-level meeting in Abuja between government officials and key stakeholders within the LPG industry.

According to recent data, the average price of refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of cooking gas rose by ₦5,099.46 in just one year, climbing from ₦9,162.11 in July 2023 to ₦14,261.57 by July 2024.

Despite various government interventions, gas prices have continued to fluctuate, with the latest figures showing a price hike to ₦1,500 per kilogram, up from ₦1,100–₦1,250 per kilogram earlier this year.

In response to the persistent rise in prices, the Minister convened a high-level committee led by Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), in November 2023.

The committee was tasked with finding sustainable solutions to stabilize the LPG market. However, as prices continued to soar, the government opted for a more drastic step by halting LPG exports.

Ekpo’s directive mandates that all LPG producers, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), must cease exporting cooking gas by November 1, 2024.

Should any exports take place, the directive requires producers to import an equivalent amount of gas at market-reflective prices.

“To stabilize prices, producers will stop exporting LPG from November 1, 2024, or import equivalent volumes at prices reflecting market realities,” Ekpo stated.

The government also instructed the NMDPRA to work with industry stakeholders over the next 90 days to develop a new domestic pricing framework.

The framework will be based on local production costs, moving away from the current model that indexes prices against international markets such as those in the Americas and Asia.

The reliance on global pricing has forced Nigerians to pay high rates for cooking gas, despite it being produced locally.

In the long term, the government plans to build storage, blending, and distribution facilities over the next 12 months. The export ban will remain in place until Nigeria attains market sufficiency and achieves stable, affordable prices for LPG.

“The government remains deeply concerned about the rising cost of cooking gas and is committed to ensuring Nigerians have access to this essential commodity at affordable prices,” the statement read.

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