The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming election in Kogi State, Dino Melaye, has declared that no sane resident of the state would vote for All Progressives Congress (APC) in November.
Naija News reports that the former lawmaker made the assertion while receiving the report of the PDP policy document for the state at a brief ceremony at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja on Friday.
Melaye said the Kogi people have suffered so much and are in the den of the evil forest due to Governor Yahaya Bello-led government of gross maladministration and injustice meted out on them.
He also lamented the insecurity ravaging the state, with many people kidnapped at night and in broad daylight.
Speaking on infrastructure, Melaye said the state has been completely bastardized, and the economy is in shambles.
He said, “There’s is no sane person in Kogi State that will vote for the APC in Kogi State. We have suffered so much in Kogi State, we are in the den of the evil forest in Kogi State.
“As I speak Kogi is the only state where a serving permanent secretary is taking Okada to the office, in Kogi a level 16 officer is taking 16 thousand salary. There is a state of decadence, poverty, corruption in Kogi State, these are people with families.
“The present administration undertook a needless civil service exercise, retrenched, sacked and kept some people hanging. Some others died for travelling from far places to the state capital for screening and accidents happened.
“In the history of the state, we have the largest number of missing persons in Nigeria, even the PDP Chairman of Okene local government area for four years we are still looking for him.
“You can only imagine the number of missing persons in Kogi State, not to talk of those murdered in broad daylight. Two months ago 27 people were killed in Ejule in one day.
“These shows that we have a lot of work to do because the state has been completely basterdized, the economy is in shambles, hospitals are mere consulting clinics, no roads, the great water works done by former governor Ibrahim Idris, today it is eleven months, no water in lokoja the state capital. That is the type of state we are going to inherit.”
Speaking about his level of preparedness for the task of governance, Melaye said among all the candidates and parties, only the PDP is working on a policy document.
According to him, the PDP policy document was a product of scientific research on the sections of the state economy requiring urgent attention in order to revive the economy and set the state on the path of growth.
He said, “Among all the candidates and parties participating in the governorship election in Kogi State, only the PDP is working on a policy document.
“We promised when we got the mandate of the people that we are going to do things differently.
“What we are doing here is to announce to Nigerians that the incoming government in Kogi State, by the grace of God will do things differently.
“No any other party is talking about policy document apart from the PDP and by the time i have looked at this document, i have read it, it is not only robust but a solution book.”
The Chicago State University has released President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic transcripts.
The documents seen by Naija News on Friday (today) negate the speculations that the former governor of Lagos State did not graduate from the university.
Recall that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar had requested the varsity to make Tinubu’s academic records available to him as he pushes further his petitions against All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate at the Supreme Court.
The documents, however, released by the Chicago State University showed that Tinubu indeed graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree at the institution.
Below is Tinubu’s Academic Transcripts as released by the Chicago State University
Statement On Tinubu’s Student Records
Earlier, the Chicago State University (CSU) released a statement to confirm that President Bola Tinubu attended the university.
The institution also revealed that the former governor of Lagos State graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree. CSU’s stand was disclosed in a statement issued by the University to CBS Broadcasting Inc., generally referred to as CBS News.
The school said, “As an educational institution, we are sometimes asked to provide information related to student records.”
The school, however, explained that there is a federal law, known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, FERPA, which protects the privacy of student records and limits what an institution can make public.
It further stated, “In August 2023, a request was made to the U.S. federal court for the university to provide information related to educational records concerning Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, and a former CSU student.
“The university has confirmed Tinubu attended CSU and graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree. Federal law, however, prevents us from providing any further information without consent or unless allowed to do so via court order.
“CSU is confident in the veracity and integrity of our records regarding Tinubu’s completion of graduation requirements and degree certificate. The university is not a party to the Nigerian legal proceedings that spurred this request, and a U.S. federal judge will determine whether the university will provide further requested information.
“Our response to the request for Tinubu’s academic records has been entirely consistent with our practices, policies and federal law. We would respond in exactly the same manner for any request for any student information by a third party.”
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, on Friday, signed into law, the Enugu State Electricity Bill, describing it as a major step towards economic growth and making the state the premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and living.
