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The new Senegalese government has unveiled measures to reduce the price of rice, oil, bread, and other basic items to address cost-of-living concerns amid high unemployment and inflation.
The country's budget Minister Cheikh Diba confirmed the development.
Recall that President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who won the March election, vowed during the campaign to address high living costs in the West African nation that heavily relies on imports.
Under the new measures, the price of a kilo (2.2 pounds) of the most widely consumed type of rice will be reduced by 40 CFA ($0.065, 0.061 euros), while a baguette will cost 15 CFA (0.023 euros) less, the government announced at a media conference, Agence France-Presse reports.
The reductions, which also cover cement and fertiliser, will take effect in the next few days, government Secretary General Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo told reporters.
Spending on food accounts for half a Senegalese household’s budget, Lo said, adding checks would be stepped up to ensure traders respect the new prices.
Budget Minister Cheikh Diba said the government would forego taxes and customs duties imposed on importers to subsidise the price cuts.
The measures will cost 53.3 billion CFA (more than 81 million euros, $87 million), Diba said.
This comes after Senegal joined the club of oil-producing countries this week as Australian group Woodside Energy announced that production had started in the country’s first offshore project.
Faye vowed that profits from the country’s gas and oil resources would be “well managed.”
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has deployed 5,112 personnel to boost security during Sallah celebrations in the federal capital.
Dr. Olusola Odumosu, the FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, announced Tuesday that the deployment would cover all six Area Councils and the city center, especially sensitive locations, soft targets, black spots and flash points that are prone to criminal activities.
He warned miscreants, vandals, and other criminals to steer clear of critical national assets and infrastructure, saying any individual caught engaging in criminal activities would face the full wrath of the law.
Odumosu further cautioned against burning tyres on roads, which he said constitutes vandalism and compromises the integrity of road infrastructure.
He also urged residents to refrain from such acts, warning that offenders would be prosecuted.
The commandant warned miscreants who take advantage of festive seasons to commit acts of vandalism of infrastructures such as street lights, solar panels and batteries to desist from that as the command has men all over the FCT and anyone caught perpetrating such criminal acts would be apprehended.
“The FCT administration has spent so much to provide good roads and other basic infrastructure for residents of the FCT, we will therefore not tolerate any act that will sabotage the effort of government,” Odumosu stated.
He further instructed Area Commanders and Divisional Officers to ensure massive deployments within their jurisdictions, and to ensure adequate security coverage in all places of interest.
“The Corps is committed to ensuring safety of lives and property of residents and the protection of Critical National Assets in the FCT.
“You are to ensure 24 hours protection of all these infrastructures, and the holiday makers in the city. We must show commitment in the discharge of our duties as law enforcers.
“However, there is no room for carelessness or over zealousness while carrying out your duties and the operational order must be followed to ensure professionalism on your part,” he said.
Odumosu assured FCT residents that the NSCDC would collaborate with other security agencies to provide security at prayer grounds, motor parks, recreational centers, and other places of interest during the Sallah festivities. He extended his felicitations on the occasion of Eid-El Kabir.
![Police Recovered Over 1,100 Sim Cards, Stolen Cars From Kidnap Syndicate In FCT [PHOTOS]](/media/k2/items/cache/28334a5b2d1ff705bce90c62769e57db_M.jpg)
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command has said it successfully tracked a criminal syndicate specialised in the sales of already registered sim cards to criminals.across the nation’s capital.
The syndicate were arrested on May 29, after weeks of intelligence trailing, led by the State Intelligence Department (SID) led by ACP Mohammed S. Baba.
The FCT Police Commissioner, Ben Igweh while parading the suspects: Ndubuisi Okeh, John Jock, Nafiu Tijani (a dispatcher), Nasiru Sulaiman, John Njoku and Suleiman Musa, said the syndicate operate with other people’s identities to avoid being traced or tracked.
He said, “They bridged national security and were involved in terrorism. In one of our fights in the kidnapper’s camp, we discovered that there were a lot of broken SIM cards, about 20-30 SIM cards broken.
