Theinvestigator news

Category: Nigeria

  • Senate Clears CBN Non-Executive Director Nominees

    Senate Clears CBN Non-Executive Director Nominees

    The Senate has approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominees for Non-Executive Directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria, who were sent to the Red Chamber for confirmation (CBN).

    Senator Uba Sani, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions, announced this in a statement.

    The four reappointed Non-Executive Directors, including Prof. Mike Idiahi Obadan, Prof. Justitia Odinakachukwu Nnabuko, Prof. Ummu Ahmed Jalingo, and Mr Adeola Adetunji, were screened by the Committee, according to the lawmaker.

    Explaining the screening process, the senator said the nominees were asked a wide range of questions on the mandate of the CBN, the challenges it is facing, the current situation in the banking and financial sectors, how to build strong synergy between the monetary and fiscal authorities, and how to get Nigeria out of its present economic difficulties.

    He noted that “the screening session was robust and interactive”, adding that “the nominees exhibited high levels of understanding of the Nigerian economy, as well as the challenges, intricacies and opportunities of the Nigerian financial sector.

    “No petition was received in respect of any of the nominees.”

  • 23 Nigerian startups to benefit from Google’s $4 million fund for 60 African businesses

    23 Nigerian startups to benefit from Google’s $4 million fund for 60 African businesses

    Google on Tuesday announced the selection of 60 eligible startups across Africa with $4 million funding to enable them to scale up their ongoing work.
    The programme, called Google Black Founders Fund (BFF) for African startups, is the second phase of the global tech giant’s funding.

    Folarin Aiyegbusi, Google’s Head of Startup Ecosystem, Sub-Sahara Africa, said in a statement that the startups joining the programme would receive a total of $4 million in funding.

    He listed the top five countries with the most startups selected for the programme: Nigeria with 23 grantees, Kenya with 12, and Rwanda with six grantees.

    Mr Aiyegbusi said South Africa had five grantees and Uganda had four grantees.

    According to him, Botswana and Senegal have one selected startup each, Cameroon and Ghana both have three grantees each, while Ethiopia has two selected grantees.

    ‘’Each of the selected startups would receive support in the form of a six-month training programme that includes access to a network of mentors to assist in tackling challenges,’’ Mr Aiyegbusi said.

    According to him, the startups will also be part of tailored workshops, support networks and community-building sessions.

    Mr Aiyegbusi said the 60 grantees would also get non-dilutive awards of between $50,000 and $100,000 and up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credit.

    He said that grantees, made up of 50 per cent women-led businesses, hailed from Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.

    According to Mr Aiyegbusi, the startups specialised in sectors such as fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, logistics, agtech, education, hospitality and smart cities.

    Mr Aiyegbusi said the Google for startups programme, launched in April 2012, had created over 4,600 jobs and raised more than $290 million in funding.

    He added that the programme would introduce the grantees in Africa to Google’s products, connections, and best practices.

    According to him, funding for the programme will be distributed through Google’s implementation partner, CcHUB.

    Mr Aiyegbusi said the equity-free cash assistance would enable the startups to take care of immediate needs such as paying staff, funding inventory, and maintaining software licences.

    He explained that this was to help the grantees buffer the cost of taking on debt in the early stages of their businesses, as many of them had no steady revenue streams yet.

  • Ondo: Kidnappers demand N90m ransom for abducted burial guests

    Ondo: Kidnappers demand N90m ransom for abducted burial guests

    Kidnappers who abducted some funeral guests in Ondo State have sought a ransom of N90 million before releasing the victims

    The kidnappers were said to have demanded between N3 million and N10 million on each victim in order to free them.

    The victims were abducted in Ifon, Ondo State, a border town with Edo State, while returning from a burial service in Ewatto, Edo State.

    According to Mrs. Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, the state government was not participating in the ransom negotiation when she made this announcement at a news conference in Akure.

