Justice Tijjani Ringim of a Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos have convicted a clearing agent, Felix Olame, who was arrested with container load of pangolin scales, elephant ivories, tusk and bones by the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS).

Justice Ringim convicted the clearing agent, after he pleaded guilty to three counts charge made against him by the Customs.

The convicted clearing agents, according to the prosecutors, David Ereh and Mike Osong, was arrested on January, 2021, at Apapa Port, Lagos, for being in possession of 1X20ft Container marked CSLU 2362640, containing 158 sacks of pangolin scales and 57 sacks of elephant ivory, horns and bones.

The prosecutors told the court that the convict conspired with some others, who were said to be at large to commit the offence.

The prosecutors told the court that the offences committed by the convict, are contrary to and punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. And section 7(3) of the National Environmental (Protection of Endangered Species in International Trade) Regulations, 201 and punishable under section 7(4) of the same Regulations

The convict pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to him.

Upon his plea, the prosecutors reviewed the facts of the charge, and urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

But counsel ….., pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy, saying that his client was used by those who wanted to smuggle the items.

He pray the court should tender justice with mercy by given the defendant an option of fine.

Delivering judgment on the charge, Justice Ringim held that: “in the certificate of the provision of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, the prosecution review evidence after the defendant pleaded guilty to the three counts charge.

“I have painstakingly looked at the three counts charge and I observed that count two and three are the same, therefore the defendant can not by punished on the two counts together to avoid the principle of double jeopardy.

Consequently count two is hereby struck out.

The defendant is hereby convicted on count one and three only.

“Consequently, the convict is hereby sentenced to six months imprisonment.”

Four archenemies of the United States, US, met variously in its Latin American ‘backyard’ this week. It was the five-day Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. No, the quartet did not make themselves enemies of the US, it was the latter which at various times had dictated to those countries, that designated them as such.

All four are under the unilateral sanctions of the US which punishes any country that dares befriend them. So only the independent-minded and strong countries maintain trade relations with them.

The US also punishes the quartet if they dare trade among themselves. In 2020 the US ordered the seizure of four Iranian vessels with 1.1 million barrels of fuel bound for Venezuela. The US said the ships must be seized because they violated the unilateral sanctions it had imposed on both countries. It was a show of might over right.

So, the defiant visit this week by the Iranian President and the various sanction-bursting agreements the four countries signed, is a declaration that they are not ready to abide by the dictates of the US.

Raisi was defiant throughout his tour. At the start of his June 12 visit he said the four countries have “a common enemy…common interests and we have common enemies”. He added in reference to the US and its allies: “They do not want the two countries, Iran and Venezuela, to be independent”.

To these declarations, Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro responded: “We are on the right side of history and together we will be invincible.” Both sides signed agreements on various fields, including oil, defence, technology, energy, maritime and medicine.

Raisi on Wednesday told Nicaraguans: “There is a great geographical distance between Nicaragua and Iran and the Latin American region, but our hearts are very close and our goals are also very close (we) share a common history of struggle, of resistance, of revolutions, of combat against a common enemy.”

In Nicaragua, both countries signed agreements, including one on a bi-national commission before the Iranian President flew to Cuba, the country that gave the world unforgettable international radical leaders of the 20^th Century like Ernesto Che Guevera and Fidel Castro.

A common thread between Venzuela and Iran with its ends flapping in the US is the case of Alex Saab, a Venezuela Ambassador currently on trial in Miami, USA.

First, Saab, is a moral burden on the US. During the COVID-19 pandemic when virtually all countries in the world, including the US, needed aid, Saab was on a mission to Iran to buy urgently needed food and medicines for Venezuelans. On June 12, 2020, his plane touched down in Cape Verde to refuel. He was abducted by the authorities on the instigation of the USA for the ‘crime’ of trying to buy food for his starving compatriots when the almighty US had ordered that no country carries out any transaction with Iran.

