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A Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos has been told how Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, and others took billions of naira in loans that were written off by Lai Alabi, Erasmus Akingbola's successor as Managing Director of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc.

This revelation was made on Thursday during the cross-examination of Jimoh Abdulraheem, the prosecution witness to the Economic and Financial Crime Commision (EFCC), by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the defence lead counsel at the resumed trial of Akingbola over alleged N179bn fraud.

Akingbola was re-arraigned last month at the Federal High court following a further amnendment to the initial charges the EFCC filed against him before the Lagos State High Court in 2009 when the case first started.

In the amended charge, the EFCC alleged that Akingbola, while serving as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Intercontinental Bank Plc, used N179,385,000,000 belonging to the bank for "fictitious transactions".

According to the EFCC's amended charge, Akingbola violated Section 15 (1(a) (i) of the failed Banks (Recovery of Debts) and Financial malpractices in Banks Act, Cap F2, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and was liable to be punished under Section 16(1) (a) of the same Act.

The anti-graft agency claimed that Akingbola used the N179billion "to buy International Bank Plc's shares thereby inflating the market price of Intercontinental Bank Plc's shares on the Nigerian Stock exchange".

Speaking during his cross-examination by Olanipekun, Jimoh admitted that a company, Dicetrade Nigeria Limited, linked to the Senate President was indebted to the defunct Intercontinental Bank in the sum of N1,892,313,792.

Other companies said to be indebted to the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc are Joy Petroleum in the sum of N3.932 billion, Linker 617,693,988.99 and United Alliance Company Limited, in the sum of N14.5 billion , 14.27 billion and N10.97 billion respectively.

The late Olusola Saraki, Bukola Saraki's father's, Skyview Properties was also indebted to the bank to the tune of N2.88billion, according to the submission made by the EFCC witness who doubles as the Chief Investigator of the Intercontinental Bank Plc.

In the course of cross-examination, Olanipekun, the lead defence counsel, asked the Chief Investigator if he was aware that Lai Alabi, who took over from Akingbola, deliberately wrote off all indebtness because most of the people involved were close to him, but the witness said he was only aware that Alabi granted waiver for some non-performing loans.

When probed further if the loans were collateralized and that if he was aware that Alabi was the former Manging Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, the witness said he was not aware.

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Nigeria Immigration Boss Vows To Help Complainant Report Bribe-Seeking Officer To Anti-Corruption Agencies

Muhammad Babandede, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has promised to assist the man who recorded his conversation with a bribe-seeking immigration officer in reporting the incident to the Economic and Finical Crimes Commission (EFCC) or to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

Babandede said this as a follow-up to a tweet from the official handle of NIS on the complaint. He also said the public have the right to demand justice when they are denied services or asked for bribe.

In a video that has since gone viral, a man accused officers of the immigration service in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, of demanding bribe from him before his passport could be processed.

The man said: “I just left the immigration office in Port Harcourt where I went to renew my international passport (32 pages) and I was asked to pay N28,000 for three-week collection or N35,000 for one-week collection instead of the N17,000 specified on their website.

“I refused to pay extra and while arguing with the officer who attended to me, his superior female officer who overhead our conversation ordered me out of the office and insulted me for demanding that the right thing be done. When she noticed I had the incident recorded on my phone, she ordered her men to seize my phone.”

Reacting to this video in a tweet thread, the Nigeria Immigration said the CG had directed an investigation into the man’s claims.

“The Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede MFR, has received a complaint of poor service delivery in one of our service Windows in PH. Even though on official duty abroad, he's directed an investigation assuring that anyone culpable will be punished,” read the tweet.

“He further assures the complainant and the public of due diligence on the matter, and reiterates management's zero tolerance for unprofessional conducts by any of our personnel.”

The Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede MFR,has received a complaint of poor service delivery in one of our service Windows in PH. Even though on official duty abroad, he's directed an investigation assuring that anyone culpable will be punished.
— Nigeria Immigration (@nigimmigration) April 6, 2019

He further assures the Complainant&the public of due diligence on the matter& reiterates management's zero tolerance for unprofessional conducts by any of our Personnel.
— Nigeria Immigration (@nigimmigration) April 6, 2019

The CG then responded: “The public have right to demand for justice when we deny services to them or demand bribe. The complainant has the right to report to EFCC or ICPC and as the CG I will assist him.”

