Taraba Governor Darius Ishaku

Due to the non-payment of retirement benefits to pensioners, some senior citizens in Taraba State have died, SaharaReporters learnt on Tuesday.

It was further learnt that several others had been thrown out of their rented houses, while Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku and Deputy Governor Haruna Manu continue to enjoy jumbo allowances.

Taraba Governor Darius Ishaku

SaharaReporters learnt that the state government has failed to pay gratuity to pensioners for 12 years. The government has also in the past 10 years refused to enrol over 1,000 retirees into the pension scheme.

“This has brought untold hardship, causing the death of several pensioners, while other retirees were thrown out of their rented residences,” the spokesperson for the pensioners, Yusuf Salihu Sansani said.

Speaking to our correspondent, Sansani said, "All efforts to get government's attention kept hitting a brick wall. The last time the deputy governor, Haruna Manu sat with our committee, we were asked to articulate the issues, which we did but to no avail.

"Imagine that the Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Albasu Kunini, who attended the sitting told us that there were no funds because even the 7th and 8th Assembly Members were yet to get their own severance gratuities.

"On gratuity, payment stopped on those who retired in 2010 to date, which is 12 solid years after leaving the service; for all these long years while workers retire every day, the backlog of gratuity for retired civil servants in Taraba State is estimated at over N30 billion.

"As we speak, many of our members have died because they could not afford medical care. Others have been evicted from their rented apartments and their children withdrawn from schools due to lack of money.”

"We are being treated this badly after serving the state for 35 years, yet politicians continue to feed fat, projecting a flamboyant lifestyle," he added.

The pensioners have, however, threatened to boycott the 2023 general elections.

 

But the spokesperson for the governor, Bala Dan Abu, denied the allegations, saying pensioners in the state were being paid their benefits in batches.

"Due to paucity of resources, the government is paying gratuity in batches; I can confirm that N100 million is being expended on a monthly basis to address the backlog of inherited retirement benefits," he said.

 

 

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The remains of the late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, will be buried on Saturday, June 25, 2022, in Abia State.
This was disclosed in a flyer containing details of her burial rites and seen by SaharaReporters.

According to the flyer, there will be a praise night on Tuesday (today) at Michael Okpara Square in Enugu by 7 pm.
Osinachi, who sang the popular song ‘Ekwueme’, died on April 8, 2022, amid widespread allegations by her children, family, and colleagues that she was battered to death.
Her husband, Peter Nwachukwu claimed she died of lung cancer but there are also reports that she died after being kicked in the chest by her husband.
The Nigerian Government has since filed charges Peter Nwachukwu for allegedly causing the death of his wife.


The 23 counts filed against Peter Nwachukwu border on culpable homicide under Sections 104 and 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and Section 221 of the Penal Code, and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP).
The charges were filed by the Federal Ministry of Justice before the FCT High Court.
Though Nwachukwu denied brutalising Osinachi to death, the High Court remanded him in Kuje Correctional Facility.

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The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has debunked reports that it endorsed the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ahmed Tinubu.
It described such reports as a lie from the pit of hell that is meant to serve private interests.

Some media platforms earlier reported that the Igbo apex body had dumped Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate and declared support for Tinubu.
The report was credited to the immediate past president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State Chapter, Chief Solomon Aguene.
He was quoted to have said, “since the group was in support of a second term for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, there was nothing wrong in supporting his (Sanwo-Olu) presidential candidate”.
 
But Ohanaeze in a statement on Tuesday, called on the general public to disregard the report, saying Aguene has no authority to speak for Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos.
The statement signed by Ohanaeze spokesman, Dr Alex Ogbonnia is titled "Ohanaeze Debunks Endorsement To Tinubu".
The statement reads, "For purpose of clarity, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene was elected the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos state chapter in June 2018 for a four-year tenure, in line with the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Towards the end of 2021, information reached the National headquarters of Ohanaeze that Aguene was plotting a tenure elongation.
“Several eminent Igbo dignitaries urged Aguene to rescind the contemplation for obnoxious tenure elongation and rather lend support for a fresh election for a new executive.
"In line with the constitution of the apex Igbo socio-cultural body, an electoral panel headed by a seasoned technocrat in the person of Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu was constituted by the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Professor George Obiozor, with a mandate to conduct a fresh election for the Lagos state chapter.
"Subsequently, on June 15, 2022, an election was held in which over 750 delegates from seven Ohanaeze states participated. The election was observed by the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR; Prince Gary Igariwey, the former President General; the Chairman of the electoral panel, Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, Comrade Okey Nwankwo, the President of Abia State Chapter of Ohanaeze, among others. 
“At the end of the stiffly contested election, Chief Sunday Ossai was declared the winner with 380 votes, while the runner-up, Chief Evaristus Ozonweke scored 339 votes."
It added, "Information reaching Ohanaeze Ndigbo indicates that Aguene has secured a tenure elongation from a Lagos court. This is, to say the least, very deplorable.
"Ohanaeze Ndigbo, therefore, informs the general public that the current president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State Chapter is Chief Sunday Ossai and only the Chapter President or an authorised officer of the current Lagos state executive has the right to speak on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State Chapter.
 
