Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, revealed that Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, once rescued him from media blackmail during his time in the Senate.

The Governor expressed his gratitude to the First Lady during a reception held in her honour, which was attended by other State Governors’ wives at Government House, Oke-Fia, Osogbo. 

The reception was held ahead of the Sod Turning of The Alternative High School for Girls. 

Adeleke recounted how the First Lady, who was then a Senator in the 8th Senate, came to his aid after the media caught him sleeping during a plenary session. He referred to her as his saving grace.

According to Adeleke, “I want to welcome you to Osun State. You are a detribalised First Lady. I remember that she was my senior colleague at the 8th assembly; there was a time when the media caught me sleeping in the Senate, so they wanted to blackmail me. I told them how tedious our job is in making bills and having several sleepless nights over Nigeria. 

“We don’t sleep till 4 a.m. most times. They (the media) were not listening to me, I almost fell for their blackmail. So I ran to Mama (First Lady) when she was going to Lagos, I told her that I wanted to ask her something. I said I was sleeping, and the media came to me that they saw me sleeping, and it seemed they wanted to collect something from me. 

“She told me, ‘Ma da won lohun’ (don’t answer them), let them go and write whatever thing they want to write, tell them that you are a human being because they have done that to her before. I made use of what she told me. That helped me out of paying a lot of money. So anytime we have issues, we always go to her because of her wealth of experience.”

[NaijaNews]

Troops of the Nigerian Army have eliminated two terrorists and rescued five kidnap victims in Zamfara and Katsina states.

The Nigerian Army announced this on its official X handle (formerly Twitter), saying troops deployed in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State responded to a distress call on the attack of some farmers by terrorists along Gidan Shaho Road.

The terrorists on sighting troops, fled and abandoned the kidnap victims who were subsequently rescued, the statement said.

Nigerian Army further disclosed that the victims who had been inflicted with gunshot wounds were also promptly evacuated them to the General Hospital for medical attention.

In another development, troops responded to a kidnap incident along Road Fangaltama-Mayanchi in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, trailing and engaged the fleeing criminals in a firefight where two of the kidnappers were killed.

Five commuters were similarly rescued and two AK-47 rifles, 8 rounds of 7.62 mm (Special) ammunition and two mobile phones were recovered from the terrorists.

In another joint clearance operation with the Kastina State Civilian Joint Task Force, troops successfully cleared suspected terrorists’ hideouts at Shawu, Dugun Fakwu, and Tafki Villages in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

One fabricated gun and other dangerous weapons were recovered by the troops during the operation.

[Leadership]

Following the Enugu State Electricity Law signed by Governor Peter Mbah and the recent constitution of the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission, ESERC, by the Mbah Administration, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has, in a historic move, formerly transferred the regulatory oversight of the Enugu State electricity market to the state agency effective May 1, 2024.

This is a landmark development in the nation’s power sector, being the first time NERC would be ceding such regulatory authority to any state electricity regulatory agency.

The transfer was made known by NERC on Monday in an April 22, 2024 Order No. NERC/2024/039 signed by the Commission’s Chairman, Sanusi Garba, and the Commissioner for Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye.

The transfer is sequel to the amendments of the Paragraph 14 (b) of the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution by the 9th National Assembly in 2023 as well as the Electricity Act 2023, both of which effectively devolved power generation, transmission, and distribution from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List and also empowered the states to manage and regulate their electricity markets within their jurisdictions.

It is recalled that the Mbah Administration initiated the Enugu State Electricity Bill 2023, which the governor signed into Law in September the same year and also set the pace in March 2024 by constituting the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission (ESERC) led by Chijioke Okonkwo as the Chairman/CEO.

The Electricity Act 2023 provides that within 45 days of receiving formal notification of the enactment of the law under subsection (1), the commission (NERC) shall draw and deliver to the state regulator a draft order setting out a plan and timeline for the transition of regulatory responsibilities from the commission to the state regulator, which transition shall be completed not later than 6 months from the date on which the formal notification in subsection (1) was delivered to the commission.

Explaining further, NERC says the ESERC now holds the exclusive power to set and adopt end-user electricity tariffs within Enugu State, tailoring charges to local conditions and requirements.

