A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
As Governor Udom Emmanuel steps out as recipient of Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year, 2016, many are bound to ask the question, why him?
The question is even more compelling as the ownership of the paper is traceable to someone who is not only a chieftain of a party other than the one which the governor belongs; he is also neither from his region or linguistic group. Mr. Nda-Isaiah, a onetime presidential aspirant of APC and founder of Leadership Newspaper is from Niger State.
But a timeless adage asserts that there is no hiding place for a goldfish. Even in a shoal, goldfish is distinguishable because of its uniqueness. Governor Udom Emanuel is equally so fated not because he is blessed with debonair looks or wired to high places or has resources to buy awards; it is that he knows how to put his hands on the plow to provide service. It is that he understands the meaning of service and has the capacity and political will to provide it.
And in a clime where democracy profits is fast becoming a mirage in the face of high expectations that the people were psychologically adjusted to hope for, the performance of Governor Emmanuel brings hope and satiates expectations.
Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State
On October 6, 2016 Governor Emmanuel was at Leadership Newspaper Award Ceremony, not as an Award recipient but as a keynote speaker. The governor used the platform to mount advocacy for good governance that would improve the lots of Nigerians as well as that of the Nation. He did not lose sight of the imperative of unity as a critical item in the Nation's march to advancement. He proffered solutions to a myriad of the country's challenges and charged Nigerians to variously contribute their positive quota to have a Nation with an assured future.
Governor Emmanuel's speech stirred the audience to a new consciousness and earned him a deafening ovation. Dignitaries including PMB who were in the audience could not hide their satisfaction for the eloquent delivery that defined that keynote address.
But Governor Emmanuel was not only talking, he was also walking the talk back at home. His works caught the search light of Leadership Newspaper which is said to be meticulous, detailed, dispassionate and uncompromising in its assessment. And so his service in the State in the last 21 months has been a subject of intense scrutiny and Leadership Newspaper has adjudged him to have scaled its rigorous parameters and therefore qualified to fly their flag as its Governor of the Year, 2016.
Coming from a body across the Niger and likely a different political platform, the Award must be viewed as deserving of significance. It is indisputably an honest assessment bereft of the prejudices of party affiliation and ethnic coloration. It is an Award which parameters are altruistic in content and integrity.
The constitutional responsibility of governor to a State and its people is well known. The Leadership Newspaper has used Governor Emmanuel's diligent execution of that constitutional mandate as the basis of conferring him with the honour of Governor of the Year.
Interestingly, the mandate covers both the tangibles and intangibles and the chief executive of the State does not seem to be found wanting in any of them. Be it in the intangible like peace and tangible like infrastructure, Akwa Ibom is still up and running even in the in the face of acute recession that has put the federal government in reverse gear.
In 21 months, Governor Emmanuel has shown proof that government can work and that no excuse can substitute for its unworkability. In the face of declining revenue, he has constructed about 700 kilometers of road, built about 17 bridges, executed over 400 rural development projects across the 31 Local Government Areas of the State, ensured that supply of electricity for an average of about 18 hours a day in some parts of the State, built drainages and tackled ferociously the erosion menace that is threatening some parts of the State.
He has also faired fairly in the area of education especially the sustenance of the Free and Compulsory Education which he has complemented with the yearly payment of over N600 million as WAEC fees to final year Secondary School Students of public schools in the State. Of course the free healthcare services to children from age 0-5, pregnant women and the aged have also been sustained as public policy.
His industrialization vision has continued to shine with radiance in spite of the federal government fiscal policy which has negatively impacted the establishment of industries. The establishment of industries has a lot to do with foreign direct investment even as it also has much to do with the procurement of machineries which is foreign exchange dependent.
The scare and bully tactics the central government foisted at the very beginning encouraged capital flights that are still yet to return. Government's policy on foreign exchange has also not encouraged investors. Despite these obvious challenges, the Udom administration has moved on with its determination to industrialize the State and turn around the fortunes of its people.
Suffice it to say that it is scaling the hurdles. Currently, toothpick and pencil factory is up and running. A syringe factory which is a private concern but facilitated by the State government is on the verge of starting operations. The metering plant is to also join the league soon. Peacock paint which had been moribund for more than a decade had since been resuscitated.
In the area of agriculture, the Udom administration has adopted a revolutionary approach. Since the discovery and commercial exploitation of oil, agriculture which was the nation's economic mainstay has long been relegated.
Successive governments pledge to diversify the economy through emphasis on agriculture has remained mere rhetoric. But the Udom administration has dared to be different. Indeed, it is in the area of agriculture that this government has made the boldest imprint.
Its policy and programmes on agriculture are innovative, practical and sustainable and of course without losing sight of the economics of scale. From the improved oil palm and cocoa seedlings, the cassava plantation (about 450 hectares in 15 LGAs), the prime hatchery and the Grower Scheme, the vegetable revolution facilitated by AKEES etc.
Akwa Ibom State seems set to become the Nation's food basket in no distant future. In his keynote address during the last Award ceremony, Governor Emmanuel had stated that Nigerians should be ready to replace the SUVs on the roads with tractors in the farm. His policy on agriculture seems embedded with the orientation that a country that cannot feed itself is doomed.
One of Governor Emmanuel's five-point agenda is poverty alleviation. It is apparent that it may be difficult to leverage a people from poverty if one does build their capacities. Capacity building has therefore been a cardinal avowal of the Udom administration.
This has been noticeable in the training of 450 youths in Cocoa processing, about 1000 in Oracle Database Management, about 100 in mechanized agriculture in Israel. The trainings which have been within and outside Nigeria, promise to be of immense benefits to the beneficiaries who are all Akwa Ibom sons and daughters.
In the area of sports, the governor has also made commendable strides. Acknowledging sports as a major income earner, Governor Udom Emmanuel has invested enormously in that area especially in the provision of facilities. Currently, he has delivered a pilot sports academy complex and has promised to replicate same in all the federal constituencies in the State.
Perhaps his most magnificent legacy would be the espousal of the Dakkada philosophy which is designed to awaken in Akwa Ibom people their fate of greatness. Governor Emmanuel would be remembered for this creed even long after he is gone.
Governor Emmanuel's selection for the award of Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year, 2016 is well deserved. He has shown capacity, vision, doggedness and wisdom to go with it. His rich corporate background may have leveraged him but his messianic sense of service and passion to live in uprightness have combined to define him as a candidate of honour anywhere, anytime.
