As Cardoso sets up task force on remittances 

The Federal Government said yesterday it planned to float a Diaspora Bond to attract funds held abroad by Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora. 

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Mr. Wale Edun disclosed this, yesterday, at his wrap up media briefing at the end of the 2024 Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank. 

His words, “In terms of remittances, it is certainly one of the ways we can increase supply of foreign exchange and investment in the country. 

“There are Nigerians abroad who are doing very well. Even Nigerians in Nigeria with funds abroad that can be counted as remittance and in order to increase the supply of foreign exchange into the economy, government is looking at attracting those funds through a Diaspora kind of instrument. 

“A Diaspora Bond and we think that will be attractive enough for Nigerians abroad and for foreign holdings of foreign currencies and look to having a substantial issue later in the year.”

As part of the efforts of the administration to increase foreign exchange inflows, the minister said that that Nigeria has qualified for the processing of a $2.25 billion World Bank facility. 

According to him,  “Nigeria has qualified for the processing of a total package of World Bank $2.25 billion of, well there is no free money but it is close to a grant for 40 years, moratorium of 10 years and about 1 percent interest.  So that is also part of the flow that you can count.

“In addition, there is a similar Budgetary Support, low-interest funding from the African Development Bank and clearly, there are also on-going discussions with foreign direct investors.  

“Some of these things take longer than you expect but there are relatively advanced discussions on major foreign direct investment inflows into the country, specific transactions with companies, institutions and authorities”

The Minister said that the Spring Meetings presented an opportunity to engage the international audience on a global stage. 

His words, “We have had the opportunity of speaking to international investors, portfolio investors and those international direct investors that will bring what I will describe as quality funding.  The kind of funding that builds factories and creates jobs.

“The response from all of them, I can say, without exception is that of greater confidence in the economic management of the country and greater interest and willingness to invest.

“But in addition, not just the international community that we addressed, it is also critical that we are a private sector-driven economy and that is the policy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to encourage private domestic and foreign investment to grow the economy and increase, create jobs and reduce poverty.

“But also we have other partners- the multilateral organisations, development banks, bilateral financiers, grant-givers, foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others.  The whole eco-system of international finance, we have engaged with all of them.

“We have come away with funding to provide electricity to 300 million people in Africa that the largest portion will come to Nigeria.  And you know what the provision of electricity does to increasing productivity and reduce poverty. 

“We can also say that we have a bigger say for Africa through an additional Chair on the Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund. I think it is a major success for Africa as a whole.”

Tacking debt with higher revenue 

On debt challenges, he said that revenue remained the only way out and that for Nigeria,  the first source of revenue was oil.

The Minister said that oil production has increased from 1.2 million bpd to 1.6 million bpd since President Tinubu came to power.

He said that with a 2 million bpd quota from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the administration was looking to ramping production to 2 million, including 300, 000 barrels of condensate.

Cardoso sets up task force to facilitate inflows

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria  (CBN) Mr.Olayemi Cardoso disclosed that a task force has been set up to ease the flow of remittances into the country. 

His words, “It has indeed been a fruitful few days of engaging with our esteemed international policy counterparts and stakeholders from around the world, as well as Nigeria’s investors. We came here with a very clear agenda and have held highly significant, intentional meetings – each one with an objective to further support the stability and ultimate growth of the Nigerian economy. 

“Besides our meetings with multilateral financial institutions, and foreign investor groups with a keen interest on developments in Nigeria, including a critical gathering at the US Chamber of Commerce, we had very productive discussions with leading International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs), where we collectively committed to doubling remittance flows through formal channels into Nigeria in the immediate short to medium term. 

“This target is both ambitious and achievable, and we’re wasting no time in setting up a collaborative task force, reporting to myself, to drive progress and address any bottlenecks that hinder flows through formal channels.

In the six months since assuming the position of Central Bank Governor, the challenges have been significant, from grappling with inflation to addressing volatility in the foreign exchange market. However, with relative stability now achieved, particularly in the FX market, we have transitioned from firefighting to strategic planning across key areas.

