Police operatives attached to the Special Tactical Squad have arrested a seven-man criminal gang that attacked and robbed three commercial banks in Ondo and Ekiti between 2019 and 2020, killing innocent citizens including six policemen and carting away several millions of naira.
Investigation reveals that the armed robbers -- Tunbosun Ojo, Ismaila Ojo, Victor Oyeyemi, Dele Ariyo, Shola Oladimeji, Olubodun Folayemi and Adeniyi John – carried out the robbery of a commercial bank in Ile-oluji, Ondo State on February 7, 2020 where four policemen were killed.
Similarly, they were also involved in the robbery of a microfinance bank in Idanre, Ondo State in December 2019 and a commercial bank at Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State where two policemen lost their lives.
Efforts are being intensified to arrest other members of the gang still at large and to recover other sophisticated weapons used in the operations, Force spokesperson, Frank Mba,.said in a statement.
In a similar vein, 23 other suspects were also arrested by the police operatives for their involvement in various crimes including armed robbery, kidnapping, illegal possession of prohibited firearms, car snatching at gun point, amongst other offences.
The following were recovered from the suspects: one AK49 rifle, one AK47 rifle, two pump action guns, five locally made guns, 19 locally made short guns, 125 cartridges, 145 AK47 ammunition, locally fabricated explosives and a Toyota Corolla vehicle with Reg. No. LSR 490 GC.
The suspects will be charged to court on conclusion of investigations.
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Zainab Ahmed, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, has said President Muhammadu Buhari will sign the revised 2020 budget into law on Friday.
Ahmed said the move was targeted at keeping with the December-January budget circle.
“This for us is a journey towards ensuring that the progress that we have made as a collective to return the fiscal year to January-December is maintained for the 2021 budget as well.
“The President has directed that we must deliver the budget to the National Assembly by the end of September,” she said while briefing members of the National Assembly on Thursday.
Ahmed while giving an update on the 2020 budget implementation between January and May 2020, stated that the Federal Government’s retained revenue was N1.48trn, an amount representing 56 per cent of government’s target.
She added that out of the sum generated as revenue, oil revenues accounted for N701.6bn; non-oil tax revenues N439.32bn; Companies Income Tax (CIT) and Value Added Tax (VAT) collections - N213.24bn and N68.09bn; and Customs collection N158bn, respectively.
“Other revenues amounted to N339.51bn, of which Independent revenues was N80.22bn. Recoveries and Stamp duty collected during the period are yet to be booked in the fiscal accounts,” Ahmed said.
On Expenditure performance for the same period (January – May 2020), she disclosed that N1.25trn was expended for debt service; and N1.32trn for personnel cost, including pensions.
According to the Finance Minister, as at the end of May 2020, only N253.33bn had been released for capital expenditure.
Ahmed while giving underlying assumptions driving the macro-economic parameters and targets of the 2021 – 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, said the same was “revised in line with the emergent realities.”
She stated that the Oil Price Benchmark for the 2021 fiscal year was pegged at $35; and $40 for 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Oil production (mbpd) was placed at 1.86 for 2021, 2.09 for 2022, and 2.38 for the 2022 fiscal year; while the exchange rate remains at N360 to $1.
Ahmed stressed that, “Although Nigeria’s total production capacity is 2.5 million barrels per day, current crude production is about 1.4 million barrels per day – in compliance with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ production quota – and an additional 300,000 barrels per day of condensates, totaling about 1.7mbpd.”
She added that while the World Bank forecasts that crude oil prices will rise gradually from an average of $42 per barrel in 2021 to $44.5per barrel in 2022; and $47pb in 2023, it is also expected that Brent crude oil prices may average $41 per barrel during the second half of 2020 and $50pb during 2021, climbing as high as $53pb by the end of next year.
“The nominal Gross Domestic Product is expected to increase from N130,836.1bn in 2020 to N132,125.4bn in 2021 and then up to N138,415.8bn in 2023,” Ahmed said.
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Zainab Ahmed, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, has said President Muhammadu Buhari will sign the revised 2020 budget into law on Friday.
Ahmed said the move was targeted at keeping with the December-January budget circle.
“This for us is a journey towards ensuring that the progress that we have made as a collective to return the fiscal year to January-December is maintained for the 2021 budget as well.
