Cloned Nigerian Anchor

Author: Doris Israel Ijeoma

  • AFCON: ‘Tinubu not impressed with your performance’, minister tells Super Eagles players

    AFCON: ‘Tinubu not impressed with your performance’, minister tells Super Eagles players

    President Bola Tinubu has urged the Super Eagles to improve their performance and do better in the final stages of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

    Tinubu’s message was through the Minister of Sports, John Enoh, who spoke to the players from Abuja via Zoom on Wednesday night in Abidjan.

    According to Enoh, the President was not too impressed with the showing of the team during the group stage.

    He said, “I had a meeting with the President yesterday. I went to the villa for something else and the President cornered me and said we (Eagles) managed to qualify and I said that’s how we are going to keep going until we win the tournament.

    “He said that I should tell the players that he wasn’t too impressed with the last match but he knows that now that they are off the group stages, they are going to impress him more.

    “That’s what the President told me and it means that the President is actually watching your matches. Would you believe this? And the President is urging you and also showing an understanding of the game because he knows that there is a lot of caution at the group stage and from the round of 16, you are going to be more impressive.

    “I remember that in 2022 in Cameroon, Egypt as a country struggled to qualify but they went ahead to play the finals.”

    Responding, team captain, Ahmed Musa, thanked the sports minister but also called on the President to come to see them play live saying it would serve as a motivation to the players.

    The Super Eagles will play the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the last 16 of the tournament on Saturday at the Felix Houphouet -Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

  • Ondo Assembly Confirms Adelami As Deputy Governor

    Ondo Assembly Confirms Adelami As Deputy Governor

    Ondo State house of Assembly has screened and confirmed Dr. Olayide Owolabi Adelami as the Deputy Governor of Ondo State.

    Adelami was confirmed as the Deputy Governor at a plenary presided over by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji.

    His confirmation was sequel to the submission and consideration of a report by the house selection committee Chaired by the Speaker.

    It would be recalled that the House of Assembly yesterday received a letter of his nomination from the Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa.

    The house had earlier conducted screening exercise for the nominee at the assembly complex.

    The Clerk of the House, Barr. Jaiyeola Benjamin read the letter sent to the House by Governor Aiyedatiwa for the consideration of the nominees for the vacant position of a Deputy Governor.

    While submitting the report, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Prince Abayomi Akinruntan recommended the confirmation of the appointment of the nominees whom he affirmed have been properly screened.

    Akinruntan said the nominee responded to all questions raised by the Committee in a very eloquent and explicit order, noting that he has a clear understanding of the position, adding that he possess the required academic qualifications, physically, mentally and emotionally stable and fit to accomplish the task.

    The report also stated that he possess the required experience, Charisma and the much needed exposure to function effectively.

    The Majority leader of the House, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi moved the motion for the report to be considered and the nominees be confirmed and was seconded by Felix Afe representing Akoko North West 2.

    The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oladiji who ruled for the confirmation congratulated the Deputy Governor designate , urging him to put in his best and pledged the house support to the executive for the people to enjoy more democracy dividend.

    In his acceptance speech, Adelami who hails from Owo appreciated Governor Aiyedatiwa for finding him worthy of the position pledging not to betray his emotion and confidence reposed in him.

    He also appreciated the lawmakers for the efforts they have put in place during the screening and confirmation noting that promoting understanding between arms of government will be his priority.

    Dr Olayide Owolabi Adelami mni, a retired Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly promised to do everything at his disposal to function effectively, pledging not to disappoint the people of Ondo State .

  • Police React to Abuja explosion 

    Police React to Abuja explosion 

    The FCT Police Command has reacted to reports of an explosion in the Maitama area of the Federal Capital Territory.

    In a series of tweets via X on Wednesday, some residents attributed the incident to bomb.

    But the FCT police command in a statement by its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said the incident was as a result of an overheated metal refuse bin.

