Ex-Adamawa acting gov, Fintiri, gets N500m bail

Federal High Court

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday granted bail to a former Acting Governor of Adamawa State, Umaru Fintiri, who was remanded in Kuje Prison on Thursday, in the sum of N500m.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed held that the bail should be guaranteed by two sureties in the sum of N500m each.

This followed Fintiri’s arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on five counts of money laundering involving about N1.9bn alleged proceeds of corruption.

The EFCC had on Thursday arraigned Fintiri along Mayim Constructions and Properties Limited (the second defendant).

Shortly after Fintiri pleaded not guilty to the charges, Justice Mohammed heard his bail application but remanded him in Kuje Prison to await the court’s ruling on the bail application on Friday.

Ruling on the bail application on Friday, Justice Ahmed dismissed the objection by the prosecution to the bail application, noting that it failed to show reasonable cause why the defendant should not be granted bail.

The judge rejected the claim of the prosecution counsel, Mr. Peters Aso, who had alleged that the accused would likely jump bail.

The judge held that the claim by prosecution did not hold water as the defendant did not jump the administrative bail granted him by the EFCC before his arraignment.

Other conditions attached to the bail included the seizure of his passport by the court pending the period of his trial.

The court also ordered that each of the two sureties to be produced by the defendant must have proofs of ownership of property in Abuja.

The sureties were also to deposit title deeds of the property with the court alongside two recent passport photographs.

The judge fixed October 6 for commencement of trial.

In the charges numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/131/2016, and filed on June 16, 2016, the EFCC alleged that the accused committed the money laundering offences between October 2, 2014 and July 2015.

In counts 1 and 2, Fintiri was accused of indirectly disguising the origin of a sum of N220m (N80m and N120m) on October 2, 2014.

He was said to have committed the offence in the two counts by transferring the sums of money from account number 0313000301 with Ecobank Plc and operated by Timeplex Nigeria Limited into another account-5742019591-domiciled with the same bank and operated by Mayim Construction and Properties Limited.

The prosecution alleged that Fintiri knew the sums of money to be part of proceeds of an unlawful act of ‘bribery and corruption’, stating that the alleged offences were contrary to section 15(2), (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2012 and punishable under section 15(3) and (4) of the same law.

He was also accused of committing a similar offence in count 4 by indirectly concealing the origin of the aggregate sum of N550m on October 9, 2016.

Arepo: IG deploys policemen, helicopter to flush out vandals

The acting Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has deployed the Tactical Operation Unit, comprising of the Police Mobile Force, the Counter-Terrorism Unit and the Air Surveillance Team to flush out vandals and other criminal elements operating in Arepo and Ibafo areas of Ogun State.

Idris said the deployment of the unit in the areas on Thursday was to ensure that normalcy returns to them in record time.

A statement on Friday in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer, Don Awunah, quoted the IG as saying that the Nigeria Police Force would not watch any criminal group(s) take law into their hands, adding that he had authorised the team to deal decisively with anyone who constitutes himself as an enemy of the state.

He also asked residents of the areas who had fled to return home and go about their normal businesses as the police would deal with the criminals.

In another development, the police have arrested one Aloysius Ebiniko, said to be the kingpin of the armed gang that abducted and murdered Col. Samaila Inusa on March 27, 2016 in Kaduna, Kaduna State.

The police said Ebiniko’s arrest was made possible by credible technical intelligence employed by the Force after a confessional statement of a member of the gang earlier arrested.

The Force explained that the suspect would soon be arraigned in court as those earlier arrested in connection with the crime had been arraigned and remanded in prison.

Meanwhile, contrary to reports that Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Shuaibu Gambo, was queried over the shoddy investigation into the abduction of a teenager, Ese Oruru, our correspondent gathered that it was AIG Yabo Tambari that was queried.

Findings indicate that Tambari was the AIG in charge of Zone 1, Kano during the incident, while AIG Gambo was the officer who rescued Ese after he was directed by the Force headquarters to take over the case from Tambari.

A police source said, “It was Gambo that actually rescued Ese after he was directed to take over the investigation from Tambari under whose watch the incident happened. Gambo led the operation for the rescue of the teenager after the investigation was bungled by the officers that handled it earlier.”

Southern groups knock Buhari’s pro-North security appointments

Dayo Oketola, Fisayo Falodi and Jesusegun Alagbe

President Muhammadu Buhari has come under fire by Southern groups over what they described as “lopsided” appointments of heads of the various security agencies in the country.

They said the pattern of the appointments by the President did not reflect federal character and the diversity nature of the country.

Our findings showed that 14 of the nation’s 17 security agencies are currently being headed by Northerners. The majority of them were appointed by President Buhari.

