TheNewsGuru

Tag: Scandal

  • Senate uncovers fresh $1.151b illegal withdrawals from NLNG

    The Senate yesterday said it again uncovered illegal multiple withdrawals of $1.151 billion from the dividends accounts of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    This is apart from the $1.05 billion NNPC Group Managing Director Maikanti Baru earlier admitted to.

    The investigative committee, headed by Senator Bassey Albert Akpan (PDP, Akwa Ibom North East), ordered NNPC and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to submit documents on withdrawals made from the NLNG dividends account within the last two years.

    While scrutinising the NLNG account documents presented to it particularly by the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Finance, of the CBN, Babatunde Adeniran, the committee observed a series of cash debits totalling $2.201 billion from November 2016 to June this year.

    The breakdown is: $86.546,526 million withdrawn from the account on November 22, 2016, allegedly being payment on Paris Club loans for state governors; $1.05 billion withdrawn on April 17, 2018, as National Fuel Support Fund.

    Others are: $650 million withdrawn on June 7, this year for offsetting Joint Venture Cash Call by NNPC, which ordinarily is supposed to be a budget item payment; and $415,063 million withdrawn also in June without a clear explanation on the purpose for which it was meant.

    Angered by the illegal withdrawals, the committee chairman and members ordered the CBN and NNPC officials who represented their bosses to make available the documents approving the withdrawals.

    Akpan said: “From the available documents before us, besides the $1.05 billion we are mandated by the Senate to investigate, several withdrawals have also been made from the NLNG dividends account without required supporting documents to back them.

    “This is unacceptable to us. For the fact that the GMD of NNPC and CBN Governor are not here in persons, we are not going to continue with the session today. Therefore, on a very serious note, both the NNPC and CBN must furnish this committee with other relevant documents on the withdrawals latest Tuesday next week, and the NNPC GMD, the Corporation’s Group Executive Director (Finance), Isiaka Abdulrasak and the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, must appear before us on Thursday next week.”

    The House of Representatives meanwhile summoned three oil firms over their alleged shady role in a N91 trillion deal.

    Joseph Akinlaja (ZLP, Ondo), chairman of the House of Representatives investigative panel and head of the House committee on petroleum resources (downstream), vowed that the firms must provide answers to the “weighty allegations.”

    The firms are: Chinese company, Hungbohai Petrochemical Industry Limited; Mahat Oil and Gas Limited; and Alkhairi Oil Limited. They were summoned alongside NNPC last week but failed to appear.

    “We therefore summon Festus Egbuonu, also known as Boss Mao, who is the Nigerian Director of Hungbohai. We also summon Mahat and Alkhairi Oil for the third time. This committee must get to the root of the investigation because N91 trillion can make any ear tickle,” Akinlaja said.

  • Data privacy scandal: Facebook suspends 200 apps

    Data privacy scandal: Facebook suspends 200 apps

    Facebook Inc has so far suspended around 200 apps in the first stage of its review into apps that had access to large quantities of user data, in a response to a scandal around political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

    “The apps were suspended pending a thorough investigation into whether they misused any data,’’ Ime Archibong, Facebook’s vice president of product partnerships said on Monday.

    Facebook said it has looked into thousands of apps till date as part of an investigation that Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced on March 21.

    Zuckerberg had said the social network will investigate all apps that had access to large amounts of information before the company curtailed data access in 2014.

    “There is a lot more work to be done to find all the apps that may have misused people’s Facebook data and it will take time.

    “We have large teams of internal and external experts working hard to investigate these apps as quickly as possible,” Archibong said.

    Facebook was hit by the privacy scandal in mid-March after media reports that Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data to build profiles on American voters and influence the 2016 presidential election.

    The incident led to backlash from celebrities and resulted in the company losing billions in market value.

    Zuckerberg apologised for the mistakes his company made and testified before the U.S. lawmakers.

    The company, however, regained much of its lost market value after it reported a surprisingly strong 63 per cent rise in profit and an increase in users when it announced quarterly results on April 25.

     

  • Sex-for-mark Scandal: ASUU hails suspension of indicted lecturer

    The Obafemi Awolowo University branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commended the management of the institution for the indefinite suspension of Richard Akindele, the professor at the centre of the leaked sex-for-mark audio scandal.

    Reacting to a statement from the office of the Vice-Chancellor, Eyitope Ogunbodede, on Thursday, the union’s chairman, Adeola Egbedokun, said the union was satisfied with the prompt action taken by the university on the scandal.

    The university had set up an investigative panel to examine the recorded phone conversation between Mr. Akindele and a female student identified by the panel to be Monica Osagie, in which the former was demanding sex to alter the student’s grade.

    “ASUU commends the administration for the step taken towards ensuring sanity in the system,” Egbedokun said

    “ASUU OAU reiterates its commitment to defending the integrity of the code of conduct of the university and to upholding its ethical standards.”

    The union admonished its members to always adhere strictly to the “code of conduct guiding their appointment in the university as they carry out their lawful duties”.

    Akindele was found culpable of serious misconduct by the investigative panel and recommended for indefinite suspension pending further action at the conclusion of the investigation.

  • EFCC boss, Magu in N106m BMW bullet-proof car ‘scandal’

    lbrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has allegedly converted to official use a BMW bullet-proof car worth N106 million recovered as a proceed of corruption from the Jonathan administration.

    According to documents seen by TheDetail, the vehicle, a BMW 760 HSS, was among several vehicles acquired under questionable circumstances by the past administration.

    The vehicle was said to have been hidden away at the premises of Gitto Construction Company in Mabushi, Abuja before it was recovered by an EFCC team led by Mohammed Umar Abba – following a petition by some citizens.

