OMG!!! Watch How Nigerian Lawmakers Are Fighting In The Parliament (VIDEO)

What a Shame! :'( :'(

Nigeria Lawmakers Fighting in Parliament!

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EFCC arrests 2 CBN directors for forex manipulation

Two directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria have been apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly manipulating forex and economic sabotage.

According to sources at the EFCC,  one of our correspondents on Wednesday that the directors were still in custody as of press time at 7.30pm.

It was futher disclosed that the investigation into the CBN officials activities sent shockwaves round the apex bank.

The detective said the houses of the directors had been searched while incriminating evidence had been recovered.

A source at the EFCC, who wished to remain anonymous said, “We have arrested two directors of the CBN in connection with forex manipulation. We believe that it was the activities of these individuals that contributed to the dollar scarcity and the weakening of the naira.

“Ironically, immediately we started investigating these chaps a month ago, the CBN reeled out a new forex policy which sought to flood the market with excess dollar and strengthen the naira.

“Already, we have searched their houses and recovered some sensitive documents. We have reason to believe that they may not have acted alone. We expect to make more discoveries as investigations continue.”

When contacted,  the Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, said no director of the apex bank had been arrested by the EFCC.

He said, “This is not true. No director of the bank (CBN)  has been arrested by the EFCC. The current activities of the CBN  in the forex market is a result of months of study, monitoring  and planning to tackle the activities of black marketers.

“We are succeeding and Nigerians are happy with us.  No amount of false rumours and concoctions to ridicule and sabotage the success we have achieved will make us lose our focus at this time.”

Meanwhile, the EFCC has dispatched letters to several aides and persons linked to Senate President Bukola Saraki for their alleged role in the N19bn illegally deducted from the N522bn Paris Club refund.

About N3.5bn out of the stolen N19bn was said to have been traced to Saraki and several persons close to him, an EFCC report had said.

A top source at the EFCC told one of our correspondents that letters had been dispatched to the indicted persons and some were billed to report at the EFCC office on Thursday (today).

A detective said, “I can confirm to you that letters have been dispatched to aides to the Senate President. Some will appear on Thursday (today) while others will appear on subsequent days depending on the outcome and pace of investigations.”

Some of the persons invited by the anti-graft agency included Saraki’s Deputy Chief of Staff and a former lawmaker, Gbenga Makanjuola; Obiora Amobi and Oladapo Joseph Idowu.

Others are Mr. Kolawole Shittu, and a former Managing Director of Saraki’s defunct bank, Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, and current boss of Melrose General Services Limited, Mr. Robert Mbonu; and the Relationship Manager to the Senate President in Access Bank, Kathleen Erhimu.

Melrose General Services is one of the companies hired as consultants by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

The firm got N3.5bn as consultancy fees while other companies shared about N15.5bn.

When asked why Saraki was singled out for investigation, the source said, “No one is victimising the man. He is an easier target because he has no immunity unlike the governors most of whom still have immunity till 2019.

“The investigation is holistic and in due course everyone found culpable will face justice.”

Recall that the Federal Government had in December 2016 approved the sum of N522.74bn to be paid to the 36 states of the federation as part of the reimbursement for the over-deduction on the Paris Club loan from 1995 and 2002.

The EFCC had sometimes in January discovered that the Paris loan refunds were illegally routed through the account of the NGF by the CBN.

Upon receiving the funds, the NGF in an alleged connivance with Saraki, began remitting huge sums to private consultants who then laundered about N19bn.

The EFCC report sent to the Presidency states in part, “Suffice to apprise that all payments received by Melrose General Services Company from the NGF have hitherto been diverted directly via cash withdrawals and indirectly through transfers by Hon. Gbenga Peter Makanjuola, Kolawole Shittu and Oladapo Joseph Idowu who are principal aides of the Senate President.

“Furthermore, other payments from Melrose General Services Company have also been linked to companies that Dr. Bukola Saraki has interest in and carries out transactions with.

“This includes the sum of $183,000 which was transferred to Bhaska Devji Jewellers, Dubai, a company Dr. Bukola Saraki had repeatedly made payments to.

“Also, the sum of N200m was transferred to Wasp Networks Limited that subsequently transferred the sum of N170m to Xtract Energy Services Limited, a company that routinely made deposits into Dr. Saraki’s Access Bank US dollar Domiciliary account.

The reports concludes that a prima facie case of conspiracy to retain the proceeds of unlawful activities  and money laundering contrary to Sections 15(3) and 18(9) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2004 can be established against the aforementioned suspects.

DSS arrests Ifeanyi Ubah

The Department of State Services has arrested and detained Nigerian business mogul, politician and owner of FC Ifeanyi Ubah, Ifeanyi Ubah.

