News
SERAP Asks NASS to Identify Lawmakers Involved in Missing N4.1Bn
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the leadership of the National Assembly to probe the N4.1 billion budgeted for the parliament alleged to be missing.
SERAP in a letter addressed to Mr Ahmad Lawan, Senate president and Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the House of Representatives.
In the letter dated May 15, 2021, and signed by Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP deputy director, the parliament was asked to “urgently probe and refer to appropriate anti-corruption agencies fresh allegations that N4.1 billion of public money budgeted for the National Assembly is missing, misappropriated, diverted or stolen, as documented in the 2016 audited report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.”
SERAP noted that: “These allegations are not part of the disclosure by the Auditor-General in other audited reports that N4.4 billion of National Assembly money is missing, misappropriated, diverted or stolen.”
“As part of its legislative and oversight functions, the National Assembly has a key role to play in the fight against corruption in the country.
“But little can be achieved by the legislative body in the anti-corruption fight if the leadership and members do not first confront the spectre of alleged corruption and mismanagement within their ranks,” the letter reminded Mr Lawan and Mr Gbajabiamila.
SERAP also urged both men “to identify the lawmakers and staff members suspected to be involved, and hand them over to appropriate anti-corruption agencies to face prosecution, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and to ensure full recovery of any missing public funds.”
In the letter, SERAP stressed that it was “concerned that allegations of corruption continue to undermine economic development, violate social justice, and destroy trust in economic, social, and political institutions. Nigerians bear the heavy economic and social costs of corruption. The National Assembly, therefore, has a responsibility to curb it.”
“According to the Auditor-General Report for 2016, N4,144,706,602.68 of National Assembly money is missing, diverted or stolen. The National Assembly paid some contractors N417,312,538.79 without any documents. The Auditor-General wants the Clerk to the National Assembly to ‘recover the amount in question from the contractors.
“The National Assembly reportedly spent N625,000,000.00 through its Constitution Review Committee between March and June 2016 but without any document. The Auditor-General wants the Clerk to the National Assembly to ‘recover the amount from the Committee and furnish evidence of recovery for verification.
“The National Assembly also reportedly spent N66,713,355.08 as ‘personnel cost’ but ‘the payees in the Cashbook did not correspond with those in the Bank Statement’. The Auditor-General wants ‘the irregular expenditure recovered from the officer who approved the payments.
“The National Assembly also reportedly paid N116,162,522.60 to some contractors between April and June 2016 without any document. The National Assembly deducted N56,985,568.55 from various contract payments in respect of Withholding Tax and Value Added Tax but without any evidence of remittance.
“The National Assembly also reportedly paid N126,264,320.00 as cash advances to 11 staff members between March and December 2016 to procure goods and services but failed to remit the money.
“The Senate reportedly paid N747,286,680.00 as personal advances to staff members between February and December 2016 for various procurements and services but failed to retire the money. The Senate also deducted N118,625,057.48 as Withholding and Value Added Taxes but failed to show any evidence of remittance to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
“The Senate also spent N109,007,179.73 from the Capital Expenditure vote but without any document.
“The House of Representatives reportedly deducted N821,564,296.48 from staff salaries but failed to remit the money to tax authorities. The House also paid N254,059,513.70 as advances to staff members to procure goods and services between January and December 2016 but failed to retire the money.
“The National Institute for Legislative Studies reportedly spent N375,867,000.00 to buy 11 motor vehicles in April 2016. But the Institute also paid the same contractor N36,610,000.00 in September 2016 under the same contract without approval.
“The Institute also reportedly paid N10,927,768.80 to 7 members of staff who were redeployed from the National Assembly to provide specialized services but without details about the staff paid, and without any justification.”
“The National Assembly Service Commission reportedly approved N109,995,400.00 to train some officers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates but spent N127,629,600.00 as Estacode Allowances to participants, and fees for two consultants engaged for the training. The Commission also spent N9,975,000.00 as course fees for 34 officers but it also paid a consultant N4,987,500.00 for the same course fees.
“The Legislative Aides Section earned N12,274,587.77 as interests on Bank accounts in a commercial bank between January and December 2016 but failed to remit the money to the Consolidated Revenue Fund,” it stated.
News
9mobile Addresses Recent Service Outages, Apologizes for Inconvenience
9mobile has apologized for the recent service outages experienced by its valued customers which has affected their ability to provide voice, data, internet services. “We understand the frustration these disruptions have caused and deeply regret the inconvenience.
“Our technical team has identified the root causes of the outages including a fire incident at our Main Data Centre in Lagos last night which severely impacted services especially in the Lagos and South-West. We are grateful for the swift intervention of the Lagos State Fire Service, which helped prevent further damage.
“Prior to the fire incident, our network experienced major fibre interruptions leading to varying degrees of outages. We had a fibre cut on the backbone links in Lagos which led to a total data outage across the country.
“This was followed closely by two vandalism incidents in Lagos and Abuja, leading to total service outage in South-West and data service outage in the North. Services have now been fully restored in the North & South-South States while restorations work is ongoing in others. We expect to fully restore services as soon as possible”
At 9mobile, customer satisfaction is remains top priority. “We value the trust you place in us and appreciate your patience and understanding during this challenging time. Customers who continue to experience issues can reach out to our customer service team via our social media touchpoints or our experience centres”.
Once again, we sincerely apologize for the disruption and thank you for your continued support.
