Globally, success or failure in the examination is the criterion for future prospects. Too much emphasis is placed on paper qualifications without any thought of the ability of the individual to put into practice the knowledge he claimed to have acquired.
In this respect, certificates are seen as means to an end. Thus, all means whether straight or crooked are employed to acquire them.
It has been revealed that the desperation by candidates for the high scores to enable them to study their dream courses at the university and pressure from their parents push them into falsifying their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results. The culprits who were nabbed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and confessed to falsifying their JAMB results also disclosed how examination syndicates which specialised in fake upgrade of results of candidates operated.
In the recent case, Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, Anambra, sat for the 2023 UTME and claimed to have scored 362. On July 2 this year however, JAMB, in a statement by its Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin accused the girl of manipulating her UTME score from 249 to 362. Miss Mmesoma and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) have therefore engaged in accusations and counter-accusations over the authenticity of the candidate’s claim of scoring 362 in the 2023 UTME.
With the acclaimed 362 score, Mmesoma said she was the highest scorer in the examination as against the 360 reportedly scored by another candidate, Umeh Ukechinyere. JAMB said that based on its record, Miss Ukechinyere scored the highest mark in the 2023 UTME and not Miss Mmesoma.
In a video which has since gone viral on social media, Miss Mmesoma displayed a notification of a result slip containing the 362 score, which she claimed was generated from the JAMB portal. But the examination body has since disclaimed the document, saying it stopped using such format for result slips in 2021. Meanwhile, JAMB has announced the withdrawal of the candidate’s 249 score, and suspended her from taking the examinations for the next three years.
It’s unfair, it wasn’t my fault – Mmesoma
Explaining her role in the matter, Mmesoma said it was not her fault and that the three-year ban placed on her by JAMB was unfair. She said; “After our exams, I went to JAMB portal to get my result but it directed me to another server and that was where I printed that slip from. I did not go to any computer centre. The only SMS I sent to them was through the JAMB support system and there was no reply. After all said and done, I now saw that I got 249. Then I sent them a text message through the JAMB support system to know what really happened”.
On the three-year ban placed on her by JAMB and the withdrawal of her result, Mmesoma said; “I am sad about it because it was not my fault that I printed my result like that and they said that I forged it. It is not my fault. So, it is not fair for JAMB to ban me”.
Sources at the JAMB however said the operators of the portal from where she printed the fake result are already on the run and the security operatives are on their trail.
Why Mmesoma’s case was trending ——JAMB
Earlier, JAMB spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin said the examination body has nothing against Mmesoma as it has been dealing with such issues before now. He said the only reason the current incident has been trending was because Mmesoma consistently insisted that the fake result she paraded was real, despite being confronted with superior evidence of her original result.
“It is a very simple issue that if anyone looks at the document that was being paraded, you could see that there was a problem. We have a process, from registration, conduct of exam and result management. The result she paraded was last used in 2021. Even the address of the JAMB CBT centre on her slip was not complete. We send out complete addresses. Otherwise, how is a candidate supposed to locate his or her centre? We don’t have anything against this girl. The highest score is from the same Anambra and also Igbo. If you go to the internet, you will see very funny softwares on how to fake JAMB results for fun. They tag it for fun, meaning that it does not reflect in the database of JAMB. The software is JAMB fake results for fun”, Benjamin added.
I knew result Mmesoma was parading was fake——Chidoka, owner of the CBT Centre
But in what seems to be in defence of JAMB, Mr Osita Chidoka, Nigeria’s former Aviation Minister whose foundation owns the Computer Based Test (CBT) Centre where the embattled Ejikeme Mmesoma sat her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), has spoken up on what he knows about the controversies surrounding the result obtained by the candidate. Mr Chidoka raised some questions that suggest that the candidate’s paraded score is fake.
In an opinion piece he wrote, Mr Chidoka said: “Miss Nmesoma Ejikeme took her 2023 JAMB at my foundation’s Computer-Based Testing (CBT) Centre at Obosi. I got some calls from worried friends about Nmesoma’s result, which had Thomas Chidoka Center as her examination centre. I allayed their worries that the result issue had nothing to do with the examination centre.
“I observed two significant red flags when I saw her result online. First, our centre is no longer addressed as Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development on the JAMB portal since 2021. The correct name on the JAMB portal and Main Examination Slip is Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development). Due to the difference in our CAC registration details, JAMB insisted we change to Nkemefuna Foundation with Thomas Chidoka in a bracket as an identifier. We implemented the name change in 2021. Her result showing Thomas Chidoka without the Nkemefuna Foundation, which was on her Main Examination slip, raised my suspicion about the genuineness of the result. The second red flag was the result template. A cursory review of some of those who took the last examination at our centre showed a different result slip template with the candidate’s passport picture, JAMB watermarks, and no mention of the name of the examination centre. I gave the young Nmesoma the benefit of the doubt and waited to see if she would explain how she got the result, which is obviously not the result template that Jamb used in 2023. I knew it was fake”.
We’re considering prosecuting Mmesoma, others —JAMB
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB has said it was considering prosecuting all those who forged its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, to serve as deterrent to people with intention of faking its results in future.
JAMB particularly said the issue of Mmesoma Joy Ejikeme, the Anambra schoolgirl, who scored 249 but manipulated it to 360 and one Atung Gerald from Kaduna, who never participated in the 2023 UTME but forged the result and scored himself 380, will not be swept under the carpet.
Although the board said it has concluded its investigation on Mmesoma, it said it would only act when investigations being handled by independent investigative agency it involved in the matter was released.
Spokesperson of JAMB, Fabian Benjamin who said this on Friday, ruled out sole involvement of Mmesoma in the unwholesome act, noting that she may have been assisted by some dubious elements to perpetuate the act.
“Mmesoma is actually a teenager, that is our challenge now but the security agency involved in her case is profiling her. We suspect she might not be the original initiator of the act. Whoever is behind it will be exposed and prosecuted appropriately with others found involved in similar act. We found a case of one person in Kaduna State who did not obtain UTME document at all and did not write our examination but he went somewhere, forged result and scored himself 380 and he was being celebrated before we exposed him, this character will also be prosecuted, “he said.
Culprits’ confession
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) smashed a syndicate which specialized in fake upgrade of results of candidates that took the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The syndicate had opened a WhatsApp account to trick gullible candidates who wanted to increase their score in order to have undeserved advantage. Parading a kingpin and agent of the syndicate in Abuja, the Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the culprit was arrested during a courtesy call by a delegation of Public Complaints Commission (PCC).
The JAMB Registrar said the suspect named Adah Eche sat the 2019 UTME and scored 153 but decided to engage an examination syndicate to increase his scores. The suspect who doubled as a middleman for the candidates seeking higher scores collected huge sums of money from these candidates for onward transmission to the syndicate. The Board got overwhelming evidence of payments and banking transactions in connection with result upgrades during his interrogation as well as other documents.
