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BREAKING: Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello, Suspends Commissioner Who Brutalised, Raped Lady Over Facebook Post

Commissioner Danga

Commissioner Danga

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has ordered the suspension of Mr Abdulmumuni Danga, Commissioner for Water Resources within the state, who assaulted and raped a girl over a Facebook put up.

Sources revealed to SaharaReporters that the governor has additionally ordered an accelerated investigation into the case.

SaharaReporters had reported how the commissioner kidnapped, assaulted and raped the girl recognized as Elizabeth Oyeniyi earlier than releasing her.

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Kogi Commissioner, Abdulmumuni Danga, Brutalises Lady For Calling Him Out On Facebook

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An on-line petition has additionally been launched to demand the prosecution of Danga.

The petition will be signed right here: http://chng.it/ygKH2vMbzM

FLASH: Kogi State Governorâs Commissioner, Abdulmumuni Danga, Brutalises, Rapes Lady For Calling Him Out On Facebook, Forced Her To Make Video Recanting Initial Post

Watch Video:#JusticeForElizabeth #ProsecuteDanga @Govbello @PoliceNG @NhrcTweets pic.twitter.com/5yhcYsGjTH

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) April 1, 2020

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April 4, 2020
70 pregnant Malaysian women working in S’pore brought home via Johor causeway

SINGAPORE: Seventy pregnant Malaysian women working in Singapore together with 10 kids and other people with disabilities have been brought home at the moment via the Johor causeway.

The journey was made doable by the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore.

“They were brought home in two buses. Prior to that, they gathered at the Kranji MRT Station here as early as 10am,” Malaysian Deputy High Commissioner to Singapore Muhd Radzi Jamaluddin instructed Bernama.

Muhd Radzi stated particular consideration was given to the group as a number of the women have been nearly because of ship.

“Every effort was taken to ensure their safe return so that their babies could be delivered in their hometowns,” he stated including that a few of them had additionally raised fears that issues would come up if their infants have been to be delivered in the republic

“This is because both countries have imposed various conditions and restrictions on foreign visitors which were constantly changing thus encouraging them to return to Malaysia as soon as possible,” he stated.

On March 31, the Malaysian authorities introduced that each one Malaysians who return to the nation from abroad journeys should bear quarantine for 14 days at authorities quarantine centres efficient April 3.

The Movement Control Order (MCO) interval which took impact from March 18, has additionally compelled some Malaysians who don’t possess automobiles to stroll for about one kilometre throughout the Causeway.

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April 2, 2020
Petri Dish Detention By Mohammed Ibraheem Zakzaky

The world is gripped in the Coronavirus reality and the immense panic and disruption it brings along with it. This virulent scourge has cut a path less trodden by viruses, as it infects and spreads with little regard for all the norms of red tape that has allowed the murder and official disappearance of many, including my six brothers. By the time it begins to execute those whose death sentences it has written and signed it is always 10 steps ahead on the paperwork. That is almost eight steps ahead of professionals like Buhari.

The virus is a near perfect beta of a doomsday virus. Even the most hard-line sceptics have ended up dumbfound by just how profoundly serious Covid-19 is as a survivalist organism that is here to accomplish its apocalyptic mission. Though many medical experts have since been pressured, pressed and forced to promise a vaccine and possible cure within the next few months to a year; the truth is that the threat is clearly unprecedented.

In my case I went to sleep in a world where my priority was to deliver food and medical aid to my parents in Kaduna Prison; only to wake up and realize that there was an even larger number of factors in play. I slept knowing full well that it was an uphill battle against the entire regime of Major-General-Buhari and his army of punitive henchmen; to all of a sudden be confronted by a Diablo ex-Machina; courtesy of the novel corona virus AKA Covid-19.

Now all visits to prison by anyone and everyone were effectively and strictly forbidden. I understood and reasoned that it was the proper measure to prevent contagion of this clearly deadly disease. The last thing I would want is to be a part of what makes my already sickly parents sicker; or worse.

In spite of the fact that I had completed all arrangements to have doctors visit both my parents in Kaduna Prison, in order to provide them with relief for their existing medical conditions due to age and a plethora of wounds they sustained during the attack and subsequent ransacking of our home by the Nigerian Army. All of which have all gone untreated during the past five years.

I still thought and reasoned that a quarantine of the entire area was the best measure possible in the short term, considering the existing circumstances. As a result of this I made all the necessary apologies to cancel appointments with all the doctors and hospitals, to ensure that the quarantine in Kaduna Prison will hold and be maintained. I then did all in my power to send masks, hand sanitizers, gloves, soap and vitamins. All in an effort to stay safe and keep everyone safe.

