Ebonyi Assembly Speaker In EFCC Custody Over N60m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Ogbonnaya Francis Nwaifuru, speaker of the Ebonyi state house of assembly for allegedly diverting the sum of N60m constituency project fund.
According to a statement issued by Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesman, Nwaifuru was picked up at 11am on Friday at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after he spurned two previous invitations by the agency.
The statement reads: “Nwaifuru was first invited on October 20, 2015 to appear before the Enugu zonal office of the commission but did not respond to the invitation. A reminder letter was sent to him on November 19, 2015, which he also failed to respond to”.     Thanks for reading.

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Buhari To Begin Ogoniland Cleanup Next Week, Says Minister

President Muhammadu Buhari would in the coming weeks, commence the cleanup of Ogoniland.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed when she paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers.
“It is hoped that we will have this launch in the coming weeks and the president himself will launch the cleanup. It is really to us a turning point in the history of the struggle. Ogoniland is the first place where actions need to be – cleanup. There is a wide challenge of pollution in the Niger Delta. We are here to begin activities toward the launch of the cleanup with stakeholders’ dialogue.
“We are beginning in Rivers because this is the home of the struggle but we know it is wider,’’ she said.
The minister said that the cleanup of the Ogoniland would span between 25 and 30 years.
Howev
er, Wike advised the Federal Government that to achieve success, the cleanup must not be politicised as there were diverse interests.
The governor urged the Federal Government to be careful not to bring politics into the cleanup in order to achieve success.
“It doesn’t matter the political party that anybody belongs to, environmental issue does not affect a political party; it affects the entire state and the entire Niger Delta as a whole.
“Communities do not know about political parties, what communities know is about how to survive. And so, I will advice that we approach it in such way that it does not look political, particularly in Ogoniland, it is a very complex place; you have to be extremely careful.
“Because if you are not careful you may not achieve what you want you intend to achieve,’’ the governor warned.   Thanks for reading.

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Corrupt Officers Will Get 10-years Jail Sentence, Custom Boss Talks Tough

The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), retired Col. Hameed Ali, has declared that any customs officer caught involved in corrupt practice, would serve the maximum 10-year jail term prescribed by law.
Ali made this declaration while addressing custom officers of Sokoto/Zamfara/Kebbi Area Command on Tuesday.
“The minimum jail term for corrupt officers is five years, but I will make sure that any officer found to be corrupt gets the maximum jail term of 10 years.
“This is to serve as a deterrent to any officer who finds himself in the Customs to make money and not to earn money. I am not saying that there are no good, incorruptible officers in the service, but there are few bad eggs who are giving the service a bad name,” Ali said. He also cautioned the officials against indiscipline and living above their means. “Our work ethics must change to be in tune with the change mantra as championed by President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said. While explaining that the task before him was to reform the service, raise revenue, and improve the welfare of personnel, the CGC advised the customs personnel to make integrity, honesty and transparency their watch words.
”You should all do this to minimize the chances of getting into trouble, except those who are criminally minded.”
He therefore urged the officers and men to strive to block all areas of revenue leakages, saying that the service would use part of the revenue to provide offices and residential accommodation for them. Ali assured them that, henceforth, there would be no favouritism in promotions, transfers and postings.

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Sokoto State Commissioner For Science And Technology Dies At 42

The Commissioner for Science and Technology in Sokoto state, northern Nigeria, Nasir Zarummai, is dead.
Reports gathered that Zarumai died Friday night at the Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital after a brief illness. His death occurred just one month to his 43rd birthday celebration.
The sad incident was announced very early on Saturday in a statement signed by Bashar I. Jabo, the. Media Assistant to the All Progressives Congress in Sokoto state.
“It is with deep regret that I have to announce the death of Hon. Nasir Zarummai (Commissioner Of Science & Technology, Sokoto State) who passed away last night, 4th of March 2016 at at Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital after a brief illness.
“May his soul rest in peace!” The statement read.
The late Nasir Zarummai was born in Sokoto North Local Government Area of Sokoto State on 4 April, 1973. He got a Bachelors degree in Computer Science at the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto in 1998 and was the IT administrator in the University from 2000 to 2005.
He later became the Technical Coordinator for the Identity Card project between 2003 and 2004 and joined the United Nations System (WHO, IT Assistant) in Nigeria between 2005 and 2007.
He became Special Adviser on ICT to former Governor Aliyu Wamakko of the state between 2007 and 2013. Zarumai was also a Federal Commissioner, Federal Character Commission.

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DSS Arrests Ex-APGA Chairman Victor Umeh For Allegedly Sponsoring Biafra Movement

The Department of State Security (DSS) has arrested Victor Umeh, former national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
Umeh’s spokesman, Stan Okeke confirmed the arrest, saying the APGA chieftain was picked up from his Enugu residence on Thursday morning.
Okeke said Umeh was accused of sponsoring activities of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He also alleged that Uche Ekwunife, Umeh’s arch-rival, had written a petition against the APGA chieftain.

Umeh had contested the Anambra central senatorial election in 2015 but lost to Ekwunife, who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Thanks for reading

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Power Generation Rises To 4,200MW Again

As Nigerians groan over epileptic power supply in recent weeks, latest report showed there is a huge turnaround as power generation is said to have risen to 4,200 Mega Watts (MW) from 2,800MW.
The power generation was at its peak of 5,074MW early February, but later begin to plummet, a situation, authorities including the Presidency blamed on Nigerians for allegedly vandalising power facilities. .
In a statement yesterday, the Asst. General Manager (Public Affairs), SO/MO, TCN, Clement Ezeolisah said; “Power generation has started improving and is now over 4200MW on daily average,”
The current height, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), was due to the completion of maintenance on the gas pipeline to the generating stations.

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National Assembly To Pass 2016 Budget March 17

The upper and lower chamber (Senate, House of Representative) would on March 17 pass the 2016 Appropriation Bill presented to by President Muhammdu Buhari on December 22, 2015.

This was disclosed on Wednesday by the Joint Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives on Appropriations.

The committees stated that the final report on the appropriation bill would be laid on the floor of both chambers of the National Assembly on March 16 for consideration and subsequent passage the following day.

According to the chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Danjuma Goje, both committees would meet critical stakeholders, including the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; Accountant-General of the Federation; and Director, Budget Office of the Federation on Thursday,

Goje said, “Tomorrow (Thursday), we are going to have a discussion with the Minister of Budget and Planning, Minister of Finance, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Accountant-General of the Federation.

“The same thing with the Senate; we are also going to engage these people. We are going to engage other ministers to ensure that as much as possible, we align this budget to satisfy the needs of Nigerians.

“We may not be 100 per cent right, but we will try to get it right because the basic thing is to ensure that we produce a budget that will translate into the betterment of the lives of Nigerians.”

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