According to Prof Oloyede, “following the complaint by the candidate and the visit to PCC, we decided to pick his letter of complaint and two others to address their issues and he happened to be the first person we picked and he actually wrote a letter of complaint to us knowing full well that he faked his result.
What we did was to invite him to come and pick his admission letter and he came. What such people do not know is that we have a bar code for every result which helps us verify its authenticity but this fake one has the barcode of a supermarket and was reading invalid barcode on our own platform.
“We have checked our own platform and seen that he has checked his result three consecutive times via 55019 and was replied same number of times with his original result which is 153, yet he insisted that he did not know the one with 290 was fake.”
Prof. Oloyede said the suspect owned up to the crime when confronted with overwhelming evidence of his criminal acts and printout of faked 200 score for himself, before the purported upgrade to 290 which he claimed to have originated from JAMB result checker code “55019”.
Detailed investigation revealed that Mr. Adah Eche was not alone but had been patronised for possible illicit upgrade and faking of result by some candidates whose names, registration numbers were made available to us by Mr. Eche. The Board therefore withdraws and invalidates the results of the four candidates found to have been involved in the illicit attempt to fake JAMB result.
Also, on July 4 2019 JAMB apprehended one Cletus Kokowa for ‘upgrading’ his Unified Tertiary Matriculation Board (UTME) score from 162 to 206 with the aid of a fraudster. Kokowa with candidate registration number 95329290ED became the second candidate to be apprehended with the aid of an intelligence gathering mechanism deployed by the Board after Adah Eche was apprehended for a similar offence the previous month.
Kokowa confessed before the Management of the Board that he paid ten thousand naira (N10, 000) to an examination syndicate to upgrade his score after contacting them through a WhatsApp group a few weeks earlier. The syndicate had informed him that his score could be upgraded from 162 to 206. He added that the fraudsters later sent a fake result screenshot depicting the new score of 206 to him.
During investigation, he said, “those guys sent a mail to me that they could help me upgrade my score. I then sent them my registration number and email. When the results were out, they sent a screenshot of 206 which they claimed was my score. Then, one of them called me asking me to pay them their money. I later went to JAMB website to check and found my score was still 162. I was confused. I had heard that upgrading scores is impossible, an attempt to do it is an offence but I didn’t really believe it. I didn’t tell my daddy and my uncle about my dealings with the syndicate.”
However, when Kokowa’s result remained unchanged, in the JAMB portal, his father wrote a letter of complaint to the Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, stating, inter alia, that, “I am craving your indulgence to quickly rectify the score to place my child on good stead to secure admission in his second choice of institution because your inability to swiftly address the issue at hand has led to forfeiture of my son’s Nigerian Defence Academy admission opportunity”. The Board subsequently invited Kokowa who came with his uncle, an army officer. After investigations, he confessed to the crime and was handed over to law enforcement agents.
The Registrar said, “One of the popular claims candidates usually make is that JAMB issued two different UTME results to them. It is not true because their results were processed using cutting-edge information and communication technology tools. When this boy came with his complaint, we applied to appropriate quarters to furnish us with his records and it was discovered that he had contacted fraudsters who gave him a fake result. In fact, what we discovered was that the result given to him was a superimposition of another candidate’s result on his own”.
Son of Professor of Medicine nabbed
Another candidate, Kingsley Unekwe, son of a Professor of Medicine in one of the leading Nigerian universities was nabbed by the Board for tampering with his UTME result. Unekwe has petitioned JAMB that he had been issued two different results and was subsequently invited to come and substantiate his claim. The Board, through its instruments and findings, was able to establish, in the presence of his mother, that Unekwe had tampered with his UTME result.
The young man thereafter confessed that he had contracted a ‘result upgrade’ syndicate to falsify his result. As a result, his original score of 201 was jerked up to 269. This he did to enable him pursue his dream of studying medicine at the university.
When asked as to why he engaged in the nefarious act, he claimed it was the pressure from his parents that he should study medicine that forced him to seek ways of falsifying his score as the original score from JAMB would not get him into medicine. Unekwe pleaded guilty, feigning ignorance of the seriousness of his crime and asked the Board to forgive him for his action.
Unekwe was the fifth candidate to be apprehended by the Board for result falsification.
How I manipulated my score —Chinedu
Chinedu Ifesinachi John, a 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination candidate, who had planned to study medicine at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, also confessed that the fear that he might not be offered the programme of his choice with the score he had, propelled him to alter his UTME result. On further interrogation, he stated that he used the telephone number of his sister, Chinecheremi John Ifemkpa, and saved her number as ‘55019’ a sort code used by JAMB for official communications with candidates to create profiles, check UTME results among others. He added that he simply used the number to send the edited result from his sister’s phone to his own for it to appear as if it was sent by JAMB to substantiate his allegation of multiple results.
The journey of his confession was very interesting and dramatic. The first stage started with Chinedu alleging that in 2019, his JAMB score was tampered with as well as his 2020 UTME.
Chinedu, a son of a contractor, had through his lawyer, Barrister Akaiwe Ikeazor, petitioned JAMB alleging that the Board had tampered with his 2021 UTME result while praying that he should be allowed to take the UTME again. He claimed that the Board had issued him two results: the first reading 380, while the second one was alleged to have been 265.
The Board ignored his letter knowing that he was parading a manipulated result as the Board had already identified and flagged eleven candidates including Chinedu, who had manipulated their 2021 UTME results and forwarded same to the Vice-Chancellors of their chosen institutions. However, when his lawyer wrote a second letter and threatened to press for N1billion damages, the Board then felt that it was necessary for it to do the needful.
The Board therefore invited the candidate to come forward with his lawyer and substantiate his claims. Poised to make its investigation open and transparent to all stakeholders, the Board invited the Educational Correspondents Association of Nigeria, Public Complaints Commission, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Nigeria Human Rights Commission, SERVICOM, representatives of security agencies, among others, to witness the proceedings to ensure that fairness and equity were done to all parties.
The Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, after listening to Chinedu’s lawyer and father, who had accompanied him to the Board’s Headquarters, gave the duo five minutes to meet privately with Chinedu to ask him to confess his manipulation of the result and if he does not and the truth is placed before him it will be too late as he would be handed over to the police.
The second stage of the drama unfolded after the recommended meeting with Chinedu and he had remained adamant. JAMB then asked him to present his evidence as he claimed that a text message was sent to him. When he showed the message on his phone, the technical team knew the message was faked as one of the security features was absent, a signature sign, featured by other messages that emanated from the Board’s 55019.