 ”These areas include improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria, to consolidate and sustain the gains through an efficient and transparent market system 

and boosting financial and economic inclusion for small businesses and households–interrogating all potential ways to leverage smarter use of technology, and remote  banking to reduce the cost of transactions and expand accessibility to the financial system. 

“April saw the naira emerge as the best-performing currency globally, supported by 

bullish sentiment from leading international investment institutions. Our FX market is experiencing robust activities, with turnover reaching levels not seen in over seven years. 

“This liquidity boost instills confidence among investors, businesses, and other partners, ensuring fluidity in their interactions with Nigeria’s FX markets.

However, we remain vigilant, recognizing the challenges that persist, such as elevated inflation driven by rising food prices, transportation costs, and energy expenses. 

“We note that inflation though rising is doing so at a decelerated rate and we are confident will soon commence a fall. Security concerns in food-producing regions an infrastructure challenges also demand attention.  

“The CBN has implemented a number of policy reforms to address some of these various pressures and, while I am confident enough today to talk about some of our early success, I am at the same time extremely mindful of our ongoing challenges.

“We still have work to do in solving all our problems, however, we do have a determined pathway and a sequenced approach to tackling all challenges ahead, 

working hand in hand with our key stakeholders including investors, banks, businesses – and, notably, our counterparts on the fiscal side.

“We have recommitted our stance to orthodox monetary policy, and it is heartening to see the efforts being put up have started yielding results especially in terms of rebuilding trust and confidence in our economy and the leadership. 

Diaspora target  

“The Diaspora target is to double our current level.  This may appear ambitious but I am confident that we will be able to achieve it.

“We have transitioned from fire fighting to strategic planning in key areas. These areas include the improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria. 

“To consolidate and sustain the gains of an efficient a d transparent market system and boosting economic inclusion for small businesses and households.

“Interrogating all potential ways to leveraging smarter use of technology  and remote banking to reduce to cost of transactions and expand accessibility to the financial system.”

Cardoso on FX market movements 

The governor said that movements in the market should be expected but that his team would remain focused on ensuring a transparent stable FX market.

His words “Expect that there will be increases here and there, ups and downs and from what I gathered yesterday,  the Naira has again strengthen overnight. So I think the most important thing to say here is that we are doing everything possible to have a stable exchange- exchange rate that finds adequate price discovery level.”

A forensic audit conducted by an audit firm has revealed how the immediate past government of Abia State approved funds to contractors for the construction of non-existent state-owned airport and other infrastructure.

The Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti made the revelation during a presentation at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Washington DC, United States.

He spoke on the theme, ‘Dynamics of State Governance, Economic Transition and the Challenges of Seeking to Establish a New Order Amidst Multiple Constraints and Pushbacks.’

Otti said it is difficult to admit how some Nigerian leaders contest elections for reasons shrouded in corruption.

The governor who took over from Okezie Ikpeazu in 2023 explained that some politicians have abused the privilege of governance thereby impoverishing their states.

Otti explained how he engaged one of the top audit firms to examine the state accounts, adding that the auditor uncovered several deals that are shrouded in corruption.

He said, “Talking about corruption, I set up a forensic audit as soon as I took over last year in Abia so that there won’t be any argument, I called in one of the top three audit firms in the world and not too long ago, they sent in their report and some of the things in the report are frightening.

“So, N9.3bn was paid to seven contractors for contracts that were not executed at all up till today. Another N15.9bn- almost N16bn was paid to 63 contractors with no supporting documents anywhere in the State.

“Another N12bn was paid to two contractors for contracts that did not exist. Out of this figure, N10bn was on September 25, 2020- that is almost four years, paid to some contractors for the construction of Abia State Airport.

“We have spent time trying to locate the airport and up till now, we have failed.”

Otti told his audience that one of his aides advised him to seek Artificial Intelligence (AI) in search of the airport.

“So, as we continue to look for our airport, we have also involved security agencies to help us search.”

Otti explained that the N37.2bn spent on ghost projects is what happens when politicians fail to understand the role of governance and economic integration.

According to Otti, a lack of accountability enables “mindless stealing of resources from the people,”. The governor lamented how impoverishing the populace promotes incompetence and damages trust in public institutions.