The public have right to demand for justice when we deny services to them or demand bribe. The complainant has the right to report to EFCC or ICPC and as the CG I will assist him
— Muhammed babandede (@babandedemb) April 6, 2019

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Bayelsa Government Seals Off Agip Facility In Nigeria's South-South

The Bayelsa State government has sealed off the premises of Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) oil and gas facility, in Egbebiri, a Biseni community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Honourable Ebi Waribigha, Chairman of Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Board, said the sealing-off of the facility followed an eviction order issued by the State Physical Planning and Development Tribunal in Yenagoa.

The eviction order granted the Bayelsa State government leave to effect the eviction of Agip and all occupants of the premises, to enable the Physical Planning and Development Board conduct environmental, health, technical integrity and safety checks at the facility.

The facility was allegedly built without a building permit as required by the Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Law (2015).

The court had also directed the Commissioner of Police, the Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and all security agencies to facilitate the enforcement of the eviction.

The owner of the facility allegedly continued work, "despite a subsisting stop-work order and a notice to discontinue drilling on the site without permit,” Waribigha said.

He explained that the facility violated the Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Law of 2015, which “requires that all developers of existing developments in the state, which were built without obtaining development permits under previous planning laws applicable in the state, submit such developments to scrutiny and validation” in the interest of public safety.

The court had also ordered that all the occupants of the facility remain evicted until the company complies with all the requirements of the Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Law of 2015.

According to Waribigha, the law is statutorily empowered to provide effective physical planning, development control and a framework for infrastructural development in the state.

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Sanwo-Olu Calls For Review of Police’s Operation After Kolade Johnson's Killing

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor-Elect of Lagos State, has called on the Nigerian Police Force to review the operations of its rank and file.

Sanwo-Olu said this on Saturday when he paid a visit to the family of Kolade Johnson, the young Nigerian killed by a policeman's stray bullets.

He said his administration would ensure that incident of Johnson’s death does not repeat itself.

He also said his administration would work in harmony with the security operatives to ensure that such incident becomes a thing of the past.

Sanwo-Olu said: “I think this incident is a wake-up call to all. A situation where men and officers of the Police and indeed any security organisation will willfully cut down the lives of our youth is unacceptable. We should all speak against it. We must all rise against it. The Police should realise that they are there to protect the citizens and not to send them to early grave under any guise.

“I know that the 21st century policing should thrive more on intelligence gathering, tactical operations, which will bring about clinical execution of assignment. With this in mind, our security operatives should adopt modern techniques in fighting crimes so as to reduce incidents of avoidable deaths especially of innocent youths

“It is gratifying to note that the police authorities acted promptly. We read in the news that they have dismissed the officer who allegedly fired the shot that killed Mr. Johnson. This shows to us that we are not living in Banana Republic. We live in a society where justice and equity should be the order of the day.”

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Lagos Teaching Hospital Calls For Calm Over Murder Of House Officer Stephen Urueye

The management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has called for calm and cautioned against inflammatory statements on the death of Stephen Urueye, a house officer in the hospital who was stabbed to death on Thursday night.

This was contained in a statement issued on Friday by Kelechi Otuneme, spokesperson of LUTH.

Urueye, who graduated from the University of Lagos and participated in the convocation ceremony on Wednesday, was stabbed by suspected hoodlums on the road leading to Ojuelegba around 9pm on Thursday, prompting protests on campus and a JusticeForStephen hastag on social media.

The hospital management said top management officials and specialist consultants, including the Chief Medical Director, were on ground trying all they could to resuscitate him till he passed on.

“We implore all staff to be calm and refrain from speculative or inflammatory comments or statements and go about their lawful duties as investigation continues,” the statement read.

It further stated that the hospital management was working with security agencies to ensure that the miscreants who carried out the attack do not go unpunished.

“Our heart goes out to his family, colleagues, friends and the LUTH community as we pray that God will comfort us all on this time of great mourning,” the statement added.

UNILAG students took to the streets on Friday to protest Urueye’s death and incessant attacks by hoodlums within the area.

The Lagos State Police Command also said it already arrested two people in relation to the attack.

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Lassa Fever Kills Two In Bauchi, Taraba — The Latest of 131 Deaths In Three Months

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed that two people in Bauchi and Taraba states have been killed by Lassa Fever.

The organisation also revealed that 16 new cases of Lassa Fever were discovered across five states in the country.

This was disclosed in the NCDC latest situation report on the disease for Week 13, which covers March 25 to March 31, 2019.

A breakdown of the figure shows that six cases were confirmed in Edo and four in Ondo, while two cases were confirmed in Bauchi, Taraba, and Plateau states.

According to the NCDC, a total of 2,034 suspected cases have been reported from 21 states across the country from January 1 to March 31, 2019.