US President Donald Trump reiterated Friday that he was not accusing Britain of spying on him, after allegations against one of London’s spy services that his spokesman had seemed to support on his behalf. US President Donald Trump He also joked with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a joint press conference that they had “something in common” in terms of wiretapping — hinting that the administration of his predecessor Barack Obama was to blame.
Trump has accused Obama of ordering wiretaps at his Trump Tower in New York.
In 2013, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that Merkel’s mobile phone was under US surveillance.
He further said that ‘immigration is ‘privilege’, not a ‘right”
Trump calls for ‘reciprocal’ and ‘fair’ trade after meeting with Merkel
Trump also said he backed the NATO alliance but, with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his side, stressed that some member states were not contributing enough.
The Republican leader also said he expected relations with Berlin to feature “fair and reciprocal trade policies,” and voiced his support for strong “historic” international institutions — a possible nod to the European Union and the World Trade Organization.
“I reiterated to Chancellor Merkel my strong support for NATO as well as the need for our NATO allies to pay their fair share for the cost of defense,” Trump told a joint press conference.
“Many nations owe vast sums of money from past years and it is very unfair to the United States. These nations must pay what they owe.”
He rejected a description of his policies as “isolationist,” noting: “I’m a free trader but also a fair trader.”
“Millions of hardworking US citizens have been left behind by international commerce and together we can shape a future where all of our citizens have a path to financial security,” said the billionaire US president.
On immigration, another issue dividing the veteran chancellor and the new US president, Trump said immigration was a “privilege” and not a “right.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday reaffirmed President Muhammadu Buhari's commitment to offer a better deal to the people of Niger Delta.
He made the assertion while presiding over an inter-ministerial follow-up meeting with relevant government ministries, departments and agencies involved in rebuilding the Niger Delta.
Osinbajo was reflecting on the past leadership and governance failures which explained the worrying conditions of residents in the oil-producing communities.
"The people still deserve a fair deal," he explained, noting that this is the position of Buhari.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo flanked by ( l-r) minister of state for environment, minister of environment; Hajia Amina Mohammed; Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike and Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha at the launch of the clean-up of Ogoniland and other oil impacted communities in the Niger/Delta
He said it was also the reason that the Buhari-led administration was advocating a New Vision for the people of the region.
"The President believes that the people of Niger Delta deserve justice and, for me also, it is a very important point.
"It is the resource base of the country and in spite of the past leadership failure, the Niger Delta people deserve a fair deal," he said.
The vice president told the inter-ministerial team that the meeting was to ensure "we are faithful to the promises and the spirit of the presidential engagements with the people of the Niger Delta".
Newsmen report that the meeting was attended by the Niger Delta Affairs Minister Usani Uguru Usani; Petroleum Resources Minister of State Ibe Kachikwu, and the Environment Minister of State Ibrahim Jubril.
Others were the Presidential Adviser on Amnesty Programme, retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, and the Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Nsima Ekere.
The ministers and officials made presentations about the next steps in the process to effectively meet the commitments and deliver the promises made by the Federal Government during the interactive engagement tours led by the vice president.
In his presentation, Jubril disclosed that the ministry had fully engaged the Ogoni Clean-Up Project Coordinator, Dr Marvin Dekil, himself an indigene of Ogoni.
He also said that potential contractors had been visiting the site to demonstrate available and suitable technology to be used for the Clean-Up.
The vice president later received a delegation of western diplomats from countries involved in the oil industry in Nigeria.
The delegation was led by Amb. John Groffen, the Dutch envoy in Nigeria, as well as the ambassadors and High Commissioners or their deputies from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, U.S. and the European Union.
Osinbajo told the diplomats that the idea of the interactive engagements with the oil-producing communities resulted from President Buhari's meeting with leaders from the region in November 2016.
He said that the Buhari-led administration was working on how to make a positive and long-lasting impact in the region in a way that would transform the lives of the people.
The vice president also said that the federal government would welcome the partnership and support of western countries in that effort.
Amb. Groffen, on behalf of the delegation, said that the countries represented at the meeting would like to stay involved in the dialogue.
He commended the approach of the Buhari-led administration in the matter.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja has turned down the application of Abba Moro, former interior minister, to travel abroad for medical appointment.
Moro is facing an 11-count charge of procurement fraud and money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
He is being charged alongside the former permanent secretary in the ministry, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, a deputy director in the ministry, F. O Alayebami, one Mahmood Ahmadu (at large), and Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, a firm that was given the contract to organise the ill-fated Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, recruitment in 2014.
Moro, had through his counsel, Paul Erokoro, SAN, sought leave of the court to travel abroad for a medical appointment in an application dated December 16, 2016.
At the resumed sitting today, Erokoro, while reminding the court of the pending application urged his lordship to allow the defendant attend to his medical needs abroad.
Abba Moro
In his ruling, Justice Dimgba noted that, the application, dated December 16, 2016 addressed the request for the defendant to travel out of the country for a medical appointment in January 2017.
"A medical appointment for January 2017 cannot be given in March", the judge held.
Justice Dimgba asked that the counsel update the application, and adjourned till Tuesday 21 March for hearing on pending applications.
Earlier in the proceeding, Ishaq Yahaya, a director of compliance at the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, who testified as PW3 was called to the witness box for further cross-examination.
He had at the last sitting on 16 March, while being cross-examined by Erokoro, SAN, and Chris Uche, SAN, counsel to 1st and 2nd defendants, told the court that Drexel Tech Global Services, a company purportedly used by the defendant to perpetuate the alleged crime "is non-existent".
Answering questions by S. I. Ameh, SAN, counsel to the fourth defendant, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, Yahaya gave additional insight into how the recruitment of 17 March, 2014 that led to the death of scores of Nigerian job applicants was carried out without due process.
He informed the court of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act for procurement of services.
According to him, "While the use of ICT cannot be tagged as a criminal activity, the method prescribed by the Public Procurement Act for procurement of services are: the Open Competitive Method, the Special and Restricted Methods, under which are Selective Tendering, Direct Procurement, Emergency Procurement and Two-Stage Tendering. Consultancy falls under all the methods".