“So, we ventured into the case and started enquiring: Why do we have a lot of SIM cards broken, as small as it is, they are still broken.
“We started by enquiring about the last of the bandits we arrested. We discovered that they may come from tribe A, but the SIM cards they used were from tribe B, so we decided to probe into it.
“We discovered that there are people specialised in producing active and workable SIM cards unknown to our security.
“They specialise in selling, and producing already registered SIM cards and we caught them all in Kaduna State.
“We recovered the machines and what they use to produce the SIM cards.
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“Our worry is how they bypass the NIN and fingerprint that are required to produce cards. We recovered 1,100 already active SIM cards.
“They sell it to bandits and criminal lords at the cost of N3000-N5000 each. So, it is a case we are probing more.
“It may interest you to know that four different numbers could be registered under a single NIN, hence, these criminals employ street sim card vendors to get the details of unsuspecting residents who buy sim cards and register at the same time.
“If you remove any of the SIM cards and put it in your phone, the network they use will ask you to put credit, and once you do so, the phone becomes active.
“Three registration machines and other gadgets were recovered from the suspects. The suspects have all confessed to the crime and will be charged to court at the conclusion of the investigation.”
Speaking to journalists, the suspects confessed to the crime, stating that they used the biometrics of a few to register many.
Although they denied conniving with any of the network providers, the syndicate admitted to using the biometric verification scanners to register unsuspecting members of the public randomly in Kaduna and Abuja communities.
The syndicate are part of the 14 suspects paraded at the FCT police command on Thursday.
Other cases involving car thefts and their perpetrators were also addressed by the command, with no fewer than seven firearms, six vehicles, three two fingerprint machines and one Gionee phone recovered by the operatives.
Src: [TheWhistler]
Are you the only handicap in the world? Do your worst – Wumi Toriola tells Jigan for ‘threatening’ her
AFOLABI
Nigerian filmmaker cum actress, Wumi Toriola has slammed her colleague Jigan Babaoja for threatening her over a recent video she made.
It all started with a project Wumi Toriola is working on, which she shared a clip from on the photo and video sharing app, Instagram.
While promoting the upcoming film, Wumi Toriola shared a video of herself on a movie set mimicking the walking step of a handicap.
Not pleased with the video and believing the actress was mimicking him, Jigan threatened to sue Wumi and charge her to court on Monday. Knowing Monday is a public holiday, Jigan further asserted that he would force a court to open over the case.
Resharing the video, Jigan wrote on Instagram while tagging his female colleague,
“You go explain on Monday for court !!! @wumitoriola
I will force any court to open on Monday over this case !!!!Onyemilenuuuuuuuuu !”.
Unbothered by his threats, Wumi Toriola questioned who gave him the license to monopolise the movie industry. She said he isn’t the only handicap in the world told him to do his worst. She wrote in his comments section:
“Ha Agbakan na, who gives you license to monopolise the industry? Who? @jiganbabaojo, do your worse, imagine. Are you the only handicap in the world. Do your worst, I am ready”.
Hitting back, Jigan asked Wumi if she’s truly disabled and how she became one. He added:
“Answer few questions ooo. Do you have and ID? Your own na injection or motto jam you? You don price madam”.
Jigan who is known to prank celebrities and laugh make jokes about his disability had his fans reeling in laughter with his latest post. See video and some reactions below:
Toyosi, the wife of popular Nollywood actor Daniel Etim Effiong, has opened up on her journey of overcoming insecurities in their marriage.
Speaking in an interview with Terms and Conditions on Pulse, she revealed that her personal growth has been substantial since tying the knot with Etim.
Approaching their 7th anniversary in November, Toyosi reflected on the early challenges she faced, particularly during the early years of their union.
She recounted a poignant moment during her first pregnancy when a woman persistently knocked on the door during their scan session, which frustrated Toyosi as it was a personal moment.
When they finally opened the door, the woman screamed upon seeing her husband, exclaiming, “I knew it was you.”
