Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, June 1, 2018, adjourned to June 21, 2018 for ruling on a no-case submission filed by a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Clement Illoh Onubuogo.
The defendant is facing trial a on three-count charge bordering on stealing by conversion and conversion of property to the tune N14,176,000.00(Fourteen Million, One Hundred and Seventy-six Thousand Naira).
Onubuogo, who was responsible for supervising numerous programmes such as the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), allegedly awarded fictitious contracts to himself, using his personal company and friends.
The prosecution had, on March 7, 2018, closed its case against the defendant, following the cross-examination of the fourth prosecution witness, PW4, Theresa Braimoh, a retired Director in Productivity, Measurement and Labour Standard Organization.
During the last adjourned sitting, counsel to the defendant, Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, announced to the court that he would be filing a no-case submission.
Consequently, Justice Taiwo adjourned till today (June 1, 2018) for the adoption of written addresses and hearing of no-case submission by the defendant.
At today’s sitting, Ayorinde told the court that there was nothing linking his client to the charges preferred against him by the prosecution.
He, therefore, urged the court to strike out the case on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the defendant.
In his response, however, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, who stood in for the lead prosecutor in the case, Nnemeka Omewa, told the court that the prayer of the defence amounted to contesting the obvious.
Oyedepo said: “The evidences of the four prosecution witnesses and the legally admissible evidences marked and admitted as exhibits A to F are enough to link the defendant to the charges preferred against him by the EFCC.”
Oyedepo further told the court that the defendant transferred public funds to the tune of N14, 176,000.00 from NIMASA to his company, Clement & Bob Associate’s account for personal use, instead of retiring the money to NIMASA, adding that “in the extra- judicial statement made by the defendant, he admitted that he is the owner and signatory to the account of Clement & Bob Associate and that the company does not have any contract or business transaction with NIMASA.”
He, therefore, prayed the court to refuse the application of ‘no- case submission’ filed by the defendant.
After listening to both parties, Justice Taiwo adjourned ruling on the no-case submission filed by the defendant to June 21, 2018.
Fraud: Court Adjourns Ruling On Ex-Perm Sec, Onubuogo’s No-Case Submission
Buhari: I’m Afraid Opposition Has Incredible Resources APC Do Not Have
By ‘Dotun Akintomide
President Muhammadu Buhari has said on Friday that opposition was in possession of much resource that could sponsor mischief against his administration.
He made the allegation when he received members of Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) at the Presidential Villa.
He claimed that the opposition looted so much money before he assumed office, that his administration may not be able to recover all and might use same against his government.
“The opposition, now, are sitting on incredible resources which I am afraid we cannot get at it all,” President Buhari told the group.
“For that reason, they are in a position to sponsor mischief from different angles which in spite of the incumbency of the government, we cannot absolutely stop.”
President Buhari, however, urged members of the organisation to continue to support his administration in recovering the looted resources as much as they can.
He further praised the support group for its steadfastness, moral uprightness and sacrifice to the nation.
The group, formerly known as Buhari Media Support Group, was led to the Villa by its National Coordinator, Austin Briamoh.
It comprises retired and serving media practitioners among others, and was the media outfit of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in 2015.
It was later converted to Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) after the elections and was renamed Buhari Media Organisation earlier this year.
President Buhari met with the group in company with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.
Others are Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari, as well as President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, and his Personal Assistant on Social Media, Ms Lauretta Onochia.
3 Nigerians Found Dead In New Delhi flat
India’s The Hindu newspaper has reported the death of three Nigerians in a rented accommodation in Uttam Nagar area of New Delhi.
The Nigerians were found dead on Friday, with the police recovering bottles of alcohol and soft drinks from the spot. The Times of India said all the three men were found frothing in the mouth.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Shibesh Singh said the deceased have been identified as David Christopher, Greece Ben, and David (I), all in their 30s.
While Greece used to live on the third floor of the rented accommodation, David used to reside on the second. David (I) had rented a house nearby but used to visit the two often.
“Greece and David were here on a business visa. Greece had come in March and David had come in April,” Mr. Singh said.The bodies were found on the third floor of the rented accommodation.
The police received a PCR call around 12.30 p.m. from the landlord of the deceased stating that a foul smell was emanating from the house.
“The whole building is inhabited by people from African countries. There is a common kitchen near floor three. A resident of the building passed by and knocked on the door because of the smell, but no one opened. He then called the landlord, who called the police,” the DCP said.
When the police broke open the door, they found the bodies of David and Greece in one room and David (I)’s body in another room.
“One of the three bodies was in a state of decomposition. There were no strangulation marks or any other external injuries on the bodies,” Mr. Singh said.
The police have shifted the bodies to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death.
Ghanian Envoy: Jonathan Sowing Seed Of Discord Between Our Two Countries
Ghana’s High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Rashid Bawa, has denounced ex-President Jonathan for misquoting President Nana Akuffo-Addo over security situation in Nigeria.
He said on Friday that Jonathan “took the words of President Akufo-Addo completely out of context” when he quoted the Ghanaian leader of mocking Nigeria.
The High Commissioner said Nigeria’s ex-President misquoted Ghana’s President’s speech delivered by at the Oxford African Conference.
He recalled the exact words of President Akufo-Addo: ‘For most of you in the audience today, it is probably before your time. But in the late 1970s up to the mid-1980s, as a result of the discovery of considerable petroleum deposits, Nigeria was booming. It was the place to be.
‘We Ghanaians, who were going through very difficult times then, would arrive at Heathrow Airport, and be herded into a cage to be subjected to the full third degree by Immigration , and we would look on as our Nigerian cousins would be waved through, with a ‘welcome sir’ and a ‘welcome madam’ .
‘The newspaper headlines in this country were full of Nigerians leaving or forgetting bundles of money in taxis and telephone booths. Nigerians were the preferred tenants for those who had apartments to let. You could stop by any Thomas Cook shop on any High Street in this country and buy or sell Naira, the Nigerian currency, and you could do the same in New York, and I suspect in many other Western country cities.
‘I do not need to spell out today’s reality to anyone in this audience. I cite this just to make the point that the “the outside world” is well able to tell that there are separate sovereign nations on the African continent. But when the news is not good, then Africa is treated as one entity.’
Bawa disagreed also with Jonathan’s reference to Akufo-Addo’s purported disposition towards cattle-rearing.