JAMB went further by calling for the history of its communications with Chinedu from the Telco number being used by Chinedu. The details of all messages sent to him were displayed from the creation of profile for registration up to the request for the result and what was sent to him. It was at this stage that his lawyer got a rude awakening to the futility of the case. Furthermore, it was in the course of the proceedings that it came to light that Chinedu must be one of those candidates thrown up by tutorial centres and when confronted with this fact, he confessed that he belonged to a tutorial group. The modus operandi of the group was to promise candidates all kinds of scores.
It was, therefore, owing to the refusal of the candidate to own up to his crime, that the Board, through its security instruments, had proceeded to establish, in the presence of all that the message sent to Chinedu came from a phone number saved as ‘55019’ which, as he later confessed, belonged to his sister who was also a UTME candidate.
A pensive and remorseful Chinedu pleaded guilty to the crime after he was confronted with the facts of what he had done as he pleaded for clemency. Chinedu had then turned towards his father, who had vowed that his son could not do anything untoward, “I’m so sorry for putting you through this embarrassing situation.
I was afraid I’ll not get the programme I wanted and had to do this, I’ve learnt my lesson.” He said, “In 2021, I decided to leave medicine and surgery for them. So I picked petroleum engineering. When the result came it was not what I expected. To ensure that I succeeded in getting the Board to reschedule me for another examination, I used my sister’s telephone number which I had saved as 55019, type the results that bore 380 and sent it to myself.” Chinedu, who had sat the 2019, 2020 and 2021 UTME, had disclosed that he had wanted to study medicine and surgery at the University of Ibadan in 2019 and 2020.
Baffled by the confession of his client, the lawyer said, “I am shocked and very embarrassed by this boy’s attitude. I had asked him several times but he kept telling me lies. This circumstance has further enhanced my belief in the credibility of JAMB as an institution and Prof. Oloyede as an epitome of integrity. However, I plead for mercy for my client.”
Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State re-opened the record earlier set by late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, five years ago in the state by elevating the status of members of the Olubadan-in-Council to crown-wearing high chiefs (kings).
Saturday Vanguard recalls that the then Olubadan, late Oba Saliu Adetunji and some of his chiefs, among whom were the then Otun Olubadan (now Olubadan), Lekan Balogun; Balogun of Ibadan land, Owolabi Olakulehin and others who are also members of the Olubadan-In-Council had been engaged in a conflict.
The crisis reached its peak in August 2017 when late Governor Ajimobi, presented staffs of office to about 21 chiefs who were promoted to the status of kings.
The crises between late Oba Adetunji, and his High chiefs was put to rest when Ajimobi’s successor, Makinde withdrew their crowns as part of the condition to settle out of court.
The Court of Appeal in Ibadan had on August 23 last year, referred parties in the controversial coronation to a lower court.
Meanwhile, Governor Makinde about four months ago, sought the approval of the state House of Assembly to amend section 28 of the Oyo State Chieftaincy Law 2023 to allow traditional heads to wear beaded crowns based on the requests to the state government by the high chiefs.
The governor said his request to seek the approval of the assembly to review the chieftaincy law was in order to further improve the process.
He said the proposed amendment, when fully effective, would empower him as the sole authority without consultations with the Chiefs to grant approvals for wearing of beaded crowns.
By this move, Ibadan has one Olubadan that becomes the imperial majesty and ten senior ranking obas.
The ascension line to the Olubadan remains unchanged as the Otun and Osi lines continue in the historical path to oba.
The installation witnessed a mammoth crowd which was held at the ancient Mapo Hall, Ibadan on Friday, with the presence of traditional rulers from neighbouring Ogun and Osun States who stormed the city to rejoice with the new kings.
At the installation, Makinde said: “We are not changing the history but promoting and elevating the Ibadan traditional hierarchy. The coronation of the new Obas will not undermine the authority of the Olubadan nor alter the Olubadan succession arrangements in anyway. Our administration is rather consolidating and elevating the status of Olubadan.”
With a stiff resistance from one of the High Chiefs in the Olubadan-In-Council, Rashidi Ladoja who opposed the development, not a few residents and indigenes of Ibadan had also voiced their opposition to the re-enthronement of more obas in Ibadan, with the former Governor Ladoja challenging Makinde’s move. Makinde noted that the consenting authority is the Olubadan and not the governor.
He added that the elevation was in line with what the people of the ancient city requested.
He said, “We are here for one thing, the Olubadan of Ibadan is crowning his High Chiefs as Obas. It is not the government that is giving the High Chiefs crowns. I am not in the line. What is happening today is internal. If the royal father said there is a need for reform, me, as the governor, will support them. Out of the 11 High Chiefs we have in Ibadan, 10 of them have been crowned today. Even in a democracy, the majority will have its way while the minority will have their say and we have had them, and anyone that is not satisfied can go to Court.”
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke did not include the name of his daughter nor uncle in the commissioner nominees list forwarded to the State House of Assembly.
This was disclosed by the Governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed in a statement issued to dismiss rumours that the governor’s daughter and uncle were included in the list.
According to Rasheed, Mrs Adeleke is the daughter of Chief Omidiran of Osogbo Land and wife of the late Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
It reads; “The attention of Governor Ademola Adeleke has been drawn to a fake news alleging that the state chief executive has appointed his supposed daughter in person of Adenike Folasade Adeleke and his alleged uncle, Prof Maroof Adeleke into the State cabinet.
“There is no truth whatsoever in the report as neither of the two nominees are daughter or uncle of the Governor. Prof Adeleke was born at Ilesa and hails from Osogbo, the state capital. Mrs Adeleke is the daughter of Chief Omidiran of Osogbo Land and wife of the late Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
“We had expected those pushing the fake news to engage in basic investigative journalism if they have any altruistic motive. If however the goal is to malign the state Governor, the truth can not be hidden as the nominees are bona-fide indigenes of Osogbo Land.
“We therefore urge members of the public to ignore those merchants of fake news. No biological member of the Governor’s family is included in the cabinet list. Governor Adeleke is committed to fair distribution of appointments based on competency, spread and sectoral representation”.
A Federal High Court in Kano has restrained the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) from inviting or harassing former governor of the state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over the alleged dollar bribery videos.
Recall that the PCACC on Thursday announced that it had invited the former governor to appear before it to answer questions in relations to its investigation on the viral videos allegedly showing him stuffing US Dollar notes in his pockets allegedly received as kickbacks from a contractor.
But in an ex-parte motion filed before the court on Friday before Justice A.M. Liman, the former governor asked the court to restrain the eighth respondents in the motion from “harassing, intimidating, inviting, threatening to arrest, arresting, detaining the applicant or his children or any member of his family or any appointee who served in his administration or forcefully taking over the applicant’s properties or his children’s or any member of his family…”
Those listed as respondents in the suit are: Nigeria Police Force; Inspector General of Police; Commission of Police, Kano; State Security Service; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; Attorney General of Federation; Attorney General of Kano State; and Kano Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC).