News
Nasarawa Technology Village Attracts 12Bn Investments
Modern Shelter Systems and Services Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading real estate firms has announced that the Nasarawa Technology Village has attracted investments of N12 billion since the project commenced.
The real estate firm added that it has officially commenced feasibility studies for the Aso-Pada Toll Road, which will catalyse the development of the tech-driven innovation hub, creating value for investors and transforming lives along the Keffi-Nyanya-Abuja corridor.
With the signing of the Aso-Pada Toll Road project, Modern Shelter said it is one step closer to realising the vision of Nasarawa Technology Village, which is powered by innovation as the project will connect communities, attract investments, and unlock socio-economic opportunities while providing sustainable, affordable housing for the future.
Commenting on the development, Abdulmalik Mahdi, chief executive officer, said that “The Aso-Pada Toll Road will serve as the backbone of Modern Shelter’s Nasarawa Technology Village, bringing 1,962 homes, a tech incubation centre and more to life.
“The Aso-Pada Toll Road will not only enhance connectivity but also drive the success of our Nasarawa Technology Village project, powered by NGN12.5 billion in investments. Together, we’re creating a hub for innovation, sustainability, and opportunity,” he explained.
News
Chain Reactions Africa Claims Three Awards
Chain Reactions Africa, one of Africa’s leading public relations and integrated communications consultancies, continued its awards-winning streak in 2024 by clinching three more prestigious awards in the recently hosted Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA) 2024, which was held in Lagos.
Chain Reactions Africa emerged as winner of the ‘Public Sector PR Campaign of the Year’ for the firm’s Windfall Tax Policy Campaign for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The campaign was aimed at first, sensitising the Nigerian public about the Windfall Tax Policy and then, securing the compliance of key stakeholders for the policy.
The same campaign also clinched the ‘Best in Crisis Management’ award, off the back of its use of strategic communication to manage and avert the crisis that would have been precipitated by the enforcement of the Windfall Tax by the FIRS.
The highpoint of the day for the company was the crowning of its Managing Director and Chief Strategist, Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, as the ‘Most Influential PR Professional’ for his exceptional professional persona, charismatic industry leadership, enviable profile, and commitment to the growth of the Public Relations industry.
Commenting on the LaPRIGA Awards recognitions, the Managing Director and Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, expressed appreciation for the honours.
“Once again, I say a big thank you to the awards organisers, the Lagos State Chapter of NIPR, for raising the bar in organising this award to celebrate hard work and honour the resilience of deserving winners”, he said.
Opayemi charged the winners and all practitioners to drive better storytelling of their organisations and clients. “Let’s be the best. We are Public Relations people, let’s tell the stories of our respective organisations and clients better than ever before”.
He acknowledged the invaluable contributions of his team to Chain Reactions Africa’s unceasing accomplishments, describing them as the real shining stars of these honours.
“These award recognitions are emphatically dedicated to all the creative rebels in the Chain Reactions Africa Tribe. You are truly the shining stars spurring these honours, and there wouldn’t be a Chain Reactions Africa without my team. Your unwavering commitment to client satisfaction and sacrifices are matchless; you are the reason we are not just winning, but also breaking more boundaries of excellence”, Opayemi said.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR Lagos Chapter), Comfort Obot Nwankwo, congratulated all the winners for their recognition as shining stars and urged them to be an inspiration to others while sustaining the momentum of success, character, and bravery.
“As we honour our shining stars tonight, let us reflect on our collective responsibilities and use our influence to advance inclusivity and sustainability in Public Relations.
I challenge each of you to champion youth involvement, prioritise community breeding narratives and uphold highest standards of integrity in all that you do. I congratulate all nominees and winners tonight – may your success serve as an inspiration to others”, she said.
Themed, ‘The Shining Stars’, the 9th edition of LaPRIGA Awards expectedly turned out to be a resplendent and colourful get-together of the who-is-who in the integrated marketing communications industry with stakeholders drawn from the corporate, private, and public sectors.
According to the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Lead Consultant/CEO, Leap Communications, and Publisher of Breezy News, Muyiwa Akintunde, the ceremony had 22 award categories, and 81 entries were submitted in 21 categories, with the ‘Best in Political Communication’ not having any submission for this year’s edition.
Others are ‘Special Honorary Awards’ and ‘Lifetime Achievements Award for select public relations industry veterans.
With three awards, Chain Reactions Africa has once again shown its unparalleled dominance in the marketing communications industry.
Earlier in 2024, the company reached an unprecedented height by winning seven awards at the 2024 SABRE Awards. It also emerged winner of the Edge Awards 2024 most coveted prize, ‘Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’, with its MD/ Chief Strategist, Opayemi, carting away the ‘Edge Grand Prix in PR’, Edge Awards’ most enviable and highest individual awards category.
The company, with offices in both Lagos and Abuja, won four deserving honours at the 2024 Brandcom Awards, including the ‘Most Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’; ‘Most Outstanding Agency in Political and Public Sector PR’, and ‘Strategic Communication Consultancy of the Year’. Its MD/ Chief Strategist also won the ‘CEO of the Year (Public Relations) category for his sound leadership qualities and desirable profile.
LaPRIGA is a high-profile award that recognises excellence and celebrates practitioners in public and corporate organisations as well as stakeholders to boost professionalism and more investment in the practice of public relations.
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