Regarding the contract (Exhibit AAFD 13), Yahaya said, "The parties to the e-recruitment platform contract were the Ministry of Interior and Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd. The contractual agreement between the Interior Ministry and Drexel was a Public-Private Partnership project, as indicated by the Minister. Drexel was engaged to provide the e-recruitment platform for the Government.
"The item and the amount relating to the operational cost of N83million were not captured in the document. No sum from the Federal Government was invested in this project. Information on a sharing ratio of 70:30 between the Federal Government and the contractor was not captured in the document".
He added that there was no supplementary document or addendum with the documents supplied by the Ministry for the purpose of review.
Upon allusions by Ameh to the effect that the BPP did not write to Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd for their account of events, Yahaya said, "We were reviewing the contract and not Drexel, the organisation".
Misfiring Premier League strikers Wilfried Bony and Max Gradel were dropped from the Ivory Coast squad on Friday as caretaker coach Ibrahim Kamara made sweeping changes following the Africa Cup of Nations flop.
Bony, capped 51 times and on loan at Stoke from Manchester City, and Bournemouth’s Gradel, who has made 45 appearances for the African giants, were axed from a 23-man squad for friendly games against Russia and Senegal later this month.
In all, six players who featured in January’s Africa Cup of Nations — when the defending champions were knocked out in the first round — were left out.
They include Salomon Kalou of Hertha Berlin, who had already announced his retirement from international football.
Kamara, who replaced Michel Dussuyer after the Cup of Nations, recalled Roger Assale, Cyriac Gohi Bi and Abdoul Karim Cisse while there were first-time call-ups for Cheick Ibrahim Comara of local club AFAD Abidjan and Moussa Kone, who plays in Italy at Cesena.
Ivory Coast face Russia in Krasnodar on March 24 and Senegal in Paris three days later.
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Paris SG/FRA), Mamadou Bagayoko (St Truiden/BEl), Eric Bailly (Man Utd/ENG), Abdoulaye Bamba (Angers/FRA), Simon Deli (Slavia Prague/CZE), Wilfried Kanon (Den Haag/NED), Adama Traoré (Basel/SUI), Cheick Ibrahim Comara (AFAD/CIV)
Midfielders: Cheick Doukoure (Metz/FRA), Jules Christ Kouassi Eboué (Celtic/SCO), Franck Kessié (Atalanta/ITA), Geoffroy Serey Die (Basel/SUI), Jean Michael Seri (Nice/FRA), Moussa Kone (Cesena/ITA)
Attackers: Nicolas Pepe (Angers/FRA), Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa/ENG), Giovanni Sio (Rennes/FRA), Roger Assale (Young Boys/SUI), GOHI BI Cyriac Gohi Bi (Fulham/ENG), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace/ENG)
A 39-year-old petty trader, Yemisi Akinwunmi, on Friday pleaded with an Agege Customary Court in Lagos to end her loveless marriage to free her from pangs of daily corporal punishment meted to her by her husband.
"My husband constantly beats me and whenever he wants to do so, he tells me to kneel down and stretch my hands like a pupil before caning me.
"He often threatened to kill me," she told the court.
Testifying before Mr Phillips Williams, the court's President, she said there was no love lost between them again.
Yemisi described her husband of 20 years as an irresponsible man, who has refused to take proper care of her and the children.
She said she had been solely responsible for the feeding and upkeep of the children since her husband lost his job.
"I made effort to secure a loan for my husband from a cooperative bank to start a small business with a promise by him to pay back in installments.
"But after a few months, he refused to pay and attempt to get him to refund the money was unsuccessful.
"My husband started threatening to kill me and dispose of my corpse without anybody knowing.
"I am fed up with the marriage; there is no love between us again. I can no longer bear the pains and humiliations," she said.
She, therefore, urged the court to dissolve the marriage and to compel the respondent to be responsible for the welfare and education of the children.
The respondent, Wasiu, 49, however, denied the allegations and pleaded with the court not to dissolve the marriage.
According to him, his wife started misbehaving and became promiscuous the moment he lost his job.
Wasiu, who claimed to have caught her in the act of adultery, said:"My wife later told me that she was fed up with the union and she moved out of the house with the children sometime in 2015.
"However, after much pleading, she returned home later in 2016 only to start engaging in adultery; I have caught her on several occasions.
"My wife stopped cooking for me since July 2016 and finally moved out of the house."
The respondent said he made efforts and begged his wife to return, especially for the sake of the children, but she remained adamant.
Newsmen report that the president of the court invited the estranged couple to his chambers for a possible resolution of the crisis.
He adjourned the case to April 11 for further hearing.
The Federal Government has declared that products of the Nigerian Bottling Company, NBC, including Sprite and Fanta are safe for human consumption even as it encouraged all bottling companies in Nigeria to insert advisory warnings on their products as necessary.
These are contained in the findings of a report issued after a meeting of the Department of Food and Drug Services, Federal Ministry of Health, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in Abuja.
In a statement, the Federal Ministry of Health, FMOH, noted: "Yes, the Coca-Cola products manufactured in Nigeria are safe for consumption taking into consideration the environmental, storage and distribution conditions as well as the shelf life of food products.”
The statement, signed by the Director Press of the Ministry, Mrs Boade Akinola, said the risk assessment report conducted to ascertain maximum limits of food additives acceptable in foods showed that the levels of benzoic acid in Fanta (1 batch) and Sprite (2 batches) presented by the claimant in the court are 188.64mg/kg, 201.06mg/kg and 161.5mg/kg respectively and are in compliance with both the Codex and Nigeria Industrial Standards.
The statement further noted that NAFDAC and SON would regularly monitor the manufacturing practices of food industries and conduct laboratory analysis to ascertain continuous compliance with required national standards.
According to the statement, there was a routine inspection conducted at Nigeria Bottling Company by NAFDAC officers in December, 2016 which was satisfactory.
Continuing, the statement explained that the difference between the standard of Fanta and Sprite in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, with reference to the Codex standards, each country or region is permitted to adapt a standard/limit based on country specific scientific evidence such as environmental, storage and distribution conditions.
"Benzoic acid as a preservative prevents the growth of microorganisms which thrive more at higher climatic temperatures like in Nigeria. Due to the different environmental conditions obtainable in the UK, the standard for benzoic acid was set at a lower limit of 150mg/kg while in Nigeria it was set at 250mg/kg even below that of Codex (as at time of production of that batch; Codex limit was 600mgkg).
