COVER
Tinubu Sacks Bawa, EFCC Chairman, Orders Probe of Tenure
By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday approved the indefinite suspension from office of the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. AbdulRasheed Bawa to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.
The suspension follows weighty allegations of abuse of office leveled against the anti-graft boss.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, announced the suspension in a statement yesterday.
Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the indefinite suspension from office of Mr. AbdulRasheed Bawa, CON, as the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.
“This follows weighty allegations of abuse of office leveled against him.
“Mr Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation,” the statement said.
Clark Writes EFCC, Accuses Okowa of Misappropriating over N1trn
A former Federal Commissioner of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has accused the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, of misappropriating over N1 trillion of the 13 per cent oil derivation fund for the state.
The 13 per cent derivation fund comes from the federation account to oil-producing communities through state governments as contained in section 162 (2) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Clark considered a leader and influential voice in South-south Nigeria, spoke when he appeared as a guest on Arise TV’s “The Morning Show” yesterday.
The former federal commissioner alleged that Mr Okowa misappropriated the funds during his time as governor of Delta State.
Clark, who leads the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), said he and others had been blaming the federal government for the lack of development in the South-south without knowing that the governors in the region have been “stealing the money” for the region’s development.
The immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, had in November 2022 revealed that the federal government had paid a backlog of oil derivation funds to the oil-producing states in the country.
Shortly after Wike’s revelation, Garba Shehu, the spokesperson to then President Muhammadu Buhari, released details of the funds released to nine oil-producing states, with Delta State said to have received the highest allocation totalling N296.63 billion.
Clark said the revelations prompted him to confront Mr Okowa, through a letter, to account for the funds.
“He (Okowa) said he had been spending the money. The answer they gave me was that they spent N5 billion on paying pensioners. How does that come under 13 per cent?” Mr Clark said.
“And they also spent the money building a university in Okowa’s village.”
The former federal commissioner said he was dissatisfied with the former governor’s response and had to hire a lawyer who obtained, from the accountant general’s office, the certified copy of all the derivation funds paid to the state from 2007 to December 2022.
“The one paid to Delta State came to N1.767 trillion,” he said.
The PANDEF leader said the law establishing the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) noted that 50 per cent of the 13 per cent should be given to the DESOPADEC. However, the governor held the whole funds.
DESOPADEC is an interventionist agency established to manage a 13 per cent oil derivation fund to drive infrastructural development of the oil-producing communities in the state.
“Instead of paying 50 per cent (of the N1.760 trillion) to the DESOPADEC as provided by the law, which is automatic, he (Okowa) now held the 13 per cent fund- the entire money, dishing out instalmentally and approving every contract the DESOPADEC had awarded,” he said.
Clark said he wrote a second letter to Mr Okowa and also copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) complaining that the governor had floated a private commercial bank, Premium Bank, which he allegedly used to lodge all the derivation funds.
“I also mentioned in the letter that he (Okowa) has 13 companies. I told him he put the 13 per cent (derivation funds) into these 13 companies and let him deny it.”
“So, Okowa has embezzled our money. It’s not even accounted for in his annual budget,” Mr Clark stated, pointing out that embezzlement had made some governors wealthier than their states.
He did not, however, mention if the EFCC responded to his letter.
When reminded by one of the programme anchors, Reuben Abati, that Mr Okowa had denied ownership of the Premium bank, Mr Clark said the former governor lied, insisting that he knew the bank’s history.
Okowa was the running mate to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, who hails from Adamawa, a state in North-east Nigeria.
Clark accused Mr Okowa of betraying the Southern Nigerians and People from Middle Belt by accepting to be Atiku’s running mate and spending Delta State’s funds on their campaigns despite a decision by Southern and Middle Belt leaders against the north-producing president in 2023.
“But he (Okowa) violated it. He was very happy going about (as Atiku’s running mate), claiming that he is Igbo man,” Clark said, explaining that Mr Okowa’s alignment with Atiku, a northerner, made them oppose their ambition.
When contacted yesterday, Charles Aniagwu, who served as the commissioner for information under Mr Okowa’s administration, denied the allegations.
Mr Aniagwu said Mr Clark belongs to a “different political persuasion” at the moment and that “his partisan consideration” was influencing his views.
Everything he (Clark) mentioned in that interview is not the true position of things. When you have 13 per cent derivation coming into an oil-producing state, that is part of the revenue they use in running the state,” he claimed.
“It is not 13 per cent for oil-producing communities. It is for the state; otherwise, we would have elevated it to the level of oil-producing families.”
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved sale of foreign exchange worth $20,000 to eligible Bureau De Change operators in the country.
Acting Director of Trade and Exchange Department, Dr W. J. Kanya disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
The statement said the sale will assist operators meet retail market demand for eligible invisible transactions.
The announcement comes hours after the Nigerian naira dropped in value against the dollar to N1,658.
48 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange on Tuesday.Several parallel market bureau de change operators sold at the rate of N1670/dollar.
The statement reads, “This is to inform the Bureau De Change Operators and the general public that the CBN will be providing additional liquidity to this segment of the foreign exchange market.
“To this end, the CBN has approved the sale of US$20,000.00 to each eligible BDC at the rate of N1,590/$. This is to meet the demand for invisible transactions.”