Only three security agencies are headed by Southerners, a situation the groups tagged as “worrisome.”

The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), under whose purview are the Prisons Service, Immigration Service, Fire Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, hails from Kaduna State.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, is from Borno State. The National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), is also from Borno State. Also from Borno State is the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

The Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (retd.), hails from Zamfara State, while the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, is from Bauchi State. The acting Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, hails from Niger State.

Also from Niger State is the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abdullahi Muhammadu. The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Musa Daura, is from Katsina State.

However, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, is from Ekiti State in the South-West.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, is from Jigawa State, while the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), is from Bauchi State.

The Controller-General of the Nigeria Prison Service, Alhaji Ja’afaru Ahmed, is from Kebbi State, while the Federal Road Safety Commission boss, Corps Marshal Boboye Oyeyemi, is from Kwara State.

Nevertheless, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, is from Cross River State.

Also, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke, who was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan, is from Oyo State.

But the Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Joseph Anebi, also appointed by Jonathan, is also from the North.

The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Sani Didi, from Kaduna State, was also appointed by the former President in 2010.

Expressing concern over this situation, the Secretary General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Joe Nwosu, said the appointments so far had not reflected the federal character as embellished in the country’s Constitution.

He said, “We have been crying out loud since the first appointments — of the ministers were made — when out of the 36 ministers, 24 were chosen from the North. Now that other Nigerians are complaining, it means we are not alone. As a tribe, we have had a long history of marginalisation from governance in Nigeria.

“The President said the appointments were made on merit, so are we now saying that only the Northerners have merit? Where is the federal character which we talk about in Nigeria?”

The spokesperson for the Ijaw National Congress, Mr. Victor Borubo, said the appointments suggested the President was “tribalistic” and not “interested” in the country’s diversity.

He said, “Personally, it is an issue that has troubled me greatly and the President has not shown any sensitivity to it — the issue of the Constitution that people from all the states of the federation should be appointed in such positions.

“But the President is not showing interest in diversity and this has led to the loss of confidence in his administration. I think this is why different agitation groups are springing up across the country.”

Whether the President could perhaps change some of the appointments to reflect federal character if he is petitioned by the different groups in the country, Borube said, “I do not think so. He does not strike me as a listening President. If he were, we would not have got to this level. He does not really respond to issues. He carries on as if nothing is happening. We are going through a lot of pain today because the President is a tribalist. What he needs to do right now is to save the country.”

The National Publicity Secretary of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the mostly Northern composition of the leadership of the country’s security agencies was “very” dangerous and could lead to the heating up of the polity.

He said, “The pattern of the appointments today has not shown enough sensitivity to the diversity of Nigeria. When you have the IG of the Police, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and Minister of Defence, the Minister of Interior and the NSA appointed from a section of the country, what that means is that when the apparatchiks are meeting, it is a section of the country that is being represented; it means that the views of other sections are not accommodated, that is very dangerous.

“That kind of arrangement is a situation from which genocide germinates because there is no balance in the security architecture of the country. This is not healthy for the polity. When you look at the table today, especially at the composition of the heads of the security agencies, I don’t think everybody is comfortable.”

The spokesperson for the Ijaw Youth Congress Worldwide, Mr. Eric Omare, said the situation was worrisome and unhealthy for the country. He called on the President to make changes to reflect federal character.

Omare said, “The style of the President’s recruitment is worrisome. When you appoint people from only one part of the country, it gives room for concern. For instance, we have a security challenge in the Niger Delta and we expected he would appoint someone from here who knows how to deal with it. However, he didn’t do so.

“We are not surprised because looking at the background of the President, he does not really know the country he is governing. Look at the people around him; there is no diversity. It is worrisome and we call on him to make changes with immediate effect.”

The spokesperson for the Afenifere Renewal Group, Mr. Kunle Famoriyo, said the President’s action suggested that he was promoting a Northern agenda.

He added the situation depicted that the President was only comfortable in working with and for the Northerners.

Famoriyo said, “It is very clear to everybody that the appointments of the heads of the security agencies tend towards the North. It is clear to everybody the appointments are Northern agenda than being pan-Nigeria agenda. This is clear for everybody to see.

“Does that mean there is no person from the South-West, South-East and the South-South that is qualified and educated to hold any of those key positions? One is not happy that what is supposed to have national character is not having it. That is the issue that must be looked into.”

Famoriyo, however, urged President Buhari to make his appointments reflect national character so that he would not be labelled as a Northern President as against being Nigeria’s President.

He said, “That is what the President should do. He should make sure that all the appointments he will make henceforth have national character. Even the issue of the ambassadorial appointments too, some people have kicked that they tend to be favouring a particular region.