He said the evidence of the lack of ingenuity of politicians is how Nigerian states struggle to pay salaries and pensions.

Earlier in April 2024, Otti lamented that the state was plunged into debt of N192bn by his predecessor, Ikpeazu. He further revealed how his predecessor also inherited N34.5bn debt from T.A. Orji.

This report was updated to reflect that N9.3bn was paid to seven contractors and not N79.3bn. The report was also adjusted to reflect that the aggregate figure paid to all the 72 contractors was N37.2bn, not N107.2bn.

[Src: THE WHISTLER]

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has secured the nomination of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the forthcoming November 16 governorship election, following his declaration as the party’s candidate.

Aiyedatiwa clinched the nomination with a resounding victory, amassing a total of 48,569 votes in the primaries. His closest contender, Mayowa Akinfolarin, trailed behind with 15,343 votes, while Chief Olusola Oke secured the third position with 14,865 votes.

The announcement was made by the Chairman of the Governorship Primary Election Committee and Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo. Governor Ododo, reflecting on the competitive nature of the primaries, highlighted the rigorous contest that characterized the electoral process.

The primaries, held across the 18 council areas of Ondo State, witnessed fervent participation from party members and supporters.

With the nomination secured, Aiyedatiwa and the APC now shift their focus to consolidating support and rallying behind their candidate as they prepare to face off against opponents in the November election.

Returning officer in lfedore, Oliver Okpala said violence marred the exercise in the area, hence no voting in all the wards.

Speaking before the party’s electoral officers reeled out the results from the 18 council areas, Governor Usman Ododo said, “Let’s remember that the real election lies with all of us as members of this great party, the All Progessives Congress.

“We must always reflect on the words of our father and leader, President Bola Tinubu, who has maintained that a political contest is a quest to serve by brothers and sisters from the same family but leaving in the same room and must therefore live in the same house after the election has been won and lost.

“In our own room today, we are all in the same room as a family, and as such, we have no need to abandon the party, irrespective of today’s outcome.

” We must set aside our differences and unite behind our candidate.

“In our unity, we shall continue to find strength, and our victory lies in our solidarity as party men and women.”

RESULTS

Total number of voters 117922
Total number of accredited voters 95,178
Total votes cast 95178
Invalid- Nil

Jimi Odimayo 490
Omogoroye Judith 115
Aiyedatiwa 48,569
Kekemeke 1045
Soji Ehinlanwo 492
Olugbenga Edema 395
Jimoh lbrahim 9456
Adekojo Funmilayo 529
Akinfolarin Samuel 15343
Wale Akinterinwa 1952
Olusola Oke 14,915
Olamide Ohunyeye 424
Morayo Lebi 290
Diran lyantan 348
Prof Dayo Faduyile 353
Ife Oyedele 462

1:ILAJE LG
Lucky Aiyedatiwa 2,485
Wale Akinterinwa. 26
Olusola Oke. 2,511
Jimoh Ibrahim 589

2: Ile Oluji/Okeigbo
Jimoh Ibrahim: 282
AIYEDATIWA: 1225
WA: 474

3: Ondo West LG:
Jimoh Ibrahim: 2668
AIYEDATIWA: 10610

4: ESE-ODO LG
Aiyedatiwa 298
Akinterinwa 0
Oke 147
Jimoh Ibrahim 174

5: OWO LG

Aiyedatiwa 2,123
Akinterinwa. 345
Oke 225
Jimoh Ibrahim 192

6: IDANRE LG

Aiyedatiwa 1, 579
Akinterinwa 119
Oke 225
Jimoh Ibrahim 120

7: AKOKO NORTH EAST LG

Aiyedatiwa 1, 664
Akinterinwa 135
Oke 138
Jimoh Ibrahim 505

8: AKOKO NORTH WEST LG

Aiyedatiwa 5, 430
Akinterinwa 198
Oke 2, 721
Jimoh Ibrahim 728

9: AKOKO SOUTH EAST LG

Aiyedatiwa 2, 533
Akinterinwa 43
Oke 391
Jimoh Ibrahim 67

10: AKOKO SOUTH WEST LG

Aiyedatiwa 2, 747
Akinterinwa 272
Oke 415
Jimoh Ibrahim 466

11: NO RESULT FOR IFEDORE LGA.