    The vehicle was also said to have been originally purchased by the office of the national security adviser for use by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    A source disclosed that the EFCC chairman asked that the BWM 760 HSS be “washed, cleaned and released” for official use when his own official vehicle developed a technical fault.

    According to reports, the vehicle is still an exhibit in an ongoing investigation.

    “It is a clear case of abuse of office and utter disregard for subsisting laws, for Mr Magu to appropriate for his official use, a vehicle that is yet an exhibit in an ongoing investigation,” the source said.

    “The investigation into the BMW 760 HSS bullet-proof vehicle among others is ongoing and the EFCC is yet to secure an interim forfeiture order by any court of competent jurisdiction, talk more of a final forfeiture order.”

    The office of the attorney-general of the federation had asked the EFCC chief to explain the “misappropriation recovered proceeds of corruption for the day to day running of the EFCC, including the training of new cadets and payment of estacodes on foreign trips without recourse to due process”

    In a letter dated February 9, 2018, seen by TheDetail, Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, also asked Magu to explain the discrepancies in recovered cash assets as indicated by available records of the ministry and the recovery figures in the media reports by the EFCC.

    When contacted for a reaction to the allegation, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesman, said he could not respond to it.

  • Newly launched indigenous pay TV, TStv in copyright infringement scandal

    …the letters are fake, meant to bias Nigerians – TStv

    The newly launched indigenous pay TV, TELCOMM SATELLITE TV, TStv have been accused of copyright infringement by some international content providers.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Turner Broadcasting System Europe Limited and belN in a letter accused TStv of infringing their exclusive distribution rights to certain television programmes.

    The company noted that TStv did not have the rights to air the Cable News Network (CNN) channel, owned by Turner Broadcasting System and the 10 beIN Sports channels it advertised on its website.

    However, in a swift response on its Facebook page, TStv said the letter was fake and designed to create a bias against their product in the minds of Nigerians.

    The disclaimer reads: “We are not unaware of the messages circulating the social media regarding letters from belN Sports and Turner respectively. We wish to inform Nigerians once again that the letters being circulated are fake. They were designed primarily to bias Nigerians. Kindly disregard the said frivolous letters. TStv Africa… connecting your world!”

    Turner Broadcasting System, in a September 27 letter to the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), claimed exclusive distribution rights to the CNN channel in English.

    It said: “In this respect, the distribution and broadcast of the above-mentioned channel in Africa including in Nigeria has to be authorised by us in advance.

    “The distribution and broadcast of this channel without authorisation will infringe our intellectual property rights and constitute acts of piracy.

    “This would amount to an unlawful use, which will infringe the rights and harm the interests of our company, and cause us a substantial prejudice.

    “In this context, we invite you to undertake in writing not to distribute CNN, and not to use or reproduce the channels’ trademarks on any advertising or promotional material.

    “In the absence of your confirmation should you include CNN within your channel line- up we will take the necessary and appropriate measures and bring civil or criminal judicial actions in order to protect our rights.”

    In its September 28 letter to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), beIN claimed there was no contractual agreement between it and TStv that would give the company the license to beam its contents.

    It said: “We have become aware that your company TSTV intends to launch a pay television service to subscribers in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa generally. Information about this service is contained on the website at htt-z tstvafrica.cbm.”

    The Qatar based firm said it invests substantial sums in acquiring those rights, “which are highly valuable.”

    “Other parties are not permitted to copy and re-broadcast belN Content without express authorisation.

    “belN is also the owner of trademarks and other rights in the name belN and associated branding (‘belN Trademarks’). Other parties are not permitted to use belN Trademarks without express authorization.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that TStv was launched on Sunday, Oct. 1 and to ease their operations in the country the Federal Government announced a three-year tax relief and tax free dividends to all investors in the company.

     

  • Again! Oge Okoye in another Instagram scandal

    Many will not forget in a hurry how Oge Okoye landed herself in trouble after claiming ownership of two dogs belonging to American TV star, Kenya Moore.

     

    After being tongue-lashed by some of her fans for laying claim to another man’s dog, the act left a bad impression on her image. Outspoken Kenya Moore referred to her on social media as “some fraudulent Nigerian actress”.

     

    In the same vein, Okoye has put herself into another trouble after allegedly increasing the size of her butt through ‘photo shopping’.

     

    She posted on her Instagram platform, a picture where she was seen posing in the front of a gate, rocking a leopard-print gown, with her butt visibly bigger than usual. But after a closer look, it was revealed that the butt had been ‘photo shopped’, earning her nonstop criticism from her colleagues and fans.

    In an interview, Oge Okoye refuted claims that she did a butt job. In her words:” How gullible can people be, or will I say funny? Differentiate the skin from the butt pad! It’s just a see-through leggings and my feet popping in that comfortable furry flip-flops.”

     

  • Mercy Aigbe opens can of worms on failed marriage[Video]

    Mercy Aigbe opens can of worms on failed marriage[Video]

    Yoruba Movie star, Mercy Aigbe has opened can of worms concerning her failed abusive marriage. Speaking in an interview with Broadway TV, she said her husband declared in anger that he would destroy her acting career.

    According to her:”Immediately, I opened the door, he kept beating me. I was begging him and asking why he was beating me. He said he would destroy my face such that no makeup would fix it and destroy my career.

    She added that her estranged hubby, Lanre Gentry was acting like someone who was possessed. Hear her:”He was acting like someone who was possessed. I told him “Lanre, mo ma bi mo fun e” (translated as “I have a child for you).”

    Aigbe’s marital crisis became an issue for public discourse when she released pictures of the violent beatings she got from her husband.

    Watch the video below