The Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives on the disposal of public property on Monday, commenced investigation into the Federal Ministry of Water Resources over its disposal of assets belonging to 12 River Basin Development Authority in 2018.

This came as the committee summoned six key agencies to appear before it to clarify the role they played in the sale of public assets at their disposal.

The invited agencies are the Nigeria Ports Authority, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Nigeria Customs Service, Anambra/Imo River Basin Development Authourity, Osun River Development Authourity and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

The Managing Directors of the River Basin Development Authority who showed up before the committee on Monday said the Ministry of Water Resources took charge of the disposal of the property because the agency had no governing boards in 2018.

The leadership of the RBDA also informed the committee that the ministry advertised and selected auctioneers who disposed off the assets, adding that it would in the place of the ministry to provide answers to some of the questions raised by the committee.

The Chairman of the committee and a member representing Owan Federal Constituency of Edo State, Julius Ihonbvere faulted the submissions of the MDs, stressing that the committee was left with no option but to invite the ministry.

“I want to assure you for now that we are not very satisfied and that is because you did not preside over this process. We are not satisfied with the disconnects in some of the documents; we will require that you come back after we deduce some of those documents directly from the ministry on behalf of your agencies. We will also invite the ministry to deal with us directly,” he said.

A 15-man investigative panel of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has suspended four medical professionals from practising in the country.

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) made this known on Monday via its social media platforms.

The Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel is a court of first hearing in matters of alleged ethical misconduct that are properly brought before the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

The panel consists of 15 members all of whom must be registered medical practitioners or dental surgeons.

The Professional Discipline (PD) department receives and processes allegations of professional misconduct against medical doctors and dental surgeons from members of the public as specified in the Standing Orders and Rules of Procedure of the MDPIP.

The Head of Department coordinates the activities of the department and serves as the secretary to the Investigation.

According to MDCN, the Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel has ordered the Interim Suspension from the Medical Profession in Nigeria, of the following registered medical practitioners: 1. Dr. Ejike Ferdinand Orji. 2. Dr. Richard Chukwujekwu Okoye. 3. Dr. Olalekan Olatise. 4. Dr. Buliaminu Adebayo Adigun.

Dr Richard Chukwujekwu Okoye is the director of the Save A Life Medical Center Limited who was said to have rejected an international offer to build a multi-billion naira medical empire in Nigeria.

Dr. Ejike Ferdinand Orji, was sentenced to one year imprisonment by Justice Adedayo Akintoye of the Lagos High court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square over negligence, causing harm and endangering the life of a 16-year-old patient.

The Medical Director of Excel Medical Centre Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos was arraigned alongside his wife, Dr(Mrs) Ifeanyinwa Grace Orji but was discharged and acquitted following an application by the Director of Public Production that the Lagos State government wishes to discontinue the case against her.

Dr Olatise Olalekan is a specialist and consultant nephrologist in Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre, and is a professional in kidney transplant and consultation services, dialysis and other medical treatments that relates to kidney disease.

Dr. Buliaminu Adebayo Adigun is a medical doctor at the Oyo Hospitals Management Board.

The above registered medical practitioners were ordered by the panel not to practise medicine in Nigeria “until the cases against them are determined by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.”

The tribunal noted that “that their suspension has been communicated to them and other relevant institutions to enforce the order.”

Farmers in Nigeria will be receiving 33,000 metric tonnes of raw granular potash, which will be used as fertilizers.

Granular potash or Potassium (K) is an essential element for plants that improves water uptake, carbohydrate storage and frost and disease resistance.

It also strengthens the standing power of cereals reducing the risk of lodging and counteracting the damaging effects of excessive nitrogen.

The decision to disburse the farm material led to the inauguration of two committees, namely logistics and blending by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari.

Kyari said it is part of the measures to address the food security emergency in the country in statement signed by the Chief Information Officer of FMAFS, Eremah Anthonia on Monday.

He said, “In a bid to address the emergency in food security, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. Senator Abubakar Kyari, has inaugurated two committees namely logistics and blending.

“They will work out the modalities for utilizing the donated 33,000 metric tons of granular potash raw materials for subsequent distribution of the finished products to smallholder farmers to boost food and nutrition security.

“We will not rest on our oars until the cloud foisted by the high cost of food prizes is swept off the skies over Nigeria”.

The Agric Minister added that farmers need NPK fertilizer, which was the result of process of blending Urea, Limestone granules (LSG), Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Muriate of Potash (MOP).

He also noted that two of the raw materials (urea and limestone) can be found locally, while other materials were imported; the DAP is from Morocco while the Potash from Europe.

He believes in integrity of judiciary

Spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale, says his principal is not worried about possible outcomes of the judgment of the presidential election tribunal.

Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Ngelale said Tinubu sees no need to threaten judicial officers regarding the election petition.

Earlier on Monday, the tribunal fixed September 6 to deliver judgment on the petitions challenging the victory of Tinubu in the February 25 election.

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have approached the tribunal to challenge Tinubu’s victory.

The presidential spokesperson said Tinubu is optimistic that the panel would deliver judgment based on the evidence presented.