I have now since been jolted out of the stupor of perceived safety by terrible news. There has been a violent incident inside Kaduna Prison, which has rendered my memory of the Zaria Massacre of 2015 raw. As the harrowing sounds of another rampage of gun fire was heard from Kaduna Prison, where my parents are currently being detained.

All my frantic calls to the Controller of Prisons and his deputy were not answered, as the sounds of gun fire continued to rage. All my efforts to learn what was really going on failed. I have however been able to learn a few things through the few answered calls. All of them agree on the following.

1.      There has been a surge of Covid-19 symptomatic prisoners in Kaduna Prison.

2.      Staff of the prison clinic have been avoiding three symptomatic prisoners particularly.

3.      Three of them were removed and one was returned on Tuesday.

4.      A number of Prisoners strongly objected to the re-introduction of the prisoners.

5.      The prison staff tried to calm things down by trying to reason with them.

6.      The Prison’s armed squad were then deployed, to supress an alleged prison break.

7.      After a period of automatic fire in the air and on target, calm was restored.

8.      The prisoners suspected of Covid-19 are among those reported shot and killed.

9.      Bullet canisters were still littered all over the place 3 hours later.

10. Many of the Kaduna prison staff are visibly injured, some with serious injuries.

11. A significant number of the injured staff were seen walking around in blood-soaked uniforms.

12. So called normalcy has been enforced, and returned at an unknown cost.

The fact remains that the highly crowded, unsanitary conditions of Kaduna Prison remains a highly contagious environment, that is no place for my vulnerable mother and father, both of whom are above 50 years of age. Both of whom are un-healthy, both of whom are suffering from an unprecedented number of health issues that have remained untreated and unattended.

Due to a determination by the regime of Heil! Major-General Buhari and his now contagious Governor El-Rufai and their army of undertakers. It is unclear what is really going on at the site of all the intense gunfire that was heard in Kaduna Prison. Aside from the above stated facts, I can say no more.

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Mohammed Ibraheem Zakzaky

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April 2, 2020
Losing Her Religion: Nigeria’s Faith Unveiled In The Face Of COVID-19 By R. Evon Benson-Idahosa

Me, circa 1984, in my choir uniform and what was possibly the now infamous tambourine.

R. Evon Benson-Idahosa, Esq

R. Evon Benson-Idahosa, Esq

I remember falling asleep at a Tuesday evening church service as a 9 year old child. I had a tambourine on my lap and as I fell to the floor, it reverberated thunderously throughout the hall, drawing the attention of everyone who had been attentively listening to the dynamic preacherman. I awakened to piercing stares and side eyes- particularly from my father- whose message I had disrupted. Every Nigerian child knows that stare, that glare that silently speaks a thousand words, cloaks you in debilitating fear and assures your quivering being that there will be consequences. Needless to say, it was a quiet ride home and for the rest of the revival week, I was ushered to the front row where I forced my eyes open, humming tunes to myself to stay awake.

Me, circa 1984, in my choir uniform and what was possibly the now infamous tambourine.

Saying that I literally grew up in church would be an understatement. Week long revival services, such as the one I reference above, were customary. I was also in the choir, went to Sunday school before church services on Sunday, Agape Force Children’s meetings on Saturdays, mid-week services and the occasional 6:30 am morning prayer services, followed by our home bible study with Auntie B. And because my father was Archbishop Benson Idahosa, there were no negotiations. It just was.

At the age of10, shortly after the infamous “tambourine experience,” the truth of those messages became real and I earnestly became a follower of The Way. And so, as news began to sweep the globe of the novel corona virus and its import, I found myself immediately turning to my faith as a source of comfort and peace. I also called my mother, who now heads CGMI, the global ministry my father left when he passed away 22 years ago. Her words of encouragement and the tone of her voice assured me that, as we like to say in Nigeria, ‘it is well.’

And it will be.

But for now, the pandemic continues to rage, as thousands succumb to its will. First China. Then South Korea. Japan. An epidemic. Then Italy, the UK, the US. Thousands upon thousands of cases were being reported and every day brought the reality closer to home. Then it became a global pandemic and as it stands, the WHO estimates that there are 719,700 confirmed cases globally, with almost 34,000 deaths.

On February 28th, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, confirmed its index case of the corona virus which arrived the country via an Italian businessman. As I write, her Centre for Disease Control is reporting a total of 135 confirmed cases and two deaths, having conducted just several hundred tests, even though thousands of passengers have arrived from varying countries since the index. Self isolation has been deemed an advisory, not mandatory measure.

