Nigerian skit maker, Abdullahi Maruff Adisa, popularly called Trinity Guy, has regained freedom from prison.

TRIBUNE ONLINE reports Trinity was on June 22, was summoned to appear before the Oyo State Police Command following his skit involving a female minor in a sexualised prank.

Subsequently, a Magistrate Court at Iyaganku, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, ruled that Trinity Guy be remanded in prison till August.

Alongside the entertainer, the court also remanded the parents of the minor, Isiaka Ahmed, 40, and his wife, Rofiat Ahmed, 29.

In latest development, Nigerian skit maker, Abdugalfar Abiola, better known as Cute Abiola, in a post on Friday night, announced that his colleague has been released on bail.

“@iamtrinityguy is finally free on Bail. I am wishing you all the best brother. May Almighty Allah keep guiding you to the right path. Amen Welcome back ! Welcome back ! My guy don pray tire ? see him forehead,” Cute Abiola wrote on Instagram.

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state, has described the proposed cash transfer policy of the Federal Government as a scam.

Sani stated this while speaking in an interview with Arise Television’s News Night on Friday.

The governor said, “My position has always been that, at this critical time, cash transfer should not be something that we should bring up, completely. I think that cash transfer for me, in my opinion, is a scam. Completely is a scam. I can be very certain about that, because who are you transferring the money to?

“Let me give an example, go and check the current statistics. Like I said, as the Chairman, Committee of Banking for four years in Nigeria, I oversight Central Bank, I oversight all the commercial sector of our economy for the last four years and I look at the statistics, I will be very firm on this issue and you can go and check it.

“About 70 to 75 percent of the rural population in North West are financially excluded completely. You will have to go and check, these people we are talking about are important people in the society. They do not even have a bank account so who are you transferring the money to?

“Let’s try and work very hard to make sure that they are financially included, that is the most important thing and I will like to call on our development partners, the World Bank, to put more money towards bringing more people into the financial services and the vulnerable in particular.

“Let’s put more money to ensure that we open accounts for them, get them involved, if we don’t do that, no matter what we do however you do it, money will go to the wrong people, that’s the fact.”

President Bola Tinubu had earlier unveiled his administration’s plan for a monthly N8,000 transfer to 12 million of the poorest households in the country for six months, in a bid to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy.

The plan was contained in a letter read last Thursday on the floor of the House of Representatives regarding the $800 million loan request of the previous Muhammadu Buhari administration for a social safety net programme.

But days after the announcement, the Federal Government said it will review the move following the public outcry it generated among Nigerians.

Recall that following the removal of the petrol subsidy and the recent hike in petrol prices to up to N617/litre, the National Executive Council (NEC) agreed on palliative measures for Nigerians.

NEC also considered integrity tests on state social registers, cash transfers would be done via state social registers subject to state peculiarities.

The Federal Government also initiated a six-month cash award policy for public servants.

According to the Federal Government, food items grains and fertilizers are to be distributed by state governments at the rate acquired from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), while states were asked to double down on energy transition plans in the transport sector.

A former Secretary to the Government of Katsina State, Mustapha Inuwa in response to calls for President Tinubu to negotiate with bandits, stated that such negotiations would be futile.

Dr Inuwa, who also serves as the Chairman of the Amnesty Programme designed to end banditry in the state, argued that the bandits would be unlikely to leave their illicit activities due to the high profits they make from kidnappings.

He said, “The bandits can’t leave banditry and embrace negotiation because of how kidnapping has become lucrative.”

He added that “no legitimate work can fetch them the kind of money they make from the banditry activities.”

Dr Inuwa suggested that force might be the only effective approach to dealing with the bandits. He urged security agencies and governors of affected states to work together to confront the issue.

According to him, “I believe it is very wrong advice for a former governor and senator, especially from a state worst hit by the activities of bandits to even contemplate negotiating with the bandits despite the atrocities committed by them in these states and Nigeria as a whole.

“We tried from 2017 to 2019 but it didn’t work because they are not sincere. We were compelled to go into that because we realized the security agencies were not doing what they ought to do.

“So we were under serious pressure from the people as they looked up to us to bring the menace to an end. And that was why we settled for the non-kinetic approach. It lasted for a brief period before it failed.

“It failed because, one, they were not sincere and second, because they are not organized and don’t have common leaders whom if you negotiate with can serve as their representatives.

