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Student loan scheme not forgotten, says Presidency

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Student loan scheme not forgotten, says Presidency

The Presidency, on Wednesday, said it will announce a later date for the commencement of the student loan scheme.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this when he briefed State House correspondents after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

“There will be a new date to launch the student loan scheme. It’s not forgotten,” Onanuga said.

Onanuga was responding to the postponement of the planned launch of the Fund, which was initially scheduled for Thursday, March 14, explaining that the programme had not been forgotten.

Giving reasons for the delay, he said, “There are some things that need to be rearranged so that it can be launched properly. That’s what’s happening.

“So the President is committed to it. You know it’s one of his flagship programmes and he wants to get it done as quickly as possible.”

Speaking on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, announced that Tinubu will launch the Student Loan Scheme on Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Villa Sources also confirmed that the President had been scheduled to launch the programme on Thursday.

However, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, Dr Akintunde Sawyerr, announced in an Arise News interview that the Thursday launch is no longer feasible.

On June 12, 2023, Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, 2023 into law to enable indigent students to access interest-free loans for their educational pursuits in any Nigerian tertiary institution.

The move was in “fulfilment of one of his campaign promises to liberalise funding of education,” a member of the then Presidential Strategy Team, Dele Alake, said.

The Act, popularly known as the Students Loan Law, also established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to process all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.

The government initially said the scheme would kick off in September, but it did not.

Afterwards, Tinubu insisted on January 2024. Declaring the 29th session of the annual Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja open on October 23, 2023, the President said, “By January 2024, the new Students Loan Programme must commence. To the future of our children and students, we’re saying no more strikes!”

He proposed N50bn for its take-off in the 2024 budget he presented to the National Assembly last November.

On February 7, Sawyerr exclusively confirmed to our correspondent that the much-awaited scheme would go live on February 21, when President Tinubu launched it at the State House, Abuja.

However, the launch was delayed, with Sawyerr, alongside Presidency sources, explaining that the lag time is to enable the Fund to expand its mandate to include students seeking loans for skills development, as directed by the President.

After receiving a briefing from the NELFUND team led by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, on January 22, the President directed the Fund to extend interest-free loans to Nigerian students interested in skill-development programmes.

Tinubu based his decision on the need for the scheme to accommodate those who may not want to pursue a university education, noting that skill acquisition is as essential as obtaining undergraduate and graduate academic qualifications.

“This is not an exclusive programme. It is catering to all of our young people. Young Nigerians are gifted in different areas. This is not only for those who want to be doctors, lawyers, and accountants. It is also for those who aspire to use their skilled and trained hands to build our nation.

“In accordance with this, I have instructed NELFUND to explore all opportunities to inculcate skill-development programmes because not everybody wants to go through a full university education,” he said.

On Saturday, March 9, Sawyerr also told our correspondent that the delay is “basically to enable the agency to put all necessary measures in place as the scheme is entirely technologically driven.”

Providing additional insight, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris asserted that President Tinubu had planned out other welfare initiatives, such as the introduction of social security and consumer credit programmes, all waiting to be launched.

He explained that the various programmes “are being taken together,” adding that “Mr President is not stopping or suspending the students’ loan. Indeed, he’s ensuring that it comes about strongly so that Nigerians and especially the families of the less privileged take advantage of it so that they can get an education.”

Meanwhile, Sawyerr has since clarified that the postponement is not indefinite.

A statement signed by his media aide, Nasir Ayitogo, read, “While there has been a postponement, we wish to state that it is not indefinite, as alluded to in the reports.

“For the avoidance of doubt, NELFUND is 100 per cent set for the launch. The loan application portal is ready, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has since approved the funds for the smooth take-off.

“Students are advised to seize the opportunity and apply for the loans as soon as it is launched at a date to be determined by the President.”

Osun APC, PDP trade words over Adeleke’s security alarm

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Osun APC, PDP trade words over Adeleke’s security alarm

The Osun State chapters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, on Wednesday, traded accusations over the security alarm raised by the governor of the state, Ademola Adeleke, on the alleged plans of hoodlums to attack schools and farm settlements in the state.

Adeleke had earlier said intelligence reports indicated plans by hoodlums to attack schools and carry out abductions, as well as attack farm settlements.

The governor also noted that he had summoned a security council meeting to address the situation.

Reacting to Adeleke’s alarm, the APC in a statement by its chairman in Osun, Tajudeen Lawal, accused the governor of raising a false panic regarding security in the state.

