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Six die in Ogun road crashes

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Six people lost their lives, while 20 others sustained various degrees of injuries in three separate accidents across Ogun State on Monday.

26 people reportedly escaped unhurt from the crashes.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Command of Federal Road Safety Corps, Florence Okpe, revealed this in a statement made available to journalists.

The first crash that occurred at Fidiwo along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway around 3.40 am claimed two lives while two people were injured.

The accident involved a Toyota bus with number plate GBJ915XA and another Golf car without a registration number.

The statement read, “The suspected causes of the crash were wrongful overtaking, excessive speed and making the vehicle lose control and crash. The injured victims were taken to Victory Hospital, Ogere while the corpses were deposited at FOS Morgue, Ipara Remo”.

The second crash occurred at about 5.18 am on the Ijebu-ode-Ore-Benin Expressway after Ajede junction involving a Toyota bus with number plate RBC213XT.

The passengers involved in the accident were said to be 20 out of which 17 were injured while three people died.

The statement read, “A total of 20 persons were involved ( five male adults, nine female adults, teo male children and four female children) 17 people sustained injury ( nine female adults, three male adults, three female children and two male children). While three persons died in the crash ( teo male adults and one female child)

“The cause of the lone crash was speed and fatigue. The injured victims were taken to Roona Hospital and General Hospital Ijebu-Ode while the corpses were deposited at the General Hospital morgue”

Similarly, the third accident was recorded around 2 am along the Ijebu-Ode-Ore-Benin Expressway after the Ajebamidele Bridge.

A southeast-bound luxury bus reportedly rammed into an IVECO truck with number plate TRE265XB said to have been wrongfully parked on the road.

The accident involved 29 people out of which two passengers were injured while one died. The other 26 passengers reportedly escaped unhurt.

Okpe said, “The third crash occurred at about 0200hrs on Ore-Ijebu-ode Expressway after Ajebamidele bridge

29 people were involved (17 male adults and 12 female adults) two persons were injured and one female adult was recorded dead while 26 people were unhurt. Two vehicles were involved with registration number TRE265XB IVECO TRUCK and a Luxury bus with no number on it.

“The cause of the crash was road obstruction on the part of the truck and the bus rammed into the stationary truck that was wrongly parked.

“The injured victims were taken to Olaolu Clinic Ajebandele, and the corpse was deposited at the morgue.”

Meanwhile, the Sector Commander, FRSC Ogun Sector Command, Anthony Uga, has advised motorists to drive cautiously and have enough rest to avoid fatigue.

Court remands Emefiele for alleged abuse of office, $4.5bn, N2.8bn

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 Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Special Offences Court on Monday remanded the embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, for alleged abuse of office.

Oshodi remanded Emefiele in the EFCC custody  while his co-defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoile, was remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre where he is currently held pending the determination of their bail application on April 11.

The defendants counsel, Mr A. Labi-Lawal, had in his two bail application urged the court to grant the defendants bail on self recognition and on liberal terms pending the determination on the case.
Labi-Lawal, in his 31 affidavits, said the first  defendant (Emefiele) had complied with the bail application which was given to him by Justice Muazu in his alleged fraud trial case going on in Abuja.

He said the charges were bailable offences and not a capital offence.
“Though the first defendant was granted administrative bail by the prosecuting authority.
“He is seeking for bail based on self recognition
and he is ready to attend the court.

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“The court should also take into consideration, the status of the first defendant as he was the former CBN governor of the country,” he said.
The defence counsel said his client  had religiously presented himself before Justice Muazu in Abuja to answer the allegations before him.
According to him, the first defendant was not at flight risk, as he was the first person to arrive in court.
He also prayed the court to release Emefiele to lawyer, pending the determination of the  bail.
Emefiele and his co-defendant pleaded not guilty to the 26-count charge bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipt.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty, following their arraignment.
The EFCC counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), did not oppose the bail application moved by the defence counsel.
Oyedepo, however, urged the court to exercise its discretion judiciously in granting bail to the  defendants.
The prosecution had asked the court for a trial date, following the plea of the defendants.(NAN)

By Adenike Ayodele

“Don’t Be Deceived”: Man Marries Beautiful Young Lady He Trained in University, Photos Trend Online

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  • A Nigerian man said he was the one who sponsored his wife in school and that he was happy to do it
  • He shared photos on Facebook, showcasing his wife who has passed out of the National Youth Service Corps
  • Goddy Martins said he was the one who even took his wife to school for enrolment while they were dating

A Nigerian man has married his girlfriend after he successfully trained her in school.

