GANUX, Author at SocietyGazette.com

Join fight against corruption, ICPC urges youth

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission has called for the active involvement of youths in the fight against corruption in the country.

The Resident Anti-corruption Commissioner in Osun State, Yusuf Olatunji, made the call on Wednesday in Osogbo during an anti-corruption competition organised by the Commission in collaboration with the Osun State Government for secondary school students in the state.

The ICPC boss said the fight against corruption is not a one-man war, adding that corruption portends danger to every sector of national life.

“The fight against corruption is not a one-man war; it requires collective responsibility, inter-agency synergy, and above all, the active involvement of our youths.

“The theme of this programme, ‘Corruption: A Virus That We Must Eradicate’, is profoundly relevant and timely. Just like a deadly virus, corruption infects every sector of our national life. It weakens our ever-joined institutions, distorts our values, deprives citizens of basic services, and stifles development.

“Like a virus, corruption mutates, it adapts, finds new hosts, and spreads across generations if left unchecked. And like a virus, it requires a deliberate, strategic, and well-coordinated response involving both prevention and enforcement,” Olatunji said.

Olatunji subsequently advised the younger generation to take the bull by the horns and make a difference in the fight against corruption, urging parents and teachers to be good role models to the younger ones.

He said, “You are not too young to make a difference. Your voices matter. Your creativity matters. Your ideals, when rooted in integrity, are powerful tools that can challenge societal norms and inspire others to do what is right.

“Let me emphasise this: the battle against corruption begins in the mind. It begins with personal choices, choosing to do your assignments honestly, refusing to engage in examination malpractice, reporting injustice when you see it, and treating others with fairness and respect. We must, therefore, continue to invest in character development and civic education. Our educational institutions must become sanctuaries of integrity and innovation.”

In his remarks at the event, the chairman of Osun State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr Ibukun Fadipe, who commended the organisers of the competition, said the state government would establish anti-corruption groups in the secondary schools across the state.

Wike refutes NEMA report, dismisses Abuja suicide bomber claim

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed reports that an explosion at the Mogadishu Barracks in Abuja was the result of a failed suicide bombing attempt.

Speaking to journalists following road inspections on Wednesday, Wike clarified that the victim had unknowingly stolen an Improvised Explosive Device from a quarry, adding that the report by the National Emergency Management Agency was inaccurate.

“The security agencies never stated that it was a suicide bomber. Therefore, we should avoid creating unnecessary fear among the public. NEMA is not the lead security agency; security agencies are responsible for such matters.

“What happened was that someone went to a quarry site, where rocks are blasted, and took an explosive device, placing it in his pocket without understanding its danger. The device then detonated on him.

“This does not mean it was a suicide bombing. We must be careful with the narratives we promote; we should not send misleading messages to residents,” he emphasised.

Earlier, The PUNCH reported that an explosion at the barracks along the Nyanya-Mararaba road had caused panic among residents and passersby.

While NEMA had claimed the explosion was caused by a failed suicide bomber attempting to enter the barracks with the IED, the Police Public Relations Officer for the FCT Command, SP Josephine Adeh, stated that the Police had launched a thorough investigation, including forensic analysis, to ascertain the cause and nature of the explosion.

EU unveils plan to stop startups from moving to US

The European Commission inaugurated a strategy on Wednesday to promote small businesses and assist them to grow in an attempt to keep these companies in Europe.

“Startups and scaleups are essential to Europe’s future, driving innovation and sustainable growth, creating high-quality jobs, attracting investment, and reducing strategic dependencies.

“Yet, despite the strong foundations, too many still struggle to take ideas from the lab to market or grow at scale within the EU,’’ the commission said at the inauguration.

While more startups were founded in the EU than in the U.S., almost 30 per cent of EU “unicorn’’ startups moved their headquarters out of the bloc over the past 15 years, ” the commission, Vice president Stéphane Séjourné, said.

According to previous information from the commission, most unicorn startups that grew to be worth more than one billion dollars moved to the U.S.

Sejourné said the aim was to seek ways to keep successful startups that were currently in their growth phase and in need of financing in the EU.

The commission envisaged 20 measures to stop companies moving abroad.

It focuses on strategic technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced semiconductors, biotechnology, clean technologies and energy, defence and space, and robotics.

Regulations on insolvency, labour, and tax law are to be simplified, and companies would be able to communicate digitally with government authorities throughout the EU.

Improved financing and investment options are to be made available, and access to skilled workers is to be improved.

Reps pass harmonised tax reform bills

The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the tax reform bills transmitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu in October 2024.

The bills were passed at a session presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.

The development followed the adoption of the harmonised versions of the reform bills by both the House and the Senate.

