No fewer than 20 school officials, allegedly aiding and abetting examination malpractice, have been arrested by the West African Examination Council (WAEC)  in its ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates.

The Council said that the arrests were made in various parts of the country.

The Head, National Office (HNO) of council, Mr Patrick Areghan, disclosed this on the sidelines of a monitoring exercise he carried out in some schools on Thursday in Lagos.

According to him, the WAEC  has since handed over all the culprits to the police for prosecution.

Areghan vowed that the council would do everything possible to ensure that their prosecution was followed to  logical conclusion.

“The issue of examination malpractice can no longer be treated with kid gloves.

“It is no longer business as usual, as it has completely eroded morals and values in our society. It is taking a dangerous dimension, of which, if not tackled will bring our country to its knees.

“Now, since the commencement of this examination, we have deployed our technology, designed to catch examination cheats and we are happy at the results we have gotten so far.

“For instance, in Ibadan, Oyo, where we have our zonal office, which takes care of Osun, Kwara and Oyo itself, we made three arrests in a school and for the purpose of confidentiality, I will not mention the name.

“There, a supervisor at a centre, principal and invigilator were all arrested.They were arrested for allegedly snapping and posting the questions to some platforms, thereby, aiding and abetting examination malpractices.’’ 

He said: “Then, in Maiduguri, a supervisor and principal of a school, were both arrested and handed over to the police too.

“In Umuahia, a teacher and a supervisor were arrested in a particular school and they have been handed over to the police.

“In Abeokuta, a school proprietor was the first to be caught at the beginning of this examination on May 8, snapping and posting question papers,” he said.

Areghan described the act as a monumental disgrace.

The WAEC official, said that the proprietor and a supervisor had since been arrested and also handed over to the police.

He further disclosed that the same situation was also recorded at

Osogbo, where a principal, invigilator and chief supervisor were arrested for the same offence.

According to him, in Kaduna too, a supervisor and an examination official in a school who were caught in the act, were arrested and handed over to the police.

He explained that the school, which was ceded to Kaduna was supposed to be Kano, but was ceded because it was closer to Kaduna.

Areghan said that the arrests would continue until the end of the examination.

He urged candidates not allow their future to be compromised by persons who did not wish them well, by promising to assist them pass their examination through illegal means, stressing that WAEC’s examinations could never be accessed illegally.

According to him, all of the culprits caught in the act may have been paid by the unsuspecting candidates and their parents, promising to assist them pass the examination.

“I want to counter this statement that some people are fond of making, which is that our examination questions always leak.

“That does not exist. Our examination is always safe and secured until they get to the candidates in the hall.”

He asserted that WAEC examination questions don’t ever leak and cautioned the media to stop using the word “leak”. 

“What actually happens is that, once the examination is about to start, we give the question papers to the supervisors, one hour before commencement, so that they can travel from the collection point, to the various schools, where they will administer the examination.

“What happens?

“Immediately they get to the exam hall, they will open the pack  in the name of distributing to candidates and they will snap and post to various designated platforms-  WhatsApp, Instagram and others.

“Such persons are members of a syndicate group who collect money,’’ he said.

According to him, once the examination is already in progress, anyone that  takes pictures of the papers and posts will be detected. 

Areghan noted that the council had a method of detecting who snapped, who posted, who it was posted to and which candidate’s question booklet was posted.

According to him, that is when the council swings to action by rounding all of them up and subsequently handing them  over to the police.

“You have been following me around for this monitoring

“You  saw me telling these children that they will hardly have time to access any materials snapped and posted on any platforms because they are already in the hall writing the examination.

“From what we have seen so far today at the schools we visited, I will say that the examination has been going on smoothly. There has not been any challenge beyond our control. 

“Of course you will come across persons who will want to prove smart by cutting corners and trying to get things done unethically, but we have been able to beat them to it.

“There are though, some that we do not bother ourselves with, as we will deal with such administratively.’’

He noted that only hard work was the way out to a stable and progressive country, adding that schools should continue to stick to academic excellence and nothing less, in order to sustain quality education.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that schools visited for the monitoring on Thursday  included  ST and T in Ikeja, Ikeja Senior High School as well as State Senior High School among others.

The Plateau state Governor Caleb Mutfwang Thursday reversed some appointments, and recruitment made by the immediate past Governor of the state, Simon Lalong.

In a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, Governor Caleb stated that “All appointments into the State Civil Service made from 1st October 2022 to date are hereby suspended with effect from the same date subject to review in line with due process.”

The statement noted that, “In light of the apparent flagrant abuse of Public Service Rules, non-adherence to due process, indiscriminate and irregular employment in the State and Local Governments by the immediate past administration, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has directed as follows:

“All appointments into the State Civil Service made from 1st October 2022 to date are hereby suspended with effect from the same date subject to review in line with due process.

” All those who have retired but are yet to vacate their offices or duty posts either because of extension or contract appointment are to hand over any Government property in their possession and vacate office immediately.

“All Civil Servants due for retirement but are yet to tender their letters of retirement or notice of retirement should do so forthwith and proceed on retirement immediately.

” All Civil Servants and or persons appointed Permanent Secretaries from January 2023 to date should revert to their previous positions forthwith.

The statement added that other measures and steps towards strengthening and building a result-oriented Civil Service will be taken in due course by the administration.