“The other alleged remark that ‘Ghana is not Nigeria where cattle can roam about anyhow’ has never been made by President Akufo-Addo. That is not his way of speaking.
“President Akufo-Addo, in many of the speeches he has made in Nigeria and elsewhere since becoming the President of Ghana, has described Nigeria as ‘a country I describe as my second home in the world’, and will never use Nigeria to make negative examples as the former President Goodluck Jonathan sought to portray.
President Akufo-Addo enjoys a very good relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari , as he has with many other Nigerian leaders.
“Ghana and Nigeria are like siblings, and it would be most inappropriate, because of politics, for anyone, regardless of his or her status in society, to try to sow seeds of discord amongst the leadership and peoples of our two countries.”
Jonathan had at the commissioning of a flyover in Ado Ekiti said that Nigeria had deteriorated so much that it had lost its respect in Africa.
Jonathan in his speech at the inauguration on May 25 said: “A President of a neighbouring country, Ghana, recently made two negative remarks about Nigeria. First, the current Ghanaian President was addressing Ghanaians about the movement of cattle within their shores and he said openly that Ghana is not like Nigeria where cattle roam freely. That was quite uncomplimentary.
According to Jonathan, “the same President was speaking in the United Kingdom when he made disparaging remarks about Nigeria’s currency’’.
“If it has got to a level when the Presidents of neighbouring countries will cite Nigeria as a negative example, then we must know as leaders of this country that certain things are not going well, and we must change the way we do things.”
Face Of ‘Police Assassin’ At Kayode Fayemi’s Reception
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Mr Opeyemi Bamidele, and an unidentified person were shot on Friday in Ado-Ekiti at a reception for the candidate of the party, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the reception which held at the APC secretariat in the Ekiti capital had attracted a large crowd of party supporters.
Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu, Fayemi and a former Minister of Works, Dayo Adeyeye , were descending the stairs case at the secretariat when a policeman was said to have suddenly shot into the air to scare the surging crowd.
Bamidele was said to have been shot on the hand in the ensuing melee while the other victim was also hit.
The two victims were hurriedly conveyed to a hospital where they are said to be under treatment.
The APC spokesperson in the state, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement described the incident as “ a clear case of assassination attempt.’’
He claimed that the gunman had aimed his gun at Fayemi and missed, with the bullet hitting Bamidele and the other victim.
He also claimed that the policeman was fake and an assassin.
But the police spokesman in the state, Caleb Chukwuemeka, said the command was still awaiting the report of the incident from its officers deployed to provide security at the reception.
Fayemi and his entourage had earlier been received in Ikere Ekiti by a long convoy of vehicles and large crowd of party supporters, resulting in a traffic snarl on the Ado-Ekiti –Akure road.
Addressing the crowd, Akeredolu applauded the party members for putting behind them the post-primary crisis.
He said the huge crowd was indicative that the state had remained a stronghold of the APC.
“Fayemi has returned with full force to reclaim the land. He needs your support and this task shall be achieved in the mighty name of God,’’ he said.
Fayemi, in his response, said “ we are here to work for Ekiti and our party leaders and this we are going to do together because it is a collective responsibility.
“We are going to work with everybody, including those who just decamped to our party, because we are one big family in APC.
“We shall win by the grace of God. Our case was like the case of a ram who moved backwards to garner more strength. We are here to rescue Ekiti and it is a task we must achieve.”
Adeyeye, who returned to the party on Tuesday after 12 years in the PDP, also said: “I have returned home and my mission is to ensure that we kill (Gov. Ayo) Fayose politically by burying him.
“We shall mobilise well to achieve this task and by the grace of God this is a must-win and must accomplished task for all of us.’’
NAN reports that Fayemi’s choice for deputy governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, was also in the entourage.
Ogboru Ready To Contest APC Gov. Primary, Says Chief Bodjor
Olorogun Adelabu Bodjor is the Delta State APC Vice Chairman representing Delta Central Senatorial District. He has held that position until the recent state congress of the party which held at Asaba the Delta State capital where he was returned unopposed. Speaking with John Oghojafor in this exclusive interview, Olorogun Bodjor debunked the news that the APC party in the state has factionalized following the parallel congresses held in the state. He opined that the party will emerge from the current tendencies bedeviling it and approach the 2019 elections with the assurance of capturing the Government House. He also reacted to the recent allegation that all Urhobo kings converged in Orerokpe where they allegedly endorsed Governor Okowa for a second term.
Excerpts:
Today, the APC in Delta State seems to be comatose. It is like you have returned back to dark days of internal struggle between Chief Adolor Okotie-Eboh and Prophet Jones Erue which dragged on in the court for some time before it was resolved. Do you see the present fractured APC in the state being able to confront the consolidating PDP in the 2019 elections which is around the corner?
Well, I would not agree with you that the APC in Delta State is comatose. Democracy is all about disagreeing to agree. APC today in Delta State has several tendencies, though we have two main tendencies which I would today like to term as those who believe in Delta North Senatorial district agenda and those who believe that democracy is meant to be played along the line of everybody’s involvement. There was never a time in the history of this state that a particular ethnic group was barred from contesting election. And if the intention of a particular ethnic group from contesting election is the reason that brought this divide then so be it. I’m an Urhobo man before I became a Deltan, I’m an Urhobo man before I joined APC. I represent the interest of the Urhobo nation in the APC. I have no other choice. Urhobo land, Urhobo nation is my first constituency and that is where I will drop my last blood because that is where I will be buried.
You are of the legal profession and you know what equity stands for. As a seasoned politician, you are aware that although, it is a PDP creation, the zoning of the governorship of the state seems to have been imbibed by other political parties. The other zones in the state have had their two-tenure terms and presently, the North is having theirs. Where do you place equity and democracy in your party? Are they poles apart?
It sounds pretty ironical when people talk about denying one zone of its full term. I have said it earlier on: can you mention any year of election in the state where all the zones were not in involved? It has been a contest of all the zones, no one zone has been denied or left behind. Nobody has zoned anything to anywhere. And for crying out loud, APC has never been in government in Delta State. We have never won the governorship of the state. So, who is talking about zoning? Do you place something on nothing? We have never had the opportunity to be in office. So, where do we start the zoning from? Who is now bringing the idea of zoning? Now if you are saying that the north should continue to complete their four years, you are ironically saying that I should consider voting for Okowa. I will never vote for Okowa, I will not, I repeat. If the intention of the anybody who is rooting for the north is for them to vote for Okowa which is PDP, then let them be on their own. I’m not a PDP man, I’m an APC man. Let everybody go to the field. Let’s go and contest, whoever gets the ticket will be the candidate of the party. Whether he is from the north, from the central or from the south. That is how politics is played and that is democracy.