“Whichever way you look at it, there are many qualified and educated personnel in the South that can hold these positions. The handwriting on the wall that the President appoints those he is comfortable working with and those people happen to be Northerners.”

Efforts to get the reaction of presidential spokesmen did not yield positive result as of the time of filing this report on Friday.

But earlier in the life of this administration, the Presidency had, while reacting to similar allegation of lopsidedness in Buhari’s appointments, assured agitated persons that the President would balance his federal appointments.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, had while reacting to the criticism that came after Buhari made six appointments, with five of them from the North, promised that the President would respect federal character as stipulated by the constitution.

Adesina had said, “Nobody can fault the fact that the persons appointed were appointed on merits.

“In terms of the spread, the President has prerogative to appoint and he knows there is federal character.

“I am sure that there will be balance in the future. These are still early days. At the end of the day, we will have a balance. By the time more appointments are made, it will balance out.”

The presidential spokesman had asked Nigerians to disregard talks of key or no key positions, as the President has the interest of Nigerians at heart.

“The president is trying to get the very best of Nigerians. The issue of key positions and no key positions should not be the issue,” he had said.

Gunmen kill Oyo House of Assembly member

A member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Gideon Aremu, representing Orelope State Constituency was killed by gunmen on Friday evening.

The gunmen followed the lawmaker using a motorcycle on Friday evening as he was returning home in Ibadan and killed him in front of his house.

The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed his assassination and deployed it’s men to apprehend the killers.

I didn’t steal Majek Fashek’s song – Timi Dakolo

Majek

Music star Timi Dakolo has denied the claim that he stole veteran artist Majek Fashek’s song.
Majek Fashek had told Saturday Beats recently that Dakolo stole his evergreen hit, Send Down the Rain.
“He broke the rules of copyright. He is a thief because in music business, he must take permission before he works on someone’s song,” Fashek had said.
“That is why we have COSON. I did not give anyone the right to do anything with my song.”
But Dakolo, who had done a remix of the song in 2013, said he got permission for that.
“My people, it saddens me to see such. I always try to do things rightly and lawfully,” Dakolo, who is also a judge on The Voice Nigeria, said in an Instagram post.
“I paid his manager to remake the song, I got my invoice, I even mentioned to him during our rehearsals at the Headies. So, honestly I don’t understand this write-up.
“Oga Majek Fashek. I respect and love you. Your voice gives life to lyrics. You are one of the best musicians I know. God bless you.”

Eighteen injured in Mecca stampede

Eighteen pilgrims have been injured in a stampede near Islam’s holiest site, Saudi media reported on Saturday, as the kingdom continues to review safety after a deadly crush during last year’s hajj.
The incident happened on Friday night near the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Al-Riyadh newspaper said, as Muslims gathered in large numbers to mark the Night of Destiny, one of the high points of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
All the injured were treated at the scene and none required admission to hospital, the newspaper cited a health official as saying.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock to Mecca to carry out the lesser umra pilgrimage during Ramadan — especially during its last 10 days.
They include the Night of Destiny, when the angel Gabriel is believed to have given the Prophet Mohammed the verses of the Koran.
The incident comes as Saudi authorities continue to unveil new safety measures for this year’s hajj in September.
A crush at last year’s hajj killed more than 2,000 pilgrims in the worst disaster to ever strike the annual ritual.
According to figures from foreign officials, at least 2,297 pilgrims died. Saudi Arabia issued a death toll of 769.
Newspapers reported on Friday that, among new security measures, hajj pilgrims this year will have to wear an electronic safety bracelet to store their personal information, including address and medical records.
The hajj and umra pilgrimages bring millions of Muslims to the holy places in Saudi Arabia every year.

Athletics: Bolt may miss Rio Games

Bolt

Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt is facing a race against time to be fit in his bid for an unprecedented third treble Olympic gold with the Rio Games just five weeks away.
Bolt withdrew from the 100m final of the Jamaican Olympic Trials on Friday with what the reigning Olympic champion described as a mildly torn left hamstring.
The prospect of the 29-year-old 100 and 200m world record holder, seeking his third consecutive Olympic titles in the 100, 200 and 4x100m relay, missing the Games will rightly give organisers and fans palpitations.
Bolt enjoys near-mythical status in athletics, his track performances making the six-time Olympic gold medallist one of global sport’s most recognisable faces, a surefire crowd draw.

He also represents the image of “clean” athletics at a time when the sport is being dragged through the mud over state-sponsored Russian doping linked to widespread corruption within world governing body the IAAF.