“They have a rivalry and different groups. It is unlike when you are fighting a group on ideology, where they have a common leader, where you negotiate with him and he leads them. It is not that way. Bandits have different groups. How many will you deal with? Dealing with some groups and leaving out others will even create problems. And different groups are emerging daily.

“And also these people are thieves and criminals, if you negotiate with them what will you give them? Will you be giving them a salary or what? Then people who are used to getting huge sums of money, especially with these kidnapping activities. So there is nothing legitimate that they can do to get something close to what they are getting through the kidnapping activities.

“So it is impossible for these people to willingly accept to leave what they are doing for anything that you promise them. Because you cannot promise them what is close to what they are getting. In 2017 to 2019, we tried it and realized the money we gave them was used to buy more arms. President Tinubu and his news NSA, Ribadu should not make the mistake of negotiating with them.

“So, honestly I don’t in any way advise the present leadership of President Tinubu to even contemplate on this issue. What is needed is for all the security agencies to organize a sustained onslaught on these people. If they have to organize, the ground and air operations, it is a matter of a few months, they are going to deal with these people. One, they are all locals, 99.9 percent of people involved in these are local Fulani here. Their parents are known.

“Two, they are not that trained as people may think. And moreover, the area is an area that is accessible. It is not a difficult terrain. We have locals who could penetrate, provide x-rays, intelligence required. But it has to be well coordinated in such a way that it is done simultaneously from all the states and neighbouring countries like Niger Republic are ever ready as they have been collaborating with us.

“While these things are done, the Governors of the various states too should meet and take common positions on all the issues that will facilitate and help the military operations especially decisions or measures that will undermine the strength of the bandits. For instance, ban on the use of motorcycles, buying of fuel in jerrican in those areas among others. It should be a unanimous decision by the states.

“People are under siege in these areas, many of these things are not reported because people are tired of reporting them. But on a daily basis, people are been kidnapped, and killed, women are raped, many of them have children from the rape, and you have all sorts of trauma.

“Moreover, you cannot stop these people from this thing because it has become part of them. It has become a culture to these people. Because it has been here for a very long time. If you go into history, it is as far back as 1891, banditry was experienced in the Zamfara area. Also, during the colonial period. The thing is, it is just now that it is only becoming too rampant.

“It is impossible for the people to willingly accept to do, it has to be by force.

“Moreover, you are talking about amnesty, negotiation, let it be a request from the bandits after you have put them on their knees by the strength of security operations. If they call for these, then you can consider granting it, not the government calling them for negotiation. The money they are making now will not make them listen.”

Popular Nigerian activist, Aisha Yesufu has mocked those who were laughing at supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi while they were campaigning for him.

Yesufu said those who were laughing at Obidients for doing the one million march are now also doing the same because of the fuel scarcity, a resultant effect of the hike in the price of the commodity.

Naija News recalls that earlier on Tuesday, the pump price of fuel increased from N539 to N617 per litre.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) attributed the hike in price to ‘market forces’.

The NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, disclosed this while speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House in Abuja.

Kyari said with the deregulation of the oil sector, market realities will force the price of petrol up sometimes and at other times force it down.

“We have the marketing wing of our company. They adjust prices depending on the market realities.

“This is really what is happening; this is the meaning of making sure that the market regulates itself so that prices will go up and sometimes they will come down also. This is what we have seen, and in reality, this is what (how) the market works,” he said.

Due to the price increment, Nigerians who are unable to afford transportation now trek to save costs.

Weighing in on the situation via her verified Twitter handle, Yesufu wrote, “Those who were laughing at those doing one million march for Peter Obi, are now doing their own one million march because of fuel scarcity.

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for nothing!”

A 75-year-old female merchant on Friday rejected four pieces of N1000 new naira notes found inside a wrap of N100,000 she withdrew from the counter of a new generation bank in Ikeja, Lagos State capital.

Identified as Mama Ketchup, the woman argued that the new naira note has lost its value as a legal tender in the country, referring to it as a “product of fabricated deceits of the leaders.”

She insisted that the cashier should remove the new notes and replace them with old pieces before she collects the wrap.

Her words: “I don’t want these notes. It is an insult on Nigerians. The cabals that are embarrassing us and driving Nigerians back to Egypt are evil workers. They have their agenda and they are using us to play ludo, it’s unfair. I have vowed never to touch this note, it’s my personal decision. So, remove them now and replace them with the old notes.”

