…alleges he was found guilty of fraud by US Supreme Court

The suspended senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has filed a petition to disbar the chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petition, Senator Nedamwem Imasuen, and have his name removed as a lawyer.

In the petition she filed before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), the Kogi lawmaker alleged that the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, had on May 10, 2010, indicted and debarred the Senate Ethics committee chairman “for fraud, misappropriation of client’s funds and failure to respond to disciplinary authorities”.

To back her allegation, the petitioner tendered to the LPDC a copy of the Justia New York Case Law 2010, with the title ‘Matter of Imasuen.

She equally pledged to “lead further evidence from official records of the respondent’s disbarment at the trial of this case”.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan told the LPDC that the respondent’s disbarment by the US court followed a complaint that was lodged against him by one Daphne Slyfield, a client who paid substantial legal fees to him but was abandoned without legal recourse.

“The court found that the respondent had violated multiple professional rules, resulting in the permanent revocation of his legal licence in the US.

“That following the respondent’s disbarment, he relocated to Nigeria, continued to present himself as a legal practitioner and pursued a career in politics, eventually securing a seat in the National Assembly as the senator representing Edo South Senatorial District.

“Despite this disbarment, which was hinged on unethical conduct, the respondent failed to disclose this sanction, both in the legal profession and political space, as a senator, and was eventually made the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, a position requiring unimpeachable integrity.

“That the Respondent did not remotely disclose his disbarment either in his Form EC9 – particulars of personal information submitted to INEC on oath at the time of aspiring for public office,” the petitioner added.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan said her petition to the LPDC arose from a sequence of events that call into question the integrity and ethical standing of the respondent.

She alleged that Senator Imasuen had, in an attempt to expose the judiciary to odium and disrepute, publicly spurned an interim order the Federal High Court in Abuja made on March 4, which stopped his committee from proceeding with a disciplinary action that was initiated against her.

She maintained that the respondent, who was duly served with the interim order, acted in contempt of court by slamming her with a six-month suspension.

Details later.

The spokesman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, has said the halt in the naira-to-crude deal between Dangote Refinery and the federal government was caused by speculations.

Naija News reported that Dangote Refinery announced it was halting its petrol sales in price as the duration of the naira-to-crude deal it entered with Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had elapsed.

Speaking in an interview with News Central, on Tuesday, Ukadike stated that market jobbers who did not want the importation of petrol products to stop were responsible for the speculation leading to a halt in the naira-to-crude deal.

The IPMAN spokesman explained that the government was looking at why crude oil would be sold to Dangote in naira when imported products can be sold at ₦775.

He, however, faulted the speculation, noting that no importer sold the product at such a price. He said only Dangote sells products cheaper than all others.

His words: “The federal government stated their challenges of not having enough for domestic supply, as a result of their international commitment and how they have locked up the sales of crude to some international buyers.

“This issue of naira-to-crude was just a test run and expressly approved by Mr President to be able to ensure that the product cost is a little bit more cheaper than the one that is been imported.

“It was also reported last two weeks that imported products can be sold at ₦775. If that be the case, federal government is also looking at why were we supplying Dangote product in naira and imported product is being sold at ₦775.

“Although it was speculated, none of the importers have sold product at that cost. Dangote remains the only refinery that sells petroleum product cheaper in all ramifications, even those that are being imported.

“Most of those speculations are being thrown into the market by market seekers and jobbers who don’t want to see reverse in importation of petroleum product. But definitely, we find out that within this week under review dollar has increased. So one little policy has changed the narrative and changed the pump price.”

Veteran Nollywood actor Jide Kosoko has clarified that he never had four wives at the same time.

He explained that he was married to two women but lost them and then married another two.

Featuring in a recent episode of The Honest Bunch podcast, the actor stated that he is “lucky” with polygamy because his wives and children are understanding.

He, however, said he is not advocating for polygamy, as not everyone could be as lucky as he is.

Kosoko said, “I didn’t have four wives at the same time o! Don’t get it wrong because people are not getting it. I had two, I lost them. I married another two.