The ECOWAS West African Court, was ashamed of the role of Cape Verde in not only detaining an ambassador with diplomatic immunity but one on an urgent humanitarian mission. It ordered its member country not just to effect the immediate release of Ambassador Saab, but also pay him a $200,000 compensation. But Cape Verde betrayed the African brotherhood and the spirit of its biological son, Amilcar Cabral, who fought for the brotherhood of humanity before being murdered by Portuguese security agents. Under US pressure, Cape Verde handed over the ambassador to the US which flew him to Miami for a controversial trial.

Now, the US is part of the human race that accepts and enjoys diplomatic immunity. In its “Diplomatic and Consular Immunity: Guidance for Law Enforcement and Judicial Authorities”, the Department of State, in accepting diplomatic immunity as sacrosanct, wrote that: “International law, to which the United States is firmly committed, requires that law enforcement authorities of the United States extend certain privileges and immunities to members of foreign diplomatic missions and consular posts.” Its reference is to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

So the Ambassador Saab case was ordinarily a straight forward one: all he needed was to tell the American court that he is an ambassador which under the American constitution and obligations, grants him immunity from prosecution in any US court.

After long delays, including denying Saab medical treatment for his post-cancer treatment, family and consular visits, he had his day in court. That he had been an ambassador of Venezuela since 2018 could not be controverted but the US Government said it does not recognise the Venezuelan Government headed by President Nicolas Maduro which had appointed Saab an ambassador. For the US, the Maduro government does not exist!

This submission of the Biden administration exposes the American government as either being utterly dishonest or suffering from dementia.

Given the age of the US establishment and its increasing inability to come to terms with the unfolding global reality, it is certain that it is suffering from recurring diplomatic memory loss. Let me demonstrate this with facts of interactions between the Biden and Maduro governments in 2022 alone.

In March 2022, President Joe Biden despatched a top level US diplomatic delegation to Caracas which held meetings with the Maduro government. The White House Delegation composed Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Council Director for the Western Hemisphere, Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy on hostage affairs and Ambassador James Story, the US Ambassador to Colombia who oversees the American Venezuelan Affairs Unit.

In June 2022, President Biden again sent a special delegation which included Roger Carstens and Ambassador James Story to meet with the Maduro government. President Maduro confirmed the presence of the US delegation and directed it to meet National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez. Maduro had said the meeting was to “give continuity to the bilateral agenda between the government of the United States and the government of Venezuela”.

Then on Saturday, November 26, 2022, President Biden eased some of the oil sanctions against the Maduro government. Under it, the US Treasury authorised Chevron oil to resume ‘limited’ oil production in Venezuela under the supervision of the Maduro administration.

These are facts. But the Biden government could not seem to recall these events and the US court concurred. It ruled that: “At the time he was arrested, Saab Moran truly was no diplomat at all.”

 Venezuelan Congress head, Jorge Rodriguez, said of the ruling: “If the United States, or in this case, this judge, takes that decision, which is an atrocity, no diplomat in the world will be safe from now on.”

But who cares; at least not the American establishment that is striving so hard to stand the world on its head.

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday said that having campaigned and won the election, he and state governors cannot complain about the huge task of growing the economy, saying that they have no reason to fail.

He made the declaration on Thursday at the Presidential, Abuja while inaugurating the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

While restating his plans, the President observed that NEC has the mandate to advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the federation, and in particular, on appropriate measures for the coordination of the economic plans and programs of government, ministries, departments and agencies.

Tinubu noted that the monthly meeting of NEC has remained the official economic platform for robust dialogue among the federal government, the 36 state governors, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other key stakeholders.

He stated: “In my inaugural speech of May 29, year 2003 I expressed this administration’s commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians in a manner that’s not just our humanity, encourages compassion towards one another, and duly rewards our collective effort to resolve the social ills that seek to divide us.

“I also listed the principles that will guide our administrations and it is as follows: to be impartial, to govern according to the Constitution, and the rule of law; to defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality; to promote economic growth and development, through job creation, food security, and an end to poverty.