    “The FCT Police Command hereby wishes to update the public on an alleged explosion on 24/01/2024 at about 1145 hrs, near a refuse dump outside the Bureau of Public Enterprise premises in Maitama, Abuja.”

    “A rapid response team and members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was deployed to assess the situation and preliminary findings indicate than an overheated metal refuse container activated under intense heat, exploded, thereby causing injury to two of the refuse evacuator, who are currently receiving medical attention in Maitama General Hospital.

    “The FCT Police Command urges members of the public to exercise caution and refrain from using metal refuse bins. Instead, we recommend the use of plastic or rubber containers for waste disposal, as they pose a reduced risk of incidents related to overheated metal refuse containers,” the statement said.

  • Tinubu Departs Nigeria For France On Private Visit

    Tinubu Departs Nigeria For France On Private Visit

    President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, departed Abuja for Paris, France, for a private visit.

    His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, had revealed this in a statement on Wednesday but did not disclose the reasons for the visit.

    According to the statement, Tinubu is expected to return to the country in the first week of February 2024.

    This visit is Tinubu’s third to the country since he assumed office eight months ago.

    On June 20, 2023, three weeks after assuming office, Tinubu opened his foreign schedule in the city he last visited as President-elect, Paris, the French capital.

    In September 2023, the President spent nine days with world leaders in New York, USA, at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, which began on September 19, his first UNGA as President.

    Afterward, he proceeded to Paris, France, where he remained for five days, arriving in Abuja on September 29 ahead of Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Day anniversary on October 1.

  • Presidency Clarifies Tinubu’s Purported Plan To Move Federal Capital To Lagos

    Presidency Clarifies Tinubu’s Purported Plan To Move Federal Capital To Lagos

    The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has debunked reports that plans are underway to move the Federal Capital Territory to Lagos State.

    Onanuga, in a statement via X on Wednesday, described those peddling the reports as dishonest, ethnic and regional champions, attempting to draw attention to themselves.

    He noted that the rumour had made rounds during the presidential campaign in 2023 to stop Tinubu’s presidency, but it was trashed.

    According to Onanuga, Abuja, as the FCT is backed by law and has come to stay, adding the movement of FAAN, a department of the Aviation Ministry, to Lagos does not amount to moving the FCT to Lagos.

    The statement reads, “President Tinubu has no plan whatsoever to move the Federal Capital to Lagos. The rumour first surfaced during the campaign last year by opponents looking for all manners of weapons to stop him. We trashed it.

    “Those peddling it anew are dishonest, ethnic and regional champions, trying to draw attention to themselves. Abuja has come to stay. It is backed by law.

    “The movement of FAAN, a department of Aviation Ministry to Lagos, where it was based before former minister Hadi Sirika moved it to Abuja during the last administration, does not amount to moving the FCT to Lagos. The administrative move should have attracted scant attention, as Lagos is the commercial capital and the hub of aviation business in Nigeria. FAAN should be no where else but near the industry it regulates. FAAN will still maintain some presence in Abuja, as it is not a wholesale movement.

    “Similarly, the movement of some departments of the CBN to Lagos should not trigger any hoopla. The departments concerned, including the bank supervision department, are those dealing with commercial banks, all with headquarters in Lagos. A regulator ought to be close to the businesses it regulates.

    “All those pushing this campaign of falsehood know they are playing politics, albeit a dangerous politics to pit the North against the South.

    “There are many parastatals that are not based in Abuja depending on their mandate. NIMASA is in Lagos. So is NPA. National Inland Waterways Authority( NIWA) is in Lokoja, not Abuja. Will the people opposing the movement of FAAN and some CBN departments want those agencies to be in Abuja, where there is no single port and no maritime activity?

    “Administrative decisions should not be politicized. Let it not look like whenever we are temporarily not at the helm of affairs, we create all manners of dangerous rumours to distract from the bigger picture and emasculate an administration led by a southerner. Let’s stop the dirty politics. We can’t be playing politics with everything.”