Of these cases, 526 were confirmed positive, 15 probable and 1,693 negative (not a case).

Since the onset of the 2019 outbreak, there have been 121 deaths in confirmed cases, while the case fatality ratio in confirmed cases is 23.0%.

Twenty states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have recorded at least one confirmed case of the disease across 81 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

The states are Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Kwara, Benue, Rivers, Kogi, Enugu, Imo, Delta, Oyo, Kebbi and Cross River.

In the reporting Week 13, one new healthcare worker was affected in Plateau State, bringing the number of healthcare workers infected since the onset of the outbreak to 17.

Seven of them were infected in Edo, three in Ondo, two in Ebonyi, and one each in Enugu, Rivers, Bauchi, Benue, and Plateau states.

Similarly, 29 patients are currently being managed at various treatment centres across the country: Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) treatment Centre – 10; Federal Medical Centre Owo – nine; Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki – three; Bauchi – two; Plateau – three, and Taraba – two.

The NCDC said a total of 6,489 contacts had been identified from 20 states. Of these, 1,443 (22.2%) are being followed up, 4,983 (76.8%) have completed 21 days follow up, while eight (0.1%) were lost to follow-up. One hundred and twelve (1.7%) symptomatic contacts have also been identified, of which 55 (1.0%) have tested positive.

The agency revealed that the multi-sectoral one health national rapid response teams had been deployed to Taraba and Bauchi states, adding that the national Lassa Fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has continued to coordinate the response activities at all levels.

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Sokoto State University Increases Tuition By 100%, Gives Students Seven-Day Ultimatum To Pay

Sokoto State University has increased tuition fee by over a 100 percent for the new academic session and issued a seven-day ultimatum for students to comply or withdraw from the university.

According to the Ramadan Mijinyawa, President, National Union of Zamfara State Students (NUZAMSS), the fee increase was unexpected and many students, particularly students from Zamfara State, cannot afford it.

He said the school management added an additional N60,000 to the old tuition fee, which was about N40,000 to N50,000, depending on the department. This brings the new tuition to 100,000 or more.

Mijinyawa said all attempts to appeal to the state government and the school management have fallen on deaf ears.

The students urged the management to reverse the new fee schedule, as majority of them are unable to meet such sudden and steep financial demand.

Amira Lawal, a 400 level student of Education Foundation, said she might lose her admission as she is unable to pay the new tuition fee.

Similarly, Mansur Galadima said he can no longer afford the tuition, and called on the Zamfara State government to intervene so that the additional N60,000 is dropped.

“I cannot afford to pay the just introduced N60,000 as tuition fee, which raised the total amount of my school fee to 94,000,” he said. “We are praying to Zamfara State government or any important political icon in the state to urgently assist us in other to save our future, because by Monday we will lose our admission if we are unable to pay.”

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Babachir: Atiku Was In PDP But Seven APC Commissioners In Adamawa Were His Loyalists

Babachir Lawal, immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has said one of the reasons for the defeat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 9 governorship election to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State is the questionable loyalty of Governor Jibrilla Bindow, the outgoing Governor of the state, to Atiku Abubakar.

He made this claim in an interview published The Sun on Saturday.

Babachir said although Bindow was contesting on the platform of the APC, he did not hide his love and loyalty to Atiku, the presidential candidate of the PDP, in the buildup to the general election.

He said apart from publicly declaring his loyalty to Atiku, seven of the commisioners in Bindow's outgoing administration were loyalists of the PDP presidential candidate. He said the Governor's daughter was very close to Atiku.

"Part of what led to this outcome was a historical position that the government of Bindow had on several occasions publicly declared that their government was a government of Atiku," he said.

"It is on record that in so many fora, his supporters, his henchmen had said it in his presence and he didn’t take any step to deny it. I remember at one of their road launch somewhere in Adamawa State, the then Chief of Staff made a long speech in which he insisted that Adamawa State Government was for Atiku. Now, we did also point out the fact that the Governor himself had claimed that it was Atiku’s money that facilitated his victory at the polls. He had said that on several occasions.

"We have also had cause to protest that in Bindow’s government, there were about seven serving commissioners who were very close to Atiku, including his own daughter. Without regard to their merit as qualified indigenes, but I mean, their political inclinations in normal politics will disqualify them from participating in an APC government. But the Governor didn’t think so."

Bindow, the incumbent Governor of the state, contested on the platform of the APC but was defeated by Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP.

The election was intially declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) but after the supplementary election, Fintiri had 376,552 votes to defeat Bindow who had 336,386.