“To prominently feature women and youth in all our activities, and to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption, while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of various anti-corruption agencies.

“I also highlighted eight priority areas to which this administration would focus, security, economy, jobs, agriculture and infrastructure.

“We have already taken significant steps by ending the first subsidy and unifying the foreign exchange rate. This government will continue to transform our nation’s fortunes and bring about unprecedented development through good governance.

“We are committed to sustainable initiatives and programmes that will stimulate the rejuvenation of the economy without causing inflation.

“The plans and ideas we have presented underscore our confidence in our ability to meet the challenges of the day and pave the way for a better future.

“The NEC meeting has over the years, been very constructive and productive and key outcomes, resolutions and recommendations are translated into brilliant government policies.

“It is also evident that the task of growing our economy is quite anomalous, but you and I asked for it, we campaigned for it, we even danced for it, we begged for it. So, we have no reason to complain.

“We must harness the growth potential of Nigeria and bring about serious development to bring us from a potential nation to pragmatic economic development in a rapid manner. Their expectation is on NEC as a veritable source of articulating policies and programmes that are people-oriented.

“I cannot overemphasize that. It is also reassuring to note that the populace and members of this country are behind us, they want reforms and they want it quick to have a meaningful impact in their lives.

“We have enormous challenges facing us, it is you and I, we have all the 36 governors and stakeholders and you have the flexibility of using the local government to rapidly develop the infrastructure within the local government areas.

“Collaboration is not a crime. Please let us do so.”

Tinubu expressed his appreciation to the Vice President and council members

Following the removal of the petroleum subsidy and the attendant hike in the cost of living, Tinubu had recently requested NEC to come up with measures to mitigate the effects.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has assured consumers of Indomie and other noodle brands in Nigeria of the safety of the staple food amongst children and some adults.

It stated that investigations by the agency have revealed that Indomie Noodles implicated in the recalls in Malaysia and Taiwan are not in Nigeria.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, according to a statement, disclosed this on Thursday at the MAN House, Ikeja, Lagos during the Quarterly Interactive session between the Agency and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria MAN, where she implored Nigerians to always eat safe.

“I love to eat good food, including noodles. But I want to be sure that the food I am eating is not going to make me sick, take medicine. And if I am taking medicine the food that I am eating will not make me add to the medicine that I am taking. Therefore, I take food very, very seriously,” she said.

She explained that immediately the news of the recalls of Indomie Noodles from Malaysia and Taiwan got to Nigeria she directed the Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Mrs. Eva Edwards, and Director of Laboratory Services (Food), Dr Charles Nwachukwu, respectively to begin tripartite discussions with manufacturers and marketers.

The DG disclosed that someone asked her when the results were going to come out, adding that the Agency had run all the necessary tests. “But we needed a chemical standard. It’s all science. We are a science organization, and our processes are science driven. We cannot conduct our own Nigerian science. No. We have to use the international standard chemical agents and things like that.”

She insisted that the implicated foreign noodles are not in Nigeria, hence, the locally produced noodles are safe for human consumption.

The family of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has sacked Mike Ozekhome, SAN; and Ifeanyi Ejiofor as lead counsels to the IPOB leader.

The family accused Ozekhome’s of refusing to allow Kanu’s personal physicians access to him in the DSS Custody for an urgent ear surgery.

Kanunta, who is the embattled IPOB leader’s younger brother, in a series of tweets on Thursday titled “Notice of dismissal”, wrote “After Mazi Nnamdi kanu’s case on 11th May 2023 Prof Mike Ozekhome SAN has refused to see his client in DSS headquarters Abuja even after several messages from #MNK to see him.

“Secondly, for stopping the medical doctors who were to examine #MNK on 5th June even when he and Bar. lfeanyi Ejiofor were duly informed on 2nd of June and #MNK told them to inform his family to arrange that.