Months after the conclusion of the 2023 presidential election won by President Bola Tinubu, the spiritual director of the Adoration Ministry in Enugu, Nigeria (AMEN), Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka, said his prophecy and vision shown him by God was so clear.

Naija News reports that Fr Mbaka said this in reaction to those criticising him on social media after the outcome of the 2023 general election.

Delivering a sermon at his Church branch, the renowned Christian cleric warned those attacking him, especially on social media, insisting that he would keep talking.

According to Mbaka, social media cannot control the voice of prophecy. The cleric asserted that God reveals the future through vision, and people will see it.

“Please, if the gift you have is not genuine, ask God for the real one; stop fabricating things. When there is a lot of noise on social media, then somebody begins to speak because you think that if millions of people are speaking of somebody, that means the majority will win the vote. No, it is a different thing from prophecy and vision.

”In a vision, God will reveal to you the future. You will see it. It was so clear. Even in the time of Jonathan, I told him, look at what the Holy Spirit says you should do, ‘remove this person if you want to win the election. If you don’t remove him, you will lose, and Buhari will take over,” Fr Mbaka said.

”People will never understand Father Mbaka, and they will begin to talk rubbish on social media. Whether you understand me or not, I will keep talking.

”Social media cannot control the voice of prophecy because, in the end, it will happen the way God said it must happen,” he said.

[NaijaNews]

The Lagos State government has dragged popular Interior designer, Ehizogie Ogbebor before the Lagos State High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square for allegedly failing to file her tax returns.

Ogbebor, who is also a social media celebrity, is facing a 12-count charge before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.

The state accused her of allegedly refusing to pay personal income tax to the state internal revenue service within the time stipulated by law since 2014 till date.

The prosecution further alleged that the defendant being a taxable personality in Nigeria failed to pay her tax, which contravened Sections 41 and 94 (1) of the Personal Income Tax Act, Cap. P8, Laws of the Federation,  2004.

It also stated that the offences contravened Sections 56(a) (b) of the Lagos State Revenue Administration Law, No.8, 2006.

When the matter came up on Monday, the state prosecution counsel, Ade Alli, told Justice Adesanya that the case was a matter of tax and he had a motion for substituted service.

While moving the motion of notice dated May 10, 2023, Alli told the court that the prosecution was seeking an order from the court to effect substituted service on the defendant.

He said, “we seek the leave of this court for substituted service to paste the notice on the last known address of the defendant at plot 59, Fola Osibo Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.”

After listening to the lawyer, Justice Adesanya granted the prayer as prayed and added that the substituted service should be served on the defendant.

The judge then adjourned the case to October 26 for trial.

[Leadership]

Nigeria is more divided than ever, and the politicians of Nigeria have gone completely mad. It is as though everybody is now totally beyond control. Nigerians have replaced the Constitution with just one word: Impunity.

Of course in this matter of impunity, there is no difference between the parties and the politicians because crossing party lines rampantly like harlots-on-heat is all the rage. There is no redemption in sight for the odious lot. These wanton Nigerian politicians need to be reminded of what happened in Ghana back in 1979.

Then Flight Lieutenant John Jerry Rawlings decided to have a say in the power equation of Ghana by shooting to death three former Heads of State, Generals Ignatius Acheampong, Afrifa, and Fred Akuffo.

Nigerian politicians always lamely assert: “It can never happen here. Nigeria is not Ghana bla… bla… bla…” We only need to be reminded that there is always a first time. Democracy should not be reduced to blackmail as is being currently done in Nigeria. Things are going mightily wrong here, and the leaders appear not to notice.

Hunger has reached unprecedented levels in the history of the country. In the Second Republic, the then Transport Minister Umaru Dikko infamously said that there was no hunger in Nigeria because the people had not started eating from the refuse dumps.

Nobody in their right mind can deny that Nigerians are today scavenging for food from the refuse heaps behind the homes of the rich and powerful. Cost of living is now out of the reach of the so-called average Nigerian. Little wonder most people now take refuge in betting and gambling, and generally wiling away time in the new-fangled churches that promise all kinds of miracles.

The rulers ought to see that there exists in Nigeria today a separation of the government from the people. In one of his more famous poems, the late German playwright Bertolt Brecht made the suggestion that the government ought to dissolve the people and elect another “people” since the people had forfeited confidence in the government!

It is this kind of dangerous pass that leads to bloody revolution. It appears as though the powers-that-be are not in the know that much of the world views Nigeria as a joke, a lost cause. Every report emanating from all cardinal points point to the fact that Nigeria is actually a failed state.

The uncontrolled killing spree of the Fulani herdsmen grates the mind. The vexed matter of Biafra is on the upsurge. The Niger Delta insurgency is threatening to come back in full force. Kidnapping is now the rule rather than the exception. Mind boggling robberies take place with the police running for their dear lives.

Security which ought to be the first guarantee of the government is only observed in the breach. For every Nigerian, it is now OYO (i.e. On Your Own!). Something needs to be given now. When Acheampong was carrying on in Ghana with the largesse of incumbency, he thought quite little of the danger that Rawlings represented.

The initial mutiny of Rawlings was of course thwarted and he was thrown into prison, awaiting execution, only for his group to upturn the apple cart which led to the public execution of Acheampong, Afrifa and Akuffo on charges of corruption.