"The general public is requested to disregard reckless statements by impostors, charlatans, unscrupulous social climbers and pretenders whose major objective is both mischievous and shady.
"Ohanaeze believes that any person with a democracy credential will dissociate self with a person whose public conduct is at variance with democratic norms; and that the Aguene endorsement to a presidential candidate is hollow.
"It is therefore emphasized that the person who has the right and mandate to make statements on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos is the President, Chief Sunday Ossai.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the misleading impression that ‘Ohanaeze dumps Obi’ is from the pit of hell and meant to serve private interest. Such a statement is hereby vehemently debunked."
 

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An investment of $12.24 million made by Peter Obi as Anambra State governor on behalf of the state government in International Breweries is now down to $5.38 million.

Peter Obi had claimed in an interview with Arise TV in 2018 that he invested over $20 million in International Breweries on behalf of Anambra state as a governor, and that the investment was worth almost $100 million at the time.

In the interview, Obi said, “Tomorrow, they are commissioning a facility in Sagamu, International Breweries, the biggest brewery in Africa. Anambra state is the single highest shareholder in that facility, I invested in it – over 20-something-million dollars. It is worth almost $100 m today, that’s what governments should do.”

This has been debunked by the governor of Anambra, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

On Monday, Soludo debunked reports that a ‘$20 million investment’ made by a former governor of the state, Peter Obi, was now worth $100 million.
 
Obi is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections.

A Facebook user had also credited a statement to Soludo alleging that the $20 million which Obi allegedly invested on behalf of the state in the company is now worth $100 million.
 
“Mr Peter Obi’s $20 million investment in Anambra worth $100 million today - Charles Chukwuma Soludo,” the Facebook user had said.
 
Reacting to the claim on his verified Facebook page, Soludo said, “Where did you read or hear me make such false statement? This fake news has been roundly debunked by my team.
 
“We can carry on with campaigning for our preferred candidates without consciously misleading the reading public. The report is fake and never emanated from me. Thank you.”
 
International Breweries (IB) Plc is a subsidiary of the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) — a multinational drink and brewing giant based in Leuven, Belgium.
 
In its 2021 audited financial statement, the company said it holds 43 percent economic interest in International Breweries Plc, a publicly listed company in Nigeria.
 
According to a report by The Nation, AB InBev merged its Nigerian operations under a single corporate entity in 2017. It had three indirect Nigerian subsidiaries — International Breweries Plc, Intafact Beverages Limited and Pabod Breweries Limited. SABMiller Nigeria Holdings BV — another subsidiary of AB InBev — was also a major stakeholder in Intafact and Pabod.
 
However, in a statement obtained by TheCable on Tuesday, Ifeatu Onejeme, Anambra’s finance commissioner, said Peter Obi’s administration invested the sum of N1,955,535,247.00 (an equivalent of approximately $12,616,356.43 at the then average CBN exchange rate of N155.00/$1) in Intafact Beverages Limited, a green-field brewery set up in Onitsha by SABMiller Breweries of South Africa in 2012.
 
According to Olojeme, the state government still holds 407,321,264 ordinary shares of International Breweries Plc in exchange for the Intafact Beverages Limited investment.
 
“Based on the NGX closing price of N5.50 as of 20/6/22, these shares were valued at N2,240,266,952 on that date,” the statement reads in part.
 
“Based on the Central Bank of Nigeria I&E exchange rate of N415.75/US$1.00 on same June 20, 2022, this investment was valued at an equivalent of approximately US$5,388,495.37 (and at N604/$1.00 parallel market rate, only US$3,709,051.24).”
 
TheCable reports that International Breweries has two major shareholders with stakes above 5 percent. The highest shareholder is AB INBEV Nigeria Holdings BV with 72.03 percent followed by Brauhaase International Management GMBH with 8.85 percent, as contained in the company’s financial report dated March 2022.
 
AB INBEV NIGERIA HOLDINGS BV – 78.44%
BRAUHAASE INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT GMBH – 8.85%
FREE FLOAT – 11.03%.
 

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At least 38 Nigerian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine, have been eliminated, according to information from the Russian Ministry of Defence.
 
