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Vehicles Seized By EFCC Were Auctioned Off To Presidential Villa – Magu Tells Panel

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
Vehicles Seized By EFCC Were Auctioned Off To Presidential Villa - Magu Tells Panel

The suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, says some of the vehicles recovered by the EFCC were auctioned to the Presidential Villa, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Services and other agencies.

He further stated that some of these agencies had not paid for the vehicles but there was an arrangement that the money would be deducted from their financial allocation.

Magu, in a letter addressed to the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel titled, ‘Re: Alleged Case of Conspiracy, Enrichment, Abuse of Public Office and Other Infractions,’ explained how some of the recovered vehicles were auctioned.

The letter was in response to an earlier report by the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets in which Magu was accused of being unable to account for the interest accrued to N550bn recovered funds as well as recovered vehicles and houses.

In his response to the allegations of being unable to account for recovered vehicles, Magu stated, “On allocation of vehicles to some government agencies through special auction with presidential approval. The beneficiary agencies are: the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of which the valued price is to be debited from their allocation; State House, National Commission for Refugees and Displaced Persons; Federal Inland Revenue Service and National Directorate of Employment.”

The suspended EFCC boss said about 450 other vehicles, which had been recovered, had yet to be sold despite receiving presidential approval to do so.

“The commission presently has presidential approval to dispose over 450 forfeited vehicles located in Lagos and Abuja. The vehicles have been valued by the National Automotive Council Valuers and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. But no sale/disposal has been conducted yet,” Magu stated.

He said some of the houses permanently forfeited to the Federal Government by looters had also been handed over to some government agencies like the Voice of Nigeria, North -East Development Commission and the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate.

The suspended EFCC boss explained that some other properties, which had been forfeited pending the outcome of court cases, were being rented by the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Nigerian Army and other agencies of government.

The letter further read, “Real properties finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and allocated to some agencies for official use in line with the Presidential approval are: Voice of Nigeria, National Directorate of Employment, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, North East Development Commission and Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate.

“Properties under interim forfeiture order are rented by the following government agencies: Nigerian Army, Federal Ministry of Finance, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

“Other agencies of government that have approached the commission to rent properties under interim forfeiture order include: National Human Rights Commission and National Council for Arts and culture.”

Magu said the commission also temporarily handed over property in Lagos to the Lagos State Government for use as isolation centres for COVID-19 patients.

The suspended EFCC boss attached photographs of some of the recovered assets to the letter he addressed to the panel.

However, it was learnt that an attempt by Magu’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu, to submit the letter to the panel on Monday was rebuffed.

The panel was said to have insisted that there was no basis for the letter and informed Shittu that Magu would be summoned if there was a need for clarification.

“An attempt to submit the letter to the secretary of the panel on Monday failed. Magu’s team was informed that the panel does not entertain letters but it is purely an investigative one. If there is a need for clarification, Magu would be invited,” a source said.

Magu’s lawyer did not respond to calls on Tuesday evening.

A government source however said the Presidency would not like to be dragged into the matter.

“Magu wrote to the panel, it is the panel that should be responding to him if the need be,” the source said.

Magu was arrested by the police on July 6, 2020 and brought before the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel which is sitting at the Presidential Villa.

He was subsequently suspended and detained for about 10 days at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja. While in custody, his house in the Karu area of Abuja was searched.

In an earlier statement and open letter titled, ‘Publications prejudicial to the proceedings of this honourable panel,’ Magu’s lawyer, Shittu, had complained that the allegations against Magu circulating on social and print media were completely false and a misrepresentation of the probe.

PUNCH

Sokoto State Goes Into Partnership With Foreign Firm To Build Homes For IDPs

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
Sokoto State Goes Into Partnership With Foreign Firm To Build Homes For IDPs

Sokoto State Government is partnering Qatar Charity and Future Leaders Foundation, to construct 150 houses for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, has said.

Tambuwal said on Tuesday during the foundation laying ceremony of 50 cluster houses, as part of the project in Gandi village of Rabah Local Government Area.

Tambuwal, represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Manniru Dan’iya, lauded the charity organisation for assisting the IDPs whom he said had been in distress since 2018 due to insecurity in the area. He said the government had made all the arrangements to compensate the landowners where the houses would be built in Gandi town.

He said all relevant agencies were mobilised to work round the clock for the speedy completion of the project. The governor said the government was ready to join hands with any legally recognized NGO whose aim and objective is to assist humanity in all possible ways.