At plenary on Wednesday, the House of Representatives considered the report of the conference committee, which harmonised the bills.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Abiodun Faleke (APC, Lagos), who headed the House team to the conference committee, presented the conference report to the House for consideration.

According to him, the Conference Committee met and agreed on all areas of difference in the version passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.

He stated that there were 45 areas of difference in the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, 12 areas of difference in the Nigeria Revenue Service Bill, 9 areas of difference in the Joint Revenue Board Bill and 46 areas of difference in the Nigeria Tax Bill, adding that all grey areas were resolved ahead of the passage.

While the conference committee agreed to retain the Senate version in some of the clauses, they also retained the House version in some others, making amendments in a few others.

The conference committee agreed to the imposition of a 4 per cent development levy on the assessable profit of all companies chargeable to tax under Chapters 2 and 3, except small companies and non-resident companies.

They also agreed that the levy shall be collected by the Nigeria Revenue Service and paid into a special account created for the same purpose.

In the sharing formula, the committee agreed that 50 per cent of the tax would go to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, 15 per cent to the Education Loan Fund (up from 3 per cent agreed by the House), and 8 per cent to the Nigeria Information Technology Development Fund.

Similarly, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure is to get 8 per cent (down from 10 per cent earlier agreed by both chambers), the National Board for Technology Incubation is to get 4 per cent from the fund, defence and security infrastructure is to get 10 per cent while cyber security fund will get 5 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Social Security Fund, Nigeria Police Trust Fund, and National Sports Development Fund were excluded from the list of beneficiaries passed by the House of Representatives.

The committee also adopted a new clause 158, which imposes a 5 per cent surcharge on chargeable fossil fuel products provided or produced in Nigeria and shall be collected at the time a chargeable transaction occurs.

The controversial Value Added Tax sharing formula was not part of the areas of disagreement between the two legislative chambers.

In his remarks, Kalu said the parliament has played its part in ensuring that the country moves forward, even as he urged the executive arm of government to do its part.

In his contribution, a member of the House representing Gwoza/Damboa/Chibok Federal Constituency, Borno State, Ahmed Jaha warned those who will clean up the bill not to tamper with any of the clauses passed, saying “Where the T is not crossed, don’t cross it, where the I is not dotted, don’t do it. We have the original copies of the bills as passed before and after harmonisation.

“We have had cases in the past where those in charge of cleaning up the bills tamper with it and at the end of the day, the President will withhold assent. That must not happen.”

That said, the All Progressives Congress lawmaker singled out Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu for praise, saying, “I want to thank your leadership for the role you played in making these bills a success. I also want to thank the Chairman of the Committee, Abiodun Faleke. He showed that he is truly a good elder. He provided a lot of training for some of us, and I want to say that this is the way to go.”

Adron Homes Launches Grand Ileya Promo with Massive Discounts, Star Appearances & Festive Gifts

Adron Homes Launches Grand Ileya Promo with Massive Discounts, Star Appearances & Festive Gift

As the Ileya (Sallah) season approaches, Adron Homes, Nigeria’s leading real estate company, is again giving Nigerians a reason to celebrate beyond the festivities with the launch of its highly anticipated ILEYA/SALLAH PROMO!

This year’s celebration blends culture, community, and homeownership into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for families and individuals looking to secure their future through real estate.

With over 40 estate locations nationwide, spanning Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Abuja, Nasarawa, Niger, Jos, and Ekiti, Adron Homes is offering a generous 30% discount on all land purchases. Even better, customers can enjoy convenient payment plans spread over 24 months, making land ownership more affordable than ever.

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To mark the season of giving, Adron Homes is rolling out exciting gift rewards for customers based on their commitment levels:

• ₦100,000 Payment – 10kg Bag of Rice or Aso Oke or Ankara

• ₦200,000 Payment – 10kg Rice with Aso Oke or 2 Ankara

• ₦500,000 Payment – Goat or 50kg Rice with Aso Oke or 2 Ankara

• ₦1,000,000 Payment – Ram with Aso Oke or 2 Ankara or 50kg Rice + Goat

(Valid for lands worth ₦3M and above)

• ₦3,000,000 Payment – 3 Rams with Aso Oke or 2 Ankara

(Valid for lands worth ₦8M and above)

This campaign is also being celebrated with the support of star brand ambassadors; Lateef Adedimeji, Ibrahim Chatta, and Femi Branch, who embody the spirit of culture, excellence, and family that Adron Homes stands for.

With a proven track record of delivering value and properties in strategic locations, Adron Homes is committed to making the dream of property ownership a reality for every Nigerian regardless of income level.

This Ileya season, the company is inviting all Nigerians to invest not just in land, but in a lifetime of security, prosperity, and generational wealth.