As a mother of three, Toyosi shared how she has grown to handle such situations with grace and understanding, noting that some people even freeze in his presence due to their admiration for her husband.
he Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has compared the ongoing economic situation in Nigeria to the Titanic.
Naija News reports that Peter Obi made this known during an interview on Arise News on Wednesday night while discussing the state of Nigeria on the Democracy Day celebration.
The former Governor of Anambra State also linked Nigeria to an aeroplane going through turbulence, but its leaders are living in conspicuous consumption and acting like the country is not going through difficulties.
He said, “The first thing you do as a leader who inherited a difficult situation is to lead by example, and it starts by your own style, your behaviour, your conduct, how you manage resources. You cannot say that things are difficult when you’re living in conspicuous consumption.
“Nigeria today is the country with the highest amount of people without homes – over 24 million, yet you’re spending twenty-something billion to build a house for one person.
“You’re supposed to show a clear plan, it is not enough to say we’re going to go through problems. If we’re going to go through problems, this is very simple.
“You enter a plane, there is a bad weather, there’s going to be a turbulence. The pilot says, we’re going to go through bad weather, it’s going to take us maybe one hour, two hours because of this weather, and he follows it through. That is not the time- in that bad weather, everybody, even the crew, are asked to sit down. That’s not the time to start serving food and wine and everything when everything is up and down.
“I always say what happened to the Titanic is what is happening in Nigeria. While it was going down, people on the upper deck were busy dancing until the whole thing collapsed, that’s what is happening now. We should change and do things rightly. We can change and manage corruption and everything and all that.”
When asked what he believes should be done, Peter Obi said, “You start by living like somebody who is coming through difficulty, who is facing difficulty, who wants to change things. That’s how we do it. You don’t engage in what we’ve been doing- buying vehicles, partying and everything as if things are normal when you say there is difficulty. You need to deal with the issue of cutting the cost of governance, that’s where you start. You need to deal with the issue of massive corruption.”
A former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani has urged President Bola Tinubu to pardon those incarcerated over the #EndSARS protest in 2020.
Naija News recalls that in 2020, Nigerian youths took to the streets to protest police brutality.
However, during the protest, some police stations, formations, and offices were damaged across the country, leading to some arrests.
While some of the arrested protesters were released, others are believed to still be in detention in various police stations.
Speaking at a special dinner organised to mark Democracy Day held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Sani said those who took part in the protest should also be considered champions of democracy.
According to him, he and other of his peers who were part of the fight to entrench democracy in Nigeria as the ENDSARS protesters learnt from President Tinubu to be dogged.
The dinner was attended by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside their spouses.
The President of the senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, secretary to the government of the federation, the chief justice of the federation, state governors, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), diplomats, traditional rulers, and lawmakers were among dignitaries that attended the dinner.
Russian police have detained two women accused of killing a man after he rejected their proposal for a threesome.
The suspects, aged 29 and 37, were drinking with the 63-year-old in a churchyard in Stavropol before the alleged attack took place.
According to a reports by The Mirror, the women allegedly killed the man by beating him after he refused to have sex with them.
Officers from Russia’s Investigative Committee were seen with the women at the alleged forest crime scene.
One woman demonstrated how she kicked the victim with a dummy, while another image showed one of the women being escorted by officers out of a police van.
In a statement, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported that the victim, known to both women, had suffered a vicious attack involving multiple blows to his head and torso with their fists and feet, resulting in his death at the scene.
The committee said, “In the course of an argument, the women gave the 63-year-old man multiple blows with their fists and feet to his head and torso.
“The victim died at the scene as a result of his injuries.
“Wishing to avoid responsibility for the offence, the accused dragged the body of the deceased to a wooded area and hid it in a hole.”
Rosa, 29, and Martha, 37, were remanded in custody for two months over the death of 63-year-old Alexander in the cemetery.
Social media was sent into a frenzy on Wednesday after President Bola Tinubu, slipped while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day celebration.
The President, however, quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings without further issues.
In this article, Naija News highlights other world leaders aside from Tinubu, who had a momentary fall during a public ceremony.
