Barring last-minute changes, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas will on resumption of legislative activities on Tuesday announce the names of the Principal Officers.

Before embarking on the Sallah recess, Speaker Abbas announced members of the Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee is to be chaired by the Speaker while Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu is to serve as the Deputy Chairman.

According to the Speaker, each of the 36 State and FCT Caucuses is expected to nominate one of their members as member of the Selection Committee.

As stipulated in the 10th edition of the Standing Order, the Selection Committee is responsible for the nomination of Chairmen of various Standing Committees.

Members of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) penciled down as members of the Body of Principal Officers are: Hon. Julius Ihovbere as Majority Leader.

It was also gathered Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Abubakar Halims (APC-Kogi), Chief Whip – Usman Kumo (APC-Gombe). However, the South West lawmaker nominated for the position of Deputy Chief Whip cannot be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.

For the Minority Caucus, Hon. Kingsley Chinda was adopted as the Minority Leader, while Hon. George Ozodinobi (Labour Party – Anambra) was nominated as Deputy Minority Leader.

It be recalled that the PDP Caucus via a statement issued after the inauguration of the 10th Assembly had adopted Hon. Ali Isa (PDP – Gombe) as the Minority Whip.

Anambra State Government has instituted a panel of inquiry into the controversy trailing the highest scorer in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme, a 16-year-old student of Anglican Girls secondary school in Nnewi, had earlier been announced to have scored 362 as the highest.

JAMB, however, in a press release on Sunday night, dismissed her result as fake, saying it was manipulated and that she would be prosecuted for it.

A press release by the Anambra State Ministry of Education and signed by its Public Relations Officer, Mr Nnaemeka Egwuonwu, stated that the investigation would unravel the truth about how Miss Ejikeme got her result.

Part of the release read: “Education Commissioner, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh regretted that the development was very embarrassing, coming at a time when the Soludo-led administration is repositioning in her avowed determination to get education right in the State.

“Meanwhile, the Anambra State Government will continue to celebrate Nkechinyere Umeh, who was declared the highest by JAMB, having scored a cummulative mark of 360, while security agents are investigating the allegation of falsification of result levelled against Ejikeme Mmesoma, who had earlier been showcased in the social media as having scored the highest.”

Fiery Napoli forward Victor Osimhen has paid a visit to the residence of billionaire business-cum-banking, Tony Elumelu.

Upon his arrival in Lagos, the Nigeria international who emerged as one of Europe’s leading marksmen in the 2022-23 campaign after netting a league-high 26 goals in 32 Serie A games during Napoli’s surge to the title visited his primary school in the Oregun area of Ikeja where he met with the head teacher who convinced his late father to allow him play football.

Osimhen, who lived in Olusosun, a small neighborhood near Oregun also visited his hood and was greeted by a large crowd that almost mobbed him.

As he continued to relive precious childhood moments, the Super Eagles striker also made time out to enjoy himself with some associates including entertainers.

Still on a tour of the metropolitan city, Osimhen made his way to the Elumele where he was received by the Chairman, United Bank for Africa Plc, and his wife, Awele Vivian Elumelu.

He bowed his head as a sign of respect as he shook hands with Elumelu who was very much pleased to receive him.

Osimhen also presented his jersey to the stylish 60-year-old Elumelu who expressed immense pride in him.

Captioning shared photos with the Napoli superstar, Elumelu tweeted: “We’re all proud of you Victor @victorosimhen9! #SerieATopScorer #Scudetto #TOEWay.”

A former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Sani Yerima, has renewed his advocacy for dialogue with bandits.

He spoke on Monday while fielding questions from State House reporters after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Yerima said though the federal government possessed the capacity to contain banditry decisively, it was the government at the centre that championed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s successful negotiation with militants in the Niger Delta region.

The former governor said dialogue was necessary to avoid collateral damage and recalled that World War I and World War II were resolved on the negotiation tables.

He emphasised that negotiations were an integral part of governance and that they should be pursued before resorting to extensive military operations.

He said poverty and ignorance were root causes of conflicts and proposed rehabilitation programmes as a means to integrate the bandits back into society.

He said poverty and ignorance were prevalent among the bandits and advocated education and poverty alleviation programmes to address the root causes of their actions.