All parties interested in the Olympics will be hoping all is done to ensure the presence of one of the world’s highest paid athletes in Rio.
Unlike the United States, where only the top three finishers in any event are selected, Jamaica employs a more flexible rule whereby athletes can still be chosen if they meet certain criteria.
To fall into that category, the athlete must be top ranking, produce a medical exemption and be able to prove fitness before the Games.
“Athletes who are ranked/listed in the top three in the world for their event who are ill or injured at the time of the National Championships and are granted an exemption from competing at the Championships may still be considered for selection provided that they are able to prove their world ranking form prior to the final submission of the entries for the competition,” state the Jamaican athletics federation’s rules.
Bolt clocked 9.88 seconds over 100m at a meeting in Kingston on June 11, the second-fastest time in the world this year.
But it is less than clear in the 200m, Bolt not having raced his self-professed favoured event this season, so not figuring in the top three in the world.
The Jamaican likely must now prove his fitness over 200m at the Diamond League meet July 22 in London to have a hope of running the event in Rio.
That means a tight 20-day recovery period, something not lost on Bolt.
“Starting the recovery process right away,” the sprinter tweeted Saturday along with two photos of him seemingly receiving electrotherapy treatment on his left hamstring.
Bolt had explained that he had felt “discomfort in my hamstring after the first round last night and then again in the semi-final tonight”.
“I was examined by the Chief Doctor of the National Championships and diagnosed with a Grade 1 tear.
“I have submitted a medical exemption to be excused from the 100m final and the remainder of the National Championships.”
A grade one tear is classified as the most minor of hamstring injuries. Grade two is typically a partial tear with grade three a complete tear that might require months to heal.
JAAA secretary-general Garth Gayle warned Friday that unless Bolt showed up for his 200m heat at the trials on Saturday he could lose that place on the Olympic team.

RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL . LSSON FORTY FOUR (44)

RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
LESSON FORTY-FOUR(44)
Sunday, 3rd July 2016
TOPIC:- OVERFLOWING BLESSINGS

MEMORY VERSE: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I an come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."- John 10:10
BIBLE PASSAGE:- Deuteronomy 28:1-13
INTRODUCTION:
God wants us to have overflowing blessings. This gives us a picture of blessings without limits (Deuteronomy 28:2). Do not place limits on God (Genesis 18:4). How much we get from God depends on how much we trust Him (Psalm 34:8; Jeremiah 17:7).
LESSON OUTLINES
1. SECRETS OOVERFLOWING BLESSINGS
2. HOW DO WE BEGIN TO OVERFLOW?
SECRETS OF OVERFLOWING BLESSINGS
1. Be born again (John 3:3; Matthew 6:33).
2. Consistent and generous sowing (Proverbs 11:24-25).
3. Honour the Lord with your tithe and offering (Proverbs 3:9-10).
4. Diligent obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1).
5. Hardwork (Proverbs 10:4).
6. Self-discipline (Jobs 36:10-11; 1Corinthians 9:25).
7. Prayers (James 5:16).
8. Commitment to God's work (Acts 19:8-12).
HOW DO WE BEGIN TO OVERFLOW?
1. Accept God's invitation (John 6:35; 7:37-38).
2. Get thirsty for God (Matthew 5:6; 2Kings 2:9-15).
3. Be an active soul Winner (John 15:16).
4. God has already set the table before us and all we need is to key ourselves into it (Psalm 23:5).
5. Be a blessing to others (Proverbs 22:9).
CONCLUSION
God wAnts you to have overflowing blessings. The question is what are your expectations?
Are you Willing to key into the spiritual virtues that will bring this to pass?
QUESTIONS
1. Mention secrets of overflowing blessings
2. How do you begin to overflow?
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Return ‘stolen’ Gbaramatu symbol of authority, Tompolo tells military

Former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo

WANTED former Niger Delta militant kingpin, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, on Tuesday made a passionate appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Nigerian Army to return the golden sword, which was allegedly seized by the military during the invasion of the area last month.

The ‘golden sword’, which is also referred to as the traditional symbol of authority, according to Tompolo, belongs to Gbaramatu Kingdom and was allegedly removed from the ‘Egbesu Shrine’ during soldiers’ invasion of Oporoza, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, in Warri South-West of Delta State.

The embattled former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta stated this in an open letter he addressed to President Buhari on Tuesday.

In the letter, Tompolo explained that the ‘symbol of authority’ was seized while the military was searching for him over his alleged involvement in recent series of attacks on oil facilities, which he had consistently denied.

The Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation, who also described himself as the Chief Priest of the Egbesu Shrine, alleged that other property worth several millions of naira belonging to Gbaramtu indigenes were still missing.

He said, “Your military has not returned the golden sword (symbol of authority) and the innocent students as well as the palace staff picked up at Oporoza town, on Saturday, May 28, 2016, to Gbaramatu Kingdom.

