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  • Sanwo-Olu repays over N500,000 debt owed by suicidal entrepreneur

    Sanwo-Olu repays over N500,000 debt owed by suicidal entrepreneur

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recently gave a businessman in the state Abiodun Adeyinka who attempted to jump into the Third Mainland Bridge lagoon during the Eid-el-Kabir festival on Friday,a lifeline

     

    Lagos police spokesman Bala Elkana said in a statement on Sunday that Mr Abiodun was intercepted from jumping into the lagoon by policemen attached to the Bariga Division.

    He said Abiodun had approached a microfinance bank for N390,000 to boost his wine retail business but could not repay the loan and the accrued interest.

     

    The 45-year-old, a father of two, who lives in Ikotun was said to have told the police that he tried to take his life because of his indebtedness.

     

    “He (Abiodun) stated that in March 2020, he obtained a loan of N390,000 with a repayment plan for six months and accrued interest of N142,287,25 from a microfinance bank on the Lagos Island. The loan was collected with the intention of upgrading his wine retail business, but the business failed and the money was lost.

     

    “He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He is married with two children. He is currently attending medical and counselling sessions,” Mr Elkana said.

     

    The police spokesman further noted that the microfinance bank which gave out the loan was contacted to confirm the transaction and after confirmation Mr Sanwo-Olu, moved with compassion, repaid the loan.

     

    Elkana said, “The microfinance bank was contacted and it confirmed the loan. The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, moved with compassion, came to the rescue of the victim by repaying the loan.

     

    “Worried by the rate at which people are killing themselves, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, enjoined Lagosians to always explore other means of addressing life challenges other than resorting to taking their own lives, as suicide is never an option.”

     

    Elkana said Abiodun’s case was the eighth suicidal attempt prevented in the state in the last two months.

     

  • BREAKING: Funke Akindele, husband sentenced for breaching lockdown order

    BREAKING: Funke Akindele, husband sentenced for breaching lockdown order

    Lagos State Magistrate Court in Ogba has sentenced sensational actress, Funke Akindele, and her husband, Abdulrasheed Bello, better known as JJC Skillz, to three weeks of community service.

    The court on today also directed them to pay a fine of N100,000 each for violating the government’s social distancing rules by holding a party on Saturday.

    Magistrate Aje Afunwa ordered that they should be placed in self-isolation, and that the couple must gather the names and phone numbers of everyone who attended the birthday party and submit same to the court.

    They were arraigned on Monday at the Samuel Ilori Courthouse of the Magistrate Court in Ogba, Lagos. The charge against them is made pursuant to the Regulation 8(1a &b) and S 17(1) of the State’s Infectious Disease Regulation 2020.

     

  • No state will pay less than N30,000 minimum wage – Governors

    No state will pay less than N30,000 minimum wage – Governors

    Nigeria governors said they cannot backtrack on their decision to pay the N30,000 minimum wage, describing it as “a settled matter”.

    NGF Chairman and Governor of Ekiti, Dr Kayode Fayemi made the clarification in Abuja while answering questions from newsmen at the end of the forum meeting held at forum Secretariat in Abuja.

    Fayemi denied the allegation by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that many governors were yet to commence negotiations with their state chapters’ union over the implementation, saying negotiations have started in each state.

    “Governors have all indicated without any equivocation that we subscribe to the Act of Parliament that has been passed on the 30,000 minimum wage. There is no debate, we have accepted that” Fayemi said.

    “The negotiation team you are talking about is about the consequential impact and each state has started that process.

    “If the NLC is not fully aware of the status of the negotiations in the various state we will be happy to share the information available to us with them.”

    Fayemi also stated that there is no decision by the NGF to backtrack the minimum wage even though not all states can afford it but they will all pay the N30,000 and some might pay more.

    “However, fingers are not equal, states have to negotiate in term of the consequential implementation, there may be states that are in a position to pay N50,000, ” Fayemi said.

    “What we can tell you is that no state we pay less than, N30,000 when we finally get to that point.”

  • FG to renegotiate full implementation of N30,000 minimum wage

    FG to renegotiate full implementation of N30,000 minimum wage

    The Federal Government is set to reconstitute a new committee to begin fresh negotiations for the full implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,000.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

    “The President has put in place a new committee or council called ‘Presidential Committee On Salaries and Allowances,” he said.

