The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Andy Uba, has claimed to have influenced the appointment of Charles Soludo as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Soludo is contesting the Anambra election holding this coming Saturday on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.
Recall that Professor Soludo was the CBN governor during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Speaking at a guber debate organised by ARISE TV, Senator Uba, who an aide and in-law of Obasanjo, claimed that he recommended Soludo to the former president.
The lawmaker described the former CBN governor as an ingrate, despite Obasanjo making it clear that he (Uba) influenced Soludo’s appointment.
“When he (Soludo) became the CBN Governor, he came to my house to say thank you. Also, when five Igwes [traditional rulers] came to thank the President after the appointment, he [Obasanjo] told them to go thank me instead,” Uba said.
Reacting, Soludo rejected Andy Uba’s claim that he was influenced his appointment as the Apex Bank boss.
The APGA guber candidate stated that he never knew Andy Uba until former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, introduced them at the Presidential villa.
Six people have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen during an attack on the University of Abuja on Tuesday morning.
The University, in a statement on Tuesday signed by its spokesman, Habib Yakoob, said that the gunmen abducted a Professor of Economics in the institution, Joseph Obansa, alongside his two children.
He said the gunmen gained access to the Senior Staff Quarters at Giri in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the early hours of Tuesday.
Yakoob stated that the gunmen operated undisturbed for over an hour, adding that security agents have since been deployed to track down the criminals.
The school spokesman disclosed that apart from the professor and his children, three persons were also kidnapped.
Yakoob, however, stated that efforts were being made to ensure the safe return of the kidnapped persons.
The statement reads: “Suspected bandits attacked the staff quarters of the University in the early hours of today.
“Our Safety officers, in conjunction with security personnel, mobilised to secure the quarters.
“We have reports that four of our staff and their children were, nevertheless, abducted by the evil men.
“Efforts are being made to ensure their safe return. A sad day for us, indeed!”
Also confirming the incident, FCT Police Command Spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said apart from the Professor and his two kids, three other persons were abducted in the invasion.
“The CP noted that a combined team of the Police and personnel of the Nigerian Army 176 Guards Battalion were swiftly mobilized to the area to protect the citizens.
“Preliminary investigations however revealed that six (6) persons were allegedly abducted into the forest by the criminals on sighting the security operatives,” Adeh said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested billionaire businessman, Obinna Iyiegbu popularly known as Obi Cubana.
Naija News learnt that Obi Cubana who arrived at the office of the commission in Abuja on Monday afternoon is being questioned by operatives of the anti-graft agency.
A source that spoke with Punch disclosed that his case borders on alleged money laundering and tax fraud.
The source said, “Obi Cubana was arrested and brought to the EFCC headquarters on Monday afternoon over allegations of money laundering and tax fraud. He is being grilled by detectives as we speak.”
Recall that Obi Cubana trended on social media a few months ago following the huge amount of money that was spent on his mother’s burial.
The event was attended by notable personalities and celebrities in the country.
Claimed source of wealth
Mr Iyiegbu urged young Nigerians to give up seeking wealth through illegal means, saying he has no ‘soap’ for anyone to cut.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Pidgin earlier this year, Cubana said he had his breakthrough when he earned his first million Naira after his National Youth Service Corps program in Abuja.
The one who buried his mom with great fanfare recently said it was in Abuja that he was introduced to the real estate business, where he met a client who wanted to furnish a house. After furnishing the house for the client, Obi received a donation of 500,000 Naira, as he also made over 600,000 Naira in profit for this work.
According to him, “This was the first N1.1 million I earned before joining contract work in Abuja. I signed a contract with PPMC, I made some money, then I bought my Mercedes V-boot. I invested the money I earned in a garden brewery before creating Cubana Group.
Professor Charles Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has accused the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Andy Ubah of forging his Secondary School Certificate.
Soludo, Ubah and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Valentine Ozigbo debated live on Arise Television on Monday afternoon.
POLITICS NIGERIA gathered that while fielding a question on Education, Soludo stated that Ubah had no school certificate adding that he forged his. He went ahead to query Ubah who replied that he possesses a certificate and finished secondary school in 1974.
