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Group Asks Buhari to Sack Fashola, Others for Non-Performance

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Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), a community-based and civil society organisation has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently rejig his cabinet and as a matter of urgency sack Babatunde Raji Fashola, minister of Power, Works and Housing for making more noise than he worked since he came on board.

It also recommended the immediate removal of Kemi Adeosun, minister of Finance; Ibe Kachikwu, petroleum; and Abubakar Malami, AGF.

CACOL in a statement issued by Debo Adeniran, executive chairman,  noted that it was glaring that “after about two and a half years since the inauguration of this government, certain patterns have unfolded that have exposed mediocrity and incompetence within the ranks of the cabinet members with regards to their performances in lines of the duties assigned to them.”

He said, “The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing: The Ministry superintended over by Mr. Raji Fashola, (SAN), have over the past years made more noise than any practical achievement on the ground to justify the funds that has been ploughed into the three sectors under it. All the actions and policies of the Ministry have compounded the sufferings of Nigerians in multi-folds; from lack of power supply to the illogical hike in electricity tariffs, from continually decaying infrastructure to death traps as roads with a Housing sector that is ‘non-existent’ or in absolute comatose.

“The Minister is constantly at loggerheads with institutions, contractors and even the citizenry he is supposed to serve. The Minister keeps standing logic on its heads by asking the already impoverished Nigerians to bear the brunt of his failure by asking them to pay for services not rendered even up to the effrontery of hiking the tariff of electricity against a background of a country in perpetual darkness. He made history by achieving the lowest, ZERO, mega watts for more than 18 hours in history of power generation in Nigeria last year; with nothing to offer than damage, we call on Mr. President to ask him to honourably resign or he should be sacked!

“We recommend the immediate replacement of Mr. Malami Abubakar as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice of this country to save this government and the country from further embarrassment and criticisms within the comity of nations. The mantra of this government and one of the campaign cardinal points of its party is ‘fight against corruption’. For any government to succeed in its policies, programmes and agenda, the commitment, professionalism, soundness and integrity of the Chief Law Officer of that government must be impeccable and consistent. We are afraid, based on recent happenings, the current Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has fallen short of these critical requirements and incapable of delivering any fundamental departure from the corruption ridden past of governance in the country.

“We noted the AGF’s unnecessary interventions particularly in cases high profile publicly exposed persons and the needless ‘rivalry’ with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, an agency under his Ministry and which ordinarily reports to him officially. The Attorney-General was publicly accused of meeting, negotiating, agreeing terms and collecting N50 billion on behalf of the government without recourse to both the regulatory agency and supervisory ministry last year. Local and international criticisms greeted the unprofessional conduct of the Minister and secrecy associated with his negotiation with MTN. These reasons, amongst others necessitate our call for the removal of the AGF and Minister of Justice.

“The Minister in charge of the Federal Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has been everything but impressive and constantly appears to be confused on policies and in-depth economic management. The economic terrain under her watch is riddled by contradictions, policy somersaults and uncertainties. It is our conviction that it is the concerted efforts of the Central Bank and other MDAs trying to diversify, particularly the Agriculture Ministry and with the increase in the price of oil that helped pulled Nigeria out of recession recently and not via the acumen of the Finance Minister. We recommended that she should be replaced with better competence and prowess.

“The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources under the superintending Minister of State, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu has no concrete achievement to showcase 2 years after the inauguration of this government. All the lofty promises of performance including making the refineries functional within 6 months and building of new ones given by the Minister at the assumption of duty has fallen flat on their faces, just as Nigeria sadly still import refined petroleum products. At this rate, this situation will persist till this tenure lapses, which will be totally unfortunate and unacceptable, thus it is time to replace the Minister for someone with greater acumen, necessary will and skills.

