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Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has blamed the current economic hardship being faced by Nigerians on the last administration led by Muhammadu Buhari.

The governor alleged that Buhari supervised the printing and sharing of about N30 trillion.

Mutfwang stated this during the swearing-in of 22 Special Advisers and heads of government agencies at the Government House in Jos on Monday.

Mutfwang said Buhari left the country’s economy in terrible shape for his successor, President Tinubu.

“We are at a very difficult juncture in the history of this country and I’m an advocate that after the election you forget politics and face governance,” Mutfwang said.

“And even though the Federal Government is being led by a party other than my own, I owe you the duty to tell Nigerians the truth that this government inherited a worse situation than 1999.

“This government inherited an economy where we simply printed money up to the tune of N30tn and shared.

“This government inherited an economy where the crude oil we’re yet to take out of the ground had been sold in advance.

“So, when you’re talking about the fall of the naira, it’s not rocket science. We sold our future under the last administration.

“No wonder you’re hearing of riots today, people intercepting food on the way. We are lucky on the plateau that perhaps we have more food than many other states.

“And I pray that the time will not come on the Plateau that we will see this kind of riot for food, but it means we must roll up our sleeves and get to work.

“And that is why, for us as a government, when we announced one of the positions that talked about food security, people were laughing but it is a serious issue.”

The governor announced plans by his administration to set up a special agro-processing zone in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area in partnership with the African Development Bank to the tune of $300 million.

He called on the new appointees to brace up for the challenge to enable his administration to reverse the ugly situation for the good of the people.

“And to tell you that some of the appointees, I don’t know them, but because we want to get things done, we’re looking for the right people,” he said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted visa restrictions on Nigerians wishing to visit Dubai after two years of diplomatic row.

In a statement on Tuesday, the UAE Embassy said a new verification process has been introduced for Nigerian visa applications.

The statement noted that the decision was based on shared commitment to strengthen diplomatic ties, enhance cultural exchanges, foster opportunities for social and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Details shortly…

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has banned the use of Point-of-Sales (POS) and other electronic mobile money transaction devices within police stations across the country.

Egbetokun said the ban has became necessary due to public outcry over alleged illegal and illicit transactions of POS machine operators within some police operatives.

The police boss, who spoke through the force spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the ban was aimed at preserving the integrity and security of police operation.

He stressed that the directive was also to forestall perceived corrupt practices, adding that it was to clear the Commands or Formations of possible criminal intrusion under such guise, and maintaining discipline within the Force.

The police boss said any command or formation caught flouting the order would be severely dealt with while police officers and POS operators involved would face dire consequences.

The statement reads in part: “Despite previous directives, it has come to the attention of the Force leadership that some Commands and Formations continue to flout this regulation.

“As such, the IGP warns that any violation of this ban will attract severe sanctions on the leadership of the affected Commands and Formations.

“The IGP notes that the use of electronic payment devices within police facilities poses significant risks, including the potential compromise of sensitive information, financial irregularities, and the facilitation of illicit activities, therefore, strict adherence to this directive is non-negotiable.

“The IGP urges all officers and personnel to comply with this directive without exception, and warns that any police officer or POS operator found contravening this order, or conniving to conduct illicit financial transactions will face appropriate disciplinary and criminal action in accordance with the extant laws and regulations, and the Command/Formation leadership will equally be held responsible.”

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.

President Bola Tinubu has concluded his state visit to Qatar and departed from Doha to return to Nigeria.

During his visit, President Tinubu engaged in diplomatic discussions and explored areas of cooperation between Nigeria and Qatar.

The state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and fostering partnerships that will contribute to the socio-economic development of both nations.

President Tinubu participated in high-level meetings with Qatari officials, discussing issues of mutual interest, trade, investment, and collaboration in various sectors.

President Tinubu’s expected return marks the conclusion of a successful diplomatic mission to Qatar, with expectations of positive outcomes for Nigeria’s continued progress and development.

Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have again stopped a truck loaded with palliatives in the De-Dei area looting items in the vehicle.

According to a video seen by our reporter on Monday morning, the suspected hoodlums were seen walking hastily with their loots (bags of grains) on the busy road to unknown locations.

“This is Dei-Dei, Gwagwa. The masses stopped some trailer loads of palliatives and everyone is carrying bags of rice, they are carrying everything,” the narrator said.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU) have threatened to shut down higher institutions in the country over federal government’s refusal to approve their demands.

In an interview with ChannelsTV on Sunday evening, SSANU president, Mohammed Ibrahim, noted that the unions have issued the government a seven-day ultimatum adding that failure to meet their demand would lead to the closure of university in the country.

Ibrahim noted that both bodies would embark on a strike if nothing was done by the government at the end of the ultimatum.

“We are in charge of security, we are in charge of administration, we are in charge of medicals, we are in charge of hostels, we are in charge of electricity, we are in charge of everything apart from teaching. So, once our members down tools, no university can function in Nigeria,” Ibrahim said.

“It’s quite unfortunate. No union member wants to go on strike but when you are pushed to the wall, what would you do? You have to push back.

“You can see what is happening in the country. The economy is in dundrums and everybody is suffering. Most of our universities are located far outside the township and our members have to commute every day. Fuel cannot be accessed, food is scarce, our medicals can not be attended to, and members are suffering quite clearly,” he added.

Speaking about the union’s grievances,Ibrahim said: “It’s quite absurd that we have to speak like this and it is because we have been clearly shown that we do not matter in the system while we all know that there is no university that can function without the non-teaching staff.