“I am not supporting polygamy. Not everybody can be this lucky. Do you know that in some polygamous homes, you have mothers with different children, and your own daughter’s or child’s birthday is tomorrow? Fortunately, we celebrated it elaborately. But when it comes to another child’s birthday, and I am not buoyant enough, my children and their mothers understand that with me.

“If it’s your birthday and I have money, I will do it. If your own comes when I don’t have money, that’s your fate. It’s a matter of luck with me. But you must have shown them that you love them all. You must have given them that love in other ways, so when it’s not coming at that material time, they will easily understand.

“Another one will tell me, ‘Daddy, anytime you get money, you still need to buy me something for my birthday.’ I will say, ‘By God’s grace, remind me.’ And when the money comes and they remind me, I give them what they ought to have gotten for their birthday.

“But don’t tell me that because I bought something for your co-wife’s son, I must also buy for your son. If you do so, you lose it. I won’t buy. That’s not the way I operate.”

Nigerian singer Cynthia Morgan, now known as Madrina, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to implement urgent measures to address the excruciating hardship in the country.

She stated that she was among those who applauded President Tinubu when he removed the subsidy on petrol, but the current hardship resulting from the subsidy removal has become unbearable.

Speaking in a video message shared via her TikTok page recently, Madrina said, “Are you guys feeling what I am feeling? I’m not even going to lie, I’m feeling it o! And it’s quite unfortunate that we might not be able to do much other than plead with the government. Because spending over $8 billion on subsidy doesn’t make any sense.

“From my findings, the total annual revenue for Nigeria in 2023/2024 was around 20-something billion dollars. So imagine spending $7 billion on subsidized petroleum products. It doesn’t make any sense.

“I was one of the persons who applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the removal of the fuel subsidy because you know what it is. But currently, I don’t think we have what it takes to live totally off subsidy removal on petroleum products.

“We don’t have the structures or anything to be able to sustain that. And that is why there’s inflation. The price of petrol controls 90 percent of every other commodity in the market. Also, the exchange rate of the Naira to the dollar has increased because what we import is higher than what we export. Right now, the GDP per capita is $860.

“We are going to be begging [the government]. I don’t think we have the right to protest or insult anyone in government. The introduction of the subsidy on petrol started with former President [Olusegun] Obasanjo, which for me was lackadaisical because, as a president, you’re supposed to handle things head-on and not try to… I can’t remember the word right now.

“So, that’s what President Tinubu is trying to do. He is trying to approach it the way it is. Because the money that we spent on subsidized PMS is a lot—enough to do many things. If we are able to invest it in other areas of the country, we will be a better nation. I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but we are not ready. We can’t do it. 100 percent subsidy removal will not work. People are hungry. Crime rates are increasing.

“But please, let’s not rant. Let us do a begging challenge. Let’s beg the government to help us, that they shouldn’t be angry. Maybe we have been irresponsible. Let the government roll back at least 50 percent of the subsidy removal. That’s my stance.”

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stepped down from a case involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Justice Egwuatu was assigned to hear the suit, but on Tuesday, he announced that he would no longer handle the matter.

He made this decision after Senate President Godswill Akpabio wrote a petition questioning his impartiality.

Although the case was scheduled for hearing, when the court clerk called it up, the judge ruled that he was stepping aside.

He said he would return the case file to the Chief Judge, who would assign it to another judge.

On March 4, Justice Egwuatu issued an interim order stopping the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from proceeding with disciplinary actions against Akpoti-Uduaghan.

She was accused of violating Senate rules.

The judge ruled that the disciplinary process should not continue until the case was decided.

He also gave the defendants 72 hours to explain why the court should not stop them from investigating the senator without following the rules laid out in the 1999 Constitution, the Senate Standing Order 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.

Justice Egwuatu allowed the senator to serve legal documents on the defendants using substituted means.

The court ordered that the documents be given to the Clerk of the National Assembly or pasted at the National Assembly premises.