    Senator Ngige made the revelation when the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) paid him a courtesy visit at his office in the nation’s capital.

    He, however, warned that the delay in agreement for the full implementation of the new minimum wage may put the Federal and State governments in a difficult position to pay because of the backlog that would arise.

    The minister explained that it was important for workers earning above N30,000 and on grade level seven to 17 to be patient.

    He gave assurance that the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage implementation was being sorted out.

    Senator Ngige added, “It is important that we advise them (the stakeholders), because we are not yet back on that negotiation, that if they keep on piling debts, the Federal Government might run into problem of payment.

    “The state governments that have not been regular with payments will have problems.”

    He, therefore, promised to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the stalemated negotiation on the new wage.

    The minister informed the labour leaders that the Federal Government was committed to the full implementation of the minimum wage.

    Also present at the meeting were the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, and the NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, among others.

  • CBN begins charges on deposits, withdrawals above N500,000

    *Deduction of (3%) N15K on withdrawals above N500, 000 for individual accounts.
    Deduction of (2%) N10K on deposits above N500, 000 for individual accounts

    *Corporate accounts: Deduction of (5%) N150k for withdrawals and (3%) N90k processing fee for lodgments of amounts above N3, 000, 000

    The Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday said that the nationwide implementation of the cashless policy will begin by March 2020.

    The apex bank said this in a circular to all Deposit Money Banks in the country.

    It said that implementation of the policy would signal the imposition of charges on deposits in addition to already existing charges on withdrawals.

    According to the circular, the charges, which take effect from Wednesday (today) will attract three per cent processing fees for withdrawals and two per cent processing fees for lodgments of amounts above N500, 000 for individual accounts.

    For corporate accounts, the apex bank in the circular said that DMBs would charge five per cent processing fees for withdrawals and three per cent processing fee for lodgments of amounts above N3, 000, 000.

    The statement, however, disclosed that the charge on deposits would apply in Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Anambra, and Rivers States as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

    It added that the implementation of the cashless policy would take effect from March 31, 2020.

    To further promote the cashless policy and enhance the collection of applicable government revenues, the CBN also announced a review of the process for merchant settlement.

    It added that with effect from Tuesday, September 17, the CBN had given approval for banks to unbundle merchant settlement amounts and charge applicable taxes and duties on individual transactions as stipulated by regulations.

    A statement signed by the Director, Payments System Management Department, CBN, Sam Okojere, said a downward review of the Merchant Service Charge had been approved.

    It said henceforth, the charges had been reduced from 0.75 per cent capped at N1, 200 to 0.50 per cent capped at N1, 000.

  • Minimum Wage: We won’t accept anything below N30,000, Labour tells governors

    Organised labour Thursday warned that no state chapter of the labour movement would accept any renegotiation for downward review of the already signed minimum wage law of N30,000 from any state governor.

    The National President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Ayuba Wabba, made the declaration in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, while presiding over the election of new leadership of NLC in the state.

    He stated that the Nigerian workers were under strict instructions not to accept any minimum wage less than N30,000 from the governors.

    Wabba said the new minimum wage had become binding, having been approved by the two chambers of the National Assembly and signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said that the excuses by some governors that they could not pay the new wage was an afterthought and therefore untenable.

    At the state NLC delegates conference, where the former Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, Ekiti State University Branch, Mr. Olatunde Kolapo, was elected as the new state chairman, Wabba insisted that the new wage would not be compromised under any guise.

    Kolapo emerged unopposed among other executive members that were elected.

    Wabba, whose address was delivered by an Ex-officio member of the Congress, Maureen Onyia-Ekwuazi, said the Congress would not take anything short of N30,000 as minimum wage from state governors since it had become “a law binding on everybody”.

    “Once the minimum wage bill has been signed by President Buhari it has become a law and we won’t allow any governor to circumvent the law.

    “What we asked for was a living wage and we cannot allow anybody to shortchange our members,” he said.
    Wabba urged the new labour leaders in the state to be resolute and committed in the struggle for improved welfare of their members, saying that should be done without compromise.

    Performing the opening ceremony, Governor Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Mr Biodun Omoleye, promised the readiness of state government to pay the N30,000 minimum wage.