The man made a post on Facebook telling people how he took his girlfriend to school when they were dating.

Goddy Martins said he was the one who accompanied the young lady to the higher institution and indicated that he footed the bills.

He shared photos of his wife, named Endurance Martins on Facebook and congratulated her for passing out of NYSC.

“This is theft”: Nigerian man cries out as lady who slept over packs his foodstuffs, shares video

He said it is not always the case that men would train a woman and they would end up not getting married.

Goddy wrote:

“As a man, if they succeed in telling you that it is not your job to sponsor your Babe to school. They have scammed you. Meet my bae. Endurance Goddy Martinz I took her for enrollment while dating, & today, I am married to an ex-corper. Congratulations my forever love. Yours is already a favor market!”

The Facebook post resonated with many of his followers as the photos when viral and got many engagements.

Reactions as man trains his girlfriend in school

“Gift Dennis said:

“Directly telling the whole world that you schooled her….. instead of her daddy. Few of us are proud of you.”

“Chukwuemeka Agu said:

“The woman is kind”: Reactions as man kneels to thank first wife for allowing him marry second wife

“If no be say you get money she for no come back. She don check guys wey come her way you come rate pass them… you’re just lucky bro.”

Prince Isaac said:

“You are lucky……it might not work for others.”

PSG vs Barcelona Predictions: Betting Tips and Odds

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Our football betting expert brings you their PSG vs Barcelona predictions and tips ahead of their clash on April 10th. The Parisians are yet to lift this trophy. The visitors haven’t tasted Champions League glory since 2015.

This match sees Luis Enrique, now in charge of PSG, take on his former club. He guided Barcelona to the treble in 2015, but now hopes he can dump his former club out of the tournament.

PSG Vs Barcelona Predictions & Tips
PSG to win @ 2.00 Bet9ja
PSG to score 2-3 goals @ 2.17 Bet9ja
Mbappe to score @ 2.10 Bet9ja
GG & over 2.5 goals @ 1.85 Bet9ja
Lewandowski to score @ 2.90 Bet9ja
PSG to win & GG @ 3.55 Bet9ja
2nd half – GG @ 2.87 Bet9ja

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PSG should be expected to win this match against Barcelona 2-1.
PSG Can Seize the Initiative
PSG navigated their way through the Champions League’s group of death thanks to their home form. They picked up seven of their eight points at the Parc de Princes, which ensured they finished above AC Milan and Newcastle. Enrique’s side beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in Paris in the round of 16. We are betting on them to pick up another home win over the Spanish opposition here.

Barcelona have lost two of their four away games in Europe this season. They suffered defeat when they travelled to take on Royal Antwerp and Shakhtar Donetsk. The Catalans have won just one of their last five visits to this ground.

Bet 1: PSG to win @ 2.00 Bet9ja
The Visitors Have Defensive Issues
PSG are on an unbeaten run of 27 matches across all competitions. Over that period, they averaged 2.48 goals per game. Therefore, the second of our PSG vs Barcelona predictions is for the home side to score 2-3 goals in the match. The Parisiens scored two goals in both legs in the last round.

They take on a Barcelona side that had some defensive woes this season. Xabi’s side are 2nd in La Liga, but their average of 1.13 goals conceded per game is higher than those of Valencia, Las Palmas and Real Sociedad. They have kept just two clean sheets in their last 10 away matches across all competitions.

Bet 2: PSG to score 2-3 goals @ 2.17 Bet9ja
Mbappe to Haunt Barcelona Once Again
The third of our PSG vs Barcelona tips is for Kylian Mbappe to score. The striker is highly expected to join Real Madrid this summer, so this could be his last opportunity to lift the Champions League with a French club.

Mbappe has scored six goals in eight Champions League matches this campaign. His non-penalty xG of 0.64 per 90 minutes played puts him in the top 3% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues.

Kylian is capable of consistently overperforming this metric thanks to his outrageous finishing ability. He scored four goals across the two legs when PSG faced Barcelona in the knockout stages of this tournament in 2021.