    According to Olateju, paying a ransom gives kidnappers more authority to continue in their crime.

    “The victims went for a burial at Ewatto town. They were returning in a 32-seater Coaster bus hired from Rufus Guwa Polytechnic when they were attacked by suspected kidnappers. The kidnappers shot into the air and took 18 of the passengers.

    “Those remaining called the Amotekun Corps who got to the scene within 15 minutes. Among those in the bush, seven were found and two others escaped.”

  • Domestic airlines’ N19bn debt may cripple sector agencies — NCAA

    Domestic airlines’ N19bn debt may cripple sector agencies — NCAA

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned that agencies in the industry could collapse if domestic airlines do not take a drastic step to offset the huge debts they owe the agencies.

    The Authority revealed that debts owed the agency by indigenous airlines on the statutory 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC/CSC) has risen to over N19 billion and $7.8 million in the last few years.

    The Director-General of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu, while revealing this in a stakeholder meeting held with indigenous airlines and ground handling companies in Abuja recently, warned that if the debts owed the agencies were not paid back immediately in the next few months, the aviation organisations may collapse very soon.

    It was gathered that the airlines are also indebted to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to the tune of N18 billion and N5 billion, respectively.

    The airlines owe FAAN landing and parking charges, while they are also hugely indebted to NAMA in terminal and navigational charges.

    Nuhu also gave the operators one month ultimatum to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NCAA, which would stipulate the repayment plans of their debts to the agency.

    He expressed disappointment over a letter, which emanated from the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), signed by the President of AON, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa, dated August 8, 2022 and addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, that accused the agencies, especially the NCAA of muscling out the operators through multiple charges.

    Nuhu who noted that the airlines and the entire aviation industry were going through a very difficult period, especially at this time, insisted that all the charges collected by NCAA were statutorily and in compliance with the Civil Aviation Act 2006.

    According to him, the airlines were not responsible for the payment of TSC/CSC, but only collect such on behalf of the agencies from the passengers and wondered why the operators would accuse it of engaging in multiple levies.

    Nuhu further debunked the claim that the NCAA imposes excess baggage charge on the airlines.

    He further compared and juxtaposed the levies imposed on operators in Nigeria and Ghana, and reeled out the huge differences.

    The NCAA helmsman explained that for any of the charges to be repealed, it would have to go through the National Assembly and must be assented to by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    He also decried that out of the 5 per cent TSC/CSC, the agencies still remit 25 per cent of their revenues to the Consolidated Revenue Account created by the Federal Government and advised the operators to always cross check their facts before going to the public.

    He added: “NCAA relies 100 per cent on its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). The 5 per cent TSC paid by passengers is 85 per cent of NCAA revenue, while the other 15 per cent comes from airlines as payment for services provided and they are all cost recovery. We don’t also impose any excess baggage charge on the airlines. I wonder where the operators saw this.

    “The airlines have intentionally refused to pay the debts owed us despite the fact that they have collected such from the passengers. The airlines collect money and refuse to transmute such to the right authorities. AON wants us to provide services for free for them. What the airlines are trying to do is to defunct the NCAA.

    “You have refused to give us our legitimate money. The fees we are charging the airlines are just cost recovery and we are actually subsidising the airlines.”

    Also, the Acting Managing Director of NAMA, Engineer Mathew Pwajok, reiterated that the charges of the agency were minimal when compared to other countries around the world.

    He, however, disclosed that the airlines owed them over N5 billion for services rendered to them over the years.

    The managing director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu, also disclosed that the airlines owe the agency N18 billion and debunked the claim that it charges the airlines indiscriminately as claimed in its letter.

    He declared that FAAN was not imposing any new burden on the airlines, stressing that its landing and parking charges for international operators were last reviewed in 1998, while for the local airlines, it was reviewed last in 2002.

    He said that there was the need for the charges to be reviewed by the agency, stressing that within the period, the airlines had reviewed their air tickets on numerous occasions.