Lawal stated that it was disheartening that a governor would descend into pettiness by planting hoaxes in the media in order to divert the attention of the public.

Lawal said, “Governor Adeleke should sit up for once and give the people of the state the quality governance he promised the people during his campaign instead of engaging in the creation of another phony agenda meant to have a diversionary motive.

“We are not politically inexperienced not to have an understanding that the Adeleke-invented security threat against the state is a ploy to shift their attention from discussing his ill-thought out N100 billion white elephant projects when hunger is working on four legs in all the streets in the nooks and crannies of the state.

“There is nothing wrong in a government being proactive on security issues, but it is criminal and an express admission of failure for any government to use same as a weapon of deceit to confuse the governed.”

Reacting, Osun PDP chairman, Mr Sunday Bisi, described Osun APC as inhumane, unpatriotic and delusional for denying reports of threats to peace and security in the state.

The statement reads, “We find it reprehensible and condemnable for the state APC to deny reports that have been confirmed by virtually all the security agencies in the state. Must the APC play politics with everything?

“A patriotic governor raised the alarm on security threats and he summoned the state security council meeting. The council meeting attended by top security and service commanders reviewed the situation in the light of their field reports and mapped out preemptive measures.

“The resolution of the state security meeting was made public including a list of steps the state is to take to stop the threats from materialising. Instead of commending the Governor for his foresight, the opposition has chosen to play bad, sore loser again, leveling unfounded allegations and playing games with the lives and properties of our people.

“As a party, the PDP government is too well focussed on delivering on its infra and social programmes designed to restore the state from the depth of under-development the state was plunged into for 12 years.”

EFCC arrests 45 suspected internet fraudsters in Lagos

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EFCC arrests 45 suspected internet fraudsters in Lagos

 

Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 45 persons suspected to be internet fraudsters.

The suspects were arrested on Monday, following intelligence on the activities of an organised crime syndicate operating in the area.

Similarly, Justices M.S Abubakar and R.J Egbe of the Federal High Court sitting in Markurdi Benue State, convicted and sentenced five internet fraudsters to various jail terms, following their arraignment by the Markurdi Zonal Command of the EFCC.

These were according to separate statements issued by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday.

 

According to the statement, items recovered from the suspects arrested in Lagos included exotic vehicles, sophisticated mobile devices, and laptops, adding that the suspects will be arraigned upon the conclusion of investigations.

“Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested 45 suspected internet fraudsters. They were arrested on Monday, March 11, 2024, at Ikorodu, Lagos, following intelligence on the activities of an Organised Cybercrime Syndicate Network, OCSN, operating in that axis of the state.

“Items recovered from them at the point of arrest include exotic vehicles, sophisticated mobile devices, and laptops. They will soon be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations”, the statement read.

Meanwhile, the convicted internet fraudsters namely Ibi Suurshter, Onazi Oche, Innocent Ochola, Teseer Mnenge, and Agbo Lawrence were jailed after pleading guilty to one-count separate charges of internet fraud.

The statement also reads “After listening to all counsels, Justice Abubakar convicted and sentenced Suurshater to one-year imprisonment with an option of N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) as fine. Oche was convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment with an option of N600,000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand Naira) as fine.

Also, the judge convicted and sentenced Ochola to two years imprisonment with an option of a fine of N1,000,000,00 (One Million Naira). Terseer Mnenge was also convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment with an option of a N200,000 fine. The fifth convict, Agbo was convicted and sentenced by Justice Egbe. He bagged one year imprisonment with an option of N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) as a fine. The two judges further ordered them to forfeit all their phones, being proceeds of crime, to the government.

All the convicts started their journey to the Correctional Centre when they were arrested for internet-related offences. They were investigated individually and prosecuted.

Oil theft: 6,465 illegal refineries destroyed since 2022

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Oil theft: 6,465 illegal refineries destroyed since 2022

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Wednesday said it has deactivated about 6,465 illegal refineries in a bid to address cases of illegal crude oil theft in the country.

The Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, disclosed this at the company’s corporate headquarters in Abuja while hosting members of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Oil Theft who were at the NNPCL towers on an oversight duty.

He said, “From 2022 to date, we have deactivated 6,465 illegal refineries. We have also removed 4,876 illegal connections to pipelines out of the 5,570 that we have discovered.”

Kyari added that the NNPCL is not sure of the actual number, stressing that the company was aware of scores of illegal connections yet to be removed.

