Tinubu Departs Nigeria For France On Private Visit
President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, departed Abuja for Paris, France, for a private visit. His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, had revealed this in a statement on Wednesday but did not disclose the reasons for the visit. According to the statement, Tinubu is expected to return to the country in the first week of February 2024. This visit is Tinubu’s third to the country since he assumed office eight months ago. On June 20, 2023, three weeks after assuming office, Tinubu opened his foreign schedule in the city he last visited as President-elect, Paris, the French capital. In September 2023, the President spent nine days with world leaders in New York, USA, at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, which began on September 19, his first UNGA as President. Afterward, he proceeded to Paris, France, where he remained for five days, arriving in Abuja on September 29 ahead of Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Day anniversary on October 1.
Presidency Clarifies Tinubu’s Purported Plan To Move Federal Capital To Lagos
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has debunked reports that plans are underway to move the Federal Capital Territory to Lagos State. Onanuga, in a statement via X on Wednesday, described those peddling the reports as dishonest, ethnic and regional champions, attempting to draw attention to themselves. He noted that the rumour had made rounds during the presidential campaign in 2023 to stop Tinubu’s presidency, but it was trashed. According to Onanuga, Abuja, as the FCT is backed by law and has come to stay, adding the movement of FAAN, a department of the Aviation Ministry, to Lagos does not amount to moving the FCT to Lagos. The statement reads, “President Tinubu has no plan whatsoever to move the Federal Capital to Lagos. The rumour first surfaced during the campaign last year by opponents looking for all manners of weapons to stop him. We trashed it. “Those peddling it anew are dishonest, ethnic and regional champions, trying to draw attention to themselves. Abuja has come to stay. It is backed by law. “The movement of FAAN, a department of Aviation Ministry to Lagos, where it was based before former minister Hadi Sirika moved it to Abuja during the last administration, does not amount to moving the FCT to Lagos. The administrative move should have attracted scant attention, as Lagos is the commercial capital and the hub of aviation business in Nigeria. FAAN should be no where else but near the industry it regulates. FAAN will still maintain some presence in Abuja, as it is not a wholesale movement. “Similarly, the movement of some departments of the CBN to Lagos should not trigger any hoopla. The departments concerned, including the bank supervision department, are those dealing with commercial banks, all with headquarters in Lagos. A regulator ought to be close to the businesses it regulates. “All those pushing this campaign of falsehood know they are playing politics, albeit a dangerous politics to pit the North against the South. “There are many parastatals that are not based in Abuja depending on their mandate. NIMASA is in Lagos. So is NPA. National Inland Waterways Authority( NIWA) is in Lokoja, not Abuja. Will the people opposing the movement of FAAN and some CBN departments want those agencies to be in Abuja, where there is no single port and no maritime activity? “Administrative decisions should not be politicized. Let it not look like whenever we are temporarily not at the helm of affairs, we create all manners of dangerous rumours to distract from the bigger picture and emasculate an administration led by a southerner. Let’s stop the dirty politics. We can’t be playing politics with everything.”
Opay To Block Accounts Without Complete KYC
Nigerian financial technology company, OPay has announced a major security update in its operations. Starting from March 1, 2024, the company will remove fraudulent accounts from its system and block customers whose accounts are not compliant with Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. This announcement was made during a news conference held on Wednesday. KYC, a standard banking process, involves verifying the identity and address of customers to prevent the misuse of banking services. This move by OPay is aimed at reinforcing the security of the platform and safeguarding customer deposits against fraudulent activities. The decision comes in the wake of a report that highlighted vulnerabilities in OPay’s registration and verification process for new accounts. In response to these concerns, Olayemi Precilia, the director of cards business at OPay, assured that security measures on the platform have been significantly upgraded. She revealed that new customers will now be required to provide their National Identity Number (NIN) as part of the account opening process. As the deadline approaches, OPay customers are advised to update their account details to meet the KYC requirements to avoid any inconvenience. She said, “When you log into your app and you have a tier one account and you don’t have your NIN, it will ask for your NIN. You cannot move forward without inputting that NIN. So, that is one of the things we’ve already done. “The second thing is, for new customers, you’re going to start off with the NIN. That’s what we’re implementing. So, we’re pulling information from your NIN into your wallet. That is going live next month. “And we have a timeline — March 1st — wherein anyone who is not compliant will be locked out.” Opay’s director of partnerships, Ikponmwosa Kolawole Odiase, said fraudulent accounts will be yanked off” the firm’s system. Going forward, according to Odiase, customers will be required to link their accounts with NIN and bank verification numbers (BVNs). Speaking on the issue of poor facial verification on the application, he said the firm intends to deploy a system where there will be a backend verification of customers’ facials with BVNs and NINs. He said, “It’s a collaboration between all relevant stakeholders — the regulators, the KYC agencies. All this is a way to curb fraud. “The fraudsters are not sleeping and we also are waking up to the challenge. It’s an industry challenge, unfortunately. “So many fictitious accounts will definitely go.”