    Responding, Alhaji Kashim Bukar, the Managing Director, Skyjet Airline, wondered why the Director-General of NCAA brought the issue to the public.

    He said that rather than make it a public issue, the NCAA should have called the operators into a closed door meeting to discuss the issue.

    The Managing Director, Overland Airways, and a trustee of AON, Capt. Edward Boyo, on his part, apologised to the NCAA for the letter.

    “I’m a trustee member of AON. On behalf of AON, I hope to apologise to you on the letter. The letter wasn’t intended to have this effect. Some parts of the letter were inappropriate. We apologise and I want to crave your indulgence to drop the issue,” he said.

    Besides, the Vice President, AON, Mr. Allen Onyema, said he was seeing the letter for the first time and expressed disappointment with some of the contents in it.

    He regretted that there were factions in AON, which had prevented them from speaking in one voice.

    Onyema agreed that he was at the meeting with the Ministry of Finance and Aviation where the issue of skyrocketing price of Jet A1 was discussed, but insisted that no one maligned the image of NCAA or any aviation agencies at the meeting.

  • PDP crisis: I have what it takes to flog, crush ‘small boys’ – Wike

    PDP crisis: I have what it takes to flog, crush ‘small boys’ – Wike

    Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says he has what it takes to flog and crush his opponents, whom he described as “small boys.”

    Wike made the remark while stressing that he would not leave his political opponents to God but deal with them himself.

    The governor spoke while inaugurating the Okezuo Abia Flyover along the Aba -Enugu Expressway in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area and the rehabilitated Aba- Owerri Road in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State on Monday.

    He said: “God has given me what it takes to crush these people, for me to crush my enemies.

    “No relationship can be bought with money. When I read some newspapers, they say some people are making attempts to break ranks. I said do you understand the modus operandi of what we are doing? If they understand the modus operandi, they will not waste their time.

    “I have the capacity to flog these small boys.”

    Wike has been aggrieved with leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, since the party’s presidential election.

    The governor is aggrieved that the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar ignored him and picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.

    Atiku’s decision led to Wike calling for the resignation of PDP’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

  • NGO gingers Women and Youths into productivity, Skill acquisition and technical education

    NGO gingers Women and Youths into productivity, Skill acquisition and technical education

    For Professor Mrs Christiana Okechukwu,A Nigerian American based Professor with passion for naturing women and children into productivity,it is high time to re invent Nigeria style and standard of Education for women and youths so that they can belong to the productive sector of the society, so as to halt the increasing rate of unemployment in Nigeria.

    Towards this direction,Professor Mrs Okechukwu, who lectured at both Institute of Management and Technology[IMT] Enugu and the former Anambra State University of Science and Technology[ASUTECH] which presently comprises of ESUT, Nnamdi Azikiwe university Awka and Ebonyi state, in what appears as her home coming and giving back to the society where she was tutored, is running a Non governmental Organisation[NGO] known as ‘Inwelle Resources and Study Centre’ in Enugu and Anambra states,and still spreading,while she still have her feet in America.

    One of the branches of the Inwelle Resource and Study Centre is established in the serene environment of Amorji Nike, in Enugu East local government area of Enugu state, is replicated in Inyi Enugu Ezike and Ogidi in Anambra state, among others, are designed to mentor women and youths most especially and men too, to acquire skills and fit into the society,without waiting for hardly existing white kollar jobs.

    To the effect,Free computer training is offered by the organization to Youths and Women and staff of parastatals, who wish their staff to become computer literate and ICT compliance. The organization is further equipped with all forms of books ,both for the kindergarten,pupils,students and technical, professional text books for students of higher institutions,

    Professor Okechukwu disclosed that she initiated the idea of developing a private library section even though it is serving the public currently over a decade ago, while she was on vacation and visited the state and National libraries in the state capital and found out that the dearth of professional journals and text books of varying subjects, whitch hitehrto they have relied on while she was a student of Queens School Enugu. She said since thereafter she has committed thousand of dollars from her meagre salary to re invent a complete library structure within all the already established branches of Inwelle Resource and Study centre and have developed it as a culture, to ship more books each time she is coming for a vacation.