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One Day or Day One: Diagnosing Nigeria's Revolutionary Contemplation by Senami Kojah

Senami Kojah

Senami Kojah
Navigating exhaling potholes and commuting in whiny cars whose boots are laden with complains of its daily residents, it is hard not question why this field that is green, with two million inhabitants at it's mills is struggling to yield results.

It is not unconnected to the blood stained hand of the Foreman who dons a green khaki and wields a metal whip.

It is may be due in part to that rusty caramel mind that lives on the rock, served by the eager book, hopping from one metal bird to the other and unable to comprehend the age or the passage of time.

Or just maybe it is possible that the green field ails from a psychological phenomena that boggles the mind of even it's own inhabitants.

One Day

Everyday, the mill churns out disappointed stares and exaggerated sighs, "One Day e go better", One Day, One Day Sha, God go Help Us" or "Las Las we go dey alright".

The premise for the argument of this insane lyric which leads to the diagnosis however is, if all will be well, why is it not?

Metathesiophobia

According to psychologist Jacob Olesen, this is the fear of change or changing things.

This specific phobia can reduce one’s will to live and often feel that they have no control over their lives owing to constant changes;

She/he tends to live in the past and may also be depressed.

Their phobia makes them unwilling to move, to progress or to change anything from routine.

Presentation of Symptoms in Nigerians

Heart Palpitations: in some Nigerians, this symptom is acute. It presents when they are confronted with gun wielding policemen or any kind of law enforcement that demands "something for the boys" or "roger" but sometimes in a plot twist, when they are confronted with a situation to do the right thing.

This in part because the reverse behaviour of sufferers who do the opposite of ideal or prescription.

Inability to Form Words: this classic symptom occur when some Nigerians see and know the right thing but choose to look away.

It is also visible when instead of forming original and critical thought which is ideal, the sufferers regurgitate or mimic oppressive sounds when confronted with the idea of change or revolution.

Words such as "let him start from local government first", "women can only be deputies" or "wait for your time" are commonplace.

Thoughts of Death: this symptom usually keeps them firmly glued to their shops, offices and school when protests are organised to stop brutality against them.

It keeps them from going out to vote because "they no wan Kpeme" and it keeps them firmly still at a point of complacency until they actually die from the results of their inaction.

Dry Mouth: This symptom in sufferers is preceded by heavy hunger resulting from epileptic sales and joblessness due to inept policies that sufferers refuse to correct through a revolution.

If you exhibit two or more of these symptoms, you made it!

Revolutionary Delay

Make no mistake, there are people in the mill who have consciously rid themselves of these symptoms and are waiting for the epoch of change.

In Algeria, now former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has resigned after weeks of massive street protests.

Mr Bouteflika, had been in power for 20 years.

The delay in the Algerian experience for a much needed revolution took 20 years.

It is 20 years since Nigeria transitioned into democratic rule; who knows when our pack of unsustainable cards will come crashing down?

Day One; The Antidote

"...Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds."-Bob Marley

Do not despair, an elixir exist to cure you of our great national malaise.

The label does not bear condemnations for the gram, it is not a catchy hashtag neither is it the lukewarm state which sufferers of Metathesiophobia in Nigeria relapse into after two or more days of e-venting.

To overcome the fear of change, you must change your mind and create an internal revolution.

You must not cower anymore at metal slings or Elephant boots even when your oblongata and bladder say otherwise; you must simply do.

Be healed.

Senami Kojah is a Writer, Journalist and Public Affairs Analyst who writes from Lagos.
Kojahs2000@gmail.com

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Fraudsters Are Working In Banks And In The EFCC, Laments Magu

Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Friday said many fraudsters in Nigerian banks were aiding criminals to perpetrate financial crimes.

Speaking at a meeting with compliance officers of various banks in Port Harcourt, Magu said such fraudsters assisted politically exposed persons to steal and launder public funds, adding that the "bad eggs" are also available in the agency he heads.

He said apart from colluding with corrupt politicians and "terrorists", some banks also help internet fraudsters commit financial crimes using money transfer services.

He said: "The banks also help the politically exposed persons to steal and launder public funds.

"Money is being laundered and money is being used to fund terrorism in the country. There are more terrorists in the country. There are more terrorist activities in the country, so it is good business for them.

"You will agree with me that the banks give lifelines to internet fraudsters, the ones we call Yahoo boys. So this is the reason we must come here. Wehave to talk. Unfortunately, we have fraudsters working in the banks, working right inside the banks."

Speaking further, Magu reiterated his conviction that many banker are aiding and abetting fraudulent activities of criminals.

