Television Nigerian

Pauline Tallen, the former minister of women’s affairs, claims that she visited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on her own initiative and was not formally invited or interrogated by the anti-graft organisation.

The former minister claimed in a statement made public on Saturday, June 3, that the purpose of her trip to the EFCC was to refute some accusations made against her.

“Around 9 o’clock yesterday night, rumours that I had been detained by the EFCC started to spread. Several media outlets that were either malicious or misinformed carried this fake news. I would like to clarify that I approached the EFCC voluntarily to address the recent, blatantly false accusation made against me, Tallen said.

According to reports, the EFCC detained and questioned the former minister for women’s affairs in Abuja on suspicion of money laundering.

Tallen is under investigation, according to a report citing an EFCC source, for the alleged misappropriation and diversion of N2 billion in funds.

The ex-minister arrived at our Abuja Zonal Command (not the headquarters) on invitation at around 12 o’clock, but as of 8:30 o’clock she was still being questioned by commission investigators.

“She’s being investigated for alleged misappropriation of funds and corrupt enrichment to the tune of N2 billion, and part of the money was allegedly diverted from the African First Lady Peace Mission Project,” the source was cited as saying.

However, Tallen claimed in the statement that despite the fact that she had previously been the subject of fraud accusations, she had delayed responding to them out of respect for the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

“First off, if this had been a legitimate inquiry, the decent and fitting course of action would have been to write to the Ministry for Women Affairs and inquire about any funds sent to the Ministry.

It is extremely unprofessional, shows a lack of respect for the Ministry of Women Affairs, and is damaging to my person and character, said Tallen, to jump into the open without any proper formal correspondence.

A former minister has visited the EFCC office twice in the past week, both times coming out to refute reports that the events were related to allegations of corruption.

On Friday, June 2, it was reported that former Ekiti State governor Kayode Fayemi denied rumours that the EFCC was looking into him for an alleged N4 billion fraud.

According to the report, Fayemi was interrogated on June 1 at the EFCC’s zonal command office in Kwara State.

His interrogation reportedly came after the anti-graft agency had invited him to respond to allegations of money laundering totaling N4 billion made against him last month.

On the other hand, Fayemi stated in a statement that was released on Friday, June 2, by his spokesperson, Ahmad Sajoh, that the alleged misappropriation of N4 billion was not brought up during his discussions with EFCC officials on Thursday.

He asserted that the sole purpose of the visit was to respond to what he characterised as a groundless petition that had been submitted by a group with the intention of smearing his reputation. According to him, he was given permission to leave the commission’s office a few hours after he arrived there and answered questions posed to him there.
“We wish to note, as well, that contrary to the news that made the rounds about a purported N4 billion fraud case against Dr. Fayemi, no such allegation was raised in his conversation with the EFCC. This is something that we would like to bring to your attention.
“All he did was respond to a frivolous petition from an anonymous group, the so-called Ekiti Patriotic Coalition,” the statement said. “We strongly believed that this faceless group is a front for some anti-Fayemi politicians who are trying to soil the former governor’s good name and image.”

Pauline Tallen, the recently resigned Minister for Women’s Affairs and Social Development, is being held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on suspicion of money laundering.

Tallen was questioned by EFCC agents at its Zonal Headquarters in Wuse, Abuja, according to sources with knowledge of the development who confirmed it to our correspondent.
Despite the lack of specifics surrounding the claims made against the former minister, a source with knowledge of the matter told The PUNCH that they appeared to involve corrupt enrichment totaling N2 billion.
The former minister arrived at our Abuja Zonal Command (not the headquarters) by invitation at around 12 pm, but as of 8:30 pm, commission investigators were still questioning her.
She is being looked into for alleged corrupt enrichment and misappropriation of funds totaling N2 billion, some of which is alleged to have come from the African First Lady Peace Mission Project.
Wilson Uwujaren, the commission’s spokesperson, was unavailable as of the time of publication.

A $3.2 billion modernization project to end manual operations was launched on Thursday by retired colonel Hameed Ali, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Ali expressed his enthusiasm for the project, which aimed to fully automate the NCS, at the opening of the Project Management Office in Abuja. He explained that the project was started in order to enhance the service’s operations and get rid of corruption. Trade Modernization Project Limited managed the project.

“We are seeing state-of-the-art technology today.

Therefore, he said, “It is with pride that we reflect on the journey we set out on since 2015.”

According to Ali, the NCS decided on automation because it has many advantages, such as promoting effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency. The project would give the NCS the ability to adjust to shifting market dynamics, automate operations, and generate income to support Nigerians’ economic development and well-being. The comptroller-general claimed that despite the difficulties, they persisted in completing the project.

He declared, “The inauguration is a celebration of NCS’s tenacity, foresight, and resilience.

Every action we have taken demonstrates how committed we are to harnessing the power of digitisation.

Regarding worries that implementing the technology would result in a reduction in the use of labour, Ali said such claims were unfounded.

Ali said that the NCS’s modernization would make it possible for the service to hire more personnel. He explained that in order to effectively cover the borders and ensure the safety of the populace, the project would require a large amount of labour. He emphasised the importance of adhering to international standards.

Mr. Saleh Ahmadu, the chairman of TMPL, said that the project would “invest $3.2 billion over a 20-year period.

He said that the investment would bring in more than $200 billion. He clarified that financial partners had helped secure $300 million in financing for the project’s initial phase. There was also a $9 million performance fund that was backed by cash.

According to Ahmadu, increasing staff capacity is one of the project’s top priorities, and this will receive a significant amount of funding.

The Federal Executive Council approved the e-customs project on April 20, according to NAN, and Bergman Securities Consultant and Suppliers Limited was designated as the project sponsor.

The principal financiers would be Africa Finance Corporation and UFC, and Huawei Technologies would be the principal technical service provider.

The concessionaire had given the government N4.135 billion ($9 million) as security for the project’s successful completion. In order to finance the project’s initial phase, the concessionaire also completed the depth facility tensions for $300 million (N138 billion).

According to the former minister, the revenue sharing arrangement saw the concessionaire receiving 45% of accruals to the comprehensive input service scheme and the Federal Government receiving 55%.

The Nigerian Responsible Action Scheme receives 5% of the proceeds, and the Federal Government receives 75%.