1. President Joe Biden: In March 2021, United States President, Joe Biden tripped on Air Force One stairs while scaling the steps to Air Force One to Atlanta to meet with Asian-American community leaders on a massacre.
2. Robert Mugabe: In February 2015, Zimbabwe’s 90-year-old President Robert Mugabe fell down a staircase as he walked off a podium after addressing supporters at Harare International Airport.
3. President Gerald Ford: Former President of the United States, Gerald Ford, slipped on Air Force One in 1975 while visiting Vienna in Austria for talks with Egyptian President Anwar Sada.
4. Cuba leader, Fidel Castro: Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, in October 2004, fell off the stage in Santa Clara, Cuba. Castro broke his knee and arm in the fall.
5. Barack Obama: In March 2015, former US President, Barack Obama came close to falling down the steps of Air Force One. Obama was returning to Washington DC from a golfing trip in Florida when he bounded from the plane door only to lose his footing. He recovered and continued across the tarmac with the same spring in his step.
6. Mike Pence: In June 2020, Vice President Mike Pence had a moment remarkably similar to President Biden’s upward slip. Pence was filmed running, then tripping, up the staircase of Air Force Two.
7. Tommy Tuberville: In October 2023, Senator Tommy Tuberville, who has previously criticised President Joe Biden for falling in public view, was mocked online after a video showing him falling down a flight of plane stairs himself went viral.
8. Hillary Clinton: The then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in 2011, was boarding a plane to Yemen when she slipped to her knees at the doorway and was only saved from further embarrassment when an aide gave her a helping hand.
9. Vladimir Putin: The Russian leader who loves to display his aura, saw himself on the floor during a 2019 hockey game he played in. He was doing a victory lap around Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome and applauding fans when he slammed on the floor.
10. Boris Johnson: The former United Kingdom prime minister, was a victim of an epic fall after he tripped and landed on the floor during a charity tug-of-war game at a World War I commemoration event with Britain’s armed forces in 2015.
Unresolved corruption probes in Nigeria have remained a significant concern, begging the question of why millions of public funds are allocated to probes when there are no plans to convict offenders.
In Nigeria, probes come with a lot of theatrics: first the announcement of investigative panels, then the media rounds, photo ops, and press outings, with long-winding sessions running into months and years but never ending in indictments or prosecutions.
Not forgetting the huge sitting allowances often allocated to such probe panels, another avenue for graft and appeasing political allies—a case of “the more you look, the less you see.”
Some of the high-profile corruption cases involving top politicians and government officials, mostly initiated at the National Assembly, remain unresolved, leading to public frustration and distrust in the government.
Social critics believe that corruption probes are merely a means of appeasing aggrieved citizens. However, for many Nigerians, justice would mean seeing corrupt officials sent to jail.
A report recently released by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI) through its Probes Monitor Portal showed that a total of 614 grand corruption probes were initiated by various administrations between 1999 and 2023. However, only three of these have been brought to a logical conclusion.
This huge gap, according to the centre, highlights the lack of accountability and transparency by successive governments, much to the detriment of the public good.
For instance, in the Petroleum Subsidy Scandal of 2012, billions of dollars were allegedly embezzled through fraudulent fuel subsidy claims. Investigations and arrests were initiated, but many did not lead to convictions.
In the Dasuki Gate scandal of 2020, former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a $2 billion arms fraud. The conclusion of this probe is yet to be seen.
Also, recall the probe of over N1.8 trillion in federal government interventions in the power sector since its privatization from 2012 to date by the Senate, the probe of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) over the spending of N17.16 billion ($40 million) in 2013, the investigation of the alleged diversion of N525 billion by a former Abia State Governor by the EFCC, and the probe of former minister Stella Oduah over the N255 million armored car scandal by the House of Representatives, among many others.
The challenge, according to Umar Yakubu, the Executive Director of CFTPI, is not only that these probes are never completed, but also that Nigerians are never informed of their status even when decisions are made.