The scenario, which drew the attention of other bank customers at the rowdy hall turned provocative as each person began to express his/her disappointments at the way the government is toiling with the life of citizens without considering its consequences. They particularly condemned the persistent fuel crisis after the subsidy removal and politics of N8000 palliatives for poor Nigerians proposed by Tinubu-led government.

Some of them said the role played by the suspended governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to change the naira notes during the election campaign through draconian processes that led to the death of many Nigerians has shown how irresponsible the government has been since independence.

A corps member, Joy Emmanuel, who was the ‘emergency moderator’ of the argument in the banking hall said the Tinubu-led government has confused Nigerians with the way and manner it has been handling sensitive issues that touch lives since its inauguration on May 29, 2023.

“When the president announced the removal of fuel subsidy on inauguration day, we thought he has a magical solution to our problems. This Renewed Hope government has come with a basket of confusion. For real, the hardship is too much. See what you elders have done to this generation. Yet, with a little noise of revolt, you will be blaming the youth. We are all suffering and nobody is ready to confront the Pharaohs. It’s a shame of a country,” he said.

The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulkarim Chukkol, has threatened to decisively deal with any of its staff who leak confidential information.

According to him, the staff members take an oath of secrecy during the process of getting the job, stressing that anyone found culpable would be dismissed.

Chukkol stated this at EFCC Academy, Karu, Abuja on Friday during the passing-out ceremony of the EFCC Detective Superintendent Course 9.

He said no fewer than 318 cadets participated in the course, adding that they would be absorbed into the commission.

Chukkol said the step was taken to boost the manpower of the commission to fight growing graft in the country to a standstill

He said, “Today, we are witnessing the passing-out of a crop of cadets who 12 months ago, were carefully selected out of thousands of applicants.

“You have all been sworn to the oaths of allegiance and secrecy to be loyal to the nation and the EFCC as well as treat in strict confidence any information that comes to your knowledge in the course of carrying out your duty.

“Any act of corruption, disloyalty, disobedience to constituted authority, and insubordination will be decisively dealt with and the defaulters are shown the exit door.”

He lamented the growing spate of corruption in both public and private sectors, insisting that operatives of the commission would put up a fierce battle through enforcement.

Chukkol said, “The EFCC as you know, is championing the fight against these unwholesome acts being perpetrated by unscrupulous persons whose aim is gaining illicit wealth at the expense of the safety and security of the generality of the public and the image of our dear nation.

“Trends in economic and financial crimes keep evolving and the EFCC must continue to put up a fierce battle against them by prevention through sensitisation and enforcement to serve as deterrence.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Secretary to the Commission, George Ekpungu urged the graduands to uphold the highest levels of integrity and honesty and exhibit appreciable standards of decorum wherever they find themselves.

“We are EFCC, we uphold integrity, honesty, and the highest standards. What you are witnessing today, a lot of people sacrificed so many things. You must above all, operate in integrity. I am saying this today because I am the Chairman of the Appointment, Promotion, and Discipline Committee.

“If you do compromise your office, you will be sent back home to your parents. So parents caution your children on illegalities and avoid putting them under unnecessary pressure,” he said.

Earlier, the Commandant of the EFCC Academy, Ayo Olowoniyi called on the cadets to be guided by the truth wherever they go.

James Onanefe Ibori, former Delta State governor, has expressed sadness over the confiscation of over £100 million from him.

A judge in London on Friday ordered the confiscation of 101.5 million pounds ($130.34 million) from the former governor who was convicted of fraud and money laundering in London in 2012.

Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court said Ibori should pay the sum immediately or face an eight-year jail sentence.

Responding, Ibori, who claimed that he and those close to him were being persecuted, vowed to challenge the order.

“Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that the “definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”.”

“If that is true then I must be going mad because in over a decade since the British Courts have been persecuting myself and those close to me – I kept believing that justice and fairness would eventually triumph.

“In hearing after hearing through the years, despite some of the most logic defying rulings against me- I still believed. Despite clear evidence of police corruption against the main officer in my case (evidence so strong that it caused the lead prosecutor to resign from my case) I still believed. Despite a clear victory in my 2013 Confiscation hearing which left the Judge unable to make an order against me, only to have him rule that the prosecution should start the trial afresh some years later – I still believed.