Things change and remain the same in Nigeria – or in fact get worse: Inconclusive elections… Hopeless budgets… Endless fuel queues… Collapsing currency… Diabolical darkness… Forex abracadabra… Presidential tourism… Judicial absurdities…

People are more or less left embracing self-help. The overconfidence of our ruling politicians reminds me of a passage I read in the trashy fiction of my teenage years, to wit, James Hadley Chase in The Sucker Punch: “It is only when a guy gets so full of confidence in his ability that he is wide open for the sucker punch. I have seen it happen again and again in my racket. A guy commits murder, fakes an alibi and thinks he can cover up. Then wham! And he is flat on his back. Only he’s damn sight worse than a busted jaw.”

Our caterwauling politicians are not unlike the ungainly crooks in the genre thrillers of James Hadley Chase. They will, like all the fictional characters, come to a tacky end in the archetypal mode that stresses: Crime does not pay.

We need to be reminded that the democracy that Ghana is being praised for today came at a steep cost. Rawlings was the man who made change possible in Ghana. It is so saddening that Nigeria may end up needing the shock treatment like that of good old J.J. Rawlings to get its bearing right.

Of course it is not too late in the day for Nigerian leaders to tell themselves the home truth and thus avert the doom that the Rawlings treatment portends. This is not a warning – it is a revelation.

President Bola Tinubu has signed into law the bill on uniform retirement age for judicial officers.

Tinubu signed the bill on Thursday.

The bill was passed by the outgoing Ninth National Assembly.

In a statement by Abiodun Oladunjoye, state house director of information, the president pledged that his administration would strengthen the judiciary and empower judicial officers.

The bill, titled: “Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (fifth altercation) (No.37) bill, 2023”, was the first to be signed by President Tinubu since taking the oath of office on May 29.

The law extends the retirement age of high court judges — and others — from 65 to 70 years.

The retirement age of justices of the appeal and supreme courts is already pegged at 70.

The legislation also ensured uniformity in the pension rights of judicial officers of “superior courts of record” specified in section 6(5) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

With the signing of the Constitutional amendment Bill, retirement age and pension rights of judicial officers have been effectively brought into uniformity and other related matters.

While signing the amendment Bill, Tinubu pledged his administration’s dedication to strengthening the judiciary, ensuring the rule of law, and empowering judicial officers to execute their responsibilities effectively.

On May 2, the national assembly directed Amos Ojo, its clerk, to transmit the bill to former President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

Recall that Abubakar Malami, the immediate past attorney-general of the federation, advised Buhari to decline assent to the bill.

In a memo dated May 23 and addressed to the office of the chief of staff to the president, Malami said the bill appeared to be “far-reaching, unduly wide, ambiguous”, adding that it made no “justification” for the extension of retirement age and benefits for judges.

The former AGF said the bill if approved, may lead to further agitation for the extension of the retirement age of justices of the supreme court and court of appeal.

The storm in Sudan has been raging for almost two months and it has shown no sign of abating. More than 1, 800 persons have been killed and no less than 1.6 million have been displaced. Aljazeera has reported that Saudi Arabia and the United States brokered peace talks have been suspended. It is a blame game on which party breached the ceasefire agreement yesterday and who punctured the delicate calm understanding today. The combatants are by now well known. They are the mainstream armed forces loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Head of Government on the one hand, and the Rapid Support Forces on the other headed by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. These consist of paramilitaries loyal to former warlord Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemedti. Muscle flexing between the two senior officers was deliberately triggered by the fallen President Omar al-Bashir now standing trial at The Hague. The speculation was that he set one party against the other so that he could hold on to power through the impossibility of marriage of minds against his brutal and despicable rulership. He was eventually kicked out in 2019, but the seed of a power struggle had long been sowed even before then according to reports. As is usually the case when rivalry is driven by envy and hate, complicated by conceit, the situation drifted to the point the two parties had to choose between peace and war. Unfortunately, as they were armed and could be said to be equally matched, they elected the latter—war!

Over the ages when confronted with that choice, man has always fallen for war and destruction. Do we need to cast our minds back to history? Has the war between Ukraine and Russia not proven the point and, indeed, gotten complicated before our very eyes with the attendant and unbelievably mindless destruction of lives and property? Let’s reflect upon it. Consider it: homelessness, long and hopeless columns of displaced people fleeing to safety. On the last count, 1.6 million. It is easier to destroy than to build. Because building requires effort, man will rather permit indolence to prevail than allow exertion to take the front burner in the struggle with himself. Consequently, the recourse to war and the attendant ruination, hiding under the cover of national integrity, prestige, and justice. Only on Tuesday, a dam in Ukraine was blown with bombs, blamed on Russia enemy action. Over 80 communities were reportedly being evacuated. On Wednesday, six missiles described as “unstoppable” were shot down by Ukraine.

The inalienable property every human being is endued is the gift of free will, the freedom to choose. To be or not to be. And every choice has consequences, some grave and ruinous while others uplift and build up. They could engender peace and harmony if the choice springs from the thought of peace, from the high, noble, and that which is pure.

Justice is desirable and attainable. It must be a goal. But there is a lack of understanding of what the terms mean, that is national integrity, prestige, and justice. Take for example, Justice. Justice is severe. And usually, we go out in search of justice from others and not from ourselves. But justice must start from self. When a man is first severe with himself, he will be just to others. Man resorts to war for his own self-glory, power, influence, acknowledgment, and admiration. We human beings seek to attract attention to ourselves and cultivate fame rather than the nobility of the spirit. We work deliberately to be known in history. The battle is with oneself and not with his neighbour. According to the higher knowledge spreading on earth today, each has enough on his hands to battle — with himself until the end of his life in this world.