“Today is exactly 31 days after the invasion of the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Oporoza town, by your military, led by Brig.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya of the 4th Brigade, Benin City, in search of me, with the allegation that I am the one behind the bombing and destruction of crude oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, and the incident happened in my absence.

“But I was informed that the army was on the loose, and committed so much abomination in the community. Imagine, the traditional ruler of the kingdom was literally placed on house arrest for one week.

“As I said in my previous publications, the military made away with the Symbol of Authority of the Gbaramatu people from the Egbesu Shrine, which I am the Chief Priest. They also made away with other valuables, worth several millions of naira from the community. The most annoying one is the purported arrest of 10 young promising men, most of whom are orphans, who are secondary school students sitting for the West African Senior Secondary School Examinations, and other palace staff, and labelled them as members of the Niger Delta Avengers.”

Tompolo, who is wanted by the EFCC for money laundering, added, “As I write you now, these innocent young promising men are still with your military for no reason. This is truly man’s inhumanity to man in our own country. We are presently being treated like conquered ones because of crude oil.

“This was how they arrested Chevron Nigeria Limited staff (employees) on routine duty in Kokodiagbene community of Gbaramatu Kingdom, and labelled them members of the Niger Delta Avengers. It took spirited efforts by the leaders of the kingdom and other well-meaning Nigerians to convince the military that the arrested men were not involved in pipeline destruction.”

Presidency kicks as Saraki says cabal has hijacked Buhari govt

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, on Monday, alleged that a powerful cabal within the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government had hijacked power from the retired general.

But the Presidency said Saraki’s claim was not only ridiculous but also preposterous since it was not backed by facts and detailed information. Saraki, in a statement signed by him in Abuja, however, reiterated his innocence in the charges preferred against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and at the FCT High Court.

He also vowed to use all legal means available to resist any attempt by forces within the Buhari’s government to persecute him for upholding his fundamental rights.

The Senate President expressed his willingness to go to jail instead of succumbing to the agenda of the cabal in the Buhari’s government.

He said, “What has become clear is that there is now a government within the government of President Buhari, who have seized the apparatus of executive powers to pursue their nefarious agenda.

“This latest onslaught on the legislature represents a clear and present danger to the democracy Nigerians fought hard to win and preserve.

“The suit filed on behalf of the Federal Government suggests that perhaps some forces in the Federal Republic have not fully embraced the fact that the Senate’s rules and procedures govern how the legislative body adjudicates and resolves its own disputes.

“Let it be abundantly clear, both as a citizen and as a foremost legislator, I will continue to rise above all the persecution and distraction that have been visited on me.

“Without doubt, the highest of those responsibilities is the steadfast refusal to surrender to the subversion of our democracy and the desecration of the Senate. This is a cross I am prepared to carry.

“If  (my not) yielding to the nefarious agenda of a few individuals, who are bent on undermining our democracy and destabilising the Federal Government to satisfy their selfish interests is the alternative to losing my personal freedom, let the doors of jails be thrown open and I shall be a happy guest.

“In the words of Martin Luther King Junior, ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy’.”

In the Presidency’s reaction, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Monday, said Saraki’s claim would have been more worthwhile if he had backed it up with more information.He said the President of the Senate would have taken the matter beyond the realm of fiction if he had proceeded to identify those who he claimed had constituted a government within the government. The presidential aide said without that proof, Saraki’s allegation was not worth the paper on which it was written as anybody could wake from a troubled sleep and say anything.

The statement read, “But as it stands, the allegation is not even worth the paper on which it was written, as anybody can wake from a troubled sleep and say anything.

The Attorney General of the Federation is the Chief Law Officer of the country.  It is within his constitutional powers to determine who has infringed upon the law and who has not.

“Pretending to carry an imaginary cross is mere obfuscation, if indeed, a criminal act has been committed.  But we leave the courts to judge.

“To claim that President Muhammadu Buhari is anybody’s stooge is not only ridiculous but also preposterous. It is not in the character of our President.”

Saraki insisted that the Senate leadership, being led by him, was innocent of the charges filed by the AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami, at the FCT High Court on the allegations of forgery of the Senate Standing Rules document.

He said, “In our view, the charges filed by the Attorney General represent a violation of the principle of the Separation of Powers between the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch as enshrined in our Constitution.

“Furthermore, it is farcical to allege that a criminal act occurred during Senate’s procedural actions and the mere suggestion demonstrates a desperate overreach by the office of the Attorney General.

“These trump-up charges are only another phase in the relentless persecution of the leadership of the Senate. This misguided action by the Attorney General begs the question, how does this promote the public interest and benefit the nation?”

He lamented that the current distractions were happening at a time when both the legislature and the executive arm of government should be working together to meet Nigeria’s many challenges.

Saraki said, “We are once again distracted by the Executive Branch’s inability to move beyond a leadership election among Senate peers.”