    In the vision of the NGO of gingering empowerment initiatives for women and youths, the Inwelle Resource and Study centre has also carved a niche by organising free vocational training for women and youths every long vacation through a programme tagged ;Boot camp’.

    During the boot camp under graduates and students from various parts of the country who applied for the camp are taught on how to manufacture different kinds of house ho!d commodites such as detergents Bar Soap making, perfumes etc. In addition to computer training and other forms of skills, that can easily fetch them money while still pursuing their carrier education. (The above pix displays products manufactured by Youths who were inbolved in the 2022 boot camp at Inwelle resource and study centre,Amorji Nike,which ended last Monday).

    In view of the deteriorating standard of basic education in Nigeria,Professor Christiana Okechukwu in her commitment to revise the trend, has come up with the initiative of running basic education from the kindergarten level to Senior Secondary school level at Inwelle Resource and Study Centre.

    According to her. she want to re event a normal school system whereby Pupils and students are tutored through basic science and practicals,which are seriously on the decline.Towards this direction,Computer lessons and training for all category of pupils and students in the school. The school has also established a standard laboratory and library for students.

    Professor Okechukwu said the project is her own contribution in reviving and restoring the falling standard of education in Nigeria,as an educationists who had her early beginning in Nigeria, without profit.

  • Strike: FG, not ASUU, proposed revitalisation fund – Union

    Strike: FG, not ASUU, proposed revitalisation fund – Union

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities has clarified that the N1.1 trillion fund for the revitalisation of public universities was a commitment made by the Federal Government and not the union’s idea.

    The chairman of ASUU, Niger Delta University chapter, Kingdom Tonbara, made the clarification during a phone-in programme on Rhythm 94.7FM, Yenagoa, on which he appeared alongside his secretary, Ebi Baraka, on Saturday.

    This is as they insisted that ASUU-NDU would not pull out of the ongoing national strike, adding that the chapter’s involvement in the union’s previous struggles had resulted in the transformation of the Bayelsa State-owned university, which was hitherto described in some quarters as “a glorified secondary school”.

    The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, had in August declared that the Federal Government would not borrow N1.1trn to end the ongoing nationwide industrial action embarked on by the national body of ASUU since February 2022 over the government’s failures to implement the 2009 agreement, among other issues.

    Keyamo, who spoke on a national television, claimed that the union was trying to blackmail the government into borrowing the money while other sectors also need attention.

    Tonbara said the N1.1trn revitalisation fund for public universities was proposed by the Federal Government in 2013 when the university teachers downed tools for six months to drive home the need for the government to save the institutions from infrastructure decay.

    He noted that the government came up with the figure following a report submitted to the Federal Executive Council by a committee inaugurated by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to visit all public universities to ascertain the level of decay in response to an earlier complaint by the union in 2012.
    Tonbara said, “That report was presented to the Federal Executive Council where they looked at it and they shouted, from what we are told; that, that means Nigerian universities have completely decayed and that they needed to pump in massive funds into public universities to revitalise our universities.

    “And they (Federal Government), not ASUU, came up with N1.1trn to be pumped into public universities; not ASUU. And they said they don’t have the money even though they have realised that from the assessment, they needed N1.1trn.

    “It was ASUU that recommended to them that you can spread this (money) into six years and the payment is not going to be made to ASUU but it will be given to the administrators of the universities to develop the universities, both state and federal universities.”

    The ASUU-NDU leader continued: “So, the then President, after agreeing, was unable to release this money. That’s why we went on strike in 2013 for six months. At the end of that six months’ strike, the President graciously released N200bn instead of the normal N220bn that we had agreed. He released N200bn.