They were also to be published in two national newspapers.

The interim order came after the senator filed an urgent application.

However, despite the court’s ruling, the Senate Committee still held its meeting and suspended her for six months.

Later, after the defendants applied, Justice Egwuatu amended his earlier order.

He removed the part that prevented the Senate from taking any action while the case was ongoing.

Meanwhile, Akpabio’s legal team, led by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, questioned the court’s authority to interfere in Senate affairs.

A presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, has cautioned former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to be mindful of his statements after the former governor claimed that democracy in Nigeria had collapsed.

Obi, while speaking at the 60th birthday colloquium for former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, in Abuja on Monday, said the progress made since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999 had been eroded.

He stated, “If you looked at where we are today, it’s like, they (the PDP) started in 1999, laid the foundation. Some people came and took it to decking, and some people were trying to take it to the first floor, when some people came and knocked everything down.

“That is the situation we are now. Everything has been knocked down and nothing works. I am somebody who can say this, exemplarily. I became a governor through the courts when President Obasanjo and Atiku were in government.

“I did not pay the court one naira. I was sitting in my office and the court declared me winner, when a governor was not seeing them. This cannot happen in Nigeria today.”

Reacting to the remarks, Onanuga, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, dismissed Obi’s claims as exaggerated and lacking in logical foundation, insisting that democracy in Nigeria has only grown stronger over the past 26 years.

“I listened multiple times to former Governor Peter Obi’s statement in this clip, where he claims that democracy has collapsed in Nigeria. His hyperbolic remarks, suited for headlines, have been made without deep reflection and lack a solid logical foundation,” Onanuga wrote.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy further argued that if democracy had indeed collapsed, Obi would not have been able to express his views so freely at the colloquium.

“Only a discontented and disgruntled Peter, who benefits from the very free speech democracy provides, could perceive such a democratic downfall through his lens. If democracy had indeed collapsed, as Peter claims, and we were living under a regime antithetical to democratic principles, he would not have been able to make his comments on Monday,” he stated.

Onanuga warned Obi against making statements that could mislead the public, urging him to exercise restraint and avoid what he described as playing to the gallery.

“I will urge him to watch what he says and restrain himself from playing to the gallery,” he added.

The Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr George Nwaeke, has resigned his appointment.

The resignation of the HoS, who served under the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara was contained in a statement issued by the Chief of Staff to the Sole Administrator and obtained by newsmen on Tuesday morning.

The Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), thanked Nwaeke for his service to him within the short period since he assumed office and wished him well in his future endeavours.

The statement reads, “The office of His Excellency, the Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (retd.) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, is saddened to announce the resignation of the Head of Service, Rivers State, Dr George Nwaeke, FCA, Mni.

“His Excellency, the Administrator appreciates the immense contributions he has shown this administration in the short period he served and wishes him well in his future endeavours.”

Meanwhile, Ibas has appointed Prof. Ibibi Worika as the new Secretary to the Rivers State Government.

Worika’s appointment was also contained in a statement from the office of the Sole Administrator also obtained on Tuesday morning.

The statement reads, “His Excellency, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.) CFR, the Administrator of Rivers State, is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Ibibia Lucky Worika as the new Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG).

“His appointment follows careful consideration of his credentials, extensive experience, and performance during rigorous selection process.

“Professor Worika’s distinguished career spans academia, international legal practice, and high-level policy advisory roles, making him uniquely qualified to support the administrator in the onerous task of achieving Mr President’s mandate. His appointment takes immediate effect.

“Professor Worika’s appointment reflects the administrator’s commitment to harnessing the great human capital of the Rivers’ people to work with him to achieve the much-needed peace, stability and security.”

A UK-based Nigerian lady identified as Juli P has taken to Facebook to share her perspective on supporting loved ones.

According to her, she would rather bring them abroad to work than send money home.

In her post, she highlighted the challenges of sponsoring someone from Africa but encouraged those who could afford it to do so, as it offers long-term benefits.