“It was not an election of Senate peers and Executive Branch participants. Over the past year, the Senate has worked to foster good relations with the Executive Branch.  It is in all of our collective interests to put aside divisions and get on with the nation’s business.”

Saraki expressed the fears that the current All Progressives Congress government in the country  risked alienating and losing the support of the very people who had trusted their national leaders to seek new and creative ways to promote a secure and prosperous Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who was arraigned with Saraki on Monday for alleged forgery of the Senate Order, alleged that the leadership of the Senate were being prosecuted by senior officials of Buhari’s government based on mere rumour.

Ekweremadu, in a statement signed by him in Abuja, said that vindictiveness and arrogance should not find a place in the nation’s democracy.

He said, “It is deeply troubling to note that people in high places, who swore to uphold the law, have dwindled into purveyors of falsehood and rumour, who seek to smear and tarnish the reputation of law-abiding and responsible citizens as well as cripple the hallowed institutions of democracy.”

The DSP said he decided to present himself to the FCT High Court on Monday as an ordinary citizen to plead “not guilty” to charges he  did not commit.

He said, “It is all the more disheartening that people, who should know better, use the colour of their office to pursue private vendetta against people they disagree with.

“This grotesque display of vindictiveness, arrogance and mindless targeting of innocent citizens should find no sanctuary in our democracy.

“Using the machinery of justice to create disorder is a dangerous and an invidious scheme that ultimately will lead Nigeria down the road to perdition.

“It is Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu today. Who knows whose turn it will be next?”

SCHOOL LIFE

Pope asks Roman Catholics to apologise to gays

Pope Francis

Pope Francis has asked the Roman Catholic Church to apologise to gays for the way they are being treated, saying they deserve to be respected.

The pontiff said the Church had no right to judge homosexuals and should not be discriminated against.

The Pope, who spoke to reporters on his plane on his way from Armenia, also demanded the Church to seek forgiveness from other people it had marginalised, including women, the poor, and children forced into labour.

BBC reports that the Pope has been hailed by many in the gay community for his positive attitude towards homosexuals while some conservative Catholics have criticised him for making comments they described as ambiguous about sexual morality.

Pope said, “I will repeat what the catechism of the (Roman Catholic) Church says, that they (homosexuals) should not be discriminated against, that they should be respected, accompanied pastorally.

“I think that the (Roman Catholic) Church not only should apologise to a gay person whom it offended but it must also apologise to the poor as well, to the women who have been exploited, to children who have been exploited by (being forced to) work. It must apologise for having blessed so many weapons.”

In 2013, Pope Francis reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church’s position that homosexual acts were sinful, but homosexual orientation was not.

 “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” he had said.

Meanwhile the Anglican Communinion Church of Nigeria and the Redeemed Christian Church of God have condemned the Pope’s tacit support for homosexuality, saying his call for apology was unfounded.

The Anglican Bishop of Remo, Rt. Rev. Michael Fape, said Pope’s call contradicted the Biblical stand on homosexuality and urged that the act should not be explained away in the guise of human rights.

He said, “Homosexuality is a biblical issue and it is abominable. It is one of the sins that God clearly enjoins children of Israel not to indulge in. So if anybody is into homosexuality, such a person is doing what is ungodly, unbiblical and what is against the mind of God.

“Pope as a Roman Catholic has a right to his opinion. The fact that somebody is a Pope does not make him God. God is the only one who is infallible on this issue. He is not saying the minds of those who are orthodox Christians and that does not make his stand the God  standard. There is no word that one can use to describe it in the guise of human rights. What is wrong is wrong.”

“Whatever is good (as punishment) for an adulterer, for a robber, a sorcerer, or a murderer is good for a homosexual. They are all in the same pedestal. God specifically says that a homosexual should be removed from the camp of those who are children of God. The punishment for homosexuals as far as the Anglican Church is concerned is having nothing to do with them by means of fellowship. If they repent, they should come back to the fellowship and confess that they have erred.”

The Head of Media and Public Relations of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Segun Adegbiji, urged Christians to discard the Pope’s comments, saying the position of God should prevail whenever there were disagreements on scriptural issues.

 “The RCCG is on the side of the Bible. Whatever the Bible wants the children of God to do is what we do. Anything that is ungodly and unscriptural, the RCCG will never support it. The apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ said when there is confrontational or conflict between what somebody in power is saying and what the Lord is saying, you go on the side of the Lord. We are not on the side of any apology,” Adegbiji said.

Ekiti NULGE rejects strike suspension, pulls out of NLC

A crisis of confidence has hit the Ekiti State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress as the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees on Monday suspended its affiliation indefinitely.