“Quintessentially, we call on you, Your Excellency to relieve yourself of the position of the Minister of Petroleum Resources immediately. This is allow you to concentrate fully on the wholesome administration of the government which clearly can only be done conscientiously by your esteemed self and against the background of a National Assembly that apparently lacks diligence in its oversight functions preferring the mundane for the significant, it becomes expedient. We urge that you concentrate your energy on supervisory roles over all Ministries and the Presidential leadership of the country while a substantive Minister is appointed for the Petroleum Resources Ministry.

“Your Excellency, as a matter of fact we recommend changes in almost all other Ministries; they are either prostrate or in comatose, some are even approaching non-existence in status. Nigerians can hardly tell what the Ministries of Education, Health, Aviation, Commerce and Industry, Solid Minerals Development etc. are doing in these very challenging times for the country. They all appear to have gone to slumber following the lack of clue on what to do.”


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EFCC Arrests Delta Accountant General Over ₦1.3 Trillion Fraud

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Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Mrs Joy Enwa, the Accountant General of Delta State, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of N1.3 trillion linked to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

The EFCC is investigating funds reportedly diverted from the 13 percent derivation allocation intended for oil-producing states. Alongside Mrs Enwa, the anti-graft agency has questioned other officials, including a former Director of Finance and Administration and a senior Government House staff member.

EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed the arrest, stating, “Mrs Enwa was detained for questioning over the ongoing investigation into the mismanagement of state funds under the former administration. Some other government officials have also been interrogated.”

Mrs Enwa, who was appointed Accountant General by Okowa in 2020, previously served as Deputy Accountant General under Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

She had earlier faced allegations of involvement in a N369 million fraud case in 2015, which implicated other state officials and bank representatives.

The ongoing investigation has also uncovered assets allegedly tied to the fraud, including shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Company and investments in the oil sector.

Former Governor Okowa was detained by the EFCC in November at the agency’s Port Harcourt office over accusations of diverting state funds for personal enrichment.

When approached for comments, Mrs Enwa declined to elaborate, saying, “I am not the right source to confirm this story. Please contact the EFCC for clarification.” The EFCC continues its probe into what could be one of the largest financial scandals in Delta State’s history.

 


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NCDC Activates Emergency Response as Lassa Fever Kills 190

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Nigeria has launched an emergency response centre after recording 190 deaths from Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic illness, according to Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC).

NCDC Activates Emergency Response as Lassa Fever Kills 190

The disease, mainly transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or excrement, has infected 1,154 people in six Nigerian states.

Jide Idris, head, Nigerian Center for Disease Control, said the agency’s risk assessment has categorized it as high, prompting the activation of the emergency Operations Centre to manage the outbreak.

“While the disease occurs throughout the year, peak transmission typically happens between October and May, coinciding with the dry season when human exposure to rodents increases,” he said at a press briefing in Abuja.

The centre will ensure seamless coordination of the control and management of the outbreak.

Symptoms of the virus – which can also be passed between people through bodily fluids of those infected – include fever, headaches and, in the most severe cases, death.

The World Health Organization classifies Lassa fever as a priority disease due to its epidemic potential and lack of approved vaccines.

 

 


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2025 Budget: FG Earmarks N1.5Bn for Airports’ Internet, Others

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Federal government has proposed to spend N1.5bn for internet services for passengers at five international airports in the country.

2025 Budget: FG Earmarks N1.5Bn for Airports’ Internet, Others

The project, “Provision/Upgrade of WiFi Services for Passengers in Five International Airports and some Domestic Airports” was listed as a new project in the 2025 appropriation.

In some parts of the world, access to the internet via Wi-Fi at airports is regarded to be a basic human right.

Such amenities are lacking in Nigeria.

But the 2025 budget presented to the National Assembly last week by President Bola Tinubu saw the sum of N105.953,496,365 being allocated to the Ministry of Aviation.

Apart from internet access at the airports, some other capital allocations were reinstated for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

In previous budgets, three agencies of the ministry including the apex regulatory agency, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and NAMA were exempted from the annual budgetary allocation.

In addition, the federal government deducts 50 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which is against the standard and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which recommends that the funds generated by the agencies should be reinvested into improving infrastructure and boosting aviation safety.

 


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