At what point would APC give a thought to the equity of zoning
You can only think and talk about zoning when we (APC) have succeeded in winning that seat for the first time. If for the first time Delta Central for example wins it, we can now say, ok, do your eight years and give it to the south under APC. Then we can give it to the south and say, south, do your eight years and give it to the north. It is only then and then that any reasonable APC member can talk about zoning. But for now, there is nothing there to zone. Let everybody go to the field, contest and whoever wins becomes the candidate of the party. For those Urhobo people who are now crying more than the bereaved, fighting a northern cause more than the northerners themselves, the gods of the Urhobo nation will ask them questions on a day to come.
Is APC in Delta State united at the moment to do the battle?
When you talk about democracy, democracy is not all about unity. Democracy is about disagreement to agree. So, in itself unity does not play a major role in democracy. Whatever you are seeing in Delta today is the expression of the democratic tendencies of each and everyone one of us in APC. So, there is no division in APC, APC is one, we are only playing what is an ideal democracy. We are democrats and progressives.
What are the tendencies you are talking about?
One of the tendencies believes that the party should permanently disenfranchise every other zones from contesting the governorship primary. And we are saying no. Every zone, the north, the central and the south, everybody should go to the field and contest. This is our contention. But there are those who are saying that anybody from the central must not contest the primary. It is ironic, it is diabolic, it is wicked.
Would Chief Great Ogboru agree to participate in a free and fair governorship primary in APC?
Every aspirant is ready to go for primary. APC is not a party where you come and somebody throws a ticket at you. Every aspirant must be in the field. So, it is not the story of who does not want to go to the field. All the aspirants are ready to go to the field and they should all be allowed to go to the field and show their strength in the field. And let the people make their choice. That is my candid opinion.
Do we see the tendencies being collapsed before the party governorship primaries?
Definitely, definitely because those tendencies, the way they are, one is negative while the other is all-embracing. The first tendency is saying it must be the north. And that is the one we are saying capital no, to. It cannot be just for the north. Let everybody feel free to contest. As an Urhobo man, today, I have Osiobe, I have Obire and I have Ogboru – these are three Urhobo sons aspiring to become governor of Delta State. Then from the north, we have Ochei, we have Ojougboh, we have Dr. Leroy, we have Prof. Utomi and others. Let them all go to the field and contest. Whoever wins becomes our candidate. That is our tendency. This the general tendency and what the people believe in. So, the other tendency must fail. The crux of the whole matter is that one of the tendencies want to lock out the Urhobo nationality from contesting. For me, that is ominous, it is unacceptable. It has never happened in the history of the state. When Ibori contested, everybody contested. Even this last one in 2015, Okowa, Edevbie, Ochei and others contested the primary. So, where are you bringing in this idea, from what planet?
Is APC of today prepared for the 2019 governorship election?
APC of today, aside the tendencies we are talking about, is super-solid, we know we are going to take over the leadership and governance of Delta State come 2019. What we are experiencing now is bulldozing the way to get there safely and we will move to Osadebe House, come 2019.
Recently, it was widely publicized that Urhobo traditional rulers passed a vote of confidence and tacitly endorsed Okowa for a second tenure at the Orodje’s palace in Orerokpe. What is your take on that?
I would not believe that story. My respected traditional rulers, the only way they can prove to the world that they went there with the conscience of the Urhobo nation, is to call the meeting to the Urhobo Cultural Centre at Uvwiamuge and tell the Urhobo people to vote for Okowa instead of an Urhobo candidate if there is an Urhobo contesting. It is only then I would believe they said such a thing but for me I would not believe my traditional rulers did not say such a thing, and they will never do such a thing.
Omega Chapel Int’l Churches Opens In Canada
- Church Can’t Be Quiet Ahead 2019 Polls, Says Rev. Oladipupo
By ‘Dotun Akintomide
Consequent upon Christ’s mandate to reach out to the world, Omega Chapel International Churches has opened a new branch in Canada to advance the course of the gospel and attend to the spiritual needs of its global audience.
At an inauguration service held at the church’s headquarters in Lagos, General Overseer of the ministry, Reverend Pius Oladipupo announced Pastor Oriretan Abayomi and wife Ebun as ministers that will oversee the newly established Canadian branch of the church.
Founded in 1997, the church which had earlier expanded to the United Kingdom has soul winning as its core mandate.
In a chat with The New Diplomat, Rev. Oladipupo who was excited at the new feat attained by the church, said since the gospel is not a localized language, “it’s a privilege and I feel so elated and grateful to God for allowing us to spread the church to such a strong country like Canada.
“We have a pastor that has moved to Canada with his family, they will start the work and then we keep moving from there. This isn’t the first country we’ll be in; we’re in England and we do a whole lot online.
“We are a Christian Organization and by the virtue of his calling we spread according to the commandment of our Lord to preach the gospel to all nations. So the gospel is not a localized message; it’s for all nations and God being the God of increase will always move from Jerusalem to Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth.”
Speaking on what’s in the pipeline for the church, the minister said the church will continue to embark on sundry evangelism projects targeted at populating God’s kingdom and helping members to grow in the nurture and admonition of Christ in their daily life.
“Today it’s Canada, tomorrow it could be somewhere else. Wherever there’s opening, that’s where we go. We don’t discriminate, we’re in Ilogbo, a suburb of Ogun State. Anywhere opportunity comes for us to win souls, we just move in and do the job. The job is to bring the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the people, the best way we can as the Lord will enable us and that’s what we do. So evangelism is in the pipeline, any moment we have any opening we move in there and then begin our evangelism to win souls for Christ.” He stated.
Oladipupo who left his illustrious law career in 1998 to concentrate fully on ministerial calling, dropped his two cents on how the church can launch a paradigm shift from the pulpit to correct the various ills in the nation as 2019 general elections beckon.