Yakubu worries that by abandoning these probes and leaving the public in the dark, the government gives the impression that these actions are mere political theatre designed to placate the masses temporarily. He asserts that transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of any democratic society.
Without these principles, the very foundation of democracy is at risk. The lack of transparency in publishing the findings of these probes allows corruption to continue unchecked, as those who engage in corrupt practices feel emboldened by the lack of consequences.
Currently, Nigeria is gravely paying the price for corruption with a persistent economic downturn, unemployment, social injustice, poverty, and underdevelopment.
This is because funds that would have been utilized for the general good have found their way into private pockets.
Dr Otive Igbuzor of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, insisted that corruption may never be overcome unless proactive steps are taken to entrench sanctions, sincere probes, sentences, and convictions.
He said, “The media has a great role to play in holding the government to account and promoting social justice, transparency, and accountability in society.”
“The challenge before us is what should be done to ensure that the probes are completed and acted upon and ultimately reduce corruption in Nigeria. I suggest citizen engagement and advocacy, media activism, developmentalist coalitions, participation in politics, and movements for change.”
He advocated sincere legislative oversights to ensure allocated funds are properly utilized, systems that expose corruption, and internal checks for every organization handling government money.
Although analysts attribute unresolved probes to judicial inefficiencies, political interference, lack of political will, or failure of anti-graft institutions, Prof Okey Ikechukwu of the Development Spec Academy warns that they are also forms of corruption.
He noted that the government must also begin to check the misapplication of public funds and the wrong prioritization of projects where funds are deployed to areas that do not address the immediate needs of society.
“For example, spending public money to deploy computers in a school where no teacher is computer literate or building a bridge in a community where only three people have motorcycles,” he said.
He described such situations as procurement corruption involving political allies.
Prof Ikechukwu also cautioned against the glamorization of corruption and ill-gotten wealth, warning that young people would always emulate what society prioritizes.
While Nigerians demand that agencies fighting corruption in the country wake up to their responsibilities, they await a time when probes will be completed and sanctions meted out to offenders.
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Veteran Nollywood actor Jide Kosoko has opened up on the profound changes in his life following the tragic demise of his wife, Henrietta.
Speaking exclusively to Punch, Jide Kosoko disclosed how his home transformed into what he described as a “hotel” in the aftermath of his wife’s demise.
The actor, shared the emotional toll of losing his spouse and the unexpected consequences it brought to his household.
“After Henrietta passed away, my home gradually turned into a hotel,” Jide Kosoko said.
Kosoko, reflecting on the challenges he faced after the loss, admitted to feeling compelled to remarry to restore order and stability in his home.
“I was tempted to take a second wife,” he added.
The actor, who has faced his share of controversies and false accusations, also addressed the hurtful labels that have been unfairly attached to him.
“I have been blackmailed many times,” Jide Kosoko stated, referring to accusations of involvement in money rituals and other baseless claims.
Reflecting on his upbringing and personal beliefs against polygamy, Jide Kosoko acknowledged the advice of his doctor, a woman who encouraged him to consider remarriage for his well-being.
This counsel eventually led him to marry two wives again, Henrietta and Alhaja Bimbo.
In his words;
have been blackmailed many times, but I sailed through. They have called me a ‘ritualist’ before, which means I am a murderer.
Initially, as a human being, I felt bad. But my skin is too thick for all that rubbish. Instead of feeling bad, I will go on my knees and pray to God to give His judgment.
“And I always see these people get their judgment. I don’t want to mention names. I don’t know anything about what is happening to Kemi Olunloyo and I don’t follow her on social media. Apart from her, there are other people who have rubbished my name in the past
“Becoming a polygamist wasn’t my design. With my upbringing, I am not supposed to be a polygamist.
Though my father was a polygamist, he didn’t marry the number of women I have married.
“My first wife, Sola’s mother, was working with the Nigerian Customs Service. She was not involved in my industry and then I would travel for two months.
“So, I was tempted to take a second wife. But unfortunately for me, in the circumstances I cannot explain till today, I lost two wives within a year.