According to the data, Russia says Kiev's claim of 20,000 foreign mercenaries holding its defence is a lie, adding that it monitors and records the presence in Ukraine of every representative of countries who moved to the country as a mercenary or trainee.

The total number of foreign mercenaries that have moved to Ukraine, according to the report is 6,956 out of which 1,956 have been killed while 1,779 fled back to their home countries.
 
Only 3,221 of the foreign mercenaries, who migrated from 64 countries are left, as of June 17, 2022.
 
Of this number, a total of 85 Nigerians were part of the foreign mercenaries, 38 have been killed while 35 returned to their home country. It said only 12 of this number remain in the country.
 
A statement from the Russian Defence Ministry noted, “Against the backdrop of the Kiev regime's mounting military failures and massive daily losses in manpower and equipment, the flow of foreign mercenaries to Ukraine has not only decreased, but is actually turning in the opposite direction.
 
“Despite the Kiev regime's efforts and increased payments, the process of mercenaries leaving to the "other world" or back to their countries of residence has not been stopped by the Kiev leadership.
 
“Recent empty statements about almost "20,000" foreigners "fighting" against the Russian Armed Forces are just plain lies.
 
“As we have already noted, the Russian Defence Ministry monitors and records the presence in Ukraine of every representative of this international gathering of "headless horsemen".
 
"Moreover, it is not only mercenaries directly involved in combat operations as part of Ukrainian units that are now included in our databases. We also take into account the trainers who have come to train, assist in the operation and repair of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine.
 
“We will publish these statistics today.
 
“For example, among European countries, Poland is the undisputed leader in terms of the number of mercenaries both arriving and dying.
 
“Since the beginning of the special military operation, 1,831 people have arrived in Ukraine, of whom 378 have already been killed and 272 mercenaries have departed for their homeland.
 
“It is followed by Romania with 504 arrivals, 102 deaths and 98 departures. The UK is in third place: 422 arrivals, 101 deaths, 95 departures.
 
“Among the Americas, Canada leads the way: 601 arrivals, 162 deaths, 169 departures. The USA comes second: 530 arrivals, 214 deaths, 227 departures.
 
“From the Middle East, Transcaucasus and Asia the largest number, 355 mercenaries, came from Georgia, of whom 120 died and 90 left Ukraine. Then there are 200 terrorist fighters redeployed from the US-controlled areas of Jazira region in Syria. To date, 80 have been eliminated and 66 have left Ukraine.
 
“In total, our lists as at June 17, 2022, include mercenaries and weapons operating specialists from 64 countries. Since the beginning of the special military operation, 6,956 people have arrived in Ukraine, 1,956 have already been eliminated and 1,779 have left.
 
“As long as 3,321 mercenaries are alive, not yet captured, or have not yet escaped to the Ukrainian border."

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Travel across British railway stations ground to a halt Tuesday as the country was hit by its biggest strike action in more than 30 years.

The strike action left many commuters stranded and persuaded many to stay at home.

According to the RMT rail union, the strikes are necessary as wages have failed to keep up with the inflation rate in the UK.

The inflation rate in the UK hit a 40-year high and is on course to keep rising, news.com.au reports.
 
But negotiations will resume Wednesday, the RMT announced. Network Rail, which looks after the country's rail tracks, told AFP discussions would begin at 10:00 am (0900 GMT).
 
Passengers were warned not to travel all week, with two more days of strike action scheduled for Thursday and Saturday playing havoc with schedules.
 
Long queues formed at bus stops on the outskirts of London shortly after 6:00 am (0500 GMT), but many gave up as services carried on without stopping, already full.
 
"Everything is kind of going tits up at the moment – planes, trains, everything.
 
The country appeared divided over the strikes, with 37 percent in favour this week compared with 45 percent against, according to a snap YouGov survey.
 
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he "deplored" the strikes, which he said evoked the "bad old days of the 1970s" when industrial action was far more common.
 
The country needed to "stay the course", defending reforms to the rail network as needed and in the public interest.
 
The walkouts risk causing significant disruption to major events including the Glastonbury music festival.
 
The strikes are the biggest dispute on Britain's railway network since 1989, according to the RMT. And rail operators warn of disruption throughout the week.
 
And as well as the above-ground rail strike, RMT members on the London Underground are staging a 24-hour Tube train stoppage Tuesday.

Unions also warn railway jobs are at risk, with passenger traffic yet to fully recover after the lifting of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

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The transgender daughter of Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has applied to legally change her name and gender, saying she no longer wants to "be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form".

The 18-year-old was known as Xavier Alexander Musk but has asked to be recognised as female and known as Vivian Jenna Wilson.

The petition to have the name change and get a new birth certificate was filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica, BBC reports.
 