Four new cases of #COVID19 have been reported in Nigeria; 3 in Osun and 1 in Ogun

As at 11:15 am 31st March there are 135 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria with 2 deaths pic.twitter.com/6ziPXCPVMu

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 31, 2020

Nigeria has taken what some would consider drastic, yet in this writer’s opinion, insufficient and strikingly Western style measures to address what is likely to come in the absence of a miracle. In addition to finally closing her borders from international travelers, including Nigerians, schools have been shut down, civil servants are being asked to work from home, “social distancing” policies are being enacted and several states, including my home state of Edo, have prohibited religious, social and public gatherings of more than 20 persons.

In a country where over 90% of her citizens profess to be religious, most Nigerians are accustomed to turning to their faith in times of crisis. The corona virus pandemic is no exception. Many who had strayed from God are now repenting of their sins and brandishing the sign of the cross as they leave their homes. Others are praying for a “Passover,” as CNN and other news outlets flood us with “end of the world,” doomsday messaging. As a result, many of us are yearning to collectively gather to pray.

Whether the desire to collectively gather is buttressed by denial (“coronavirus is not here” — “the spirit of corona virus is dead in Nigeria”) or stems from a deep seeded longing for God to show mercy to a healthcare system that is wholly unprepared to handle the worst case scenario, the fact remains that Nigeria’s religious faithfuls are unaccustomed to missing gatherings for anything. Services are considered sacred times to commune with God and to be encouraged by the brethren. Others hang on to every word of their clerics who, in some cases, insist on serving as a religious crutch- intermediaries between their congregants and God. Many believers who engage with God on a transactional basis come bearing tithes and/or offerings in the hopes that God will hear their prayers. (He hears them regardless.)

As such, the prohibition on religious gatherings of more than 20 (which essentially translates to a prohibition of services in general) has resulted in many Nigerian believers losing their ‘religion,’ i.e., left bewildered as to how to make the adjustment to a God who potentially exists outside the four walls of their churches; to a God who speaks directly to them in God’s long forgotten voice. Who, precisely, are Nigerian believers without our religions and religious houses of worship?

Could it be that for the first time in a long time, Nigerian believers are being presented with a church-less opportunity to develop even more meaningful personal relationships with their God; to ‘lay hands’ on themselves and speak words of healing into their children from a God who has always heard them? Could this pandemic serve as an opportunity for believers to be what Murray Bowen describes as a ‘non-anxious presence’ to those who may be paralyzed by fear? Or as a practical example, to give our hired staff the much deserved paid time off to assuage the fears of their own elderly parents? As we creatively consider our individual responses, it is imperative that we recognise that our actions are a reflection of what we truly believe about our faith and the One who implores us to be salt and light.

As the Church, however, it is unhelpful that some of our pastors are refusing to comply. The other day, I was tagged on a rather unfortunate video of a pastor irresponsibly screaming to congregants that the corona virus cannot withstand Nigeria’s “corrosive anointing.” However, even Jesus instructed us to obey the law of the land (render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s). This blatant refusal to consider the reality that may most aggressively affect those on the margins begs the question of why some churches are so adamant against temporarily closing their doors.

Sure, we all need hope and encouragement in these perilous and uncertain times, but have we not, after all these years, fed the flock enough “meat” to trust that they can and will turn to God for themselves? Or are we, draped in our own egos, more selfishly concerned that they may not return to our fold and thus, affect our financial bottom line?

It is not a lack of faith to use wisdom or to be practical. Even Jesus reached out his hand to save Peter when he could easily have let him drown and then used his “corrosive anointing” to raise him from the dead. Wisdom is profitable to direct and I believe my father, who I consider one of the greatest men of faith to ever walk this earth, would have done the needful to protect the sheep. My mother most certainly is.

To this end, some larger churches are offering their services online. However, for the working poor who faithfully make up the backbone of most Nigerian churches, internet connectivity and/or live streaming of an entire service make that option impractical and/or unaffordable. They are the ones, who because they live day to day, cannot afford to practice social distancing, “stay at home” and for some, even “wash your hands,” because soap becomes a luxury when one’s ‘daily bread’ is devoid of the ‘daily.’ If our government does not step up to courageously seek support that is tailored to our unique realities and then provide that support to those on the margins, the import of the corona virus in our beloved Nigeria could be felt by generations to come.