Also, while ESERC manages local tariff methodologies, any electricity sourced from grid-connected plants and the related tariffs for generation and transmission services must still receive approval from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), ensuring alignment with national energy policies.

Furthermore, the final tariffs approved by ESERC for consumers in Enugu State will be definitive for the state, with the Enugu State Government responsible for supporting and implementing tariff-related policies, ensuring that electricity pricing is both fair and attuned to the specific needs of the state’s residents.

Consequently, NERC ordered that: “Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC, EEDC, is hereby directed to incorporate a subsidiary EEDC SubCo under the Companies and Allied Matters Act for the assumption of responsibilities for intrastate supply and distribution of electricity in Enugu State from EEDC.

“EEDC shall complete the incorporation of EEDC SubCo within 60 days from the effective date of this Order and, EEDC SubCo shall apply for and obtain a licence for the intrastate supply and distribution of electricity from EERC.

“EEDC shall identify the actual geographic boundaries of Enugu State and carve out its network in Enugu State as a standalone network with the installation of boundary meters at all border points where the network crosses from Enugu State into another state.

“EEDC shall create an Asset Register of all its power infrastructure located within Enugu State.

“Evaluate and apportion contractual obligations and liabilities attributable to EEDC’s operations of its subsidiary in Enugu State.

“Identify all the applicable trading points for energy offtake for the operations of EEDC SubCo in Enugu State

“Confirm the number of employees that are required to provide service to Enugu State as a standalone public utility; and transfer the identified assets for operations in Enugu State, contractual obligations, liabilities and employees to EEDC Subco.”

[ThisDay]

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has narrated an encounter he had with the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, over a probe by the agency.

Speaking with select Editors in Abuja on Tuesday, the anti-graft czar said he decided to speak personally with Bello to honour him as a former governor.

He said Bello initially gave the excuse that one of his political opponents had sent pressmen to the commission’s head office so as to embarrass him when he arrived there.

According to Olukoyede, when he gave Bello the option of using an entrance that is exclusively meant for him as chairman, the narrative changed.

“I didn’t initiate the case against Yahaya Bello; when I assumed office, I inherited the case file and I said there are issues here. Do you know that on my own, on my honour, I put a call across to him, which I am not supposed to ordinarily do. Just to honour him a serving governor. I said, ‘Sir, there are issues. I have seen this case file, Can you just come to clarify these issues?’ And he said, I thank you my brother, but you see I can’t come. There’s one lady, a senator, who has surrounded EFCC with over 100 journalists to embarrass him.

“I said ok if that’s the case, I would pass you through my gate and you will be interrogated on my floor. I will invite the interrogators to my office to interview with you. What could be more honourable than that? ‘But do you know what he said?’ He said, can’t then come to my village? Imagine that’s what he told me.”

Narrating what happened on the day EFCC officials laid siege to Bello’s house in Wuse, Zone 4, Abuja, the anti-graft Czar said, “As early as 7 am, my men were there. Over 50 of them. They mounted surveillance. We met over 30 armed policemen there. We would have exchanged fire and there would have been casualties. My men were about to move in when the governor of Kogi drove in and they later changed the narrative.”

['DailyTrust]

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, said the Commission has discovered another worse scheme other than crypto trading platform, Binance and its system.

Olukoyede said EFCC has frozen about 300 accounts to ensure the safety of the foreign exchange market.

The scheme popularly called the “P to P” peer- peer financial trading scheme has operated outside the official banking and financial corridors and there was a looming disaster that could further crashed the Naira value that has continued to gain.

“There are people in this country doing worse than Binance,” he said.

He added that over $15bn passed through one of the platforms in the last one year, outside the financial regulations.

[DailyPost]

The Federal Government has launched a new platform aimed at strengthening the efficiency and transparency of its import duty exemption programme.

The Incentive Monitoring and Evaluation Platform (IMEP) will be integrated into the existing Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) programme, according to Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun.

The IDEC programme offers strategic import duty reductions for priority sectors critical to national development, such as manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare.

The introduction of IMEP signifies the government’s commitment to ensuring these exemptions are used effectively to stimulate economic growth.

“The newly launched IMEP ensures that only eligible entities benefit from the IDEC program,” Edun explained in Abuja on Tuesday.