The exchange became heated with Ubah saying that Soludo did nothing as the governor of the central bank of Nigeria adding that he was the one who made the popular banker attain the position.
The Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has narrated how the former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed manipulated election results as far back as 2011 under the old Action Congress of Nigeria.
Abdulrazaq in an interview with newsmen noted that Mohammed was in charge of ACN in Kwara and he threw him out because they had their choice candidates.
He further stated that he experienced a tough time in the Peoples Democratic Party because of the dominance of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
The Kwara State Governor said, “When this republic started, everybody was with Saraki in the All Nigeria’s People Party. Just a few of us were in PDP then. We launched the party, very few of us. We knew our goal, to remain in opposition and remove these people from power. That’s our goal from then up till now.
“Along the way, they started pulling out because most of them saw that they had a glass ceiling on the Saraki side. They started pulling out. We started in 1998. Where was Lai Mohammed in 1998? He was in Lagos.
“He came in 2003 to contest and went back. The other guy that was shouting was with Saraki. We remained here deliberately. We did not ask for anybody’s structure.
“We had people like Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, as well. He was with us. He was the first Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP. He has never been with Saraki. There were less than 10 of us. We deliberately continued to build our structure. In 2015, when Saraki moved to PDP, we left because we will not be part of it. We left the party for them. I moved out.
“I never contested for office, I was sponsoring candidates and building a party. I was even offered the position of Board of Trustees of the party. I refused. I said I have my business.
“Our goal was to change the system in the state. It was not until 2011 that we found ourselves in the ACN, but then ACN belonged to Asiwaju and Lai Mohammed was his frontman here. So, they had their candidate.
“We said let’s do free and fair primaries, they refused. Eventually, they threw us out and picked their own candidate.”
“The delegates were playing games so I stepped down to contest for Senate. I contested against Saraki. I believe they rigged the election.
“Many times, I have engaged with the traditional rulers, especially to say, let’s be accommodating, it will soon pass,” the governor said.
Former Kaduna senator, Shehu Sani, has reproached the Muhammadu Buhari administration for its failure to declare bandits terrorists.
As bandits continue to unleash their unrestrained reign of terror in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and other Northwestern states that has claimed thousands of lives including members of the armed forces, Nigerians from across the country have been calling on President Buhari to declare the bandits terrorists. The call comes from several quarters.
The likes of Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state have pleaded with Buhari to declare bandits terrorists so that the military will be decisive and firmer in dealing with them. The Senate on Wednesday 29th September 2021 passed a resolution asking President Buhari to declare the bandits as terrorists through a Proscription Order, pursuant to section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended). The Senate asked the president to wage a total war against the criminals, including bombing all their locations, to eliminate them, while also declaring all known leadership of the bandits wanted and track them wherever they are for arrest and prosecution.
Barely 24 hours after the Senate asked President Buhari to declare bandits terrorists, the House of Representatives also urged the President to do same, to underline the determination of the apex government to combat the wave of criminality and murders perpetuated by bandits all over the country.
A similar call was also made by all the 36 Speakers of State Houses of Assembly at the end of their conference last month (October) in Katsina state while asking the president to declare bandits enemies of the state.
But as lawmakers both at the federal and state levels were passing resolutions asking that the bandits should be labelled as terrorists and other Nigerians added their voices, the FG, through the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, said that the need to follow due process was responsible for the delay in declaring bandits as terrorists. Sani is not happy with the situation. He lamented that the bandits are killing people regardless of religion and place of worship.
“They killed Muslim worshipers in their mosques in Niger and Katsina state; they killed Christians in their Churches in Kaduna state;if the Government doesn’t want to declare them terrorists,it should declare them federal civil servants,” the outspoken politician wrote on his verified Twitter handle on Monday.
President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, have approved a huge national security-sensitive maritime contract to a medical company in a process the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) says is “embarrassing” and illegal, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation has revealed.
The development has unsettled the Buhari government, with senior officials sparring and trading accusations of bad faith and the BPP complaining of “procedural lapses” in carefully worded memos that only stopped short of directly accusing Mr Buhari and Mr Amaechi of lawlessness
Our investigation is based on several confidential government memos and extensive interviews with insiders familiar with the matter.