Speaking at the event, which took place at the Government House Enugu, Mbah said the quest by his administration to build Enugu State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion would translate to a pipe dream without adequate and stable power supply, hence the need for the Electricity Law, which Bill was transmitted to the House of Assembly about a fortnight ago.
He equally commended the leadership and Members of the House of Assembly for the expeditious passage of the Bill and for their partnership with the government across party lines for the good of Enugu State.
“As you know, following the Constitutional Amendment and the Electricity Act of 2023, electricity is now on the concurrent list. This will now enable us to play in the value chains of the electricity industry.
“So, Enugu State has spared no time in making sure that we create our own electricity market. That is the crux of this law.
“We are now able to play in the generation, transmission, and distribution segments of the electricity market.
“We are also, through our regulatory commission, which this Law has given us the power to create, going to be able to regulate the activities of these players – the generation, transmission, and distribution companies that will flow from it.
“So, this is a significant and very important Law towards the achievement of the Enugu of our dreams because the development and growth of Enugu will all be predicated on the platter that this law has created. You cannot talk about industry or private sector investment if you don’t have electricity or power.
“Enugu, under our administration, is designed and indeed prepared to be the premier destination for investment and this law is part of the enablers.
“Therefore, we thank Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly for the expeditious way they treated this Bill, which has become Law today by this assent”, the governor stated.
The signing was witnessed by the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ezenta Ezeani; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kinsley Udeh; the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, among other state functionaries.
Smart DNA, a prominent DNA testing center based in Lagos, Nigeria, has published a comprehensive data analysis of all relationship DNA tests conducted at its facility between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.
The report provides insights into DNA testing trends across Nigeria, shedding light on the reasons people seek testing, demographics of those tested, and test outcomes.
Key findings from the report include:
- Positive Results: Approximately 73.88% of tests confirmed that men were the biological fathers of the children they queried their paternity, while 26.12% yielded negative results.
- Geographical Spread: Lagos accounted for the highest percentage of tests at 82.89%, followed by Oyo (3.29%), Ogun (3.07%), FCT (2.63%), and Rivers (2.41%). This concentration in Lagos may be due to Smart DNA’s office location, residents’ purchasing power, and high population density.
- Reasons for Testing: The majority (89.10%) of tests were conducted for “Peace of Mind,” followed by “Immigration” (8.97%) and “Legal” (0.64%). This suggests that individuals primarily seek DNA testing for personal reasons.
- Initiators of Contact: Men initiated contact for testing in 86.44% of cases, compared to 13.56% initiated by women. Men are more likely to have doubts about paternity or other relationships and take the initiative to seek testing.
- Ethnic Groups: The Yoruba ethnic group had the highest percentage of tests (61.23%), followed by Igbo (19.07%), “Others” (12.08%), and Edo (6.78%). This reflects the ethnic distribution in Lagos and its surroundings.
- Child’s Gender: More tests were conducted on male children (56.62%) compared to female children (43.38%), possibly indicating a cultural preference for confirming paternity of male offspring.
- Age Range: Most tests were conducted on children aged 0-5 years (58.02%), followed by the 6-12 age group (25.95%). This suggests that paternity tests are primarily done on younger children.
- Age of Test Initiators: Men opting for DNA tests were mostly between the ages of 31-40 years (40%) and 41-50 years (23%), likely indicating a financial capability to afford testing.
Smart DNA officials emphasized their commitment to providing accredited DNA testing services in line with international standards. The report aims to contribute to a better understanding of relationship DNA testing trends in Nigeria.
Senator Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali, Minister of Transportation, has revealed that Muhammadu Buhari University, Daura in Katsina State, will begin academic activities in October of this year.
On Friday, he revealed this while leading a delegation from his ministry on an inspection tour of the school’s permanent site in Daura.
The minister also stated that the school had already submitted its courses to the National Universities Commission (NUC) for approval and the number of students to be admitted.
I hereby commend the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) for constructing this university as part of their corporate social responsibility, Alkali said. I’d like to challenge other businesses to follow in their footsteps by constructing a school, hospital, or something similar.
We are also appealing to the company to assist the university with a takeoff grant to enable it to begin full operations as planned, the minister said.
Professor Umar Adamu Katsayal, the university’s new Vice-Chancellor, said the university had been provided with modern learning facilities, including a hostel for male and female students.
Meanwhile, the minister has stated that the Kano-Katsina-Maradi rail line will be finished by 2025.