The Rapid Support Forces was set up by President Bashir to crush the rebellion which had festered for more than 20 years in Southern Darfur that had complained of political and economic exclusion by the central government. At the end of the military action in Darfur, the two parties cooperated to oust President Bashir in 2019. There was collaborative working in power sharing between the military and the civilians that led the protests which triggered the fall of President Bashir. This arrangement broke down following continuing protests over economic difficulties in the country. The coup brought the military back into governance, but this again did not reduce the protests because the civilians wanted oversight over the military in power and demanded the fusion of the two separate arms of the Armed Forces, the mainstream and the Rapid Support Forces. Hamdan Dagolo (Hemedti) threw his weight behind the transition to democratic order. This raised fresh tension because this did not go down well with the military ruler, Burhan. Justice was also demanded for the killings of pro-democracy activists which occurred in 2019 and for those killed by the security forces since the 2021 coup. They were said to be no fewer than 125 activists and protesters.

It is unfortunate that when the drive to hostilities came to a head on the cliff, it could not be arrested and there was a headlong plunge into the valley, turning Sudan into a land of war. This is proof that mankind has not advanced a jot from the point they were thousands of years back when savagery and merry-making were man’s ultimate and when he found fulfillment in war. It is only the instruments of war and merry-making and raiment that have changed, not man himself. In place of swords, machetes, and arrows by warriors on horses, there are now Abrams tanks, Challenger 2 and Leopards 2 tanks; B-52 bombers and Jaguar bombers, missiles, marines, and chemical weapons and nuclear bombs.

Progress lies in everyone changing, from the leaders to the led, in everyone genuinely seeking true knowledge, and having firm volition for what is good and in giving purity to our thoughts. The knowledge that must be sought must be the one that explains the origin of man, his tasks, and his goals. With the attainment of such knowledge, it can then be seen whether wars are part of the tasks and whether they advance a human being towards his goal in the world. Terrible and terrifying consequences of war have been visited on Ukraine as well as Sudan since hostilities came to a head in the two countries; first to the human person and then to their land, environment, and property. The consequences will return to those flying the bombers themselves or those firing long-range tanks, Leopard 2, no matter how heroic they may feel after every raid on their targets. For every injury and death brought by the wars, there are horrifying consequences, indeed, encompassing indescribable torments, beyond the earthly. The citizens will live in anxiety for their lives until the hostilities cease completely.

How then does a war start? It brews from wrong living by human beings even if they are far-flung at the other end of the world. The consequences return in reciprocity to their authors. All around us is living, vacuous as it may appear. There is ceaseless surging and weaving around each person. A new carpet of fate is woven without stop which a person will be compelled to experience at a later date. The hour of return will depend on the nature of the seed sown. We learn in higher knowledge spreading across the globe today that at each moment, a person stands in the reactions of his past activities. He is connected with the threads he has spun, threads from the radiations of his volition. He who spins threads of goodness in all his activities, for example, is enveloped in kindness to him, in peace and upliftment. In a similar outworking, there is no one who is evil that gets away with it, nor is there anyone who does good and gives understanding consideration to his fellowman who is himself not ennobled. As it is for goodness and compassion, so is it with peace. He who wants peace must long and work for it, otherwise, the weaving will be such that he will fall into the hands of those with his nature, who don’t want peace. He will be entrapped in the company or acquaintanceship of those with tendencies for evil. A man cannot do evil and be unfair to others and expect peace — even if he fasts and prays until Kingdom come, for the Lord, the Creator, cannot be mocked. Prayers must be said in deeds.

Every seed sown through activities of each person goes through nurturing and nourishment, through every maturation process until it bears fruits which the sower is compelled to harvest. The fruits come multiplied. A seed of an orange planted comes at harvest with multiple orange fruits and from year to year until the tree is either cut or uprooted. It is the same as with a seed of the mango. Every activity that proceeds from a person attracts similar activities from other people. The activities form fields of power and activity where they are nourished until fruits appear and ripen. Once these fruits have taken on form ethereally, it is a question of time before they manifest physically. Those who contribute to the cultivation of the fields are not just from one part of the world but are found wherever there are human beings. At the time of harvest, every contributor will have his share corresponding to the measure of his contribution. It follows that an action for which another person who may be a complete stranger living at another end of the world is being condemned and pilloried has been strengthened by the critic, unknown to him. That there is unabated crisis engulfing many parts of the world is because the field of wrong activity and evil is ever widening. This will continue to be until the nourishment itself ceases. In the two wars that the world is witnessing, the Ukraine-Russian war and the war in Sudan, the so-called superpowers are competing for superiority and in the display of weaponry technological advancement!

What is palpable today is the rate at which the fruits ripen, the acceleration and intensification at which eruption occurs whether in economic or political spheres. And sudden deaths! All this is a consequence of increased motion brought about by intensified Light pressure under which our world is held in these times. What used to take long is no longer so. Threats that used to take years before a resolution was found, either at a round-table conference or in war now take a few weeks, or a few months before they translate into a war or open hostilities of a lesser degree.
The activities referred to cover thoughts, speeches, and actions. Those who get caught in hostilities are those who are homogeneous to providing anchorage for the returning fruits at a particular time. They get caught either by engaging in direct war, its conception or planning, or by getting wounded or killed in demonstrations in different parts of the world which may be removed from the theatre of the war itself. At this height of the Russian-Ukraine War, those who have not contributed to its ensuing either through wrong concepts, comments, opinions, or actions are bound to know peace in their hearts and environment.

