Television Nigerian

The scheduled arraignment of Rochas Okorocha, former governor of Imo State and Senator representing Imo State, has been postponed.

On Tuesday, the former government was set to be arraigned in Abuja’s Federal High Court on a N2.9 billion corruption charge.

Senator Okorocha was not present in court and was not represented by a lawyer.

Six other defendants who were supposed to be arraigned alongside him on 17 counts of corruption were, however, present in court.

Mr Cosmos Ugwu, counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), told the trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, that serving the former governor of Imo State had failed.

He said that the retinue of security operatives surrounding the Senator had made it impossible for Okorocha to be served in person by court officials.

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Other defendants in the charge did not object to the request for adjournment.

Justice Ekwo subsequently fixed March 28 to enable EFCC to serve him with the charge and to take his plea.

According to EFCC, the former Imo governor allegedly conspired with others, including a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and five companies, to steal N2.9 billion public funds.

Others listed as respondents to the suit are Anyim Nyerere Chinenye, Naphtali International Limited, Perfect Finish Multi Projects Limited, Consolid Projects Consulting Limited, Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited.

His co-accused, Nyerere, according to sources, was the APC governorship candidate in Abia State during the 2015 elections and currently serves as a commissioner at the National Pension Commission.

The accused persons were alleged to have stolen the said amount belonging to Imo State and local government areas in the state in contravention of the Money Laundering Act 2011.

The charges claimed that the stolen funds were diverted between October 2014 and February 2016 from the Imo State Government House’s account and Imo State Joint Local Government Project’s account.

Reports also revealed that Nyerere remains the Director of Consolid Projects Consulting Limited, Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited, even as he holds a public office – potentially breaching the nation’s Code of Conduct laws.

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The EFCC had on April 2021, arrested the former governor, and interrogated him over issues bothering on alleged corruption before he was admitted to administrative bail.

The Northern Broadcast Media Owners Association has named Kano State Governor Dr. Abduulahi Umar Ganduje the Most Media-Friendly Governor (NBMOA).

Ganduje’s support for the media industry, according to the organization, has made Kano one of the leading states where the media profession is practiced without fear of being harassed by state authorities.
The event took place on Monday during the association’s 7th Annual General Meeting, which was held at the Bristol Palace Hotel in Kano.

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While presenting the award (plaque), the association’s Chairman, Abdullahi Yelwa, extolled Governor Ganduje’s virtues in fostering a harmonious relationship with the state’s media practitioners.
According to him, “we are very grateful with the way in which His Excellency, the Governor, relates well with the media in the state. The support this industry gets from you, is encouraging.”

After receiving the Award, Governor Ganduje appreciated the recognition of his good relationship with the media, adding that, “as the fourth estate of the realm, media plays an important role in democracy and development.”
He also called on media practitioners to maintain neutrality while discharging their dutues, pointing out that, “media’s neutrality is much needed now, for intensifying our democracy and development. That will also promote political choices.”

Ganduje said his administration would continue to encourage the media sector for the promotion of good governance, strengthening and deepening of democracy.
He, however, used the occasion to urge the National Assembly to come up with a strategy for drug abuse control in the country.

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“I urge National Assembly to come up with proactive framework to checkmate drug abuse in the country.
“I am also advocating for financial consideration of broadcast media. Government should facilitate this to happen. Things like the provision of soft loans should be considered. This should be given attention by government for the promotion of our media industry,” he said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that if the Nigerian government extends the petrol subsidy bill by 18 months, it will be forced to rely on overdrafts from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The “Nigeria: Selected Issues Paper” report was prepared by an IMF staff team as background documentation for the Fund’s periodic consultation with Nigeria.

It was noted that the fuel subsidy has a negative impact on the country’s fiscal position, resulting in an increase in the fiscal deficit.
According to the Washington-based lender, “Implicit fuel subsidies have a significant negative impact on Nigeria’s fiscal position, which is estimated to increase the overall fiscal deficit by around one percentage point of the Gross Domestic Product in 2021.”

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It added that despite much higher oil prices, the general government fiscal deficit is projected to be significantly worse at 6.3 per cent of the GDP, compared to 4.7 per cent of GDP in the 2020 Article IV staff report.

It said it is mainly reflecting the reemergence of implicit fuel subsidies and higher spending in the supplementary budget for security and vaccine costs.

The report opined that the government would likely depend hugely on domestic financing sources, which include borrowing from the CBN, saying that fuel subsidy has been a substantial burden on the country.

It assumed that implicit fuel subsidies exist only until mid-2022, as stipulated in the Petroleum Industry Act and assumed in the draft 2022 budget, pointing out that fiscal vulnerabilities remain elevated with public debt continuously increasing from 35 per cent of the GDP in 2020 to over 42 per cent in 2026.