He also expressed his appreciation for the contractors’ efforts thus far.
He made the remarks on Friday in Daura, Katsina state, while leading an inspection tour of the ministry to the 387-kilometer rail project awarded by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The minister said;
Actually I am impressed with what I have seen so far. We came all the way from Dawanau (in Kano) to where we are (Daura) so that we can assess the level of the execution of the work in compliance with the specification of the contractor.
From Kano to here, almost all the major part of the site clearance has been done and I am pleased with what I have seen.
Former President Buhari presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the standard gauge rail line project in February 2021. However, work did not begin in earnest until last year.
The railway line runs 387 kilometres from Kano to Maradi in Southern Niger Republic, with a branch line connecting Kano to Dutse.
Similarly, a 93-kilometer branch line will connect Dutse, Jigawa State’s capital, to Kano.
Mota Engil, a Portuguese construction company, was awarded the project for $1.959 billion.
The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has stated that without its approval, the University of Abuja, Modibbo Adamawa State University, Yola, and Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma in Edo State are running failed accreditation, expired, and illegal engineering programs.
It stated that the University of Abuja is running courses with expired accreditation, such as chemical engineering and civil engineering, which expired on March 26, 2020, and electronic engineering and mechanical engineering, which expired on April 20, 2022. Agriculture engineering failed accreditation at Modibbo Adamawa State University Yola, civil engineering, elect/elect engineering expired on October 11, 2020, and chemical and mechanical engineering expired on March 10, 2021.
Mechanical engineering and elect/elect engineering are available at Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma until November 12, 2020.
Engr Sadiq Zubair Abubakar, president and chairman of COREN, stated yesterday at a press conference in Abuja that the University of Calabar, Cross River State, is currently running engineering programs up to the 300 level, while the Technical University of Ibadan, Oyo State, is currently running engineering programs up to the 500 level, both without resource verification/pre-verification by COREN.
The COREN president stated that all universities had been officially written to request their programs’ accreditation because they are currently illegal and need to be corrected. Still, there had been no positive response from any of them.
The COREN president, represented by the council’s registrar, Engr Adisa Ademola Bello, stated that COREN, per Section 12 of the Federal Republic Government Gazette No:113 of 3rd March 2023 on regulations on accreditation of engineering programs in Nigeria, provides for the withdrawal of accreditation and non-recognition of graduates of such programs for registration as engineering practitioners.
He said:
Failure to rectify their non-accreditation status will result in blacklisting them as non-accredited institutions whose graduates of engineering programmes will not be recognised for registration as engineering practitioners and will lack the legal backing to practice engineering in Nigeria.
The Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul-Samad Rabiu, says the company is set to reduce the price of cement in Nigeria.
He disclosed this on Friday while speaking the State House correspondents after meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
Rabiu said to support the efforts of the government to crash the price of the product, the company would add two new plants at the end of the year or early next year.
According to him, the plants to be commissioned by Tinubu, would bring BUA Cement’s total capacity to 17 million metric tons.
This, he said will enable the company to reduce the price of cement to about 3500 naira per bag.
He said: “Let me thank His Excellency Mr. President for graciously receiving me today. I came to intimate His Excellency on the affairs of our cement business. We have two new lines of 3 million tonnes each that we will be commissioned by the end of the year.
“So I came to intimate His Excellency and also to explain to him the efforts we’re making in trying to support again the efforts of the government in bringing down the price of cement.
“With this 6 million tonnes that are commissioning by the end of the year. And by the way, His Excellency has agreed to come and commission the plants, sometimes in December or early January next year.
“So I explained to him and we want to support the efforts of the government in bringing down the price of cement. By the time these lines are commissioned, BUA Cement will to be producing about 17 million tonnes per annum. And with that, we intend to bring down the price of cement from its current level of N5000 or N5500 per bag to maybe N3000 to N3500 per bag.
“And we can only do that because we’re producing cement locally. 80% of the raw materials that we’re using to produce cement are in Nigeria. We want to support the government efforts in ensuring that the price of thess commodities are brought down.
“Incidentally, I also saw the Honorable Minister David Umahi, when I was with the with His Excellency, Mr. President, and we agreed to meet so what we’re going to do is by the time we commission these two lines is to announce to Nigerians that the price of cement is going to come down.”