In other words, it can be seen from the foregoing that the escalating wars pre-date the dispute between Ukraine and Russia and the subsequent invasion of the latter; or the internal antagonism in Sudan. The excuses and rationalization are only tools that are in the hands of actors who found themselves thrown up for the manifestation of earlier events pressing for materialization. It is the tools the entire world debates, not the cause. The materialization must find itself in cocky, stubborn fellows. If it were not so, how do we explain the rigid positions of the combatants? Everyone who participates in the crisis in whatever form, from the design of the arms to the manufacture and sale will be held to account and this will mean his having to go, himself, through intensified upheavals greater than the ongoing wars in the two zones.

Through the beaming In the Light of Truth, mankind is helped to see the immutability of the Laws of Nature which are living and self-acting as the eyes and self-enforcers of the Will of God, the Almighty Creator. They ensure that every deviation from what is right is brought to the attention of the protagonist so that, in love and justice, he can free himself from the guilt by going through it.

The outbreak of war is manifestly a sign of the decline of humanity despite all the helps through enlightenment over millennia. Man has devoted a greater part of his energy and time to fashioning weapons of destruction than to what will remake the world. The tool for remaking the world is as spelt out In the Light of Truth which answers all questions of life and existence. Man has reached his wits-end. He has to grow up to avoid the calamity that the two wars signal. It is not too late for the parties involved to stop these wars. It is a question of the decision to long for peace.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has once more arraigned another Accountant General for allegedly committing fraud to the tune of N289m.

Saadu Maiwada and Sani Lawal BK, both officials of the office of the Accountant General of Katsina State, were arraigned on Thursday before Justice Musa Danladi of the Katsina State High Court on a five count charge of conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

Recall a similar case where operatives of the Commission arrested Ahmed Idris, the Accountant General of the Federation for alleged stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109, 485,572,691.9

The former AGF was first arrested on May 16, 2022 and remained in EFCC custody until his bail on 2nd June 2022.

However, during the sitting today, EFCC narrated in court that Maiwada and BK committed the fraud during their tenures as Sub Treasurer and Deputy Sub Treasurer in the office of the Accountant General of Katsina State,

They allegedly conspired and converted the sum of N289,000,000 (Two Hundred and Eighty Nine Million Naira) from the coffers of Katsina State.

Investigation by the Commission revealed that the defendants laundered the stolen funds through the account of Integrated Gas Services Limited.

Further investigations showed that in the company, the first defendant (Maiwada) is a Director.

EFCC said the sum of N49, 000,000 was also allegedly transferred from the account of Integrated Gas Services Limited to the personal account of the second defendant (Lawal BK), who is now the Deputy Accountant General of the state.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

One of the charges reads, “That you, Saadu Miawada and Sani Lawal BK sometime in 2017 at Katsina within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court while being entrusted with dominion over money belonging to Katsina State Government dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N120,790,942.86 (One Hundred and Twenty Million, Seven Hundred Ninety Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty-two Naira, Eighty-six Kobo) which was transferred from Katsina State Government Sub -Treasury Expenditure Account number 1012424374 domiciled in United Bank for Africa (UBA) PLC to Integrated Gas Services Company Limited’s Fidelity Bank account no 4010693761 (CO1717299) and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 297 of the Penal Code Law of Katsina State 2021”.

In view of their pleas, counsel for the prosecution, Aisha Tahar Habib, prayed the court for a trial date.

However, Counsel for the defendants, J B Israel made an oral bail application on behalf of his clients but the prosecution objected, demanding for a formal application as the court is a court of record.

The judge admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N5, 000,000 (Five Million Naira) each.

They were also ordered each to provide a surety with a landed property within Katsina and present letters of introduction from a traditional ruler as the matter was adjourned till July 24, 2023 for trial.

Two key personalities – Festus Keyamo and Nasir el Rufai - who played important roles in the just-concluded Buhari era have just proven two adages to be absolutely true. For el Rufai, there is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face, and for Keyamo, all that glitters is not gold. These two men, who have probably been role models for many, have recently unraveled in the most embarrassing and shameful manner, so much so that those who held them in high esteem would be having second thoughts by now. None of us, especially from Southern Nigeria, had ever suspected that Nasir el Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, is a religious and tribal bigot; an extremist and a Muslim fundamentalist. For decades, this man has carefully burnished his image as a cosmopolitan, liberal and open-minded professional who attended a Catholic school in Kaduna in his early days, spent time in Abeokuta during NYSC and cultivated friends and contacts from every part of the country. He served as a no-nonsense minister of FCT during the second term of the Obasanjo administration and was highly regarded as one of the four technocrats and reformists of that administration (the others were Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; Ngozi Okoji-Iweala and Esther Nenadi). But in a recent video which has since been viewed by millions of Nigerians, el Rufai is heard spewing derogatory and hateful words against Christians and promoting Islamic fundamentalist agenda.

