Osita Chidoka, Nigeria’s former Aviation Minister whose foundation owns the Computer Based Test (CBT) Centre where the embattled Ejikeme Mmesoma sat her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), has spoken up on what he knows about the controversies surrounding the result obtained by the candidate.

Ms Mmesoma and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) have engaged in accusations and counter-accusations over the authenticity of the candidate’s claim of scoring 362 in the 2023 UTME.

With the acclaimed 362 score, Ms Mmesoma said she was the highest scorer in the examination as against the 360 reportedly scored by another candidate, Umeh Ukechinyere.

JAMB said that based on its record, Ms Ukechinyere scored the highest mark in the 2023 UTME and not Ms Mmesoma.

In a video which has since gone viral on social media, Ms Mmesoma displayed a notification of a result slip containing the 362 score, which she claimed was generated from the JAMB portal. But the examination body has since disclaimed the document, saying it stopped using such format for result slips in 2021.

Meanwhile, JAMB has announced the withdrawal of the candidate’s 249 score, and suspended her from taking the examinations for the next three years.

But in what seems to be in defence of JAMB, Mr Chidoka has raised some questions that suggest that the candidate’s paraded score is fake.

Red flags

Mr Chidoka said he observed two red flags from the result presented by Ms Mmesoma. First, he said the centre’s name, as spelt on the slip the candidate presented, was last used in 2021.

He added that the result format was also last used in 2021, a position earlier maintained by the examination board.

“Since 2021, the JAMB portal stopped referring to our centre as Thomas Chidoka Center for Human Development,” he wrote in an opinion piece.

“The correct name on the JAMB portal and the Main Examination Slip is Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Center for Human Development).”

He said JAMB had in 2021 insisted that the centre should change its name to reflect the name on its Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration. This, he said, was implemented in 2021.

“Due to the difference in our CAC registration details, JAMB insisted we change to Nkemefuna Foundation with Thomas Chidoka in a bracket as an identifier,” he said.

According to Mr Chidoka, all examination slips for the centre now bear ‘Nkemefuna Foundation’ with ‘Thomas Chidoka Centre’ in a bracket.

“But the result she (Ms Mmesoma) presented had just Thomas Chidoka Centre without the prefix, Nkemefuna Foundation. This error raised my suspicion about the genuineness of the presented result,” he added.

The second red flag, he said, was the same one that JAMB has repeatedly flagged in this controversy.

He said a look at the result slip showed that it was different as “those who took the last examination at our centre showed a different result slip template with the candidate’s passport picture, JAMB watermarks, and no mention of the name of the examination centre.”

He said he waited for the candidate to explain how she got the result, which he said was obviously not approved by JAMB.

He said: “I gave the young Mmesoma the benefit of the doubt and waited to see if she would explain how she got the result, which is obviously not the approved JAMB result template used in 2023. Without that explanation, I knew it was a fake result.”

Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria, has signed four Executive Orders, among which is the suspension of the five percent Excise Tax on telecommunication services as well as the Excise Duties escalation on locally manufactured products.

Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, announced this on Thursday while briefing journalists at the State House in Abuja.

He stated that the President also signed the Finance Act (Effective Date Variation) Order, 2023, which now defers the commencement date of the changes contained in the Act from May 23, 2023 to September 1, 2023.

According to the presidential spokesman, this is to ensure adherence to the 90 days’ minimum advance notice for tax changes as contained in the 2017 National Tax Policy.

President Tinubu also signed The Customs, Excise Tariff (Variation) Amendment Order, 2023, shifting the commencement date of the tax changes from March 27, 2023 to August 1, 2023 and also in line with the National Tax Policy.

Tinubu also ordered the suspension of the newly introduced Green Tax by way of Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics, including plastic containers and bottles as well as the suspension of Import Tax Adjustment levy on certain vehicles.

Alake equally explained that the President issued these orders to ameliorate the negative impacts of the tax adjustments on businesses and chokehold on households across affected sectors.

He however reiterated the President’s commitment to reviewing complaints about multiple taxation, local and anti-business inhibitions.

He also noted that President Tinubu’s administration will, therefore, continue to give requisite stimulus by way of friendly policies to allow businesses to flourish in the country.

The President assured Nigerians that there will not be further tax raise without robust and wide consultations undertaken within the context of a coherent fiscal policy framework.

