Former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been named Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2020.

This development was gathered from the tweet from the world’s leading voice for entrepreneurial success and free enterprise yesterday.

The tweet read, “The 2020 #AfricanOftheYear Award honoree is…Congratulations to Dr. @NOlweala! Board Chair @Gavi; Board Chair @ARCapicity, gracing the cover of @forbesafrica,”

Reacting to the development, Okonjo-Iweala, who is set to become the first African and first woman to lead the World Trade Organisation in its 25-year history, said she is excited by the prestigious award.

She tweeted, “Thrilled to be named Forbes Africa-CNBC ‘2020 African of the Year’ following in the footsteps of my great brothers Paul Kagame and Akin Adesina.”

With this development, Okonjo-Iweala will be joining a growing list of Nigerians to have been given the award by Forbes.

Nigerians who have bagged the award in the past include President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina; Ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Muhammad Sanusi II; President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; amongst others.

Okonjo-Iweala, who has been the chair of Board of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation since January 2016, dedicated the award to all Africans.

“This award is for fellow Africans suffering the health and economic impact of #Covid19. The energy and resilience of Africans inspire me!” she wrote.

But for the opposition of the Trump administration, the 66-year-old former World Bank director would have been announced as director general of World Trade Organisation, having reportedly been selected consensus candidate by the WTO selection committee

The United States under the outgoing president, Donald Trump preferred Okonjo’s rival, South Korean Trade Minister Too Myung-hee for the coveted job.

The unilateral opposition happened despite the fact that the WTO selection committee determined Okonjo “clearly carried the largest support by members” and “clearly enjoyed broad support from members from all levels of development and from all geographic regions.”

The selection committee is expected to meet this month in Switzerland to pick a choice between Okonjo-Iweala and Myung-hee who has been widely reported to have pulled out of the race.

THE Central Bank of Nigeria has, in a fresh legal move, filed a counter affidavit to appeal to Justice Ahmed Mohammed of a Federal High Court in Abuja to keep the accounts of #EndSARS promoters frozen.

The apex court claimed in the counter affidavit that the owners of the accounts are still under investigation for terrorism.

The counter affidavit is in opposition to a motion on notice filed by Gatefield Nigeria Limited, a company that sponsored freelance journalists to cover the #EndSARS protests in October.

The apex bank, in the wake of the quashed #EndSARS protest had, through an ex parte order, frozen the account of Gatefield Nigeria Limited and 19  young Nigerians believed to have played prominent roles in the protests.

However, Gatefield opposed the CBN’s action in court, insisting that the act was illegal because the apex bank had frozen the accounts even before the court order to do so was obtained.

In a counter-affidavit filed by a lawyer, A.J. Apera, on behalf of the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, the apex bank stated that it duly obtained a court order on November 4, 2020 to freeze the accounts.

The CBN, however, made no mention of #EndSARS in the court papers but only told the court that all those whose accounts were frozen were under probe for suspected terrorism.

The affidavit read in part, “That the bank accounts frozen by this honourable court in this case are suspected to be involved in transactions bordering on terrorism financing and that the said accounts are being investigated by the Central Bank of Nigeria in that regard.”

According to the apex bank, the accounts owners were not informed beforehand that their accounts would be frozen because the investigation is terrorism-related.

It added, “That the allegations involving the defendants’ accounts being investigated by the Central Bank of Nigeria border on terrorism and that there was an extreme urgency warranting the grant of the ex parte order in this suit.”

The apex court said it had the legal right to investigate the defendants because it had to do with financing and funds being stored in financial institutions.

The CBN said it would forward its findings to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit for further investigation.

The affidavit further read, “That it will be in the best interest of justice that the instant application be dismissed as the investigations being conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria in respect of the defendants’ frozen accounts have not been concluded.”

The accounts have been frozen for 40 days while none of the accused has been invited for questioning.

The decision of the CBN has attracted condemnation both locally and globally with many people saying it’s a move to muzzle dissenting voices and stifle opposition in Nigeria.

Some well-meaning Nigerians, under the aegis of National Rebirth Movement (NRM), on Tuesday, held a ‘grand rally’ at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. 

The group also pledged to defend the country’s unity amidst destabilisation attempts by “agents of darkness, coup plotters and foreign elements”.

In his address, National Coordinator, Augustine Richard Adie, said the rally is a strong message to those that do not wish Nigeria well in its quest for sustainable growth and development.

He noted that the grand plan is to discredit the giant strides of President Buhari before Nigerians and the international community.

According to Adie, the current challenges faced in the country is a manifestation of a high level of disdain for the president for standing on the side of truth and the teeming Nigerian population.

On behalf of the group, Adie expressed total support and absolute belief in the leadership style and strides of the president over the years .

The National Rebirth Movement, therefore, called on all Nigerians to extend their support to President Buhari, noting that the unity of Nigeria is sacrosanct.

It, however, assured that the evil plots against the nation and the president will fail if Nigerians come together.

Read the full speech below:

“Arise, O compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey To serve our fatherland With love and strength and faith The labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain to serve with heart and might one nation bound in freedom, peace and Unity.”

Nigeria is indeed a great nation with good people. That we are all gathered here for this grand rally is a testament of absolute patriotism and an unflinching belief in the potentials of Nigeria as a country of great economic and social advantage on the African continent and the world at large.

