TheNewsGuru

Tag: Political Office

  • CCB begins verification of political office holders’ assets

    CCB begins verification of political office holders’ assets

    The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has begun verification of political office holders and top government officials’ assets as part of renewed anti-corruption crusade in the country.

    The acting Chairman of the Bureau, Mr Murtala Aliyu-Kankia, stated this while monitoring the ongoing verification exercise on Monday in Katsina.

    He said the exercise would cover senior public officers and civil servants including permanent secretaries, director-generals, directors and other top officials of government’s establishments.

    “I briefed the governor on why we are in Katsina. He is also keen in fighting corruption,” he said

    According to him, the exercise is aimed at finding out the genuineness of assets declared by political office holders and other senior civil servants on assumption of office.

    This, he said, would add value to the fight against corruption by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, adding that after the exercise its personnel would go to the field to authenticate the assets declared by the officers.

    “You know, some people have a tendency of under-declaration, anticipatory declaration and even non declaration of their assets.

    “To detect these three aspects, we go to the field to find out where someone under-declared, or in anticipation of getting something declared he has a property.

    “All these are offences.  The person found wanting would be referred to the CCB tribunal for prosecution accordingly.

    “The punishment is either for him to forfeit the property, banned from holding public office for 10 years or be asked to vacate the office he is occupying.

    “We are on course, we are doing it for the good of the country and the people,” he said.

    According to Aliyu-Kankia, the bureau is working with sister agencies like EFCC, ICPC to continue fighting against corruption in the country.

    He urged stakeholders to support the exercise to enhance the fight against corruption for sustainable  social and economic development of the country.

  • Woman seeking political office defrauded of N7.5m in Ogun State

    Woman seeking political office defrauded of N7.5m in Ogun State

    A 54-year-old man, Olatokunbo Williams, who allegedly defrauded a woman of N7.5 million, on Monday appeared in an Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ogun.

    The police charge Williams, whose address was not provided, with two counts of fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.

    The prosecution counsel, Insp Abdulkareem Mustapha, told the court that the defendant committed the offence between 2018 and 2021 at about 11.45 a.m. at Aderenle Secondary School Road, Ota, Ogun.

    Mustapha said that the defendant collected N7.5 million with to assist the complainant, Osanyintile Funke, to get into political office.

    The defendant, he said, converted the money to his personal use.

    The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 390 (2) and 419 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun,2006.

    The defendant, however pleaded, not guilty to the charge.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr O.L. Oke admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.

    Oke ordered that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and be gainfully employed with evidence of tax payment to Ogun Government.

    The magistrate adjourned the matter until March 29 for further hearing.

  • Will Smith opens up about running for political office

    Will Smith opens up about running for political office

    US actor, Will Smith, has opened up about his political ambitions, saying he might consider running for office.

    The 52-year-old film star was speaking to Jon Favreau, US actor, on Crooked Media’s ‘Pod Save America’ podcast, where he shared his political views.

    “I think for now I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit and then I’ll consider that at some point down the line,” said Smith, who is best known for his roles on ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ and ‘Men In Black’.

    “I don’t know, it’s like, I absolutely have an opinion, I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful, I believe in understanding between people and I believe in the possibility of harmony.

    “So, I will certainly do my part, whether it remains artistic or, or, at some point ventures into the political arena.”

    TheNewsGuru recalls that Smith’s remarks come after Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson had admitted he’s open to the idea of running for the US presidential seat.

    “I would consider a presidential run in the future if that’s what the people wanted,” the Hollywood star had said.

    “Truly I mean that, and I’m not flippant in any way with my answer. That would be up to the people. So I would wait, and I would listen.”

     

  • Buhari may reward Maina with bigger political office – Fayose

    …says President sacked Maina to ‘save his face’

    The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive for the immediate disengagement of former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdullahi Maina, an afterthought, saying; “The President only acted to save his face from the global embarrassment caused him by the outcry of Nigerians on the news of Maina’s reinstatement.”

    Governor Fayose demanded the immediate arrest and trial of Mr. Maina as well as sack of all those who perpetrated his reinstatement, which he described as fraudulent and shameful.

    EFCC seals Maina’s $2m mansion in Abuja

    In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose, who likened Mr. Buhari’s anti-corruption fight to a situation where “Satan is calling Judas Iscariot a sinner,” reminded Nigerians that he said before now that the kind of corruption that will be witnessed in President Buhari’s government will be unprecedented and that he had been vindicated.

    The governor described the government of President Buhari as corruption personified, noting that; “If Maina, who was declared wanted for corrupt practices by the International Police Organisation, (INTERPOL) after he was dismissed from office by the Civil Service Commission in 2013 for allegedly committing N2.1 Billion pension fraud while in office, could be secretly reinstated and even promoted without writing the required civil service promotion examination, no one should be in doubt any longer that Buhari is not fighting any corruption.”

    Governor Fayose, who described President Buhari and his men as defenders and protectors of corruption, said; “Even the former Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, who was accused of corruption by the Senate, removed from office unceremoniously and declared wanted is now the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos.

    He said; “When the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Ibe Kachikwu raised allegation of award of $25 billion contracts without following due process against the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); Dr. Maikanti Baru, the Presidency was the one that defended him (Baru).

    Buhari may reward Maina with bigger political office – Fayose

    “Also, President Buhari has refused to act on the report of the committee that investigated the $43 million discovered in an apartment at Osbourne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, despite that Nigerians have been asking him to act on it.

    “Even the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu was indicted of corruption by the Department of State Service (DSS) and all that was done by President Buhari was to ask the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to investigate the DSS report. Up till today, nothing has been heard about it and Magu, despite his rejection by the Senate, Magu is still acting as the EFCC chairman.

    “It was also under this government of Buhari that Ahmed Gambo Saleh; the Supreme Court Registrar was indicted and put on trial for alleged over N2 billion fraud. The case against Gambo Saleh was withdrawn almost immediately, and he has been appointed the Secretary of the National Judicial Council (NJC). Not only that, he was made the Secretary of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee, headed by Retired Justice Isa Ayo Salami.

    “In the words of APC Senator, Shehu Sani, ‘when it comes to fighting corruption in the National Assembly and the Judiciary and in the larger Nigerian sectors, the President uses insecticide, but when it comes to fighting corruption within the Presidency, they use deodorants.’

    “Like I have said several times, as far as President Buhari is concerned, corruption involving his men is family affair, and one won’t be surprised if Maina is rewarded with bigger office very soon, just like others before him.”