I cannot bear to repeat some of the words that he said because they’re so repulsive, offensive and repugnant. The entire Christian community in the country, and even moderate Muslims have been scandalized, outraged and embarrassed by el Rufai’s bigotry. A lot of people are asking: Is this the real el Rufai we had always known; or is this video AI-generated? People who know him well, like the Chairman of Kaduna chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Joseph Hayab, says the video is the real el Rufai and that the former governor is a chameleonic pretender who had been hiding his true colours for political expediency. I had expected that by now, President Tinubu would have condemned el Rufai’s vile and dangerous sentiments in its entirety and distanced himself from them, more so since the kernel of the message was a direct reference to the President and his Muslim-Muslim. If the new administration does not immediately repudiate these incendiary statements, many would go away with the impression that they probably reflect the thinking of the government, especially since the President himself had never condemned those who stoked ethnic violence in Lagos during the governorship election. The el Rufai video reminds us of the character portrait former President Obasanjo painted of him in his memoire, My Watch. Obasanjo describes el Rufai as a pathological liar with ‘’inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue’’. He says el Rufai has a penchant to destroy the character of people, including relations and those close to him. I now agree.

His eight-year tenure as governor recorded the greatest number of interreligious killings, abductions and violence, especially in Southern Kaduna which is home to persons of Christian faith and minority ethnic groups. The people of Southern Kaduna have consistently maintained that the various attacks were meant to achieve ethnic cleansing and total annihilation of the various non-Fulani tribes in the area. They accused the federal government of Muhammadu Buhari and state government of doing little or nothing to protect them. But as governor, el Rufai’s routine response to these criticisms was to point to the fact that he’s appointed people of Christian faith and some from other parts of the country into his cabinet. But we know that such appointments are mere tokenism. The real insights into his dark mind are in the trending video.

Festus Keyamo has also unraveled in the most unimaginable fashion. He served the Buhari administration as Minister of State, in the Ministry of Labour and Productivity. Keyamo went into public service with the reputation of a SAN and criminal prosecutor who took on many corrupt persons for the for the EFCC. In Lagos, where he began his career, we all knew him as a human rights activist trained by the legendary Gani Fawenhinmi. His political career started in 2018 when he was appointed Spokesperson for the re-election President Buhari, the same role he served at the Tinubu Campaign, even though he was still serving in government. But as the 2022 campaign season became more and more intense, Keyamo became more and more inflammable and vitriolic. He boasted ceaselessly on TV that he’s the best prosecutor in the country. On Wednesday, May 24, at the valedictory session of FEC, Keyamo read a prepared speech in which he told the President, Vice President and other members of Council that the position of Minister of State he had occupied for four years was illegal and unconstitutional. One member of Council told me, ‘’I could not raise my face to look at the President when I heard those words’’. Silence and embarrassment enveloped the chamber. It was an unprecedented self-indictment by a SAN who ought to know the implication of such a thoughtless remark. Immediately, Nigerians made a mockery of him, with some asking that he refund all the salaries and allowances he’d earned for occupying an illegal position.

But the worst was yet to come. Last week, a judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice James Omotosho dismissed Keyamo’s case against the ICPC and Atiku Abubarkar as frivolous, vexatious and abuse of court processes and slammed him with a N10 million fine that would attract a 10% per annum interest charge. The judge said Keyamo acted as if he was ‘’an errand boy’’, adding that ‘’it was high time public officers knew that statutory agencies should not be used to settle public discord’’. The SAN had, in the heat of the last year’s campaigns, asked the court to compel the ICPC and Code of Conduct Bureau to investigate Atiku Abubarkar for corruption. He had given the two agencies 72 hours to conduct their investigations. But the court ruled that ‘’the plaintiff should know that these agencies are at liberty on when to investigate and when to conclude’’. Immediately after the judgement, Atiku’s media office issued a statement, asking the senior advocate to throw his law degree away because it is worthless. ‘’Keyamo’s incompetence has been confirmed by Justice Omotosho. One wonders how he was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate’’, the statement said. I can’t remember when last a judge and a presidential candidate upbraided a senior lawyer in those kinds of words in the same week. These two embarrassing incidents should be a sobering and learning moment for Keyamo. I advise him to introspect his activities during the campaigns and his conducts as a public officer. Afterall, at 53, he is not too old to unlearn bad habits and pick up good ones.

•President called for zoning, failed to name anointed aspirants – Sources

•Opposition parties claim majority, plot to use number against APC candidates

Five days to the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, President Bola Tinubu’s meetings with lawmakers-elect failed to resolve the crisis over the All Progressives Congress zoning arrangement.

The APC National Working Committee had micro-zoned the Senate President and the Deputy Senate President seats to Senator Godswill Akpabio from South-South and Senator Jibrin Barau from North-West, respectively.

But other aspirants like Senators Abdulaziz Yari, (Zamfara West); Osita Izunaso (Imo West) and Orji Kalu (Abia North) have insisted that they would not step down for the party’s consensus candidate.

In the House, the APC leadership had also endorsed the member-elect representing Kaduna (North-West), Tajudeen Abbas, as speakership candidate, while the member-elect from Abia State (South-East), Benjamin Kalu, clinched the Deputy Speaker slot.

The aspirants, who were among the lawmakers who held a meeting with the President at the Aso Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday night, were still lobbying their colleagues and strategising to upturn the APC’s zoning arrangement for the NASSS principal positions as of Thursday.

This is happening as the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party have concluded plans to frustrate the APC’s plan for the NASS leadership offices.