“I would wish we’re living all our lives in the realm of the spirit so that we didn’t have to deal with physical issues. But as we concentrate on praying and preaching the word of God, asking people to behave very uprightly in the society, we discover that we’re multiplying and there are strange people doing strange things which is affecting us and our children are beginning to feel the impact of bad governance. We discover that if we fold our hands things will not change. Perhaps, if they’re are not affecting us we won’t ask people to be involved. If they have been doing what’s right nobody will want to know who’s the President or who’s the Governor. But as it’s now there’s no good governance. I cannot get good road, water, electricity etc except I provide them by myself. I grew to know less about generator, but when I grew up generator became an important household commodity and my children grew up to know what generator is all about and we cannot have light, save we make noise and buy fuel.
“The health sector is nothing to write home about; the education sector is deteriorating. It’s an unimaginable wroth that’s going on around us. Nigeria is sitting on a whole lot of wealth, yet the people are poor. And now we’re saying we must not allow the blind, because Nigeria is the only country where the blind is leading those who can see and we have come to a dispensation whereby the youth who know the road should take the lead. This old people don’t have the wherewithal, they keep talking about experience, but old experience is no longer sustainable here. As a society we need dynamism, we need people who know about governance, international relations, putting your agenda into the international scene and creating opportunities for our teeming youths.
“So many works to be done and they say there’s no job. The streets are not tared, water is not running, there are bridges to be built, drainages to make, yet you say there’s no job. So we need the leadership that will galvanize the efforts of the people together and put resources together. We have to put our destiny into our own hands and vote for the right people and do the right thing.”
He added that the era where believers stay aloof of state and governance issues was gone, challenging the church to lead the rest of nation out of the doldrums to a lasting peace and abundant prosperity.
“The time has come and the church cannot keep quiet because the church is also badly affected. Nigeria is plagued with poverty and illiteracy and politicians will always ride on those things. Election is about to take place, people don’t know they’re mortgaging there destiny by collecting a bag of rice to vote for the wrong candidates. Why are they thriving, it’s because people are poor and they want their immediate need to be met, even though they know the candidate is bad but because he has given them some N500, a bag rice and they sell their vote that cheap in what some people have tagged ‘stomach infrastructure.’ The people are hungry and so the politicians are riding on that.”
Speaking further, Oladipupo lamented that judging through ongoing developments within the polity, the current administration has failed to live up to the expectations of many, averring that nation building can only be fast-paced through an aggregation of citizens’ intellectual capacity.
“There are people who are not learned enough to know that nation building depends on the intellectual capacity of the citizens. We have never had it this bad, I voted for this government thinking who was sold to us will live up to what he said. The party sold itself to us and we have become tired of PDP due to corruption and the fact that they couldn’t secure the country, so we were looking for a change. Now the worst had come in the form of APC.
“I voted for Buhari against every advice because I wanted change, I just dived in. I was even campaigning for him because I wanted change, not knowing that the capacity I thought was there, wasn’t there at all. I envisaged that the likes of Fashola and all those people surrounding him will do justice to my vote, but I discover now it was a mistake and we are not ready to make the same mistake in 2019. Today Nigeria is less secured, people are being killed, majorly Christians. We are hearing all kinds of things daily. Things I can’t fathom. Never in the history of Nigeria have we seen some thugs breaking into the Senate while the Senate was in session and took the maze. Things have really deteriorated under this administration. I’m just praying that 2019 will come quicker than we ever expected so that these things will not go on and I’m praying that the youths will take their destiny into their hands and vote this oppressive government out of office to show one more time that the people have the power.” He said.
Appeal Court Acquits Ex-NIMASA DG, Akpobolokemi
The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal Friday discharged and acquitted a former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi, who was charged with an alleged fraud of N2.6 billion.
Delivering a lead judgment in a three-judge panel, Yargatta Nimpar, said they unanimously upheld the no-case submission filed by Mr Akpolokemi in response to the criminal charges.
The Appeal Court overruled the decision of Ibrahim Buba, a judge of the Federal High Court in Lagos, who, on October 16, 2017, dismissed the NIMASA boss’s no-case submission.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on December 4, 2015, arraigned Mr Akpobolokemi alongside five others for allegedly diverting N2.6 billion from the coffers of NIMASA between December 2013 and May 2014.
The funds, the EFCC claimed, were approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan for the implementation of a security project tagged, “International Ship and Ports Security Code in Nigerian Ports.”
Those charged with Mr Akpolokemi were Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Juan, Blockz and Stonz Limited and Al-Kenzo Logistics Limited.
The six defendants had all pleaded not guilty to the 22 charges pressed against them, following which the EFCC opened its case, calling 12 witnesses and tendering 77 exhibits in a bid to prove the allegation.
Upon the closure of the EFCC’s case in 2017, all the defendants had filed no-case submissions, contending that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against them.
But Mr Buba of the Federal High Court, in an October 16, 2017, ruling dismissed their no-case submissions, holding that they had a case to answer.
“From the evidence of the first prosecution witness, it is well established that all the defendants have case to answer,” Mr Buba said.
“The exhibits tendered and the testimonies of other witnesses have established that there is a prima facie case against the defendants.”
On Friday, the appellate court discharged an acquitted Mr Akpobolokemi of the entire 22 counts.
However, the five other defendants were not discharged as the appellate court upheld Mr Buba’s verdict that they had a case to answer.
Mr Akpobolokemi is also facing an N8.5 billion fraud charge before Raliat Adebiyi, a judge of a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.
Fayemi Escapes Gun Attack In Ekiti — APC
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ekiti State governorship election, Kayode Fayemi, on Friday, narrowly escaped being killed by an unknown gunman, his party has said.
The former governor was being received by party men at the APC secretariat in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
Mr Fayemi had arrived at the Akure airport in the afternoon and was driven to Ado Ekiti in company of the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and other top leaders of the party in the state.
The party organised a reception for him following his resignation from the federal cabinet and in readiness for the governorship campaigns ahead of the July 14 election.
A spokesperson for the APC in the state, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said that on getting to the party secretariat, a gunman raised his weapon, aimed at Mr Fayemi, and pulled the trigger, but missed him.
A former member of the House of Representatives and governorship aspirant, Opeyemi Bamidele and another leader of the party were not so lucky, as they were hit by bullets.
Mr Akeredolu was also said to have escaped death too as he was beside the governorship candidate.
“The gunman was standing in front of JKF (Fayemi) and shot at him, but he missed him, but shot other persons standing near the APC candidate,” spokesman for the party in the state, Mr Olatunbosun, disclosed to our source.