He thanked the Sultanate Council, under the leadership of Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, for his fatherly role, wisdom and encouragement, that made the programme to succeed. Earlier, Sultan Abubakar said Qatar Charity and Future Leaders Foundation were popular entities with track records of assisting Muslims all over the world.

He expressed appreciation over the project which he described as a magnificent modern city with a permanent settlement away from the IDPs places ravaged by banditry and insecurity.

He said the Sultanate Council was ready to join hands with any humanitarian organisation working towards alleviating the sufferings of Muslim communities.

Speaking on behalf of Qatar Charity and Future Leaders, Shiekh El’shamy Nohshiali, said the two charity organizations agreed to support Sokoto State Government through Zakkat and Waqf Commission, to help Muslims in distress. Nohshiali described Sokoto as the centre of Islamic knowledge and propagation as instituted by the renowned scholar, Shiek Usmanu Danfodio.

He said the firm’s intervention was to support the propagation of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new IDPs city in Gandi would comprise three clusters of 50 houses each, mosques, school, market and hospital.

Vanguard

Government Releases Exam Timetable For Schools Reopening

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
Government Releases Exam Timetable For Schools Reopening

The Oyo State Government has approved the measures that would guide the resumption of schools and associated educational activities in the state.

This indication was given at the end of the State Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.

According to the calendar, the third term 2019/2020 session has been cancelled.

As a result, promotion for all affected classes would be determined by the first and second term continuous assessment results.

Primary 6, Junior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3 students are to proceed on holiday from July 30 and resume for their examinations in some weeks’ time.

The Basic Education Certificate Examination is billed to hold between August 10 and 18, while the Competitive Entrance Examination into the schools of science is to hold on August 19.

Placement and screening test to JSS1 is slated for August 20, while placement test into technical colleges is for August 28.

The SSS 3 class will resume for examination as soon as the West African Examination Council announces the examination date.

The 2020/21 academic session, according to the calendar indicates that the first term will hold between September 21 and December 18, 2020.

PUNCH

Amotekun will deploy supernatural powers to secure the lives and properties – Commandant

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
Amotekun will deploy supernatural powers to secure the lives and properties - Commandant

Ekiti State Corps Commandant of Amotekun, Brigadier-General Joe Komolafe (Rtd.) has disclosed that they will be deploying ancient, local and modern security techniques to ward off kidnapping, robbery and other heinous crimes from the state.

Speaking at Efon Alaaye during a sensitisation tour to Ekiti West, Efon Alaaye and Ijero Local government areas of the State, Komolafe averred that the neglect of traditional culture and patterns of exposing criminals is one of the reasons for the rising spate of crimes in the South-West region. He charged traditional rulers to deploy their supernatural prowess to secure the lives and properties of their people.

The commandant who stated that the security outfit would protect the Southwest from invaders who had constantly constituted threat to the region, added that they will employ ancient Yoruba tactics of securing territories and fishing out criminals from their hide outs.

On the composition of the security outfit, Komolafe said the first phase of the recruitment was to establish an intelligence- based outfit and later accommodate Amotekun ambassadors who would serve as informants of the agency. He further disclosed that there will be no age-limit to those that would make up the ambassadorial category.

Komolafe said;

“We want people that can enter the bush and give us native intelligence about criminal hide outs.

“People before us rose and fought invaders, we also want to rise and fight invaders. These invaders came with all forms of impunity, they kill, maim, rape and destroy people’s farm produce.”

LIB

Jeff Bezos Makes $13 Billion in One Day During COVID-19 Pandemic

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-

The U.S. is hanging on the precipice of economic collapse, with around 25 million Americans slated to be kicked off extended coronavirus pandemic uninsurance later this week and the White House mulling tax cuts and screw you as a replacement. But every cloud has an obscene silver lining: world’s richest man and ghoulish Amazon overlord Jeff Bezos is doing great!

According to a Bloomberg estimate, Jeff Bezos saw his estimated net wealth surge by $13 billion to $189.3 billion on Monday. That’s the largest single-day increase in the history of the news agency’s eight-year-old Billionaires Index. Much of that increase was simply the reversal of a sudden decline in tech company stock last week (Microsoft rose 4.3 percent on Monday, while Tesla rose 9.5 percent). However, Amazon stock is up around 73 percent year to date—fueled by increased online shopping and demand for cloud services, i.e. the pandemic—and Bezos’s personal hoard has surged $74.4 billion since the start of 2020. During that same period Amazon’s awful treatment of its underpaid, overworked armies of warehouse workers and contractors has largely not changed and in some ways gotten worse, “bonus” payments to staff notwithstanding.