According to Sahara Reporters, the reason for his arrest is unknown. But Ubah, who owns Capital Oil, had previously been linked to a fraud probe involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Zamfara: Careless driver kills 6 people

A driver’s who decided not to follow  traffic rules has sent six people to their early grave in Zamfara state.

The accident involved two vehicles.

Five other people, including two children, also sustained severe injuries.

The driver of one of the cars was coming from Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, while the other vehicle was heading towards Gusau at about 10.30am.

The Honda driver, who was said to have been engrossed in a conversation on the telephone, lost control of the vehicle which was on top speed and swerved off his lane resulting in a head-on collision.

It was gathered that the two drivers and three other occupants of the two cars died on the spot.

The victims were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau.

Sagay: Senate lacks authority to summon me

Prof. Sagay

Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) yesterday said the Senate cannot summon him for expressing an opinion.

He said the Senate lacks the authority to summon a private citizen.

Sagay said the lawmakers were embarking on a “futile” exercise that could have “embarrassing consequences”.

According to Sagay, he does not fall within the category of government officials that the Senate can summon.

He said he only exercised his constitutionally guaranteed right to hold an opinion.

Sagay said a government official can be summoned during an amendment of a law that affects the official’s agency, or where the official is directly involved in spending monies appropriated by the National Assembly.

The eminent professor of law said any senator who feels that his reputation was damaged by his comments could seek redress in court.

He said the Senate was not a court of law before whom he could be ordered to appear.

Sagay was reacting to a move by the Senate to summon him over comments he made on the lawmakers.

The PACAC chairman also faulted the suspension of Senator Ali Ndume for six months, saying it was not justifiable.

He said: “I expressed an opinion in the newspaper. It’s my constitutional right. Now, they say they’re inviting me.

“I’ve not got the summons yet, but I’m saying that they absolutely have no authority or power to summon me before them, just as I have no power or authority to summon them before me. Our powers in that regard on virtual summons are exactly the same.

“So, it is a futile exercise. My advice to them is to ask their legal advisers to tell them how limited their powers are under Sections 82 to 89 of the 1999 Constitution. Then they will know that I am far, far outside the category of people they can ever invite. And they would save themselves the embarrassment of the consequences of that futile invitation.”

Asked if the Senate has the right to order the arrest of a citizen who refuses to appear before it, Sagay said: “They can do so if that citizen comes within the small group of people they can invite.

“Usually when they invite, there are one of two reasons: they want to make a new law or improve a law, and you’re an official in that area, an official probably in government in that area, and they invite you to interrogate you so they can improve or get ideas on improving that law they intend to make. That’s one.

“Additionally, when they have voted money for particular government activities, and you’re the one who is overseeing that activity and spending the money they have allocated, they can invite you to give an account of how you spend the money in order to improve efficiency in that type of expenditure or to check corruption. Those are the two groups of people they can invite. They should know that that has nothing to do with me.

“They absolutely have no authority to invite a private citizen who expresses an opinion. They have been defeated in court so many times for trying to invite people over whom they have no power.

“So, that’s why I said they should just save themselves that embarrassment. They can’t intimidate anybody. They can’t stop me from expressing my views, which are guaranteed by the Constitution.

“They cannot become a court for me to appear before. Courts are established, and I can only appear before a court, not before them.”

Sagay said any senator who feels his reputation was damaged by his comments could sue. “O, definitely. That’s his constitutional right and then, we’ll meet there,” he said.

On Senator Ndume’s suspension, Sagay said: “Clearly there’s no basis for that suspension. He brought something that the whole country was talking about to their attention. They had an opportunity of clearing themselves. That’s the kind of offence for which he is suspended for six months”.

EFCC finds $86m Paris Club refund in NGF’s account

MORE cash believed to be part of the London-Paris Club loan refund has been found by  the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The US$86,546,526.65 was remitted into the account of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).

The account is said to have been depleted to about $17million as at the time the probe started.

The EFCC is probing how the cash got into the account, who remitted it and for what purpose.

“The cash was paid into the forum’s domiciliary account in GTB tagged: 0023577047 with sort code 058083215,” the source said, adding that the payment followed a November 21, 2016 memo on the remittance into the NGF’s account which was titled “Consultants fee”.

The cash was described as consultancy and legal fees as the case with the N19 billion which was allegedly diverted from the refund.

“This development has justified the earlier peg of our investigation that the part of the London-Paris Club loan refunds was paid into two accounts of the NGF” the source said, pleading not to be named because he has no authority to talk to the media.

“Operatives are tracking how the $86.5m was used and for what purpose. We want to know whether the affected financial and legal consultants exist or not.”

The Nation had exclusively reported that the Presidency was uncomfortable with how some governors managed the refund.