“MOB (Bamidele) is currently in the intensive care unit of a hospital right now, and another member of the party. They are receiving treatment from the bullet wounds.”
Details later…
#NotTooYoungToRun: Yoruba Youths Hail Buhari Amidst Divergent Reactions
By ‘Dotun Akintomide
The Yoruba Council of Youths World Wide, (YCYW) has described the signing of the ‘Not-Too-Young-To-Run’ bill into law by President Muhammadu Buhari as historic milestone that will deepen youths’ participation in the nation’s democractic process.
Buhari on Thursday, May 31 had signed the bill into law which reduced the age limit for those seeking election into state assemblies and House of Representatives from 30 to 25.
The age limit for the Office of the President was reduced from 40 years to 35 years, while the Act retains 35 years of age for eligibility to contest in governorhip and senatorial elections.
In a statement forwarded to The New Diplomat, the President of the Council, Aremo Dotun Hassan, commended the President for assenting to the bill in good time, cautioning the youths that enormous challenges still lie ahead in ensuring an appreciable number of young people seek and win positions in future elections.
“We the Yoruba Youths on behalf of all the youths of the Federal Republic of Nigeria heartily felicitates with all Nigerian Youths on these historic milestone of achieving the much expected “Not Too Young To Run Law 2018” as being remarkably assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“To the president, we remain highly grateful for your quick response to our yearnings. This is a rear prove of Your Excellency’s listening capacity to heed to our common cries and predicaments, as this is a worthy believe in the youths of this great nation and this will remain indelible in our hearts for many years to come.”
“But Alas, this should serve as a re-awakening call to duty, not just to celebrate the lowering of the high bar to co-habit our age grades to run for House of Assembly and Presidency positions alone. But to condemn the lack of patriotism to sovereign rights of the citizenry by the members of the National Assembly who felt conspicuously threatened by the on-going tsunami of progress raving across the length and breadth of Nigeria, and thereby failed to lower the age to contest for Governor and Senate positions.” the statement read.
Hassan who is also a presidential hopeful in 2019 said after young people had advocated for the Act to become a reality in not less than three years, “the greatest challenge that lies before us is the uneasiness that portends to be our fear of wearing the threshold crown of history.
“More so, we must be able to summon a greater patriotic will towards building our dying nation, for its ailments are self-inflicted chronic mental diseases, which is curable if we can all remain solidly united to win this war and battle of life.
“Our steadfastness needs to be strategically harnessed for the common good of all; our vision needs better clarity and wiser horizon towards navigating our path to greatness.
“Hence, one critical thing about our efforts is the desire for growth; passion for welfare and thirst for success. These are vital tripods that bind us together this day, however, we are the only one that can tell our self the bitter truth.
“We must shun bringadage of war, thuggery, juvenile delinquencies, economic and moral crimes, sharp practices, sexual pervasive tendencies and culture of indiscipline that now pervades us. This tends to make us a laughing stock of lazy brains. The time is ripe to wake up from our long time slumbers into the reality of hope.”
Meanwhile, since the signing of the bill on Thursday, it has triggered loads of divergent comments among Nigerians on Twitter and elsewhere.
Here are some of them:
If we get a competent president in his 50s in 2019 then we are very lucky.
Sowore and Fela Durutoye are closer to 50 than 40. Moghalu is in his 50s.
Yes #NotTooYoungToRun is good but it must be about capacity and competence.
— Adeyanju Deji 🇳🇬 (@adeyanjudeji) June 1, 2018
Congratulations to young Nigerians as President @MBuhari speedily signed the #NotTooYoungToRun bill. As we say in APYF @APCYouthWing – #TakePartToTakeCharge, I encourage us all to get involved in the democratic process beyond having PVCs,
but joining parties & running for office— Ife Adebayo (@IfeAdebayo) May 31, 2018
The #president will never take the #accolades that come with the activation of the #NotTooYoungToRun bill. This is the same man that said Nigerian youth are #lazy. He should be grateful that our HARD WORKED effort gave him the #privilege of signing this bill in his time. pic.twitter.com/9jotu9zwjN
— EEU. 🇳🇬 (@royaltyuso) June 1, 2018
The real achievement of the #NotTooYoungToRun Act is not the lowering of age limits or even the chances of increased participation. Those may not make much difference in the short term. It is that change is possible in Nigeria when the youth come together & demand it. That’s BIG!
— Dr. Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) June 1, 2018
I think my biggest problem is knowing Nigeria's history. As we celebrate #NotTooYoungToRun today, it hits me that in 1979, the Nigerian constitution allowed a 21yr old to run for House of Reps/Assembly and 30 for Senate. We haven't even matched our past yet! We are in 2018.
— Adewunmi Emoruwa (@eadewunmi) May 31, 2018
PDP claims ownership of d #NotTooYoungToRun Law -News
PDP is used to owning what doesnt belong to them Thats why they loot everything in sight
The bill was also passed under PDP by d 7th assembly but Jonathan failed to signThe bill was signed into a NIGERIAN Act, not a PDP act
— Lauretta Onochie (@Laurestar) June 1, 2018
RT if you don’t care whether it was PDP or APC that sponsored or signed the #NotTooYoungToRun Act, that you are just happy that it has come into being, and that you don’t want political insulters to steal the glory for doing zilch.
— Dr. Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) May 31, 2018
The #NotTooYoungToRun will not, can not transcend into a political party, this movement remains none partisan and we will support all Nigeria youth who aspire for public office pic.twitter.com/wPfBcH0Kgi
— CODE (@Connected_dev) June 1, 2018
On the same day that the allegedly 75 year old Buhari signed the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill, it was announced that his party, APC, picked a 74 year old to be its deputy Governor candidate for the July 14 Ekiti guber election. Youths of Nigeria, can’t you see they are just using you?
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) May 31, 2018
Are you a young person running for office in the 2019 or 2013 elections? Visit https://t.co/kX6VtY67DT and sign up. We are supporting youth candidates #NotTooYoungToRun
— #NotTooYoungToRun (@YIAGA) May 31, 2018
Nigerians only fault corruption when it doesn't favour them. Meanwhile, FYI the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill was signed into law yesterday. Can we also have a #TooOldToRun Law? We can have an Elder statesmen council for advisory role services only. 🤷🏾♀
— Chikaodili Okoye (@ChikaodiliOJ) June 1, 2018
Police Arrests 25 Nigerians For Alleged Robbery In Ghana
The Ghanaian police on Sunday arrested 25 Nigerians in Amasaman for alleged violent crimes and robbery.