“This rigorous enforcement will optimise tax expenditures by reducing waste, blocking leakages, and ultimately fostering a more equitable economic environment,” he added.

The IMEP offers a suite of features designed to enhance transparency and accountability within the IDEC program. These features include: automated claw-back mechanism which ensures that any entity found to be misusing exemptions will be required to repay the import duties they avoided.

Others include real-time e-reporting where stakeholders will benefit from immediate access to electronic reports, streamlining the verification process and a centralized database with a comprehensive database designed to improve efficiency and provide a clear picture of how exemptions are being utilized.

The government sees the IMEP as a critical tool for ensuring tax breaks are strategically allocated to maximise their economic impact. “IMEP’s precise monitoring capabilities will allow for a more strategic allocation of exemptions,” Edun noted. “This will ultimately support the government’s objective of reducing tax expenditures overall.”

To acquaint stakeholders with the upgraded IDEC framework, the Ministry of Finance will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, April 25th, 2024, at noon WAT.

This session will provide key industry participants, including manufacturers, importers, representatives from relevant government ministries, and NGOs, with an opportunity to learn more about the IMEP’s features and the benefits it offers.

Those interested in attending the webinar can find registration details on the Ministry of Finance’s website and the IDEC YouTube channel.

The launch of the IMEP signifies the government’s ongoing efforts to promote a more efficient and equitable business environment in Nigeria.

By ensuring that import duty exemptions are used strategically and effectively, the government aims to bolster economic growth while minimizing wasteful spending.

[TheNation]

A businessman, known as AIS_Savita on an X post on Tuesday, lodged a complaint against Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, alleging the restriction of his account holding a credit balance of N700m.

He called on the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to intervene promptly.

In a video shared on Tuesday, AIS_Savita highlighted that he had conducted transactions totalling nearly N700m with Moniepoint MFB within four months before his account was inexplicably restricted.

He stated that several attempts to ascertain the reason for the restriction were unsuccessful.

Presenting evidence from his transaction history, AIS_Savita emphasised the absence of any irregular transaction as claimed by Moniepoint MFB.

He expressed concerns that such actions by the bank could adversely affect his business operations and demanded transparency and accountability.

AIS_Savita urged the CBN and EFCC to investigate the matter thoroughly, asserting that Moniepoint MFB’s actions could constitute financial fraud.

He cautioned other account holders to remain vigilant and called for greater scrutiny of the bank’s practices to prevent similar incidents.

“I have transacted almost N700m in less than four months with Moniepoint Nigeria, but my account was suddenly restricted without any reason given.

“I believe this is a case of massive financial fraud and I demand that the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigate. MoneyPoint Nigeria has been rolling down business accounts, restricting them without any justifiable reason, and I am not alone in this experience”, he tweeted.

Speaking in the video evidence seen and monitored by PUNCH Online, he said, “Dear CBN, dear EFCC, it’s time you look at Moniepoint and what they have been doing with businesses. They have been running down businesses and restricting business accounts.

“I woke up on Sunday, suddenly around 1:57 a.m. on the 14th of April when Moniepoint restricted my account and sent me a message that my account was restricted.

“It was on a Sunday morning and I waited till Monday. I called them. Why did you restrict my account? They couldn’t give me any reason for restricting my account. I reached out to them again many times they could not give me a reason. They only told me that I should wait until the investigation was going on. I waited for so long. I have to write them on X right here.

“Here is the Moniepoint chat trend. They said that “an erroneous transaction of 965,000 445 occurred in my account on the 9th of April”. I said all right. Is there any information you need me to provide for you to unrestrict my account so that I can continue my business? They did not give me any feedback. They only said that I should wait. I said Okay. I have to check my account statements.”

Efforts by our correspondent to get the reactions of the CBN remained unsuccessful as both calls and messages sent to the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, CBN, Hakama Sidi-Ali; and the Assistant Director, Lekan Ajayi, were not successful.

Punch Online checks on @moneypoint Nigeria showed that the lender responded to AIS_Savita, apologising, ”for the inconvenience caused.”

“Hello there, we are sorry about the experience with your account and for the inconvenience caused.

“As discussed via DM, your account was flagged for a transaction. The lien will be reviewed after the reconciliation and feedback provided. Thank you for your patience”, Moniepoint wrote on his X handle at @Moniepoint Nigeria.