 [hallmarknews]

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken steps to tackle the issue of arbitrary multiple taxation in the country by signing four Executive Orders into law.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that during an interactive session with State House Correspondents on Thursday, Dele Alake, the Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication, and Strategy to the President, announced this policy directive.

Alake provided a breakdown of the specific interventions outlined in the Executive Orders.

One of the Orders, known as the Finance Act (Effective Date Variation) Order, extends the commencement date of changes in the Act to September 1, 2023. This move ensures that the required 90-day notice for tax changes is adhered to.

Another Order pertains to the Customs, Excise Tariff (Variation) Amendment Order, which shifts the start date of tax changes to August 1, 2023.

Furthermore, the President has suspended the 5% Excise Tax on telecommunication services, the escalation of Excise Duties on locally manufactured products, and the recently introduced Green Tax on single-use plastics.

To ease the burden of tax adjustments on businesses and households, the President has also ordered the suspension of the Import Tax Adjustment levy on certain vehicles.

These Executive Orders, as outlined by the presidential aide, aim to mitigate the adverse effects of tax changes on both businesses and households.

Refer to the full text of the speech delivered by the presidential aide below for the details of these orders.

TEXT OF STATE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING ON PRESIDENTIAL INTERVENTIONS ON MAJOR CONCERNS OF MANUFACTURERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS REGARDING SOME RECENT TAX CHANGES ADDRESSED BY MR. DELE ALAKE, SPECIAL ADVISER ON SPECIAL DUTIES, COMMUNICATIONS AND STRATEGY ON THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2023

Gentlemen of the press, I welcome you to this media briefing which essentially is a further demonstration of the avowed commitment of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to constantly dialogue with Nigerians and lend a listening ear to their concerns.

2. Upon taking over the reins of government, the President promised to run a government that will not make life difficult for Nigerians or asphyxiate corporate entities. The Federal Government is irrevocably committed to this pledge.

3. You will all recall that prior to the advent of this Administration, certain tax changes were introduced via the Customs, Excise Tariff (Variation) Amendment Order, 2023 (henceforth referred to as “the Order”) published on the 8th of May 2023 and the Finance Act, 2023, which was signed into law on the 28th of May 2023.

4. Among others, the Order introduced new Excise Duty on Single Use Plastics (SUPs), higher Excise Duties on some locally manufactured products, including alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, and Green Tax by way of Import Tax Adjustment on certain categories of imported vehicles.
5. The Tinubu Administration has since noticed that some of the tax policies are being implemented retroactively with their commencement dates, in some instances, pre-dating the official publication of the relevant legal instruments backing the policies. This lacuna has created some challenges of implementation.

6. We wish to state that the intentions behind upward adjustments of some of these taxes are quite noble. They were designed to raise revenue as well as address environmental and public health concerns. However, they have generated some significant challenges for affected businesses, and elicited serious complaints amongst key stakeholders and in the business community.
7. Let me mention some of the problems we have identified with the aforementioned tax changes. A document known as the 2017 National Tax Policy approved by the Federal Executive Council of the last administration prescribes a minimum of 90 days’ notice from government to tax-payers’ entities before any tax changes can take effect.
8. This global practice is done with a view to giving taxpayers and businesses reasonable time to adjust to the new tax regime.
9. However, evidencing part of the gaps pointed out earlier, both the Finance Act 2023 and the Customs, Excise Tariff Order 2023 did not give the required minimum notice period, thus putting businesses in violation of the new tax regime even before the changes were gazetted.

10. As a result of this, many of the affected businesses are already contending with the rising costs, falling margins and capacity underutilization due the various macroeconomic headwinds as well as the impact of the Naira redesign policy.

11. Gentlemen of the press, you will also recall that Excise Tax increases on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages from 2022 to 2024, which had already been approved, are also being implemented. But a further escalation of the approved rates by the current Administration presents an image of policy inconsistency and creates an atmosphere of uncertainty for businesses operating in Nigeria.

12. The Excise Tax of 5% on telecommunication services has generated heated controversy. There is also a lack of clarity regarding the status of this tax, just as players in the sector also complain about the imposition of multiple taxes on their operations.
13. We have also seen that the Green Taxes, including the Single Use Plastics tax and the Import Adjustment Levy on certain categories of vehicles require more consultation and a holistic approach to the country’s net zero plan in a manner that does not impact the economy negatively.