    The governor said the newly-elected leadership of the trade unions in the state would be invited soon for a meeting on the modalties for the payment.

  • I was paid N25,000 after killing Badeh – Suspect confesses

    Shuaibu Rabi, One of the prime suspects nabbed in connection with the killing of former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Alex Badeh, said he was paid N25,000.

    Recall that Air Vice-Marshal Badeh was killed on December 18 last year by hoodlums who attacked his convoy on the Keffi- Kaduna Expressway while he was returning from his farm on the border between Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory.

    The revelation is coming on the heels of the arrest of four additional suspects believed to have taken active roles in the murder, including an informant identified simply as Maube.

    Detectives from the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have revealed that the killers of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Alex Badeh, used a Dane gun.

    The IRT source further disclosed that the arrest of the four additional suspects brought the number of suspects arrested in connection with the killing to five. It recalled that IRT operatives had on December 23, 2018, through a tip-off, arrested one Rabo Shuiabu Rabo, who allegedly fired the shot that killed the ex-CDS, and he confessed during interrogation that another suspect known as Ciroma invited him and his brother, Yayaha, for the operation.

    Shuaibu was said to have stated further that Ciroma, who provided three of the guns they used for the operation, including the Dane gun he used in killing the ex-CDS, did not tell him that their target was a former CDS. Shuiabu confessed that Ciroma told him that their target was coming to Panda area of Nassarawa State with a huge amount of money which he intended to use in buying a farmland in the area.

    The IRT source further revealed that after Badeh was killed and one of his friends, Joseph, was kidnapped, operatives of the IRT, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, swung into action and arrested Shuiabu through information provided by some Fulani businessmen within the state, and Shuiabu’s confessions aided the IRT operatives in apprehending, Ciroma and three other suspects, namely Maube, Yayaha and Abdulahi. The source also disclosed that after the four other suspects were arrested, it was discovered that Maube, who was the middleman between the late Badeh and the owner of the farmland which he wanted to buy, contracted Ciroma and the other four suspects to attack Badeh’s convoy on a fateful day.

    He was said to have been the one who brought two of the Ak-47 rifles that were used for the operation while Ciroma sourced the three other rifles, including the Dane gun that was used for the operation. The source added that when Badeh’s corpse was examined, pellets from the Dane gun’s bullet were extracted from his body. Narrating how he organised the robbery operation that led to the killing of the late ex-CDS, Ciroma said: “There was a day I went to meet a man called Maube, who lives in Kare, close to Panda area of Nasarawa State. He told me that there was a rich man who had a farm in his area and he would need some boys to rob the man. “I contacted one Shuiabu who I met in Gitata Market and told him about the plan and he got interested and brought in his brother, Yahaya. “I took their numbers, and three days later, Maube called me and said that the rich man was in his farm on that day, saying that I should call my boys. I called Shuiabu and told him that the man was on ground and Shuiabu brought two persons: Yahaya and Baso.

    “They met me at Gitata and Maube called me and said that the rich man had left the farm and was driving through Panda Road. Maube took a motorcycle and followed the rich man behind while I and six others, namely Alhaji Lamido, Galma, Rabo, Shuiabu, Yahaya and Baso, waited for the man at Zomgo area of the state, close to Buratai’s farm. “Then Abdulahi, who was carrying Alhaji Maube on his bike, brought two guns to us and pointed the vehicle to us, and we came outside and waylaid it. “We had four Ak-47 rifles in that operation. I brought two Ak-47 rifles and a single-barrel Dane gun. I got one of the Ak-47 rifles from a friend known as Rontumi and another from Rugumi.

    The Dane gun belongs to me, and we entered the road and blocked the man’s convoy. I don’t know who among us fired the shot that killed him because three persons fired. “I went to the man’s car, opened it and found money in it. I gave the money to Ibrahim Abdulahi and asked him to give the money to Maube. It was the next day that we knew that the person we killed was a four-star general. I don’t know the amount that was in that bag because it was with Maube.” Recalling how he was arrested, 35-year-old Ciroma, who said he has two wives and eight children, said: “I am a taxi driver and I ply the Kaduna-Keffi Expressway. “Around 5 pm on 24 December, 2018, I was at Panda Market, waiting for passengers when a bus blocked me and policemen came out of it. I was dragged into the bus and I saw Shuiabu in it. “I was swiftly handcuffed and taken to the Keffi Area Command in Nasarawa State. There they asked me if I was part of the gang that blocked the road and killed Alex Badeh, and I said no. But when I was brought to Abuja, I had no option but to confess.” On his part, Ibrahim Abudulahi, 26, a native of Kare area of Nassarawa State, said he did not know that Alhaji Maube was planning a robbery operation when he called him to take him to Gitata in December 2018. He said: “I am a farmer and I also ride commercial motorcycle because I needed extra money to fend for my family.