Her request is set out in court documents filed in April, which have only recently come to light.
 
There was no further detail of the apparent rift between Mr Musk's daughter and her father.
Musk has yet to comment.
 
The Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur was married to Vivian's mother, Canadian author Justine Wilson, from 2000 until they divorced in 2008.
 
Their first son, Nevada, was born in 2002 but died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at 10 weeks. Musk and Justine went on to have twin sons called Xavier and Griffin and triplet boys - Damian, Kai and Saxon.
 
He has two other children, X Æ A-Xii and Exa Dark Sideræl - who goes by Y - with singer Grimes, with whom he has had an on-off relationship.
 
His children have kept a relatively low profile despite their father's fame.
 
On Father's Day, the entrepreneur tweeted, “I love all my kids so much”
There has been no comment from Mr Musk about his daughter's decision to distance herself from him.
 
He has been vocal on various transgender issues, and has been branded anti-gay in several rows. Last year he complained about people using their own pronouns.
 
The court document for his daughter's name and gender change was filed a month before he publicly declared his support for the Republican Party, having previously voted Democrat.
 
He has also said he is a fan of Ron DeSantis, the Republican Florida governor who introduced the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill. This controversial piece of legislation restricts schools from teaching students about sexual orientation and gender issues, with teachers opening themselves up to lawsuits should they fail to comply.
 
In 2020, Musk wrote on Twitter "Pronouns suck" before deleting it. He then said: "I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an aesthetic nightmare."

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Rauf Aregbesola

The Minister of Interior Affairs, Rauf Aregbesola, Tuesday, disclosed that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) issued 3 million passports to Nigerians within three years.

He said the 3 million passports were issued to Nigerians between 2019 and 2022.

Rauf Aregbesola

Aregbesola, however, warned NIS personnel against extorting Nigerians and hoarding passports to create an undue scarcity in the system.

The minister spoke at the launch of the enhanced e-Passport in Benin, Asaba and Warri passport offices and the inauguration of the passport production centre at the Benin Passport Office, Edo State command, according to Daily Sun.

He stated, “It will interest you to know that between 2019 and now, as difficult as that era, the Nigeria Immigration Service has issued over 3 million passports to Nigerians. It is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.
 
“Last year alone, 1.3 million passports were issued. Also, last time I checked, over 250,000 passports remained uncollected by applicants."
 
He assured Nigerians that the era of exploiting applicants seeking to get passports was over, warning that any officer caught doing that will be made to face the music.
 
“Whoever disregards any Nigerian, whoever exploits any Nigerian in their quest to get this document will be dealt with personally by me. This is the last time I am going to warn,” he said.
 
He said President Muhammadu Buhari is not happy about how Nigerians are being denied passports, stressing that with the enhanced e-Passport, the situation will greatly improve.

Aregbesola explained that setting up the office in Benin City is due to the high demand for the passports in Edo and Delta states, maintaining that Edo ranks next to Lagos State in terms of demands.

Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, thanked the federal government for setting up the office in the state, adding that it will ease the stress of getting passports in the state.

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The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday stated that the future of politics in the country is changing along with the fortunes of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party.
According to Obaseki, Nigerians are no longer looking in the direction of the APC and the PDP.

He said many Nigerians are looking for an alternative to the two parties.
Obaseki made this observation during an interview with African Independent Television on the just concluded Ekiti governorship election.
He, therefore, urged the leadership of his party, PDP, to work towards curbing the trend by making their party attractive to Nigerians again.
He said, “How can PDP, the party; not win? They were not even number two. So, you can see that something is going on and we do not want this to be a trend. The future of our politics in this country is changing.
“I do not know whether you are closely watching what is going on; the level of disenchantment within the parties.
“I am sure in all of our homes now, we have so many people now who call themselves ‘Obidients’. I don’t know whether you have them in your house. Just ask them, ‘Which party are you?’. They say ‘Obidients’, you understand.
“They do not want us; they are not talking about PDP or APC. They are looking for alternatives and they are many. You see all of them queuing for their PVCs (Permanent Voter Cards) now. They are not looking at the direction of PDP or APC now. They are looking for alternatives.
“If we do not curb this, if we do not make our party attractive, I do not know what will happen in the next elections.”
People who call themselves ‘Obedients’ are supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi. 

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United States-based social networking sites, Twitter and Instagram, have defied the order given by the Nigerian government to delete porn posts within 24 hours, SaharaReportors' findings revealed.
On Monday, June 13, the Nigerian Government issued a code of practice for all online platforms operating in Nigeria including social media interactive platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok.