Ondo Gov Picks Former National Assembly Clerk As Deputy
A former Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Olayide Owolabi Adelami, has been nominated as the new Deputy Governor of Ondo State. Adelami’s nomination came shortly after Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa announced the dissolution of members of the State Executive Council in the cabinet, who worked under the late governor, Rotimi Akeredolu. An alumnus of Imade College, Adelami obtained his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Lagos before proceeding to get his MBA from Ogun State University. He was a deputy clerk at the National Assembly before retiring in April 2018. Chief Press Secretary to Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan, confirmed the nomination of Adelami in a statement on Wednesday. Adelami’s nomination is believed to have laid to rest agitations for the appointment of a new deputy governor for the state following the emergence of Aiyedatiwa. Aiyedatiwa became the substantive governor of the state after the demise of Akeredolu, who passed on after battling protracted prostrate cancer.
Feb 3 Bye-Elections: INEC Expresses Concern Over Threats Of Violence
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised worry about threats of violence ahead of the February 3 bye-elections and rerun. Speaking Tuesday in Abuja at a meeting of the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu stated that, based on his experience, conducting isolated elections, such as bye-elections and reruns, can be extremely difficult. He said, “We must pay attention to the potentials for disruptive behaviour by some candidates and their supporters. A re-run election conducted in one Polling Unit or a handful of Polling Units can be severely disrupted by acts of thuggery knowing full well that these few locations will determine the outcome of the election. “Arising from the reports we received from the States, concerns have been raised about the impact of the prevailing insecurity in some States on the conduct of the elections, made worse by incendiary statements by some political actors. We will present such concerns and reports at this meeting for appropriate security response.” Yakubu noted that there are many parties involved in elections and that security agencies must ensure that INEC can deploy staff and materials, protect observers, the media, and the polling and collation agents who represent the candidates and political parties. “Without a secure and peaceful environment, the conduct of credible elections is imperiled,” he stated. Speaking on the by-election, Yakubu said, “There are two categories of elections. First are the bye-elections arising from the death or resignation of members of the National and State legislative houses affecting two Senatorial Districts, four Federal and three State Assembly Constituencies. “The second category is the re-run elections by order of Election Petition Appeal Tribunals. In my remarks at the Commission’s extraordinary meeting with leaders of political parties last month, I reported that the elections affect 35 National and State Constituencies. Since then, four additional orders of the Court of appeal have been served on the Commission in respect of Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, Madara/Chinade State Constituency of Bauchi State as well as Kudan and Kauru/Chawai State Constituencies of Kaduna State. “This brings the total number of affected constituencies to 39 which translates to 2.6% of the 1,491 Constituencies for which elections were conducted nationwide in the 2023 General Election. “The nine bye-elections are fresh elections covering the entire constituencies. However, with the exception of three Constituencies (Plateau North Senatorial District and Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency in Plateau State and Kachia/Kagarko Federal Constituency in Kaduna State), the re-run elections are to be held in a few Polling Units. In some cases, only one Polling Unit is affected in an entire Federal or State Constituency.”