  • Opay To Block Accounts Without Complete KYC

    Opay To Block Accounts Without Complete KYC

    Nigerian financial technology company, OPay has announced a major security update in its operations.

    Starting from March 1, 2024, the company will remove fraudulent accounts from its system and block customers whose accounts are not compliant with Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.

    This announcement was made during a news conference held on Wednesday.

    KYC, a standard banking process, involves verifying the identity and address of customers to prevent the misuse of banking services.

    This move by OPay is aimed at reinforcing the security of the platform and safeguarding customer deposits against fraudulent activities.

    The decision comes in the wake of a report that highlighted vulnerabilities in OPay’s registration and verification process for new accounts.

    In response to these concerns, Olayemi Precilia, the director of cards business at OPay, assured that security measures on the platform have been significantly upgraded.

    She revealed that new customers will now be required to provide their National Identity Number (NIN) as part of the account opening process.

    As the deadline approaches, OPay customers are advised to update their account details to meet the KYC requirements to avoid any inconvenience.

    She said, “When you log into your app and you have a tier one account and you don’t have your NIN, it will ask for your NIN. You cannot move forward without inputting that NIN. So, that is one of the things we’ve already done.

    “The second thing is, for new customers, you’re going to start off with the NIN. That’s what we’re implementing. So, we’re pulling information from your NIN into your wallet. That is going live next month.

    “And we have a timeline — March 1st — wherein anyone who is not compliant will be locked out.”

    Opay’s director of partnerships, Ikponmwosa Kolawole Odiase, said fraudulent accounts will be yanked off” the firm’s system.

    Going forward, according to Odiase, customers will be required to link their accounts with NIN and bank verification numbers (BVNs).

    Speaking on the issue of poor facial verification on the application, he said the firm intends to deploy a system where there will be a backend verification of customers’ facials with BVNs and NINs.

    He said, “It’s a collaboration between all relevant stakeholders — the regulators, the KYC agencies. All this is a way to curb fraud.

    “The fraudsters are not sleeping and we also are waking up to the challenge. It’s an industry challenge, unfortunately.

    “So many fictitious accounts will definitely go.”

  • Ondo Gov Picks Former National Assembly Clerk As Deputy

    Ondo Gov Picks Former National Assembly Clerk As Deputy

    A former Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Olayide Owolabi Adelami, has been nominated as the new Deputy Governor of Ondo State.

    Adelami’s nomination came shortly after Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa announced the dissolution of members of the State Executive Council in the cabinet, who worked under the late governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

    An alumnus of Imade College, Adelami obtained his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Lagos before proceeding to get his MBA from Ogun State University.

    He was a deputy clerk at the National Assembly before retiring in April 2018.

    Chief Press Secretary to Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan, confirmed the nomination of Adelami in a statement on Wednesday.

    Adelami’s nomination is believed to have laid to rest agitations for the appointment of a new deputy governor for the state following the emergence of Aiyedatiwa.

    Aiyedatiwa became the substantive governor of the state after the demise of Akeredolu, who passed on after battling protracted prostrate cancer.

  • Feb 3 Bye-Elections: INEC Expresses Concern Over Threats Of Violence

    Feb 3 Bye-Elections: INEC Expresses Concern Over Threats Of Violence

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised worry about threats of violence ahead of the February 3 bye-elections and rerun.

    Speaking Tuesday in Abuja at a meeting of the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu stated that, based on his experience, conducting isolated elections, such as bye-elections and reruns, can be extremely difficult.

    He said, “We must pay attention to the potentials for disruptive behaviour by some candidates and their supporters. A re-run election conducted in one Polling Unit or a handful of Polling Units can be severely disrupted by acts of thuggery knowing full well that these few locations will determine the outcome of the election.

    “Arising from the reports we received from the States, concerns have been raised about the impact of the prevailing insecurity in some States on the conduct of the elections, made worse by incendiary statements by some political actors. We will present such concerns and reports at this meeting for appropriate security response.”