“Some of the scale of infractions that we see is unbelievable; we are not able to deal with them. When you remove one connection, the next day in the same location, someone will replace it. It is obvious that crude oil theft is almost an end-to-end issue in Nigeria and it is very obvious that everyone is involved.

“In most of these locations, they are less than a hundred metres from settlements; some are even less than a hundred metres from local government headquarters,” he said.

The attacks on pipelines, according to the NNPCL boss, makes it difficult to guarantee production quantum the next day.

He said, “It is very obvious that despite all the integrity issues with our pipeline and our facilities, we have capacity beyond two million barrels per day without doing anything.

“But today, we are struggling to meet the budget estimate of 1.6 million barrels per day. The core issue here. No one will produce oil, knowing fully well that he cannot dispose of it, and that’s why no one is putting money into it.

“In 2022, it became so obvious that if something dramatic was not done, we were going to run into trouble. On a specific date, our production came down to as low as 1.1 million barrels per day. And on a particular date, we went below a million barrels.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Special Committee, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, said it has been established that operating oil and gas pipelines in Nigeria remained a huge task.

He said, “There is hardly a week or even a few days without an infraction or damage to an oil and/or gas pipeline in the country,” adding that the infractions also affect oil well heads, flow stations, loading, and export terminals, among others.

He lamented what he called the opacity and non-transparency of regulatory activities at the nation’s crude oil export terminals, saying, “We are compiling the facts and figures. Instances where approvals are hastily granted to vessels involved in crude theft just to cover official complicity are reported.

“Incidences of undeclared liftings are noted, and all these and several other infractions, particularly in our offshore marine environment, contribute to the huge volume of crude oil theft being reported.”

Anambra suspect falls off moving police vehicle, dies

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Anambra suspect falls off moving police vehicle, dies

A yet-to-be-identified man in handcuffs has reportedly fallen off a moving police vehicle in Anambra and died instantly.

The incident, it was gathered, happened on Wednesday along the Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market, by Port Harcourt Road in Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State.

This was corroborated by a video currently trending on social media with a voiceover narrating that the victim was arrested by some police officers who came into the market and also seized some goods from the traders in the market.

The voice in the video alleged, “Shortly after the arrest, while the police officers were speeding off out of the market in their vehicle, with the seized items, the victim who was in handcuffs, fell from the vehicle and hit his head on the tarred road and “died.”

The video also showed the lifeless body of the man on the ground with handcuffs on his hand while people gathered, watching, lamenting, and making videos from the scene.

When contacted about the development, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed that he had seen the viral video.

Ikenga said he had also forwarded the video to the Onitsha Area Commander for investigation, especially concerning the circumstances surrounding the incident and the alleged police involvement in the matter.

He said the command had sued for calm, assuring that those behind such an inhumane act would be unfailingly unmasked.

“I am aware of the trending video and I have escalated it to the Area Commander in Onitsha for investigation, especially on the allegations that our officers were involved.

“Meanwhile, the command has sued for calm and assured that the police shall unmask those behind the inhuman act,” he said.

Step aside now, PDP tells Akpabio

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Step aside now, PDP tells Akpabio

The Peoples Democratic Party has asked the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to step aside and allow for an independent investigation into the N3.7trn 2024 Budget padding allegation.

The lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, has been suspended by the Senate for three months.

This decision followed approximately three hours of debate regarding his statements made in an interview where he claimed that the National Assembly inflated the 2024 budget to N28.7 trillion.

In the interview conducted on Saturday, Ningi asserted that while the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year is N25 trillion, the one being executed by the Presidency amounts to N28.7 trillion.

In response, the PDP, through a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Wednesday, expressed its support for the suspended Senator.

The party criticised the Senate leadership for suspending Ningi without conducting a thorough investigation into the matter of budget padding that he brought up.

The party stated “The Peoples Democratic Party demands that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, immediately step aside and allow for an independent investigation into the allegation that a staggering N3.7 trillion was discreetly inserted into the 2024 budget for alleged non-existent projects.

“The party also demands that Senator Akpabio immediately reports at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the pending case of alleged looting of N108 billion belonging to the people of Akwa Ibom State under his watch as Governor of the State.

“Furthermore, the Senate President should speak out on the reported N86bn contract scam in the Niger Delta Development Commission during his tenure as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.”

The PDP described Ningi’s suspension as a desperate move to suppress investigation, conceal, and sweep the facts under the carpet.