Upon hearing the application as argued by Ganduje’s counsel, B. Hemba, the presiding judge granted the prayers and ordered as prayed.
The judge also ordered that “the interim order shall operate pending the hearing of the motion for enforcement of Fundamental Right which is fixed for the 14th of July, 2023.
The judge also ordered that the Respondents shall be served with the Motion 36 hours from Friday.
Northern leaders have rejected a call by former governor of Zamfara State, Malam Yerima Sani, asking President Bola Tinubu to negotiate with terrorists and bandits in the country and grant them amnesty as it was done for Niger Delta militants by the late Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration. In their separate views, they argued that such negotiations will continue to fail because the bandits do not have a central command of leadership and they never kept the agreements reached with some of them in the past by some states and communities in the north.
President General of Mzough U Tiv, MUT, worldwide and Chairman of the three sociocultural/ethnic groups in Benue state, Chief Iorbee Ihagh said: “there is no way President Bola Tinubu’s government will negotiate with bandits and terrorists. These were people who were brought into this country from parts of West Africa to prosecute elections for some persons in 2015. After they won their elections they failed to keep to the agreement they entered with the criminals and that is why they took to banditry and terrorism and tormenting the North. Those who brought them into the country know themselves. They should be made to go and clean up the mess they created for Nigerians.
“I am happy that President Tinubu has brought in people who can tackle insecurity in the country unlike what we had in the last government when nepotims beclouded them. They had wanted to turn Nigeria into a Fulani state but God came to our rescue as a people. So, there will be no bargaining, President Tinubu should never accept that. He has started well and we are praising him, but if he does that, nobody will be behind him again. Government cannot go and beg criminals, they should come and surrender. More so, armed herdsmen should be made to go back to their respective places so that the millions of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, scattered in our state and other parts can go back to their ancestral homes.”
On his part the State Vice Chairman of APC Benue South District, Bishop Pinot Ogbaji said: “When I heard of the proposal of the former governor of Zamfara state advising President Tinubu to negotiate with terrorists and bandits, I was shocked. I know that in everything there is negotiation and dialogue but negotiation means that we encourage that attitude and character. Then when you negotiate with a deadly group in the North another group would probably surface in another part of the country seeking negotiation. Let me ask, what manner and kind of negotiation is he talking about? Is it to grant them amnesty or what? Or true repentance. We don’t even know the extent to which the negotiation will go, we do not know their demands. For me, negotiation is not an issue at all. Of course there could be amnesty which is not negotiation. It entails that somebody volunteers to repent, then he is brought back to the the society of normal beings and re-orientated”.
Also the National President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Bitrus Pogu said: “Unless he is one of them and he is trying to protect them, otherwise who negotiates with terrorists. The problem we’ve had is a northern problem. People from the North took this Boko Haram and banditry as their own game. We have somebody there, though his election is till in dispute, but it appears that this person will not tolerate a situation where people will be serving some parochial interests rather than the Nigerian nation. And that is what I believe Tinubu is trying to achieve. To negotiate with terrorists means to endorse criminality and encourage non state actors to have the courage to come up and start something again in the future. The way forward is to crush them, to take them out of existence.
So, deal with them in such a way that henceforth somebody who will want to rise for whatever reason will think twice before he does something. It should even go beyond that, those who are involved in propagating this thing should be fished out and dealt with decisively because Nigerians have suffered enough and any call by such characters should be questioned and queried. And if you remember it is the same Yerima who started the Sharia thing under the then President Obasanjo. To me he is a suspect any suggestion from him should not be taken seriously.”
Chairman, Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU) Ishaq Usman Kasai, in his view explained that Yerima’s call reflected the lack of understanding of the structural formation and divergent goals of the armed bandits in their forests who have been causing mass destruction, deaths, and destabilization in the country. He argued that, “to successfully bring an end to armed banditry business in Nigeria, all bandits’ camps in our various forests must be dislodged as anything short of this will only be a window-dressing that will not bring lasting solution. Engaging in negotiations with armed bandits will never yield significant positive outcomes because past experiences have demonstrated that criminal elements such as armed bandits, often exploit negotiations as a means to buy time, regroup, and strengthen their positions.
They view negotiations as a sign of weakness of the government, which emboldens them to continue their violent activities. We recall that many of such negotiations were carried out with bandits by many state and local governments and individual communities in the Northwest region of the country. Past experiences from areas where this type of negotiation was carried out show that the bandits only exploited the opportunity to receive more money, easily trafficked illicit drugs, acquired more arms and raped women including teenagers and married ones. In fact, all the communities and governments that entered such negotiations with the bandits later regretted it.
Negotiating with the bandits will also send a dangerous message to Nigerians particularly rural dwellers signaling government’s incapacity, weakness and official acknowledgement of parallel governments within the Nigerian State. Our question to the advocates for negotiation is – which bandits’ group or leadership is the Federal Government going to negotiate or dialogue with? Are those bandits groups’ leaderships in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa or Kebbi State? This is because, we are aware that, the armed bandits in Nigeria lack a centralized leadership structure, making it difficult to ensure compliance with negotiated terms. We could recall that Zamfara and Katsina States as well as various local governments and individual communities in the North West region tried the said approach.
“The Zamfara State Government, then under Abdulaziz Yari agreed that, for the peace deal to be perfected, the bandits must surrender their arms and never invade or attack any person or community. To ensure commitment to the peace deal, we are aware that, five Solar Boreholes were constructed by Government for the Fulanis in Subulu, Fakai, Maniya, Gangara and Manawa villages in Shinkafi Local Government Area with artificial ponds for feeding livestock. This was to show the bandits sincerity of purpose and commitment of government towards respecting the terms of agreement.
Huge amount of money was also alleged to have been given to appease the bandits to drop arms and accept peace deals. The Zamfara State Government then also came up with the idea of establishment of Ruga communities within the state for Nomads with the first Ruga project sited at Maradun Local Government Area which was almost completed. So much resources have been spent in that regard.
But the bandits didn’t respect the agreement thinking they were doing the government and the people favour. We want the President to be aware that, even in Zamfara State, where the negotiation was tried in 2016, it failed. Some of the bandit leaders who dropped arms and received monies from government used it to purchase additional arms. Negotiating with armed bandits in Nigeria will continue to fail because the bandits lack central command/leadership and common goal.
It will be difficult to bring them to a common negotiation table and any agreements made with one group may not be binding on others”.