A study released this April by the Institute for Policy Studies found that 34 of the nation’s wealthiest 170 billionaires “have seen their wealth increase by tens of millions of dollars” during the pandemic, including Bezos, Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Zoom founder Eric Yuan, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and Silicon Valley real estate mogul John Albert Sobrato. The report noted that “the Jeff Bezos wealth surge is unprecedented in modern financial history and varies greatly day by day,” with the $25 billion Bezos racked up between Jan. 1 and April 15 far exceeding the GDP of Honduras ($23.9 billion in 2018).

The report also warned that the nation’s billionaires will likely emerge from the pandemic as though nothing happened “or even see a major surge,” in part because their overall tax burden as a percentage of their wealth plummeted by 79 percent from 1980 to 2018.

(While tech magnates have done well, study co-author Chuck Collins told Gizmodo that the billionaire class is likely to lose money as a whole during the pandemic. He added that it is all but certain they will “bounce back much faster than everyone else—and the equity market as a whole, thanks to the big winners.”)

Bloomberg noted that Bezos’s former spouse Mackenzie Bezos, who separated from the Amazon CEO last year amid a labyrinthine dick pic scandal, saw her net wealth rise by around $4.6 billion on Monday. That places her as the 13th richest person in the world and its second richest woman, shortly behind L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. She, unlike her former husband, has signed the Giving Pledge to donate most of her wealth over the course of her life.

Musk has posted similarly depraved gains on skyrocketing Tesla stock this year, with the Bloomberg Billionaire Index showing he is up $46.9 billion to $74.5 billion total year to date. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is up $14.8 billion to $93.1 billion, while Ballmer is up $18 billion to $76.1 billion.

Gizmodo

Nigeria’s COVID-19 Deaths Exceed 800

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
Nigeria's COVID-19 Deaths Exceed 800

Almost four months after the first coronavirus-related death was recorded, more than 800 people have now died across the country.

With 12 new fatalities, a total of 801 people have now died of COVID-19 complications in 35 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) also announced 562 new infections in 20 states and the FCT in its update for Monday.

According to the new figures, the FCT recorded the most cases with 102 infections, followed closely by Lagos with 100, while 52 samples tested positive in Plateau state.

A total of 228 people were also discharged on Monday, but the number of active patients has now crossed 21,000.

Out of a total of 37,225 persons confirmed to have contracted the virus, 21,091 are active cases.

With more countries focusing on the production of COVID-19 vaccine, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says more efforts should go into immediate efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, cited the example of the Ebola response, adding that COVID-19 needs the same sense of urgency.

“Ebola and COVID-19 are different viruses but the principle is the same: No matter how bad the situation, there is always hope,” he said.

“With strong leadership, community engagement, and a comprehensive strategy to suppress transmission and save lives, COVID-19 can be stopped. We do not have to wait for a vaccine. We have to save lives now.

“Make no mistake, we must continue to accelerate vaccine research, while doing more with the tools we have at hand.”

The Cable/Twitter

Seven reasons to have sex before going to work

By
Shalom Ekelaka
-
Seven reasons to have sex before going to work

It’s another work day and many don’t look forward to it because of the ensuing stress, pain and fatigue that comes along with it.

In short, there’s no motivation.

There’s one thing you can use to kick-start the day in confident fashion and it’s sex. Yes, that came out correctly.

Sex is one of the best gifts of life. The problem though is that in this part of the world, it is seen majorly or strictly for reproduction of more human species, but is that really all there is?

Absolutely not.

What is never told is that sex has tons of health and morale-boosting benefits and these are some of the best reasons.

1.) Good exercise, energy boost

Exercise is vital for healthy living because it keeps the body fit and strong. Sex happens to be an intense physical exercise because the muscles, heart and vital organs are at work. This means up to 200 calories are burned when sexual activity is on, which helps in removing excess fat and sugars from the body.

2.) Brain boost, mood improver

Sex has been proven to improve cognitive function of the brain. It makes one in being sharp, alert and active. Everyone needs to be as brilliant and as bright as possible because a new work day means having to achieve lots of goals and target.

Sex equally improves ones mood. During the act, feel good hormones called endorphins are released and it helps in taking away depressing, sad and angry moods. You wouldn’t want to start the day depressed or angry would you?