    “And you won’t believe it, for the first time, Niger Delta University got N3bn (from the money). Before 2013, Niger Delta University had not seen N1bn, and that was the era people were describing the NDU as a glorified secondary school.”

    Tonbara explained that the N3bn was very useful to the management of the NDU as it was able to build brand new faculties of agriculture and arts, auditorium and two hostels while a library abandoned since 2004 was also completed and equipped.

    He added: “From that N3bn, we were able to equip most of our laboratories. From that N3bn, we were able to send some of our colleagues abroad to do Masters and Ph.Ds. We agreed in that 2009 agreement (with Federal Government) that in three years’ time we will renegotiate the agreement. From 2009 till date, various governments have been deceiving us.”

  • Flood kills 372 Nigerians in eight months, 508,000 persons affected – NEMA DG says

    Flood kills 372 Nigerians in eight months, 508,000 persons affected – NEMA DG says

    Director-General of, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, Monday disclosed that flash floods has killed about 372 Nigerians in the last eight months.

    Ahmed who disclosed this in Abuja while launching various sets of operational vehicles as well as specialised equipment for effective search and rescue operations during disasters added that the menace has affected a total of 508,000 persons, injured 277 persons, destroyed about 37,633 houses and loss of huge numbers of livestock.

    According to the DG, flash floods, have inundated 33 out of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), maintaining that several farmlands has been submerged by the ugly development mostly in Adamawa, Jigawa, Taraba, Kano, Bauchi, Niger, Anambra and Ebonyi states.

    “These have been accompanied by other derivative disasters. The agency has begun to venture into realms of proactive and predictive disaster risk management in line with best practices,” he added.

    Ahmed said that the new equipment would be deployed across the Zonal, Territorial and Operational offices of the agency.

    He said that the equipment, would close existing gaps and meet the current challenges faced by actors responding to emergencies in the field.

    The equipment include: Three Mobile Intensive Care Unit Ambulances, Three Incident Response Vehicle (IRVs), Two Motorised Boats, Two Inflatable Boats, Nine Flood Lights, 15 Probe Cameras and Three Life Locators.

    Others are 15 Breaching Systems, Nine Chain Saws, Six Concrete Cutters, Nine Full Body Harness, Nine Hose Pump Units, Nine Hydraulic Cutter, Nine Hydraulic Hose, Nine Hydraulic Rescue Ram and Nine Hydraulic Spreader.

    Among the equipment also include; Nine Manual Cutter/Spreaders, Three Concrete Cutting saws and Two additional water purifier trucks donated by the Government of Japan.

  • Enugu APC: Nnamani, Okechukwu, others manufacturing crisis – Ada Ogbu

    Enugu APC: Nnamani, Okechukwu, others manufacturing crisis – Ada Ogbu

    The Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu East, Princess Ada Ogbu has blamed the current crisis rocking the party on some of the stakeholders.

    Ogbu, who spoke to journalists in Enugu on Sunday, said the party chieftains who visited the national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu were actually the ones manufacturing a non-existent crisis in the party.

    It was reported that the party chieftains, led by a former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani were in Abuja last week where they demanded the removal of the State Chairman, Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah.

    But Ogbu, a chieftain of the party, came hard on them, declaring that they were on a fruitless voyage.

    “Enugu State APC has been in the news for the wrong reasons, but I don’t think it is a crisis. A lot of people classify what is happening now as a crisis but I really don’t think there is one.

    “Some people are trying very hard to manufacture a crisis which does not exist. Enugu State APC since our congress last year has been very strong, very focused, has been working very hard to make sure that it wins all the elective positions in Enugu State and they have gone a long way. Compare Enugu State APC now to Enugu APC of a few years ago, there is no comparison. So, some people are just trying very hard to manufacture a crisis.

    “The only issue Osita Okechukwu said he has with the State chairman of the party is that he is dictatorial, but that is not enough reason to remove the chairman of a party six months to the election, unless you are actually trying to manufacture a crisis.