“However, today’s ruling from Judge Tomlinson is difficult to comprehend and even harder to accept. I have to move past the fact that the British Courts found themselves competent to sit in Judgment over contracts awarded in Delta State for contracts that were legitimately awarded and completed. I have come to accept my fate despite the inability of the British prosecutors to show any evidence whatsoever of monies defrauded or indeed missing from Delta State.

“Since 2005 the British Prosecutors have investigated my assets worldwide, they have had a restraint order in place on most of those assets and they are well aware that the total monetary value of those assets is nowhere close to the sums that were the subject of today’s Order. Not withstanding the fact that many of the assets are not and have never been owned by me – it seems that if you are my friend and you allowed me to spend some holiday time in your house, then by this order I now own your home and must ask you to sell it to satisfy the Order.

“The Order made today was to be paid immediately, this was made in the full knowledge that it could take many months to actually realise the sale of many of these assets. There is an 8 year default sentence, which means that if I do not co-operate and pay nothing at all, then the prosecution can apply for the imposition of the default sentence. However as the prosecution already has a Restraint Order over the assets – the situation of my not co-operating or paying will not arise.

“However, an issue arises if my Restrained Assets are sold, and the total realised from the sale does not equal the amount in the Order, then the Prosecution can still apply for part of the default sentence to be applied, but they could only ask for a sliding scale reduction of the 8 years default sentence based on the amounts
that remain outstanding. If such an application were to be made it would be vigorously contested. In the normal course of events any talk of a default sentence would normally be stayed until any outstanding Appeal has been concluded,” he said in a statement.

Ibori added that the judge appeared to have cast aside any pretence of impartiality, while making the order, which he described as both “wholly unrealistic and unrealisable”.

“He has completely disregarded any arguments, evidence or expert witnesses in my favour. It was apparent during these last 2 days that he has forgotten many of the important elements of the case which is unsurprising as it almost 2 years since the case concluded. It has taken him 2 years to write this Judgment and in the interim he has presided over hundreds of cases, but I refuse to make excuses for him.”

“At this point in time words fail me and so the question for me as I take my case to the Court of Appeal, is, if I continue to believe that I may finally get some Justice is this the definition of madness? I know one thing for sure, that if I do not go to the Court of Appeal to contest this outrageous Order then my people will definitely say that I am a madman!”

Tells Workers To Be Battle Ready Against The Anti-People Policy

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has accused the courts in the country of being responsible for the present sufferings; hardships and underdevelopment the citizenry are passing through.

NLC also urged Nigerians to disregard the alleged state-sponsored rallies aimed at enslaving workers, stressing that the rallies are clear reminders of the Youth Earnestly Ask for Abacha movement days that forced them to reminiscence the days of the bespectacled dictator that ran roughshod over the nation and trampled upon all known democratic and civil rights of the citizens and workers.

President of the NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who stated this in his address at the closing ceremony of the 2023 Rain School of the congress in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, told workers to be battle-ready and brace for another round of struggle for the emancipation of the people and the workers.

He said that the earlier nationwide action organized by labour over the removal of fuel subsidy was allegedly sabotaged by an abnormal injunction procured and served on NLC in “unholy circumstances” from the Courts by the Government.

“Whether this antics of manipulating the Courts to sabotage our collective resolve will work this time is going to be left in the hands of Nigerians and the seriousness with which they see the imminent peril which our lives are being subjected to. That is why we want Nigerian workers and Nigerian people to blame all our present sufferings, hardships and underdevelopment on the Courts,” he said.

He said, “It is said that after the rain comes shine! Today, it is shining brighter and brighter! At the end of every journey is a time of reckoning and a time to say goodbyes! Time to evaluate what has been done and what has been accomplished! We have all spent a fruitful week learning new skills and getting empowered for the battle ahead; the struggles for a more humane and inclusive globe where workers will no longer be seen as appendages but as critical players towards greater wealth creation and development.

“Comrades! That is why it is indeed with great pleasure and honour that I stand with you on this auspicious occasion that marks the end of this year’s Rain School. The hard work has been done and we believe, the harvests and its various outcomes would soon be demonstrated in new deeper and more robust engagements with the social partners especially as we grapple with the increasing threat of neo-liberalism and its offshoots such as the incipient and burgeoning anti-poor; pro-capital policies of the government of Nigeria.