He said the president has “confidence and faith” in the judiciary, adding that Tinubu is sure that his mandate would be affirmed.

“Unlike some political gladiators in the country, the president sees no need to threaten judicial officers,” he said.

“He sees no need to raise speculations against the integrity of judicial officers. He believes in the sanctity and integrity of the Nigerian judicial system.

“He believes the great men and women on the panel will make their decisions based only on the facts before them and not based on anything else.

“As a result of his confidence and faith in the judiciary, he believes that the mandate which Nigerians freely gave to him during the elections would stand. That is the position of the president.

“He will continue to ensure that no matter what the outcome of the judgment is, he does his part and ensures that our institutions continue to be respected, not just by him, but by all actors.

“He is not worried because he knows he won the election. We believe that we have presented the best case and the evidence is on our side.”

Some graduates of Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo State are currently in a state of confusion as the university has allegedly refused to issue them results since they graduated from the school in 2018.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the situation is affecting the mobilisation of the affected persons for the National Youth Service Corps.

While the school said the students might have had issues with some courses during their time in school, the affected persons claimed the school had been engaging them with promises that result backlogs would be cleared and students who were yet to be mobilised for NYSC would be settled.

While some pictures suspected to have been taken during such engagements were sighted by our correspondent, affected students said the stalemate had rendered them downtrodden and with a bleak future.

Speaking with PUNCH Metro, one of the aggrieved students, Niyi Ajeboriogbon, said, “Every student has been dropping their results as against the claims made by the school spokesperson, including those who had extensions and wrote them the following year and passed all.

“For five years, we have not had our results. There is no mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps. We have engaged in dialogues with the vice chancellor and other key stakeholders in the school. There was no way forward.

“Our parents are already thinking that we didn’t go to school at all. When we met with the VC, he assured us that after five years, we would see our results. This issue is not peculiar to Political Science. I have friends in other departments that are facing similar issues.”

Another graduate, Christian Edokpolo, said, “I am frustrated and depressed. My family members are already questioning if I truly attended the school. My life is stagnant right now. I cannot get a job just because I am waiting for my results. We do not understand what is ongoing. What is the problem with our set? Is this not sheer wickedness?

“We have met with these people, yet nothing has come out of it. We do not owe school fees. Even some people they claimed had carryovers in some courses have cleared everything. We need concerned Nigerians to help us.”

Reacting, the institution’s Head of Corporate Communications and Protocol, Mike Aladenika, claimed the students affected had some outstanding courses they needed to clear, hence the reason for the results and mobilisation issues.

“If you had graduated and done all you were asked to do while you were a student, you would not have problems with your results. Some of the students who did not take cognisance of the deficiencies they had with their courses are the ones facing these challenges,” he said.

But when he was asked why the management was having meetings and promising the affected persons of the clearing backlog of results, Aladenika simply said, “If the issues were university challenges, graduates of other departments should be having similar challenges.”

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was absent at a meeting called by the federal government to avert the planned two-day warning strike by the union.

TheCable understands only Festus Osifo, president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), showed up for the meeting slated for 3 p.m. but started at exactly 5:32 p,m.

On September 1, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, announced that the strike would commence on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Simon Lalong, the minister of labour and employment, appealed to the NLC to suspend the proposed warning strike over the impact of petrol subsidy removal on the masses.

Lalong said such a strike would be detrimental to the gains already being recorded by the new administration.

He said the leadership of the congress should give the government more time to address the issues being raised by NLC.

“In light of these matters, I would like to reiterate my appeal to the leadership of the NLC to suspend the warning strike and subsequent future actions to allow us to work together to amicably resolve these issues rather than embark on actions that would further worsen the conditions of the citizens of Nigeria,” Lalong said.

“I would request that the comrade leadership of the NLC give this government some time to settle and address the issues on the ground holistically.

“It should be realised that the cabinet of this administration was only recently sworn in by Mr President and all cabinet members have hit the ground running by receiving briefings from their MDAs.

President Bola Tinubu has expressed his readiness to incorporate technology into public service administration.

According to a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Tinubu spoke on Monday while receiving Andres Arroyo, vice-president of Oracle, a computer technology company, at the State House.

The president noted that technology helps to ensure that data from public institutions are accurate and transparent as well as aid accountability.

The statement said Tinubu’s enthusiasm was spurred by a collaboration between the government of Nigeria and Oracle, seeking to reform the country’s civil service and data management sector.

The president said Oracle’s proven success in the automation of the Lagos payroll system during his tenure as the governor of the state would help to ensure enhanced ease of doing business and digital innovation.

He added that it would also lead to effective identity management, efficient payroll administration, and qualitative citizen-centred service delivery

“I have tested Oracle and it has worked for our success. In Lagos State, what we did in effective collaboration with you, has been copied across the states of the Federation,” the statement quoted Tinubu as saying.

“We can only build our institutions with accurate data and cutting-edge data management capabilities that are reliable and effective. We can only rely upon our human resources for excellent service delivery to Nigerians if they are well-trained and ready to learn.

“The transfer of knowledge is essential for our nation and the continent. In this government, we believe that the only way to build our country is a bottom-up approach and from one single sheet of paper, we can create an end-to-end solution for public administration that will rid our service of its worst tendencies in favour of effectiveness and reliability.”