Dr. Mikailu Barau, a northern leader and an academic from Zamfara State, lampooned Yarima for contributing to the escalation of the crisis while he served as Zamfara State governor. He however said “the issue is really controversial. The last thing that an average person from Zamfara would want to hear is making negotiation with the bandits. But from what we have seen so far, all attempts to use force against them have not been fruitful as they now reach out for support beyond the borders of Nigeria. The truth of the matter is that if you find a sincere leader who will speak to the warring parties and ensure that the bandits keep their own part of the agreement the problem would be solved. In Zamfara for instance, the past governments were not sincere in their approach as they would fail to monitor the bandits after reaching an agreement with them believing that they have dropped their arms.
There is no conflict that ends with the power of guns. People have to sit at a round table and negotiate to reach an agreement at one point or the other.
More than a month after the removal of fuel subsidy, Nigerians are expressing mixed feelings over the failure of the federal government to fulfill its promised palliatives to cushion its effects on citizens, Daily Trust Saturday reports.
The removal of fuel subsidy has led to an increase in inflation and hike in the cost of goods and transportation.
Speaking to our correspondent in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, some residents said Nigerians were smiling and suffering as the cost of fuel increased the rate of hardship on the people.
A media practitioner in Uyo, Patrick Titus, lamented that the masses were worst hit by the subsidy removal and not the government or its officials.
He said subsidy removal had affected the cost of living.
He said, “We have not seen the palliatives and what it is made up of. In Nigeria, we are becoming used to suffering and smiling. Nobody is happy. And even if the government gives palliatives, how many people would benefit?”
A self-employed graphic designer, Mr Uwem Asian, said the failure of the government to provide palliatives to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal one month after the implementation, showed that it was not a well-planned decision.
“It was obvious that the government did not plan well. If they removed subsidy there should be adequate plans to cushion the effect. Government just removed the subsidy to stop a selected few from benefitting, but now, it is the masses that are suffering.
“After one month into the subsidy removal regime, the situation shows that there was no plan. The masses are suffering. Let’s hope that the money they have saved would be judiciously used,” he said.
A civil servant in Ebonyi State, Mbam Ogodo, said the president should not have removed the subsidy when there was no plan in place to cushion its effects.
A trader, David Okorie, also said citizens were helpless in the face of the hardship occasioned by subsidy removal.
“Nigerians are suffering and there is nothing we can do about it. We can’t fight them or protest,” Okorie said.
A teacher and petty trader, Princess Adebayo Esther Aderonke, said provision of palliatives by the government would go a long way in ameliorating the pains of Nigerians.
In Kano, residents, especially salary earners, are lamenting that their incomes are nothing to write home about as it only caters for one third of their needs.
A primary school teacher who did not want his name mentioned, called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, initiate the policy of price control to discourage businessmen and women from exploiting consumers.
He said, “Initiating a price control system is a form of palliative that will reach everybody. But if you share money or food items, how long will it last? At the end of the day you will discover that it just had a short term effect.
“Honestly, we are suffering. The prices of what your salary used to buy have tripled and you cannot do anything about it.”
On his part, Abdulkarim Musa advised the government to work on a sustainable and more efficient transparent model of disbursing the proposed palliatives so that every citizen would feel its impact.
“For me, the way and manner the palliatives would be distributed is the issue. If we adopt the pattern of how palliatives were distributed during the past administration, no doubt, it will only go to those known by someone at the top. We know how corruption has eaten deep into the system. At the end of the day, it is the poor that suffer.”
In Jigawa, residents are also lamenting the delay in palliative disbursement promised by the federal government as a result of the subsidy removal.
Many parents said they could no longer take their wards to school in their private vehicles but now use alternative means, including hiring tricycles while other children are forced to stay at home.
A 52-year-old man, Mukhtar Wakili, a resident of Dutse metropolis, said six out of his 10 children were at home due to the increase in transportation fare, adding that all of them are in various primary and secondary schools.
“The situation is so bad that sometimes we eat only twice a day. I am very confused and disappointed at the federal government,” he said.
Another resident, Abubakar Kabiru, a 50-year-old man said, “We lose hope in Nigeria daily because there are no changes; rather, the gap between the poor and rich keeps widening,” he said.
In Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, residents are at crossroads over the removal of fuel subsidy without accompanying palliative measures to cushion its effect.
Findings revealed that socio-economic activities have been affected as farmers, market women, shop owners, motorists and commuters are under the heavy burden of the fuel subsidy removal.
Majority of the people who spoke to Daily Trust Saturday over the removal of fuel subsidy praised the federal government for the decisive decision, but complained that the idea should have been anchored on palliatives to cushion the effect of its consequences.
A former state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Emmanuel Omata, said the hardship emanating from the removal of fuel subsidy was biting hard, and the aged and pensioners were the worst hit.
“It is disheartening to note that a month after such major decision that drives the economy of the country, no palliative measure has been introduced to cushion its negative effects.
“Some are suggesting that various state governments should venture into mass transport schemes to cushion its effects. That is good, but it is just like scotching the snake, not killing it,” he said.
He said the idea of floating mass transport schemes to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy may work in some states but not all.
Comrade Omata, therefore, advised the federal government to create special palliatives for the aged, pensioners and farmers as it is done in developed countries.
A civil servant in the state who simply identified himself as Sefinetu, said the burden of high transport fares since the removal of fuel subsidy was worrisome, making many civil servants to abandon work for some days.
“A month after this unexpected pronouncement by the federal government, nothing seems to be in the offing to reduce the hardship associated with the policy,” she said.
In the same vein, members of the National Union of Transport Owners Association (NUTOA) and National Union of Road Transport Workers Association (NURTWA) are concerned over the drop in patronage of their services due to the removal of fuel subsidy.
Both unions claim that their businesses are being affected as people appear to have reduced the rate at which they travel because of the sudden rise in transport fares.
Daily Trust Saturday gathered that the transport fares for all routes from Lokoja have either tripled or doubled since the fuel subsidy removal. For instance, a trip from Lokoja to Anyigba now attracts N3,000 instead of N1,500, Lokoja to Abuja, which cost between N2,500 and N3,000, now attracts N5,000 and above. A trip from Lokoja to Lagos, which was between N8 and N10,000, is now from N15,000 upwards.
Students trekking
Majority of those who spoke with our correspondent said the permanent solution to the situation was to encourage investment in building refineries and deregulate the oil sector.
“Let the federal government create an enabling environment for individuals, regional governments and cooperate organisations to invest in building refineries so as to make fuel available in abundance so that demand and supply would determine the price of fuel,” Dr James Adajole, an economist in Lokoja said.
An Abuja-based public analyst and economist, Prince Tijani Dauda, said the federal government must ensure that the removal of fuel subsidy is not seen as a single solution but one of the many steps to be taken to improve the economy.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must re-engineer the economy to ensure that there are many suitable options that increase prosperity, growth, industrialisation and diversification.
“There must be a strategic plan in place to ensure that Nigerians can still afford fuel while boosting the economy through infrastructure, improving social welfare programmes and creating an enabling environment for business growth and sustainability,” Comrade Dauda said.