The procurement agency said the contract was awarded in clear breach of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
The International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) scheme is an electronic cargo verification system that monitors the shipment of seaborne cargo and enables a real-time generation of vital data on ship and cargo traffic in and out of Nigeria, a government memo says, emphasising national security and economic benefits.
An operation of the scheme was initially in effect following a President Umaru Yar-Adua-Goodluck Jonathan era contract between the Nigerian Ports Authority and an operator, TPMS-Antaser-Afrique, which was abruptly terminated by former finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in October 2011.
The controversy surrounding the termination of the contract ended up in a court of arbitration before attracting the interest of the anticorruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mrs Okonjo-Iweala then said the scheme was hurting businesses. In the short period it was initially implemented, barely a year, more than 40 million euros was generated in revenue, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said. It is unclear if that revenue was remitted to government in full.
However, the government now finds the scheme desirable again. A transport ministry memo of August 26, 2021, to the Bureau of Public Procurement says that non-engagement of the scheme would continue to cause the country loss of revenue, worsen the country’s maritime security situation, and allow alteration of cargoes and under-declaration.
In what kickstarted the current process that is now stuck in controversy and abuse, Mr Amaechi’s transport ministry, on September 11, 2020, sought the approval of the BPP to conduct a restricted/selected tendering exercise to engage agents or partners for the implementation of the cargo tracking note scheme, documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES showed.
But citing the “convoluted” circumstance of the initial contract, which attracted criminal investigation by the EFCC and the need to regain international confidence, the BPP rejected the selective tender request and, instead, asked the transport ministry to conduct international competitive bidding (ICB).
“This (ICB) was to ensure that experienced international firms with high reputation, integrity, and capacity to deliver participate in the procurement process,” BPP said in an October 22, 2020 memo justifying the need for an openly competitive process.
But “surprisingly,” the BPP noted in a memo, the transport ministry on August 26, 2021, reverted to the public procurement regulator with an approval dated August 19, 2021 from the president to adopt a direct procurement in favour of MedTech Scientific Limited, a healthcare company, in partnership with Rozi International Nigeria Limited, a property development company.
Direct procurement is single sourcing of a contractor with no room for competition either in a selective exercise, which invites interests from a restricted number of companies based on experience and capacity, or an open exercise, which is publicly advertised for companies to express interest and compete.
Mr Amaechi and procedural lapse, breach of law
After the October 22, 2020 letter of the BPP rejecting the selective tendering exercise the ministry of transport initially requested, Mr Amaechi ceased further communication with the bureau until he was able to circumvent due process to obtain Mr Buhari’s approval for direct procurement, which he then communicated to the bureau on August 27, 2021.
In the period between October 2020 and August 2021, Mr Buhari had in a letter dated May 17, 2021 directed that an international competitive bidding exercise be adopted in line with the BPP’s earlier position.
But Mr Amaechi brushed aside the instructions of the president and the BPP and went ahead to have the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, where the tracking note scheme is now domiciled, to commence a restricted tendering exercise extending invitations to nine companies. This was done because of time constraint, the ministry claimed in the memo of August 27 to the BPP. Curiously, the same president changed his position afterwards and did not only authorise to use selective tendering but in favour of two named companies.
That procedure contravened Section 40(1) of the Public Procurement Act 2007 as there was no approval from the Bureau before adopting Restricted Tendering Exercise, the BPP said in two separate memos to the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, and the ministry of transportation’s permanent secretary, Magdalene Ajani.
“Even more worrisome”
While the restricted tendering exercise, which the BPP said was illegal, was ongoing, Mr Amaechi decided to jettison the process and consequently “hand-picked” MedTech Scientific Limited, in partnership with Rozi International Nigeria Limited, out of the firms selected to compete for the contract.
He then sought and obtained Mr Buhari’s anticipatory approval to engage MedTech without any competition, a development that was inconsistent with the president’s earlier directive and the public procurement law.
“This procedure is clearly against the spirit and intent of the Public Procurement Act 2007 and if challenged has the potential to embarrass the government,” the BPP said in a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Gambari. A similar position was communicated to the transport ministry but the BPP said nevertheless it could not stop the contract given the president’s approval.