President Bola Tinubu named Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Dattijo the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Deputy Governor.
Dattijo served as Commissioner of Budget and Planning under Kaduna State’s immediate past Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.
The president also fired all deputies who worked for Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of CBN who is being held by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The bank had four deputy governors under Emefiele, including Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, who became acting governor after his suspension on June 9, 2023; Aishah N. Ahmad, who was Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability Directorate; Edward L. Adamu, Deputy Governor, Corporate Services Directorate; and Kingsley Obiora, Deputy Governor, Economic Policy Directorate.
In a statement issued on Friday, Presidential Spokesman Chief Ajuri Ngelale announced the appointments of the new CBN deputy governors.
Ngelale stated that President Tinubu had approved the nomination of four new Deputy Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for a five-year term in the first instance, subject to confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.
Other nominees include Mrs. Emem Nnana Usoro, Mr. Philip Ikeazor, and Dr. Bala M. Bello.
The appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.
Tinubu Nominates Yemi Cardoso As New CBN Governor, Management Team [Full List]
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of Dr. Olayemi Michael Cardoso to serve as the new Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for a term of five (5) years at the first instance, pending his confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that this was contained in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity
This directive is in conformity with Section 8 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which vests in the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the authority to appoint the Governor and Four (4) Deputy Governors for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), subject to confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Furthermore, President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new Deputy Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for a term of five (5) years at the first instance, pending their confirmation by the Nigerian Senate, as listed below:
(1) Mrs. Emem Nnana Usoro
(2) Mr. Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Dattijo
(3) Mr. Philip Ikeazor
(4) Dr. Bala M. Bello
The dust over the leadership of the Nigerian Senate may not have settled as THE WHISTLER has been authoritatively informed of a plot to cause the impeachment of Godswill Akpabio as Senate President when the National Assembly resumes from its two-month annual leave on September 26.
This newspaper was informed that the Senators behind the plot are currently meeting in Saudi Arabia to perfect the plan before resumption of plenary.
Leading the charge are Senators Abdulaziz Yari, the All Progressive Congress senator from Zamfara State and Aminu Tambuwal of the Peoples Democratic Party from Sokoto State.
Yari was the main challenger of Akpabio for the senate presidency while Tambuwal was one of his key backers.
Mohammed Onawo Ya’u Sumaila, another PDP senator from Nasarawa State, is also said to be among the leaders of the move to convince other senators to sign on to the impeachment plot.
The plotters, who are claiming to be fighting for the independence of the legislature, are citing alleged subservience of Akpabio to the Presidency as main reason why he must be pushed aside.
The senators are said to be capitalizing on President Bola Tinubu’s aggressive handling of the Niger coup, which raised temperatures in the northern parts of the country, as reason to have a legislature that is capable of checking him.
The senators are also using some of the policies of the Tinubu government perceived as anti-people( including removal of fuel subsidy) to whip up sentiments in favour of ousting the current leadership of the senate and replacing Akpabio with Yari.
Yari, a former governor of Zamfara, broke rank with the leadership of the APC when it announced Akpabio as its candidate for the senate presidency in early June, insisting he was the right person to head the senate.
Yari’s group, according to Senator Suleiman Samaila, who’s a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) representing Kano south, had done its own zoning of the senate positions.
He had said during an Arise Tv interview in June that, “We did a conventional zoning ourselves, we picked Abdulaziz Yari from the north-west and we are planning to pick deputy senate president from south-east, it shows you that we have done balancing.”
Yari himself had told a group from the South-south who paid him courtesy call in Abuja before the election that “only God installs a king” while taking a swipe at the leadership of his party who chose Akpabio over him.
But with the new plot being hatched in Saudi Arabia, Yari and his group are no longer living it to God.
A highly placed source privy to the scheme told THE WHISTLER on Friday night that Yari is wooing opposition senators to perfect his plan to take over the senate.
“They are currently in Saudi Arabia where they are perfecting plans to ensure Akpabio is removed,” the source said.
“They claim he’s too subservient to the president and he’s not allowing the senate to question the presidency and act as a check.”
While announcing the standing committees of the Senate before the break in August, Akpabio named Yari as chairman of the Committee on Water Resources while Tambuwal leads Housing Committee.
The Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engineer Sule Abdulaziz, has disclosed that the two major transformers in Birnin-Kebbi gutted by fire will cost $4m.
Using the Central Bank of Nigeria exchange rate of N769 per dollar, the amount translates into about N3.1bn
Recall that Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara state get electricity supply from Birnin-Kebbi.
However, Abdulaziz said Kebbi and Sokoto were greatly affected, but based on the temporary arrangement being made by the company, it might take two weeks for engineers to fix the damaged power station and restore light to the two states.
Revealing the arrangement made, the TCN MD said Sokoto will be serviced from the power station at Talata Mafara while Kebbi will feed from the transformer assigned to Niger Republic.
Also, to replace two major transformers, MVA 90 and MVA 60 that were destroyed by the fire, he said the TCN would need $4m.
He also revealed that the cause of the fire is not known yet, but experts have been engaged to investigate the incident.
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President Bola Tinubu on Friday appointed Dr Olayemi Cardoso as the new Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria effectively putting an end to the succession tussle at the apex bank.
Cardoso’s appointment is coming at a time when the apex bank is currently undergoing a house cleaning exercise following the removal of Godwin Emefiele as CBN Governor.
Here are what you must know about the new CBN Governor
A Banker and chartered Stockbroker
Olayemi Micheal Cardoso is a Nigerian banker, chartered stockbroker and public policy maker. He served as the former chairman of Citibank Nigeria and was the Commissioner for Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.
Dr Yemi Cardoso is a financial and development expert with over thirty years’ experience in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Education
Cardoso studied managerial and administrative studies at the Aston University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree. He has a Master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School in public administration
Career
Cardoso was the commissioner for economic planning and budget for Lagos state. He is the founding chairman and co-chair of Ehingbeti Summit, the Lagos state economic summit.
He is also a former executive lead at Harvard Kennedy School alumni association.
Cardoso was chairman of the board of Citibank Nigeria. He became a member of the Cities Alliance’s Africa Think Tank Group, a group created to solve urban development challenges. He has served as a board member of MRS Oil and was the chairman of the board of EFinA. Cardoso is a member of the advisory board of Lagos Business School and chairman of the board of African Venture Philanthropy Alliance.
‘We Are Working But Not Making Profit’ — Commercial Vehicle Drivers Lament Fuel Subsidy Removal Impact
AdminCommercial vehicle operators have expressed worry over the lack of customers, high cost of fuel caused by the subsidy removal which had made it difficult to make profit on their businesses.
The removal of fuel subsidy was announced on May 29 by President Bola Tinubu in his inaugural speech.
The removal led to an increase in the cost of transportation and had made it difficult for many people to cope with the high increase.
Speaking with THE WHISTLER on Friday in Abuja, a bus driver Mr. Musbahu Siraja said that since the subsidy was removed, things have been difficult for him.
He explained that the rate at which he bought fuel before now is no longer the same as he has reduced the volume of petrol he buys in his car.
Siraja said, “I used to buy N14,000 fuel and it lasts me for over a week but that is no longer the case as I will need N30,000 now to buy fuel.
“Secondly, the volume number of passengers now have reduced compared to how it was when fuel subsidy had not been removed. This is seriously affecting what we make in this business.”
Suraja said he hopes that government will bring down the price of fuel so that Nigerians can be able to afford the product.
Another driver who gave his name as Mr. ThankGod said that the subsidy removal really affected his business.
He said, “Business has not been moving like before, customers are complaining of the high cost of transportation. I can’t even fill my car tank because there is no money. I only refill when customers pay me.”
For Mr Sunday David, he said even when the fuel was sold at N195 per litre, things were still difficult for commercial drivers.
He said, ‘’If you are working and cannot feed yourself, or your family, and you cannot get change from it, it is not work. Despite the increase in transportation cost, we don’t make profit like we used to.”
President Bola Tinubu has nominated Yemi Cardoso as the new governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He has also nominated four new deputy governors; namely Emem Nnana Usoro, Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Dattijo, Philip Ikeazor and Bala M. Bello.
Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, announced the development in a statement on Friday.
Upon confirmation by the senate, Cardoso is expected to serve for a term of five years.