Also, people in Plateau State, like those of other states, are no longer finding live easy since the removal of petroleum subsidy.
A student of the University of Jos, Peter Pricilla, said, “The removal of subsidy is not a bad idea, but government did not prepare its citizens for it. The government just took everybody unawares, and that is why everyone is in pain.
“As a university student, I feel the pain more because all my feeding money is now being spent on transportation to and from school.
“I can no longer buy foodstuff. It is a difficult situation. I wish the government would help the university with buses to convey students to school.”
Mrs Nanchin Nanzim, who teaches in a private school in Jos said, “The removal of subsidy is adversely affecting my job because of high cost of transportation. I have resorted to trekking to school. While battling issues of transportation, the cost of household items, especially food has tripled. The little salary I collect can’t afford anything, the situation is just terrible. I collect salary today and in a week it is finished.
“I want the government to bring palliatives to help citizens, especially the poor. Government must do something to reduce the cost of transportation and living generally.”
Mrs Felicia Falope, a business woman also said, “The way and manner the subsidy was removed was too harsh, no one was prepared, and the government did not put anything in place to help reduce the burden. My business money is being taken away by the high cost of petrol.”
Madam Able Luka, who sells secondhand cloths in Dadin Kowa, Jos, said, “Because of the sudden removal of fuel subsidy, my customers no longer come to buy goods. I am appealing to the government to do something to help us reduce the cost of transportation and cost of living generally. We are starving; we can’t buy food anymore due to its high prices.”
Mrs Nancy Dajan, a self employed quantity surveyor also said, “I am shocked at the sudden removal of fuel subsidy because I was expecting a relief from a new government. How can you just remove petrol subsidy without making adequate provision to cushion the impact. The price of everything has tripled and we are suffering.
“Subsidy removal is good, but Nigeria is not ripe for it now; government needs to bear certain costs for its citizens. Government should take concrete steps to bring relief to the suffering masses. It should introduce buses that use gas so as to reduce cost of transportation,” she said.
Committees have 6 more weeks – Labour
Speaking on the delay of interventions to cushion the effects of subsidy removal, the Organised Labour said the sub-committees set during the last engagement with the government were working round the clock to conclude the mandate given to them.
In an interview with Daily Trust Saturday on Friday, the general secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Nuhu Abba Toro, said various sub-committees had six more weeks to conclude their assignments.
He said the committees were on the cost of governance, energy and power, mass transit, social sectors like education, as well as intervention funds.
Comrade Toro told one of our correspondents that the original timeline was eight weeks, adding that the sub-committees just spent two weeks out of what was given to them.
The labour leader explained that it was agreed that there would be a presidential steering committee that would fuse all the ideas, suggestions and recommendations of the sub-committees.
He said, “Majorly, the last discussion we had was to agree on some practical ways to cushion the immediate effect of the subsidy removal. We did highlight some of the immediate areas of intervention; for instance, salary review, cash transfer and those, in our opinions, that are the interventions that could mitigate the itching of the fuel subsidy removal.
“We also have a sub-committee on cost of governance because you will agree with me that if the government needs to tighten its belt, Nigerians automatically also ought to tighten their belts.
“We are going to have a presidential steering committee that will serve as a clearing house. There’s also a secretariat.
“All of these committees will sit and come up with suggestions to the clearing house, which is the presidential steering committee, which of course include all the social partners. They will look at it and forge ahead.
“I can tell you that the committees are already meeting. The sub-committee on cash transfer met yesterday (Thursday). All the committees cannot meet at the same time, but they have scheduled their meetings.
“Don’t forget that we have a timeline, which is eight weeks, when we should consummate all the interventions and hit the ground running. The TUC under the leadership of Comrade Festus Osifo will strive to ensure that it is achievable, by the grace of God.”
Says recognising former governor will undermine loyal party members
The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has called on President Bola Tinubu not to succumb to antics by some people to force former governor Nyisom Wike to hijack the party in the state. The party said recognising Wike would undermine the loyalty of party members, who had kept faith with the APC.
In an open letter to President Tinubu, dated 6th July, and sighted by newsmen in the State House, Abuja, Friday, the Rivers state branch of the APC also called on the President to reject former governor Wike’s overtures to stealthily foist himself on the party in order to take control of its structures in the state.
The letter signed by its Publicity Secretary, Comrade Darlington Nwauju, warned President Tinubu to be wary of Wike and his cohorts, saying the former governor’s claims of working to favour the party now will only undermine loyal and dedicated APC members and other stakeholders.
The party said, “We wish to clear the air that Gov Wike did not deliver any value to our dear Rivers State APC. Mr. President Sir, we wish to recall that during the 2015 presidential election, APC members in Rivers state and their families faced unquantifiable brutality with countless casualties. Yet the Rivers APC resisted the onslaught of former Governor Wike led aggression on innocent party followers and members.
“Dear Mr. President, we wish to clear the air that Gov Wike did not deliver any value to our dear Rivers State APC, rather he fought against our dear Rivers APC.”
The chapter urged Tinubu as a consistent party man who built his ideals of party growth and sustainability on practical people-oriented philosophy, and a known rewarder of stewardship, to resist former Governor Wike “because he has no political ideology as a script which he follows.”
“We know that your leadership will not allow those who believe in political thuggery, those known by local and international community as perpetual abusers of our democratic stability and mischief markers, to highjack our dear Rivers APC because they now see party politics as tradeable commodity,” the Rivers APC said.
An official of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Achigili Raph Ogili, has been arrested for allegedly forging a University of Abuja certificate to get promotion at his place of work.
The result with Registration Number 2720700176, was reportedly forged in collaboration with one Mr Sunday Okpara and his accomplice, one Mr Rasaq Abdulrahaman Dabiri.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) disclosed this to journalists in Abuja on Friday.
The spokesperson of the anti-corruption agency, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, said the trio have been charged for alleged conspiracy and falsification of documents which both are punishable under the law.
She explained that they were subsequently arraigned before Justice J. E. Obanor of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court 29 sitting in Jabi, Abuja.
According to Ogugua, the FRSC official was also accused of forging a letter confirming the fake statement of result as genuine, purportedly written by the Deputy Registrar (Academics) of the University.
“In a Charge No: CR/321/2023 filed before the trial court, the Commission alleged that the 1st accused person (Ogili) used a forged University of Abuja statement of result with Registration Number 2720700176 to support his application for upgrading in the Corps.
“On the other hand, both the 2nd and 3rd defendants were charged for their complicity in the forged letter confirming the fake statement of result as genuine.
“Their offences are contrary to sections 96 and 366, and punishable under sections 364 and 368 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the FCT, Abuja 2006,” the ICPC spokesperson said.