Muhammadu Buhari’s government ordered them to remove, disable or block access to any non-consensual content, which parades partial or full nudity, sexual acts, deep fake or revenge porn within 24 hours of user’s posting. 
The order was contained in the recently released Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries (online platforms).
According to the document, these online platforms have to “act expeditiously to remove, disable, or block access to non-consensual content that exposes a person’s private areas, full or partial nudity, sexual act, or revenge porn, where such content is targeted to harass, disrepute, or intimidate an individual. 
“A platform must acknowledge the receipt of the complaint and take down the content within 24 hours.” 
The Code of Practice also instructs these platforms to take down any unlawful content upon receiving a notice from a user, or an authorised government agency.
However, SaharaReporters' investigations revealed that six days (144 hours) after this directive, porn content can still be accessed on both Twitter and Instagram by Nigerian users.
Many Twitter users in Nigeria still have posts that involve nudity. 
Many of such posts were found to be subsisting despite the anti-porn post directive given by the Nigerian government.
Similarly, SaharaReporters' findings showed that Nigerian users can still access porn content on Instagram also but the newspaper chose not to post the links in order not to encourage pornography.
 

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Aliyu Giwa, a police officer in the Force Public Relations Office (FPRO), has said Nigerian law prohibits anyone from carrying out abortion either on themselves or on others.
He said this is in a Twitter post on Tuesday where he cited sections of the constitution that prohibit such abortion and other related offences.

parent24.com

According to him, anyone directly or indirectly involved in the process that leads to miscarriage is liable to imprisonment.
 
He wrote: "If you already know this! Then this is a reminder. And if you don’t know, then know it now! The criminal code Act, section 228 - 230 says:
 
"228. ATTEMPTS TO PROCURE ABORTION - Any person who, with intent to procure miscarriage of a woman whether she is or is not with child, unlawfully administers to her or causes her to take any poison or other noxious thing, or uses any force of any kind, or uses any other means whatever, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.
 
"229. Attempts To Procure Own Miscarriage: Any woman who, with intent to procure her own miscarriage whether she is or is not with child, unlawfully administers to herself any poison or other noxious thing, or uses any force of any kind, or uses any other means whatever, or permits any such thing or means to be administered or used to her, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.
 
"230. supplying drugs or instruments to procure abortion. Any person who unlawfully supplies to or procures for any person anything whatever, knowing that it is intended to be unlawfully used to procure the miscarriage of a woman, whether she is or is not with child, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for three years.
 
"If you already know this and you still don’t care. My brother and sister God will surely expose you."
SaharaReporters could not find recent statistics on abortion rates in Nigeria.
However, according to Guttmacher Institute, an estimated 1.25 million induced abortions occurred in Nigeria in 2012, “equivalent to a rate of 33 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–49”.
The study said, “Fifty-six percent of unintended pregnancies were resolved by abortion. About 212,000 women were treated for complications of unsafe abortion, representing a treatment rate of 5.6 per 1,000 women of reproductive age, and an additional 285,000 experienced serious health consequences but did not receive the treatment they needed.”

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Lugbe Area Office building of the AEDC (September 18).

The electricity workers’ union in Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) have condemned the alleged unprovoked assault on its members by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The workers, while demanding an unreserved apology within seven days, also insisted that the Commission must pay adequate compensation to the affected employees and repair damaged AEDC properties or they will cut off the power supply to Nigeria’s capital territory, Abuja.

THE WHISTLER

A joint statement by associations of electricity workers - Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) and National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), on Monday, according to The Cable, decried the excesses of EFCC operatives that allegedly invaded the AEDC headquarters on June 6 and carried out the assault.
 
The unions issued a “7-day ultimatum to EFCC on these demands so that this ugly incident never re-occurs, else power supply to FCT and environs will be shut down to press home our demands”.
 
“The EFCC operatives got to the gate and forced their way into the premises. They were not sure of the office they were going to carry out their operation. Their aim of the operation was not disclosed and without proper identification nor warrant of arrest on any staff of the company,” the statement reads.
 
“The operatives assaulted members of staff and exhibited gross act of high-handedness and forcefully bundled 12 of our members who attempted to ask what the matter was. They took them away to their custody.”
 
AEDC alleged that the operatives of EFCC broke into its offices, tear-gassed and battered so many of its members and broke office doors.
 
“A particular staff (member), a lawyer, was beaten up until he became unconscious for asking them for identification. Suddenly, EFCC discovered they were in the wrong place, wrong location and wrong address,” the associations added.
 
“The rightful address of operation supposed to be Federal Ministry of Power where the nomenclature of DFA exists.”
 
Among those detained by EFCC operatives, it said were nursing mothers and others with severe health challenges — including the company’s director of legal services — who had intervened to enquire about the situation.
 