With limited IFI funding, the report stated that fiscal financing for large implicit subsidy costs is likely to depend heavily on domestic sources, including overdrafts from the CBN.

It stated that the recent re-emergence of implicit fuel subsidies has levied a considerable burden on Nigeria’s fiscal position, that could have been spent more effectively on pro-poor interventions.

The World Bank had, however, warned the Federal Government against financing its deficits by borrowing from the CBN through the Ways and Means Advances, saying that it puts fiscal pressures on the country’s expenditures.

It observed that central bank financing and fuel subsidy regime tend to adversely affect investments in human and physical capital.

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The report said that the Federal Government’s total borrowing from the CBN through Ways and Means Advances had ballooned by 2,286 per cent to N15.51tn in six years, according to the central bank data, stressing that N15.51tn owed by the Federal Government to the central bank is not part of the country’s total public debt stock, which stood at N38tn as of September 2021.

A landmine explosion rocked an operational vehicle of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger state, killing four people instantly and seriously injuring the driver.

Mohammed Ibrahim, an Assistant Superintendent of Corps 1, Cheche Ahmed, an Assistant Superintendent of Corps 11, Yunusa Mahmam, an Inspector of Corps, and BALA Abdullahi, a Corps Assistant 1, were among the dead personnel.

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Inspector Bala Adamu was identified as the vehicle’s driver.

The corps spokesman, DCC Odumosu Olusola, said in a statement released Monday in Abuja that the injured driver had been rushed to the hospital and is currently receiving
treatment.
Olusola said: “The explosion occured along Galadiman kogo axis in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state at the early hours of Monday morning involving some officers and men of NSCDC Niger command attached to Shiroro HYDRO Power Station, Shiroro, Niger state on a routine patrol in the early hours of Monday morning when their patrol vehicle stepped on a buried land mine which exploded immediately killing all occupants except the driver who is currently in a very critical condition.

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“The Commandant-General, NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, PhD, has commiserated with families of the deceased officers and men who paid the supreme price in service to the Nation and reassured residents of Niger of the Corp’s resolve and commitment to the security of lives and property of Nigerians without deterrence.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged all nations, institutions, and bodies, both private and public, to return any Nigerian artifacts they may have.

Buhari’s request came after the return of two important Nigerian artefacts from Britain, according to Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.

The Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II, received two of the artifacts looted from Benin Kingdom during the 1897 British military expedition – Okpa (Cockerel) and Uhunwun Elao (Oba head) – on Saturday, according to Reports.

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The returned cockerel, valued at £2million and the Oba’s head, valued and insured for £500,000 pounds, were presented on to the Oba by the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sarafa Isola.

They were repatriated from the University of Cambridge and University of Aberdeen, respectively, in the United Kingdom, after 125 years of their leaving the territory of present day Nigeria.

Urging other countries to take a cue from the institutions, President Buhari vowed that the federal government will pursue the repatriation of Nigerian artefacts vigorously.

He pledged that government would ensure that they are put to good and proper use on their return in museums and other facilities in conjunction with the royal families and kingdoms that lost these artifacts.

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The president noted that in line with international law and practice, export, import and control over antiquities are matters within the purview of national governments to be exercised on behalf of sub-national authorities, institutions and bodies.

He thanked the government of the United Kingdom that facilitated the return of these artefacts by issuing the prerequisite Export Permits to Nigeria at no cost, as well as the University of Cambridge and the University of Aberdeen who agreed to return these artifacts to Nigeria.

”These are unprecedented moves worth emulating by others,” he said, adding that the federal government hopes to work hand in hand in the future to encourage the return of more Nigerian artefacts from the United Kingdom.

”I also want to appreciate the Federal Republic of Germany which is planning the process of repatriating 1,130 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria from many of Germany’s public museums. These returns are scheduled for this year,” he said.

President Buhari also commended the High Commissioner of Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Sarafa Ishola, and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) for their collaborative works that led to the repatriation of these artefacts.

He said it is noteworthy that several others are currently in the process of being returned while discussions are ongoing to repatriate many more.

President Buhari recounted that the artefacts now returned to the Oba of Benin were taken away by British soldiers in 1897 when they attacked the ancient Benin Kingdom and took thousands of artefacts away.

”These artifacts are part of the records of the history of the Benin people.

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”My directive to return these artefacts to the Oba of Benin marks the beginning of another aspect in the highly valued relationship between the federal government of Nigeria and our traditional institutions who are indeed the true custodians of our history, customs and traditions.

”This directive is also significant because it will introduce a working relationship between the federal government as represented by the NCMM and the traditional institutions whereby this commission negotiates the release of antiquities from foreign museums and institutions on behalf of Nigeria and the traditional institutions that lost the antiquities and jointly they all take steps to ensure the valourisation of Nigerian and Nigerian people through these great arts and cultural emblems,” the president explained.