“The President has directed that we must deliver the budget to the National Assembly by the end of September,” she said while briefing members of the National Assembly on Thursday.
Ahmed while giving an update on the 2020 budget implementation between January and May 2020, stated that the Federal Government’s retained revenue was N1.48trn, an amount representing 56 per cent of government’s target.
She added that out of the sum generated as revenue, oil revenues accounted for N701.6bn; non-oil tax revenues N439.32bn; Companies Income Tax (CIT) and Value Added Tax (VAT) collections - N213.24bn and N68.09bn; and Customs collection N158bn, respectively.
“Other revenues amounted to N339.51bn, of which Independent revenues was N80.22bn. Recoveries and Stamp duty collected during the period are yet to be booked in the fiscal accounts,” Ahmed said.
On Expenditure performance for the same period (January – May 2020), she disclosed that N1.25trn was expended for debt service; and N1.32trn for personnel cost, including pensions.
According to the Finance Minister, as at the end of May 2020, only N253.33bn had been released for capital expenditure.
Ahmed while giving underlying assumptions driving the macro-economic parameters and targets of the 2021 – 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, said the same was “revised in line with the emergent realities.”
She stated that the Oil Price Benchmark for the 2021 fiscal year was pegged at $35; and $40 for 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Oil production (mbpd) was placed at 1.86 for 2021, 2.09 for 2022, and 2.38 for the 2022 fiscal year; while the exchange rate remains at N360 to $1.
Ahmed stressed that, “Although Nigeria’s total production capacity is 2.5 million barrels per day, current crude production is about 1.4 million barrels per day – in compliance with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ production quota – and an additional 300,000 barrels per day of condensates, totaling about 1.7mbpd.”
She added that while the World Bank forecasts that crude oil prices will rise gradually from an average of $42 per barrel in 2021 to $44.5per barrel in 2022; and $47pb in 2023, it is also expected that Brent crude oil prices may average $41 per barrel during the second half of 2020 and $50pb during 2021, climbing as high as $53pb by the end of next year.
“The nominal Gross Domestic Product is expected to increase from N130,836.1bn in 2020 to N132,125.4bn in 2021 and then up to N138,415.8bn in 2023,” Ahmed said.
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There was mild drama at Nigeria's House of Representatives on Thursday after the Lebanese Amabassador to Nigeria walked out of a meeting targeted at addressing the harassment of Nigerian domestic workers in Lebabnon.
Houssam Diab shortly after entering the conference room for the meeting with the House Commitee on Diaspora walked out, leaving the lawmakers shocked in the process.
The ambassador reportedly stormed out at 10:50am because he expected a close door meeting with the lawmakers but met government officials and journalists, who were there to cover the event.
Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, Chairman of the committee, expressed shock over the incident.
Some lawmakers reportedly followed the ambassador to persuade him to return while the committee sent journalists, security personnel and legislative aides away from the venue.
After the meeting, Akande-Sadipe changed stance, saying, “It was an informal meeting because the ambassador was nice enough to join us at the meeting. There is no law that says he has to be here today but because he has an interest in the joint relationship between Nigeria and Lebanon.
“We have a lot of Nigerians in Lebanon and we have a lot of Lebanese in Nigeria. We have a relationship with Lebanon from the 50s.
“This meeting today has further reiterated that the Lebanese community and the Nigerian community always stand together to ensure that justice and respect for human lives is a priority, and we will work together to bring modern-day slavery to an end.”
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There was mild drama at Nigeria's House of Representatives on Thursday after the Lebanese Amabassador to Nigeria walked out of a meeting targeted at addressing the harassment of Nigerian domestic workers in Lebabnon.
Houssam Diab shortly after entering the conference room for the meeting with the House Commitee on Diaspora walked out, leaving the lawmakers shocked in the process.
The ambassador reportedly stormed out at 10:50am because he expected a close door meeting with the lawmakers but met government officials and journalists, who were there to cover the event.
Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, Chairman of the committee, expressed shock over the incident.
Some lawmakers reportedly followed the ambassador to persuade him to return while the committee sent journalists, security personnel and legislative aides away from the venue.
After the meeting, Akande-Sadipe changed stance, saying, “It was an informal meeting because the ambassador was nice enough to join us at the meeting. There is no law that says he has to be here today but because he has an interest in the joint relationship between Nigeria and Lebanon.