“The Director of legal was equally arrested. To our knowledge, there has never been any verbal or written invitation prior to this reckless operation on any matter,” it said.
 
“The Unions reliably gathered that EFCC tortured our members before they were detained for 3 days. Also, they were individually lured to the restroom and beaten, pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed like common criminals by EFCC operatives.
 
“Among those that tortured our members are Jamila Ahmed and Mr Femi. A metallic stapler was also used to strike their heads and slapped randomly by these operatives.
 
“Our staff were profiled, paraded, tagged, and their photographs taken like common criminals before being detained in their cell.”
 
Furthermore, the two in-house unions acknowledged the positive contributions of EFCC’s fight against economic and financial crimes in the country, saying the action of its personnel had undermined the commission’s effort.
 
“However, this singular act is not only thuggery but highly unprofessional. As at the time of this press release, they have not shown any sign of remorse nor tendered an apology for their unprofessional conduct, rather, AEDC management was coerced to issue a press statement of settlement as a condition for the release of the wrongly detained staff,” it said.
The unions demanded to know if there were no rules of engagement in the EFCC operational act and code of conduct and if the operatives of EFCC were above the law.

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The Vice-Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Doyin Okupe, has pleaded with supporters of his principal, Peter Obi to stop creating and propagating falsehood on social media.
 
Okupe issued the warning while debunking viral reports that the 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi ll and the Sultan of Sokoto had endorsed Obi as the next Nigerian President.

The viral post quoted Sanusi as lambasting the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar respectively while endorsing the Labour Party candidate.
 
Another screenshot being circulated on social media claims that the Sultan of Sokoto promised to mobilise five million votes for Obi.
 
“I will mobilise 5 million votes in the North for Peter Obi, I have never believed in an Igbo man the way I believe in Peter Obi – Sultan,” the post had read.
 
Writing on his Twitter page on Tuesday, Okupe also debunked reports that a $20 million investment by Obi, while he was Anambra State Governor, is now worth $100 million.
 
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to HE Gov Soludo concerning quadrupling of investment made by Peter Obi as Gov of Anambra. This statement is not from him or the campaign organisation. Peter Obi only talks about verifiable claims & what he’ll do when in office,” Okupe said.
 
“We also dissociate ourselves from the purported endorsements of his candidacy by HRH Lamido Sanusi and His Eminence, The Sultan of Sokoto.
 
“We plead wt all our supporters to pls desist from creating falsehood in the social media. Let’s focus on claims that are verifiable & true.”
 

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An associate of the Zazu singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has reportedly killed a bike rider in an auto crash in Ogun.
The unnamed aide was said to be rushing to the naming ceremony of Portable’s second child in his Range Rover car when the accident occurred.

SaharaReporters learnt the victim was rushed to the hospital but he later died.
A source close to Portable confirmed the news to SaharaReporters, saying, “It is true, one of his aides knocked down a bike man (rider) and the guy later died in the hospital.”
The spokesperson for the state police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, did not answer calls made to his phone lines.
He also did not reply to a text message sent to him.
Meanwhile, the police on Monday ordered Portable to report himself over a viral video in which he was accusing a young man of sending a message to his ‘wife’, asking her to advise him to stay away from his friends for they had no glory.
The singer asked his aides to beat the person up and he could be heard saying in Yoruba, “E luu pa” (Beat him to death).
 
Oyeyemi had described the assault as barbaric and asked the Portable to turn himself in.
 
He said in a statement on Monday, “The attention of Ogun State Police Command has been drawn to a video clip circulating on social media, where a popular hip hop musician, Habeeb Okikiola (a.k.a Portable, the Zazu crooner), was seen organizing some youths to beat up a young man and inflict bodily injury on him. The incident was said to have taken place somewhere within Ogun State about two days ago.
 
“Such unruly and violent behaviour is not only barbaric but unbecoming of somebody who is supposed to be a role model for the youths and therefore should not be tolerated.
 
“In view of this, the Command is using this medium to advise Okikiola Habeeb, a.k.a Portable, to report himself at the nearest police station in Ogun State, failure of which his arrest will be ordered.
 
“The flagrant display of impunity by Portable in the viral video is condemnable and if not checked, it will send a wrong signal to the youths who are looking up to him as a role model.
 
“Jungle justice has no place in our laws and whoever embarked on it must be made to feel the weight of the law, no matter the status of such person.”
 

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A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed July 20 for the determination of a suit challenging the nationality of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
 
Atiku was in May elected to represent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.

The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo on Tuesday, ordered substituted service of all the legal processes on the former Vice President to enable him to respond to the suit.
 
It directed that he should be served within seven days, through the publication of the court processes in a national daily.
 