"We want to put in our machinery to deal with such fraudulent activities of the bankers and some law enforcement agencies," he sai adding that not even the agency he presides over is free of the bad eggs.

"There are bad eggs among us, even in the EFCC; there seems to be readily available partnership with some fraudulent elements within the bank to perpetrate certain fraudulent activities and money laundering. I think this basically the reason we called this meeting."

Magu, however, reassured the people at the event that the commission would go after governors with outstanding cases of corruption who are currently covered by immunity.

"We will go after them," he said. "We will not let anybody go."

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N197bn Fraud: Erastus Akingbola Opposes EFCC's Attempt To Tender Evidence Against Him

Rogue Banker, Erastus Akingbola and one of the lawyers grilled today, Felix Fagbohungbe

Erastus Akingbola, Managing Director of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc, on Friday opposed the move by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tender statements of accounts from Access Bank.

The accounts allegedly linked Akingbola to the alleged fraud.

Through his lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the embattled former MD said the statements could not be tendered because they were freshly sourced.

This, according to the senior advocate, contravenes proceedings for criminal trials that mandate all investigations in a criminal case to be concluded before the case is filed in a court of competent jurisdiction.

The 10-year-old trial witnessed a heated argument between the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), and the defence team.

The defence team also contended that the anti-graft agency could not substitute a witness in the case.

Akingbola's 10-year-old trial reopened last month, after it had journeyed all the way to the Supreme Court and back.

He was re-arraigned on March 13, 2019 on further amended 22 counts, wherein he was accused of using N179bn belonging to the defunct Intercontinental Bank for “fictitious transactions.”

Among other allegations, the EFCC also claimed that Akingbola granted loans to a number of companies without adequate securities.

But the ex-bank chief pleaded not guilty.

At Friday's proceedings before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, the prosecution called its third witness, Uyoyou Ewhe, an Access Bank official, and sought to tender through him the statements of certain accounts opened in Access Bank.

Jacobs told the court that he settled for Ewhe to tender the documents "because the intended witness who was to tender the documents, we were told, has left the bank and is no longer in the country."

But the lead defence counsel, Olanipekun, opposed him, contending that the documents were only freshly sourced.

"The prosecution was sourcing for evidence two days ago in a trial that started 10 years ago," Olanipekun said.

Citing the case of Enahoro and the Queen of 1965, Olanipekun further contended that the prosecution could not substitute a witness.

"You cannot substitute a witness in a criminal proceeding; substituting a witness amounts to sourcing for evidence contrary to the decision of the Supreme Court in the celebrated case of Enahoro against the Queen of 1965.

"If you don't have your witnesses, you don't have your witnesses; you cannot substitute witnesses," he said.

He also urged the judge not to admit the documents on the basis that they emanated from Access Bank, which he said was an interested party in Akingbola's trial.

"Section 83 of the Evidence Act prohibits admissibility of this type of document. We have addressed Your Lordship on the interest of Access Bank in this matter, which is undisguised.

"This witness, the maker of this document, is an official of Access Bank. Put succinctly, this document is an Access Bank document. And I daresay, the documents were made as a result of evidence already given, may be to patch up the evidence; it is a natural consequence which the court is called upon to assume."

But countering Olanipekun, Jacobs said, "The question of substituting a witness does not arise, and even if it arose, the prosecution is not limited to the list of witnesses in the proof of evidence originally filed."

He said in the case of Enahoro, which Olanipekun cited, "the Supreme Court did not decided that witnesses cannot be changed."

As to the argument that the documents sought to be tendered were freshly made, Jacobs said by virtue of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the prosecution was at liberty to file additional evidence any time before judgment.

He added that the documents were old statement of accounts of 1990.

"It is just the letter covering the documents and the certificate showing compliance that are new. It is new bottle with the old wine," Jacobs said, stressing that the documents were relevant to the case.

After hearing both sides, Justice Olatoregun adjourned till April 18 for ruling.

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Man Stabs Fiancee Four Times In The Neck For Mocking His 'Small' Manhood

A man has stabbed his fiancee to death in Austria after she reportedly mocked him for having a small penis.

According to Mirror UK, the man, named Daban K, who hails from Iraq, killed the woman after she had sheltered him from the Austrian authorities for several years.

However, after he was arrested for murder, the 40-year-old blamed the attack that saw him stab his partner at least four times in the neck, on the deceased, saying she had a habit of mocking his masculinity.

He also claimed that his late partner was unfaithful.

In a conversation with Sigrun Rossmanith, a court psychiatrist, Daban K, whose full name has not beeen released due to Austrian privacy laws, said: "She was a good woman to me, but she repeteadly insulted me.