3.) Stress and pain crusher

The previous day is really stressful and painful too and another morning beckons. It’s just a few hours to hit the shower and you still feel tired. Well sex can ease it all out by fighting the hormones that cause stress and pain. How delightful that is.

4.) Self-esteem booster

The work place can actually take a toil on belief in one’s self. That’s if you have a dictatorial boss and colleagues with egoistic and arrogant tendencies. You begin to think you’re not worth it and undervalue yourself. You need not to because you’re a gem whether you or any other person believes it or not.

Sex has been known to boost self-esteem and lower feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, so be proud of who you are.

5.) Freshness overload

It’s important to look gorgeous and handsome heading to work and it has been discovered that sex helps in making one’s skin glow and even look younger. Another hormone in oestrogen is released during sex and this helps in making the skin smooth and lovely. It is also discovered that quality of sex can help in the anti-aging process, meaning you have that young look always.

6.) Immune system turbocharge

Having sex has shown to make the immune system stronger. Studies further reveal that engaging in the act weekly raises the level of the antibody named Immunoglobulin A which helps in fighting cold and flu.

December is here and Harmattan is approaching, you won’t want to have a nasty bout of catarrh while driving to work.

7.) Good heart, good blood pressure

For those who do not have any heart-related conditions, sex is very good in regulating blood pressure, keeping it at the required level while also enhancing the function of the heart too.

Since sex is a physical activity, the blood vessels expand when in action, giving room for more oxygen and nutrients to be released into the cells of the body. The chances of having a heart attack also reduces.

OperaNews

Zimbabwe’s Police Raids Home Of Prominent Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono

By
Kehinde Irinoye
-

Prominent Zimbabwean journalist detained in latest abduction of government critics.

Hopewell Chin'ono: Whistle-blowing Zimbabwean journalist arrested

A Zimbabwean journalist who recently exposed alleged government corruption involving coronavirus supplies has been charged with inciting public violence.

Hopewell Chin’ono live-streamed his arrest before being told to put his phone down.

An opposition politician, Jacob Ngarivhume, has also been arrested in Harare on the same charges.

In a statement, Zimbabwe’s police appeared to confirm that the two arrests were connected.

The US embassy called Mr Chin’ono’s arrest deeply concerning, while his lawyer called it an abduction.

“We are not sure where he has been taken. His helper says they did not produce any warrant when they came to his house,” human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said in a video statement.

Motioning to a smashed patio door at Mr Chin’ono’s home, Ms Mtetwa said eight or so security agents were involved in the raid.

Campaign group Amnesty accused Zimbabwean authorities of “misusing the criminal justice system to persecute journalists and activists” and said “the arrests of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume are designed to intimidate”.

This video streamed on Facebook appears to show the moment the investigative journalist was confronted inside his home:

What did Mr Chin’ono report about?

Mr Chin’ono’s reporting on alleged Covid-19 procurement fraud within the health ministry led to the arrest and sacking of Health Minister Obadiah Moyo.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa fired Mr Moyo earlier this month for “inappropriate conduct” over the $60m (£47.5m) medicines supply scandal.

Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC party said the state was persecuting a journalist for exposing government corruption.

A government official later responded by tweeting that journalists were not above the law.

Who was the arrested politician?

Jacob Ngarivhume leads a tiny opposition party called Transform Zimbabwe.

But he appeared to be organising plans for an anti-government protest on 31 July.

Like Hopewell Chin’ono, the opposition politician was detained in the capital, Harare, on Monday in what critics said was a concerted move to stifle criticism of the government.

What’s happening in Zimbabwe?

BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says the incident comes at a time of rising tensions in Zimbabwe, with hyperinflation strangling the economy, and talk of a new round of mass protests against Zanu-PF, the party that has run the country since independence.

Zimbabwe’s government promised reforms and economic growth after former President Robert Mugabe was ousted from power three years ago.

But critics say it has reverted to its old habits of repression and corruption.

BBC News

Akeredolu Beats Seven Contenders, Wins APC Ticket For Oct Poll

By
Kehinde Irinoye
-
a close up of a person wearing a hat and glasses© Provided by The Punch

Peter Dada, Akure

The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has emerged the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the October 10 governorship election in the state.

In the result declared around 12.25am, Akeredolu won in all the local government areas of the state, defeating other seven contestants.

In the result, Akeredolu polled 2,458 votes, while Chief Olusola Oke came second, having scored 262 votes. Mr Isaac Kekemeke came third after polling 19 votes.

The primary of the APC was conducted with over 2,500 delegates from the 18 local government areas of the state who converged on the International Event Centre, Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital, to cast their votes.