ALL ASPIRANTS SCORED ZERO ACCORDING TO THE RETURNING OFFICER DUE TO AN ALLEGED SHOOTING.

12: OSE LG

Aiyedatiwa 1, 091
Akinterinwa 39
Oke 800
Jimoh Ibrahim 267

13: IRELE LG

Aiyedatiwa 1, 203
Akinterinwa 15
Oke 93
Jimoh Ibrahim 139

14: ODIGBO LG
Aiyedatiwa 2, 631
Akinterinwa 114
Oke 138
Jimoh Ibrahim 845

15: AKURE NORTH LG

Aiyedatiwa 2, 860
Akinterinwa 177
Oke 1, 239
Jimoh Ibrahim 1, 606

16: AKURE SOUTH LG
Aiyedatiwa 3, 265
Akinterinwa 86
Oke 328
Jimoh Ibrahim 294

17 OKITIPUPA LG

Aiyedatiwa 1, 622
Akinterinwa 27
Oke 1, 571
Jimoh Ibrahim 109

18: ONDO EAST LG

Aiyedatiwa 4, 803
Akinterinwa 141
Oke 1, 171
Jimoh Ibrahim 406

All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders have stressed the need for the Lagos State chapter of the party to give its governorship ticket to former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in 2027, asserting that he possessed the Midas touch to transform the state if given the opportunity again.

This assertion comes in response to a call by an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), stating that the next governor must be one of their own, a Muslim.

Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders in Lagos, Dr. Oluwaseyi Bamigbade said the call became imperative because Ambode’s four-year tenure as governor from 2015 to 2019 witnessed massive infrastructure development in the state. 

Bamigbade, while making the call, noted that numerous groups were consistently yearning for Ambode’s return in 2027 to continue his Midas touch in Lagos’ development agenda. He expressed the belief that Ambode should be given the opportunity for a second term in the Government House as permitted by the constitution.

The APC chieftain recalled that Ambode, as governor, remodeled the state within four years in office, making it an investment destination for big businesses from within and outside the country.

Furthermore, he stated that the former governor significantly impacted the lives of millions of Lagosians during the same period, causing a paradigm shift by extending government attention from urban centers to the suburbs. Ambode opened up narrow roads, transforming them into modern streets with lights that also connected to arterial highways. This approach to project execution facilitated seamless traffic flow on expressways.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Sunday announced that it has sanctioned some officials over the harassment of a female Hijab-wearing candidate.

The female candidate who sat her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination at the Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos was said to have been asked to remove her headcover during the accreditation process before being allowed into the examination hall.

Addressing the issue in a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs of the Board, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Board noted that it deeply regretted the incident.

It said on investigation, it discovered that the incident or others in the past were not linked to any of its examination guidelines but rather a product of the misplaced priority of some of the Board’s accredited partners or officials who claimed ignorance of the its guidelines on accreditation.

The statement read, “This situation was instantly addressed by a senior official of the Board at the center and the candidate in question was allowed in after the usual checks with her hijab.

“However, since ignorance of the law is not an excuse, the officials have been appropriately sanctioned to serve as a deterrent to others, who might wish to toe the same line going forward.

“It is worthy of note that the Board, as a national institution, has no policy barring candidates from sporting the religious paraphernalia peculiar to their religious persuasions as these are the facts of everyday life in Nigeria, which everyone should have been familiar with by now.” 

Furthermore, the Board assured the general public that the issue would be properly investigated as to prevent a recurrence.

“The Board is committed to the discharge of its statutory role of ensuring that suitably qualified candidates are selected for admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions and would not allow anything or anyone to detract it from the pursuit of this noble goal,” it reiterated.

Meanwhile, the conduct of 2024 UTME, which commenced on Friday, 19th April 2024, has been marred with reports of technical glitches as over 1.2 million candidates would have successfully taken the examination by Monday, 22nd April 2024.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the fresh suspension of the party’s national Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje from the party.