The Federal Government released N522.74 billion to 35 states as refund of over-deductions on London-Paris Club loans.

President Muhammadu Buhari directed the release of the refund to enable states to pay salaries and pensions.

But more than N19billion of the refund has been enmeshed in controversy over payment of consultancy fees. Some consultants were yet to be paid as at press time.

Some of the infractions noticeable in the management of the first tranche of the London-Paris Club loan refund are:

• computation of state records done at a private home in Maitama, Abuja;
• accounts initially opened in the names of two lead consultants but the details of who to be paid were later changed;
• N19b remitted into two NGF accounts;
• commission to consultants cut from 10% to 2% but 5% was on paper as paid;
• the CBN paid directly to each state without the knowledge of the Accountant-General of the Federation; and
• part of the N19b commission was traced to a governor’s account and some individuals, including some members of the National Assembly.

It was also discovered that besides the central consultants, governors hired other consultants, with some conceding about 10-20% commission to them.

In some states, governors served as consultants through proxies.

Some consultants are yet to be paid because the NGF changed the commission formula as soon as the first tranche was remitted, The Nation learnt.

Besides, some governors deviated from using 25 per cent  to 50 per cent for payment of outstanding salaries and pension as agreed with President Buhari.

Falana: time to end Senate’s impunity

•Femi Falana

Citing constitutional provisions, Lagos lawyer Femi Falana said the Red Chamber erred for demanding Magu’s sack by the President.

He said the Senate, relying on the powers conferred on it under Section 3 (2) of the EFCC Act, 2004, refused to confirm Magu’s appointment as the agency’s substantive chairman.

According to Falana, the time to end impunity in the Senate was now, referring to Ndume’s suspension and Sagay’s invitation.

His words: “The decision of the President cannot be faulted by virtue of section 171 (1) (d)  of the Constitution which provides that the President is vested with the power to appoint the head of any extra ministerial department to hold office in an acting capacity. Such appointment does not require the confirmation of the Senate.

“Completely aggrieved by the decision of the President to exercise his constitutional powers in the circumstance the Senate has decided not to confirm the 27 newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners  until Mr. Magu has been removed from office as EFCC Chairman. In asking for the removal of Mr. Magu the Senate said that the anti graft czar has been terrorising the Senate. Should the Senate resort to such cheap blackmail because the embattled EFCC helmsman has tefused to compromise the  prosecution and investigation of about 15 senators alleged to have been involved in serious economic and financial crimes? Why should the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki not be terrorised for the criminal diversion of N3.5 billion from the London/Paris Club loan refund?

“Before now, sharp disagreements between the National Assembly and the executive had been submitted  to the courts for judicial resolution in line with the rule of law. At the twilight of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Attorney-General of the Federation challenged the purported amendment of the Constitution at the Supreme Court. Based on the interlocutory injunction granted by the Supreme Court, the National Assembly suspended further deliberations on the amendment of the Constitution. Instead of following the path of rule of law and constitutionalism, the Senate has completely thrown caution to the winds.

“In the atmosphere of impunity which has enveloped the Senate, the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council on Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay, has been ordered to appear before the Senate for having the temerity to criticise the  senators. In El Rufai v House of Representatives (2003) 46 WRN 12, the Court of Appeal held that the respondent lacked the power to summon the appellant over a defamatory statement made by him.

“The purported suspension of Senator Ali Ndume is the height of the serial illegality. In Hon. Dino Melaye v House of Representatives (unreported), the Federal High Court declared the indefinite suspension illegal and unconstitutional on the ground that a legislator could not be suspended for more than 14 days. But in the House of Assembly v Hon Danna, the Court of Appeal held that a legislative house is not competent to suspend a member even for a single day as it is a violation of the democratic rights of members of his/her constituency.

“In view of the settled state of the law as expantiated upon in the aforementioned cases, the Senate is advised to reverse its illegal decisions and quickly return to the path of constitutionalism in the interest of lasting democracy in the country. However, if the Senate remains intransigent, the Executive branch of the government should adopt decisive measures to terminate the rein of impunity in the National Assembly. ”

When you wear Boo’s shirt and slay-Stella Damasus says as she rocks her husband’s shirt

Actress Stella Damasus stepped out in her husband, Daniel Ademinokan’s shirt and wrote

When you wear Boo’s shirt and still slay. God is good all the time. Count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

FC Barcelona backs Messi, says FIFA ban unfair

Spanish clubside FC Barcelona on Wednesday described Lionel Messi’s four-match international ban with Argentina as “unfair and totally disproportionate’’.

The 29-year-old Barca forward was suspended by world football ruling body FIFA for directing “insulting words’’ at an assistant referee during Thursday’s 1-0 win over Chile.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Argentina captain remains free to play for his Spanish La Liga club.