"Food products being imported into a country must comply with the relevant standards of the destination country. NAFDAC has processes in place to ensure products imported into the country are evaluated to ascertain compliance with required Nigeria Industrial Standards."
Observing that the claimant did not obtain NAFDAC certification before export, the statement stated that the claimant would have been advised on the required standard of the destination country.
Further, Nigerians were urged to take medicines with potable water to help prevent unexpected drug-food interactions.
For the benefit of the health of all Nigerians, all bottling companies are encouraged to insert advisory warnings on all products as necessary.
Manchester United have been fined £20,000 (23,000 euros, $25,000) after accepting a Football Association (FA) charge of failing to control their players during Monday’s fractious FA Cup quarter-final at Chelsea.
United, who saw their hold on the trophy ended with a 1-0 defeat by the Premier League leaders, were punished for several of their players surrounding referee Michael Oliver and arguing with him over the sending off of Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera in the 35th minute.
Herrera was given his marching orders for a foul on Eden Hazard seconds after Oliver warned United captain Chris Smalling his patience had worn thin with continual fouls on Chelsea’s Belgian playmaker.
“Manchester United have been fined £20,000 after the club admitted an FA misconduct charge and accepted the standard penalty,” said an FA statement on Friday.
Herrera and United’s leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss the Premier League matches with struggling Middlesbrough on Sunday and against West Brom on April 1 because of suspension.
Ibrahimovic was banned after elbowing Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings in the head in a 1-1 league draw at Old Trafford.
Nigerians in the Niger Delta deserve a fair deal, according to the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, who outlined the vision of the Buhari administration and why it would depart from past leadership and governance failures in the region.
Prof. Osinbajo said President Muhammadu Buhari is now advocating a New Vision for the people of the Niger Delta.
The vice-president who went on several trouble-shooting missions to the Niger Delta spoke today at the Presidential Villa while chairing an inter-ministerial follow-up meeting with relevant government ministries, departments and agencies involved in the Niger Delta.
"The President believes the people of the Niger Delta deserve justice, and for me also it is a very important point," the Vice President stated adding that the state of the region and the suffering of the people does not reflect the fact that "it is the resource base of the country."
"In spite of the past leadership failure, the Niger Delta people deserved a fair deal," Osinbajo added.
Yemi Osinbajo
The Vice President told the inter-ministerial team that includes ministers and others MDA heads that the meeting is to ensure that "we are faithful to the promises and the spirit of the presidential engagements with the people of the Niger Delta."
In attendance at the meeting were the Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, Petroleum Resources Minister of State, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the Environment Minister of State, Alhaji Ibrahim Jubril. Others include the Presidential Adviser on Amnesty Programme Major-General Paul Boroh, and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Nsima U. Ekere.
All the ministers and officials made presentations about the next steps in the process, especially on how to effectively meet the commitments and deliver the promises made by the Federal Government during the interactive engagement tours led by the Vice President.
In his presentation the Minister of State for Environment disclosed that the ministry has now fully engaged the Ogoni Clean-Up Project Coordinator, Dr. Marvin Dekil, himself an indigene of Ogoni. Besides he also revealed that potential contractors have been visiting the site to demonstrate available and suitable technology to be used for the Clean-Up.
Later the Vice President received a delegation of western diplomats from countries involved in the oil industry in Nigeria. The delegation was led by the Dutch Envoy in Nigeria, Ambassador John C.M. Groffen, and included Ambassadors, High Commissioners or their deputies from United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, United States and the European Union.
The Vice President told the diplomats that the idea of the interactive engagements with the oil-producing communities resulted from President Muhammadu Buhari after he met with leaders from the region last November.
He added that the Buhari presidency is therefore working on how to make a positive and long-lasting impact in the region in a way that transforms the lives of the people from the "treasure trove of Nigeria." The Vice President then added that the FG will welcome the partnership and support of the western countries in that effort.
Ambassador Groffen said the countries represented at the meeting would like to stay involved in the dialogue, while commending the approach of the Buhari administration in the matter.
At every point in a nation’s trajectory, a leader would be thrust forward who will look conventional wisdom in the face and through the force of his or her personality rouse the people from their comfort zones and inspire them to see the endless possibilities that nature so generously wired us to appropriate .
These are usually transcendental and transformative leaders and they don't materialize often.
Key characteristic of this unique leader include: a deep sense of love and belief in the people and the infinite capacity for them to fulfill their purpose in life if nudged gently and in the right direction, a moral disposition that puts service above self, an abiding faith in his or her capacity to effect and affect change; humility that pleasantly shocks and confounds, a spiritual grounding that appears transparent and inviting, and above all, a sense of confidence that is not in your face and a youthfulness that is both appealing and engaging.
Certain elements conspire to facilitate the emergence of this leader and they include: a downturn in the socio-political fortunes of the given state or entity, a loss of faith or apathy on the part of the people in the capacity of the government to meet their needs, a ferment or fertile ground for change, the honesty and transparency displayed by the intrepid candidate and a set of governance ideals and platform that connects with the electorate.
Gov. Udom Emmanuel
Leaders shaped and furnace with these qualities have helped reinvent the wheels of development and mobility when the wheels had almost fallen off; they usually restore hope and faith when the people were sized by a paroxysm of fear and uncertainty, they often work to bring back the shine and sheen- a winning disposition in the people when a grim and forlorn cloud hovered around their psychological space.
In the United States, the bastion of democracy and the custodian of a political system that has been copied extensively all over the world- democracy and the presidential system, notable leaders who changed the contours and tenor of governance have emerged at every junction.
When the American enterprise was in serious jeopardy, Abraham Lincoln defied the dire warning of the south and ended slavery, plunging the nation into a civil war and the south declaring a confederacy Lincoln stood ramrod tall and fought for the unification of the nation.
Today, he is celebrated as one of the most consequential presidents in the pantheon of the United States history.
Theodore Roosevelt, though a child of privilege and wealth, fought the agents of the Gilded Age who had seen the common people as mere pawns in the laboratories of big business and helped usher in the Progressive Era in American politics.
The reforms of the Theodore Roosevelt administration- from breaking down the monopoly of big business, to conservation, to fair labour practices, today still shape how domestic policies are formulated in the United States.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, restored faith in the American people and its twin ideological ideals founded on democracy and capitalism when the people had lost faith and had started romanticizing socialism as a result of the collapse of the Stock market that brought about the Great Depression in 1929.