[PoliticsNigeria]

The National Examination Council (NECO) has tightened its noose in the verification of results as it moves from analogue to digital with the introduction of its e-verification portal.

The portal, which is expected to increase confidence, reduce risks and improve efficiency, will also include flexible payment module, end to manual filing of forms, access from any part of the world, reduce stress and save time among others.

The Registrar of the council, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, at the unveiling of the platform Thursday in Abuja, said the movement was as a result of requests for verification and confirmation of results from 64 institutions across 37 countries over a two-year period from 2020 to 2022.

Similarly, he revealed that there were also requests from 72 institutions in Nigeria within the same period, adding that this was besides requests from individuals which were numerous. 

“Due to the growing need for verification and confirmation of results by institutions, both home and abroad, the council decided that now was the best time to introduce the e-verify platform.

“From available records at our disposal, we have observed that there were

requests for verification and confirmation of results from 64 institutions across 37 countries over a two-year period from 2020 to 2022.

“Result verification is an important process that helps to ensure the accuracy of academic credentials. By verifying the authenticity of candidates’ results, academic institutions and employers will be more confident that they are admitting and hiring persons who have the required qualification for further studies and specific job schedules,” he said.

In the same vein, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. David Adejo, who unveiled the portal, has directed all educational institutions to make use of it in the confirmation of results, adding that refusal to do so will lead to dire consequences.

[ThisDay]

I’m not sure what breaks the heart more: her insistence on her innocence or the prospects of a future that now hangs in the balance. For a young adult with a promising future, the emerging facts only suggest one thing: it doesn’t rain, it pours.

Mmesoma Ejikeme was one of the numerous students of Anglican Girls Secondary School (AGSS), Nnewi, Anambra State, who took the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in May 2023.

The first child in a family of four whose father eked out a living as an Okada rider, Mmesoma remained not just the pride of her parents, she was also one of the stars in AGSS, a missionary school handed back to its owners by former Governor Peter Obi in 2009.

Many public schools across the country were returned to the missions after years of neglect and mismanagement by government. It appears that the very reason they were returned has come back to haunt the new owners.

“My dream,” Mmesoma told reporters in the thick of allegations this week that she forged her UTME result, “was to become a pharmacist or a medical doctor. And I have always studied and worked hard to achieve it.”

That dream has either taken a fatal blow or may be unravelling after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) flagged Mmesoma’s result as forged and barred her from exams conducted by the board for three years.

For a country obsessed with politics, it was a surprise that the misery of this young adult and her family toppled political stories on the front pages for days and even drowned the heroics of the World, Commonwealth and African champion athlete, Tobi Amusan, who repeated her 2022 feat at the Diamond League in Stockholm, Sweden.

Instead of draping the national flag and posting Tobi’s photos on timelines like we did last year, the public space morphed into a triangle of controversy covering Mmesoma and her family; her school and the Anambra State Government; and JAMB.

High on emotions but short on facts and logic, the lynch mob on social media, never short of subjects and objects, has snapped-up the vomit. As usual, it is prosecuting, judging and executing with the virulence and toxicity of snake venom.

Some of the toxicity has also managed to seep in from a bitter spring of ethnic divisions that left the country deeply divided after the general elections. Yet, this tragedy is neither Igbo nor Yoruba; neither Efik nor Fulfude. It’s a human tragedy. 

It does appear that Mmesoma has been duped. Or she may have let herself into something she must now be sorry for. Information from her own video, interviews, and the response of JAMB, tend to show that the “notification of result” in which she claimed she scored 362, was fake.

Apart from taking JAMB’s word for it, I have spoken with six other candidates who took the same May UTME exam with Mmesoma. None of them has a slip that bears “notification of result,” which the examiner, JAMB, insists is one of the marks of the forged result.

The mix-up in her date of birth – which actually reflected the date of birth of Asimiyu Mariam Omobolanle, the original owner of the slip who took the exam two years ago and scored 138, and the bar code – also suggest strongly that what Mmesoma is showing as her result, was not her result.