According to a report by Daily Graphic, a news portal in Ghana, the Amasaman Divisional Police Commander, Francis Yiribaare, said the arrests were part of measures by the police to address concerns over the re-emergence of violent crimes in the area.
”A team of intelligence-led operations searched hideouts of 19 Nigerians, all males, who took cover in the ceiling of a house and locked up the rooms, were arrested,” Mr Yiribaare said.
”In another search, six more male Nigerians were arrested.” he added.
He said the police also seized 36 laptops, 29 mobile phones, 13 modems and pendrives, a Sony digital camera, a Samsung 3D gadget, 13 ID cards, three wrist watches, one Toyota Corolla saloon car with registration No GX 691-17 and three Nigerian passports from the suspects.
Also found with the suspects were an unspecified number of tramadol capsules and tablets, five packs of suspected Indian Hemp, some liquid concoction suspected to be Indian Hemp bitters and Shisha pipe with four and half packs of flavour.
Army Intercepts Trucks Loaded With Live Cartridges In Ogun
The Nigerian Army has intercepted three trucks fully loaded with thousands of live cartridges at a village located in Igbogila-Ilara area of Ogun State.
The live cartridges were carefully concealed and sealed in boxes made up of a wooden platform with metallic plates. The drivers of the trucks and passengers on sighting the troops abandoned the trucks and fled.
The Army in a statement signed on Friday by Acting Deputy Director, 81 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Om Daudu, said the operation was carried out following a tip-off.
“Following a tip-off received from well-meaning Nigerians during anti-illegal bunkering, anti-pipeline vandalism and anti-smuggling patrols, on May 30, 2018 at about 2:58am, troops of 81 Division Nigerian Army in conjunction with The Nigeria Police, Department of State Security, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps intercepted three 5-ton trucks with vehicle registration numbers: ANAMBRA AAH 409 ZV, LAGOS BDG 782 XU and LAGOS GGF 88 XU loaded with thousands of live cartridges, at Balogun village, along Igbogila-Ilara road, Ogun State,” the statement read in part.
No arrest has been made, as the statement said further that, “the drivers and their crew on sighting troops abandoned their trucks and fled.”
The troops are however on the trail of the fleeing drivers, their crew, corroborators and sponsors.
An investigation is currently ongoing into the incident.
Summit: Kim Sends Letter To Trump
A senior North Korean official will on Friday hand over a letter from the country’s leader Kim Jong Un to U.S. President Donald Trump.
This is in a rare visit to the White House as the two sides try to put a derailed summit meeting back on track
Trump hopes to meet Kim in Singapore on June 12 and pressure him to give up his nuclear weapons, although he conceded on Thursday that might require more rounds of direct negotiations.
“I’d like to see it done in one meeting,” Trump told Reuters. “But often times that’s not the way deals work.
“There’s a very good chance that it won’t be done in one meeting or two meetings or three meetings. But it’ll get done at some point.” he added
Leading the delegation to the White House on Friday is Kim Yong Chol, a close aide of Kim Jong Un.
Police IG, Ibrahim Idris Drags Saraki, Senate To court Over Summon
The hide-and-seek between the Senate and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has taken a legal dimension, with a suit by the latter challenging his summons by the Senate.
In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/ CS/ 457/2018, the police boss is seeking an injunctive order of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court restraining the Senate and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, their assigns, agents or any committees from insisting that he must appear before the upper legislative chamber in person, to the exclusion of any of his subordinate officers.
Meanwhile, the legal team to the Senate President, in a counter-affidavit, accused the IGP of using the court to avoid honouring the invitation.
On why he could not honour the Senate’s invitation in person, the IGP said he had been directed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to be among the presidential entourage embarking on a two-day official trip to Bauchi State and, therefore, on the said April 26, 2018, he was in Bauchi State on the presidential directive.
“That as a result of the above development, he then directed and delegated the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Operations, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State, who had adequate knowledge of the two subject matters, which the Senate required briefing, to appear before the Senate on April 26, 2018 on his behalf,” the suit explained.
However, the plaintiff told the court that the Senate refused the appearance of the aforesaid officers.
Besides, Idris, in the suit filed by his counsel, Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, urged the court to declare that the letters inviting him by the Senate dated April 25, 2018, and April 26, 2018, relating to pending criminal proceedings against Senator Dino Melaye in court of law was beyond its powers under Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution and same is contrary to the Senate Standing Order, 2015 and the provision of Section 6(6) (b) of the 1999 Cconstitution, and therefore null, void and of no effect.
N359m Fraud: Etukudoh Challenges Forfeiture Of Properties To FG
Justice D.D. Longi of the Plateau State High Court has adjourned hearing on an application by the Provost of Federal School of Medical Laboratory Technology, FSMLT, Dr Nkereuwem Sunday Etukudoh, seeking the discharge of an interim forfeiture order directing him to surrender to the Federal Government properties allegedly purchased with stolen FSMLT funds.
Properties forfeited are: A duplex situated at No 1 Senator John Mbatu Crescent (Plot 240) Andi Kan Beulah Estate, Phase 2, Kafe, Abuja, four flats situated at No 2 Edem Urua Road, Off Nudo Udoma Avenue, Itam Ikot Ebia Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, a parcel of land measuring 4,183.560 square meters situated at Ediene Ikot Obio Imo, Abak Road, Uyo, and another parcel of land measuring 2,657.686 square meters at Defarmco Street, Eniong Offot, Uyo Akwa Ibom State.
The application for vacation of the forfeiture order was brought before the court by Etukudoh’s counsel, Solomon Umoh, SAN, who further brought to the attention of the court a pending motion on notice filed by the defence on April 5, 2018 directing the prosecution to make available outstanding documents in their custody including tenders board file, store ledgers, payment certificates and vouchers, evaluation reports retrieved from the FSMLT, as well as, Etukudoh’s international passports.
Presenting the prosecution’s counter claims in affidavits dated May 30, 2018, prosecution counsel, Samuel Okeleke, noted that most of the documents requested for were not in the Commission’s custody.
Okeleke maintained that the current retention of the first defendant’s passport was necessary to prove some counts in the charge, explaining that documents retrieved during investigations had been returned to the school over a year ago, except for three store ledgers which the school was yet to delegate an officer to receive.