Scores of armed security men from the police, the Department of State Services, the National Security and Civil Defence Corps and men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, were deployed in the venue of the exercise.

No fewer than eight aspirants finally contested for the ticket of the party after three aspirants stepped down for Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

As of Monday morning, the party had 11 aspirants jostling for the ticket.

They were Akeredolu, Chief Olusola Oke, Dr Segun Abraham, Mr Olaide Adelami and Mr Bukola Adetula.

Others were Mrs Jumoke Anifowose, Mr Sola Iji, Mr Isaac Kekemeke, Jimi Odimayo, Mr Nathaniel Adojutelegan and Mr Awodeyi Akinsehinwa

However, before the commencement of the exercise, the trio of Abraham, Odimayo and Adojutelegan withdrew from the race and declared their support for Akeredolu.

Recall that an aspirant, Ife Oyedele, had earlier stepped down for Akeredolu.

It was gathered that the aspirants who stepped down for Akeredolu on Monday did so following the pressure and instructions from the party national leadership.

A source in the APC said, “There was a serious meeting with the reconciliation committee led by Governor Sani Bello of Niger State with some of the aspirants over the weekend; this is the result of the meeting.”

Stating his own reason, Abraham, who is a member of the Unity Forum, said, “In line with the party decision and respect of party supremacy, I hereby announce my stepping down from the APC 2020 gubernatorial primary election of our dear state.

This decision was made in support of the candidacy of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, after much consultation across and within party lines.”

Similarly, another aspirant, Odimayo, also mentioned the party’s influence on his decision to withdraw from the race.

“After a series of meetings and consultations with the top hierarchy of our party at both the national and state levels, fellow contestants, leaders, elders and other stakeholders, I will not be participating in today’s July 20, 2020 APC Governorship Primary Election, thereby pledging my full support and that of my team and political family members for our Governor Akeredolu to emerge, as the candidate of our party, APC,” he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the APC Primary Committee and Governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello, said the exercise would be free, fair and transparent.

He said, “ I was satisfied with what I saw when I came in. I saw that the security arrangement was proper. I also commended the delegates for comporting themselves in a good manner and I am very sure that the exercise would be free and fair.”

Also, Akeredolu had expressed hope of coming out victorious at the primary.

On the controversy surrounding the delegates’ list, Akeredolu said, “I never wanted to be involved in all the complaints because I know that a farmer goes to farm with implements. The farmer only complains when he is not ready.”

Another aspirant, Oke, commended the Chairman of the Primary Committee, Governor Yahaya Bello, for looking into some observations made.

“We cannot tolerate a situation where the APC will slide into the opposition in Ondo State.

“There will be fight and quarrel when people try to cut corners. My confidence will be determined by the process. We pray what happened in 2016 will not happen again. In election matters, the more you look, the less you see,” Oke said.

The Punch

President Buhari’s Close Ally Ismaila Isa Funtua Is dead

By
Kehinde Irinoye
-

Buhari says the death of his longtime friend and associate will create a huge gap.

Isa Funtua [The Nigerian Voice]
Isa Funtua [The Nigerian Voice]

Ismaila Isa Funtua, a millionaire businessman and close ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, has died.

Funtua, a minister in Nigeria’s Second Republic, died after a brief illness on Monday, July 20, 2020.

Funtua’s son, Abubakar, is married to President Buhari’s daughter, Safinatu.

President Buhari described Funtua as a longtime friend and associate who consistently stood by him in his political journey.

He said his death will create a huge gap, according to a statement signed by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Monday.

President Muhammadu Buhari (left) with Isa Funtua (right) [NAN]President Muhammadu Buhari (left) with Isa Funtua (right) [NAN]

 

President Buhari’s Close Ally Ismaila Isa Funtua Is dead

The deceased was one of those rumoured to belong to a cabal of associates who influence key decisions made by Buhari’s administration.

In January, Funtua expressed his disagreement with the fact that ‘cabal’ was being used in a derogatory sense by Nigerians, and said he didn’t belong to one.

“What is cabal? In short I think it means kitchen cabinet, people that you trust.

“People you believe will not deceive you, that they can do things in the interest of the country,” he said.

Funtua, 78, was the founder of Bulet International Nigeria Limited, an indigenous construction company.

He was also the founding Managing Director of Democrat Newspaper, and served as President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).

He will be buried on Tuesday, July 21, according to Islamic rights.

Pulse.Ng

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