[Punch]

Ola Olukoyede, chair of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says he will tender his resignation if he does not prosecute Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state, to a logical conclusion. 

Olukoyede spoke in Abuja on Tuesday during an interactive session with media executives.

“If I do not personally oversee the completion of the investigation regarding Yahaya Bello, I will tender my resignation as the EFCC chair,” he said.

The EFCC boss also vowed that everyone involved in obstructing Bello’s arrest from his Abuja residence will face the full wrath of the law.

He also said he invited Bello to his office for a more respectful and dignified interrogation, but that the ex-governor wanted EFCC operatives to grill him in his village instead.

“I called Yahaya Bello, as a serving governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

“But he said because a certain senator has planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come.

“I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him.”

Olukoyede said the EFCC did not violate any law while trying to arrest the former governor from his residence.

“Rather, we have obeyed the law. I inherited the case and I didn’t create it. Why has he not submitted himself to the law?” he asked.

“I have arraigned two past governors who have been granted bail now — Willie Obiano and Abdulfatah Ahmed.

“We would have gone after Bello since January but we waited for the court order.

“As early as 7 am, my gallant men were there. Over 50 of them. They mounted surveillance.

“We met over 30 armed policemen there. We would have exchanged fire and there would have been casualties.

“My men were about to move in when the governor of Kogi drove in and they later changed the narrative.”

He vowed that all those who have dipped their hands into the public till would be investigated and prosecuted.

“If I can do Obiano, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Chief Olu Agunloye, my kinsman, why not Yahaya Bello?” Olukoyede said.

The EFCC is prosecuting Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

[TheCable]

The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, signed off tens of millions of Abia State funds to travel to Washington DC, USA, ostensibly to malign his predecessor, HE Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, who was not present at that forum to defend himself and indeed has not seen the so called “forensic audit” referenced by Otti. During his address, Otti falsely claimed, among others, that Dr Ikpeazu’s administration paid N10bn to contractors for the Abia Airport Project. Note that Otti failed to mention the concerned contractors.

I was a member of the state executive council when approval was given to spend N10bn to start the Abia airport project and in my capacity as then Commissioner for Information, I announced it to the public.

However thereafter, members of Abia State Traditional Rulers Council led by HRM Eze Joseph Nwabekee (Eze Amara), visited Governor Ikpeazu in his Government House Umuahia residence and advised that since the state was surrounded by at least four airports, the project should be suspended and the resources deployed to fix more roads.

Governor Ikpeazu accepted their recommendation and I also announced same to the public.

It is important to note that in the 8 years he was in office, Dr Ikpeazu fixed more than 200 roads including many urban roads that were bad for more than 30 years prior, and rural access roads across the state.

I will make public the list of road projects executed by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu while in office in another publication for verification by all and sundry.

Governor Alex Otti who supposedly worked at management level in a bank claimed that he hired an unnamed forensic auditor that made the false findings he had to take all the way to United States of America to make public. Unfortunately, he forgot a key element of auditing which is the response of the Auditee. To date, neither former Governor Ikpeazu nor anyone in his team has seen the report and he was never allowed to review it or state his own side. Yet, a supposedly responsible man chose to malign him in USA on the basis of same flawed, and possibly non-existent report.

Permit me to ask those expecting detailed response from Dr Ikpeazu what exactly he is supposed to respond to? Is he expected to say what we already know that Governor Otti is a liar in government house, or tackle the issues raised in an audit document he is yet to see and was not part of its making?

Are we not talking about same Governor Otti that lied publicly that he was not aware of any investment in the Aba IPP project by the Ikpeazu administration whereas Prof Barth Nnaji already advised him in writing that Abia under Ikpeazu invested the sum of $3.56m representing 3.5% shares in the project? Where is the fake 24/7 power supply in Aba that Otti gleefully claimed and for which Ikpeazu was unjustly vilified?

Is Governor Alex Otti not the same man that claimed that he has “cleared pension arrears of 9 years” whereas he only paid pensioners what his administration was owing them in 9 months and declared the rest forfeited? The same Governor Otti that told the world that he awarded Port Harcourt road Aba to Julius Berger at N32bn and the company gave him N2bn discount possibly as a groundnut seller that does not understand the public sector procurement process.