The BPP said the transport ministry did not provide the basis for picking MedTech and Rozi International to partner for the project. The ministry had said the companies selected to participate in the selective tendering process were chosen on the basis of “proven records of experience, competency, and reliability to execute the services.”
However, as the PREMIUM TIMES investigation revealed, neither MedTech nor Rozi International had any record of success in delivering maritime traffic tracking service.
MedTech was incorporated in Nigeria in 2008 with an office in Lagos. The directors are Lifesign Healthcare Limited, a UK-registered company, Ramzi Nabil Abou-Hassan, Iyabo Rojaiye, and Kolawole Ojetimi. Mr Abou-Hassan is a health practitioner, his Linkedin profile suggests, and the managing director of Lifesign Healthcare Limited, UK Companies House records show.
On Linkedin, Mr Abou-Hassan said of his involvement in the coast of West Africa, which covers Nigeria, that “It is our intention to continue to leverage our experience of almost 20 years in this region to help build capacity in a very difficult environment and where the level of public healthcare has suffered much neglect for over three decades.”
On the other hand, Rozi International was incorporated in 1991 in Bauchi State, with a Wuse Abuja address, CAC records show. According to the records, the company’s nature of business is property business development, and the directors, as well as shareholders, are Robert Zeitoun, and Issam Zeitoun.
The BPP said the profiles of the two companies were not forwarded for review and therefore could not comment on their “suitability to execute a project of this magnitude and complexity.”
The transport ministry’s spokesperson, Eric Ojikwe, did not comment after we sent written questions to him via a text message.
It is not clear if Mr Buhari saw the profiles of MedTech and Rozi International or questioned Mr Amaechi in this regard before granting his approval. Presidential spokespersons, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, did not comment. They did not reply to separate text messages to their telephones, nor did they answer calls.
“Insulate the president’s office from embarrassment”
Despite the arbitrariness of the procurement process, the BPP said it could not stop Mr Amaechi since he had managed to gain Mr Buhari’s anticipatory approval. An anticipatory approval means the granting of a procurement request before the statutory consideration and endorsement of the Federal Executive Council.
Nevertheless, the BPP separately told Mr Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Mr Gambari, and the ministry of transport that “it is not correct” for the “exalted Office of His Excellency, Mr President, to be drawn into routine administrative approvals particularly contract-related matters that are open to litigation.”
“This procedure should be strongly discouraged,” it wrote.
The Bureau also told the Chief of Staff to advise the president to rescind his anticipatory approval granted to Mr Amaechi in order to ensure an international competitive bidding exercise that is not compromised and to protect the president from embarrassment.
Meanwhile, the BPP also raised a question about the required security clearance from the Office of the National Security Adviser. The NSA had expressed security concerns in a July 16, 2021, memo.
We could not confirm if both Mr Buhari and Mr Amaechi obtained any security clearance before approving the contract to MedTech and its partner Rozi International.
Mr Amaechi and a history of violation of procurement process
Mr Amaechi has at various times got himself mired in arbitrary conduct around procurement processes involving agencies under his supervision, suggesting an aversion for due process.
In a number of contract processes involving the NPA, Mr. Amaechi inserted himself arbitrarily. In one case, he directed the NPA to restore a boat service contract with logistics giants, Intels, in disregard for an ongoing open bidding exercise in which the company had been disqualified.
In this case, the BPP intervened and submitted that Mr Aamechi’s position could create a monopoly and leave a pattern of gaining contracts in ways other than a transparent competitive tendering process.
In addition, in the matter of NPA’s port dredging contract, Mr. Amaechi directed that contracts be extended for a year beyond original expiration dates instead of a bidding exercise, which the BPP had approved.
Mr Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been tipped to win the 2021 Anambra Governorship election billed to take place on Saturday.
According to Hallmark International Consulting Company, a research and political risk consultancy firm, based in the United States, Mr Uba may win the election narrowly.
“Senator Andy Uba, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress may win in a hotly contested election with a margin of error of between three to four per cent probability ratings in Anambra State governorship election”.
