IYANDA'SBLOG

02/04/20

Vehicle Inspection Officers at Asokoro, Abuja – Nigeria’s capital – have been found to be involved in corrupt practices against the dictates of their jobs, according to an investigation by SaharaReporters.

On Tuesday afternoon, the team led by a senior official popularly known as Dodo, flagged down a Honda saloon car with registration number UND 672 CX few meters away from the busy AYA roundabout in Asokoro and asked the driver to pull over by the side of the road.

Our correspondent, who witnessed the scene, observed that after inspecting the vehicle's documents and discovering that everything was up-to-date and valid, the VIO personnel carefully looked around the car to ensure they found an offence upon which to nail the owner of the car.

Upon seeing that one of the back tyres of the car had worn out and not fit for travel, the officials immediately impounded the vehicle and drove it to their office.

Our correspondent, who trailed the team to their Asokoro office, saw how owners of impounded vehicles at the facility tried frantically to get their automobiles released by pleading with Dodo and his men to accept amounts they could afford.

Owner of the Honda car was eventually asked to pay N4,500 after a long process of negotiation with the officials.

The middle-aged man was later allowed to leave with his vehicle without being mandated to fix the terribly bad tyre that poses a great threat to his life including that of other road users.

While still at the Asokoro VIO office, our correspondent observed how owners of impounded vehicles especially those unfit to be on Nigerian roads were forced to pay between N5,000 to N20,000 before being released to go.

Findings by SaharaReporters discovered that the fraudulent scheme had been a regular feature at this place for sometime.

The officials have practically left their statutory responsibilities of ensuring the road worthiness of vehicles to making a goldmine out of unsuspecting members of the public they blackmail with the slightest opportunity to milk.

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Another Nigerian Lady Rescued From Lebanon By NAPTIP

Julie Oka-Donli

Julie Oka-Donli SaharaReporters Media

The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons says it has rescued another Nigerian lady, Mrs Kikelomo Olayide, who was allegedly deceived to Lebanon for employment, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Lagos State Commander of NAPTIP, Mr Daniel Atokolo, said this at a news conference organised by the agency in Lagos on Tuesday.

This is coming weeks after Omolola Ajayi, a Kwara-based 23-year-old single mother trafficked to Lebanon on the pretext of becoming an English teacher, was rescued by the government.

Olayide returned to Nigeria at 4:00pm on February 2 and is presently under the agency’s care. See Also International Ladies Trafficked To Lebanon Begs To Return Home After Nigerian Embassy Rejects Them 0 Comments 2 Weeks Ago

The commander said the victim was allegedly trafficked by a 54–year-old Lebanese (name withheld) in October 2019.

Atokolo said, “NAPTIP responded to Olayide’s husband complaints on January 30 when she was apprehended by the Lebanese, who is resident in Lagos.

“NAPTIP immediately mandated the suspect to release Olayide in Lebanon to be moved back to Nigeria.

“Olayide is a mother of two and an indigene of Kwara.”

Atokolo presenting the fact of the case said that the suspect trafficked the victim under the pretence of employing her as a caregiver to his aged mother in Lebanon.

“However, upon the victim’s arrival at Lebanon, she was received by an agent, who also handed her over to a family, where she was exploited as a domestic servant.

“The victim also reported that she was sexually harassed while working for the said family,” the NAPTIP Lagos Commander said.

According to Atokolo, when Olayide’s husband approached the suspect to return his wife, he was threatened.

“The suspect demanded that the victim would only be returned if the victim’s family provides another person to replace her. This is so sad,” the state commander said.

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Brigadier-General Nengite’s Wife, Chizoba, Denies Claims Of $15m Found In Her US Bank Account

The Source Magazine

Wife of Brigadier-General Charles Nengite, Chizoba, has denied allegations that between $11m and $15m was found in her bank account in the United States.

Mrs Nengite also said allegations that she was being investigated for money laundering in America were false.

She threatened to seek legal redress against sponsors or publishers of such "false information".

There were reports last December that the Nigerian Army detained Brigadier-General Nengite following the discovery of $16m in a bank account belonging to his wife.

He was said to have been held by the Army's Special Investigations Bureau, a department that handles matters relating to fraud and money laundering.

But Mrs Nengite, in a statement through her lawyer, Taofik Adeleke, described publications linking her to any such money as "false and malicious".

Adeleke said, “A false allegation by unknown sources was made against our client insinuating that our client was involved in money laundering activities.

"The said publications specifically stated that monies ranging from between $11m to $15m was found in our client’s private account in the United States of America and that our client is under investigation by the authorities in the United States of America.

“The false publication caused Mrs Nengite and her family a lot of undue embarrassment thus necessitating the need to refute the wrong information now in the public domain.

"We wish to state unequivocally on behalf of our client that the information is not true.

"At no time was such an amount of money or any huge sums of money found in our client’s account to warrant the false and malicious publication."

According to Adeleke, the woman had "never at any time been invited, interrogated or questioned by authorities in America as falsely claimed in the said publication.

"The false information in the public domain is only an imagination in the mind of mischief makers."

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Over 20,000 Admission Seekers Apply For 3000 Undergraduate Positions In FUTA

Federal University of Technology - Akure

Federal University of Technology - Akure Nigeria Schools

The Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State, has said that over 20,000 admission seekers applied to study in the institution for the 2019/2020 academic calendar.

Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Prof Joseph Fuwape, made the disclosure on Tuesday at an orientation programme held on the campus for newly admitted students.

Fuwape said out of the large figure, a total of 11,000 applicants seeking to study different undergraduate degree programmes in the university were able to meet the study requirement.

He added that the authorities of the institution was only able to admit a total of 3,270 new undergraduates due to the admission quota system.