I can’t but warmly welcome you all in the spirit of one Nigeria where our hopes and aspirations are being translated into tangible realities under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. The National Rebirth Movement convoked this rally for the simple reason that Nigeria is going through a most trying period with the activities of those that have elected to stand the truth on its head, and therefore there arises the need for the reawakening of our consciousness to the threat posed to peace and unity by these agents of darkness that have been ferociously attacking the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Please permit me to use this medium to commiserate with President Muhammadu Buhari and the good people of Nigeria over the death of over 40 citizens in Zarbamari in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and relatives, and it is our prayers that God comforts them and grant them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

This grand rally is meant to send a strong message to those that do not wish Nigeria well in its quest for sustainable growth and development. That we have congregated in our numbers is not for political purposes, but rather a coming together of patriotic Nigerians that are desirous of a Nigeria of our dreams where peace and unity shall reign supreme.

It is no longer a secret that these are indeed trying times in Nigeria because there is a well-orchestrated campaign of calumny against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in its efforts towards addressing the myriads of politically motivated challenges in the country.

We must understand that the happenings in the country are not a function of ineffective leadership as they want us to believe, but rather the manifestation of a high level of disdain for President Muhammadu Buhari for standing on the side of truth and the teeming Nigerian population.

Consequently, this grand rally is to show our support and absolute belief in the leadership style and strides of President Muhammadu Buhari over the years in his quest to make Nigeria a better and prosperous country that this generation and indeed the future generation of Nigerians would be proud of.

This rally is also against coup plotters, agents of destabilization and foreign elements conspiring against Nigeria and the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, for we know that they desire that Nigeria disintegrates into chaos. But they won’t have their way for Nigerians are resolute to protect the country from these marauders.

We know their ultimate game plan is to discredit the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari before Nigerians and the international community. They want to paint a picture of incompetence as a justification for their evil desire for a change of government through unorthodox means such as the fuelling of violence across the country.

In all of these, we wondered what percentages of the Nigerian population are against President Muhammadu Buhari and what is the percentage that is in support of President Muhammadu Buhari. We realized that it was only a minute percentage that is against the leadership style of President Muhammadu Buhari and this disapproval is for selfish reasons and not in the overall interest of the country.

They are all out to rubbish the many gains of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration by instigating and promoting insecurity across the country. They are also out to ensure that the country remains ungovernable by all means necessary, not minding whose ox is gored.

The National Rebirth Movement is at the forefront of this grand rally to impress it upon those that are against the unity of Nigeria that indeed the country is behind President Muhammadu Buhari come rain and come shine. And our gathering here for the grand rally indeed buttresses it.

President Muhammadu Buhari has done excellently well in the past six years, and the only responsibility we owe him is to continue to extend our support to his administration as it weathers through the myriads of challenges in the country.

We must not sit and watch while some wicked and selfish individuals that parade themselves as democrats and with the active support of some external forces destroy our country. They have come under various nomenclatures in recent times. However, we are convinced that their plots against Nigeria will fail as usual.

The National Rebirth Movement calls on all Nigerians to extend their support to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the unity of Nigeria is sacrosanct. As such, we must do all within our means to ensure that all those that have conspired and ganged up against the unity of the country are put to shame.

The time is indeed now because enough is enough for all of those that do not mean well for the country. For we are resolute in this demand to ensure that peace and unity shall be the lot of Nigeria for Nigeria is a nation bound in freedom peace and unity.

It is also our desire that the God of creation, should direct our noble cause, to guide our leader’s right and help our youth the truth to know in love and honesty to grow And living just and true great lofty heights attained to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.

Therefore I say we must pledge to Nigeria our country to be faithful, loyal and honest. To serve Nigeria with all our strength to defend her unity and uphold her honour and glory so help us, God. Amen.

Thank you all, and God bless Nigeria.

THE House of Representatives has resolved to invite the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing over the recent comment made by a British lawmaker against former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon.
According to the Reps, the invitation is to seek explanation from the British envoy why no apology or retraction has been made by the lawmaker after his comment has been debunked by Gowon.
On November 23, a member of the British parliament accused Gowon of taking half of the money in the Central Bank of Nigeria with him when he was ousted from office and went on exile.
But during plenary on Tuesday, the House of Reps mandated its committee on Foreign Affairs to interface with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British parliament over the comments.
The Reps said the allegation of looting by a member of the British House of Commons against Gowon is capable of plunging the country into another round of crisis, weeks after the quashed #EndSARS protests.
The resolution of the House followed a motion from a lawmaker, Yusuf Gagdi, who is from the same constituency as the former head of state.
Gagdi maintained that no evidence was provided to back the claim.
Following Gagdi’s motion, the House resolved that the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila should write to Speaker of UK Parliament to express displeasure over the unfounded allegations.
The letter is also to demand that the Member of Parliament, who made the allegation, should offer a public apology to Gowon, as well as the people and government of Nigeria.
This comes a week after the UK Parliament criticised the Buhari admnistration for forcefully quashing the #EndSARS protests and afterwards harassing prominent participants in the agitation.
The UK parliament resolved to impose sanctions such as visa ban, freezing of assets and stopping of funding and training for the Nigeria Police Force.