“We have a lot of Nigerians in Lebanon and we have a lot of Lebanese in Nigeria. We have a relationship with Lebanon from the 50s.
“This meeting today has further reiterated that the Lebanese community and the Nigerian community always stand together to ensure that justice and respect for human lives is a priority, and we will work together to bring modern-day slavery to an end.”
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Delta State Government House Press Unit has been shut down as two media aides to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and 43 other staff tested positive for Coronavirus.
SaharaReporters gathered that Okowa's aides, Nelson Egware, Senior Special Assistant on Media, Fidelis Egugbo, Special Assistant on Media, and Kingsley Obiajuru, Public Relations Officer, Government House Press Unit, and 43 staff on Wednesday tested positive for the virus after their samples were collected and forwarded to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State for screening.
Governor Okowa, who tested positive with his wife and daughter to the virus, had ordered a total screening of all workers in Government House including the Press Unit, insisting that those, who refused to go for test should consider themselves sacked.
Confirming the story of the governor's aides, who tested positive for the virus on Thursday, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Olisa Ifeajika, said the two media aides and the Public Relations Officer were screened four days ago, adding that they tested positive for the virus and have been taken to the isolation centre in Asaba for treatment.
He said, “It’s unfortunate that two media aides, Nelson and Fidelis Egugbo have tested positive for COVID-19 and they will immediately commence treatment at the isolation centre. When the governor ordered that all the workers in Government House Press Unit should carry out test for them to know their status, we complied immediately.
"We have shut down the Press Unit and we are working online until everyone is treated for the virus, especially for those who tested positive."
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As plans thicken to impeach Ondo State deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, Speaker of the state's House of Assembly, Bamidele Oleyelogun, has written to the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, to set up a seven-man panel to investigate the notice of gross misconduct levelled against Ajayi.
Recall that the state's House of Assembly members had on Tuesday served an impeachment notice on Ajayi with allegations including gross misconduct and abuse of office.
SaharaReporters had reported how a total of 14 out of 26 lawmakers signed the impeachment notice against the deputy governor.
But on Thursday, Oleyelogun said the Assembly decided to write the CJ to set up the investigative panel to probe the allegations against Ajayi.
Oleyelogun said the setting up of the panel was in line with section 188 (5) of the 1999 constitution as amended.
"It is in line with the above that request that you set up the seven-man panel to conduct the investigation as resolved by the House and panel, shall soon as possible, report back to the House."
Meanwhile, the nine members of the state's House of Assembly loyal to the deputy governor have also written to the Chief Judge to distance themselves from the planned impeachment of Ajayi.
In their letter dated July 9, 2020, the lawmakers said they had duly disassociated themselves from the ongoing impeachment process of the deputy governor in a letter sent to the Clerk and Speaker of the House of Assembly.
The letter reads, "Kindly be informed that nine underlisted elected members of Ondo State House of Assembly have duly disassociated ourselves from the ongoing impeachment process of the deputy governor, Agboola Alfred Ajayi, in a letter dated 7th July 2020, to the Clerk and Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly.
"We want to state and confirm to your good office that we maintain our stand by dissociating ourselves from the impeachment process. We are not in support of the impeachment based on our individual personal conviction.
"We are rest assured that your lordship will uphold section 188 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) particularly section 188 (3)(4)(5)-(11).
"It is equally worthy of note that the total membership of Ondo State House of Assembly is 26 in which the 2/3 is 18.
"We are writing to call your attention to the fact that all or some of us who are signatories to this letter may be suspended in order to circumvent the provision of the constitution of Nigeria, which we all swore to uphold and protect, including your Lordship, as this will be contrary to the laws of the land."
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As plans thicken to impeach Ondo State deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, Speaker of the state's House of Assembly, Bamidele Oleyelogun, has written to the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, to set up a seven-man panel to investigate the notice of gross misconduct levelled against Ajayi.
Recall that the state's House of Assembly members had on Tuesday served an impeachment notice on Ajayi with allegations including gross misconduct and abuse of office.
SaharaReporters had reported how a total of 14 out of 26 lawmakers signed the impeachment notice against the deputy governor.