The apex bank however warned that operators must not sell above one percent of the purchase rate, stressing that the BDCs cannot make more than N15.59 profit on each dollar they sell to their customers.
The intervention will on the long run meet the demand for invisible transactions and curb the widening exchange rate premium observed in the parallel market.
“All BDCs are allowed to sell to eligible end-users at a margin of NOT MORE THAN one percent above the purchase rate from CBN.
“Eligible BDCs interested in this transaction are directed to make the Naira payment to the CBN Deposit Account Numbers with them.“Also, payment confirmation and all necessary documentation for disbursement are to be submitted at the appropriate CBN branches (Abuja, Awka, Kano, and Lagos) for collection of the $20,000.00. Please be guided accordingly,” the statement added.
By David Torough, Abuja
Kwara State High Court has sentenced five persons to death for armed robbery.
The five convicts were found guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, and culpable homicide by Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court.
They attacked five banks in Offa Local Government Area in 2018 leaving no fewer than 32 people dead, including nine police officers, two of whom were women.
The convicts are: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham.
The sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer died in custody before the trial commenced.
Justice Salman handed down the death sentence after a six-year trial that drew widespread attention.
The convicts faced a five-count charge including conspiracy, culpable homicide, illegal possession of firearms, and armed robbery.
Delivering her judgment, which spanned over four hours, Justice Salman found the accused guilty of robbing and killing innocent citizens.
She sentenced them to death by hanging for their roles in the crime.
The court also imposed a three-year prison sentence on the convicts for illegal possession of firearms in line with Nigeria’s penal code.
The judge said, “The convicts acted contrary to the law and allowed their connections with those in power at the time to lead them astray.”
The lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) expressed satisfaction with the verdict, commending the judge for her thoroughness despite the numerous distractions that prolonged the trial.
On the other hand, defence counsel Abdullah Jimba, who represented Mr. Mathias Emeribe acknowledged that the judgment was expected.
He noted that his principal was already compiling the necessary documents for an appeal.
By Daniel Amasingha, Abuja
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State yesterday raised the alarm over the high number of lives lost to boat mishaps.
In the last three years, water accidents claimed 182 two casualties.
Bago represented by his deputy, Yakubu Garba stated this at the headquarters of Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) in Minna.
The event was the 2024 World Maritime Day and distribution of 33 fibre glass boats to benefiting states.
He commended HYPPADEC for the gesture noting that it will go a long way to ameliorate the suffering of communities in riverine areas of the affected states.
According to him, the state government is committed to ensuring that the inland water ways of the states are safe for water transportation all year round.
“The huge number of loss we have incurred as a result of boat mishaps in the State is unacceptable
“From the available data, the state lost a total of 95 lives in 2022, 68 lives in 2023 and so far this year [2024] 19 casualties have been recorded.
“No life is worthy more than the other. We should all walk the talk to halt the menace,” he noted.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of HYPPADEC, Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa said the intervention agency decided on the occasion of the World Maritime Day which to commission fibre glass boats to be distributed to riverine communities along the rivers and lakes of hydroelectric dams across HYPPADEC member states.
On the theme for this year’s World Maritime Day – Navigating the Future: Safety First, he noted that it aligned perfectly with the vision of HYPPADEC.
He said since inception in 2021, the commission has been consistent in its efforts to improve the lives of the people in our member states.
“One of our primary goals has been to enhance marine transportation and mitigate the recurrence of boat mishaps, which have plagued these communities for many years.
“As many of you know, the majority of HYPPADEC communities are riverine, and for these communities, water transportation is not just a means of travel but the backbone of their daily life and commercial activities.
“Unfortunately, this reliance on the water transportation system has come with a heavy price as boat mishaps have equally become recurring issues in the areas.
“From the reports we have been receiving, the accidents were as a result of variety of factors, including the presence of tree logs/water snags, which obstruct the safe passage of boats, overloading, night travels as well as failure to use life jackets by the passengers on board,” Yelwa stated.
According to him, the commission’s finding reveals that the flow of the rivers is often affected by the operations of hydro dams, which complicate navigation for both commercial and private boat operators.
“We cannot forget the painful instances of boat accidents that have claimed lives and caused untold hardship in the communities neighboring the Kainji Lake between the vicinity of Shagunu of Borgu Emirate here in Niger State and Warrah of Yauri Emirate in Kebbi State.
“Recognising the dangers posed by water snags, we collaborated with NIWA to carry out a water snags clearing project.
“Together, we removed a considerable number of tree logs from parts of the Kainji and Shiroro Lakes, significantly reducing the likelihood of boat accidents caused by the snags.
“We procured and distributed 10,000 life jackets to various communities across the N-HYPPADEC zone. These life jackets were meant to save lives during accident”
The Managing Director explained that the commission decided to procure fibre glass boats instead of the traditional wooden boats because they are often prone to accidents.
“They are more durable, safer and offer superior performance in navigating rivers. Unlike the wooden boats, the fiber glass boats are built to withstand the rigors of water travel.
“Even while they have the capacity of carrying 25 persons, they do not easily sink,” he said.Nine HYPPADEC states benefited from the boats distributed with Niger State getting eight, Kebbi six, Kwara and Kogi States receiving four each, Benue three, Nasarawa and Taraba two each and Kaduna one.
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