The PDP confirmed on Thursday it had entered an agreement with other opposition parties to leverage on their numbers in influencing the election of the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Findings by The PUNCH indicated that at least two members of the G-7, a group of anti-zoning aspirants for the speaker position, might contest against Abbas.

Consensus candidacy

The group has, however, not officially declared its consensus candidate to run against Abbas.

While Abbas is from Kaduna State in the North-West, members of the G-7 who are from the same geopolitical zone with the APC candidate are Sani Jaji from Zamfara State and Sada Soli from Katsina State.

The PUNCH learnt on Thursday that despite his interventions, aspirants were capitalising on the fact that the President during his meetings with the aspirants and the members-elect did not directly ask for support for Abbas and Kalu.

Member-elect for the Ningi/Warji Federal Constituency in Bauchi State, Adamu Ranga, told one of our correspondents that the President did not voice support for any of the candidates vying for the senate or House leadership, but he simply called for a united front.

Ranga said, “Mr President spoke to the general assembly, both Senate and the House of Representatives,  in order to ensure that we have a solid government. Secondly, he emphasised that he will perform an open-door policy for everybody.

“Whoever wants to see him can see him without any hindrance. And whatever you want to discuss with him, he will give you that privilege to discuss.  Thirdly, he said we should put our constituency first since we are here to represent them. He mentioned that he wants the Senate and the House to cooperate to elect good leaders.”

Tinubu pleads

A member-elect for Enugu East/Isiuzo Federal Constituency, Prof Paul Nnamchi, told The PUNCH that Tinubu appealed to lawmakers to uphold national interest.

 “He appealed that we should forget about party politics and face national interest. That was the major part of his speech. He didn’t mention anybody’s name to be voted for. Maybe he is appealing, but I didn’t hear anybody’s name,” Nnamchi said.

Sources in the G-7 also confirmed that Tinubu asked members-elect to work with the zoning plan of the APC, clearing the way for aspirants for a position allocated to a particular zone to contest against themselves.

A source close to Jaji and Wase said, “Prior to yesterday (Wednesday meeting), there was a meeting of the aspirants with Tinubu at the State House. He was not categorical. What he told them there and then was that the zoning stands.

‘’But he did not say ‘support Abbas’ but he said ‘zoning of the party stands.’ So, invariably, what he was trying to tell them, based on our interpretation, is that those aspirants from that zone can go ahead and contest.”

When asked about Wase who has said he would be the next Speaker of the House despite being from Plateau State in the North-Central, where no leadership position was zoned to, the source admitted that “it does not favour him.”

However, the source stated, “That is what Tinubu told members-elect on that day. I can confirm that one,” adding that, “It leaves Jaji, Soli and Abbas – the three of them – to slug it out.”

When asked to be categorical if Jaji was going ahead to contest against Abbas, the source said, ‘Yes, he is.” The source, however, could not say the same about Wase.

The source further disclosed that Jaji held a meeting with some members-elect at his Abuja office on Thursday afternoon, as part of his continued lobbying for votes.

While the source faulted the reports that Wase and Jaji shunned the Wednesday night meeting with Tinubu, he could not confirm if they were at the general meeting which was held on Thursday.

The source also confirmed the meeting between the G-7 and members-elect scheduled for Saturday.

The PUNCH had reported on Thursday that the group of aggrieved aspirants might declare its consensus candidate at the meeting, ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Assembly.

A member-elect also confirmed that the President urged the incoming lawmakers across party lines to work with the APC.

The opposition PDP member said, “He (Tinubu) spoke very well, frankly. He stressed on the importance of nation-building and working together. He said politics is over, it is time now to focus on governance, in building confidence and ensuring that we focus on delivering service to the people.’’

When asked if the issue of zoning Tinubu mentioned was in the context of the 10th Assembly leadership, the lawmaker said, “Yes, he enjoined everybody to support the choice they have made and work together.”

The member-elect added, “Before then, the Vice-President (Kashim Shettima) had stressed the need not to push too far the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket by allowing a third person – the Senate President – to also have an Islamic background. You know that Yari is contesting for President of the Senate.”

According to him, the senators-elect will decide Akpabio’s fate.

“Let me tell you: many people don’t understand how the parliament works. There is a role for the party. Immediately a party has won the election and it is the majority in the parliament, the party has a decision to make and who to support. And if they zone their way to the leadership position, that is their prerogative. It is not really about zoning, it is about nomination and a party has the duty to nominate and support someone. And they have done that,’’ the lawmaker declared.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, outgoing Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, were present at the meeting.

Others were former Governor of Akwa Ibom and Senate Presidency aspirant, Godswill Akpabio, former governors of Ebonyi, Dave Umahi and Edo, Adams Oshiomhole.

Osita Izunaso, Sani Bello, Aliyu Wammako and speakership contender Abbas also attended the parley.

However, former Zamfara State Governor, Abdul’Aziz Yari and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase, were not spotted at the meeting.

Speaking with The PUNCH, Kehinde Olaosebikan, the media consultant speaking for the senator-elect representing Imo West, senator Osita Izunaso stated that his principal was not stepping down for anyone.

He noted that the president never told anyone to step down for anyone, rather, he demanded a Christian as the Senate President.

He said, “ The President never told anyone to step down for anyone. He only made a case for a Christian as the Senate President, and this makes my boss more qualified.”

Olaosebikan further noted that the boss would be Senate President.