“It is important that we quickly draw your attention to the insensitive and utterly unacceptable hike in the prices of Petroleum products by the government of Nigeria in the midst of the suffering occasioned by the earlier hike of same product price to N537/litre on the 29th day of May 2023. Nigerians were yet to grapple with the shock of that inauguration day price increase when just few days ago, we were shocked with the announcement of a fresh price hike to N617/litre by the agents of the federal government. To us comrades, this is most unconscionable and a further attempt at emasculating an already suffering and bent Nigerians who are currently groaning under the yoke of an unbending malevolent group presently occupying the corridors of power.

“We have pointed this out so as to prepare all of our minds on the battle that awaits all of us as we leave this place. The skills we have acquired here must be used to strategically respond to this nascent wickedness if we must remain relevant as the people cry out and ask; where is Labour and where is the NLC? A cry is out there in the streets comrades and we must respond creatively and timely to those calls. It is in the nature and robustness of our response that the testimony of what we have acquired these past days will be borne. It is truly going to be a demonstration of our resilience which is anchored on how we are able to meet with the desires and expectations of those who look up to us for the articulation and defense of their rights and privileges.

“It is on this note that we call on all Nigerians to get ready to join hands with us as we begin preparation to build a coalition of all Nigerian people; from the North to the South and from the East to the West. A Coalition of the suffering, oppressed and deprived where everyone will be a leader and everyone will be a follower. Hunger and poverty transcend ethnic and religious boundaries and it is our collective and indeed civic duty to save ourselves and our nation from the clutches of these mindless policies.

“Nigerians must disregard the state sponsored rallies aimed at further enslaving us. These rallies are clear reminders of the Youth Earnestly Ask for Abacha movement days and truly forces us to reminiscence the days of the bespectacled dictator who ran roughshod over our nation and trampled upon all known democratic and civil rights of the citizens and workers.

“As we brace for another round of struggle for the emancipation of our people and ourselves, we call on all of us who have attended this year’s programme to take charge and provide leadership in their various constituencies so that together, we can generate the critical mass needed to compel this government to listen to the wishes of Nigerian people.

“Comrades! Our earlier nationwide action was sabotaged by an abnormal injunction procured and served on us in unholy circumstances from the Courts by the Government.”

Continuing, he said, “As we gird our loins with the lessons from our various discourses here and as we eagerly prepare for our various destinations in and out of Nigeria, we urge you not to remain forever as students. The success of this week can only be measured by what you are able to do with it and how you are able to impact lives and your different unions. Nietsche reminds us that the worst thing we can do to our teachers is to remain students forever!

“We therefore urge you to impart on others the lessons learnt here. Apply them and use it to change whatever platform or society that we come across. Be worthy ambassadors of this school and let the light that has been lit in you here shine brightly wherever you go and in whatever you do”.

The Federal Government has approved 19 fund managers to manage the finances provided by oil and gas companies for their various Host Communities’ Development Trust.

HCDTs are trust funds by international and domestic oil and gas companies which are meant for the development of communities where oil and gas operations take place.

The Federal Government gave the approval for the fund managers through the Nigerian Upstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, adding that more companies would be approved in due course.

The Assistant Director, Host Communities Department, NUPRC, Olatokunbo Karimu, disclosed this in Abuja, on Friday, at a stakeholders’ engagement on the deployment Host Comply Technology Solution developed by the commission.

He said, “The fund managers are very important because this a long term sustainability programme for the host communities after the cessation of oil and gas operations. So we have received a total of 37 applications from the fund managers, and those fully approved to play in the arena are 19.

“They are on our website, where you (oil companies) can get the fully approved fund managers, so that you can advise your management committees or your board of trustees to select from this list. More fund managers are going to be approved.”

Karimu said chapter three of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 was fully dedicated to host communities’ development, adding that the regulation of the NUPRC on this came out in June 2022, and was being operationalised gradually.

He said the funds for host communities’ development would come from three per cent of operational expenditures of oil companies, donations, gifts, grants, among others.

According to him, “We are looking at the situation where we can grow these donations, gifts and grants further down the line. We’ve done some unveiling of BOTs (Board of Trustees), and we’ve had the privilege of educating them on this particular section.”