As such, could this pandemic present an opportunity for churches to fill the glaring gaps and practically serve the last and the least in a manner that reveals who we profess to be as followers of The Way? Might this be an opportunity for the church to put our egos aside and creatively heed Jesus’ instructions to ‘feed my sheep’, to apply the Balm of Gilead, by serving those who will be most physically, mentally and economically impacted? Practically speaking, could we convert our sanctuaries to temporary hospitals or food pantries where those in need can obtain essentials? Can we use the funds of those who have faithfully donated over the years to buy ventilators and personal protective gear for our hospitals and health workers on the front lines? Can we purchase hygiene products and distribute them to those who may be confined to their homes? This, I believe, is our mandate.

At the end of the day, my faith in God runs deep. It has guided my life since I was 10 and I prayerfully trust that we will get through this. But as the Nigerian Church temporarily loses her ‘religion’ and her faith is unveiled in the face of COVID-19, she is presented with an opportunity to reverberate thunderously and rise up to be who she professes for such a novel time as this. After all, in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, ‘the church is the church only when it exists for others…not dominating, but helping and serving.’

WRITTEN BY

R. Evon Benson-Idahosa, Esq.

Lead table turner and expert troublemaker at Pathfinders Justice Initiative (www.pathfindersji.org); creating more space for women at the table.

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April 1, 2020
UiTM assures welfare of 8,5000 students during MCO duration

SHAH ALAM: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has assured students who could not return home following the Movement Control Order (MCO) ruling, that there is sufficient food, and the meals are offered to them free of charge.

UiTM deputy vice-chancellor (Student Affairs) Prof Dr Azizan Abdullah said 8,500 students still residing at 35 campuses nationwide have been receiving the food assistance of three meals a day since the MCO was enforced on March 18.

“The food assistance is offered to all on-campus and off-campus students.

“In taking care of the students’ welfare, UiTM also provides medical and counseling services. So parents do not have to worry,“ he told Bernama, here today.

Azizan called on the 800,000-strong UiTM alumni to donate to the university’s Covid-19 Student Aid Fund to cover food expenses for students who have been forced to stay on until the MCO ruling ends on April 14.

In addition to financial contribution, alumni members as well as the public, could also assist UiTM by providing food items which would be distributed to the needy students.

Azizan said the items could be delivered directly to the food collection centre at Kolej Mawar or the Students Service Centre in Shah Alam, while for other states, those wishing to donate could contact the respective campuses.

Donations for UiTM Covid-19 Student Aid Fund are to be deposited through UiTM Treasury Affin Bank Account No:1051-4000-3422. – Bernama

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March 30, 2020
Babalakin Obsessed With The Vice-Chancellor’s Removal By Alabi Azeez

As expected, the Vice Chancellor’s response on the barrage of lies that Babalakin tried to peddle about the suspension of the 51st convocation of the university, elicited anger and rage from a faceless and dishonest ‘Concerned Stakeholders’ and a group of delinquent non-academic staff making scrupulous releases requesting for the Vice Chancellor to proceed on leave, because, for them Babalakin has an intimidating resumé and commands national respect.

A cursory look at the individuals issuing these publications will tell exactly why they have taken such an undistinguished position. Interestingly, they could not use the SSANU platform which they have tried tirelessly in the pass to desecrate. The team is led by Mr Adetomiwa Adekola, who was impeached as SSANU Chairman on account of his financial recklessness and dubious land scheme he purchased for SSANU members. He is assisted by a rag tag, Mr Babatunde Oseni, who the SSANU electoral committee disqualified from contesting election into any SSANU executive position on account of his terrible records of service in the university.

What sort of stakeholders are these? Whose interest do they actually represent? Certainly not the interest of any known group in the university, but that of their paymaster who is hell bent on destroying the university.

Their position is not only laughable but also pedestrian and lacking in any form of logical reasoning. How can anyone contemplate the exit of a Vice-Chancellor who has achieved so much in two years, even under the worst of conditions? Maybe these fellows need a reminding that it was the selflessness and ingenuity of Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe that brought the University of Lagos to number one in Nigeria and eighth in Africa. The university during his Vice Chancellorship has attracted about N8bn in research grants. He created the much needed atmosphere for students to develop their entrepreneurial skills. Under Prof Ogundipe’s watchful eyes, the students and staff have won several international laurels and have become globally relevant. The renaissance of the research culture in the university is largely attributed to the Vice-Chancellor’s zeal to make UNILAG a research-based university. His tenure has given the University more international visibility and global respect. It is not surprising that even Mr Adekola and his cohorts rightly referred to the Vice Chancellor as a “scholar and administrator of repute.” This is particularly so because he singlehandedly won a lot of research grants as a scholar; and to the admiration of many, he has held various key administrative position in his over 30years in the services of the university. On the flip side we have a Pro Chancellor who has done everything in the last three years to give the university bad image and publicity.