Speaking further, Ogugua said the accused persons entered a “not guilty” plea when the charges were read to them and their lawyers in three separate motions raised bail applications on their behalf which were not opposed by the prosecution counsel, Dorathy Suleman.
She said the defendants were then admitted to bail in the sum of N500,000 and a surety in like sum who must reside within the jurisdiction of the Court.
Ogugua said the matter was adjourned till 30th and 31st of October 2023 for commencement of hearing.
The Rivers State Police Command said its men killed six suspected kidnappers during a shootout at Obelle community, in the Emohua Local Government Area of the state.
City Round gathered that the gang members, led by one Uchechukwu Daniel, opened fire on men of the anti-cultism unit, who stormed their hideout.
However, the cops reportedly returned fire, killing six of the suspects and arresting six others.
The state Commissioner of Police, Emeka Nwonyi, disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the police headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, on Friday
He, however, said aside from those gunned down, some of the miscreants escaped with bullet wounds.
In another case, the CP said operatives on patrol along the King Perekule Junction, GRA, Port Harcourt, intercepted and rescued some kidnap victims.
“On Friday, June 30, around 1000hrs, while on metro patrol along King Perekule Street, GRA, following a tip-off, operatives intercepted and rescued victims of a kidnap case reported to the command.
“The victims narrated that one of their friends was kidnapped and taken away by hoodlums, who were operating in a carton colour Lexus RX 350 after shooting at their vehicle’s tyre.
“Pieces of 7.2 empty shell and a Techno phone belonging to the victim were also recovered,” Nwonyi stated.
The police boss further disclosed that following credible information, operatives trailed some suspected kidnappers to their hideout at Ozuoha, in Ikwerre LGA, where a victim was rescued unhurt, while one of the suspects, Buchi David, 20, was arrested.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Khana LGA, Dr Thomas Bari-Ere, while briefing newsmen, narrated how men of the Bori division while acting on a tip-off, stormed a suspected kidnappers’ camp and recovered a human skull, a pump-action rifle and two AK-47 rifles.
He said, “We received intelligence that one of the suspects in police custody by the name of Ojukwu has a place where he stores his arms as well as human skulls.
“He uses them to administer oaths to his victims for them to keep his identity secret.
“So, we alerted security operatives; the Bori Police Division, alongside the anti-cultism unit, acted swiftly. The operation was successful. Two AK-47 rifles, a human skull and a pump action were recovered.”
Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, is set to return back to the country, his lawyer, Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, has revealed.
Igboho escaped from the country in 2021 after operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, raided his residence in Ibadan, an operation the security agency confirmed led to the death of two persons and the arrest of about 13 others.
The DSS, through its spokesman, Dr. Peter Afunanya, said it carried out the raid after intelligence reports revealed that Igboho allegedly stockpiled weapons in his house.
It, thereafter, launched a manhunt for Igboho who was subsequently arrested in neighbouring Cotonou, Benin Republic, while trying to travel to Germany.
However, addressing newsmen in Abuja on Friday, Olajengbesi, said the embattled Yoruba nation activist, who had since regained his freedom, would soon return back to the country.
“Igboho is doing very well and he will soon be in Nigeria in a very ceremonial way. The arrangements are on,” Olajengbesi told newsmen.
He, however, lamented his inability to enforce a judgement that was delivered in favour of his client, a situation he said was made difficult by the fact that the consent of the Attorney-General of the Federation must first be secured before security agencies could pay judgement debts.
While calling for a review of that provision of the law, Olajengbesi, urged the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu to have a rethink about people he described as “freedom fighters.”
The lawyer maintained that people like Igboho, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, as well as the embattled convener of the RevolutionNow protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, deserved to be listened to by the government.
He commended President Tinubu “for his purposeful leadership drive, restructuring of the governmental policies and operational systems since assuming the office,” adding that he has “rekindled the hope of average Nigerians that government can serve the common good of the people.”
“We therefore encourage Mr. President to continue in this direction with equity and justice as his working value system.
“We equally want to commend the acting Inspector General of Police; Olukayode Egbetokun for an unusual reforms in the Nigeria Police Force and his commitment to holding errant officers accountable for abuse of official duties and violation of human rights. He is bringing a new value system to the Nigeria police system and this new drive must be sustained.
“We must also commend INEC for filing charges against its suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa Ari in Adamawa State. This is a step in the right direction and it is commendable.”
Highlighting what he termed as certain critical issues in the country that has become a sordid tale for the people, Olajengbesi, asked FG to immediately scrap its Service Compact With All Nigerians, SERVICOM, insisting that the agency has failed to serve its purpose.
The lawyer warned that the Federal Government should stop the tax payers money from being used to fund a moribund organization like SERVICOM which he claimed, is no longer serving any useful purpose.
“The body was supposed to be a mechanism through which Nigerians can lodge complaints against tyrannical and errant public officers whose conducts falls below the standard required of a public and civil servants. SERVICOM customarily have offices in all federal government agencies, take complaints and ensure efficiency, justice and fairness in all government agencies.
“Unfortunately, this body has now failed to uphold the purpose of its establishment. The agency no longer addresses complaints and has now become very ineffective.
“The organization leadership and modus oparandi has accordingly encouraged abuse of official duties on the one hand as well as precluding victims of these errant officers from accessing appropriate remedy within the administrative system,” he added.
Besides, he decried that extant laws in the country has continued to subject citizens to various double taxation policies.
He said: “For instance, the trite position of law is that owners of business names duly registered with Corporate Affairs Commission is not under a legal duty to pay tax over the business name; rather such a person is expected to pay Personal Income Tax pursuant to Section 2 of CITA.
“Unfortunately, it is now a compelling practice for Business names to separately obtain Tax Identification Number (TIN) which consequently expose them to payments of tax while the proprietors of such business names equally pay Personal Income Tax resulting in double taxation.
“Additionally, the government just announced plan to impose the sum of One Thousand naira levy on Nigerian as an annual vehicle proof of ownership levy.
“This is in addition to Personal Income Tax being paid annually by vehicle owners and thousands of naira being paid annually for renewal of vehicle particulars to the government.
“It is our position that these are issues of double taxation that must be keenly considered by the government.”
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President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
The committee according to a statement issued by Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy on Friday will be chaired by Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Mr. Taiwo Oyedele.
The statement said that setting up the committee was in consonance with President Tinubu’s promise to remove all barriers impeding business growth in Nigeria.
It explained that the committee will comprise experts from both the private and public sectors and have responsibility for the various aspects of tax law reform, fiscal policy design and coordination, harmonization of taxes, and revenue administration.
Explaining further, the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Mr. Adelabu Zacch Adedeji, said that President Tinubu recognizes the importance of a sound fiscal policy environment and an effective taxation system for the functioning of the government and the economy.