“This directive is in conformity with Section 8 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which vests in the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the authority to appoint the Governor and Four (4) Deputy Governors for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), subject to confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“In line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, the President expects the above-listed nominees to successfully implement critical reforms at the Central Bank of Nigeria, which will enhance the confidence of Nigerians and international partners in the restructuring of the Nigerian economy toward sustainable growth and prosperity for all.”
Cardoso, a banker, chartered stockbroker and public policy expert, has worked in the public, private and development sectors.
He was a former commissioner of economic planning and budget in Lagos state; an erstwhile chairman of the board of the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance; and most recently, chairman of Citibank Nigeria Ltd.
Cardoso is the founding chairman and co-chair of the Ehingbeti Summit, the Lagos state economic summit. He is also a member of the advisory board of Lagos Business School (LBS).
WHAT HAPPENS TO EMEFIELE?
The statement announcing Cardoso’s nomination as CBN governor was silent on the fate of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended — and now former — governor of the apex bank.
It is also unclear how the development would affect the other deputy governors of the bank.
Emefiele, who is in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), was suspended by the president in June.
He was directed to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, the deputy governor, operations directorate.
THE EMEFIELE SAGA
Following his suspension, Emefiele was on July 25 arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on “illegal possession” of firearms at a federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos, and was granted bail in the sum of N20 million.
Nicholas Oweibo, the judge, had ordered that Emefiele be kept in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
But the DSS insisted that Emefiele must return to its custody — a development that led to a face-off between the secret police and prison officials.
After the face-off, DSS rearrested Emefiele on the court premises.
On August 3, the federal government filed an application seeking leave to appeal against the order granting bail to Emefiele.
However, on August 15, the federal government made an oral application to withdraw the charge of “illegal possession of firearms”.
Mohammed Abubakar, the director of public prosecution (DPP) of the federation, had said the decision to withdraw the charge is backed by sections 174 (1) and (3) of the 1999 constitution and sections 108 (1), (2) and (4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
On August 17, the court granted the federal government’s application and struck out the charge.
In the fresh 20-count charge filed by the federal ministry of justice, Emefiele and his co-defendants were accused of engaging in conspiracy and procurement fraud, among others.
Although he was scheduled to be arraigned on August 23, Emefiele was not present in court.
Chicago State University (CSU) says President Bola Tinubu attended and graduated from the institution in 1979.
CSU expressed confidence in its records regarding Tinubu’s “completion of graduation requirements and degree certificate”.
In a statement sent to CBS Broadcasting, an American news network, the US varsity said federal law prevents the institution from providing “any further information” about Tinubu without his consent or court order.
“In August 2023, a request was made in U.S. federal court for the university to provide information related to educational records concerning Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, and a former CSU student,” the statement reads.
“The university has confirmed Tinubu attended CSU and graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree.
“Federal law, however, prevents us from providing any further information without consent or unless allowed to do so via court order.
“CSU is confident in the veracity and integrity of our records regarding Tinubu’s completion of graduation requirements and degree certificate.
“The university is not a party to the Nigerian legal proceedings that spurred this request, and a U.S. federal judge will determine whether the university will provide further requested information.”
THE CONTROVERSY
Over the past few months, the academic records of Tinubu have been the subject of controversy.
The president’s academic records show that he graduated from CSU in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, and management.
However, there are allegations that Tinubu who attended CSU is different from the current president of Nigeria.
Amid the controversy, Atiku Abubakar, the opposition presidential candidate, has asked a US district court to subpoena CSU over Tinubu’s academic files.
But Tinubu opposed Abubakar’s application.
THE COURT CASE
In August, Angela Liu, counsel to Abubakar, told the US court that CSU provided two similar certificates indicating that Tinubu attended the institution.
Liu said while the first certificate was signed by three people, the other was signed by two individuals.
The counsel said while one document asserts that Tinubu was issued the certificate on June 22, 1979, another suggests that the president received the degree on June 27, 1979
In a court filing, Oluwole Afolabi and Christopher Carmichael, Tinubu’s lawyers, claimed that an unidentified clerk of the university made the error about the date the school stated on his recently-issued certificate, thereby creating “the appearance of differences”.
At the resumption of the hearing this week, Abubakar’s lawyers asked Jeffrey Gilbert of the US district court for the Northern District of Illinois, to compel CSU to turn over Tinubu’s academic documents and appear for depositions.
The judge did not rule on the request.