    “Alhaji (Maube) called me on a Tuesday in December 2018 and asked me to take him to Panda area of Nasarawa State. “When we got to his shop, he asked me to stop and I did. He went into his shop and brought a bag. I didn’t know what was in the bag. He only told me to take the bag to Gitata and hand it over to Ciroma. “I went there and stopped at Buritai’s farm where Ciroma and Shuiabu and Alhaji came to meet me and collected the bag from me, after which they asked me to wait nearby, but I went to the back of Buritai’s farm and waited. “A few minutes later, I heard rounds of gunshots and Ciroma called me to come for the bag I gave him, and he also handed me another bag containing money and told me to give the bag to Alhaji Maube.” Shuiabu, 25, a native of Bade area of Kaduna State, said he was not aware that it was the bullets from his gun was that killed the Badeh, adding that he was not the only person that shot at the deceased general’s convoy. He said: “What happened was that before last year’s Christmas, I went to the market and I met Ciroma, and he told me that there was a big man who had a farm in Panda and was coming to buy another farm within the area.

    “He said he would want us to rob the man when he brought the money for payment. It was on a Friday and Ciroma told me that the man was coming on a Tuesday to pay for the land. “On that Tuesday, I went to my own farm and told my friend Yahaya about it. We called Ciroma to know if the job was still on, and Chiroma asked us to come. I also called one of my friends known as Baso and we went through the back of Gitata and got to Bruitaia’s farm. “When we met Ciroma, he gave me a Dane gun but I saw five guns with him. He gave the rest to the other people with us. “When the operation started, my friend, Yahaya, was on my right with a stick and I was in the front. But Ciroma and the other guys were ahead of us. When the vehicle that was carrying the man and the money came, the people in front started shooting. “At that point, I cannot tell who killed the man. And when we got to the vehicle, Ciroma brought out a bag from it. He gave me N25,000 and said he would call me when the money was ripe for sharing. I didn’t know that the man was killed by the bullet from the gun I used for the operation.”

  • EFCC tells court how ex-NNPC GMD, Yakubu concealed $9.7m, £74,000

    EFCC tells court how ex-NNPC GMD, Yakubu concealed $9.7m, £74,000

    A Prosecution witness. Sambo Maina on Thursday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja how a former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, concealed the sum of $9,772,800 found in his apartment

    The former NNPC boss is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for money laundering and false declaration of assets .
    Wren the matter came up yesterday, the witness, the foirth in the matter, who is an operative with the anti-graft agency told the trial Judge,Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed that the former NNPC boss also failed to declare the sum of £74,000 found in his building in the assets declaration form.
    While narrating how EFCC came about the ‘Declaration Form’, Sambo said: “We commenced investigation into two categories of NNPC contract. The contracts were awarded by NNPC and its subsidiaries.
    “The first category of the contract relates to strategic alliance agreement between the NNPC, its subsidiaries NPDC (Nigerian Petroleum Development Company) and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Ltd.
    “The first strategic alliance agreement was on oil mining lease 26/30/34/40/42 and the second contract was on oil mining lease 60/61/62/63”.
    He added that the investigation was sequel to intelligence report received by the EFCC relating to suspicious fund transfers from the Nigerian account of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept to its sister company in Switzerland called Atlantic Energy Holdings, including additional transfers from Atlantic Energy Brass Development Ltd to Atlantic Energy Holdings.
    “It was on the basis of this suspicious transaction that investigation commenced. In the course of our investigation, we found it necessary to seek clarifications from Engineer Andrew Yakubu and he was invited to EFCC”, Maina said.
    He added that while interacting with the defendant, EFCC found out that the two strategic alliance agreements were executed between 2011 and April 2014 when Yakubu was the GMD.
    The witness further stated that after the defendant volunteered his statement, he also declared his assets to the EFCC sometimes between June and August, 2015.
    He told the court that the declaration form given to the defendant to fill and declare his assets was based on the allegation that the company, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Ltd, was allowed to lift crude oil worth over a billion dollars without carrying out the necessary obligation on their part upon which some officials of the NNPC were charged to court.
    The asset declaration form was tendered and admitted as ‘Exhibit I’ before the court and the judge, thereafter, adjourned till July 3, 2018 for continuation of trial.
    Yakubu, is facing trial on a six-count charge bordering on money laundering and false declaration of assets.
    It would be recalled that, on the 3rd day of February, 2017, operatives of the EFCC had stormed a building belonging to the former NNPC boss and recovered a staggering sum of $9,772,000 and £74,000 stashed in a huge fire proof safe.
    Yakubu, who admitted to be the owner of the monies, claimed it was gifts given to him by friends and well wishers and also savings accumulated over a period of years.