Bet 3: Mbappe to score @ 2.10 Bet9ja
Barcelona to Play Their Part
Barcelona have plenty of attacking options at their disposal and should pose a threat here. They are the 3rd highest-scoring team in the Spanish top flight this season, with an average of 2.03 goals per game. They also have Robert Lewandowksi in their ranks, a player who has netted 94 goals in the Champions League.

Both teams have scored in eight of Barcelona’s last 10 matches on the road. Over that period, they scored an average of 2.2 goals per game and conceded 1.4, so we are backing GG and over 2.5 goals here.

Bet 4: GG & over 2.5 goals @ 1.85 Bet9ja

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EFCC arraigns Binance executive, Gambaryan, on 5 counts

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, arraigned the Binance Holdings Limited’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, on alleged money laundering charge following the dismissal of his objection by a Federal High Court, Abuja.

Gambaryan was arraigned by the EFCC on five-count charge before Justice Emeka Nwite.

He was arraigned alongside the company and Nadeem Anjarwalla (now at large).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the anti-graft agency had filed a money laundering charge against Binance, Gambaryan and Anjarwalla as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

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Anjarwalla was said to have fled Nigeria after his escape from lawful custody on March 22.

In the five-count charge dated and filed on March 28 by the anti-graft commission, the trio is being accused of money laundering to the tune of $35,400,000.

Gambaryan, however, pleaded not guilty to the counts, while a non-guilty plea was also entered for Binance.

The arraignment followed the earlier dismissal of Gambaryan’s preliminary objection by Justice Nwite.

NAN reports that the judge had, on Thursday, fixed today for the ruling on the Binance official’s objection, raised by his lawyer, Mark Mordi, SAN.

Mordi had disagreed with the EFCC’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho’s application for the charge to be read to Gambaryan.

Mordi argued that Binance, listed as 1st defendant, ought to have been duly served, before Gambaryan could take his plea.

The senior lawyer had insisted that since it was a joint charge, the company must be served before his client could be arraigned.

He said that his client was not a representative of the cryptocurrency firm in Nigeria.

But Iheanacho disagreed with Mordi, saying since Gambaryan represented Binance in Nigeria and that it is the law that he can be served on behalf of the firm.

According to him, if the company does not show up, a non-guilty plea can be entered for it in accordance with Section 478 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

He added that Gambaryan’s statement attached to the proof of evidence showed that he is an official of Binance in the country

Delivering the ruling on Monday, Justice Nwite agreed with Iheanacho’s submission.

The judge held that from Gambaryan’s affidavit attached to his bail application, the American citizen categorically averred that he was representing Binance in Nigeria.

The judge, consequently, dismissed the preliminary objection and ordered him to enter his plea.

While Justice Nwite adjourned his bail application until April 18, he fixed May 2 for trial.(NAN)

By Taiye Agbaje

Presidency unveils platform for citizens’ feedback

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The Presidency on Monday unveiled its Citizens’ Delivery Tracker to provide a “strong feedback loop between citizens and government” on the eight priority areas of the Bola Tinubu administration.

The President’s Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, disclosed this at the Go-Live event of the CDT holding in Abuja on Monday.

“The platform is available as a web link (app.cdcu.gov.ng) and will be available as an app for download in the next few months,” said Bala-Usman.

Bala-Usman said Monday’s unveiling is the culmination of a months-long process since Tinubu announced plans for ministerial assessment at the Cabinet Retreat for ministers and heads of government agencies last November.

In reaching the key performance indicators, the presidential aide explained, “The CDCU held numerous bilateral meetings with Ministries, Departments and Agencies within six weeks.”

The eight priority areas are: Reform the economy to deliver sustained inclusive growth, strengthen national security for peace and prosperity, boost agriculture to achieve food security, and unlock energy and natural resources for sustainable development.

Others are to enhance infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth, focus on education, health, and social investment as essential pillars of development, accelerate diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, creative arts, manufacturing & innovation and Improve governance for effective service delivery.

In an interview on TVC last October, Bala-Usman revealed that the FG would prioritise citizen engagement to ensure that Nigerians are part of the ministerial assessment.

“We’re going to deploy an application, a software where citizens are able to report back on project-based deliverables that the federal government has committed to doing within the period to 2024,” she explained.

Detailing the process at the time, she said, “We sat with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. We have worked effectively to define exactly the deliverables for each ministry.

“And those deliverables are also deliverables that I mentioned cascade to the agencies of government. So, for example, you have the sectoral deliverables for a sector in health, and everything that is contained within the value chain or the ecosystem within that sector will be contained within the deliverables.