“For this obvious reasons and many more, Prof Mike Ozekhome SAN and Barr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor are hereby SACKED as Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s counsels.

“The Kanu’s family do appreciate your time and efforts so far, please handover the legal documents asap.”

Recall that Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of the State Services (DSS) since June 27, 2021 after he was arrested in Kenya and repatriated by the Nigerian government.
The Nigerian Court of Appeal on October 13, 2022 in its judgment discharged and acquitted Kanu of all the charges leveled against him and ordered his immediate and unconditional release from detention.

However, he remained in detention as the government objected to the Appeal Court ruling.

But reacting to the dismissal of the lawyers, some IPOB sympathizers have taken to the social media to express their displeasure.

@biafran retweeter tweeted “Lolz the same way you sacked the members of the @real_IpobDOS and today you still hide to listen to @ChinasaNworu on radio Biafra whenever he’s on air speaking. We know your tactics Kingsley. Why are you so angry this time around? Oh because your dearest bank Orji Uzor Kalu cried”.

@Patrickcashbag ” Who is one? Where are you from? What is your name? What do you represent?”.

@Ikechuks2000 ” gradually you will confess the deal you made with the Igbo politicians, & the Fulani government and how you sold MNK to them, which made you keep silent for 8 days after knowing about MNK ‘s kidnap”.

Last week Saturday June 4, 2023, I had just finished watching the F. A. Football Cup final, in England when a small piece of news item caught my attention that His Excellency Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, former governor of Lagos State between 2015 and 2019 would be clocking the diamond age of 60 years on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

My immediate reaction was one of surprise; and I asked myself, how come? It occurred to me that time moves so fast. It seemed like yesterday when I first set eyes on him in the late 80’s. His physical appearance has not changed much, retaining its youthful gait. He looks boyish with an oily smile whenever you see him; he has that athletic build that makes him look like an Olympic hopeful; With those bright looking eyes and broad shoulders that aspiring boxers would envy, Ambode does not exhibit any trait of a man who today, marks his 60th birthday on earth. Well endowed and blessed with unique insights, he comes across instead as an unassuming gentleman and in fact somewhat meek expression. Incredibly, despite his chequered career, there are no traces of pride or those I–have–achieved-kind-of –look in him, always preferring to remain shy and ensconced in his privacy. Now, as we celebrate with him, I can only recall some of my early encounters with this enigma not too long back. Incidentally, all of the encounters have always been instructive and revealing. One of them was in 1980 at the Federal Government College Warri, when he was just 17. It was at the cricket pitch where he was a bowler—and a very good one at that. Mind you, in the sport of cricket, there are two broad categories of bowlers: pace and spin. Pace bowlers rely more on the speed of the ball to dismiss batsmen, whereas spin bowlers rely on rotation and turn of the ball. Ambode had both techniques. He may not be your Imran Khan or Shoaib Akhtar for those who know the game very well, but we all got impressed with his special abilities. At that youthful age, you could see traits of greatness in him and a man who is mentally, physically and spiritually alert. Ambode was to represent the then Bendel State (now Edo State) in many high profile cricket competitions. As you may well know, family and friends applauded him for those early exploits. Next was at the University of Lagos where he read Accounting. Our paths would cross often and in one of such occasions Ambode was to display his charming personality. No one knows, but from his attitude to life in the university, you could notice something was different from him; he had that uncanny insight that portrayed him as someone specially anointed and set aside from his peers for a future task. No matter how strong the situation, his expansive smile would always resolve the issues at stake. It came as a surprise to many close to him, that this apparently harmless young man may not be ordinary after all. He would look at you with those piercing eyeballs that seem to be reading your mind, and speak to you in such a robust language that is hard to turn down. In any discussion, it takes Ambode less than five minutes to make his point; he has the ability to break down and explain what would take others ages to do. He is that gifted. More outstanding for this Epe-born technocrat is the fact that he is more of a good listener. He sees more and talks less. That’s how he became the favourite of his colleagues in school and beyond. As a result, they found it easier to become his paddy and flow with him. Suffice to say that throughout his stay at the University of Lagos, he had no blemish and was loved by all who crossed his path. Some people actually believe that he never gets angry; this is because no one ever remembered seeing his face frown or sad. He is always upbeat, calm and if nothing else professional; neither is he ambitious. Because, where people lobby and struggle to get something done, Ambode’s powerful aura does for him. You had the impression that, like the Igbo would say, his gods had cracked his palm kernel for him to pave his way straight! If this was so, Ambode would have exhibited such a carefree attitude to life that would have belied his impressive resume. You could see that his lifestyle is a testament to those wishing to aspire to the top—extremely disciplined! He did not indulge in those excesses that youths come along with. Not that he is a saint either, but he was as straightforward as he was simple, never allowing those social vices to distract his focus! We left school in June 1984, only to be dispersed to our various destinations for the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