Historians have unanimously concluded that were America not blessed with a leader in the mould of FDR, probably the history of American would have taken a different trajectory and a unipolar world based on the hegimonistic hold of the world that America currently exerts would not have happened.
John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and most recently, Barack Obama are other American presidents who came in at critical moments and left strong and enduring legacies.
The emergency of Governor Udom Emmanuel as Governor of Akwa Ibom State has all the imprimatur and signature of the great leaders I have mentioned above. In late 2012, the nation had started experiencing some contraction in economic growth due to the steep fall in oil prices.
Akwa Ibom state had been lucky to have a leader who had greatly transformed the once idyllic landscape into a rich network of great and world class road network. The then Governor, and now Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpbaio had worked to transform the state with a sense of anger.
He had run a good race and needed to hand over the baton to another leader who would take the state to another layer of development and growth. Given the economic downturn the nation had been experiencing, it was almost divine that a proven financial services expert in the person of Deacon Udom Emmanuel, then an Executive Director with a leading financial institution in Nigeria- Zenith bank be brought in first as the Secretary to the State Government and later as the overwhelmingly elected Governor of the State.
Since May 29th 2015 when Governor Udom Emmanuel was sworn in as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, he has worked tirelessly to implement his vision encapsulated in his Five -Point Agenda of: Job Creation, Poverty Alleviation, Wealth Creation, Economic and Political Inclusion and Infrastructural Consolidation and Expansion.
A man of proven Christian masculinity, the first set of things he did upon being sworn in, was to pay a backlog of pensions and gratuities to workers, and the labour leaders were so stunned by this gesture that they wrote letters of appreciation, effusively praising him for his magnanimity.
While other states were struggling to pay salaries of workers, through a prudent application of scarce resources, Governor Emmanuel has endeavoured to pay the salary of workers promptly. The Governor has sustained the free and compulsory education from primary to secondary and free medical services to the aged and children between the ages 1-5 and pregnant mothers remains sacrosanct.
Last year, he paid over 600 million WAEC fees to indigent students because of his avowed belief that no child should be left behind in their determined effort to pursue knowledge and education that would stand them in good stead to pursue the jobs of the 21 First Century.
As a way of fulfilling his campaign promise of infrastructural consolidation, over 200 kilometres of roads have either been commissioned or are on-going and in various stages of completion. He has been able to achieve this giant feat, again through judicious application of the lean resources at his disposal. Governor Emmanuel, determined to wean the state off of her dependence on oil, has made huge investments in agriculture.
Through Akwa Ibom Enterprise and Employment Scheme (AKEES) great things are happening in the agriculture sector. The state is well on its way to becoming a major producer of tomatoes and onions- two produce items that were once though not suitable for growing in these parts of the country.
Some decades ago, Akwa Ibom State was the fourth largest prouder of cocoa in the country, we lost that position and cocoa all but disappeared from our economic radar. Today, through training in pruning and shedding that the Governor had introduced and personally supervised, we are well on our way to returning to our premier position as a major cocoa producer in the country.
The Coco -nut refinery is on course. The biggest joy in all of this is that our youths have embraced agriculture wholeheartedly.
The central plank of Governor Emmanuel's campaign was based solely on the need to rapidly industrialize the state and create jobs for our teeming youths.
The administration is on course in this direction. Sometime last year, scandalized by the knowledge that we import even such items as pencils and toothpick, the Governor directed that we must have a toothpick and pencil making factory ready before the end of the year.
Today, that factory is almost ready for commissioning. Work is also on-going in the metering factory the Governor had promised to build during our campaign. Other industries are coming up the pike.
Youths as the future leaders of the state have been variously empowered and trained in various vocational skills, they have been imbued with a new mind-set predicated on the 'dakkada' philosophy to see the joy in having an ownership society, to strive to build things, to own things, and to utilize the talents and skills that God has embedded in us all.
Through this moral re-awakening and rebirth or the 'dakkada' philosophy, the youths are filled with a new sense of hope and optimism and no longer believe in the cradle to grave entitlement mind-set.
Governor Emmanuel has brought a touch or culture of corporatism into governance, civil servants and office holders now show up to work on time, same at public events, because Governor Emmanuel – a keen believer in Christian time management shows up to functions on the dot of time. He has introduced a tone and tenor in governance based on Christ-like humility and forbearance and the people have followed suit.
As Leadership newspaper confers on him the publication's
"Governor of the Year, 2016," I can only say with pride that I am honoured to have been given a little space to be a part of what in 2023, at the end of this intrepid journey would be defined as a transcendental administration that turned Akwa Ibom State on the trajectory of economic growth and opportunity and a sense of pride and identity in the people that no clock can ever turn back. Congratulation my Boss and my Brother! May your tribe multiply.
By Ekerete Udoh
Ekerete Udoh is the Chief Press Secretary and Senior Special Assistant, Media to Governor Udom Emmanuel
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) says it has developed National Numbering Plan (NNP) to set up uniform numbering scheme for easy calls to subscribers and operators.
The NCC made this known in a statement on its website on Friday in Abuja.
It said the NNP would provide a uniform dialing procedure for local, national long distance, international calls and calls to emergency, special services, independent of where the call was originating from in the country.
According to the NCC, other numbering information includes, terminologies, dialing procedure, area codes by zone and primary centre and mobile telephony number allocation.
It said that some of its terminologies are numbering area, trunk prefix, trunk code, directory number and international prefix, among others.
"Numbering area is part of the country to which a trunk code has been allocated and within that area only the directory numbers are dialed.
"Trunk prefix is the digit or a combination of digits to be dialed by a calling subscriber so as to obtain access to a trunk code and the numbering area."
The commission said that the international prefix was the number dialed after the international prefix.
According to it, the international number consists of the country code of the required country followed by the national number of the called subscriber.
NCC said that it was charged with development of the NNP for the Nigerian telephone networks both for fixed and wireless networks.
"This is to ensure allocation of unique numbers to each subscriber connected to the network.'
Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will next week be the toast of two leading anti-corruption organisations in London.
The invitation by Transparency International and Global Witness, came several days after his confirmation was rejected by the Nigerian senate, working in cahoot with the Department of State Services.