Visit any Adron Homes office nationwide or connect with us through our online platforms:

Website:adronhomesproperties.com

Reps seek reintegration plan for IDPs nationwide

The House of Representatives on Wednesday called on relevant agencies of the Federal Government to carry out a reintegration plan for Internally Displaced Persons across the country.

The decision of the House was sequel to the adoption of a motion on notice during Wednesday’s plenary, sponsored by the member representing Eleme/Oyigbo/Tai Federal Constituency, Rivers State, Mr Felix Nwaeke.

Speaking on the substance of the motion, the Rivers lawmaker noted that as of April 2024, the internally displaced persons in Nigeria were estimated at 3.3m persons living in over 300 camps across Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara States.

He said, “The visitations by humanitarian organisations and government agencies to these camps are immersed with calls for improved welfare, feeding, and security of the displaced persons in these over 300 camps.

“There has to be a plan on how to prepare these persons who had been forced out of their homes and subjected to living conditions lower than they are used to psychologically, emotionally, and physically to reintegrate them back to a normal standard of living.

“If the displaced persons, most of whom are women and children, are returned home after relative peace is restored in their communities without a structured reintegration plan that would be providing cash assistance, food and clothing, and psychological and emotional counseling and support; it would amount to insensitivity to their plight and, at most, abandonment.”

Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction and the National Emergency Management Agency to conduct an assessment of the situation in the IDP camps across the country and draw up a reintegration plan for IDPs.

It also mandated its Committee on Emergency and Disaster Management to ensure compliance.

Gateway Games: Ogun athletes end protest, reopen games village

Events scheduled for Wednesday at the 22nd National Sports Festival gradually commenced, nearly four hours behind schedule, following the reopening of the games village at Babcock University by protesting Ogun State athletes, PUNCH Online reports.

The athletes had earlier blocked the gates of the games village, leaving several participants stranded in protest over unpaid allowances. They began their demonstration as early as 5:30 am and reopened the gates at 12:43 pm.

PUNCH Online gathered that the athletes received payments of N40,000, as promised by Governor Dapo Abiodun, along with an additional N140,000 as their festival allowance.

However, the athletes insisted that the agreed allowance was N210,000, calculated at N15,000 per day over a 14-day period.

“We were paid N50,000 this morning, which was the governor’s promise, but to our surprise, they started paying N140,000 as the festival allowance instead of the agreed N210,000,” one of the athletes lamented.

Meanwhile, prior to the start of the sports festival, Governor Abiodun pledged cash rewards of N2.5 million for every gold medallist from the state, N1.5 million for silver, and N1 million for bronze medallists.

Ogun State currently holds third place on the medals table with 48 gold, 38 silver, and 47 bronze medals.

Ground rent hike is coming, says Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has revealed that his administration is considering an increase in ground rent payments, while describing the refusal to pay ground rent and other taxes as his greatest challenge in office.

The PUNCH reports that the FCT administration began sealing properties belonging to ground rent defaulters on Monday. These included the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, the National Agency for Trafficking in Persons, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, a branch of Access Bank, and a TotalEnergies filling station.

The leadership of the PDP and the FIRS criticised the actions of the Wike-led FCTA, describing them as unprofessional and an affront to the country’s democracy.

President Bola Tinubu intervened, granting a 14-day ultimatum for the payment of the owed sums, as well as penalties ranging between N2 million and N3 million, depending on locations within the FCT.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday after inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja, Wike lamented that while residents demand infrastructure in the FCT, they fail to support the government by paying their taxes.

He noted that many debtors owe as much as 20 years’ worth of ground rent, despite the fact that the ground rent has remained unchanged for many years.

“My greatest challenge is the refusal of people to pay what they owe. I will elaborate on this in the next media chat. People want facilities, they want infrastructure, but nobody asks where the funds come from. Abuja is not an oil-producing city; we rely solely on taxes. These are not new taxes; they have been in place for years.

“It is unfortunate that many elites own houses overseas. They understand the consequences of not paying taxes abroad — such properties can be forfeited. Yet, when it comes to their own country, they refuse to comply simply because they believe there are no sanctions.

“Look at the arrears — 20, 30 years. And how much is it? We have not increased the ground rent, but we are working towards that, and I can assure you we will do so. The President has granted a two-week waiver. Let no one think that blackmail or intimidation will deter us; we will do what is necessary,” he stated.

The minister also disclosed that he had recently signed over 1,500 Certificates of Occupancy and Deeds of Assignment, while again urging residents to pay their taxes and ground rents to support development in the FCT.

“If you pay your taxes, you will see the difference it makes. That is what we are striving to achieve,” he added.