I did not get to meet Ambode again until 1996, one Sunday morning, at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Acme Road, Ogba where he worshipped. As I arrived for service that early morning, I saw at the entrance to the church a stocky security man ushering people in. As I walked closer, I noticed this one didn’t look like the usual shabbily dressed men (no insult intended). The man confronting me was impeccably dressed in a sparkling white long sleeve shirt on grey trousers. His oily face carried a wide trademark smile that reminded me of intending students union “contestants”, those days in the university; they would smile and shake hands with you and give you the thumb up as if to say: remember me on the day of voting! Once it was our turn, I screamed “Ambodes”! And thereafter, we both hugged each other and praised God. That was the start of another long period of enduring relationship that brought another extraordinary aspect of Ambode to life—a celebrated giver! By this time, he was already a treasurer at the Mushin Local Government. By virtue of my being a businessman, I would later invade his office seeking for petty “contracts” Here, Ambode was exceptional. He surpassed the imagination of everyone, including me, who crossed his path so much that he was to be nicknamed “Here comes the helper!” This was so from 1996 to 1999 when we had unfettered access to him. Ambode gave practical solutions to everyone that cornered him for help; and he extended this to the Redeemed Camp at KM 35, where he attended programmes regularly.

You will often find him serving bottled drinks and distributing assorted foodstuffs to various worshippers; he doesn’t discriminate in doing so. You only notice his genial disposition and infectious smile. This can only come from the mind of someone who understands the meaning of life. Only few can deny the fact that this cheerful giver derives joy, perhaps, from the satisfaction of those that come around him. Ambode loved the things of God and I almost asked him if he wasn’t aspiring to mount the pulpit as a confirmed Man of God! We both laughed at this. He would later tell me he was a volunteer in the church. Afterwards, I pointed out to him that since we left school, he has remained consistent, humble and reliable to which he responded that he was only being himself–a realist and optimist. Maybe, unknown to him, the significance of his charismatic lifestyle was now becoming recognizable nationwide. By this time, Ambode was steadily climbing the ladder of life in such a rapid manner becoming the Auditor-General and Accountant-General respectively of Lagos State. You could see the fingers of God in the affairs of his life. Not long after, I sojourned away from Lagos and did not get to see him regularly except when he came for FAAC meetings in those days. Next time we were to meet, it was in a most improbable manner. This was in 2016 at Ojodu- Berger and 2017 in Ikeja. By this time, fate had propelled him as the governor of Lagos and there had been a fire outbreak in that area. It was stiflingly hot and I was one of those sweating profusely on that fateful day. Despite the gridlock that ensured, it took Lagos State Fire service less than five minutes to respond. His Excellency Ambode arrived moments later. Swiftly, the fire was put out and the injured conveyed to the hospital in an ambulance. The governor was hailed by those in the crowd for that exemplary performance and the standard did not drop until his exit from office. The next chance meeting was late in the night at Ikeja when the bus terminal was being constructed. This was also the period of “Light-up Lagos.” At midnight, as we were heading in the direction of Lekki, when suddenly the governor’s convoy emerged from out of the darkness.