But on Thursday, Oleyelogun said the Assembly decided to write the CJ to set up the investigative panel to probe the allegations against Ajayi.
Oleyelogun said the setting up of the panel was in line with section 188 (5) of the 1999 constitution as amended.
"It is in line with the above that request that you set up the seven-man panel to conduct the investigation as resolved by the House and panel, shall soon as possible, report back to the House."
Meanwhile, the nine members of the state's House of Assembly loyal to the deputy governor have also written to the Chief Judge to distance themselves from the planned impeachment of Ajayi.
In their letter dated July 9, 2020, the lawmakers said they had duly disassociated themselves from the ongoing impeachment process of the deputy governor in a letter sent to the Clerk and Speaker of the House of Assembly.
The letter reads, "Kindly be informed that nine underlisted elected members of Ondo State House of Assembly have duly disassociated ourselves from the ongoing impeachment process of the deputy governor, Agboola Alfred Ajayi, in a letter dated 7th July 2020, to the Clerk and Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly.
"We want to state and confirm to your good office that we maintain our stand by dissociating ourselves from the impeachment process. We are not in support of the impeachment based on our individual personal conviction.
"We are rest assured that your lordship will uphold section 188 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) particularly section 188 (3)(4)(5)-(11).
"It is equally worthy of note that the total membership of Ondo State House of Assembly is 26 in which the 2/3 is 18.
"We are writing to call your attention to the fact that all or some of us who are signatories to this letter may be suspended in order to circumvent the provision of the constitution of Nigeria, which we all swore to uphold and protect, including your Lordship, as this will be contrary to the laws of the land."
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Gunmen on Thursday killed a navy officer and a woman in camouflage along the Lokoja-Okene Expressway in Kogi State.
SaharaReporters gathered that the incident occurred at about 6:00pm.
This comes a few days after suspected bandits killed a Nigerian Army officer, GSM Abubakar, along the same highway.
Abubakar, a captain attached to the 353 Artillery Regiment, Ojo, Lagos, was travelling from Lagos to the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, in company with his wife and mother to participate in this year’s junior officers course when bandits opened fire on them, killing the soldier instantly.
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A former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, has paid a visit to the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja ahead of the National Convention of the party.
Sherrif arrived the secretariat at about 4:00pm on Thursday but declined to speak to journalists on his mission to the APC complex. Ali Modu SheriffSahara Reporters Media
He has been mentioned among those eyeing the chairmanship position of the party.
SaharaReporters gathered that the former Borno governor is already reaching out to critical stakeholders in the party in relation to his ambition.
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A former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, has paid a visit to the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja ahead of the National Convention of the party.
Sherrif arrived the secretariat at about 4:00pm on Thursday but declined to speak to journalists on his mission to the APC complex. Ali Modu SheriffSahara Reporters Media
He has been mentioned among those eyeing the chairmanship position of the party.
SaharaReporters gathered that the former Borno governor is already reaching out to critical stakeholders in the party in relation to his ambition.
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Afenifere, Yoruba socio-political organisation, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, for stopping the reopening of schools as the country battles the Coronavirus outbreak.
The group said it was wrong to shut down schools while markets and other public places were open for business.
Adamu had on Wednesday said that schools would remain closed until the Coronavirus pandemic was brought under control.
Secretary-General of the association, Sehinde Arogbofa, who spoke in Akure, Ondo State, said the Nigerian Government should allow pupils go back to school.
He said, "Adamu Adamu should be sacked, he cannot bring our school system back to the stone age.
"They had about six months to plan for these children, what where they doing? The last six months, all these children have been preparing for the WASCE, what did the Federal Government do?
"I think the two ministers in the ministry should go, why would one say the pupils should resume to write their paper in August.and the other minister would come and reverse the order and that the school would be closed down for the whole year.
"It is reality that the COVID-19 is in the country but they should have envisaged what will happen and make necessary arrangements against it for pupils. Why should education be closed down for a whole year?
"It means the two of them (ministers) don't know what they are doing and this is why they have to leave the office."
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Joe Biden, Democratic Party candidate in the US presidential election, has promised to make America more friendly to immigrants in his first 100 days in office.
According to policy information provided on his campaign website, Joebiden.com, Biden said if elected in November as President of the United States of America, he will reverse the ban placed on countries such as Nigeria with predominantly Muslim population, which prevents them from immigrating to the US.