On the concerns raised about the plight of victims affected by bandits’ activities, he said he was proposing a solution for the overall Nigerian crisis and not advocating for the bandits.

He stressed the importance of giving Nigerians the opportunity to repent, be rehabilitated, and reintegrated into society.

He restated his confidence in the government’s capacity, with adequate resources and support, to address the security challenges if negotiations failed.

The pipeline contractors operating in Bayelsa State have uncovered a total of nine illegal refineries sites with a combined total daily production estimated to be more than one million barrels per day (bpd), in three communities in Bayelsa State.

The discovery was made possible through the efforts of security operatives in the ongoing war against crude oil theft and illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region.

The illegal refineries commonly called ‘Kpofire’ in local parlance in the state were uncovered in Okordia, Zarama, Biseni in Yenagoa Local Government Area, and the boundary communities of Ibelebiri and Otuege(Agba) in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Speaking with journalists at the site of one of the busted illegal refineries located 8 kilometres inside the swamp forest of Zarama Clan, the Spokesman and Mobilisation Officer of Daven Oil and Security Enterprises, Comrade Okardi Yogo, said a total number of nine sites have so far been uncovered during the operation.

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has called for an independent investigation regarding the alleged forged results of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate, Ejikeme Mmesoma.

Ejikeme was accused by the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB) of falsely inflating her scores to receive a N3 million scholarship from Innoson Motors.

However, the student cried out in protest in a video stating that she has always been a brilliant girl and she is incapable of falsifying her results.

Ezekwesili added that she has already reached out to the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.

“This saga between Mmesoma Ejikeme and @JAMBHQ requires an Independent Tech investigation to unearth all facts. Listening to her in this video, it is reasonable to request a forensic investigation to help reveal what really happened. I have reached out to the Registrar of JAMB,” she tweeted.

In the video, Ejikeme can be seen holding up a result sheet while stating that, that is her result as printed from the JAMB portal, with the aggregate score of 362.

“I am the owner of this result. I went to the JAMB portal to print this result and this is what they gave me, this is the result here. So, this is my aggregate; 362, this is exactly how I printed it. Saying that I forged my result is what I don’t know and I am traumatized that they accused me of forging my own results because I am not capable of this.”

“They scanned the QR code and said it showed another name (Omotola Afolabi 138) and that same person that got 138, they checked again the person got 338, meaning that there is a problem somewhere,” she said.

She narrated how she went to the office of the Commissioner of Education with her school principal, where the result was sent to JAMB officials for verification.

It was then reported back that her result was fake, after which officials from the Department of State Services (DSS) called her to their offices.

“My principal and I went to the Commissioner of Education’s office last Friday. We showed the result to the commissioner of education and she snapped it and sent it to the JAMB officials. They called back saying it is a forged result. They called the DSS over to their office. The DSS took us to their office and we made our statement. They said we would be contacted later after investigating the result where it came from.

“Instead of them to wait for the investigation to be over, they posted that I forged my result without confirming. I’m really sad. Since my nursery school, I have been taking first. I scored over 300 in my common entrance. I’m a brilliant girl. I am not an illiterate that would forge results,” she lamented.

THE WHISTLER reported earlier today that the Head of Corporate Communications at Innoson Group, Cornel Osigwe, faulted JAMB for claiming the student’s results were fake.

“That girl was one of the most brilliant in her school, according to the Principal, her parents couldn’t even afford to pay for her WAEC and NECO Exams. Of what advantage will it offer her to manipulate her JAMB score? Let the poor breathe, please.

“The girl I met doesn’t have the brain and capacity to manipulate her result. There is more to this story. A proper investigation needs to be done,” he tweeted.

Central Bank of Nigeria has reacted to the recent announcement of increment in rate charged by Point of Sale operators in Nigeria.

Recall that on Friday June 30, the PRO, AMMBAN, Lagos Chapter, Stephen Adeoye, declared on Channels Television’s Business Morning programme, that the association has come up with a new price list for PoS agents operating in the state.