Naija News earlier reported that another APC faction had also suspended Ganduje.

Reacting to the development on Sunday, the chairman and secretary of Ganduje ward in Dawakin Tofa local government of Kano state, Ahmed Muhammed Ganduje and Usaini Jibrinn said no new election was conducted by the state or national body of the APC.

Speaking via a statement made available to Naija News, the duo said the sponsored group could not do their homework properly by using a fake or uncertified headed paper on which they drew a list of non existing party executive.

“To the best of our knowledge, as executive members of Ganduje ward of the APC, there was no new election of new leadership of our party. We remain the same executive of the ward,” the statement added.

The executive members subsequently called on the national body to facilitate the arrest and persecution of the group for impersonators attempting to cause persecution of the group for impersonation.

They also called on party members to disregard such propaganda aimed at disrupting the party.

Naira, Nigeria’s currency is set to stabilise further as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has agreed with the International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) and foreign investors to double remittance flow in the country, in the short to medium term.

To achieve this, the CBN said it is setting up a tax force that will ensure that all hindrances to the foreign inflows are addressed. 

Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN, disclosed this at a joint press conference of the ministry of finance and the CBN in Washington D.C. at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank meetings. 

Foreign exchange inflows to Nigeria rose to $2.3 billion in February, the central bank according to the CBN, driven by renewed interest from foreign investors and a rise in overseas remittances.

According to Statista the personal remittances received in Nigeria increased by 0.7 billion U.S. dollars (+3.59 percent) in 2022. In total, the personal remittances received amounted to 20.13 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.

Remittances are flows of money between immigrants and their relatives. They refer to personal transfers between resident and non-resident individuals, and the compensation of employees who are employed in an economy where they are not resident, and of residents employed by non-resident entities.

“Besides our meetings with multilateral financial institutions, and foreign investor groups, with a keen interest on developments in Nigeria, including the US Chamber of Commerce, we had very productive discussions with leading international money transfer operators IMTOs, where we collectively committed to doubling remittance flows through formal channels into Nigeria in the immediate short to medium term. 

“This target is both ambitious and achievable. And we are wasting no time in setting up a collaborative Task Force reporting to myself to drive progress and address any bottlenecks that hinder flows through formal channels,” Cardoso said.

The naira weakened by the most in over a month at the parallel market on Friday, ending a rally since late March that had made the currency the world’s best performer.

A dollar sold for N1,230 in street trading on Friday, a 17 percent decline compared to N1,050 the previous day.

Traders say there was an uptick in demand on the day but still expect the naira to pare the losses in the coming days.

The naira also depreciated at the official market to N1,169.99 against the dollar on Friday — a 1.38 percent drop from the N1,154.08/$ rate on April 18.

He said in the six months since assumed the position of Central Bank governor, the challenges have been significant from grappling with inflation to addressing volatility in the foreign exchange market.

“However, with relative stability now achieved particularly in the foreign exchange market, we have transitioned from firefighting to strategic planning across key areas.

“These areas include improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria to consolidate and sustain the gains through an efficient and transparent market system and boosting financial and economic inclusion for small businesses and households. Interrogating all potential ways to leverage smarter use of technology and remote banking to reduce the cost of transactions and expand access accessibility to the financial system,” Cardoso said.

Mr Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, Chairman of Access Holdings Plc, has expressed confidence about raising 300 million dollars in capital for Access Bank, considering the bank’s strong market position and shareholders’ support.

Aig-Imokhuede said this in an interview on the sideline of Access Holdings’ second Annual General Meeting(AGM) held in Lagos.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on March 29, directed commercial banks in Nigeria with international authorisation to shore up their capital base to N500 billion and national banks to N200 billion.

Similarly, non-interest banks with national and regional authorisation will increase their capital to N20 billion and N10 billion, respectively.

The recapitalisation exercise is expected to commence from April 1, through March 31, 2026.

Consequently, the shareholders of Access Bank at the AGM unanimously backed the Group’s plan to establish a capital raising programme of up to $1.5 billion.