Recall that in February 2020, President Donald Trump added Nigeria to a list of 13 nations facing stringent travel restrictions.
The list also include Myanmar, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan, Eritrea, and Tanzania due to activities of extremist Islamic groups in the countries. Joe BidenAS English
It banned citizens of these countries from moving to the United States through the diversity visa lottery, which grants green cards to as many as 50,000 people a year.
Biden, who is Trumps biggest challenger for the top job, said he will, “End these policies starting with Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols, and restore our asylum laws so that they do what they should be designed to do–protect people fleeing persecution and who cannot return home safely…Biden will dramatically increase U.S. government resources to support migrants awaiting assessment of their asylum claims and to the organizations providing for their needs.
“The Trump administration’s anti-Muslim bias hurts our economy, betrays our values, and can serve as a powerful terrorist recruiting tool. Prohibiting Muslims from entering the country is morally wrong, and there is no intelligence or evidence that suggests it makes our nation more secure. It is yet another abuse of power by the Trump administration designed to target primarily black and brown immigrants. Biden will immediately rescind the Muslim bans."
He also vowed to protect “Dreamers” — undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children but have been productive members of society by going to school or doing the US military.
“Dreamers and their parents should have a roadmap to citizenship through legislative immigration reform. But in the meantime, Biden will remove the uncertainty for Dreamers by reinstating the DACA program, and he will explore all legal options to protect their families from inhumane separation. Biden will also ensure Dreamers are eligible for federal student aid (loans, Pell grants) and are included in his proposals to provide access to community college without debt and invest in HBCU/Hispanic Serving Institution/Minority Serving Institutions, which will help Dreamers contribute even more to our economy”.
As part of his plan for immigration, Biden said he would order an immediate review of Temporary Protected Status for vulnerable populations, who cannot find safety in their countries ripped apart by violence or disaster.
He said the Trump administration’s politically-motivated decisions to rescind protected status for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing countries impacted by war and natural disasters — without regard for current country conditions — is a recipe for disaster.
“Biden will protect TPS and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders from being returned to countries that are unsafe. TPS/DED holders who have been in the country for an extended period of time and built lives in the U.S. will also be offered a path to citizenship through legislative immigration reform,” his website says.
The former US Vice President is also promising to reform the temporary visa system to eliminate limit on employment-based visas by country.
“High skilled temporary visas should not be used to disincentivize recruiting workers already in the U.S. for in-demand occupations. An immigration system that crowds out high-skilled workers in favor of only entry-level wages and skills threatens American innovation and competitiveness. Biden will work with Congress to first reform temporary visas to establish a wage-based allocation process and establish enforcement mechanisms to ensure they are aligned with the labor market and not used to undermine wages. Then, Biden will support expanding the number of high-skilled visas and eliminating the limits on employment-based visas by country, which create unacceptably long backlogs,” according to his campaign organisation.
Biden said will revisit the Diversity Visa Lottery, which Trump “set his sights on abolishing” to ensure that immigrants everywhere have the chance of becoming US citizens.
He said, “This is a program that brings up to 50,000 immigrants from underrepresented countries to the U.S. each year. He has disparaged the system as a “horror show” and repeatedly misrepresents how the lottery is administered while demonizing and insulting with racist overtones those who receive the visas. Diversity preferences are essential to preserving a robust and vibrant immigration system. As president, Biden will reaffirm our core values and preserve the critical role of diversity preferences to ensure immigrants everywhere have the chance to legally become U.S. citizens.”
He added that he would defend the naturalisation process for green card holders.
“A Biden administration will streamline and improve the naturalization process to make it more accessible to qualified green cardholders. The Trump administration has made it far too difficult for qualifying green cardholders to obtain citizenship. Quite simply, this is wrong. Biden will restore faith in the citizenship process by removing roadblocks to naturalization and obtaining the right to vote, addressing the application backlog by prioritizing the adjudication workstream and ensuring applications are processed quickly, and rejecting the imposition of unreasonable fees," his website said.
Biden also said he will create a new visa category allowing cities in the US struggling with shrinking populations to apply for immigrants who can come and support the region's economic development strategy.