Think for one minute, if Prof Ogundipe is the problem, why was Mr Babalakin also at logger heads with Prof Bello? If there is anything we should do at this material time, it is to praise the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ogundipe, who in two years turned the fortune of the university around. Calling for him to take leave is pathetic and signs of the failings of the Pro Chancellor.

On the part of the Registrar, his Council Resolution Part 2 is a very interesting revelation. The reasons are not farfetched. He made a fair but failed attempt to divert the minds of the public away from the issue that made the university a subject of ridicule in the last three weeks – The suspension of the 51st convocation of the university. Mr Babalakin’s grand intention was to show the university management how powerful and highly connected he is by cancelling the convocation at the detriment of over 13,000 graduating students and then turned around to blame the Vice Chancellor and NUC. But the ploy failed woefully. The public saw clearly what went down, at least the letter from the Ministry of Education puts it pretty clear that the event was suspended at the instance of Mr Babalakin who claimed the ceremonies did not receive Council’s blessings.

The alumni and stakeholders who were tired of Babalakin’s repressive leadership style took to the social media to express their dissatisfactions and frustrations. The #saveMyUnilag trended for days on Twitter and Facebook. For many, it was crystal clear what the agenda was – a show of power. As Simon Kolawole succinctly puts it in his write-up, Babalakin the Bully, “…[Babalakin] he has gone too far by his latest power show which has forced Unilag to suspend its convocation…his ego fight at the expense of the graduating students and their families is ungodly.”

Secondly, the Resolution threw up a host of issues which he claimed was discussed at the Council meeting. One of such was the ‘Greek gift’ of 40 Hectares of land at Ogudu being proposed by the Pro Chancellor. First question to ask, is this not the same piece of land in dispute with the state government for many years? Little wonder the property has no title documents or survey. This is aptly validated by the Registrar’s statement that “it was resolved that steps be taken to retrieve the title documents and that Council should be updated” Haba! Now that he could not get contracts from Unilag, Babalakin has resulted to swindling Unilag staff of their meagre salary? It is important to urge Unilag staff to be vigilant and “shine their eyes” on this land matter o!!! Don’t forget the issue of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contract given to him, he did not do the job, yet collected huge sum of money to even accept to let go of the contract. Not even the road in Ondo State.

Nigeria is yet to know when Babalakin will fully handover MM2 to government as we are not sure if he will not again change the end of concession date as he did previously. Besides, even if they come up with fake papers for the land, the purported land is located in a swampy environment and a professor who earns the highest salary in the university will struggle to put up a foundation for any building there.

Pages 3-6 of the resolution was largely on financial matters. This Council led by Babalakin should be ashamed of its conducts! Throughout last year, the University was on a standstill over allegations that a sum over N4bn was misappropriated, embezzled, squandered, lavished and stolen by the university management. In fact, the song on Babalakin’s lips was “catch am, catch am, thief, thief, thief, catch am, catch am, robber, robber.”

The same Council, led by same Babalakin, in less than a year, is now publishing a resolution that money is no longer missing, albeit, the University Managements (past and present) have saved far too long and too much to the tune of N9bn in the TSA account of the university! Then the Council goes on to propose a lavish spending of the savings meant for the DLI building, School of Foundation Studies building, College of Medicine and School of Postgraduate Studies building. How can you make money saved for more than five years for capital projects available for spending?

Babalakin is definitely set out to destroy the 25-year strategic plan that the Vice Chancellor swore to up hold, in one sweep! Babalakin has not facilitated any building to the university and yet he wants to share the money saved in the university development account by more than three Vice Chancellors to construct educational edifices for the great citadel of learning. Our dear Pro Chancellor needs to take a cue from what his counterpart in Obafemi Awolowo University is doing.

As any right discerning person can already see, Babalakin is trying hard to play the welfare game to divide and rule the staff of the university, further entrenching the acrimony, bad blood, discord and division that he already created in in the university. He is also struggling hard to divert attention away from the convocation issue. This is the biggest shame of leadership.

It is distasteful that the UNILAG Council matter has suddenly become a gutter matter that any individual can pick up on the streets of Lagos. Let us advise Council to stop wasting resources in printing resolutions. The next Council meeting should hold at the Main Bowl of the Sports Centre where all members of the university community, alumni and press can witness the plenary.

For many of us who are watching gleefully, the management of the university must be praised, in spite of all the grandstanding and unnecessary brinkmanship, the university rose to first in Nigeria and eighth in Africa.

No body and no lies can change what we already know, Babalakin cancelled the University of Lagos 51st convocation four days to the event.