Candidates get their results through one of two means: either by SMS or through the JAMB portal. The board has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that both methods are significantly secure. Of course, there are numerous fake sites offering everything from “upgrade” of JAMB scores to “self-service results,” complete with options for grades a la carte. I guess you would find similar Ochanja markets, even for politicians.

Yet, in Nigeria’s forest of desperately failing public institutions, JAMB, especially under Professor Ishaq Oloyede’s watch, has been exceptional. It understands that if the bird has learnt to fly without perching, the hunter must also learn to shoot without missing.

Except if Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo has other assignments for his investigating committee of eight of whom five are professors, it does not require a committee of eggheads to see that either Mmesoma has been duped, egged on by family, or she may have been a willing part of a bigger scam.

Mmesoma’s travail is not an isolated case or one-of-a-kind. Perhaps, hers has re-echoed because of the ripple effects. She was on her way to winning a scholarship from the state government, after a N3m award by Innoson Motors Chairman, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, when the bubble burst.

More audacious is Kaduna State-born Gerald Atung, earlier reported to have obtained 380 points in the same exam. Unlike Mmesoma, however, Gerald got his distinction for an exam he neither registered for nor participated in.

According to JAMB, “Gerald Atung never obtained the 2023 UTME forms not to talk of sitting for the examination.” Miracle? Even a credulous congregation might argue that at least there was water, before it became wine!

How did we get here? As in many things dumb and useless, politicians have managed to lead the way to the collapse of values. When they started throwing money at candidates with the highest cut-off marks in JAMB, instead of investing more in primary education, making public secondary schools more competitive, and state-owned tertiary institutions more skills-driven and science-focused, it was only a matter of time before they would democratise the rat race. Now, we’re reaping the whirlwind.

Politicians have continued to make a lot of noise about JAMB cut-off scores, even when JAMB has said, time and again, that the idea of cut-off marks is meaningless. Owners of private schools and tutorial/CBT centres also use high UTME scores as a sales gimmick and the fool’s button.

A candidate is assessed for admission not only on the basis of their UTME score, but also based on their school certificate exam result and their post-UTME score.

Crucially, other factors such as the general performance for that year, compliance with admission rules (by both the schools and candidates) for the course of study, quota catchment, and availability are also important. The cut-off war is unnecessary and irrelevant. What is the use, for example, of splashing cash on a cut-off hero who fails the school certificate examination?

As far as UTME goes, Mmesoma’s 249 was a good score and didn’t need padding. With 64 in Use of English; 54 in Physics; 74 in Biology; and 57 in Chemistry, I’m not sure if she would have made it into Pharmacy at the University of Lagos, which was her first choice or the Lagos State University, which was her second.

But assuming she passes her school certificate examination (and/or the NECO, which she is still taking), she might have been in good stead either for a state university, a federal university in the South East, or one in Delta State, which has no place at all for quota.

Mmesoma’s travail shows that obsession for short-cuts and quick fixes often lead to broken hearts and deeper misery. It’s not about tribe or ethnicity, else Mmesoma would not have chosen all four school choices outside the South East, her native enclave.

She made the regrettable error of climbing the tree of her ambition beyond the leaf. And sadly, she has landed where there’s no road to medicine or pharmacy and she cannot continue to double down. Life is not over. With help, she can rise again.

JAMB has made its point robustly. It has rightly thrown out the bath water. It should, however, spare the baby.

…Vows not to abandon Nigerians to their fate

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has said the recent hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, commonly known as petrol, and other perceived anti-poor policies were weapons of war against Nigerian workers and masses.

According to NLC, impoverishing workers and pushing millions more into hellish living does not, in any way, approximate sound economic management.

In an address at the opening ceremony of a four-day programme for leaders of the state councils of NLC in the south, taking place in Lagos, President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, said from all intents and purposes, the Nigerian state had declared war on the working people and the masses of Nigeria.

Represented by the Deputy President of Congress and President-General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, in the programme supported by the American Solidarity Centre, Ajaero, noted that trade union leaders must not abandon the Nigerian people and workers to their fate.

The NLC president said labour leaders across the country “must all join hands in the struggle for the articulation and protection of the rights of Nigerian workers and people with all hope that one day, workers of Nigeria will reclaim their natural rights that have been forcefully abridged and trampled upon by uninformed employers and those in government who ought to have been in the vanguard of guaranteeing such rights.