He said, “Let me tell you the price list, N1000–N2,400 will be N100 for withdrawal. N3500 to N4000 will be N200; N4,100 to N6,400 will be N300; N6,500 to N7,900 will be N400; N8500 to N10,900 will be N500; N11,000 to N14,000 will be N600; N14,500 to N17,900 will be N700; N18,000 to N2000 will N800 for withdrawal.”

In an interview with The PUNCH, the National Public Relations Officer, Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria, Oluwasegun Elegbede, said Point of Sale agents are already meeting with stakeholders across the country to agree on changes in transaction charges for PoS services.

The implementation of the new PoS charges has begun in Lagos, Ogun, and Edo states, Elegbede said.

According to him, other states are working to follow in Lagos’s footsteps and increase transaction charges.

Justifying the increase in prices by the Lagos chapter of the organisation, Elegbede, said PoS agents are adjusting their prices to reflect the country’s current economic realities.

He said, “Yes, it is something that is expected to happen nationally, looking at business last year and the current economic realities, it is very important that we also continue to stay in business.

“Every other thing in the market has gone up, and we operate in the same market as every other business. Basically, the source of our business, the funding, the operational cost, and payment of staff is borne by us.”

He stated that agents need to increase their prices if they are to continue to stay in business. He argued, “We have to increase prices if we want to continue to stay in business, we need to balance cost. It will cut across all states. What we agreed on at the national level is that each state should come up with something that is realistic in their state, we cannot dictate prices for the state.”

“The new rates are needed because of the current situation of the country. But it will still be very much affordable for the populace because we are also aware of our role in the economy.”

This move by AMMBAN is in defiance of the Central Bank of Nigeria, which recently released emergency telephone numbers for Nigerians to report PoS agents charging above N200 for withdrawal of amounts up to N10,000.

Commenting on the increase, the Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Isa AbdulMumin, noted that CBN was aware of the move by PoS agent to increase transaction charges.

“CBN is very much aware and working towards resolving the issue.” Punch quoted him as saying.

According to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, there were 1.8 million PoS deployed machines as of the end of March 2023. Also, more Nigerians have begun to depend on PoS services with transaction value hitting an all-time high of N1.15tn as of the end of March 2023

Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has established a treasury single account (TSA) to manage all state finances.

This was stated in an executive order: KTSLN NO: 0012023, titled “Treasury Single Account Direction Notice”, and signed by the governor on July 3, 2023.

In the exercise of the powers conferred upon me by the provisions of Section 5(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I, Dikko Umaru Radda, PhD., Governor of Katsina State do hereby make the following:-

This Notice may be cited as Treasury Single Account Direction Notice, and shall be deemed to have come into force on the 3rd day of July 2023.

Without prejudice to Section 120 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) all revenues and monies accruing and forming the Consolidated Revenue Fund including funds from Excess Crude Account, grants or donation for Katsina State shall be paid into a unified account to be referred to as Treasury Single Account out of which all expenditure incurred or approved to be incurred shall be defrayed or paid.

The Accountant General shall prescribe the frame work within which Ministries, Departments and Agencies shall conduct their bank/cash management under the Treasury Single Account regime.

The Commissioner for Finance, Accountant General and the Auditor General shall ensure compliance to this Direction, the order read in full.

Radda promised to introduce the TSA in his inaugural address, saying it was to consolidate the state’s finances in order to strengthen accountability and close all loopholes in our financial system.

“Leakages in payroll, overheads, and capital projects will be targeted until we eradicate them to ensure that public finances are managed efficiently for the benefit of the people,” the governor said during his address.

President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, received a delegation from Shell Petroleum Development Company at the Aso Rock in Abuja.

The Shell delegation on a courtesy call was led by the company’s Global Upstream Director, Ms Zoe Yunovic. She was joined by Peter Costello, Osagie Okunbo, and Mar De Jong.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari; as well as the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila were also at the meeting.

Others in attendance include the Special Adviser on Energy to the President, Olu Verheijen; Special Adviser on Revenue Matters to the President, Zacchaeus Adedeji; and Special Adviser on Communications, Special Duties and Strategy to the President, Dele Alake.

At the meeting, the President assured the business community of his government’s commitment to policy consistency and better business climate to attract investment.

Tinubu welcomed the the company’s offer for more investments in the Nigerian oil and gas sector, adding that such investments are needed now more than ever, to enable Government meet its obligations.