Fuwape, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof Deji Ogunsemi, at the ceremony, lamented the poor academic record of students seeking admission into Nigerian universities.

He said, "For this session, over 20,000 applied to study here with over 11, 000 meeting the minimum admission requirement.

"Out of this figure, just over 3, 000 made it.”

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FAAN Terminates Contract With I-CUBE Over Access Gate Crisis

After about 35 hours of crisis between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and its concessionaire on toll gate, Integrated intelligence Imaging, the agency has finally terminated its contractual agreement with the firm.

I-CUBE had been in charge of the access gate at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, for about 10 years, but the current agreement was entered into in 2014 and ran out in 2019.

FAAN in a memo dated February 4, 2020, signed by its Managing Director, Capt Rabiu Yadudu, and titled: ‘Re: Concession Agreement between FAAN and Messrs I-Cube West Africa Limited in respect of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Access Gate,’ said the termination was with immediate effect.

FAAN in the memo said that it was ready to take over the place with a view to ascertaining the actual amount being generated from the place.

The memo asked the staff of the concessionaire to vacate the premises immediately.

The letter reads, “We refer to the above mentioned agreement which commenced on February 10, 2014 and expired on February 9, 2019.

“Kindly be informed that the authority has resolved to temporarily take over the management of the said Murtala Muhammed International Airport Access Gate with immediate effect to determine the actual revenue generated. By this letter you are requested to vacate the premises immediately.”

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Insecurity: Pastor Adeboye, CAN Rallies Commended By Presidency

SaharaReporters Media

The Presidency in Nigeria has said that the recent ‘prayer walk’ by the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and the Christian Association of Nigeria over the rising insecurity in the country represented the peaceful right of all Nigerians to express their views on matters of religion, ethics, politics, and society, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

He noted that the CAN peace walk originated from the “shocking, unacceptable death of Pastor Lawan Andimi at the hands of Boko Haram.

“The President feels their pain, and that of his family, for his loss.”

The President therefore maintained that whether Christian or Muslim, all Nigerians and their beliefs must be respected.

He said, “The duty of all of us is to uphold the rights of others to worship according to their faith – and to respect the rights of each other to do so freely in the spirit of brotherhood and respect – and without interference.

“This means, however, that we must stop false claims that only serve to divide one community against the other.

“There is no place in Nigeria for those who politicise religion. This is the President’s message to both Muslim and Christian communities alike.

“In the light of this, the CAN-inspired prayers and street enlightenment in our cities are much welcome as sensitisers to the need for all citizens irrespective of faith, religion or language to accept their duty and role in law enforcement, to prevent crime in all its manifestations, be it corruption, theft, terrorism, banditry or kidnapping.

“Without citizen involvement, there is no miracle with which less than half-a-million policemen can effectively protect a population of 200 million.

“CAN is right to arouse popular consciousness to this duty to the state.”

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Boko Haram Tag: PRNigeria Publisher Sues 'Youth Leader' Over Malicious Allegations

Publisher of PRNigeria, Mr Yushau Shuaib, has instituted legal action against Terrence Kuanum, leader of Benue Youth Forum, for accusing him of sponsoring Boko Haram activities after his article titled: 'A Memo to President Buhari on the Service Chiefs' went viral in the media.

Terrance in his own article titled ''A Rejoinder to an Impenitent Boko Haram Empathizer, Yushau A. Shuaib’s Spleen in Memo to President Buhari on Service Chiefs” described Yushau as "a Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province terrorists’ empathizer and spy proxy”.

He alleged that the PRNigeria Publisher has been conscripted and assigned to deploy his pen to up the ante in campaigns for the ouster of the current service chiefs in order to assist Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.

Shuaib in statement on Tuesday refuted the allegation, describing it as a smear campaign with a sinister Boko-Haram sympathiser labelled against him in order to provide an alibi for possible attacks and elimination by elements being sponsored for nefarious activities.

Shuaib said he has also noticed some strange movements in his vicinity, which prompted him to alert the security service.

He said, "I have already alerted security agencies and instructed my lawyers to institute legal action against Terrence Kuanum over the false and malicious allegation he levelled against me.

“He will have an opportunity to prove all the allegations in the court of law.”

To this end, Shuaib wondered why several media that did not publish the original memo found it worthwhile to report the rejoinder with a spurious motive and malignant intent.

He added, "Surprisingly, some of the media that didn't publish my original article went ahead to publish the libellous rejoinder of about 3000 words."

Shuaib said his reports are only aimed at promoting the fight against insurgency and protecting national security.

He also revealed that he had been under pressure not to further disclose the list of over 20 towns recovered by troops during the President Goodluck Jonathan administration in his articles.

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Corruption Is Nigeria’s Biggest Problem –EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that corruption remains the biggest challenge in Nigeria and not leadership.

Head of Uyo Zonal Office, Theresa Nwosu, said during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday.

She explained that the EFCC had put all hands on deck to ensure the eradication of corruption in order for Nigeria to succeed.

She said, “You heard Mr President sometimes ago when he said that if we don’t kill corruption, it will kill the nation, that is how bad it is.

“Every Nigerian knows that the problem we have in Nigeria today is corruption and whether this corruption wants to die or not, we will kill it.

“Although, many still see the activities of the commission as a witch-hunt, the big question is if you have classified EFCC as witch-hunters, why do you still make yourself a witch for EFCC to hunt?

“There is no innocent person that has been convicted, even though EFCC is not the judiciary that do the convictions.

“It is important to state that every Nigerian must get involved if we must succeed in killing this hydra headed monster as it has permeated our lives.”

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Corruption Is Nigeria’s Biggest Problem –EFCC