Magu will be a guest speaker at an international conference on money laundering and assets recovery on 21 March in London.
He is expected to speak on the topic, "Give Us Our Money Back – Nigeria's Fight Against Corruption: A Critical Conversation".
"The invitation from the Global Witness and Transparency International is in recognition of the invaluable role the Magu-led EFCC has played in his more than one year in office in recovery of stolen funds", said Wilson Uwujaren, the spokesman of the agency.
Magu
" It also coincidentally comes a few days after members of the Nigerian Senate chose to overlook the strides achieved by Magu, and instead refuse his re-nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari as the substantive chairman of the EFCC", Uwujaren added.
The international conference, which is coming on the heels of the 2016 London Anti-Corruption Summit, will focus on the progress of Nigeria's asset recovery and anti-corruption efforts.
It will also feature a panel discussions for "critical exchange of views" between officials and non-government experts from Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
A few international personalities have been invited along with Magu to participate in the conference.
Among those from Nigeria are Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information; Prof. Itse Sagay, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC; its secretary, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye and Olanrewaju Suraju of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda.
A group known as 'the Predictors' Gang' has reiterated its commitment to the growth and growing popularity of sports betting in Nigeria.
The group, based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State is made up of young, and vibrant professionals in different fields. They are united by the common desire to promote sports betting in Nigeria, by forecasting possible winning bets, using broadcast and social media platforms.
The media anchor of the group, Gbenga James, revealed that the group already enjoys a massive followership in Rivers State, and its environs. He added that in a little time from now, the Predictors Gang will become renowned nationwide as a pioneer group of forecasters and major stakeholders in the Nigerian sports betting sector.
He stated that apart from the professional finesse the group exhibits in the handling of its weekly programme on radio, most followers of the group have won various sums of money, using the predictions and forecasts given during the programme. He appealed to the different sports betting firms, and corporate bodies in the country for sponsorship of the group's programmes on radio and television.
In his words, "we are helping to make Nigerians embrace sports betting, and the number of participants is growing by the day. We also need to be encouraged through sponsorship, and our programme has the potential to grow the business of our would be sponsors".
Coordinating member of the group is simply identified and addressed as the Manager. The Manager told potential sponsors that the group is also open to corporate partnership with interested firms and institutions. He added that the group offers visibility and penetrating influence in the sports betting community, given that The Predictors Gang is largely seen as the mouthpiece of the sports betting sector in Nigeria. Other members of the group are The General, Nel-Jay and Cindy. The trio is described as arguably the best sports betting forecasters in Nigeria.
Vanguard Personality of the Year awards which held last Saturday at the Convention Centre of the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos was billed to be the biggest award event of the year and in more ways than can be mentioned it lived up to its high expectation.
Four governors of Lagos, Kebbi, Anambra and Cross Rivers states were honoured for their outstanding achievements, alongside Captain Hosa Okunbo as the Business Man of the Year; Herbert Wigwe of Access Bank as Banker of the Year; and Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria governor as the Personality of the Year. Bagging merit awards are former Head of States General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd); Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Mr Pascal Dozie, Chief Edwin Clark, Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Alhaji Isa Funtua.
Comedian Kenny Blaq and Aramide at Vanguard Awards
While the night's proceedings were ably piloted by ace comedian, Teju Babyface and TV personality, Zainab Balogun, an ensemble of musicians were on hand to add musical interludes. As each awardee got their gong to received their awards, there was a carousel of music to drive it home, giving the guests a lush treatment of warm reception and prime entertainment.
Leading the charge of musical gladiators on the night was the popular Afro-soul songstress, Aramide, who serenaded the audience with her impressive guitar skills, performing few of her popular hits.
After her, former Mavins Records artiste, Dr. Sid, took the floor to perform some of his hit songs. When he performed his "Surulere", the hall erupted with excitement. Sani Danja wasn't left out as he thrilled northerners present with beautiful northern tunes. Ycee's striking performance got everyone dancing and talking about the night. He rounded off the event with a classy performance that evoked fond memories of the well organized event. Comedic rave of the moment, Kenny Blaq spiced up the night with rib-cracking jokes that got everyone beaming from chin to chin.
Then, when the 'Rainmaker', Majek Fashek himself stepped on the stage with his sexy dancers and band, giving a live performance, the whole hall was simply thrown into electrifying excitement.
While the music stars were having a field day on stage, the Nollywood actresses and celebrity fashion enthusiasts were lighting up a fire of their own. Beautifully clad in body-hugging dresses, flowing gowns, cleavage-baring attires, to reveal jaw-dropping curves, they certainly had their own audience, who would sooner listen to their silent music than the own blaring from the stage.
They were show-stoppers and they did it in style with plenty of attitude.
Shirley Igwe, Ella Mensah, Mariam Akanbi, Adekemi Taofeek, Tonia Ferrari, Princess Chineke, Mary Igwe, Tonia Ferrari, popular Instagram sensation, Roman Goddess and her friend, Lerin, Mimi Ubini, Nollywood hottest virgin, Ify Adibeli, Nkechi Emmanuel and a host of others, ensured they made lasting impressions on the minds of all who set eyes on them.
Decked in a body-hugging jumpsuit which accentuated her eyes captivating boobs and butt, Cossy's protégé, and Instagram sensation, Roman Goddess, in connivance with her boobs-totting friend, Lerin, who accompanied her to the awards, became cynosure of all eyes.
Showtime's eagle eye observed that some of the guests and eminent personalities were literally distracted from the focus of the night as they were busy having an eyeful.
Feelers from the hall report that if Cossy had been around, the self-styled Roman Goddess would sure have not attracted such an undivided attention, that it would have been a war of boobs. The event which was graced by high-flying politicians, captains of industry, government officials, statesmen, governors and elder-statesmen will sure go down in history as the best award ceremony of the year.
ABUJA – The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it has offered and received bids for $100 million from authorized dealers in the interbank market to meet the requests of genuine customers.
The CBN spokesman, Isaac Okorafor, disclosed this, yesterday , adding that the sales will be settled on Friday, March 17, 2017. He, however, disclosed that no intervention was made by the Bank to meet requests for invisibles on Thursday.
Okorafor reiterated that the CBN will continue to make necessary interventions in the interbank market to meet all legitimate transaction-based foreign exchange demands by customers.