“As a Nigerian living in the UK, It’s a good thing to bring your siblings, friends or families who is not lazy to work and who will not pay your goodness with evil to the UK if you are able to do so!

“Sponsoring someone from Africa is not an easy task… it cost lots of pounds and naira…. but if you can, please take your person with you as one tree can never make a forest.

“I prefer not to be sending money back home to anyone but to bring them along to hustle for themselves and help the family,” she wrote

Nigerians have achieved stellar feats in recent times and it is important to celebrate those who continually make the country proud by challenging Guinness World Records. 

Alma Asinobi is one of such and she recently challenged the record for the least hours/fastest hours used to complete a trip to seven continents, her recorded attempt is 71 hours. 

The 26 year-old successfully crossed six continents with her final stop in Sydney, Austrialia where she revealed she faced a major hindrance to breaking the record.

According to her, she was initially denied access to her final destination, Australia due to visa issues after spending 56 hours on her journey.

Meet Alma Asinobi

Alma is a graduate of Architecture; A lifestyle blogger and content writer.

The 26-year-old is a tech sis, marketing copywriter, travel entrepreneur, storyteller, and content strategist for several tech startups. 

She describes herself as a content creator, travel entrepreneur and a world citizen on a mission to visit every country in the world.

Her love for travel did not start until 2020 when she decided she wanted to see more of the world.

Her love for road trips to the village as a child also sparked her curiosity for more and as an adult, she developed interest in travelling after going on a trip to neighbouring country during which she saw people of different cultures and languages.

Attempting GWR

Alma Asinobi embarked on this journey–to challenge a title currently held by Johnny Cruz Buckingham, a U.S. Air Force veteran who completed the challenge in 64 hours–to highlight the countless visa rejections and challenges many Africans, especially Nigerians, face simply because of their nationality.

She wanted to highlight this struggle while pushing the limits of what was possible.

Her journey, tagged #AlmaChasingContinents and #7in60, has sparked global conversations on passport inequality and travel restrictions faced by citizens of developing nations.

Her attempt began on March 20 from King George Island, Antarctica, after an initial delay.

From there, she traveled through Chile, the Dominican Republic, Spain, Egypt, and Dubai, overcoming visa issues, flight delays, and other bureaucratic hurdles.

Despite setbacks, including being denied boarding to Perth, she remained determined, securing a flight to Sydney instead.

She eventually ended her journey as the youngest and only Black solo record attempt in this category, in her bid to challenge and transform the narrative surrounding passport inequality using only her Nigerian passport.

Despite being unable to break the record, she made it to all seven continents, raising the Nigerian flag with resilience and determination.

She has undeniably made history in her own way and Nigerians are immensely proud of her.

The Akwa Ibom State Government has made a significant move in support of the Super Eagles by purchasing 30,000 tickets for enthusiastic football fans and supporters ahead of the highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe.

This initiative is aimed at galvanizing widespread support for the Super Eagles during the must-win match.

The encounter, where the Super Eagles will face off against the Zimbabwean Warriors, is set to take place at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Tuesday.

This stadium has been the proud host for all of the Super Eagles’ previous home games during the ongoing World Cup qualifiers, reinforcing its importance as a fortress for the national team.

The three-time African champions are eager to secure their second victory in the qualifiers, following an impressive 2-0 win over Rwanda in Kigali last Friday. This victory has significantly boosted the team’s morale and enhanced their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has emphasized the importance of the upcoming match, stating that the team is fully committed to clinching maximum points.

He expressed confidence in the team’s capabilities, affirming, “We are looking forward to a win. The three points are crucial for us. At this pivotal stage in the qualifiers, we cannot afford to drop any more points.”

Troost-Ekong stressed the need for the team to build on their recent success against the Amavubi, saying, “Our aim is to take it one match at a time, collect three points here and there, and fervently hope that these efforts will be sufficient to secure our ticket to the World Cup.”

Note that the Group C match will kick off at 5 PM Nigeria time on Tuesday, March 25.