Johnmary Jideobi, a lawyer, had approached the court to challenge the eligibility of Atiku to contest the presidency.
 
According to Jideobi in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/751/2022, the PDP candidate is not constitutionally qualified to participate in the presidential poll.
 
In the suit, which also has the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) listed as second and third defendants, Jideobi posed two legal questions for the court to determine, after which he sought seven principal reliefs.
 
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) is the fourth defendant in the matter.
 
Among several issues for determination, the plaintiff is asking the court to determine “whether by the combined provisions of sections 1(1) & (2), 25 and 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), only a Nigerian citizen by birth can contest for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
 
The lawyer also wants the court to determine “whether by the combined interpretation of sections 1(1) & (2), 25(1) & (2) and 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and giving the circumstances surrounding the birth of the 1st Defendant, he can be cleared by the 2nd and 3rd defendants to contest for the office of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria”.
 
The development comes months after a court dismissed a similar case filed against Atiku prior to the 2019 elections.
 
In 2019, a group, the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa, had filed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/177, challenging Atiku’s eligibility to run for president on the premise that he is not a Nigerian citizen by birth.
 
Abubakar Malami, the AGF, in an affidavit to support the suit, had said Atiku is not a Nigerian citizen by birth and therefore, not eligible to run for president in Nigeria.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that his administration has used money borrowed to build infrastructure that would enhance sustainable growth in the country.
The President made this known in an interactive session with Bloomberg while responding to the questions on why there has been a sharp rise in the country's borrowing.

With the increase in borrowing, the country now spends almost all of its revenue servicing debts.
In his response, Buhari said, "A narrow focus on debt misses the point. What it fills is Nigeria’s longstanding infrastructure deficit by constructing a foundation for sustainable growth - spreading opportunity to ensure no part of the country is left behind, which has led to insecurity in the past.
"Our infrastructure developments have been the most ambitious since Nigeria’s independence. Over 800 federal roads are being constructed or undergoing rehabilitation and 650km of rail line have been laid, helping alleviate food inflation pressures, given most food is produced in the north.”
"Had the infrastructure gap not been filled it will only grow, become more costly to repair what little we have while lacking more on infrastructure on which to build growth, negatively impacting progress towards UN Sustainable Development Goals," Buhari added.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that President Buhari signed the 2022 Amended Appropriation Act, to service Nigeria's debts with N3 trillion.
 
This was stated by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives) Umar El-Yakub.
 
Umar said the amended Appropriation Act will repeal the previous one passed by the lawmakers in December 2021.
 
An appropriation, also known as a supply bill or spending bill, is a proposed law that authorises the expenditure of government funds. It is a bill that sets money aside for specific spending.
 
According to him, the new law will authorise the issuing of the total sum of N17,319,704,091,019 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.
Out of this, N817,699,410,210 only, is for Statutory Transfers, while N3,978,087,110,437 only will be for Debt Service.
Also, N7,108,621,131,849 only is for Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure while the sum of N5,415,296,438,523 would be for Contribution to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure for the Year Ending on December 31, 2022.

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House of Representatives

The lawmaker representing Esan North-East/South-East federal constituency of Edo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Sergius Ogun has stated that the companies producing major toilet wash products are misleading Nigerians.
 
He asserted that the advertisements of major toilet wash products in the market and reality are contradictory to their potency.

House of Representatives

In the motion moved by the lawmaker on Tuesday, Ogun argued that toilet cleaning disinfectants such as Harpic and Hypo used in most households in Nigeria are ineffective, of poor quality and leave much to be desired, according to Daily Post.
 
He said, “Despite the poor quality of these toilet cleaning disinfectants, there are several television sponsored advertisements that are misleading unsuspecting members of the public who rely on such adverts product information to make purchases;
“Section 17(e) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Act, 2018 empowers the Commission to carry out investigations considered necessary or desirable in connection with matters within the purview of the Act.”
 
However, the House of Representatives resolved to investigate the effectiveness of major toilet wash products in the market.
 
The House, therefore, asked the Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to appear before the Committee on Commerce to justify the presence of Harpic and Hypo, and alleged non-effective cleaning disinfectants in the market or otherwise.
 
The House of Representatives had in March rejected a bill that seeks to regulate the way children of public officers are going outside the country to study.
 
The bill, sponsored by Sergius Ogun which was slated for second reading, also called for the strengthening of Nigeria’s public institutions to discourage the presence of foreign institutions.
 
In his lead debate, Ogun argued that it would check the penchant of public officers taking their wards outside the country for studies while less effort was being made to improve the situation of the country’s public schools.
 
He said, “I believe that public officers should be subjected to the utility of the public institutions which they are responsible for building and maintaining.
 