They also agreed to the subset initiative to raise up to N365 billion specifically, through a Rights Issue of ordinary shares to its shareholders.

The proceeds of the rights issue will be used to support ongoing working capital needs, including organic growth funding for the group’s banking and other non-banking subsidiaries

Aig-Imokhuede explained that having announced to embark on a capital raising through Right Issue, he was confident that the group’s shareholders would support the bank in the journey.

He stated that Access Holdings has a unique relationship with the capital market in Nigeria and internationally.

“It is not the first time CBN is coming up with such policy.

“Recall that in 2004 when CBN announced that all banks must recapitalise to the tune of N25 billion and Access Bank had about N3 billion of capital.

“Between 2004 and 2007, however, our team, when I was the CEO of the bank, raised two billion dollars of common equity capital.

“Therefore, in 2024 when Access Holdings is much older, wiser, stronger, larger and significantly respected by the capital market with over 800,000 shareholders, raising 300 million dollars in capital for Access Bank, its banking subsidiary is not really much of a challenge.

“We signalled to the market first that we will be doing a Right Issue, which means that we must carry everybody along, in spite of our large institutional shareholders.

“Nonetheless, we believe in ensuring that shareholders, either large or small, continue with us on our journey.

“They have always supported us when need be with good reasons, because they believe in the company and the performance that would be delivered subsequently to such capital raising exercise.

“What is on the mind of our shareholders now is recapitalisation and they are also concerned about how their company continues to deliver returns,” he said.

Commenting on the CBN recapilisation policy, the chairman noted that Access Bank as a group endorses the CBN policy wholeheartedly.

Aig-Imokhuede described the policy as a good and sensible prudential regulation.

He added that banks, particularly after period of significant devaluation of domestic currency, volatility in the foreign exchange, and interest rate regime, are always encouraged to build up their capital buffer.

According to him, this is to ensure that whatever adverse effect that may arise as a result of the dynamic changes in the business environment would not affect their very concern.

In terms of performance and expectations from Access Holdings going forward, Aig-Imokhuede stated that the earning profile of the group, which spread across Nigeria, Africa and outside Africa subsidiaries, is very robust.

He said: “As an investor, you always look to see whether there is deep concentration where the profit is coming from; in our case, these arears are spread across three core areas that is of significant interest to local and international investors.

“If you look at the performance of banks in the year ended 2023 financial reports, you will see that all banks in naira terms have increased significantly their profitability as a result of the devaluation.

“But that isn’t the case with Access Bank, whose revaluation benefits come from the fact that it has significant international operations, because it is not a function of holding large foreign currency balances.

According to him, Access Bank, United Kingdom for example, is the largest and probably highest performing Sub-saharan African bank that has a license in the UK and making hundred of millions of naira of profit from the UK.

The chairman further said that this is not an accounting benefit that comes in the year 2023, but will continue, and with the operations of the bank in France, and across other European, Asia and Middle Eastern jurisdiction.

“We can see that the foreign currency benefit of profit in those locations are going to also accrued to the holding.

“The holding as an investor is also thinking of retail banking, which is like a utility. A retail banking with about 60 million customers is enough to sustain the bank anytime, irrespective of how volatile or uncertain the market is,” he said.

Access Holdings full-year results for the period ended Dec. 31, 2023, showcased an impressive 335 per cent increase in pre-tax profit to N729 billion from N167.68 billion in 2022.

The group also experienced an 87 per cent surge in gross earnings to N2.59 trillion from N1.39 trillion in 2022 and reported a remarkable 306 per cent growth in profit After Tax to N619.32 billion, from N152.20 billion posted in year 2022.

(NAN)

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, says he doesn’t have an account on X, formerly Twitter.

Fagbemi, in a statement on Saturday by Kamarudeen Ogundele, Special Assistant to the President on Communication and Publicity, Office of the AGF, advised members of the public not to engage with handles impersonating him.

“The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, has no Twitter handle.

“He has channels of communicating with Nigerians, but Twitter is not one of them, at least for now.

“The public should take notice of this and be well guided for future interactions,” the statement said.