    “The fact that he is doing this six months to the election means he is trying to manufacture a crisis. What are the impeachable offenses the chairman can commit- anti-party activities, embezzlement; he did not accuse Ugo Agballah of anti-party activity or embezzlement, so what is his reason, just dictatorial, so it seems to me that these people have self-sense of importance in the scheme of things.”

    Asked whether the development would not affect her chances in the election, as well as that of other APC candidates in the election, she replied: “I will say they have one vote, thanks to Mr. President for signing the amended electoral act; somebody who refuses to be reconciled for whatever reason, with the party leadership, I cannot help him or her, some people are irreconcilable; even in divorce case, there is what is called irreconcilable differences, there is really not much anyone can do about it, you move on and appeal to the voters directly.”

    She equally played down the request for Agballah’s removal.

    “I am not worried about the petition because I know it holds no water whatsoever, there are rules, systems to these things. There are processes to remove a party chairman and anyone who goes ahead to attempt to remove a State party chairman six months to election does not mean well for that party, does not mean well for the candidates.

    “What these people are doing is to make sure that the opposition is killed. You don;’t impeach someone because of being dictatorial.

    “I repeat, this crisis is being stage-managed from somewhere. But I have words for these people, whoever you are, wherever you are coming from, and you actually have a hand or you are sponsoring the so-called manufactured crisis in the Enugu State APC, you just lost your investment, because it will not work.

    “We are not going to be deterred in any way, we are going to campaign vigorously, talk to the voters directly, and offer them an alternative.

    “I will tell the National Chairman to ignore people who are trying to manufacture a crisis in Enugu State APC, there is no crisis. We are going to shame the naysayers,” she declared.

  • 2023: New NASS bill seeks to 20-year, N40m for politicians who campaign on basis of ethnicity, religion

    2023: New NASS bill seeks to 20-year, N40m for politicians who campaign on basis of ethnicity, religion

    Nigeria’s house of representatives is considering a bill that proposes 20-year jail term and N40 million fine for anyone who causes people to vote on the basis of religion, community, tribe, language or territorial region in the 2023 general elections.

    The bill also provides that any candidate who distills a piece of information that undermines the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, or unity of the federation and promotes feeling of hate during campaigns, will be jailed for 20 years.

    These are prescribed and contained in Electoral Offences Commission Bill currently undergoing consideration at the House of Representatives.

    The bill, which has already been passed by the Senate, is sponsored by the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Aishatu Dukku, Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House, Kingsley Chinda, John Dyegh and Francis Charles Uduyok.

    It is seen an attempt to appropriate stiffer penalties to bring about credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.

    The bill also stipulates a fine of N40 million for anyone who shall loot, damage or destroy ballot boxes, papers or any material during voting.

    It reads: “No person shall propagate or cause to be propagated anything or information that (a) undermines or is capable of undermining the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, or unity of the Federation;(b) promotes or is capable of promoting feeling of enmity or hate on the basis of any religion, community, caste, tribe, language or territorial region; or (c) causes or is capable of causing people to vote on the basis of any religion, community, caste, tribe, language or territorial region.

    “Any person who commits an act in contravention of subclause (1) of this clause shall be guilty of a serious electoral offence and liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a term of at least twenty (20) years without an option of a fine.

    “No candidate or agent of his or any other person shall grab, loot, damage or destroy in any manner ballot boxes or ballot papers or any other electoral document or material before, during or after an election, or take or attempt to take or cause to be taken ballot boxes or ballot papers or any other electoral document or material before, during or after an election without the permission of election official in charge of the election at a polling station or election official in charge of the electoral materials or abet to the commission of such act or cause obstruction of any kind in any manner to any other acts relating to an election.”

    “Contravening the provision of this section attracts a sanction of at least 20 years in prison with an option of N40 million fine”.