He said, “ Senator Izunazo would be Senate President by God’s grace and he isn’t stepping down for anyone. “

Similarly, Emeka Nwala, the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate Whip, Orji Kalu, stated that nothing had changed as his boss was still in the race.

He said, “It’s too early to determine a thong. Senator Kalu is still in the race.”

Efforts to get the Director-General of Wase Campaign and DG of Jaji Campaign, Messrs Olufemi Bamisile and Olaide Akinremi, respectively, proved abortive on Thursday.

A text message was sent to them asking them to confirm if their candidates would go ahead to contest against Abbas or if they are under pressure to back out of the race. They had yet to reply to it as of press time on Thursday night.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, said the opposition party had entered into a working agreement with other opposition parties ahead of the inauguration of the parliament.

Although the publicity scribe did not disclose if the PDP would field candidates for both positions, he noted that the situation would be clearer on Tuesday when the 10th Assembly would be inaugurated.

According to him, lawmakers elected on the platform of the PDP are united, stressing that opposition parties are ready to leverage on their numbers to have a say on who becomes the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

At the conclusion of the February 25 parliamentary elections, the APC produced 59 Senators leaving the opposition parties with 50. In the House of Representatives, the ruling party boasts of 177 members while opposition parties have 182.

But Ologunagba said the parliament, being the symbol of democracy, must be protected from anti-democratic forces, adding that the party is working in collaboration with its members-elect in both houses to forge a common front ahead of Tuesday’s inauguration.

“With regard to the current race for the Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, it is instructive to note that the opposition parties put together form a strong majority in the National Assembly and we are very mindful of that. The PDP leadership is working together with our members-elect and opposition parties in the two chambers.

Meanwhile, the Abbas/Kalu Campaign secretariat has said the President is firm on the zoning plan of the APC for the coming 10th National Assembly during his meeting with Senators-elect.

According to the campaign in a statement issued on Thursday, the President did not have plans to dump the candidates adopted by the APC for 10th Assembly leadership.

The statement was titled, ‘10th Assembly: Tinubu remains firm on APC’s endorsed candidates…Appeals to governors, lawmakers-elect to work for party’s candidates…as Wase, Jaji boycott meeting with President.’

However, the Abbas/Kalu campaign claimed that most of the G-7 members stepped down after Tinubu’s intervention in the matter.

The statement read, “Tinubu spoke firmly on the need to work for the victory of the APC’s candidates for the 10th NASS leadership. He begged them to work for Akpabio, Abbas, Barau and Kalu.

“He said the success of his administration largely depends on whether or not he gets it right with the leadership of the National Assembly. He urged them to see reason with him. He said the candidates were chosen for the stability of the nation.”

“Wase had said during the House valedictory session on Wednesday that he would go ahead to contest for the Speaker’s seat because it has been prophesied that he would become Speaker. There is a likelihood that only Wase would go to the floor to contest, while others may step down after the President’s appeal.”

LP unfolds plan

Speaking on the election, a member-elect,  Victor Ogene, said the Labour Party lawmakers had yet to decide on the aspirant to support, noting however, that once a decision was made on that, it would be a bloc vote.

“The LP has yet to decide on a particular candidate, but I can assure you that we are going to vote en bloc, the consultation is on. I do not know those we will vote for yet, but I know those we will not vote for. I just want to tell you that we will not be railroad in choosing anybody; it will be a conscious decision,’’ he told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday.

The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, on Thursday, met members-elect of the coming 10th National Assembly on the platform of the Labour Party over the leadership aspirants to adopt as candidates of the opposition party.

Otti, in his brief comment at the meeting, said he chose to meet with the lawmakers-elect after meeting with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

Ahead of the inauguration, 35 members-elect from the South-East geopolitical zone have endorsed Abbas and Kalu as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the coming 10th House of Representatives, respectively.

After a meeting of the caucus in Abuja on Thursday, 35 of the 43 members-elect from the South-East across party lines, signed for the APC’s consensus candidates.

The outgoing Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Iduma Igariwey, made the announcement during the meeting with Abbas, Kalu and their campaign team, noting that more endorsements were still coming.

Igariwey said other members of the caucus who were not in Abuja would sign when they return.

 In a related development, a pro-democracy group under the aegis of The Natives on Thursday pleaded with the former governor of Zamfara State, Yari, to step down for the joint ticket of Akpabio and Barau.

Addressing a world press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Convener of The Natives, Smart Edward, argued that for the sake of equity and fairness, only a Christian and a unifier like Akpabio should be allowed to lead the 10th Senate.

While noting that Nigeria is a secular state, Edward further urged other lawmakers to respect the choice of President Bola Tinubu and the ruling APC on the need to balance the religious representation in the new government.

He said, “We say ‘No’ to Senator Yari’s ambition and in the name of the country, we appeal to him in the name of our dear country to please shelve this ambition for all and become the hero. What the average Nigerian is looking for now is strong institutions not strong individuals, sustainable development in all facets of our nation, and policies that uplift the poor and promote economic prosperity.

“We cannot toy with the expensive portrayal of acts that can widen the divide of the people post elections, while it is politically permissible, we persuade the 10th Assembly to dissociate themselves from any political, financial and insensitive approach or act that will promote a Muslim for the office of the Senate President for this is a display of national sabotage.

“While the ruling party may have presented these candidates, we appreciate its efforts to assuage other regions and make sacrifices to see a pan-Nigerian, nationalistic, equitable and fair balance of the spirit and letters of our constitution.’’

[Punch]