It added, “We ask, why did the APC leadership in the Senate not refer the matter to the appropriate Senate Standing Committee for an open investigation in line with the extant Rules of the Senate? What is the APC Senate leadership afraid of and what is it hiding from Nigerians?

“It is even more absurd that instead of recusing himself, the Senate President sat as a judge in the matter; a situation that has the capacity to bring the institution of the Senate to further public disrepute.

“This is especially true as the issues at hand heavily border on alleged gross misconduct and criminal betrayal of public trust which are serious offenses under our laws.

“This apparent inclination towards covering up sleaze in the polity is already pitching the institution of the Senate against Nigerians who are demanding answers on the matter. Of course, the widely condemned suspension of Senator Ningi does not provide answers to the budget padding allegation.

“It is indeed unfortunate and a huge smear on the image of the Senate, as the highest lawmaking and probity Institution in the country, that its Presiding Officer has found himself in a quagmire of alleged sleaze and betrayal of public trust.

“Our party therefore stands with Senator Ningi for his courage in seeking probity and accountability in the polity.”

Delay in 3% funding hampers PIA implementation

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Delay in 3% funding hampers PIA implementation

Stakeholders of the Host Communities Producing Oil and Gas affirmed that the purported delay in releasing the yearly three per cent contribution from relevant oil firms to the Host Community Development Trust as mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, significantly obstructs the enactment of the crucial legislation.

They made their position known during a town hall meeting in Yenagoa, organised by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission in partnership with HOSTCOM Management and Advisory Konsult Ltd, alongside the Host Communities Development Board of Trustees and Settlors in Bayelsa State, on Tuesday.

The HOSTCOM stakeholders, who were drawn from host communities across the state, revealed that about 15 HCDT had been created in Bayelsa so far.

They claimed that despite the meagerness of the three per cent, there is a delay in the release of the funds to enable host communities to carry out development projects.

According to them, the non-implementation of the PIA is “killing host communities” as all the proceeds that used to accrue to the communities through the Global Memorandum of Understanding signed with oil companies had ceased since the law took effect.

Speaking at the meeting, the national president of HOSTCOM, Benjamin Tamaran-Ebi, pointed out that more than two years after the PIA received presidential assent, host communities could not access their three per cent funds.

He said, “The delay in the implementation of the PIA is killing our people. After two and a half years since the PIA came into effect, host communities cannot initiate a simple project. Some communities, two years funds have been paid, they cannot access the funds for a particular project. Even to get an office with the funds is a problem.

“So we are looking at a way to ensure that this should not linger. When we come to the roundtable to discuss then it is a win-win situation; so that we can agree and say these are the principles, these are the rules and we should go by this. And everybody will abide by it and there will be prosperity. That’s why we are doing this town hall meeting.

“Recently, Oporoma community (In Bayelsa State) went and stopped Shell from operating in their platform and that has become an issue. Now, they (Shell) are calling everybody complaining that this community has stopped them from operation. Give them the money, allow them to use the money.

“The delay in release of funds is impeding the implementation of the PIA. This is a fact. If the funds are not released for the community to embark on projects, what do you expect the community to do? They are starved of funds and when they are starved, they are pushed to the wall. And when they are pushed to the wall, they go to the oil installations and shut them down. And we don’t want that to occur in our communities, in Bayelsa and other states.”

In their separate contributions, the representative of Yenagoa/Ogbia Host Communities Development Trust Fund, Zuwa Konugah; High Chief Idani George of Azagbene community, Ekeremor LGA and Praise Perekebina, from Kabeama in Sagbama LGA, among others, said that host communities were no longer comfortable with the delay in the PIA implementation.

While insisting that the annual three per cent was inadequate and that 10 per cent was the acceptable minimum, they urged the NUPRC to intervene and compel the oil firms to stop the delay in the release of the withheld three per cent funds.

Addressing the participants, the Commission Chief Executive at the NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, said the commission had been working assiduously to ensure the implementation and operationalisation of the HCDT in line with the provisions of the PIA and the NUPHRC, 2022.

Komolafe represented by the Bayelsa State Coordinator of NUPRC, Bighoro Sylvester, said the commission had issued approval to incorporate over 113 HCDT while 100 HCDT had been fully incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission, among other achievements recorded in the operationalisation of the PIA.

In addition, he explained, “The Commission is working in collaboration with NIUMS to ensure the OPEX presented by Settlors are accurate and true representation of each HCDTS.