In a statement, FC Barcelona expressed their “surprise and indignation’’ at the FIFA disciplinary ruling.

“The club considers the four-match suspension finally imposed on the Argentine player to be unfair and totally disproportionate,” it said.

“Finally, FC Barcelona wishes to reiterate its support for Leo Messi, an exemplary player in terms of conduct both on and off the pitch.”

Messi’s suspension was announced just five and a half hours before Argentina’s 0-2 FIFA World Cup qualifier defeat by Bolivia on Tuesday.

The result saw them drop to fifth in the table, outside the top-four spots for automatic qualification for Russia 2018.

Messi’s ban means he will not be part of three of his country’s four remaining qualifiers.(NAN)

NYSC, NSCDC decry drowning of corps members in Bayelsa

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Bayelsa State, Wednesday, lamented death of corps members in the state through boat mishaps.

The two agencies raised the concern when the new state Commandant, NYSC, Mrs. Loto Bolade paid a courtesy visit to the state Commandant of the NSCDC, Desmond Agu, in Yenagoa, the state capital.

Corps members serving in some riverine communities in the state have been losing their lives following boat mishaps.

But Agu urged NYSC authorities to impress it upon youths participating in the scheme especially persons posted to the coastal areas to always make use of their life jackets when traveling.

He said: “Bayelsa State has a different terrain. It is 70 per cent water. So, always tell the corps members to carry their life jackets and wear them whenever they are traveling. Even if they can swim, they should not be over-confident.

“NYSC should also ensure that they are constantly in touch with youths posted to remote areas. Always keep in touch with the youths and ensure that their employers are treating them well”.

Agu said his command would always contribute to the success of NYSC programmes in the state by providing the needed security.

He advised that all federal agencies should work together to assist one another in the discharge of their duties adding that agencies should not work in acrimony.

In her response, Bolade said NYSC was working hard to ensure that members of the corps posted to rural areas in the state were given life jackets.

“We will continue to talk to the corps members posted to the riverine areas to always wear their life jackets. We will keep talking to them”, she said.

Bolade, who was redeployed from Niger State, thanked the NSCDC for its cooperation especially in the areas of security.

She appealed to the command for more support and demanded security presence at the Kaiama camp for the forthcoming orientation programme.

Senate admits buying bullet proof SUV for N62m not N298m

Senator Saraki's bulletproof range rover also seized

The Senate on Tuesday admitted that it bought a bullet proof Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle ( SUV ) as had been reported in the media. Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi told newsmen in Abuja that indeed the senate procured the said vehicle but not at the price that was being reported.

Sabi said that the vehicle cost was procured at $298,000 (N49.1 million) and not N298, million as was being reported in the media. According to the spokesperson of the Senate, the vehicle was procured in 2015 for $298 at an exchange rate of N165 to a dollar.

“Our attention has been drawn to the various false and mischievous reports in the media about the price of the vehicle which the Senate was said to have bought as part of its convoy but was later abandoned when it got impounded by the Customs over controversy surrounding import duty payment. “The correct price of the vehicle when it was imported in 2015 is $298,000 which at the prevailing rate of N165 to a dollar is about N49, 170. “The Senate paid N62.5m for the vehicle in November 2015. This is contrary to the mischief by those who decided to turn the $298,000 to N298 million as the price of the vehicle. “For the avoidance of doubt, the price the Senate paid for that vehicle is N62.5m and not N298 million.

“The Senate will appreciate it if all reports relating to the legislative institution, particularly on this vehicle matter, are reported with accuracy and all facts put in proper perspective. “We urge journalists to avoid sensationalism. The Senate is a responsible institution and those who believe that when they have issues to explain before it, the next thing to do is to resort to falsehood, blackmail, muck-raking and mud-slinging, should know that they are just overheating the polity and undermining our democratic institution. “Finally, the Senate wish to reiterate our total commitment to upholding the rule of law and to work for Nigerians, in accordance with our constitution,” he said.

The Senate had been in the eye of the storm over its probe of the activities of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) with media reports alleging that the upper legislative chamber was on a revenge mission. Media reports alleged that attention of the Senate on the NSC was due to the fact that the service impounded an SUV allegedly procured by the President of the Senate Bukola Saraki. The report said that the service refused to bulge in spite of the intervention of the Senate to release the SUV.

Meanwhile, at an investigative hearing by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, the importer of the vehicle absolved Saraki of any complicity in the importation. The President of the Senate who also appeared before the committee stressed that he did not import any vehicle and does not own the vehicle that was purportedly seized. He urged that the Senate as an institution must be strengthened so as to save the nation’s democracy.