    Yakubu noted that there are many parties involved in elections and that security agencies must ensure that INEC can deploy staff and materials, protect observers, the media, and the polling and collation agents who represent the candidates and political parties.

    “Without a secure and peaceful environment, the conduct of credible elections is imperiled,” he stated.

    Speaking on the by-election, Yakubu said, “There are two categories of elections. First are the bye-elections arising from the death or resignation of members of the National and State legislative houses affecting two Senatorial Districts, four Federal and three State Assembly Constituencies.

    “The second category is the re-run elections by order of Election Petition Appeal Tribunals. In my remarks at the Commission’s extraordinary meeting with leaders of political parties last month, I reported that the elections affect 35 National and State Constituencies. Since then, four additional orders of the Court of appeal have been served on the Commission in respect of Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, Madara/Chinade State Constituency of Bauchi State as well as Kudan and Kauru/Chawai State Constituencies of Kaduna State.

    “This brings the total number of affected constituencies to 39 which translates to 2.6% of the 1,491 Constituencies for which elections were conducted nationwide in the 2023 General Election.

    “The nine bye-elections are fresh elections covering the entire constituencies. However, with the exception of three Constituencies (Plateau North Senatorial District and Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency in Plateau State and Kachia/Kagarko Federal Constituency in Kaduna State), the re-run elections are to be held in a few Polling Units. In some cases, only one Polling Unit is affected in an entire Federal or State Constituency.”

  • BREAKING: Obiano to be arraigned over alleged ₦4bn fraud

    BREAKING: Obiano to be arraigned over alleged ₦4bn fraud

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will arraign the immediate-past governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, on Wednesday, January 24, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over alleged money laundering to the tune of N4,008,573,350.

    The ex-governor will be arraigned on nine count charges.

    The development comes over a week after the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede vowed to review all abandoned high-profile cases, especially those involving former Governors and Ministers.

    An impeccable source revealed, “We found that Obiano moved N4,008,573,350 from security votes into different accounts. The money at various times was changed into dollars and returned to Obiano by cash.”

    EFCC’s lead counsel, Slyvanus Tahir, SAN, will lead eight other lawyers in the trial of the former governor

    Some of the charges against Obiano include, “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 – March 2022, sometime between 7th February, 2018 to 18th February, 2019 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N156,800.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Pic into the Fidelity Bank Ple Account No: 6060018819 belonging to C.I. Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

    “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 — March 2022, sometime between 9th August, 2017 to 4th March, 2020 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N261,268,585.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account No: 5030050875 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc into the Fidelity Bank Plc Account No: 5600062873 belonging to Easy Diamond Integrated Link (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated / unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

    When contacted by our correspondent on Tuesday, the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale confirmed the development while noting that Obiano will be arraigned on Wednesday.

    “Yes, we’re arraigning Obiano tomorrow,” Oyewale noted.

    The ex-governor was first arrested at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, on March 17, 2022, as he was preparing to board a flight to Houston, the United States of America.

    The arrest took place at about 8.30 pm, hours after he left office as governor and, thus, lost his immunity from arrest and prosecution.

    He had been on the EFCC’s watchlist for some time before he was eventually arrested over corruption allegations.

    “Obiano was arrested for alleged misappropriation of public funds, including, N5 billion Sure-P and N37 billion security vote which was withdrawn in cash. Part of the funds was also allegedly diverted to finance political activities in the state,” EFCC had noted at the time.

  • BREAKING: Ogun State Assembly Speaker, Olakunke Oluomo, impeached

    BREAKING: Ogun State Assembly Speaker, Olakunke Oluomo, impeached

    The Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, has been impeached from his position over alleged gross misconduct.

    In his place, Hon Oludaisi Elemide has been appointed as the new speaker.

    Oluomo was reelected in June 2023 after a week of tension over the seat. He faced a challenge from former deputy Speaker Elemide.

    Both lawmakers are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which holds 17 of the 26 seats in the House, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the remaining nine members.