It will be recalled that the Bank in its last auction sale offered $150 million to the interbank market with the highest bid rate at N335/$1, while the marginal rate was N320/$1.
Police Special Forces comprising the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) working in synergy with Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU) have smashed and arrested three (3) members of a notorious armed robbery/Kidnap for ransom gang who has been terrorizing travellers along the Kaduna-Abuja-Zaria road.
The suspects who were arrested on 15/3/2017 in Zaria, Kaduna State are Nuhu Fulani,Yahaya Muhammed, Aisha Bature (wife of the gang leader).
Exhibits recovered from them include One (1) AK 47 Rifle, One (1) Locally made pistol, Thirty (30) rounds of live ammunition, Samsung S6 phone (belonging to their last victim), Charms
Giving more details of the arrest, Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh Moshood said "The gang has been on the wanted list of the Nigeria Police Force for some time now.
"In the course of investigation, they admitted to be responsible for some kidnappings and robberies on Zaria-Kaduna express way in Kaduna State.
"The last suspect Aisha Bature 23 years is the wife of the gang leader and it was in a toilet in her house that AK 47 rifle fully loaded with ammunition was recovered.
"The three (3) suspects confessed to the crime and explained to the Police investigators the various criminal roles they played in the commission of the various offences traced to them.
"They were equally identified by some the victims.
"Meanwhile, investigation is being intensified to arrest the other members of the gang still at large.
"All the suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of the investigation."
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA – A Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Mr. Tanko Kutana, on Friday, narrated before the Federal High Court in Abuja, how Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court who is facing corruption charges, obtained multiple international passports.
Kutana who testified as the third prosecution witness, PW-3, told the court that he formerly served at the document fraud unit of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, as a forensic expert before he was transferred to the Benue Command.Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court
He told the court that Justice Ngwuta had between 2012 and 2016, obtained four different international passports, adding that two of them were diplomatic passports that could gain the defendant entrance into any country.
According to the witness, the NIS issued second passport to Ngwuta after he claimed that he lost the one that was previously issued to him.
He told the court that the first passport which was issued to the embattled jurist on November 29, 2012, will expire by November 28, 2017, while the second passport which will expire on April 10, 2021, was issued to the defendant on April 20, 2016.
The witness said whereas the first passport has a valid American visa on its page 11, issued on August 26, 2015 and to expire August 24, 2017, Ngwuta’s second passport has at its Visa page at No 25, a valid American Visa issued on September 27, 2016, which will expire on September 25, 2017.
“The second passport also has a valid British Visa issued on June 22, 2016, which will expire on June 2, 2018”.
The PW-3 told the trial court that the defendant who is facing an amended 11-count corruption charge, swore an affidavit for all the international passports that were issued to him by the NIS.
Meanwhile, trial Justice John Tsoho admitted into evidence, two of the international passports bearing Ngwuta’s name, registered as No AO4389985 and No. AO7274634.
The passports were marked as exhibits 5A and 5B, respectively.
The prosecution also tendered Certified True Copy of an affidavit Ngwuta sworn to on March 21, 2016, for loss of his international passport and it was admitted as exhibit 6.
A letter from Supreme Court for Ngwuta to be assisted to get new passport, dated April 5, 2016, and a police report to that effect, were also admitted in evidence by the court.
The witness insisted that the two passports were still valid and could be used for travel, saying there was no endorsement cancelling their validity.
“To the best of my knowledge the defendant has not reported to the National Immigration Service that he has found the missing passport. If he did, one would have been cancelled”, he added.
Asked if Ngwuta would have reported his missing passport to both the Police and the NIS if his intentions were criminal, the witness said: “My lord, the defendant is somebody I hold in high regard as a Justice of the Supreme Court so we had no reason to doubt his intentions for demanding fresh passport.
“However, in the course of my work, I have had cause to arrest highly placed individuals for tampering with their passports”.
Nevertheless, the PW-3 admitted before the court that Ngwuta was yet to travel with the second passport.
He told the court that there was no evidence that Justice Ngwuta used the two passports interchangeably.
“However my lord, we discovered that he used his diplomatic passports interchangeably”.
The witness said he was earlier invited by office of the AGF to make a statement on the case.
The said statement was tendered into evidence by the prosecution.
The court has adjourned further hearing on the matter till May 16 and 17.
It will be recalled that Ngwuta was among seven superior court Judges that were arrested after a sting operation the DSS conducted between October 7 and 8, 2016.
Charges against him border on money laundering, age falsification and his alleged illegal possession of multiple international passports.
FG alleged that he retained in his possession, the sum of N35, 358, 000.00, contrary to the Money Laundering ( Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended).
It further alleged that Ngwuta equally retained in his possession, the sum of $319,596.00 (USD) and (GBP) 25, 915, monies the prosecution said formed part of the proceeds of unlawful act contrary to the Money Laundering Act.
FG told the court that several sums of cash were allegedly recovered from Ngwuta’s official residence in Abuja, including the sum of N35.3 million, $319,596.00(USD), and 25,915 pounds sterling.
It said the DSS had during the raid, recovered four diplomatic passports, one official and two standard Nigerian passport passports, all in the name of the defendant.
According to FG, Ngwuta, by obtaining multiple passports, committed an offence contrary and punishable under section 10 of the Immigration Act, 2015.
Besides, the defendant who is 65 years old, was alleged to have made false statement to the passport office concerning his actual date of birth, for the purpose of procuring an additional Diplomatic Passport.
Unknown gunmen have reportedly kidnapped a serving female magistrate in Imo State, Mrs. P. U. Adikibe, at Umuapu in Ohaji/Egbema local council area of Imo State.
Vanguard equally gathered that the magistrate’s driver was also taken hostage with his boss.
The story that made the rounds yesterday in Owerri, had it that the lady was kidnapped on her way home from work.
An Owerri based legal practitioner, who spoke on strict grounds of anonymity, said that “Mrs. Adikibe is in charge of the Ihiagwa Magistrate Court, and was on her way home when the hoodlums struck”.
When contacted on his mobile telephone line, the Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, who confirmed the incident, however disclosed that the woman and her driver were rescued less than 12 hours later and reunited with their families.
“When the Police Command got wind of the incident, I immediately raised a rescue team headed by myself and went after the hoodlums”, Lakanu said.
According to the CP, “we went after the kidnappers and when they couldn’t keep the pace, they abandoned the magistrate’s driver and the car and took the away”.