Anybody who believes whatever comes from Governor Otti is doing so at his own peril because time has proved that he is incapable of telling the truth at any point in time. He is a man consumed by hate and bitterness against his predecessor and will do anything to malign him even if it means demarketing Abia State in faraway USA.

As a citizen of Abia State and someone who served in Ikpeazu’s administration, I wish to recommend the following to enable the public get to the truth in this matter:

1. Governor Alex Otti should hand over a copy of the the so-called forensic audit report to Dr Okezie Ikpeazu for his factual response or alternatively publish it verbatim for the former Governor to read and respond to the issues with facts.

2. Publish the list of all contractors that allegedly received money from the Ikpeazu administration, with the amount involved, and did nothing. Such contractors and their accomplices deserve to go to jail if proven to be true. Yet, I know for a fact that many contractors that worked with Ikpeazu administration are still working with Otti or are his personal buddies. Unless Governor Otti is now stealing with them he should have no problem publishing their names and relevant contract details.

3. Governor Alex Otti should accept the setting up of a joint audit team with reputable audit firms nominated by Otti and Ikpeazu to review Abia finances from May 2015 to date. What that means is that the team will look into the finances of the Otti era in addition to that of Ikpeazu and publish the report for the world to see.

Let Otti bring his Ernst & Young or whoever that concludes and publish forensic audit report without response or input from the auditee while Ikpeazu brings a reputable local audit firm for the proposed exercise.

In his short story titled “The Small Man”, Michael Mayr noted as follows: “the small man was…small. Not a midget nor a dwarf…just small.”

Continuing, Mayr wrote: “Only once did I hear the Small Man speak, and I thank God it wasn’t to me. I cannot remember what he said and that is good, because all I know is that I will do anything not to hear that voice again. A voice that sounded like an avalanche of maggots eating their way through still living flesh…”

Obviously, Governor Alex Otti wishes to be the small man of Abia State hounding and harassing his predecessor out of personal bitterness arising from losing twice to him in previous elections. But he must know that he has only one term of 4 years with a maximum of possible extension to 8 years. After that, he will become like every other citizen and if his successor has the small man mentality like him, he will also proceed to do forensic audit on how Signature Bank suddenly bounced back to life, opened new branches across the country and with healthy balance sheet ten months after its owner became Governor of Abia State. He might also choose to track up certain investment in crypto currencies made from June 2023 to date and publish the report at Chatham House London without allowing Otti to see and defend himself.

May be Governor Otti needs to read Abiodun Fajabi who wrote “Don’t look down on others, lest you take your eyes off the ball and lose your bearing. For every ‘little man’ is put on your path for you to lift up, not to pull down; for you to include, not to exclude. He deserves not pity but love. And, don’t look up gratuitously to others, lest you sprain your neck and lose your sense of gratitude. Every ‘big man’ is put on your path for you to respect, not idolize; for you to honour, not resent. He deserves not envy but love. Love: that’s one debt you owe all men – the small and the big.”

As per former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, my advice to you, Sir, is to remove your gloves and fight back like a man. Do not allow the small man continue to hound and harass you at every platform available to him. You have enough facts to take the battle to him and nobody will blame you if you do so because he obviously does not understand the true value of golden silence. Give him ten times whatever negative energy he gives you because time will prove that he was never prepared for governance, had no agenda and is only using your name to divert attention from his own many failings and weaknesses.

His administration has only one narrative “what Ikpeazu did and not do!” This narrative is a deliberate ploy adopted by Otti to dorminate his tenure, inundate and keep the public busy with so that at the end questions will not be asked of his administration’s near zero-achievement as the public is preoccupied listening to his manufactured horror fables to the extent that they will forget to ask for his own achievements.

Ler me end this piece with the words of a psychologist, Darius Cikanavicius, “People with strong narcissistic tendencies and other dark personality traits tend to blame others for their own bad behavior. If they are lying, then they will accuse others of lying. If they are cruel, they will say that others are cruel. If they are stealing and scamming, then they will accuse others of stealing and scamming. They never take responsibility, and it’s always someone else’s fault.”

Need I say more about Governor Otti?

Chief John Okiyi Kalu
(Nwandugbom JOK)
Former Commissioner for Information, Trade & Investment, Abia State