“For instance, reports show that Ghana alone gets N160 billion of Nigerian students’ funds, while the United Kingdom gets N80 billion from Nigerian students. About 75,000 Nigerians are said to be studying in Ghana, paying over $1 billion annually for tuition fees and upkeep.”

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The United States government has reportedly confiscated assets belonging to the founder of Roots Television Nigeria, Dumebi Kachikwu, over non-payment of federal income taxes going up to $2.1 million.

The embattled politician is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He had clinched the party's presidential ticket after defeating the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, in a keenly contested election.

According to Peoples Gazette, the US government has obtained a default judgement approving the confiscation of Kachikwu's assets.

The media outlet, citing court documents, reports that case number 8:21-cv-01546-GJH filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland against Kachikwu and his now ex-wife, Somachi, approved the seizure of assets in a default judgement.

This, it is understood, followed the failure of the defendants to respond to the summons and complaints served to their Maryland home in June 2021.

Kachikwu was said to have evaded tax payment while working in the U.S. between 2009 and 2011, an offence punishable by law in the country.

It was gathered that as of March 2, 2022, the accrual of the interests and statutory additions on Kachikwu’s unpaid federal income tax liabilities had reached $2,082,500.

According to U.S. law, the tax liabilities will continue to accrue until paid in full by the Roots TV CEO and his ex-wife Somachi, daughter of Nigeria’s former aviation minister, Kema Chikwe and sister of a popular rapper, Naeto C.

James E. Miller of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, in September 2021 filed a motion for default judgement after the defendants shunned all attempts to get them to settle their tax debts. The U.S. District Court in Maryland granted the motion in March 2022.

The assets confiscated include a residential property at 8524 Churchill Downs Road, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

This is not the first time Kachikwu would be involved in a similar tax evasion scandal. He was indicted for a similar offence in 2009 during which he allegedly delivered a $100,000 cash bribe to curry the favour of former U.S. Congressman, William Jefferson, to broker business deals in Nigeria during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

He, however, regained his freedom after agreeing to testify against Jefferson in court. His testimony strengthened the argument of the prosecution team, leading to the conviction of the Congressman found guilty of bribery, and racketeering amid other charges.

He is yet to react to the latest development as of the time of this report.

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File photo used to illustrate story.

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria is only imagining food inflation but not experiencing it due to the organised programmes his administration initiated to boost domestic production.

President Buhari who made the claim in an interview with Bloomberg said that Anchor Borrower’s programme has reduced the country’s imports and boosted rice production from 5.4 million metric tonnes in 2015 when he assumed office to 9 million metric tonnes in 2021.

File photo used to illustrate story.

He said that Nigeria is making progress in food sufficiency as imports have currently fallen to near zero.

“We can only imagine what food inflation would be today had we not initiated organised programmes to boost domestic production. And still, we do not grow enough domestically.

“Initiatives such as the Nigeria Anchor Borrower’s programme, helping farmers compete against artificially lowered imports have boosted rice production to 9 million metric tonnes in 2021 from around 5.4 million metric tonnes in 2015.

“Even in the years of drought, rice production outstripped pre-2015 levels. Imports have fallen to near zero. We are making progress,” President Buhari said.

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in April this year, announced that food inflation in the country rose to 18.37 percent. This was more occasioned by the steady increase in prices of staple food across the country.

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File photo used to illustrate story.

An auto accident has killed three persons along the East/West Road near Opokuma junction.

The deceased persons were burnt beyond recognition while three others sustained first-degree burns in the ghastly motor accident that occurred on Monday evening.

File photo used to illustrate story.

A Police Constable survived with minor injuries.

The accident led to gridlock along the East/West Road.

It was gathered that two cars, a Toyota Camry with registration number LS 529 KY and a Mazda 323 with registration number GBB 532 XA, had a head-on collision which resulted in an explosion.

According to eyewitnesses, the Toyota Camry car was loaded with petroleum products, which were believed to have caused the heavy explosion.

It was gathered that two men and one woman were killed and burnt beyond recognition. Three others however survived.

An officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state confirmed that the​injured victims were taken to a hospital in Yenagoa for treatment.

"The two cars were burnt​ and the victims in the Mazda were burnt beyond recognition as the Camry was loaded with adulterated Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which sparked the fire. The SO KOLGA with the assistance of other motorists cleared the obstruction on the road for free flow of traffic," he said.

 

The FRSC, however, blamed speeding and loss of control for the fatal accident.

 

Also confirming the incident, the spokesman for the state police command, Asinim Butswat, said though the details of the accident were not immediately available, "three persons were burnt to death and three sustained first-degree burns”.

“Three others were injured; a Police Constable was also injured," he added.

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