"She cheated on me three times with other men and did not want to have sex with me anymore. One day she told me that my penis was too small."

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Buhari: It Will Take Decades To Repair The Destruction And Damage Caused By Boko Haram

It will take decades to reverse the deaths, destruction and damage caused by Boko Haram in the last 10 years, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday.

The President said this while delivering a speech at the World Economic Forum on the Middlle East and North Africa currently going on in Jordan.

“We have been hosts to some of the deadliest conflicts in recent history,” Buhari said of the regions under focus. “The deaths, damage and destruction caused by terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram over the last ten years will take decades to repair.”

He also spoke on efforts of his administration to handicap insurgents, stating: “By the special grace of God, today, most of these terrorist organizations have been significantly degraded. The world came together to achieve this. Now, we are faced with the task of rebuilding."

Buhari identified “lack of social and economic inclusion” as the “root cause of many challenges” being experienced by the region. He urged the forum to come together to solve the problem.

THE FULL SPEECH

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA {DEAD SEA, JORDAN}

BY HIS EXCELLENCY MUHAMMADU BUHARI PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA {DEAD SEA, JORDAN} 6TH APRIL, 2019

Protocols:

Permit me to start by thanking His Majesty, King Abdallah Bin Hussein of Jordan, for the special invitation to speak to you briefly at this event.

I also want to congratulate the World Economic Forum for organizing this forum with the theme of “Building New Platforms of Cooperation”.

In this digital age where physical borders no longer exist to protect even the most secured nations, the only way to overcome predatory and divisionary forces is for all well-meaning nations to work together for the greater good of mankind.

Simply put, cooperation amongst sovereign nations is no longer a choice. It is an absolute necessity.

In the last ten years, the world as we knew it has completely changed.

We have seen and experienced significant shifts on many fronts. In Technology; Population and Migration; Trade and Geopolitics; Climate change; and many more.

7. For some nations, these trends have had positive impacts. But of course, we have also seen the negative and destructive outcomes of these trends in other countries.

It is my view, that no region of the world has felt the full impact of these dramatic shifts and shocks like the Middle East and Africa – North and Sub-Sahara.

On one hand, our region is blessed with a very young, vibrant, enterprising and dynamic population. We also have valuable natural resources that are the envy of many nations.

These assets and endowments contributed to our region experiencing some of the highest economic growth rates in the world.

On the other hand however, we have also been hosts to some of the deadliest conflicts in recent history. The deaths, damage and destruction caused by terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram over the last ten years will take decades to repair.

By the special grace of God, today, most of these terrorist organizations have been significantly degraded. The world came together to achieve this. Now, we are faced with the task of rebuilding.

It is at this point that we must ask ourselves how we, as a region, got to this point. The answer, at least in the case of Nigeria, is the lack of social and economic inclusion.

As Nigeria celebrated being the largest economy in Africa and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Nigerians were migrating in droves through harsh desert conditions and across treacherous seas to seek what they believe would be a better life in Europe.

Ladies and gentlemen, I strongly believe that the lack of social and economic inclusion was the root cause of many challenges we are experiencing.

Today, our population is one hundred and ninety million people. By 2050, it is estimated that we hit three hundred and ninety million making us the third most populous country in the world. This means we must start working now to ensure this population is productively engaged.

In the last four years, we focused on security while implementing inclusive policies.

On the security front, we made significant gains in fighting Boko Haram. We have recaptured all territories held by Boko Haram in 2014. We have liberated thousands of Nigerians held against their will.

Today, I am pleased to say no territory in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is held or controlled by Boko Haram.

We are extremely grateful to the many countries that have stood with Nigeria to confront this global scourge and in particular, the Kingdom of Jordan under the leadership of His Majesty, the King.

Furthermore, our economic diversification and social inclusion policies are also yielding positive results. Our country has now returned to the path of growth. We are making gains in the ease of doing business indices.

A key driver for growth is the agricultural sector where we aggressively pushed agricultural policies that empowered millions of our rural citizens.

In the spirit of “Building New Platforms of Cooperation”, we partnered with the Kingdom of Morocco to domesticate fertilizer production in Nigeria and revive over two million tons of abandoned fertilizer blending plant capacity.

The outcome is we created tens of thousands of jobs in agriculture, logistics, manufacturing and retail sectors. We are able to achieve moderate growth. But it was inclusive.

Nigeria is now at a new dawn and embarking on a new development trajectory. We are determined to industrialise Nigeria leveraging our comparative advantage.