On a lighter note or perhaps as a matter of national importance, the Pro Chancellor, Mr Babalakin was alleged to be in London on 11th March for Justice Oguntade’s birthday, he subsequently denied traveling to London but confirmed he was in Germany on medical trip. Whether London or Germany, since hi

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March 29, 2020
Condom shortage looms after coronavirus lockdown shuts world’s top producer

KUALA LUMPUR: A global shortage of condoms is looming, the world’s biggest producer said, after a coronavirus lockdown forced it to shut down production.

Malaysia’s Karex Bhd makes one in every five condoms globally. It has not produced a single condom from its three Malaysian factories in the past 10 days due to a lockdown imposed by the government to halt the spread of the virus.

That’s already a shortfall of 100 million condoms, normally marketed internationally by brands such as Durex, supplied to state healthcare systems such as Britain’s NHS or distributed by aid programmes such as the UN Population Fund.

“We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary,” Karex Chief Executive Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters this week.

“My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programmes deep down in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months.”

Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s worst affected country, with 2,161 coronavirus infections and 26 deaths. The lockdown is due to remain in place at least until April 14.

The other major condom-producing countries are China, where the coronavirus originated and led to widespread factory shutdowns, and India and Thailand, which are seeing infections spiking only now.

Makers of other critical items like medical gloves have also faced hiccups in their operations in Malaysia.

Goh said Karex was in the process of appealing to the government for an exemption to operate under specific conditions. Malaysia is approving other essential goods producers to operate with half of their workforce.

“The good thing is that the demand for condoms is still very strong because like it or not, it’s still an essential to have,“ Goh said. “Given that at this point in time people are probably not planning to have children. It’s not the time, with so much uncertainty.” — Reuters

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March 27, 2020
Inside Story: How Obasa Was Forced To Reinstate Suspended Lawmakers

Mudashiru Obasa

Mudashiru Obasa

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At the resumption of plenary on Thursday at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, announced the reinstatement of two suspended lawmakers, Moshood Oshun and Raheem Kazeem.

The two lawmakers were suspended alongside Deputy Majority Leader, Olumuyiwa Jimoh; and Chief Whip, Rotimi Abiru, who were demoted on grounds of misconduct, insubordination and action that could destabilise the Assembly on March 9.

However, two days after the meeting of the Governor’s Advisory Council, the suspended lawmakers were reinstated to the House.

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that at the meeting, a former governor of Lagos State, who also doubles as Chairman of Lagos State Governor’s Advisory Committee, Bola Tinubu, supported the Speaker as he asked him to use his discretion to direct the affairs of the House.

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EXCLUSIVE: Tinubu, GAC Back Lagos Assembly Speaker, Obasa, Over Suspension Of Lawmakers, Corruption

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However, Obasa tracked back on the decision of the GAC and reinstated the lawmakers following intervention by some bigwigs of the All Progressives Congress including Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior; and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos.

Sources privy to the happenings within the party confirmed to SaharaReporters that the Speaker was directed to reinstate the lawmakers after having a separate meeting with them.

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BREAKING: Lagos Assembly Recalls Suspended Lawmakers After SaharaReporters Story

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“Some members of the GAC, dissatisfied with the treatment of the oppressed members of the Assembly, including the governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made a counter move between Tuesday and Thursday by securing a special appointment with Tinubu for the affected members of the Assembly to present their cases.

“An appointment was fixed for Wednesday morning with Tinubu where the affected Assembly members presented their cases to the former governor.

“Among those who intervened was the immediate-past governor of Osun State and current Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who had a long telephone conversation with Asiwaju (Tinubu) and succeeded in convincing his boss on the need for an immediate reversal of Obasa’s autocratic decision against his colleagues.

“The Speaker was subsequently directed by Tinubu to reverse his decision and return to original status,” sources disclosed to SaharaReporters.

Meanwhile, Obasa, according to insider sources, is likely sitting on a time-bomb as moves are ongoing by some members of the APC to remove him as Speaker of the Lagos Assembly.

Some strong members of the political dynasty, beyond the reach or influence of Obasa, seem to be amalgamating forces against him.

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Corruption

EXPOSED: Speaker Of Lagos Assembly, Obasa, Awards Contracts To Self Through Company Registered In Son’s Name

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Obasa, who is not unaware of the ploy, is suspecting Governor Sanwo-Olu of secretly leading the lawmakers to impeach him.

“The Speaker once nursed strong animosity against the governor, accusing him of sponsoring members for his impeachment.

“This also stems the suspicion against the suspended principal officers,” sources in the Assembly said.

A former member of the Assembly and ‘kingmaker’, who is now a member of the Senate, is also making a separate move to report latest action of the Speaker to Asiwaju.

