The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday commenced the trial of a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, in his absence.
Maina, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on N2bn money laundering charges, had last attended court on July 2, 2020, during the cross-examination of the sixth prosecution witness by his legal team.
He had however failed to attend subsequent proceedings since September 29, 2020, prompting the judge, Justice Okon Abang, to adjudge him as having jumped bail in a ruling delivered on November 18, 2020.
The judge in the November 18 ruling, revoked the bail earlier granted him, ordered his arrest, and directed that his trial would proceed in his absence.
On Monday, the judge ordered the remand of Maina’s bail surety, Senator Ali Ndume, until he is able to produce the fleeing defendant in court or pay the N500m bail bond to the Federal Government.
Maina was again absent at the resumed hearing in the case on Tuesday.
There was also no lawyer to represent him or his company charged along with him as his second defendant.
Following the request of the prosecuting counsel, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, the judge closed the right of Maina to continue cross-examining the sixth prosecution.
He also foreclosed the second defendant’s right to cross-examine the witness.
The seventh prosecuting witness, Ali Sani, also testified, with defendants and their lawyers unavailable to cross-examine him.
The judge, who also closed the defendants’ right to cross-examine the witness, also admitted an exhibit tendered by the prosecuting without any objection.
Justice Abang held that the defendants had the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses and oppose the admissibility of the exhibit tender but failed to take advantage of it.
“They have themselves to blame,” the judge repeated each time he had to take a decision closing or foreclosing the defendants’ rights in the course of the trial.
As of the time of filing this report on Thursday, the eighth prosecution witness had been invited to the witness box to testify.
US President-elect Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting with the United States Conference of Mayors at the Queen in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 23, 2020. – US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday named the deeply experienced Antony Blinken for secretary of state, also nominating the first female head of intelligence and a czar for climate issues, with a promise to a return to expertise after the turbulent years of Donald Trump. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)
President-elect Joe Biden’s team on Monday welcomed the long-delayed release of government aid for his transition to the White House, a step he said was crucial to “a smooth and peaceful transfer of power.”
“The GSA administrator has ascertained President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the apparent winners of the election, providing the incoming administration with the resources and support necessary to carry out a smooth and peaceful transfer of power,”Biden’s team said in a statement.
“Today’s decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track. This final decision is a definitive administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies.”
General Services Administration head Emily Murphy, who denies acting under political pressure, had refused since the November 3 election to release the standard package of aid that her agency manages to Biden’s incoming team.
Her decision came with Donald Trump refusing to concede, baselessly alleging vote fraud and seeking through legal challenges and other means to overturn the results of the November 3 election.
Biden transition executive director Yohannes Abraham said in the statement that the president-elect’s team would now move quickly, with Murphy’s decision also formally allowing for coordination with current government officials.
“In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration’s efforts to hollow out government agencies,” he said.
Amid threats of sanction from the Federal Government over its investigative report on the shootings at Lekki toll plaza during the #EndSARS protests, CNN has released a second report on the incident.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had last week described CNN’s report on the Lekki shootings as poor journalism, adding that the network deserved to be sanctioned.
Mohammed also followed up the threat with a letter addressed to the management of CNN in Atlanta.
However, the network on Tuesday did a second report with more damning footage showing soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters on October 20, 2020.
The fresh report also shows the Commander, 81 Division, Brig.Gen Ahmed Taiwo, admitting before the judicial panel in Lagos that his men indeed took live ammunition to the tollgate.
The CNN report also highlights the fact that Brig.Gen Taiwo’s claim is at variance with the minister’s who had claimed last week that the army fired blank bullets.
The fresh report also shows protesters running as soldiers open fire at the tollgate.
The National Broadcasting Commission which is overseen by the information minister, had last month slammed hefty fines on three Nigerian television stations for daring to use some of the footage which CNN has also used.
The Federal Government has been receiving flak from members of the United Kingdom Parliament and Amnesty International over the killing of protesters.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Akure zone, has said the only way to end incessant strikes in the education sector is to promulgate a law banning the public office holders from sending their children abroad to study.
The zonal coordinator of the union, Prof. Olufayo Olu-Olu, in a statement, said such a law would help to rebuild the nation’s education sector.
“Members of the ruling class and their cohorts have their wards schooling abroad, so they do not commit to ending ASUU strike since the political office has become occupational rather than public service.
“Until we domesticate two very important practices as laws in Nigeria, we may not get out of this doldrums -first, an act to compel all public office holders and government appointees to have their wards educated in Nigeria public schools from primary to tertiary level.
“Secondly, an act to compel all political office holders, appointees and their dependents prohibiting them from seeking medical intervention outside Nigeria. When these two laws are enacted, perhaps we will gradually see the end of needless ASUU strikes in the country.
“Until such a time when the government does the needful (our ivory towers properly funded, our withheld emoluments paid amongst other issues), the struggle continues,” the statement partly read.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Monday night announced former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, chairman of its new six-man committee on National Reconciliation.Other members of the committee are former President of the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Ayim; former Governors Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), and Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); as well as former House Minority Leader, Mulikat Akande.
This was contained in a tweet on the official Twitter handle of the PDP by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
The last person that served as chairman of that committee was the immediate paat governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson.
The main responsibilities of the committee include initiating peace moves among warring factions in the party especially in the States.
The PDP had earlier on Monday stressed the need for unity among its members across the country.
Inaugurating the Ebonyi State Caretaker committee, PDP’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Suleiman Nazif, said:
“I like to say at this time that we must be able to reconcile and understand the difference between fantasy and reality. We must work very hard to ensure the fortunes of PDP particularly in the South East”
Controversial investigative journalist, Kemi Olunloyo has accused the Cable News Network (CNN) of stealing her work on the Lekki tollgate shooting.