The president also expressed concern about the country’s “bloated” civil service payroll at the national and sub-national levels, noting that the wage bill consumes a large proportion of the country’s revenue.

“Each time they give me the payroll number, I get so frightened. Where am I going to get the capital to develop the infrastructure we desperately require if the payroll of 1% – 2% of the population is consuming all the revenue?” the statement quoted Tinubu as saying.

“I think we need a tight technological control that can check and balance all necessary control points of our transaction processes. I’m looking forward to working with Oracle because I have the belief and confidence that you can do it as you have in the past.”

On his part, Arroyo, Oracle’s vice president, applauded Tinubu for putting the interest of Nigerians at the forefront of the collaboration.

He assured that the partnership would ensure a smoother operation of the country’s affairs while achieving macroeconomic visibility.

Oando Plc said it has acquired 100 per cent of the shares of ENI in Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC Ltd).

The oil giant made the disclosure on Monday.

The oil company said it has “reached an agreement with Eni (“ENI”) (an integrated energy company actively supporting a just
energy transition, with the objective of achieving Net-Zero carbon emissions by 2050 and promoting efficient and sustainable access to energy for all), for the acquisition of 100 per cent of the shares of Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC Ltd).

“Completion of the transaction is subject to Ministerial Consent and other required regulatory approvals,” Oando said.

With the acquisition, Oando’s current participating interests in OMLs 60, 61, 62, and 63 have increased from 20 per cent to 40 per cent.

The deal increases Oando’s ownership stake in all NEPL/NAOC/OOL Joint Venture assets and infrastructure which include forty discovered oil and gas fields, of
which twenty-four are currently producing approximately forty identified prospects and leads, twelve production stations and approximately 1,490 km of
pipelines.

Others are three gas processing plants, the Brass River Oil Terminal, the Kwale Okpai phases 1 & 2 power plants (with a total nameplate capacity of 960MW),
and associated infrastructure.

“Based on 2021 reserves estimates, Oando’s total reserves stand at 503.3MMboe and the transaction will deliver a 98 per cent increase.

“The transaction also grows Oando’s exploration asset portfolio through the
acquisition of a 90 per cent interest in OPL 282 and 48 per cent interest in OPL 135.

“NAOC Ltd participating interest in SPDC JV (Shell Production Development Company Joint Venture – operator Shell 30 per cent, TotalEnergies 10 per cent, NAOC 5 per cent,” read the regulatory filing.

Wale Tinub, the Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC described the deal as an important milestone in the company’s future.

Tinubu said it would also unlock Oando’s potential as a major player in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.

“The synergies created by this acquisition will unlock unparalleled opportunities for us
to re-align expectations, enhance efficiency, optimize resource allocation, and
significantly increase production. Furthermore, it is in alignment with our strategy of acquiring, enhancing, appraising, and efficiently developing reserves.

“Today’s announcement is not just an important milestone for the future of Oando; it brings to bear the important role indigenous actors will play in the future of the Nigerian upstream sector.

“Having achieved this significant milestone, we look forward to closing the transaction and harnessing the full potential of the enhanced platform to accrue value for our local communities, stakeholders and shareholders.”

The Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has sent a second list of commissioner-nominees to the state House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

The house announced the receipt of the list of nominees during the plenary on Monday.

Recall that the state assembly had earlier disqualified seventeen out of the thirty-nine commissioner nominees sent to it by Governor Sanwo-Olu.

Twenty-two of the Commissioner Nominees were, however, confirmed by the lawmakers last Wednesday.

The Chief Whip of the Assembly who also served as the Chairman of the Screening Committee, Mojeed Fatai Adebola while stating why the nominees were rejected said the rejection of the nominees was a result of the unanimous decision by all members of the state assembly and not his personal decision.

The statement reads, “Governor’s Nominees for Commissioners: Speaker Obasa calls on the committee that handled the previous nominees to take charge on the new list sent by the Governor, @jidesanwoolu, and report back to the House by Thursday 7/09/2023.

“Some of the nominees have their documents with you, and you can reach out to the new nominees. I want you to be thorough and do the needful while carrying out this exercise.”

Names of those who made the second list

1. Dr. Afolabi Abiodun Tajudeen

2. Mr. Oluwaseun Oriyomi Osiyemi

3. Prof. Akinola Emmanuel Abayomi

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4. Engr. Olalere Odusote

5. Dr. Oluwarotimi Omotola Wahab Fashola

6. Mrs. Folashade Kaosarat Ambrose-Medem

7. Mr. Akinyemi Bankole Ajigbotafe

8. Mr. Samuel Egube

9. Hon. Tolani Sule Akibu

10. Mrs. Bolaji Cecelia Dada

11. Mrs. Barakat Akande Bakare

12. Mr. Olugbenga Omotoso

13. Mr. Mosopefolu George

14. Yekini Nurudeen Agbaje

15. Dr. Olumide Oluyinka

16. Mr. Abayomi Samson Oluyomi

17. Dr. Iyabode Oyeyemi Ayoola

18. Hon. Sola Shakirudeen Giwa