Author: Our Reporter

The Nigerian Law Reform Commission (NLRC) Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Monday disagreed over directive by the Egmont Group that the federal government removed the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, from the EFCC. While the NLRC argued that the NFIU should be made independent of the EFCC to stop Nigeria’s expulsion from the Egmont Group, the EFCC and NGF contended that it was better to allow it remain within the anti-graft agency so as not to expose it to danger. Speaking at a one-day public hearing by the House…

The $5.5 billion loan sought by the Federal Government Monday has gotten a nod of the Senate for use in financing the 2017 budget and refinancing the foreign debts. This came as the size of FGN’s total debt ticked up by 6.0 percent to N20.373 trillion in the third quarter, 2017. Senator Shehu Sani, APC, Kaduna Central, who is Chairman, Committee on Local and Foreign Debts on the said loan, had presented a report and the Senate approved the report during Monday’s plenary presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. With the approval, the government is expected…

The House of Representatives has mandated its Committees on Defence, Army and Public Procurement to investigate an alleged contract scam running into millions of naira in the Federal Ministry of Defence. The resolution was sequel to a motion moved under matters of urgent public importance by Tajudeen Yusuf (Kogi State, PDP) at Monday’s plenary. Yusuf, while moving the motion, said: “The entire media space has been awashed with an alleged duplication, misappropriation and mismanagement of multi-million naira contract in the Federal Ministry of Defence. “Some high ranking appointees and officials in the Ministry of Defence were allegedly involved in the…

The Senate has begun probe into alleged N20 trillion unremitted stamp duties revenue in the last five years. It also observed that more than N7 trillion in stamp duties revenue from electronic cashless transactions had remained unpaid to the federation since 2015. Consequently, the Senate Monday mandated its Committees on Finance and Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions to urgently carry out a holistic investigation into the matter and report back at plenary within eight weeks. While hailing the tenacity of the School of Banking Honours for bringing the issue of unremitted stamp duties revenue to public notice, and for…

In a renewed clampdown on criminal activities, Etim Ekpo Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State is said to have topped the crime chart in the state. DSP Bala Elkana, the Police Public Relations Officer in Akwa Ibom, who stated this Tuesday at this year’s Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Week, Akwa Ibom Council said EtimEkpo is followed by Ukanafun Local Government Area in criminal activities. Elkana said so far Etim Ekpo has the highest incidence of kidnappings and robbery cases caused by increased cultism activities in the area, pointing out that this was discovered during crime mapping in the…

The stoppage of work at the Second Niger Bridge, which formed part of the ailments of South East people, was read to President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on a two-day working visit to Ebonyi State for possible solution. Chief John Nnia Nwodo, President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, who reeled out the ailment Monday, also told President Buhari that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu was under serious threat, while all infrastructures in the South East geopolitical zone have gone bad. Addressing Buhari on the myriads of problems facing the zone, Nwodo said such had contributed to the restiveness in the area…

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Wednesday unfolded a four-key policy ‘pillars’ in an effort to end child labour across the globe by 2025. While calling on governments to step up efforts to “consign child labour to the dustbin of history, ILO listed boosting legal protections, improving the governance of labour markets and family enterprises and strengthening social protection and investing in free, quality education as keys to eradicating child labour in 2025.” In a release to coincide with the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour , in Buenos Aires from November 14-16, ILO said “We are…

More than $64.63 million electricity debts owed Federal Government by international customers in Benin Republic and Niger Republics has been recovered. Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Works, Power and Housing, who stated this at the 21st monthly power sector operators meeting in Asaba, Delta State capital, declared that the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader, NBET, would work out the modalities for distribution of the recovered funds to different beneficiaries. Fashola also announced plans by Federal Government to release N37 billion to procure more meters for supply to the customers to address such challenge. “There are other challenges that we must…

The House of Representatives has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately arrest and prosecute the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina in order to serve as a deterrent to other corrupt elements with similar tendency. The members were said to be angry with the alleged looting of pension funds running into billions of naira by Maina and his sudden disappearance and questionable reinstatement by the Federal Civil Service. Contained in its resolution of October 24, 2017, the House’s order followed a motion of urgent national importance moved by Jagaba Adams Jagaba…

Two former top officials in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation were Monday sentenced to 105 years imprisonment for contract fraud and abuse of office by Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Jabi, Abuja. The two men- Mohammed Dogonyaro Audu (also known as Abdullahi Dogonyaro Mohammed) and Yahaya Ayodeji- were arrested and arraigned in court by the EFCC for dipping their hands into national treasury flagrant to due process. The breakdown of the jail sentences shows that Audu, who was convicted of a 10-count charge, will spend 70 years in prison, while his co-traveller, Ayodeji, who was…