“To manage the reserve funds which is 20% of the 3% OPEX, the Commission has approved twenty-five competent fund managers to invest the funds for the HCDTS. Some of the incorporated HCDTS has already started the process of engaging some of these fund managers”

He assured the HOSTCOM members that the commission would do its best within the ambit of the provisions of the PIA and the NUPHCR to ensure smooth and speedy implementation and operationalisation of the HCDT while ensuring that all stakeholders were adequately carried along.

Production costs raising cement prices, not concrete roads — FG

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Production costs raising cement prices, not concrete roads — FG

The Federal Government on Wednesday said the rising cost of production is responsible for the recent cement price hike and not its concrete road policy.

It also explained that its insistence on concrete roads will not phase out traditional asphalt roads but is only an alternative for sites with high water tables and poor conditions.

“This assertion is highly misplaced because the policy has not even taken off,” said the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, when he briefed State House correspondents after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

His remarks followed warnings by the Cement Producers Association of Nigeria that the FG’s plan to introduce concrete roads will raise the price of cement from N5,600 to N9,000 per bag.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives invited top manufacturers, Aliko Dangote Rabiu Abdulsamad, among others for discussions on the high cost of the product.

The House’s resolution was a sequel to the adoption of a motion titled “Arbitrary increase in the price of cement by manufacturers of cement in Nigeria,” moved by a member representing Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency, Nasarawa State, Mr Gaza Gbefwi, and his counterpart representing Shomolu Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Ademorin Kuye, during plenary on Wednesday.

Fielding questions on the issue, Umahi cited recently released documents showing that Dangote Cement Plc, BUA Cement Plc and Lafarge Africa Plc spent N598.14bn on power during the full year ended December 31, 2023.

He explained, “I just got a document this morning where three companies producing cement, Dangote, BUA and Lafarge, said in 2023, the total cost of their gas rose by over 42 per cent. So, if the cost of their gas rose by 42 per cent and then the import duty exchange rate has also gone up, it is expected that the cost of cement would go up.

“But Mr. President has discussed with them and I think there are a couple of incentives being made available to them which should reduce the cost of cement.

” In Sokoto, where I visited recently, the BUA Executive Director said that the ex-factory was N6000. And that was down from N8000. We are getting there because Mr. President has directed them to reduce the price and they have to comply and I think Mr President has also offered them some incentives to them.

“So it’s not because we are going from asphalt to concrete. And we are not totally leaving the asphalt. It is just an alternative, especially where we have a very high water table and then a very poor sight condition.”

The minister disclosed the council’s response to the memoranda he presented at the meeting.

This includes the approval of an additional N757bn as augmentation for the dualisation of the 489km Obajana-Benin Road, N2.23bn for the Isheri-Ogun Road and N114bn for Outer Marina shoreline protection.

He explained, “Today we’ve got augmentation approved for Obajana in Lokoja to Benin Road, a total of 244km and 489km dualized. Recall that in 2012, this project was awarded to four contractors: CGC, Mothercat, Dantata & Sawoe and RCC at a total cost of N122bn, and that was for light rehabilitation.

“Around 2018, the past administration reviewed the project and dualised it and that’s why you have a total of 489km and then now got ‘No Objection’ from BPP. When I came on board in August, we were supposed to present the no-objection to FEC in line with due process and we decided to review the project, one, to determine whether the dualisation was desirable in view of the economic challenges and two, to see the texture of the soil and what to do.

“So we had to restore the project now, but we didn’t increase the cost. We got approval for argumentation from N122bn to N897bn. The contractors were off-site because they would not be working and they would not be paid based on the new basic rate. So we got them back to the site and Today we got approval.”

The Council also approved N2.23bn for the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency for the rehabilitation of the road from Isheri North to Ogun state.

“Now, under FERMA, we got approval for the construction of Isheri north, Lagos route, which is to connect Ogun state. This is an alternative route to Lagos – Shagamu Road and we’re going to toll this Lagos-Shagamu when completed. But by law, you only toll a federal road when you have an alternative.

“This approval of about N2.23bn to connect Isheri North to Ogun state. It is a breakthrough that has freed the Lagos-Shagamu for tolling,” he revealed.

Explaining the Council’s approval for the N114bn Outer Marina shoreline protection, Umahi said, “The shore protection was done over 50 years back with sheet piles and we had to take the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, on a tour with Julius Berger through the entire shoreline of 3.92km.