Rising from an emergency State Executive Council meeting in Ado Ekiti, the NULGE directed its members in Efon Alaye Local Government to continue with the strike until the harassment and assaults on workers by political thugs stopped.

The union said, henceforth, it would not be part of all the programmes and activities of the NLC.

The union in a communique signed by its state Chairman, Mr. Bunmi Ajimoko, and Secretary, Mr. Muyiwa Cole, said it was forced to take the hard decision after reviewing “the process leading to the abrupt and controversial suspension of the popular workers’ action.”

The NLC had on Friday suspended the 30-day-old strike after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government.

A member of NULGE told our correspondent that the labour leaders that signed the agreement departed from the generally agreed conditions by the labour unions in the state.

The union expressed shock, dissatisfaction and utter disappointment about the way the strike ended which it said contradicted the resolution of the affiliate unions in the NLC, including NULGE.

NULGE insisted on the payment of two months’ salaries and 2014 leave bonus in order to pacify its members.

“NULGE observed that government has jettisoned the implementation of the agreement it signed on the deployed local government workers of primary and secondary schools.

“Government is hereby advised to abide with the implementation of the agreement it willingly entered into in order to sustain industrial harmony.

“NULGE rejects in its entirety the apology of the NLC chairman, Mr. Ade Adesanmi, sent through the NULGE state chairman as belated as his roles and actions concerning the strike are premeditated.

“NULGE hereby suspends indefinitely its affiliation to the NLC in Ekiti State and dissociates itself from all its programmes and activities.”

Meanwhile, only few workers resumed work on Monday despite the suspension of the strike by the NLC.

Public Primary school pupils were seen returning to their various homes barely one and half hours after getting to their schools as the teachers failed to resume

But the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Samuel Akosile, in an interview with our correspondent, said the union would comply with the decision to suspend the strike.

“Since the NLC has suspended the strike, all teachers must comply with it because it was not the NUT that called for the strike in the first place,” he said.

No benefit in naira devaluation, Buhari insists

June 28, 2016

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Naira notes

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said he did not see any benefit that the country could derive from the devaluation of the naira.

This is despite the implementation of the flexible exchange rate policy, which has somehow led to the devaluation of the nation’s currency.

Buhari spoke during the breaking of the Ramadan fast with members of the business community at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President said he was not comfortable with the reports he was getting from the Central Bank of Nigeria for the devaluation of the currency.

He said the rate of the naira to the dollar had increased astronomically between August 1985 and now.

The President said, “What do we derive from that? How much benefit can we derive from this ruthless devaluation of the naira? I am not an economist, neither a businessman. I fail to appreciate what is the economic explanation.

“What has happened to us now is that we have maneuvered ourselves into a mono economy, which led to the collapse we are seeing now.

“A lot of responsibilities now fall on your (business community’s) shoulders now. You have a lot of investments, a lot of people you employ.”

Buhari also said 13 states had been identified as capable of producing rice that could feed the nation in 18 months.

The Chairman of Unilever Plc, Chief Kola Jamodu, on behalf of the business community, promised their support for the present administration in its efforts to revamp the economy.

Jamodu said the support was necessary because the private sector could not thrive if the economy was in disarray.

He also lauded the government’s move to diversify the economy, adding, “We are with you as you strive to reposition the Nigerian economy. We are very much in support of your move to diversify the economy.

“I have the mandate of the group to tell you that we will give you all the support, because if the economy is in disarray, the private sector cannot survive.”

Others, who attended the event, included Chief Femi Otedola, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mr. Tony Elumelu, Mr. Wale Tinubu and Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija.

Naira falls to 351/dollar at black market

The naira fell to 351 to the United States dollar at the parallel market and slightly to 282 at the new interbank market on Monday.

Following the floating of the naira and the adoption of a single structure through the interbank/autonomous window, the currency closed last week at 281 to the greenback at the official market.

The President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, in an interview with our correspondent, said the naira dropped to 351 at the parallel market from between 346 and 348 due to persistent liquidity issue.

He said, “Lack of liquidity in both the interbank and parallel markets is what is affecting the naira exchange rate to the dollar.

“Right now, the only thing that the market is scavenging for is the export proceeds. There is a liquidity crisis.”

Asked if demands have shifted away from the parallel market as a result of the new forex policy, Gwadabe said, “How can demand shift away from the parallel market when you have about 41 items that cannot obtain forex from the official market? You cannot completely kill the black market, you can only formalise it.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria, which has been intervening in the interbank market since it abandoned its peg of N197-199 to the dollar, asked for bid-offer quotes from currency traders on Monday as it sold dollars at the interbank market to boost liquidity, Reuters quoted traders to have said.

After abandoning the naira’s 16-month old exchange rate peg a week ago, the central bank sold dollars at an auction to clear a backlog of demand and keep markets active.