You can imagine that! So, I decided not to remarry again, though I had girlfriends; I was a ladies ’ man.
“Two of my girlfriends were very close to the house and my friends too would come with their girlfriends.
“So, we were almost turning the house into a brothel. Later, my doctor, a lady, visited me and advised me to remarry.
“She said it was the best for me, insisting that I was too young to be without a woman. I lost my two wives in 1992 and 1993 respectively, and I was not up to 40 then.
“I agreed to take a wife in the long run, but I had two women who were intimate with me – Henrietta and Alhaja Bimbo. Since I couldn’t say no to either of them, I married two wives again.”
Kasim Balarabe Musa, son of the Second Republic Governor of old Kaduna State and leader of the Peoples Redemption Party( PRP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa has asked President Bola Tinubu to resign over the current economic hardship Nigerians are facing.
Recall that Balarabe Musa was a Nigerian left-wing politician who was elected Governor of Kaduna State during the Nigerian Second Republic, holding office from October 1979 until he was impeached on 23 June 1981.
During the Nigerian Fourth Republic he was leader of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), a coalition of opposition parties. He died November 11, 2020.
Kasim, while leading a peaceful protest to mark the June 12 Democracy Day in Kaduna on Tuesday, noted that Nigeria has retrogressed under Tinubu’s administration.
Addressing teeming PRP members, he maintained that there was nothing to celebrate on Democracy Day at the moment.
He added that his late father and other pro Democracy Activists like late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Senator Shehu Sani and a hosts of others, sacrificed a lot for the enthronement of the nation’s fledgling democracy in the country while regretting the current sorry state the country had found itself today.
According to him, things have deteriorated in the country such that citizens are disturbed due to the high cost of essential items like food stuffs, adding that ” poor Nigerians can no longer feed despite the wealth Nigeria is endowed with.”
He urged the President to re-strategies with a view to bringing an end to the problems debilitating the country, adding that if the President was overwhelmed, he should resign.
Kasim said, “the military which we fought against before 1999 cannot allow this kind of killing and maiming of citizens, abuse of citizens. They won’t allow it.
“Nigeria has seen its darkest period since the country got her independence from 1960 to date.
“Nigeria has seen her worst and darkest period while there are so many killings and food is so expensive.
“No good schools and the medical situation is appalling. If the president has been overwhelmed by challenges confronting the country, he should resign.”
In the spirit of the June 12 Democracy Day celebration, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has granted pardon to 41 inmates serving in different correctional centres across the state.
The governor also commuted the death sentence of 45 condemned prisoners to prison terms.
Speaking at the 2024 Democracy Day in Abeokuta, Abiodun said the decision was in exercising his prerogative of mercy as the governor of the state.
“Government has a duty to uphold democratic values by consistently applying principles of mercy, justice, and the rule of law. In this vein, the Nigerian Constitution empowers me to exercise a prerogative of mercy to anyone convicted of an offense in Ogun State.
“Having received the guidance of the Ogun State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, I have signed the appropriate warrants ordering the release of 41 convicts currently imprisoned across different correctional facilities in Ogun State. I have also signed warrants converting the death sentences of 45 inmates to prison sentences.
“This gesture signals a break from past grievances and a move towards a more inclusive and compassionate society where merciful second chances are granted to deserving offenders.
“All convicts who have received this gesture have shown remorse for their crimes, acquired skills and certifications in prison, with several of them receiving university degrees from the National Open University of Nigeria. They have also demonstrated verified good conduct during their imprisonment,” he said.
Emphasizing on the significance of the celebration, Abiodun said it marks the triumph of democracy.
Late Moshood Kasimawo Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) was the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was annulled by the military. This was despite the election being adjudged as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.
“June 12, 1993, stands as a watershed moment in this journey. On that particular day, Nigerians transcended differences of tribe, gender, and even the unique joint Muslim-Muslim ticket to speak unanimously through the ballot.
“They elected the late Chief Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola and Babagana Kingibe of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) as President and Vice-President, respectively,” Abiodun stated.