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The Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State has accused the state governor, Kayode Fayemi, of colluding with a Lagos-based private company, United Capital Plc, to loot over N6bn from pensioners in the state.
The party described the state government's new scheme in which pensioners desirous of getting their gratuities and pensions are made to sign-off 15 per cent of their entitlements as wicked, callous and fraudulent.
In a statement on Thursday by the PDP Caretaker Committee Secretary, Prince Diran Odeyemi, the party blamed Governor Fayemi for the accumulated pensions and gratuities in the state, saying, "During his first tenure when Ekiti State was receiving as much as N7bn as monthly allocation and over N46bn from the Excess Crude Account, Fayemi refused to pay retirees. He stopped allocating fund to the Pension Transition Arrangement Department in July 2012.
“We want to ask Governor Fayemi if contractors in the state who are being paid with borrowed funds are also made to part with 15 percent of the contract sum as condition to get paid”.
"When Governor Fayemi returned as governor in 2018, he introduced favouritism to the payment of entitlements of retiree, as he chose to pay retired permanent secretaries who retired in 2018 and 2019, with gratuities ranging between N12m and N15m and monthly pension running to over N400,000 each, while the junior ones, who are the most vulnerable with gratuity not more than N2m and monthly pension less than N30,000 were left unpaid." Kayode Fayemi
Odeyemi disclosed that the state government was going to borrow over N40bn to pay the pensioners, asking; "If a government is borrowing money that will be repaid by the pensioners and other indigenes of the state, including those yet to be born, how sensible is it to still make the pensioners part with 15 per cent of their entitlement?"
He accused Governor Fayemi of seeking to eat from the sweat of the pensioners, alleging a suspicion that the governor will be getting10 per cent out of the 15 per cent to be deducted from the pensioners' entitlement.
"We have been reliably informed that the 10 per cent, which amounts to over N4bn is to be paid into a offshore account owned by a crony of the governor," he alleged.
While reiterating that Governor Fayemi was the architect of the present problems being faced by pensioners in Ekiti State, the PDP said even during the government of Ayodele Fayose the economy was extremely bad and the state was unable to meet most of its obligations, N10m was being released to the Pension Transition Arrangement Department monthly.
"To us in the PDP, it will amount to the peak of wickedness and selfishness for Governor Fayemi to profit from his own inhumanity to the pensioners and this new scam of making the poor pensioners to part with 15 per cent of their entitlements for his own personal benefits will fail," he said.
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The Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has asked Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate state-owned NEXIM Bank over its plan to give the ruling All Progressives Congress $500m to conduct elections in the state.
In a statement on Thursday, PDP spokesperson in the state, Chris Osa Nehikhare, said there are plans to convert the money into a loan, which will in the long term burden the Edo State people.
The PDP said, “In the desperation of Ali Baba and the forty thieves to win Edo State at all cost, as it is becoming increasingly clear that they won't, and increasingly difficult not just to market their candidate, but to raise funds for the elections, they have decided to "raid" a national institution called NEXIM Bank and bleed it to the outrageous tune of $500m.
“This outrageous sum we are informed will be converted to a loan and the burden of repayment placed on Edo people.
“The APC federal government has not been able to establish "anything" in its 5 years in power but has been responsible for the decimation and crippling of many it inherited.
“It is indeed ironic that while the ruling party APC prides (pretends) itself as an anti-corruption government, it's a governor who was caught on video collecting gratification has been saddled with the responsibility of delivering another governor. A lizard cannot give birth to a crocodile no matter the size!
“Let us be clear on one thing, APC has only one goal, and that goal is not fighting corruption. It is advancing its cause!
“This is another reason Edo people must reject APC and not allow them near Edo State treasury!
“Investigations reveal that the APC National Campaign Council in collaboration with a director in NEXIM bank have perfected plans to deplete our common patrimony by drawing down $500m to prosecute the Edo election. This unholy arrangement is absurd, illegal and criminal and must be condemned by all.
“We advise the APC and its cohorts in NEXIM bank to perish this criminal thought and allow the bank to concentrate and have enough cash in its coffers to face its primary assignment of promoting and providing loans to SMEs and other businesses so that we can grow our economy.
“We hereby call on the Inspector-General of Police and the EFCC to investigate and prosecute all those involved in this great heist.”
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