We recognize the private sector as the engine of growth and a veritable partner in our economic agenda. The Middle East is a natural partner.

Africa and the Middle East must therefore focus on policies that will deliver shared economic prosperity for all our citizens. On trade and investments for example, we can do more. Africa represents only five percent of Jordan’s trade with the world. But we have the resources, the people and the markets to do more.

Opportunities exist in key job creating sectors such as Agriculture, Health, Tourism, ICT, Infrastructure as well as Textile and garmenting to mention a few.

Our new, inclusive and diversified Nigeria is definitely open for business. Our population, resources, policies and programs make it the most attractive investment destination in Africa.

As friends and allies, we must therefore cooperate and leverage on our relative strengths. We must remain open to “Building New Platforms of Cooperation”.

As we deliberate over the next two days, I would ask all leaders present to reflect on our collective experiences. We must identify how we can work together.

Today, we are living in a new world.

In this new world without borders, my personal view is stability and sustainability can only be achieved through inclusive economic growth, and enhanced cooperation amongst nations.

I thank you all for listening and I wish you a very successful and productive summit.

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Police Receive Lead On How Killers Of Anglican Bursar In Akure Loitered Near The Bank

Mohammed Adamu, the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), has ordered for the deployment of security agents around banks and commercial institutions in Ondo State, mostly the capital city of Akure, to keep surveillance.

The deployment followed the brutal killing of Gabriel Kola Abiodun, a bursar with Akure Anglican diocese who was shot dead by suspected armed robbers.

Leye Oyebade, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 11, Osogbo, who disclosed this on Friday during a visit to the Anglican Diocesan Office in Akure, also said the Police had a lead on how the crime was masterminded.

Abiodun was killed on Thursday morning by the gunmen, who traced him to his office at the Akure Anglican Diocese after withdrawing N500,000 at the Zenith Bank of the Alagbaka branch office in Akure.

Visiting the diocese following the killing of Abiodun, Oyebade said the security agencies would fish out the killers.

Received by the Bishop of the Akure Anglican Diocese Communion, Right Reverend Simeon Borokini, the AIG disclosed that the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) had given the mandate that the killers should be fished out immediately for prosecution.

He said investigations over the killing has already begun, with a lead already received on how the bandit had always been loitering around the bank premises.

Oyebade stressed the need for customers visting the banks to be security-conscious and wise, noting that the job of policing should not be left in the hands of the security agencies alone.

He assured the public that the police would boost its surveillance around banks in the state capital to prevent any further future reocurrences.

"For now, we have moved forward by getting some leads and we are very much hopeful that we would get at the root of this crime," he said.

"The Acting IGP has given us the marching order to get at the root of the matter and I have come here to speak with the Bishop. I have got some information from him and from the scene of the crime. You see when crimes of this type occurred; there are things you learn, which are the most important things.

"So, we are going to create security in the banking environment and we have done it and we are going to do more. The banker forum will be upgraded becuase we need more gadjets and information, and we would need to do more of surveillance within the banking environment.

"We found out that those that committed this type of crime must have been hanging around. On the issue of the motorcycles and the vehicles within the banking environment, we will need to address that.

"Not only that, I am also using this opportunity to ask members of the public who have information to assist us with it.

"With what we are doing, I am very confident that we are going to get to the root of this matter. The members of the public should continue to partner with us. The community policing that we preach and practice involves everybody and we need information."

Bishop Borokini reiterated that the security agencies in Ondo State must doubled down at rooting criminal elements out of the state. He called on the Police to ensure that Abiodun's killers are arrested and prosecuted.

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BREAKING: UI 'Lecturer' Commits 'Suicide'

A. O. Subair, an academic who very recently resigned abruptly as a lectuer of the Department of Mathematics of the University of Ibadan (UI) but still lives within the university, has died under circumstances believed to be suicide at his staff quarters located on Phillipson Road, UI.

A lecturer in the Faculty of Science, which houses the late lecturer's department, told SaharaReporters that Subair had been battling depression for years due to challenges in his home and career.

"He already resigned but was still living on campus," said the lecturer, who asked not to be named.

"His family had issues relating to childcare. He was a Lecturer 1and had been on his Ph. D. for 22 years, but he had supervised a lot of people who had overtaken him on the rung while he remained rooted to the same spot.

"He also had issues in his marriage. He and his wife disagreed over the care for one of their children. The wife sued him, and the court ruled in her favour, giving a directive that N60,000 should be withdrawn from his salary every month. So, he thought, well, if he resigned, there would be no salary to draw money from.

"His death wasn't straightforward, like he slept during the day, died during the sleep, his house was engulfed by smoke and he was asphyxiated."