It sold an undisclosed amount of dollars on Monday. However, the interbank market traded a total volume of $32m just before the market closed, which traders attributed to the central bank’s intervention.

The interbank market opened at 8am with no activity for more than three hours.

“Liquidity is still relatively thin,” one trader said, adding that clients were waiting to see where the naira settled eventually before they would begin to participate in the market.

Currency traders on Monday said they had tightened the differential between bids and offers to N0.5 from one naira set when the currency was floated last week to try to boost trading and attract liquidity.

Prior to the old exchange rate peg, the currency market traded on N0.5 spreads, they said.

Nigeria’s interbank market has traded for six days after the central bank forex reforms. Traders are expecting substantial currency flows from oil companies and exporters to start to trickle in from this week, they said.

EFCC arrests Fayose’s ‘best friend’ over N4.7bn fraud

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a man, whom it described as the best friend of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State.

The suspect, Mr. Abiodun Agbele, it was learnt, allegedly helped Fayose to handle over N1.219bn during the Ekiti State governorship election in 2014.

The money was said to have been part of the N4.7bn that was siphoned from the imprest account of the Office of the National Security Adviser and deposited into the bank account of a company belonging to the sons of a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.

The PUNCH had reported last week that the EFCC alleged that Obanikoro conveyed about N1.219bn on an aircraft and handed it over to Agbele for onward delivery to Zenith Bank.

Agbele was said to have collected the money on behalf of Fayose and paid the money into the account of Fayose, who was the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party at the time.

According to five Zenith Bank deposit slips made available to our correspondent, Agbele made deposits of over N900m into his own company account and Fayose’s own.

On June 26, 2014, Agbele made a deposit of N137m into a Zenith Bank account, with Account Number 1003126654, belonging to Ayodele Fayose with teller number 0556814.

On June 17, 2014, Agbele also deposited N100m into Account Number 1010170969 belonging to Spotless Investment Limited, a company owned by Fayose and his wife, Feyisetan.

On June 18, 2014, Agbele also made a deposit of N219, 490, 000 into the account of De Privateer Limited with Account Number 1013835889 and teller number 0505890. The company allegedly belongs to Agbele. On June 19, 2014, he also made  a deposit of N300m into the same account while a third deposit of N200m was made into the same account on June 23, 2014.

“Agbele is an associate of Fayose. We are currently looking for him because he has a lot of explanations to make. He held some of the money in trust for Fayose,” the EFCC source said.

 In his reaction, Fayose admitted that Agbele was a trusted friend who paid money into his account.

He, however, maintained that the money came from the management of Zenith Bank and private donations.

He said, “The management of Zenith Bank, which majorly funded my election, called me to a meeting where I was assured that the fund would be provided for my election.  I was asked to nominate a trusted ally to be related with and I nominated Mr. Abiodun Agbele.

“All the payments into Abiodun Agbele’s account domiciled in Zenith Bank were directly from Zenith Bank. In actual fact, the account was opened by Zenith Bank hurriedly at that time and Abiodun Agbele’s identity card, which ought to have been collected before the account, was opened, was only collected last week in the bank’s desperation to perfect the account obviously after submitting to the intimidation and harassment of the EFCC.

“Most of the funds posted into Agbele’s account were through the Ibadan, Akure and Lagos branches of the Zenith Bank and sometimes, they brought cash.”

Agbele’s account with Zenith Bank has since been frozen by the EFCC as well as those of Fayose and his company.

In a statement on Monday by Fayose’s Special Adviser, Public Communications and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, the governor condemned the arrest of his friend.

Fayose maintained that his campaign was funded by Zenith Bank and not the ONSA.

The statement read in part, “Our attention has been drawn to the arrest of Mr. Abiodun Agbele by the EFCC and we wish to say that we encourage the EFCC to carry out its investigations without politics, as it is being done now.

“It must be pointed out that at no time was Mr. Abiodun Agbele invited by the EFCC, and if he had been invited, he would have honoured the invitation. Therefore, there is nothing to celebrate in his arrest if it is not political.

“As already pointed out, Governor Ayodele Fayose does not have anything to do with any fund from the ONSA. He has stated how his election was funded and Zenith Bank that he said funded his election has not denied doing so.

“Also, the person said to have been arrested is an adult and will defend himself when the time comes. Subjecting him to media trial, as the EFCC has been doing since the inception of this government, will only give our adversaries momentary sense of joy.

“We await reports of the EFCC investigations and we hope that the anti-corruption agency will be civil enough to allow an open and transparent trial in a competent court of law and not media trial just to get at Governor Fayose because of his uncompromising stance against the misrule of the All Progressives Congress/Buhari-led Federal Government.”