According to the governor, “That election remains a pivotal moment in our country’s democratic history. It has become the benchmark against which the successes of subsequent elections are measured. For all its import, it reminds us of the power of unity, resilience, and the collective determination to uphold the principles of democracy.
“It is a testament to the strength and resilience of the Nigerian people, who have shown unwavering commitment to democracy and the belief in a better future.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Lamuwa, has denied accusations of sexual harassment leveled against him by a married ministry employee, Mrs. Simisola Fajemirokun-Ajayi.
Mrs. Ajayi, through a petition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, filed by her lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), outlined alleged instances of harassment.
In a document seen by THE WHISTLER, Lamuwa through his lawyers, denied the allegations stating:
“We are legal representatives of Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa (hereinafter referred to as ‘our client’), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and have been authorised to make the following statement on his behalf, in response to allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by Mrs Simisola O. Fajemirokun-Ajayi, an aide to the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“The media, particularly the social media has been inundated with the digital copy of a petition written by legal representatives of Mrs. Simisola O. Fajemirokun-Ajayi against Amb. Lamuwa. This petition was clearly leaked in order to generate sympathy for her unsubstantiated claims.
“We wish to state categorically that our client has never made any sexual advances towards Mrs. Simisola O. Fajemirokun-Ajayi, who he is aware is a married woman, neither has he ever made suggestive comments or innuendos that requested any form of untoward relationship between himself and her.
“Our client distinctly recalls the events that took place at the ministry’s retreat on October 7th 2023 where Mrs Simisola O. Fajemirokun-Ajayi claims that he invited her to his room. Our client states categorically that, he never made such an invitation and that his only communication with Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi, which was an overt one, was where he checked on her, like he did to all participants on whether they had been well-lodged in their hotels.
“He further recalls that the instance where he spoke of her as a nursing mother, during the same retreat was in a colloquial conversation they were having with other participants, where one participant even responded jokingly that when a woman says ‘her baby’ it could mean either her husband or one of her children, of which he innocuously joked asking “how big is the baby?” Our client maintains that those conversations were made jokingly and sees their misinterpretation as malicious and with ill-intent.
“Our client also maintains that it is an absurdity for Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi to claim that he invited her to Hong Kong, given that the conversation they were both having was on how Honk Kong had digitised its work processes as far back as 1999. Our client wonders how such a conversation became interpreted as an invitation for her to travel alongside himself knowing fully well that she is an aide to the minister. How can she possibly leave the minister to follow the permanent secretary, on a vacation? Would that not be the height of delusion for the one requesting, as well as the one heeding to the request?
“It is clear that the minister’s aide has misinterpreted ordinary conversations, made openly and in the presence of other participants, for untoward intentions. We believe that these allegations are directly tied to our client’s firm objections raised regarding improper requests that Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi made, particularly to financial matters in the ministry.
“For example, Mrs. Fajemirokun-Ajayi made a trip to the World Economic Forum (Davos), of which she sought a reimbursement from the ministry for. Our client firmly explained to her that while the ministry may look at avenues to refund her expenses, it is not the appropriate process for a trip to be made without an approval, and then funded with taxpayers money. after the fact.
“Further to this, is the fact of Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi’s unfamiliarity with civil service rules and processes where she had requested from our client access to policy files and even financial records of high-level activities of the ministry. By no means, should the permanent secretary, as chief accounting officer of the ministry provide such sensitive documents to an aide of the minister, worse via a WhatsApp chat. There are due processes in government, and they must be followed.
“We must emphasise that Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi is a political appointee, and not a civil servant. Thus, matters of finance and policy are out of bounds for her in this instance.
“It is crucial to mention that our client, in all his 32 years of service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, never received a query nor a report against him bordering on harassment, let alone, sexual harassment. In the course of this period, our client has served in Hong Kong, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Syria and more recently, Senegal, and there has never been a negative report on his conduct in any of these countries.
“Ambassador Lamuwa has also served for nine years in the State House. From the office of the vice president, to the office of the chief of staff to the president, and to the office of the president, and no negative report or allegation of any kind has ever been raised against him.”