“Those deliverables are translated into key performance indicators for the respective ministries. Once you have your key performance indicators, you’re able to clearly understand what your deliverables are over the period of the four years of the administration.”

In late January, no fewer than 140 officials were drafted to track and assess the performance of federal ministries, departments, and agencies ahead of the first assessment exercise at the end of this month.

The officials joined the third technical retreat for delivery desk officers of federal ministries on the implementation of presidential priorities and ministerial deliverables in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, which began on Wednesday, the 24th of that month.

They were drawn from 35 federal government ministries, departments, and agencies.

“It will involve a permanent secretary and directors of planning and other officials, four each from 35 ministries.

“They are considering the modalities of the assessment, the key performance indicators and the reporting mechanisms, and all of those,” an official at the CDCU told our correspondent.

Details shortly…

Tinubu congratulates Oduwole at 80

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 President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Alhaji Alliyu  Oduwole, an Ijebu prince, on  his 80th birthday.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

He said the President described Oduwole as “an active citizen and believer in Nigeria’s potential for greatness”.

“As Alhaji Oduwole marks this milestone birthday, the President wishes him good health and renewed vigour in his service to humanity,” Ngelale said

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oduwole had embarked on lofty advocacies on public accountability, peace and dialogue in the country.

In 2015, he created different fora to discuss ‘Project Nigeria’; held citizen-engagement meetings, and submitted a memorandum on constitutional amendments to the National Assembly in 2022.

In 2018, he founded the United Muslim Community Care Foundation to feed indigent Nigerians of all religious persuasions.

The foundation has been feeding many families during this Ramadan and providing them with some stipends.(NAN) 

By Ismail Abdulaziz

NLTF lauds EFCC for raising remittance inflows to N2.1bn

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Dr Bello Maigari, the Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF), has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for helping to widen the revenue base of the Fund.

EFCC Spokesman, Dele Oyewale, who said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said that Maigari gave the commendation when he visited the Commission Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede in Abuja.

The statement quoted Maigari as saying that the EFCC had helped widen the revenue base of the Fund through enhanced remittance inflows from N800 million to N2.1billion annually.

Maigari said the intervention had assisted NLTF to grow its revenue profile and number of lottery operators.

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“Before the Commission’s intervention, remittance inflows could not exceed N800 million annually.

“However, when the exercise started in 2020, there was a significant increase in remittance inflows between N1.8 billion and N2.1 billion, and the same applied to number of lottery operators from barely 10, their numbers steadily increased to 48 as at last count,” Maigari said in the statement.

He lauded the rising performance of the Chairman of the EFCC since he assumed office, pointing out that his performance has been phenomenal.

“Let me once again congratulate you on your well-deserved appointment to this high office, and to commend you and members of your able team for your exemplary leadership, courage and patriotism in stemming the tide of growing financial crimes in the country.

Maigari said that lottery and gaming industry had grown significantly to over N2 trillion, and called for increased collaboration with the EFCC to sustain the growth as well as recover outstanding liabilities from lottery operators.

Speaking further, Maigari appealed to the EFCC to help in steering the implementation of the Revenue Assurance Platform of the NLTF, describing it as “a strategic revenue mobilisation initiative being driven by the Federal Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Fund”.

The statement also quoted Olukoyede as appreciated the visit and the good work Maigari was doing in the area of revenue mobilisation and recovery.

He charged the NLTF boss to work hard, adding that the Commission was ready to support the Fund in its drive for larger remittance inflows.

Olukoyede urged Maigari to furnish the EFCC with intelligence on the number of registered and unregistered betting and gaming platforms across and outside the country.

He promised that unregistered ones would be compelled to comply with the laws of the nation to do the right things. (NAN)

By Isaac Aregbesola

Kano: Coalition charges Gov Yusuf to open Kwankwaso’s dirty past as Governor

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…warns against selective justice

The Coalition for Truth and Justice (CTJ) has welcomed the proposed probe of Alhaji Umar Ganduje’s tenure as Kano State governor.

The Coalition, at a press conference on Monday, described it as a positive step towards accountability and transparency in governance.

Obinna Francis, the Convener of the Coalition, however, charged Governor Abba Yusuf to extend the probe to other notable individuals in the state such as Rabiu Kwanksaso.