“We are populated by professionals, we oil the engine in the administration of every university and therefore treating a segment of staff with disdain does not speak well of the system.

“In 2022, all the university-based unions were on strike – four of us. For us in NASU and SSANU, we went on strike on the 27th of March and we called it off on the 27th of August after the intervention of the then Minister of Education, Mal Adamu Adamu.

“We had an agreement that we signed with the government to review the situation and ensure that justice is done,” he added.

Ibrahim said the last part of the agreement was that no one should suffer for taking part in the strike and salaries should not be withheld.

He said the government however stopped the salaries of all non-teaching staff in May and was only restored in September of the same year, adding that the current government decided to pay the withheld salaries of only ASUU members.

“Today, as I speak to you, our colleagues in ASUU have been able to get theirs and no one is saying anything about NASU and SSANU,” he lamented.

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.

Following the commissioning of Geometric Power in Osisioma by President Bola Tinubu last week, media space in Abia State has been taken over by a raging verbal war between loyalists to former Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and those of the present Governor, Alex Otti.

The subject of the media clash is the 5% stake which the aides and close allies of the former governor said was acquired by Okezie Ikpeazu in Geometrics Power, on behalf of the Abia State government.

According to the Ikpeazu’s allies, who include John Okiyi Kalu, Onyebuchi Ememanka, Enyinnaya Appolos, Chinonye Mba, and lately, Don Ubani, the Otti administration should confirm the said investment.

According to the argument produced by the Ikpeazu side, the Abia State government during the administration of the Obingwa-born former governor, acquired a 5% stake in Geometrics worth $5m with about $3.6m allegedly paid to Geometrics already, representing about 71% in payment.

The Ikpeazu side also berated the Abia State government and the Chairman of Geometrics, Professor Barth Nnaji for allegedly not crediting Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration with the roles it played in the power project while he was in charge of the State.

In their further arguments, the said investment was made with Abia people’s money and should be protected.

Apart from these, a former Commissioner for information and also former Commissioner for trade and investment in Abia State, John Okiyi Kalu, also made an allegation on his Facebook page, where he claimed that the State government awarded a 9.0km road contract that connects Abiriba to Etitiama Nkporo, even when such road had already been done and handed over to the communities by the previous administration of Okezie Ikpeazu.

He also challenged the Abia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on recovery of government properties and funds to investigate the acclaimed Abia State government investment in Geometric.

But responding to the claims made by the Ikpeazu side, media aides to Governor Alex Otti dismissed the reported investments in Geometrics, saying that no documents about such investments were handed over to the present administration by Ikpeazu.

On the side of Governor Otti’s defence team are Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dodoh Okafor, Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Communications, among others.

Addressing the matter, Ekeoma said: “At this point, we do not have any document, any information.

“So, as long as we do not have any document, what it implies is that to the best of our knowledge, such does not exist”,

Ekeoma accused the former governor of allegedly deploying his former and serving aides to attack the present administration in the State, saying that the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was jealous of achievements recorded by Governor Alex Otti in the Geometric power project.

He slammed the former administration and aides to the former Governor, for allegedly engaging in “primitive propaganda and rehearsed image laundering” for their boss.

Ekeoma, who recalled how people’s property were destroyed at Port Harcourt road in Aba by the previous administration without compensation, said those who brought pain to the people cannot distract Governor Otti.

Intervening on the matter during an interview with Channels TV last week, Governor Otti said he was aware of the ongoing media arguments concerning 5% investment which the Abia State government was said to have made in the Geometric power project.

Asked to explain Okezie Ikpeazu’s roles in Geometric project, Governor Otti said, “It is difficult for me to say, but I am aware he joined the Geometric management team to South Africa sometime in 2018 or 2019 to sign a loan agreement of about $50m part of which was used to settle the dispute between Geometric and EEDC.

“But the records available to me do not show that the government guaranteed that loan. So, the loan was given at the back of the assets of Geometric.”

The Governor made it clear that he did not have any document about the 5% investment, as no such document was handed over to him.

He however said that he had directed his Commissioner for finance and the Accountant General to go through and find out if there was any truth to the acclaimed 5% equity investment in the power company, adding that Geometric was in the better position to respond specifically to the argument.

Police operatives in Abuja have arrested 15 suspects in connection with the looting of food items at a warehouse belonging to the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration on Sunday.

Among those arrested were two security guards who “actively participated” in the looting of food and other items at the facility.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, some foodstuff and other items were recovered from the suspects.

“Exhibits such as twenty-six (26) bags of maize, five (5) motorcycles, and some vandalized aluminum roofings were recovered from the suspects,” Adeh said in a statement on Sunday evening.

She added: “The FCT police command is fully informed about the impulsive attack on Agric Department Strategic food store located at Tasha, Abuja, on 2/03/2024 by some irate mobs, which resulted in the vandalism and looting of the warehouse.

“The Command wishes to state that normalcy has since been restored to the environ and the situation is very much under control

“Fifteen(15) suspects were arrested, including two local securityguardsd employed by the warehouse management.”

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has dismissed claims that it’s warehouse was looted by some hoodlums in Abuja.

“This is to clarify that the looted warehouse does not belong to NEMA. However, the Agency sympathizes with owners of the looted facility,” NEMA’s spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel said on Sunday.

“To forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities, the Director General Mustapha Habib Ahmed has directed Zonal Directors and Heads of Operations to strengthen security in and around the Agency’s offices and warehouses nationwide.”