BREAKING: Obiano to be arraigned over alleged ₦4bn fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will arraign the immediate-past governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, on Wednesday, January 24, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over alleged money laundering to the tune of N4,008,573,350. The ex-governor will be arraigned on nine count charges. The development comes over a week after the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede vowed to review all abandoned high-profile cases, especially those involving former Governors and Ministers. An impeccable source revealed, “We found that Obiano moved N4,008,573,350 from security votes into different accounts. The money at various times was changed into dollars and returned to Obiano by cash.” EFCC’s lead counsel, Slyvanus Tahir, SAN, will lead eight other lawyers in the trial of the former governor Some of the charges against Obiano include, “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 – March 2022, sometime between 7th February, 2018 to 18th February, 2019 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N156,800.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Pic into the Fidelity Bank Ple Account No: 6060018819 belonging to C.I. Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act. “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 — March 2022, sometime between 9th August, 2017 to 4th March, 2020 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N261,268,585.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No: 5600062873 belonging to Easy Diamond Integrated Link (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.” When contacted by our correspondent on Tuesday, the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale confirmed the development while noting that Obiano will be arraigned on Wednesday. “Yes, we’re arraigning Obiano tomorrow,” Oyewale noted. The ex-governor was first arrested at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, on March 17, 2022, as he was preparing to board a flight to Houston, the United States of America. The arrest took place at about 8.30 pm, hours after he left office as governor and, thus, lost his immunity from arrest and prosecution. He had been on the EFCC’s watchlist for some time before he was eventually arrested over corruption allegations. “Obiano was arrested for alleged misappropriation of public funds, including, N5 billion Sure-P and N37 billion security vote which was withdrawn in cash. Part of the funds was also allegedly diverted to finance political activities in the state,” EFCC had noted at the time.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Tuggar Welcomes US Secretary of State Blinken for Bilateral Talks
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, warmly received the United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The diplomatic encounter took place at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, where Tuggar, alongside Secretary to the Government of the Federation Sen George Akume, led a brief reception and exchanged pleasantries with the visiting American diplomat. Alkasim Abdulkadir, Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed these details, highlighting the significance of the diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and the United States. During Secretary Blinken’s visit, discussions are set to revolve around key areas such as deepening democracy in the West African subregion, enhancing trade relations, and bolstering security cooperation between the two nations. The Minister also plans to utilize the opportunity to advocate for multilateral reforms, specifically emphasizing the need to democratize the United Nations Security Council. The talks aim to strengthen ties and address regional and global concerns in a collaborative manner.
BREAKING: Governor declares 24-hour curfew in Plateau LG
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has declared a 24-hour curfew on the Mangu Local Government Area of the state with immediate effect. The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the governor’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere. He said the decision followed the deteriorating security situation in the area. The statement read in the part, “Governor Mutfwang took the decision after consultations with the relevant security agencies. “He stated that only persons on essential duties are allowed to move within the local government area until further notice. “He urged all citizens, especially residents of Mangu Local Government Area, to comply with the directive and assist the security personnel by providing reliable information to restore peace and order in the area. “He lamented that some people are still determined to create an atmosphere of insecurity in the state, despite the government’s efforts to end the activities of terrorist elements. “He expressed his sympathy to the families of the victims and the injured and assured them that the government will not relent in ensuring lasting peace in the state. “He promised that the curfew will be reviewed as soon as the security situation improves.”
Court Nullifies Passage of Rivers State 2024 Budget
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Monday, declared unlawful the presentation and passage of Rivers State 2024 Budget by a group of unlawful four member legislators in the State. Also, the court ordered the governor of the State Siminalaye Fubara to represent the budget to the legally constituted House of Assembly under Speaker Martin Amaewhule. Ruling on the matter before the court, James Omotoso also held that the government has no Constitutional power to withhold the Hose of Assembly fund. The court restrained Governor Fubara from frustrating House of Assembly under Amaewhule from sitting or interfering in the affairs of the House. The redeployment of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk done by the Governor was declared null and void and was set aside. The Inspector General of Police was ordered to immediately give adequate security to the Speaker and legislators loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike. Justice Omotoso ordered the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk to resume office immediately and unhindered. The National Assembly barred from taking over the Rivers State House of Assembly or accept or treat any request from Governor Fubara. Governor Fubara was ordered to release all monies standing in the credit of the House of Assembly to Martin Amaewhule. In all, all issues in dispute on Ribers State House of Assembly were resolved in favour of Wike’s loyalists. Details later.
FG To Develop App For Student Loan Scheme Application
The Federal Government says it will develop an app for applications into the student loan scheme. This is according to the Executive Secretary of the Student Loan Scheme Board Akintunde Sawyer who spoke on Monday after the board met with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja. Sawyer said the move is to ensure zero human intervention in the scheme which is expected to start this year. The development came months after Tinubu said the scheme would commence in January 2024. “By January 2024, the new student loan must commence. To the future of our children and students, we are saying no more strikes,” Tinubu said in Abuja during the National Economic Summit 2023, assuring students that the era of incessant strikes is gone. President Tinubu in celebration of June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, signed the student loan bill in fulfillment of the promise he made during his campaign. The bill, sponsored by the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, now Chief of Staff to the President, provides easy access to higher education for indigent Nigerians through interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund. The funds for the programme will be domiciled in the Ministry of Education and will only be accessed by indigent students of tertiary institutions.