We were to learn later that Ambode had come personally to inspect the ongoing project. This was around 1am and a cold night. It happened at a time privileged people were supposed to enjoy their sleep. The truth is, Ambode took his job as governor seriously. Records show that in the four years the political structure of Lagos allowed him to reign, his administration handled quite a lot of projects; a close examination showed that they could have been up to 1,389. He applied the logic of common sense to supervise his projects and that helped a lot. What many may not know was that Ambode only got better with challenges. It was as though he had a pact with destiny. Those who may want to dispute this only have to dig into his background. I will explain a few examples here. Sometime in 1995 while serving at the Mushin Local Government, Ambode had embarked on a pilgrimage to Israel. Somewhere in Nuweiba, while returning from Mount Sinai, they were involved in a ghastly accident. The luxury bus they were travelling in, somersaulted and ended up in a deep ravine. At least 22 people lost their lives. But he came out unscathed. He had another brush with death on the Third Mainland Bridge when his car was bashed from behind by a driver. He has God to thank for escaping that incident. After serving for 27 years in the civil service, he voluntarily left at 49. Don’t forget that this was an age in which most people on the wrong side of life were searching for jobs. So, Ambode cannot be more than grateful to mother nature. It was from the civil service with an unblemished record that he was drafted to serve as the state governor. So when next you hear people calling him the accidental politician or technocrat, that’s the angle they are coming from. You know as it were, politics is a different ball game. If it was possible to excel in the civil service without much ado, in politics, such a move could be read the other way. And so, although Ambode tried to “be himself”, discharging his duties without fear but with favour, things didn’t “jell,” to use Warri boy’s language. The “accidental politician” was quickly engulfed in a battle no one understood. He soon found out that being in the civil service was not the same as in politics. Some people actually joked that it was like being a commanding officer without troops! Unfortunately, in political battles, there is no room for niceties. That experience is better left in the realm of imagination. Since then, the trained chartered accountant has studiously kept to himself avoiding controversy as much as possible. He tried to ‘flow’ with his party while probably exploring other ventures in life. As you may well have guessed some Nigerians are amazed that there is such a “politician” so much vilified internally, and yet restrained himself by not decamping to another party. Paradoxically, the train has moved on. Now as the amiable gentleman clocks 60, he must be reflecting on the real meaning of life. Here is a man of strong faith who had to retire to meet up with “family interests.” Imagine someone who dreamt of becoming a corporate czar ending up as a level 8 officer in the civil service. He took the job and started from scratch because of his legendary humility—the same that stood for him in the course of time! No doubt, his life has been eventful and fulfilling. As he clocks 60 today, he will be thanking God for preserving his life and giving him the opportunity to serve his fatherland. He will also be thanking God for making him useful to his family and friends alike. May God grant him many more years on earth in good health and prosperity. Congratulations Ambode.

Oyofo is of the Federal Government College Warri, 1980 set.

Following the suspension of some government officials by the government of President Bola Tinubu, a group within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on the auspices of the Progressive Foundational Movement (PFM), has called for the immediate suspension of chairmen of Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over alleged inefficiencies.

The APC group claimed the two agencies have failed woefully in the fight against corruption in the past four years, especially the Code of Conduct Bureau, where the Chairman has not, in the past four years, sent one person to be prosecuted at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

In a statement released Thursday in Abuja by the National Coordinator of the group, Barrister Aganaba Johnson, he said the chairman of the CCB, Isah Mohammed, “is inefficient to continue to hold the position of CCB chairman. For the first time in CCB history, a Board member has to petition the Chairman to the National Assembly for ineptitude and corruption, because the Chairman is running the Bureau as his personal business empire without recourse to the Board for any decision he takes.”

The statement added that the CCB chairman should also be investigated for “hobnobbing with the suspended CBN governor Godwin Emiefiele and the NNPC GCEO, Mele Kyari.