As at the time of filing this report, the senator is still in the process of securing an appointment with Tinubu.

The senator used to be the sponsor and major backer of Obasa but they fell apart when Obasa decided to be his own boss and also reduce the influence of the kingmaker.

The aim was to reduce the returns shared between them which is part of hundreds of millions allocated to the Assembly as monthly running cost.

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March 27, 2020
Justice For Sambo Abdullahi, Victory For Whistleblowers In Nigeria By Chido Onumah and Godwin Onyeacholem

Whistleblowers are the first line of defence against corruption, crime and cover-ups, according to a 2019 paper by the All–Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on whistleblowing in the UK.

For Sambo Abdullahi, head of internal audit at the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc, it has been one long tortuous journey. Over the past two years, he has been at the receiving end of the retaliation whistleblowers around the world, including in Nigeria, face for shining the light on malfeasance around them: denial of wages, job losses, expensive court cases, abuse, psychological trauma, blacklisting across their sector, and sometimes death.

Abdullahi has been denied his salary and other allowances since December 2017, threatened, blacklisted, arrested and sued. All of this for acting professionally and responding patriotically to the call of the Nigerian government asking citizens to join the fight against corruption by blowing the whistle on corrupt practices and other forms of wrongdoing in the country.

In two separate courts, in Ifo, Ogun State, and Okitipupa, Ondo State, where in a most brazen abuse of judicial process, Abdullahi was summoned to answer charges of defamation levelled against him by his boss, Dr. Marilyn Amobi, Managing Director of NBET, he easily walked through the doorway of victory. Both cases were struck out on account of Dr. Amobi’s lack of seriousness in prosecuting.

The crisis of corruption in NBET has been going on for almost three years and the government appears not to have any solution. The appointment of Dr Amobi as the second substantive MD/CEO of NBET signified doom not only for Abdullahi as head of internal audit but also for the entire staff of the company. The MD withheld Abdullahi’s salary and other emoluments just because he exercised the right to decline participation in her fraudulent activities and rejected an unwarranted deployment to a new department unilaterally created by the MD to continue to perpetrate fraud.

Abdullahi, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), graduated in Accounting from a reputable university and has over two decades of experience. He acquired experiences from both the private and public sectors before joining NBET. He was the pioneer Head of Internal Audit of NBET in 2012; a position he held till 2016 when Dr Amobi joined the company.

Within one month of Dr. Amobi’s assumption of office, Abdullahi discovered the illegal over-payment of N2 billion to two generating plants, Omotosho Power Plc and Olorunsogo Power Plc, both of which have no Gas Supply Agreement (GSA) and Gas Transportation Agreement (GTA) as required by industry agreement. The implication of this fraudulent transaction is that electricity consumers on a monthly basis pay N2billion in excess of what they ought to have paid if this fraud is averted. It is on record that the very first month the fraud was detected, Dr Amobi assumed the role of internal auditor by signing off the payment vouchers.

Her defence for this unlawful violation was that the mandatory GSA and GTA had been waived. The questions for her are, who approved the waiver? Why was the waiver not extended to other thermal plants? And why did the waiver idea come only after the head of internal audit had uncovered the fraud?

Other transactions that made Abdullahi to incur the wrath of Dr. Amobi was his refusal to endorse other payment vouchers for illegal procurement of alcohol using taxpayers’ money, proposed monthly payment of N2.5million to one Engr. Achinaya (an ex-staff of both NEPA and PHCN) without procurement process, procurement of legal advisory services of Azinge & Azinge and Aelex law firms in gross violation of the Procurement Act, and payment for return flight ticket from London for Dr Amobi to resume work in NBET in violation of the NBET Board-approved benefit compensation packages just to mention a few.

As a retaliation against Abdullahi for doing his job professionally, which to Dr Amobi connotes standing in her way, she colluded with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to get rid of Abdullahi and his colleague Waziri Bintube. Both were removed from their duly appointed and NBET Board- approved functions as head of internal audit and Chief Finance Officer respectively. While Abdullahi’s salary was stopped, Bintube was sacked.

In response, the duo wrote a petition to the Ministry of Power in 2017. The ministerial committee report was released in March 2018 and vindicated them, while indicting Dr. Amobi. But despite the minister’s (Babatunde Fashola) directives that Abdullahi’s salary should be restored and Bintube reinstated immediately, and in fact that both workers should enjoy the rights of NBET staff, Dr. Amobi refused to comply with the directives.

Till date, she denies Abdullahi his salaries and Bintube has not been called back. Dr. Amobi heads a government agency supervised by a Ministry, but her insolent defiance of a Ministerial order is unprecedented in the history of public sector administration in Nigeria. And it is strange that this is happening under a government that claims to prioritize due process and accountability in the public sector.