“We took the tour with Julius Berger, CCECC, CBC and BuildWell, and demanded for them to inspect and then give us their proposal. Only BuildWell and CCECC brought their proposals.

Whereas CCECC was quoting on 3.2km at N134bn, BuildWell was quoting on 3.9km at N114bn. We sent the two to BPP and BPP found merit in BuildWell because of cost and, of course latest technology in doing shore protection using interlocking concrete, which will not be subject to rusting. So we got approval for Build Well in the sum up N114bn.”

Umahi said the shoreline protection project was necessary given its proximity to the recently inaugurated Red Line and other existing structures in the area. He added that his ministry sought to leverage the low-water levels of the dry season to drive piles down the shore.

Some kidnap cases in FCT staged-managed – Wike

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Some kidnap cases in FCT staged-managed – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said that most cases of kidnap in the FCT in recent times were stage-managed.

He also declared that there has been a remarkable improvement in the security situation of the territory.

Wike said this on Wednesday at the National Assembly while addressing journalists after about two hours of closed-door session with the Senate on the state of security in FCT and measures being put in place.

The Senate had met with the FCT Minister and the Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igwe, behind closed doors.

After the closed-door session, Wike said there has been a reduction in crime and criminalities in the FCT, adding that two of the most wanted kidnappers in the FCT have also been arrested.

He, however, said that though the FCT has not reached where it wants to be in terms of security, there has been marked improvement in the security situation, as attested to by the lawmakers.

He further noted that it was impossible to put a total stop to crime and criminalities within any society, but assured all that the FCT administration, working with the security agencies, will continue to do its best to secure lives and property in the nation’s capital.

Wike said, “Even the Senators agreed that security has quite improved in the FCT. There is no part of this world where criminality has been eradicated completely.

“What we are trying to say is being able to limit or reduce the level of insecurity. But if anybody tells you that as a society is concerned, you will not have one form of criminality, that is not correct and we must have to tell ourselves the truth.”

He added that the kidnapping incidents in the FCT were sometimes stage-managed by unscrupulous elements in the society while assuring all that the security agencies would continue to ensure that kidnapped victims were released.

The FCT minister stated, “The kidnappings you hear, sometimes, are stage-managed by people. There are some internal arrangements.

“Take for example, you have a housekeeper in the house, you have a driver who will plot to kidnap the child of their master.

“In that case, what do you want us to do? All we can do is to see how the person that has been kidnapped is released.”

He explained further, “But to stop crime of that nature will be difficult because it’s an in-house arrangement, where a driver that is involved in bringing a child from school will mastermind kidnapping of the child .”

Also the FCT Commissioner of Police, Igwe assured residents of their safety within the FCT and its immediate environs, adding that his command has come up with new strategies and tactics to deal decisively with criminals especially “armed robbers” popularly known as “One Chance “ terrorising the city.

Also at the meeting were the FCT Director of the DSS, ADG Ado Muazu, and the Commandant of the NSCDC, Olusola Odumosu.

Tinubu names new South East nominee on CBN board

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Tinubu names new South East nominee on CBN board

President Bola Tinubu has sought Senate’s confirmation for Ruby Onwudiwe as a replacement for Dr Kalu Eke, who declined the President’s nomination as a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Kalu had declined the President’s appointment due to his engagement at the World Bank and other financial institutions.

Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, which was read during plenary on Wednesday.

The President, in the letter, said the request for confirmation was in compliance with provisions of Section 10, Sub-section 1 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Establishment Act, 2007.

The letter read, “I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of Dr. Ruby Onwudiwe as a member of the CBN board of directors. The Senate is invited to kindly note that Onwudiwe is a replacement for Mr. Kalu Eke, due to the unavailability of Eke for the position.

“It is my hope therefore, that the Senate will consider and confirm in its usual expeditious manner, the appointment of Onwudiwe. Please accept the assurances of my highest regards.”

The Senate had on February 29 confirmed four out of the five persons nominated by Tinubu as members of the Board of Directors of the CBN.

Those confirmed were Robert Agbede, Ado Yakubu Wanka, Murtala Sabo Sagagi, and Muslimat Olanike Aliyu, but Eke did not appear before the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions for screening.

Although there was no formal explanation from Eke to the committee or the Senate, former Abia State governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, informed the Senate that the nominee not confirmed could not appear for screening to take up the role because it would conflict with his current job as a consultant to the World Bank, among others.

He added that Eke had already informed the CBN that he would not be able to take up the job being nominated for by the President.

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