“Various governments in Nigeria have mercilessly trampled upon the rights of Nigerians without any feeling of remorse. Politicians have ganged up against the workers and the masses without any consequences.

”It is important to note that governance in Nigeria is always spoken about in paradoxical dimensions.
Governments are rooted in the lives of the people and thus ought to pursue service to them but in our nation, governance has become an instrument for inflicting pains and suffering on workers and the masses.

”Recently, we are all witnessed the steep heartless hike in the price of PMS by the federal government under the guise of the so-called petroleum subsidy withdrawal without making alternative arrangements to cushion the expected and well-known impact of such unconscionable action.

“This policy direction ought to have been the product of dialogue amongst stakeholders but was shunned by a democratically elected government which rather believes in machoism that has since left the economy reeling.

“That, clearly shows that the Nigerian State from all corners is clearly at war with the people and workers. They have mounted pressure on the people at all fronts and have robbed the people repeatedly even when the people have turned the other cheek refusing to acknowledge that governance must go hand in hand with social justice if it is to have any meaning.

”This onslaught, comrades, is not relenting and would continue if nothing is done to mediate it immediately.

“It has become exigent that we forcefully bring to the knowledge of our various leaders that rendering many more millions of Nigerians poor could not be an option for punishment.

”Moreover, impoverishing workers and pushing millions more into hellish living does not in any way approximate sound economic management.

“Nigerian workers and masses cannot continue bearing the brunt of ill-conceived policies and outright fantasies of our leaders. The continued sacrifice of poor Nigerian workers so that the rich can continue in their unbridled pleasures is beginning to push events to the edge.

“A nation with a huge number of poor people and an increasing number of the working poor is akin to mega trouble. Growth without commensurate benefits to the people is meaningless. Nigerians, workers and comrades can put a stop to this.

”The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, can halt this manifest mischief. As trade union leaders, we must not abandon the people and workers to their fate. We must not leave anything to chance and we must not sit by and watch this rape continue unabated.

“Among the heart-wrenching and serial atrocities of current employers both in the public and private sectors against Nigerian workers is the continued prevalence of abuses of the rights and privileges of the workforce in the various shopfloors which have gone unchallenged.

“Acts of impunity by lawless employers without recourse to our extant labour laws have all contributed to abridging the rights of our fellow workers in our various workplaces.

”It has suddenly become a passion and a dangerous pastime for employers to trample upon our rights as the creators and builders of the wealth of this nation.

“Across the nation, reports kept pouring in of workers deprived and denied of their basic rights and sometimes denied of their rights to fair and living wages.

”Governments at various levels owe salaries sometimes up to one year and when they manage to pay one month, they applaud themselves openly believing that the payment of earned income to workers is charity extended to workers.”

[Vanguard]

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has called on the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to resign from his position.

Igbokwe stated this following the disagreement between Adamu and the leadership of the National Assembly over the appointment of the principal officers of the parliament.

Speaking with Daily Trust on Wednesday, Igbokwe said it is high time the national chairman was eased out because he could no longer be trusted.

He said it was wrong for the party’s chairman to have publicly dismissed the list of the principal officers which the president, who is the leader of the party, must have endorsed.

Igbokwe said the national chairman had shown that he cannot be trusted when he attempted to choose the former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, as the party’s presidential candidate.

He said, “He was supposed to have been removed that time when he supported Ahmed Lawan but APC managed the matter. We can’t trust him.”

The former spokesman of APC in Lagos said even if Adamu was not satisfied with the list of principal officers released, he should not have made it public.

“In all honesty, we can’t trust him again. He was managed for us to come out of the election. Now is the time to ease him out but I know Asiwaju knows what to do,” he added.

The Nigerian Army will put an end to pipeline damage and oil theft in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, according to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.

Wednesday in Ibadan was Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) day, and Lagbaja spoke at an interactive session with media executives.

He added that he would continue to pay attention to banditry in the Northwest.

Lagbaja said, “The Army will focus on the situation in the Niger-Delta region, just as it will not also lose focus on what’s happening in other parts of the country in line with the mandate of the current government.

“The President [Bola Tinubu] has said that the nation is bleeding from all these. The money isn’t just there to do what we used to do in the past.

“This has led to the removal of oil subsidies and the floated exchange rate, while other reforms have also been put in place.