Police arrest Rivers pastor over defilement of 10-year-old girl

Operatives of the Rivers State Police have arrested a 45-year-old Pastor of a new generation church simply identified as Lucky, for allegedly defiling a 10-year-old girl in the Ihuaje community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.

It was gathered that the arrest of the said cleric was carried out by members of a local security outfit formally called ‘ONELGA Security Planning and Advisory Committee’ led by its Commander code-named OSPAC.

Punch Metro further gathered that the Commander of OSPAC in Ahoada East LGA, Precious Ihuruzu, led his men to the community after receiving the news of the incident.

The suspect, who is the pastor of a branch of the church in the area and handed over to the Ahoada Police Division.

Speaking to newsmen on the incident, a member of the association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Dennis Otobo, said he had received a call from the gender desk of the State Ministry of Health about a case of child abuse which they wanted him to follow up; which he obliged.

Otobo added, “In the course of my investigation, I got to know that one Pastor Lucky (surname withheld), who is also the proprietor of a group of schools (private) in Ihuaje community in Ahoada East, has been having sexual affairs with a 10-year-old girl in his care.

“This got to the knowledge of the parents. When the parents visited her on that Saturday at the Pastor’s house, the girl now informed them of what she had been going through. That anytime he had affairs with her, he would give her N500 to keep quiet.

“Her parents immediately took the girl to the hospital, where they did a preliminary investigation.

“On that level, I decided to call the Divisional Police Officer for assistance and arrest. It was in the evening that the DPO told me that they should come on Sunday and that he was going to handle the case professionally. Truly, he did that because, as we are talking, the man (pastor) is in Ahoada Police station, Ahoada East.”

Otobo commended the DPO of Ahoada Police Division, the Chief Security Officer of Ahoada East LGA, Hector Ekeakita, the OSPAC and a rights activist, Prince Wiro, who is the National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights and Accountability Campaign, for their various roles in ensuring the suspect’s arrest.

The gender advocate, therefore, called on the police to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter and if found culpable, the suspect should be charged in court for prosecution.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the pastor’s arrest, saying it followed a complaint of alleged defilement by the parents of the tween girl.

Grace Iringe-Koko stated, “Yes, I can confirm his arrest. The Pastor is with us here in the Command. We received a complaint from the parents of the girl and our men working with a local vigilante there arrested him. Investigations are ongoing.”

Emefiele appeals final forfeiture order of 753 housing units estate

Former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has petitioned the Court of Appeal in Abuja to overturn a judgment granting the government full control of a substantial estate in Abuja comprising 753 housing units.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had earlier obtained a court order to seize the estate, situated in the Lokogoma district of Abuja.

Initially, the estate was linked to another unnamed former government official. However, Emefiele, through his legal representative A.M. Kotoye, contends that he ought to have been involved in the proceedings, as he holds an interest in the property. He is now seeking the Appeal Court’s reversal of the lower court’s ruling.

“I was unaware of the forfeiture,” Emefiele asserts.

He informed the court that the EFCC published the interim forfeiture notice in an obscure section of a newspaper, making it difficult to detect.

Additionally, Emefiele explained that he was simultaneously managing three criminal cases in both Abuja and Lagos, which hindered his ability to notice the publication.

He further accused the EFCC of deliberately concealing the forfeiture case from him, despite their ongoing engagement with him on other charges.

The trial court, however, dismissed his claim, ruling that the EFCC had followed due process and that the newspaper notice was sufficient.

The judge declared that the notice “could not reasonably be described as hidden.”

Dissatisfied, Emefiele lodged an appeal on April 30, 2025, requesting the Court of Appeal to: reverse the judgment delivered on April 28, 2025; annul the interim and final forfeiture orders dated November 1 and 2 December 2024 respectively; and grant his application filed on January 28, 2025.

He argued that the trial court had misconstrued his application and erroneously dismissed it without proper consideration of critical facts, asserting that the orders were founded on “hearsay, suspicion, and no proper evidence.”

Emefiele also maintained that he possessed both legal and equitable interests in the estate, despite the court’s assertion that he failed to provide proof of ownership.

“The entire ruling is a miscarriage of justice,” Emefiele declared.

He added, “The failure of the trial judge to properly evaluate the affidavit and documents before him is perverse and has caused a miscarriage of justice.

“The orders were made in breach of the 1999 Constitution and are therefore null and void.”

Meanwhile, Emefiele’s legal team has written to the Minister of Housing, urging the government to halt all plans to sell the estate until the appeal is resolved.

“We are aware that the properties may soon be sold to the public. We have already served the EFCC with a notice of appeal and an injunction,” the letter stated.

The federal government had recently announced intentions to auction the estate to low- and middle-income Nigerians.