As if the stoppage of salaries and sacking were not enough, Dr Amobi got Abdullahi and Bintube detained in the facility of the State Security Services (SSS) for more than twenty-four hours. Several directives by Babatunde Fashola, then Minister of Power, were rebuffed by Dr Amobi who insisted that as an appointee of President Muhammadu Buhari she would only take directives from the president.

While the issue of salary suspension remained unresolved in spite of interventions from the Ministry of Power, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the office of the Vice President, among others, Abdullahi approached the National Industrial Court in December 2018, twelve months after the unlawful stoppage of his salaries, with Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Dr Marilyn Amobi (MD/CEO), Hon Minister of Power and the Ministry of Power as defendants.

On March 11, 2020, Abdullahi (the claimant) once again walked the path of victory with the court delivering judgement in his favour. According to Hon Justice O. O. Oyewumi, the act of the suspension of the claimant’s salaries from December 2017 till date was wrongful; the denial of the claimant’s 2017 and 2018 leave was wrongful; the 1st and 2nd defendants, contrary to its terms and conditions of service, withheld the claimant’s salary and other emoluments wrongfully. The judge ordered the payment of Abdullahi’s salaries and other allowances, noting, “All sums awarded in the judgement is to be paid within 30days of the judgement, failure upon which it attracts 21% interest thereon per annum.”

While the case lasted in court, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Auditor General of the Federation and the Bureau of Public Procurement all issued reports indicting Dr Amobi while recommending her immediate prosecution. Sadly, some higher powers are preventing this from happening.

Governance problems are commonly found in federal government agencies due to either lack of a Board or total collapse of the governance structure. The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Alex Akoh, noted in a letter to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, dated January 7, 2020, that “for the past 14 months, no Board meeting of the company (NBET) was held, a situation which has serious consequences on the corporate governance of the company”. Truth is, no Board meeting of NBET has held since August 2018 when Professor Yemi Osinbajo, then Acting President, ratified the reconstitution of the NBET Board of Directors recommended by Kemi Adeosun, the immediate past Minister of Finance.

The governance collapse in NBET has entrusted the fate of about 80 million electricity consumers in Nigeria in the hands of Dr Amobi who sees herself as not only untouchable, but also a sort of “Alfa and Omega.” She formulates and executes policies at will, such as changing the company organogram whenever she sees any staff as standing in her way. The entire senior management has passed a vote of no confidence in Dr Amobi but despite this and other fraudulent activities traceable to her, no action was taken by the government to ameliorate the problem in the power sector and curb the continuous fraud being perpetrated in NBET.

The Minister of Power of Power Engr. Sale Mamman, in December 2019, made a daring move to respond to the situation by suspending Dr. Amobi from office indefinitely. But curiously, he was overruled by President Muhammadu Buhari in less than two weeks and Dr. Amobi was returned to office.

This forced the Minister to fire a letter dated January 8, 2020, to Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, detailing investigations by the ICPC, EFCC and the reports of the Auditor General of the Federation which implicated the NBET boss “for breach of due process in the award of contracts and several financial wrongdoings.” In that letter copied to President Buhari, the Minister reminded the SGF of “the additional baggage which the suspended MD carries in the light of the anti-corruption stance of the Federal Government.”

If this government wants to be seen as genuinely fighting corruption, the NBET case is a golden opportunity to faithfully demonstrate that conviction. Dr. Amobi has been indicted for corruption by government anti-corruption agencies. The place for her, therefore, is the courtroom, not a cushioned seat of a government agency.

Meanwhile, before Dr. Amobi’s prosecution, government should direct her to obey without delay the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction in the suit filed by a whistleblower, Sambo Abdullahi, the head of internal audit of NBET.

In addition, government should realize that all whistleblowers deserve full and effective protection from all kinds of retaliation, without which its whistleblowing policy will not succeed as an instrument for reducing corruption in the country.

Onumah and Onyeacholem are with the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)

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March 26, 2020
BREAKING: Lagos Government Asks Civil Servants To Stay At Home For Two Weeks Over Coronavirus

The Lagos State Government has asked public officers to stay at home for 14 days as part of measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

The stay-at-home order affects officers from Grade level 1 to 12.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave the order on Sunday during a statewide address.

Nigeria has recorded 28 confirmed cases of the pandemic, raising fears of a further spread.

The situation has forced several state governments to take stringent measures including closing schools and restricting public gatherings.

International flights into Nigeria have also been suspended to curb the spread of the virus.

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March 23, 2020