  • [Photos] EFCC probes suspect arrested with $370,000 at Kaduna Airport

    The Head of the Kaduna Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Bappa has assured that the Commission will spare no efforts in investigating the attempt by a certain Adamu Rabiu Mohammed to smuggle $370,000 through the Kaduna International Airport.

    The spokesman of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Uwujaren said the suspect, Adamu Rabiu Mohammed, was intercepted by Customs officers at the Kaduna International Airport on March 3.

    According to him, Mohammed was preparing to board an Ethiopian Airline flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates when he caught the attention of the Customs men.

    He was subsequently handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.

    Receiving the suspect, the Head of the Kaduna Zonal office of the commission, Ibrahim Bappa, reportedly assured the public that no efforts would be spared to get to the bottom of the matter.

    Bappa, who acknowledged the synergy between the EFCC and the Nigeria Customs Service, commended the officers for their vigilance.

    Uwujaren said the suspect would be arraigned as soon as investigation was concluded.

    The Money Laundering (Prohibition ) Act, 2011 forbids individuals coming into or leaving the country from carrying above $10,000 cash, except the amount is declared.

    Section 2(3) provides: “Transportation of cash or negotiable instruments in excess of 10,000 dollars or its equivalent by individuals in or out of the country shall be declared to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).”
    Section 2(5) states: “Any person who falsely declares or fails to make a declaration to the NCS pursuant to section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and

    Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap. F34, LFN, 2004 is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to forfeit the undeclared funds or negotiable instrument or to imprisonment of not less than two (2) years or to both.”

  • NLC, TUC submit new petition, demand increase in minimum wage above N56,000

    The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, have submitted a new request for an increase of the national minimum wage above N56,000 per month to the tripartite committee on minimum wage.

    This was disclosed by at the 11th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Civil Service Union by the acting NLC chairman, Kiri Mohammed, on Thursday in Abuja.

    The current national minimum wage is N18,000 per month.

    Mohammed said the demand for its upward review was as a result of inflation and other economic realities in the country.

    “We submitted our request, NLC has decided to look at the figure and modify it, we actually modified it, an upward review above N56,000.

    “We have submitted it to the secretariat of the tripartite committee. The review is in conjunction with the TUC. You can’t do it alone, all of us met and decided to put heads together and look at the realities on the ground.”

    When confronted with reports that indicate that the new minimum wage may not be paid this year as it was not captured in the 2018 budget, Mr. Mohammed said President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to implementing the outcomes of the ongoing negotiations for new wages for workers.

    He said this is the reason why the government would implement the recommendations of the tripartite committee on minimum wage.

    “Who made the budget? I believe if they (government) are serious, we can finish this matter towards the middle of this year, June, July.

    “If we can finish at that time, then before the end of the year, certainly the President must send whatever we agreed to the National Assembly for them to look at it and for him to assent it as a law. But I know that once we agreed, government would implement whatever is agreed,” the acting NLC chairman said.

    However, Mr. Mohammed lamented the slow pace of negotiations by the tripartite committee. He also said that the committee had not held any meetings since the inaugural meeting.

    “We had an inaugural meeting and they have not called for a meeting. I won’t call it a deliberate delay, but it looks as if there is a deliberate delay. We have not started discussion or anything,” he said.