Continuing, the CP said that the driver disclosed the escape route of the hoodlums.
“The driver’s narrative led us to the forest where the magistrate was quarantined by her captors. At the end of the encounter, she was rescued unhurt and reunited with her family”, Lakanu recounted.
While calling on patriotic citizens to report people of questionable characters in their communities to the police for appropriate action, the CP however reasoned that criminals do not live in the moon, but among the people.
“If patriots fail to report such people to the police, they or their relations may be the next victims”, the CP said.
ABUJA – The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Friday, vacated the order that granted the Federal Government interim ownership of disputed Oil Prospecting License, OPL, 245, regarded as one of the biggest oil blocs in Africa.
Justice John Tsoho discharged the interim forfeiture order he issued in favour of the federal government on January 26, following applications by two multinational oil giants, Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Company Ltd and Nigeria Agip Exploration Ltd.
Shell and Agip had in their applications, challenged the legality of the interim forfeiture order that stripped them off their ownership of the controversial oil bloc which FG alleged was “fraudulently” awarded to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had insisted that OPL 245 was awarded to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 1998 by late military dictator, General Sani Abacha, against all known government regulations.
EFCC, in a motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/14/2017, told the court that investigations revealed that Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd and SPDC secured OPL 245 through fraudulent scheme involving high scale bribery and corruption by top management of the company and some government officials.
In a 21 paragraphed affidavit deposed to by one of its operatives, Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed, the agency told the court that Italian Police had also conducted extensive investigation on the fraud committed by Shell Nigeria, Agip and Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, culminating in a criminal charge at the Ordinary Court of Milan.
On the basis of an ex-parte motion by the commission, Justice Tsoho, on January 26, ordered both Shell and AGIP to temporarily hands-off the disputed oil bloc pending the prosecution of all individuals and firms indicted in the $1.2billion Malabu oil fraud.
However, at the resumed proceeding on the matter on Friday, that interim forfeiture order was discharged, even though the court agreed with the EFCC that it was permissible and constitutional for FG to seek an order of interim forfeiture of the OPL 245, since it is already the subject of two pending criminal charges.
Similarly, the court upheld arguments by both Shell and Agip that the ex-parte application upon which the interim forfeiture order was sought and obtained, was legally defective.
Justice Tsoho further dismissed as “lawless” and “gross abuse of judicial process”, an application that Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd filed to be joined as an interested party in the matter that was already fixed for ruling.
Malabu had insisted that it has vested right on the contentious oil bloc, saying its interest would be affected by whatever decision the court arrived at.
It prayed the court to allow it to also present its own side of the case before ruling on the applications by Shell and Agip.
In his ruling, Justice Tsoho berated the firm for attempting to reopen argument on a matter that was already okayed for ruling.
The Judge held that haven vacated the interim forfeiture order it issued to FG, there no longer a live suit on the matter pending before it.
It said the parties were at liberty to file substantive action to resolve dispute in relation to OPL 245.
EFCC had told the court that the Italian government is also prosecuting some persons and firms over the $1.2bn Malabu deal.
It averred: “That the Italian Police in the charge are prosecuting Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Eni Spa and one Scaroni who was its Managing Director, Descalzi was also the General Manager Exploration of Eni. Copy of the charge is hereby attached and marked as exhibits EFCC 4.
“Those also being prosecuted are one Casula and Armana who were senior executives of Nigeria Agip Oil Company and one Pegano who was the Managing Director of Nigeria Agip Oil Companies, one Dan Etete (former Minister of Petroleum) and other co-conspirators”.
Tracing the origin of the case, EFCC told the court that after Abacha “fraudulently” awarded OPL 245 to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 1998, it said the company contracted Shell Petroleum and SNEPCO, in a joint venture scheme, to operate the license.
“That to the knowledge of Shell, the allocation of the Oil well and the procedure adopted by the owners of Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd was fraught with fraud but it went ahead to consummate the transaction”.
It said that a former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Dan Etete, who is reportedly the owner of Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, and Nigerian Ambassador to the United State of America between 1996 and 1999, Hassan Adamu, were at the centre of the alleged oil bloc fraud.
The anti-graft agency said FG, on July 2, 2001, withdrew the title and allocation of the oil bloc from Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd on the directive of then Presidential Adviser on Petroleum to President Olusegun Obasanjo, after which it was re-allocated to Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Ltd.
However, following a legal action Malabu instituted against FG over the revocation of the oil bloc license, it was re-awarded OPL 245, after alleged shady out-of-court-settlement deal was brokered among all the parties.
EFCC told the court that Shell and Agip again went into a fraudulent agreement with Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, in which the companies will pay signature bonus of $210m to FG while the sum of $1.2bn would be paid to the owners of Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd.
It said the $1.2bn was bribe paid to Etete and his cronies, adding that Shell was at that time aware that the ex-Petroleum Minister and owner of Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd was already a convict.
It alleged that immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, conspired with Shell and Agip to route the bribe money through Federal Government Escrow Account with JP Morgan Chase Bank in London.
“That sometime in May 2011, Nigeria Agip Exploration and SNEPCO instructed Chase Bank to release the said $1, 092, 040, 000 USD into Escrow Account of the Federal Government.
“That the said money on the instruction of the then AGF, Mohammed Adoke, was transfer from the Escrow Account to two banks namely First Bank and Keystone Bank operated by Dan Etete and Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd.
“The said amount was later laundered with several accounts of individuals and different companies”.
EFCC said its investigation further revealed that FG was defrauded by SPDC and Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd by under paying the sum of $210m USD as signature bonus on OPL 245.
It will be recalled that EFCC had earlier slammed a nine-count criminal charge against the former AGF, Adoke, SAN, and eight others over the oil bloc scam.
Other defendants in the charge marked FHC/Abj/CR/268/2016, are Etete and an oil mogul, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu.
Six firms- Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, Rocky Top Resource Ltd, Imperial Union Ltd, Novel Properties & Development Company Ltd, Group Construction Ltd and MegaTech Engineering Ltd, were also joined as defendants in the matter.
FG later filed another three-count criminal charge in which it included Shell, Agip, four Italians, Ralph Wetzels, Casula Roberto, Pujatti Stefeno, Burrafati Sebestiano and ENI SPA, as defendants in the suit marked CR/124/17.
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