Francis emphasised that selective justice is a threat to society everywhere in the world, hence the failure to investigate Kwankwaso and others will be seen as biased and political.

”The Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the State Government to Investigate the immediate past administration in the state ought to start their investigation from 1999-2003 and 2011-2015 when 70 per cent of government properties were sold or fraudulently allocated to friends and families, and not just focusing on only 2011-2015,” the statement said.

“But it is unfortunate to bring to our notice that the magnanimous sharing of the state assets happened right under the nose of Abba Kabir Yusuf when he was the Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport. Should we infer that Mr Governor doesn’t know that he who lives in a glass house doesn’t throw stones!

”We all know It is a popular knowledge that the best way to kill a weed is from its root. Therefore, it is alarming that Governor Abba Yusuf seems to focus so much attention on killing the weed of corruption at the top with so much aggression, by solely focusing on witch-hunting the poor in Kano State, which is completely unacceptable.

“We believe that justice should be blind and impartial, regardless of one’s social or political status. Therefore, we call for a fair and comprehensive investigation that includes all relevant parties.

”Governor Abba Yusuf should be wise enough to know that it is only when the foundation of transparency is strong, that’s when corruption can be fully addressed.

”The relentless attacks on Chairman Ganduje by Governor Abba Yusuf and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso not only create a sense of instability in the political landscape of Kano State, but also undermine the democratic process. Instead of fostering healthy political competition and constructive dialogue, their actions fuel division and animosity. This not only harms the state’s political stability but also hampers the overall development and progress of Kano State.

”In light of these concerns, the Coalition for Truth and Justice urges Governor Abba Yusuf to extend his investigation to include the period when Rabiu Kwankwaso served as the Governor of Kano State. The government should be upright in its dealings by not selfishly restricting its investigation to between 2015 and 2023, but from 1999 till 2023. This will ensure that justice is served without bias or favoritism.

”It is no news there are rumors among the people of Kano that Governor Yusuf is dinning with Kwankwaso, and that is the reason he’s shielding him from any probe of corruption about his administration in Kano State. The governor must prove it to every Kano citizen that he who comes to equity, must come with clean hands, and this will be a welcome development by all.

”For the record, it can be noted that; From 2011-2015, the controversial five kilometer road projects in the 44 local governments were awarded and only for the funds to be misappropriated without the project being executed under the Kwankwaso administration.

”During the same period under review, over N3 billion naira was also earmarked for a particular project but misappropriated by Kwankwaso during his Presidential Campaign in Lagos when N70 million was released by each local government.”

Okecha’s Book on Reviving Nigeria’s Education System out soon

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The Nigerian Education System: Downswings and Way Forward, a book written by Professor Steve Okecha, retired professor of Chemistry and university administrator, x-raying the Nigerian education system, will be presented at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos, on Saturday, 27th April, 2024.

The Chairman of the book presentation event is Mr Donald Duke, the former Governor of Cross River State, with H.E Rt.Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Executive Governor of Delta State, as Special Guest of Honour. The Chief Presenter is Senator Ned Nwoko, while former federal minister, Professor Jerry Gana, is the Keynote Speaker.

Professor Okecha’s book takes a critical view of the state of tertiary education in the country and proffers solutions to problems plaguing the sector. A dedicated academic, Prof. Okecha has been a critical commentator on the Nigerian education system having previously published the acclaimed book, ‘Nigerian University: An Ivory Tower With Neither Ivory Nor Tower’, reviewed by the accomplished journalist and writer Dan Agbese as ‘an angry book by an angry man.’ In The Nigerian Education System: Downswings and Way Forward, Prof. Okecha takes a holistic view of the university system as an academic who has held not just teaching positions but as a former Provost, Deputy Vice Chancellor and later Technical Adviser to the Minister of Education. The book is the distillation of Okecha’s almost 50-years experience in the sector, where he served in various capacities in federal, state and private universities. The book offers insights for administrators and policy makers.

The book presentation will be graced by HRM Keagborekuzi I, Dein of Agbor, who is the Royal Father of The Day; Olorogun Albert Akpomudje, SAN, the Otota (Traditional Prime Minister) of Olomu Kingdom and President General Worldwide, Government College Ughelli Old Boys Association; and Major General John O. Ochai, Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. The book reviewer is Prof Nkemchor Onyekpe, FHSN, of the Department of History And Strategic Studies, University of Lagos.

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