“The President should also beam his sweeping anti-corruption cleansing to the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Code of Conduct Tribunal, as these two agencies have failed woefully in the fight against corruption in the past four years, especially the Code of Conduct Bureau, where the Chairman has not in the past four years sent any one person to be prosecuted in the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

“The Chairman Isah Mohammed is inefficient to continue to hold the position of CCB chairman, it is on record that for the first time in CCB history a Board member has to petition the Chairman to the National Assembly for ineptitude and corruption, because the Chairman is running the Bureau as his personal business empire without recourse to the Board for any decision he takes.

“He has more than two thousand petitions on his table that he refuses to be investigated and prosecuted. Several instances abound with petitions against NNPC and CBN henchmen where the Chairman refused to assign the petitions for investigation.

“The Chairman needs to be investigated for his hobnobbing with Emiefiele and Mele Kyari, and because he was appointed by Malami and the Villa cabal, he feels he’s above the law just like Bawa, the suspended EFCC Chairman,” the statement said.

The group listed cases the CCB Chairman allegedly refused to investigate to include; “Cases of abuse of office, corruption against the suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emiefelie, case of abuse of office and corruption against NNPC GCEO, Mele Kyari, case of abuse of office and corruption against former MD of NDDC, Effiong Akwa, case of abuse of office and corruption by the former Accountant General, case of abuse of office and corruption and non-declaration of Assets against the MD and all the Directors in PHCN, case of abuse of office and corruption against the former MD of NIRSAL, case of abuse of office and corruption against former Minister of Aviation, case of abuse of office and false declaration of assets against Deputy Governor of CBN Kingsley Obiora, case of abuse of office and corruption against the former permanent secretary, Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono.

“Others are cases of abuse of office and corruption against former Secretary, National Universities Commission, cases of abuse of office and corruption against Permanent Secretary, Director of Procurement and Director of Finance, Ministry of Power and lastly cases of abuse of office against the permanent secretary and several Directors of Ministry of Works, among others.”

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has alerted that consumers should be prepared to pay higher amount for goods as prices are set to rise.

The President of MAN, Segun Ajayi Kabir, gave the hint on Thursday while explaining the downside risk of the new Central Bank of Nigeria policy of liberalizing the naira at a single window, the Investors’ and Exporters’ (I&E) window.

Although expected, the CBN on Wednesday sent a circular that signals banks can buy FX from anywhere and at market price.

The new policy is at variance with the different windows held by the apex bank where they dictate the pricing of forex.

Ajayi said on Arise, “To us, it comes with a lot of certainties. I believe that it is going to create efficiency in the market and it is going to lead to capital inflow and give us a market penetration. It would improve our participation in the export market.

“As manufacturers, there is a downside. It is going to make our imports more expensive and so you will expect that the cost is going to be transferred to the final consumers. But on the balance, we see it as a positive development.

“What has happened tends to be in line with what we had anticipated that there will be some measure of unification and so this floating has tended to narrow if not remove the gap between the official rate and the parallel market rate which we have always complained has been inimical to productivity and particularly manufacturing.

“Our immediate reaction will be that it has its pros and cons but at least it has given us some measure of certainty and we are able to plan better and anticipate what we will require to import our raw materials, spares, and machines that are not locally available.

“But like I said, it comes with plus and minuses even when we had the official rate, most of our members were unable to procure forex and most of them were having to rely on the parallel market or some other means.”

Under the Godwin Emefiele-led forex regime, manufacturers had decried that they were unable to source dollars at the official rate which was pegged around N460/USD.

Asides from forex, manufacturers are grappling with rising taxes.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari introduced new Fiscal Policy Measures (FPM) for 2023 in a Circular dated 20 April 2023 signed by Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

The MFP revised Excise Duty Rates and additional excise taxes ranging from 20 per cent to 100 per cent increase on previously approved rates for alcoholic beverages, tobacco, wines and spirits which took effect on 1 June 2023.