CNN had released a documentary on the Lekki Massacre that reveal how the soldier opened fire on #Endsars protesters.
In a lengthy write up via Twitter, Dr. Kemi Olunloyo challenged the broadcasting company of plagiarising her work without giving credits to whom it is due.
See her post below:-
It is a shame that Nigerians do not value my work just because I’m an independent Journalist with no funding. @CNNAfrica stole footage from many Nigerians, didn’t credit anyone, pieced them together and turned it to their own story. #ijlekkimassacre is my Investigation #EndSARS
I will address @CNNAfrica today and how they plagiarized my investigation #ijlekkimassacre brainwashing Nigerians using their power of International fame and money to defame local Journalists at @PremiumTimesng @ARISEtv @GazetteNGR @KemiOlunloyo
Everything @CNNAfrica ‘s video was already investigated by local Journalists and @AmnestyNigeria but Nigerians flock to the international sensational ones. I started screaming that the bodies of #endsars protesters the army left with were being hidden all over. #ijlekkimassacre
I accused Reddington hospital of hiding bodies from people looking to identify corpses. An anonymous employee told me they were working with the army. @SaharaReporters did a bulk of the Investigation tracking bodies to Bonny Camp and when the panel got there, they moved them.
Where was @CNNAfrica when I started crying out for the bodies? @AmnestyNigeria said 12, @SaharaReporters said 20, @PremiumTimesng found several in the water @GazetteNGR @ARISEtv also posted investigations. Now Lagos State is RELEASING BODIESEyesFace with rolling eyes #LekkiMassacre #ijlekkimassacre
I was the 1st Journalist to Investigate how they moved & hid bodies before any DAMN
@CNNAfrica See time on my tweet. Nigerians were focusing on the army’s #Fakenews posts. CNN stole uncredited footage and ideas. BODIES NOW AVAILABLEAngry face I tracked them.
The day before 20/10/20
@CNNAfrica was silent. CNN kept quiet on the plight of the protesters but wanted the spotlight when their lives were ruined.
It is believed that Some relief may come the way of Nigerians with commissioning of the 5000 barrels per day modular refinery formally by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday this week, at Ibigwe, Ohaji/Egbema local government area of Imo State.
With the commissioning of the Walter Smith’s refinery, Nigeria inches towards local refining capacity as this is bound to reduce the country level of dependence on imported Premium Motor Spirit.
The president decided to personally inaugurate the refinery in view of the fact that the project is cardinal to his administration’s initiative to boost local refining of petroleum products to end importation and also make Nigeria the refining hub of Africa.
The minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Timpre Sylva and Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, among other top government officials, oil industry regulators and stakeholders will be there to support PMB at the event . The president will also perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the 45,000 barrels per day refinery also initiated by Waltersmith.
As reported by Leadership newspaper, the event will also feature goodwill messages from top industry players, partners and community leaders. At a recent pre-commissioning visit to the refinery, Yusuf Usman, Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, said, “It is a landmark achievement and it shows that we can actually refine our crude oil in-country.”
The modular refinery has a crude oil storage capacity of 60,000 barrels and is projected to deliver over 271 million liters per annum of refined petroleum products, including Kerosene, Diesel, Naphtha and Heavy Fuel Oils, to the domestic market. The bulk of crude oil supply for this phase will come from Walter Smith’s upstream business, with backup from the OML 53 (Ohaji South) Seplat/NNPC JV third party crude currently processed at Waltersmith Ibigwe Flowstation and additionally from the 2020 Marginal Fields Bid Round for a nearby asset. Chairman, Waltersmith Group, Abdulrazaq Isa, disclosed,
“The first module to be commissioned tomorrow is 5,000 bpd refining capacity. We are looking at 50,000 bpd refining capacity that will come with the planned additional two modules; 25,000 bpd and 20,000bpd refining capacity respectively which will then add PMS, Aviation fuel and LPG to the product slates.” Waltersmith obtained the ‘License to Establish’ the modular refinery from DPR in June 2015 and got the ‘Authority to Construct’ in March 2017.
The company then partnered with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to raise the required financing. NCDMB are 30 per cent equity partners while AFC committed senior secured credit facility towards the project.
“From the very day we keyed into this project in line with the President’s aspiration to grow the country’s oil refining capacity, we felt very happy that we are associated with Waltersmith, a serious minded company”, said executive secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote.
Labour leaders, on Sunday, walked out of a meeting with the federal government over the recent hike in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as fuel.
The Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) had, in a memo dated November 11, 2020, increased the ex-depot price of petrol to N155.15 per litre from N147.67 — the increase took effect on November 13.
Following the increase, the product now sells between N165 and N170 per litre.
The meeting, which took place in Abuja, was a follow-up discussion on the resolutions reached at previous meetings on the increase in the price of fuel and electricity tariff.
The meeting, which began around 8pm, ended less than 15 minutes later as the labour leaders accused the government of not being sincere with the people.
Among those present at the meeting were Najeem Yasin, deputy president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Quadri Olaleye, president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Olaleye, who spoke on the recent increase in the pump price of fuel, expressed sadness that discussions were ongoing from the previous meeting before the fresh hike.
“Government is showing a high level of insincerity in discussions with us and is also putting us at risk with the people we are leading — with the masses. We find it difficult to move freely, but the people in government are moving freely,” he said.
Also present at the meeting were Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment; Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour; Timipre Sylva, minister of state for petroleum, and Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation.
Meanehile, the NLC had, in a statement on November 16, expressed concern about the increase and insisted that it is “against the spirit and content of what organised labour agreed with government at the last negotiations over the last fuel price increase”.