A student of the Department of Mathematics, who also asked not to be named, told that SaharaReporters that after Subair was discovered in the house on Tuesday, he was rushed to 'Jaja', as the university's clinic is widely known, and subsequently transferred to the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, where he died Wednesday morning.

SaharaReporters contacted the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the university for comments, but he was in church at the time the call was made, and he politely asked to talk later.

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APC Raises Alarm Over Amosun's Last-Minute Contracts

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has raised the alarm over alleged last-minute award of contracts by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the outgoing Governor of the state.

The party also alleged that Amosun was busy with last-minute selling and auctioning of government properties, as well as secret recruitments into the civil service.

Tunde Oladunjoye, the Publicity Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the party in the state said this in a statement in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Friday.

He said the Governor's action was to "tie the hands" of Dapo Abiodun, the incoming Governor, who is billed to assume office on May 29.

The statement read: "It has come to our notice that the outgoing administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun is busy with last-minute award of contracts, selling and secret recruitments into the civil service, in a bid to tie the hands of the incoming Governor, Dapo Abiodun.

"While we find the reported last-minute contracts, withdrawals from the treasury, sale of land and illegal recruitment of Senator Amosun's cronies into the senior positions of the Ogun State Civil Service very shocking, our party wishes to warn the members of the general public that such hurrried transactions would not necessarily be binding on the incoming administration.

"We urge Ogun State's senior civil servants to not be part of the desperate moves of the departing governor to undermine socio-economic stability of our state, by engaging in, condoning or being part of any act that breaches or constitutes a flagrant abuse of laid-down rules, regulations and due process.

"It is our belief that an administration with less than two months to hand over should, by now, be preparing its handover notes for a smooth transition, instead of digging pits for the incoming government.

"May we also reiterate here that all loans, overdraft and financial obligations that do not follow due process, including the approval of the Ogun State House of Assembly, would not be honoured. To be forewarned is to be forearmed."

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APC Raises Alarm Over Amosun's Last-Minute Contracts

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has raised the alarm over alleged last-minute award of contracts by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the outgoing Governor of the state.

The party also alleged that Amosun was busy with last-minute selling and auctioning of government properties, as well as secret recruitments into the civil service.

Tunde Oladunjoye, the Publicity Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the party in the state said this in a statement in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Friday.

He said the Governor's action was to "tie the hands" of Dapo Abiodun, the incoming Governor, who is billed to assume office on May 29.

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APC Raises Alarm Over Amosun's Last-Minute Contracts

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has raised the alarm over alleged last-minute award of contracts by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the outgoing Governor of the state.

The party also alleged that Amosun was busy with last-minute selling and auctioning of government properties, as well as secret recruitments into the civil service.

Tunde Oladunjoye, the Publicity Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the party in the state said this in a statement in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Friday.

He said the Governor's action was to "tie the hands" of Dapo Abiodun, the incoming Governor, who is billed to assume office on May 29.

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Senate Directs Shell To Pay N6.9bn To Niger Delta Communities

The Senate has directed the Shell Petroleum Development Company to respect its earlier resolution, which mandated it to pay N6,936,899,900 to some oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta region.

The fresh directive followed another round of protests by people of the affected communities, who lamented the refusal of the SPDC to comply with the resolutions of the Senate.

Bekele Jones and Associates, a firm in the riverine area, had sent a petition to the upper chamber to complain about the non-payment of the accumulated rentals and expired leases.

The firm specifically lamented the non-payment of the outstanding rentals for the Port Harcourt Oloibiri pipeline, the Oloibiri field, and the entire Utapate/Akwa Ibom fields.

On receipt of the petition, the Senate leadership, through the office of the Clerk to the National Assembly, conveyed its position to the oil firm.

The letter, dated March 4, 2019, and signed by Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Omolori, the Clerk to the National Assembly, was addressed separately to Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of Nigeria, and Managing Director, SPDC.

The Senate resolved that the firm should pay a uniform rate of N600,000 per hectare of land as rent per annum for all loss of use of surface rights from 2014.

The upper chamber also directed the multinational company to "cancel all long term leases of 99 years already imposed on the landowners and comply with the provisions of the Oil Pipeline Act which stipulates a term of 20 years only".

It also resolved that the SPDC should respect powers of attorney donated by landowners to their agents/consultants to negotiate for them and receive their rentals from the multinational company.

The upper chamber had in its resolution mandated SPDC to pay N6,936,899,900, which is the total outstanding amount for all unpaid rentals, expired leases and re-acquisition fees stated.

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