These are above the 2022 FPM’s approved Roadmap for 2022-2024 in the form of new and higher ad-valorem excise duties and specific rates while the excise duty rate on non-alcoholic beverages was retained at of N10 per litre.

He said the fiscal policy measure implemented at the last minute of Buhari’s government escalated the problems of the sector.

He accused the past administration of negligence of the plights of businesses, adding “A well-researched document was given to them on the impact of the policy on those industries.”

But the MAN president said, “The trust deficit that Nigerians have for the system is actually deep. In the manufacturing sector especially, there are perennial and lots of promises that have been made.

“For instance, the issue of infrastructure. The Electricity Act 2023, people believe that it holds a lot of promise and the fact that people can self-generate power.

“There are low-hanging fruits that the government can do to make fiscal and monetary policy. The multiplicity of taxes and levies. A joint tax force has a unified collection of taxes but some state governments have already taken that license to impose outrageous and sometimes irresponsible taxes imposed on the people. You can imagine asking a small-scale business in Kaduna to pay a haulage fee of N5m.

“I mean that is ridiculous because they are not even able to make that turnover in a quarter of the year. They are the issues that the Federal Government, state, and local governments have to work together on multiple taxes.”

Despite the recent increase in the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 18.5 per cent by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to curtail the rise in inflation, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which measures inflation rose to 22.41 per cent in May 2023.

The CBN said inflation is a major challenge, adding that the drivers of inflation are outside its control including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) supply.

The 22.41 per cent surge was disclosed by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Thursday indicating the fifth consecutive surge in 2023.

According to the report, the figure showed an increase in 0.19 per cent points when compared to the 22.22 per cent recorded in April 2023.

Similarly, on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 4.70 per cent points higher when compared to the rate recorded in May 2022, which stood at 17.71 per cent.

The NBS report stated, “In May 2023, the headline inflation rate increased to 22.41 per cent relative to April 2023 headline inflation rate which was 22.22 per cent. the May 2023 inflation rate showed an increase of 0.19 per cent points when compared to April 2023.”

The NBS attributed the surge to the food inflation rate which quickened to 24.82 per cent in May from 24.61 per cent in the previous month

Also, on a year-on-year basis, it rose by 5.33 per cent points higher compared to the 19.5 per cent recorded in May 2022

The rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of oil and fat, yam and other tubers, bread and cereals, fish, potatoes, fruits, meat, vegetable, spirit

Other factors that contributed to the May inflation according to NBS are, food and non-alcoholic beverages recorded to be 11.61 per cent, housing water, electricity gas & other fuel 3.75 per cent, and transport to be 1.46 per cent amongst others.

Recall that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the World Bank meeting, disclosed that Inflation is a global threat now to economic growth, and Nigeria is on the receiving end.

A Kaduna High Court has dismissed a defamation suit filed by the immediate past governor of the state, Nasir el-Rufai, against a former senator representing Kaduna central, Shehu Sani

The ex-governor had sought N2 billion in damages over comments credited to the former lawmaker.

In the suit filed in 2018, El-Rufai said Sani defamed him by referring to him as a “drunk, loose cannon and an embarrassment to President Muhammadu Buhari”.

El-Rufai claimed that Sani’s statements are totally false and injurious to his person in the eyes of the public.

While delivering his judgement on Thursday, the trial judge, Justice H.A.L Balogun dismissed the suit filed on the ground that it was an abuse of court processes

Balogun said the same case was filed by el-Rufai in different courts in the state.

Counsel to Sani, Kimi Livingstone Appah, had drawn the attention of the court to the fact that the former governor filed the same case in four different courts in the state.

The judge agreed with Appah’s preliminary objection and dismissed the case.

Addressing journalists after the ruling, Appah described the ruling as a victory for democracy and freedom of expression.

Over the years, El-Rufai and Sani have been involved in a series of altercations based on their political differences.