A statement from the foundation’s vice president for Africa and Middle East, Hayes Rodney, said the interest of the foundation in the Anambra governorship election was nonpartisan.
HICC said the research and opinion poll was commissioned by a US-based ‘Power to the People Foundation’ – a non-governmental organisation with an interest in the sustainability of democracy in Africa and around the world.
Although HICC said it only polled six major candidates including Godwin Maduka of Accord, Charles Soludo of All Progressive Grand Alliance, Valentine Ozigbo of PDP, Obiora Okonkwo of Zenith Labour Party, and Senator Andy Uba of APC, the poll, it said, “further narrowed the governorship race to a contest between Soludo of APGA and Senator Andy Uba of APC.”
The election comes amid deployment of over 30,000 armed security forces to contain alleged threat by IPOB to stop the election by declaring stay-at-home from November 5 if the Federal Government failed to release it’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Meanwhile, the Andy Uba Campaign Organisation has condemned what it called campaign of calumny against its candidate by APGA.
The campaign organisation in a statement signed by the Media Director, Mr Afam Ogene, said, “Using a poorly scripted propaganda material, they claimed that a certain nondescript character, allegedly, ‘confessed’ that Distinguished Senator Andy Uba contracted him to cause mayhem in the state.
“The General Public is advised to ignore this concocted tale which could only have emanated from the jaundiced imagination of crude propagandists.
“Senator Uba, despite having devoted the greater part of his adult life to the service of Ndi Anambra and Nigeria, is a widely acclaimed perfect gentleman who not only detests violence, but has also never being associated with anything of the sort.
“A cursory look at the concocted tale shows that the story has no source and can’t be referenced to anyone. The parrot news attached at the end of the said article does not also exist, either in print or the internet.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Senator Uba and his APC have been insistent on having the Anambra governorship election hold this Saturday, November 6, 2021.
“In deed, ndi Anambra and Nigerians at large are aware of those who appear not to be ready for the gubernatorial duel, and are therefore conjuring all manner of excuses, including playing games with security issues, so as to force a stalemate.
“With the Independent National Electoral Commission and other political parties, including the APC and security agencies ready for the polls, we advise Governor Obiano, Prof Soludo and APGA to get up and get ready for November 6, 2021 – and quit playing silly games.”
The broadcast of the ongoing epochal 3-day Healing Streams Live Healing Services with Pastor Chris Oyakhilome to a massive global audience enters the final day.
The October edition which is the third phase of the online global phenomenon will hold at 6 pm.
The global online crusade tagged #HealingStreamswithPastorChris was taken a notch higher with recording avalanche healings, miracles, salvation, and deliverance as participants from all across the world recount extravaganza of good tidings in God’s presence.
According to a statement by the Church which was made available to the press said millions of participants registered for the programme from over 200 countries worldwide.
“There are also millions of streaming stations put in place for the healing services. While hundreds of millions of virtual centers have also been set up.
“Also, on-sight viewing centers in various cities, communities and villages across those countries have been put in place for participants,” the statement further said.
The Church said the programme has put smiles on the faces of millions of people since its inception in September 2020, and more especially during the healing services of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, President of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, most especially in the March and July 2021 editions.
However, Pastor Chris said there will be “lots and lots of testimonies” for the October edition of the healing service.
He added that “the world hasn’t seen anything yet” in terms of what God will do in this edition.
The program will be streamed live in over 4,000 languages on the Healing Streams TV websites and on global Loveworld television and radio networks.
The Healing Streams which started in March 2021 was so well received that the world yearned for more. And more came with the second edition in July which generated so much global impact that another had to be fixed for this October.
The Friday’s opening session was marked with record-shattering miracles as people got up from their wheelchairs and sickbeds, dropped crutches and various walking aids, dancing and praising God, whose infallible Word and incredible grace brought them healing.
The service that was watched by billions of people across over 200 nations and territories in over 4000 language translations and streamed on thousands of radio and TV stations, websites, LoveWorld Networks and across various Social Media platforms, began with a session of worship led by the Loveworld Singers, after which the Director of the Healing School, Pastor Deola Phillips, warmly welcomed the global congregation.