“Riding on the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of the President, the Nigerian Army under my watch will stamp out oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.”

Senate Majority Leader, Michael Bamidele, on Wednesday, said that there were no criminal charges against President Bola Tinubu in any United States court.

Bamidele was called as a sole witness during the proceedings of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.

The Senate Majority Leader maintained that the $460, 000 forfeiture order against the President by an American court was in respect of a civil matter that could not take the place of criminal charges.

He said there was no conviction and sentence against Tinubu as required by law for it to be turned into criminal charges.

The witness also told the court that the February 25 presidential election results for All Progressives Congress in Kano State were recorded with a shortfall of 10, 292 votes against Tinubu.

President Bola Tinubu and the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, along with their party, the All Progressives Congress have closed their defence in the joint petition filed by the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi.

The trio are co-respondents in the petition by the LP and Obi challenging their victory in the February 25 presidential election.

The respondents through their team of lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, (for Tinubu and Shettima) and Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, (for the APC) closed their defence after tendering several documents and calling a witness to testify in aid of their counter-arguments against the issues raised by the petitioners.

Despite the objections by the petitioners, the five-man panel of the court presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the documents as evidence and marked them as exhibits.

The court gave the respondents 10 days to file their final written addresses, the petitioner seven days to respond and five days to reply on point of law.

Justice Tsammani said the date for the adoption of the final written addresses would be communicated to the parties.

Under cross-examination by counsel for the APC, Fagbemi, SAN, Bamidele told the court that Obi’s name was not contained in the membership list of the LP submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Other documents tendered and admitted during Wednesday’s proceedings include a letter from the Nigeria Police to the United States Embassy, dated February 3, 2003; a letter from the United States Embassy to the Nigeria Police, dated February 4, 2003; and US Visas and immigration documents between 2011 and 2021.

In a related development, Tinubu, Shettima, and the APC closed their defence in the joint petition by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Among other grounds, the petitioners contended that INEC did not comply with the electoral laws including failure to transmit the election result electronically using the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System and the INEC Results Viewing portal.

They also argued that, contrary to the provisions of the law, the president failed to poll at least 25 per cent of votes from the Federal Capital Territory.

During the resumed hearing in their defence on Wednesday evening, the respondents in the petition proceeded to close their case after tendering several documents and calling one witness to testify in the matter.

As in the case of Obi, the court gave the respondents 10 days to file their final written addresses, the petitioner seven days to respond and five days to reply on point of law.

Under cross-examination by counsel for the APC, Fagbemi, SAN, Bamidele affirmed that the president was not charged with any criminal offence by any American court.

This was about the widely circulated court affidavit from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division on civil forfeiture proceedings against Tinubu concerning $460,000.

However, the witness affirmed that “there can’t be a conviction without a charge, arraignment and defence.”

He said the president had a clean bill of health as far as criminal charges in the USA were concerned.

He further affirmed the statement by the senior advocate that the president is a citizen of Nigeria by birth.

Under cross-examination by counsel for the PDP and Atiku, Eyitayo Jegede(SAN), the witness argued that scoring 25 per cent votes in Abuja was not a mandatory requirement for the office of the president.

A forensic analysis has declared that the content of the 2017 viral video which captured former Governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, allegedly receiving bundles of dollar notes as a bribe from a contractor and stuffing them in his flowing dress was not doctored but real video.

Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Rimingado made this known on Wednesday, during “A One Day Public Dialogue on Anti-Corruption Crusade in Kano”, stating that the authenticity of the videos had been confirmed.

According to Rimingado, since the release of the video, he had been pressured from all quarters to either prove the embattled governor’s innocence or guilt.

He added that since the commission commenced an investigation into the allegations in 2018, proving Ganduje’s guilt or innocence had been impossible because the former governor had immunity.

Recall that while Ganduje debunked the contents of the video after it surfaced, the Kano State House of Assembly had constituted a committee to investigate the allegations but the committee was yet to submit its findings, before a new assembly was inaugurated on July 4, 2023.

However, the former governor had recently requested a Kano State High Court to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from investigating him over the matter.

In a suit filed before the high court, the former Attorney General of the State prayed the court to restrain the EFCC from probing Ganduje until a suit between the former governor and the publisher of the Daily Nigerian, Jafaar Jafaar, was determined.