Nelson Ugwuagbo

Akintoye Benson, an aide to the chairman of the Lagos Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, has reportedly died.

Benson, who was seen in a wrecked vehicle in a viral video, was said to have died in an auto crash on Third Mainland Bridge on Thursday night.

Confirming his death, a friend of the deceased, Ogunseye Vincent, wrote on his Facebook page that the late Benson was a vibrant man with high hopes and vision.

“The news of your passing came to me as a rude shock. You were a vibrant man with high hopes and vision.

“Though the memory we shared remains forever, I take solace in the trust that Olodumare will grant your soul a peaceful rest. Sail well to eternity, Comrade Akintoye Benson (Baba Ogun),” he added.

Until his death, Benson was the chairman of the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria (TOOAN) Zone H.

Efforts to reach Akinsanya for a comment proved abortive as his phone could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.

Details later…

The Federal Government has inaugurated the Committee on the implementation and review of reports and White Papers on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies, and Commissions also known as the Steve Oronsaye Report.

The committee inaugurated on Thursday will be headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume.

Speaking, Akume who inaugurated the committee on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, said the Oronsaye report was aimed at reducing cost of governance and streamlining efficiency.

A statement by the Director, Information, Office of the SGF, Segun Imohiosen, said Tinubu gave the committee a 12-week deadline to submit its report.

The statement reads: “The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, CON, while inaugurating the Committee on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stressed that the implementation of the White Papers on the report which would involve the merger, relocation, subsuming or scrapping of some Parastatals, Agencies, and Commissions is aimed at reducing cost of governance and streamlining efficiency across the governance value chain,” the statement read.

“President Tinubu’s approval for the implementation of the Oronsaye report comes twelve years after the panel submitted its report and multiple attempts were made at implementing its recommendations.”

He listed members of the committee to include:

SEN. GEORGE AKUME, FNIM, CON – Secretary to the Government of the Federation

LATEEF OLASUNKANMI FAGBEMI, SAN – Attorney General of the Federation/ Minister of Justice

SEN. ABUBAKAR ATIKU BAGUDU, CON – Minister of Budget & Economic Planning

DR. FOLASHADE YEMI-ESAN, CFR – Head of the Civil Service of the Federation

USMAN HADIZA BALA – Special Adviser to the President, Policy & Coordination

DR. DASUKI IBRAHIM ARABI – Director-General Bureau of Public Service Reform

SEN. ABDULLAHI ABUBAKAR GUMEL – Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate)

HON. IBRAHIM KUNLE OLAREWAJU – Senior Special Assistant to the President on the National Assembly (House of Representatives)

HAKEEM MURI OKUNOLA – Principal Secretary to the President

RICHARD P. PHEELANGWAH – Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs Office.

Akume outlined the general guidelines of the Committee as follows:

Review current mandates to understand the existing functions, responsibilities, and objectives outlined in the mandates of the Agencies.

Identify redundancies and overlaps or conflicting objectives among the mandates of different organisational units.

Define strategic objectives to ensure the revised mandates align with the strategic objectives and priorities of the government.

Engage key stakeholders and gather input and feedback on the proposed revisions to the mandates.

Draft clear, concise, and actionable revised mandates for the organisations involved in the restructuring.

Ensure the revised mandates comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing government operations.

Obtain necessary approvals from relevant authorities for the revised mandates.

Effectively communicate the revised mandates to employees and stakeholders.

Implement the revised mandates effectively and monitor their implementation to identify any issues or challenges.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suspended the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency, REA Ahmad Salihijo Ahmed and three executive directors over N1.2 billion fraudulent misappropriation in the past two years.

Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President

Media andPublicity disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

The three other affected directors are Olaniyi Alaba Netufo, Executive Director of Corporate Services; Barka Sajou — Executive Director of Technical Services; and Sa’adatu Balgore — Executive Director of Rural Electrification Fund, REF.

The President ordered a wider investigation into the conduct of the officials above.

Accordingly, Tinubu also announced their replacement as follows:

Abba Abubakar Aliyu — Managing Director/CEO,

Ayoade Gboyega — Executive Director, Corporate Services,

Umar Abdullahi Umar — Executive Director, Technical Services and

Doris Uboh — Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF)

Olufemi Akinyelure — Head of Project Management Unit, Nigeria Electrification Project.

Hundreds of residents of Edo North Senatorial District on Thursday trooped to the streets to protest against the move by the Edo State House of Assembly to impeach the state’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.