The embattled FSMLT Provost was first arraigned in May 2016 alongside Yusuf Samuel, Accountant, FSMLT; Ernest Demtoe, Secretary of Tenders Board, FSMLT; Goodluck Echewa, a contractor of FSMLT and a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Esio Udoh, also a contractor of FSMLT,before Justice Y.G. Dakwak on a 15-count charge of conspiracy, diversion for funds and official corruption preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The matter was adjourned on April 12, 2018 to today for the continued cross examination of the prosecution’s first witness, Ethel Ekam.
Ekam, a former staff of the FSMLT, during cross examination noted that she was not in a position to know “how things were sold, bought and how the school was running”.
“Since I was not part of the tenders board of the school and I was not participating in the management, I was not in a position to know these things.”
Ekam maintained that she had never travelled to Ethiopia or the United Kingdom for any professional trainings. “I do not know if I was nominated because I never saw the nominations,” she said.
She added, “The first time I saw the petition against the Provost was in the EFCC office. After reading through it, I adopted it as the true situation of things in the school at that time. I had complained that we never had enough reagents to work with.”
Umoh, SAN, was unable to pose questions to her regarding the contents of the petition, as he did not have a copy to tender to the court.
Earlier in proceedings, prosecution counsel, Samuel Okeleke, in an application dated February 27, 2018, sought leave of the court to file additional witnesses, who had been earlier subpoenaed to tender evidence before the court.
The application was countered by Umoh, SAN, who argued that the prosecution should be restrained from springing surprises on the defense. According to him, “Investigation has already been concluded. The prosecution cannot be bringing new witnesses at this point without laying proper foundation.”
Responding, counsel to the prosecution, Okeleke drew to the attention of the court to paragraph 4a-h of the affidavit in support of his application, noting that, “copies of the documents which the witnesses were subpoenaed to bring are already in proof of evidence which had been served on the defence since 2015”. He therefore urged the court to discountenance the defence’s submission.
Justice Longi adjourned hearing on all applications filed to a later date and adjourned the matter to June 1, 2018 for the continued cross examination of the PW1.
Obaseki Dismisses Entire Staff Of College Of Agriculture
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Thursday announced the sack of the entire staff of the state-owned College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state.
The 37-year-old institution was established by the civilian administration of the late Prof. Ambrose Ali. It was shut down by a military governor, but later reopened by the Lucky Igbinedion administration in 2001.
The school, which offers Ordinary Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Agricultural Technology, Animal Science, Crop Science, Agricultural Extension and Management was in August, 2017 temporarily shut down by the Godwin Obaseki-led government, promising to revamp the institution.
Obaseki said the college was closed down because of poor standards, which is not befitting of a College of Agriculture worth its salt.
“I shut down the school to enable me invest money and bring it up to standard. I will revamp the school so that the graduates will be employable,” the governor explained.
He disclosed that he is in talks with Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc; Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), and PRESCO Plc to join hands with his administration to revamp the institution, help train students and provide them with employment.
“I will provide allowances to the 261 students in the school and send them to farms for industrial training,” he added.
The termination of the appointment of all the staff members was contained in letters by the state government signed by the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Monday Osaigbovo, and dated May 25, 2018.
In the letter titled, ‘Restructuring of the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi,’ the commissioner stated that following the restructuring of the college and subsequent closure, government has decided to terminate the services of all the staff with effect from January 31, 2018.
“I am directed to refer to the above mentioned subject and to inform you that following the restructuring of the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi, and its subsequent closure, government has decided that your services are no longer required with effect from 31st January, 2018.
“You are requested to handover all government properties in your possession to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, immediately.
“Furthermore, I am to add that in line with your terms of engagement, your cheque for January 2018 monthly salary with one month in lieu of notice is herewith attached.”
The staff, in a peaceful protest to the Oba of Benin palace, said their sack did not follow due process.
They stressed that more than 400 staff members that are in the nominal pay roll of the institution, including the provost, were affected by the sack.
They also took a copy of their protest letter to the state House of Assembly for onward transmission to the Speaker of the House, Kabiru Adjoto.
They opined that there was no consultation with staff of the institution on the restructuring process, neither was there any option of redeployment of staff to other ministries or institutions before the mass sack was implemented by the state government.
According to them, “There was no due process followed by the governor in relieving us of our duties as permanent or confirmed staff in public service, as this contravenes the provisions of the public service rules.
“By record of service, majority of the staff members had put up to a minimum of 10 years in service while others had put in almost 20 years.
“And since the governor visited the school on August 7, 2017, and its subsequent temporary closure, till date, there is no evidence of any form of infrastructure improvement or administrative restructuring by the governor, who had promised to have these done in six months during his visit.”
17m Africans Migrate For Greener Pastures
No fewer than 17 million Africans left the continent in 2017 in search of greener pastures, a new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said.
The ‘Economic Development in Africa’ report also said 5.5 million people moved to Africa from other continents while some 19 million international migrants moved within Africa.
“Overall, some 19 million international migrants moved within Africa, and 17 million Africans left the continent during last year. The continent was also the destination for about 5.5 million people from outside,” the report found.
It said the large-scale migration of people within Africa tended to boost growth and lifted the continent’s whole economy, urging the world to dispel misconceptions and “harmful narratives” targeting migration.
The report also said cross-border movement offered “a chance for a better life, with the social and economic benefits extending to both source and destination countries, as well as future generations”.
Mukhisa Kituyi, the Secretary-General of (UNCTAD), said at the launching the report: “Our analysis shows this to be true for millions of African migrants and their families”.
Kituyi added that public perception, “particularly as it relates to international African migration, is rife with misconceptions that have become part of a divisive, misleading and harmful narrative.”
The report said remittances travelling back home from migrant workers both outside and inside Africa rose – on average – from 38.4 billion dollars between 2005 to 2007, to 64.9 billion dollars, during the two-year period up to the end of 2016.
According to the report, therefore, remittances accounted for over half of the capital flows within the continent.
Likewise, migrants contributed nearly 20 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Côte d’Ivoire according to figures from 2008, and 13 per cent in Rwanda (2012 figures).
Junior Davis, the lead author of the report, said it provided evidence of the “intimate correlation” between migration and trade – two sides of the same coin.
“Africa is on the cusp of tremendous change,” he said, noting the recently agreed African Continental Free Trade Area and the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons.