“We are open for business. We are serious. I give you the assurance of consistency in policy,” he said, according to a statement by his spokesman, Dele Alake.

The President also assured that his government was removing all forms of bottlenecks in order to ensure Nigeria becomes an attractive investment destination.

Monday’s engagement followed Tinubu’s return to base in Abuja on Sunday after a string of Sallah activities in Lagos last week.

The President had on June 22, 2023 made his first official trip overseas after his inauguration as Nigeria’s new leader on May 29, 2023.

Tinubu was in Paris, France, alongside world leaders like French President, Emmanuel Macron for the New Global Financial Pact summit held at the Palais Brongniart.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has slammed a three-year ban on Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme, who is embroiled in the controversy of who scored the highest mark in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, conducted by the Board.

This is just as the Board said it has also cancelled the result obtained by her in the examination.
Speaking with the Vanguard, yesterday evening, the spokesman of the Board, Dr. Benjamin Fabian, accused the lady of engaging in criminal act.

“What she did was to alter a result that was obtained by somebody in the 2021 UTME. She is banned for three years from sitting for the UTME too. That result of hers, where she scored 249, has been cancelled as well,” he said on phone.

Asked how the girl could have altered her result without connivance with somebody in the Board, Fabian said there was no hacking into the Board’s facility.

“Our results are safe and nobody has hacked into them. She only altered her results, and the QR code will always show her true result,” he added.

However, Mmesoma, in a post on her Facebook wall, denied any wrong doing.

“They are just trying to harass me and my family. After the results were released over two months ago, why is it taking them this long to say what they are saying now? Now, using the QR code is indicating another name – Omotola Afolabi – which initially showed a score of 138 and, later, 338. Somebody cannot have two different results from the same examination.

“I cannot do what they are accusing me of. I have been a brilliant girl from my Nursery School days. I scored over 300 in my common entrance examination to secondary school,” she stated.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State government has said it bust up the whole thing when it suspected that the score was fake.

This came as the chairman of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, who earlier announced a N3 million scholarship to the girl, said she can no longer access the fund until the investigation is completed.

Mmesoma became an instant celebrity after her alleged 362 scores went viral as the overall best score in the 2023 UTME.

JAMB on Sunday, declared Mmesoma’s 362 UTME score as fake, and revealed that her score was manually inflated, as her original score was 249. JAMB also announced the immediate withdrawal of Mmesoma’s UTME score.

Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Professor Ngozi Chuma-Udeh said she was the one that raised the alarm after the girl honoured an invitation in the process of the plan by the state government to honour her.

Chuma- Udeh said that after Mmesoma’s result was published online, she invited the girl for recognition by the state government, adding that when Mmesoma brought her result, she observed that it was not directly from the JAMB printout.

According to her, it was at that point that she became suspicious, which made her get in touch with JAMB to confirm the result, stating that she was taken aback when JAMB told her that what was circulating was not its result.

She said it was at that point that her ministry turned back the girl, while JAMB began an investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, the founder of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, who announced the N3 million university scholarship award to the 16-year-old Mmesoma shortly after her result went viral, has said that with the latest development, the girl can no longer access the fund, although the money had been paid into a dedicated account.

Describing the revelation as very unfortunate, Chukwuma said he was excited when he heard that the young girl came tops in the UTME, especially when he found out that she studied in a public school.

He said: “When I was told that a student of a public school recorded the highest score in the JAMB examination, I sent for the principal of the school and the principal confirmed to me that it was true that the girl scored the mark.

“I said to myself that such a brilliant girl if properly educated, will be beneficial to our country and the world at large, so I decided to award her a scholarship so that nothing will stop her from attaining a university education.

“When I awarded her the scholarship, I deposited ¦ 3,000,000 in a dedicated bank account and told the principal that the money is strictly meant for Mmesoma’s education in the university, which means that any time she needs to pay any fee in the school, they will let me know so that I will sign for withdrawal of the money from the account. “

Mmesoma claimed to have scored 98 marks in English Language, 89 in Physics, 94 in Biology and 81 in Chemistry.

Incidentally, JAMB said the true highest scorer is also from Anambra State like Mmesoma. He is Umeh Nkechinyere with 360 marks.