LeadingReporters gathered that the protesters, under the aegis of Peace Movement, as well as some members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo North, in the early hours on Thursday converged at Jattu, in Etsako West Local Government for the protest.

The protesters made up of men, women and youths, were armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, such as, ‘No to impeachment’, ‘We want peace in Edo State’, ‘Return the N500 million bribe to Obaseki’, ‘Shaibu is our Next Governor, no going back’, among others.

While decrying the impeachment proceedings commenced by the Edo State House of Assembly, they also appealed to the lawmakers to stay clear of any move to impeach the deputy governor in order to give the state its desired peace.

The spokespersons of the protesters, Aminu Umosor, Gafata Emmanuel and Haija Anetu Momodu, said they would mobilise the people of the state and the PDP to work against the party if the House goes ahead with the impeachment.

“This is to show all Edo people that we stand by Philip Shaibu and the mandate we gave to him. If Governor Obaseki and the House of Assembly are ready for dialogue and true reconciliation, they should come with clean hands and not impeachment notice,” they said.

The protesters, who warned the legislators against the impeachment, vowed that the protest would continue until Governor Obaseki and the lawmakers embrace peace.

Meanwhile, Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Musa Ebomhiana, said efforts were on to resolve matter.

“The PDP as a party has stepped in as a family to resolve the matter. The umbrella is big enough to accommodate everyone,” he assured.

In a fresh motion, the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Maduabuchi Obiano has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to quash the N40bn corruption charges brought against him by the federal government.

His request is contained in a new motion on notice filed before Justice Inyang Ekwo and brought pursuant to provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act 2015.

In the grounds for the motion, Obiano claimed that there is a subsisting appeal by the Anambra State government challenging the authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC’s authority to investigate the funds.

In the motion filed by his lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, Obiano argued that there was no connection between the proof of evidence and the alleged accusation against him.

He averred that there was no testimony from any witness indicating that he issued directives for the disbursement of security votes and other funds belonging to the Anambra State government.

He emphasised that he cannot be held accountable for any alleged unlawful actions by officials of the Anambra State government as there is no concept of vicarious liability in the criminal justice system.

The former governor is being prosecuted by EFCC on 9-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N40 billion.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Obiano bypassed financial institutions in numerous unlawful cash transactions using funds allegedly stolen from the state’s account.

The EFCC claimed that the cash amounts involved in the transactions exceeded legally permitted limits.

The motion on notice was brought pursuant to section 6 (6) (a) and (b) and section 36(6) (6) b of the 1999 constitution as amended and section 1(1) & (2), 266, 271(b), 383(4) &492 (3) of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act 2015.

Among others, Obiano is seeking “An order of the court quashing the instant charge for it amounts to flagrant abuse of judicial process and a mockery of the criminal Justice

“An order quashing the charge for non-disclosure of a prime facie case being vague and devoid of precision in respect of all the 9 count charges.

“No prima facie case has been disclosed against the defendant in this charge. There is no link between the proof of evidence and the purported allegation made against the defendant in the charge

“No evidence exists from any witness showing that the defendant passed down a directive for the disbursement of security votes and other funds belonging to Anambra State government.

“The defendant cannot be made answerable for any purported unlawful actions of officials of Anambra State government as there is no vicarious liability in our criminal jurisprudence.

“The thinking and conclusion of the prosecution on the counts arose from speculation and suspicions

“The subject matter of the charge borders on accountability for security vote funds.
The honourable court lacks the requisite jurisdiction to entertain issues on accountability for security vote funds

“There is an appeal filed by the Anambra state government challenging the powers of EFCC to investigate the security vote of Anambra state government.

“The preferment of the entire charge is in bad faith. This honourable court has inherent judicial power to grant all the reliefs sought above.

Meanwhile, the trial Judge has fixed March 13 for all pending motions to be heard.

The Nigeria Labour Congress has demanded N794,000 as the new national minimum wage for workers in the South West geopolitical political zone.

The labour union in the South West, through the chairperson of the Lagos State chapter of the NLC, Funmi Sessi, made the demand during her presentation at the ongoing public hearing of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday.

Sessi noted that the demand was jointly agreed on by all the members of the union in the South West .

President Bola Tinubu, through Vice President Kashim Shettima, inaugurated a 37-member panel on the new minimum wage in the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja on January 30, 2024.

Details later…

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike to set machinery in motion to ensuring emergency distribution of grains to residents to ameliorate living condition.