“In this context the report contributes to a better understanding of the implications of intra-African migration for the continent’s socio-economic transformation,” Davis added.
However, alongside the numbers of migrants moving and working within Africa, the continent also has some of the highest number of people forced from their homes due to conflict or natural disasters.
On top of the development gains lost at home, there is a significant economic and social burden faced by host countries, leaving many migrants dependent on international humanitarian aid, the report stated. (NAN)
NPO, Buhari, Others Grieve Passage Of Aboderin
By ‘Dotun Akintomide
The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), led by Prince Nduka Obaigbena has joined many prominent Nigerians to grieve the sudden death of the Chairman of Punch Newspapers, Wale Aboderin who died Thursday during a heart surgery.
Other prominent figures who had issued official statement to mourn Aboderin’s demise include President Muhammadu Buhari; APC national leader, Bola Tinubu; and Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement sent to The New Diplomat the NPO, consisting of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said it was saddened by the news of the untimely death of the Chairman of the Punch Group of Newspapers.
“Wale , a consummate sport enthusiast, was jovial, amiable and easy going. His death is a big blow, not just to the Punch Group, but to the entire media landscape of Nigeria and Africa”, said Obaigbena on Thursday.
“We offer our condolences to the Aboderin family and the Punch Group”, Obaigbena added.
President Buhari had led the outpouring of condolences in a statement by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Thursday.
President Buhari commiserated with all members of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the media and sports industry in the country on the death of the respected entrepreneur and philanthropist.
The President believed that Aboderin, who was greatly admired by his peers in the media and sports industry, would be long remembered for his resourcefulness, managerial proficiency and invaluable contributions to the growth of these sectors.
National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has huge investments in the media, described Aboderin’s death as a huge loss to the media and sports world.
Tinubu commiserated with the Aboderin family in a condolence letter, released by his Media Officer, Mr Tunde Rahman, on Thursday in Lagos.
“I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Chairman of Punch Newspapers, we lost Wale at a rather young age when we still needed him to continue to be with us.
“At 60, he still had a lot to offer us but within those three scores though, he made appreciable impact and touched and changed lives.
“As Chairman of Punch, taking over from his uncle, the actuary, Chief Ajibola Ogunsola, Wale continued to maintain and sustain the excellent journalism Punch is noted for, ensuring that the newspaper remains where it should be.
“Though he trained as a pilot, he was also a sports enthusiast. He particularly loved basketball to the point that he floated Dolphins Female Basketball Foundation.
“He was at one time the Chairman of our Basketball Association in Lagos.
“His death is a huge loss to the Aboderin family, both immediate and extended. The media and sports worlds, which he traversed and impacted positively, have also lost an outstanding partner.
“My deep sympathy and condolences to his wife and two children. I mourn with the Aboderin family, the Punch Newspaper, the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria and the media generally.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar described the death of Aboderin as hearth breaking.
He condoled with the immediate Aboderin family in particular; the media, especially the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and the teeming lovers of Punch newspapers worldwide.
“In today’s world, 60 years is too young an age for anyone to pass on with their lofty dreams.
“Aboderin’s untimely departure is certainly heartbreaking: painful to the family, a monumental loss to the fourth estate of the realm and the nation at large,” Abubakar said.
The former Vice President noted that the deceased had been in the vanguard of sustaining the vision of his late father and founder of the Punch group of newspapers.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan also described late Aboderin a great Nigerian.
Ologbondiyan said Aboderin was a quintessential administrator and very ingenious entrepreneur, who committed his resources towards the development of Nigeria.
He said Aboderin’s legacy in publishing a credible news medium of the status of the Punch Newspapers remained an indelible mark in the history and development of journalism in Nigeria.
“Aboderin was widely known for his philanthropy and sports enthusiasm.
“He played key role in the development of sports in Nigeria including as founder and chairman of the Dolphins Female Basketball Foundation as well as the former chairman of the Lagos, State Basketball Association.”
Mr. Gbadebowale Wayne Aboderin, died early today after a heart surgery at the First Cardiology Consultants, Ikoyi, Lagos. He was 60 years old.
He attended the Government College, Ibadan and trained as a pilot in the United States.
He was also Chairman Punch Commercial Printing Limited and Lukahed Properties Limited.
He was a one-time vice-president of the Nigerian Basketball Supporters Club.
He is survived by his wife, Titilayo, and children.
CBN Deputy Governor Resigns
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) deputy governor in charge of Operations, Adebayo Adelabu, will resign his appointment with effect from July 15.
Mr Adelabu whose disengagement notice has already been accepted by President Muhammadu Buhari, has indicated interest to join the gubernatorial race in his home state, Oyo.
In an acceptance letter dated May 24, President Buhari thanked Mr. Adelabu for his services to the country and wished him the best in his future ambitions.
“While appreciating your services in the Central Bank of Nigeria since April 9, 2014, I wish you the very best in your future ambitions and continued commitment to public service in our country and specifically, as you seek to play a more active role in politics, in your home State,” the president said in the letter.
Mr. Adelabu, who was one of the four deputy governors of the CBN, assumed duty on April 9, 2014.
Since then, he has served at different times as deputy governor in charge of Financial System Stability (FSS) and Corporate Services (CS), before his last position as the deputy governor in charge of Operations.
In political circles in Oyo State, Mr Adelabu is widely believed to be the most likely successor to the incumbent governor of the State, Abiola Ajimobi, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
One of the grand children of ace Oyo political godfather, late Adegoke Adelabu, Mr Adelabu has made his mark in the financial sector, rising to the position of Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of First Bank of Nigeria Plc. (FBN) prior to his ascension to the CBN.
Before his stint at First Bank, Mr Adelabu was the general manager and the West African Regional Head of Finance & Strategy (Consumer Banking Business) for Standard Chartered Bank.
A first class degree holder in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Mr Adelabu is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and member of the Institute of Directors of Nigeria (IoD).
Breaking: Buhari Signs Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill Into Law
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday signed the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill into law.
Buhari signed the bill into law at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, barely two days after he promised to do so.
The law reduces the age qualification for president from 40 to 30; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.
In his Democracy Day address on Tuesday, the President had promised to sign the bill into law “in a few days’ time.”
The National Assembly had passed the bill last year, altering sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the Constitution to reduce the constitutional age requisition for president from 40 to 30; that of the governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.
Details later…