He said, ”Nigeria ranks very low on the global ease of paying taxes while the country’s Tax to GDP ratio is one of the lowest in the world and well below the African average.
”This has led to an overreliance on borrowing to finance public spending which in turn limits the fiscal space as debt service costs consume a greater portion of government revenue, annually resulting in a vicious cycle of inadequate funding for socio-economic development.
”While some incremental progress has been recorded over the years, the outcomes have not been transformative enough to change the narrative,” he said.
Adedeji outlined the key challenges in Nigeria’s tax system to include multiple taxes and revenue collection agencies, fragmented and complex tax system, low tax morale, high prevalence of tax evasion, high cost of revenue administration, lack of coordination between fiscal and economic policies, and poor accountability in the utilization of tax revenue.
The establishment of this committee reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to addressing these challenges and bringing about transformative reforms in fiscal policy and taxation.
The committee’s primary objective is to enhance revenue collection efficiency, ensure transparent reporting, and promote the effective utilization of tax and other revenues to boost citizens’ tax morale, foster a healthy tax culture, and drive voluntary compliance.
These efforts will not only improve Nigeria’s revenue profile but also create a more conducive and internationally-competitive business environment.
”Our aim is to transform the tax system to support sustainable development and achieve a minimum of 18% Tax to GDP ratio within the next 3 years without stifling investment or economic growth.
”It should be noted that this committee will not only advise the government on necessary reforms, but will also drive the implementation of such recommendations in support of the comprehensive fiscal policy and tax reform agenda of the current administration,” the SA on Revenue added.
Mr. Oyedele is said to be a highly accomplished professional with extensive expertise in fiscal policy, taxation, and economic matters. He currently serves as PWC Africa tax leader.
He is the Thematic Lead for the Fiscal Policy & Planning Commission and serves as the Chairman of the West Africa Debt Management Roundtable of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
He chairs the Taxation & Fiscal Policy Faculty Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and is a member of the Nigerian Taxation Standards Board.
He also serves as a member of the Ministerial Committee on the implementation of Nigeria’s National Tax Policy.
He is a member of the Global Tax Forum and has previously served as a member of the Global Governing Council of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
As an educator, Oyedele holds the position of Associate Professor at the Babcock University Business School.
He is an alumnus of the London School of Economics & Political Science, Yale University and Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education. He is a guest lecturer at the Lagos Business School and the Founder and President of Impact Africa Foundation.
The 25-year-old suspect who stole a Mercedes Benz GLB 250, worth N55 million, during a test drive in Abuja has opened up on why he committed the act.
On Thursday, the police successfully captured the suspect after stealing the luxury car on June 30 in Abuja. He was discovered in a bush near Oteriroad, close to Doctors Quarters in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State on July 3.
The apprehended person, Meshach Siunuphro, was taken into custody in Benin City, Edo State.
Siunuphro, who claimed to be a 300-level Business Administration student in Turkey, attributed his actions to being hypnotized.
Additionally, he revealed his involvement in forex trading fueled his intention to acquire the car for personal use.
During the suspect’s public presentation, the Delta Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Bright Edafe, took the opportunity to caution car dealers and owners about a new method employed by criminals to steal vehicles from unsuspecting individuals.
He specifically advised against entrusting car keys to attendants at car wash centres.
A Lagos-based businessman, Amara Kennedy, who was accused of circulating nude photos of single mothers, has been arrested.
One of the victims, Kester, confirmed the development on Friday.
The Punch news paper had reported in a special feature on Sunday that two women, Kester and one other identified simply as Temi, met Kennedy separately on different WhatsApp and Facebook chat groups for singles.
Kester, who lost her husband about eight years ago in a car crash, said the businessman, after chatting her up, started showering her with monetary gifts.
However, after a disagreement, he sent her over 50 of her nude photos which he secretly took after their lovemaking in a hotel.
She said the suspect demanded N100,000 from her as a condition to delete the photos.
The mother of two noted that after she sent the money and asked if the photos had been deleted, he demanded an additional N40,000 to delete them permanently, which she sent to him.
Despite the payments, the suspect went ahead to circulate the photos on Facebook.
Kester said she attempted suicide twice but failed, as some of those who saw the images started questioning her.
The second victim, Temi, said the suspect usually had marathon sex with her in hotels while under the influence of drugs, and afterwards gave her N1,000 as transport fares.
She said after she discovered that he was not serious about the relationship and was merely using her, she stopped talking to him.
However, Kennedy reportedly sent her several of her nude photos and demanded all the money he had spent on her in the relationship.
She said she borrowed N15,000, which she sent to him.
However, after she appealed to his sister on Facebook for help to talk to him, he started circulating the nude photos.
Temi said the businessman regularly called her to demand money.
After the report was published, the suspect on Monday threatened to continue to damage the reputation of the women for “spoiling my image.”
He then started sending the nude photos to more of their family members.
PUNCH Metro obtained some of the screenshots as the suspect continued to chat with the victims and their friends to show them those he was sending the nude photos to.
Kennedy, in a chat seen by our reporter, wrote, “Her (Kester) pictures are there. At Redeem parish WhatsApp group platform. I am all over the news, she also will be all over the news. By the time I am done, suicide will be her only option.
“This one to her colleague at work…28 pictures. I have sent to her friends abroad both male and female. I have sent to her inlaw, redeem church branch on WhatsApp, to her pastor and more random people online.
“Una never jam. My image is already dented. Hers will go round. Pictures that I have uploaded on a porn site today, all 52 pictures.”
PUNCH Metro also obtained screenshots of some of the people and groups Kennedy sent the nude photos to.
Kester, while speaking to our correspondent, said her in-laws had contacted her over the matter.
She promised not to take her own life, saying her daughters needed her.
Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State on Friday declared free education in all primary and secondary schools with effect from the next academic session to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit known as petrol.
The decision came barely 48 hours after announcing the reduction of university school fees by 50 per cent to cushion the current hardship in the country.
According to him, starting from the next academic session, primary and secondary education in Taraba State would be free.
A statement by his Spokesperson, Emmanuel Bello, said Kefas made the declaration at the Ebenezer Primary School in Wukari as part of his assessment tour.
The governor stressed that it was the government’s responsibility to bear the expenses and that students should not be subjected to any fees.
He said that apart from fulfilling a campaign promise, the hardship occasioned by the removal of the fuel subsidy has made the move imperative.
On Wednesday during his visit to the Taraba State University in Jalingo, Kefas announced the removal of school fees in the university, saying quality education remained his main priority.
Kefas said he had since declared a state of emergency in the education sector and was also committed to free education at the primary and secondary school levels.
Many of the University students expressed joy at the development, saying the reduction in fees would greatly enhance their lives.
“Some parents said the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy has made payments of school fees difficult. They said the slash has raised their hopes,” Bello had said.