The directive came barely four days after the looting of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Agricultural warehouses by angry residents of the nation’s capital.

Tinubu who gave the directive in a memo addressed to the FCT Minister on Tuesday, instructed that a strategic committee be constituted to ensure a transparent and equitable distribution of the grains to vulnerable Nigerians through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The FCT Minister of State, Mariya Mahmoud while announcing the constitution of the committee yesterday at a maiden meeting with area council chairmen and other stakeholders, said the committee has less than two weeks to carry out the presidential directive.

Mahmoud who expressed disappointment at the area council chairmen for treating the invitation to the maiden strategic stakeholders meeting with levity, warned them against any act that will sabotage the good intention of the president towards the residents of the territory.

She listed members of the committee to include chairmen of the six area councils, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), traditional rulers, Department of State Service (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and faith-based organisations.
 
Others are representatives of the National Union of Local Government Employees, Nigeria Red Cross Society, women association, persons living with disabilities, youth associations, principals of boarding schools, civil society organisations and the media.

The Nigerian Government on Tuesday debunked reports that the United Arab Emirates, UAE, has resumed visa services for Nigerian citizens wishing to visit the country.

LEADINGREPORTERS earlier reported that Emirati authorities lifted the visa restriction on Nigerian travellers.

It was also reported that the visa ban was lifted on March 4, 2024.

The statement also claimed that the commencement of visa issuance was a “milestone, reflecting the successful outcome of in-depth talks between the two nations and underscoring.

But the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, on his X page said the document didn’t emanate from the Nigerian government.

“UAE has not resumed visa issuance to Nigerians.

“The document in circulation is not authorised either by the Nigerian government or the UAE,” he wrote.

The Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed March 7 to hear a motion filed by former Anambra Governor, Willie Obiano.

Obiano is challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the alleged N4 billion fraud charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

LeadingReporters learnt that the former Anambra governor was arraigned on January 24 on a nine-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N4 billion but he pleaded not guilty to all counts when the charge was read to him.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, counsel to Obiano, Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, informed the court that he had filed a motion challenging its jurisdiction on behalf of his client.

Counsel to the EFCC, Mr Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, however, said he had yet to file a reply because he was served the motion on Monday morning in court.

Tahir also said the issue of jurisdiction had been settled by the Supreme Court once the charge bordered on money laundering, the Federal High Court had inherent jurisdiction to try it.

The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo advised the prosecutor to do his part by filing his response to the motion.

“It is not for you to tell the court the Supreme Court’s decision on the issue. Respond to the motion and leave the court to decide”, Ekwo said.

Obiano, a governor between March 2014 and March 2022, is said to have allegedly diverted the money from the state’s account dedicated to security funds in his last five years in office.

He allegedly directed the diversion of the funds from the state’s account between April 2017 and March 2022 and spent the money for purposes unconnected to the security affairs of the state.

The funds, according to the EFCC, were diverted through companies that had no business relationship with the Anambra government, converted to dollars and handed over to the former governor in dollars.

The case, filed by the EFCC, detailed the nine companies allegedly used to divert the funds from the state government’s security vote account.

Each of the nine counts disclosed the amount a company received and the period it received it from the state government’s account.

In count one of the charges, the EFCC alleged that between Feb. 16, and March 9, 2018, an aggregate sum of N223,371,000 was paid from the security vote account into the account of Connought International Services Limited.

The anti-graft agency alleged in count 2 that between Oct. 30, and Nov. 13 2018, a total sum of N95 million was paid from the security vote account into the bank account of S.Y. Panda Enterprises.

In Count 3, EFCC alleged that from April 11, 2017, and June 21, 2019, a total of N416,000,000 was diverted from the security vote account into the account of Zirga Zirga Trading Company Limited.

A UK-based Nigerian researcher, Yunusa Jibrin said he has invented an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool to discern terrorists and their hideouts.

Jibrin explained that he leveraged AI-driven image synthesis to generate thousands of visual representations depicting bandits in desert environments, adding that his research achieved remarkable accuracy in preliminary evaluations by employing the use of a Vision Transformer (VT) model to identify terrorists.

In a chat with Vanguard, the University of Sussex alumna said his findings, if adopted by the federal government, would help to direct the efforts of the military towards identifying and eliminating terrorists wherever they may be hiding in the country.

“Efforts are underway to formalize these findings, with plans to publish and integrate the developed algorithms into the operational frameworks of the Nigerian government,” he stated.

Nigeria has been battling terrorism for more than a decade.