General
N2.1bn Pension Scam: Court Convicts Maina
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A federal high court sitting in Abuja on Monday, November 8, 2021, convicted former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) Mr Abdulrasheed Maina.
Justice Okon Abang, in a ruling today, found Mr Maina guilty of charges of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment.
According to the judge, the prosecution successfully established the essential ingredients of the offences contained in the charge, beyond reasonable doubt and convicted him on counts 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 10 of the charge. The sentence shall run from October 25, 2019.
The court also ordered Mr Maina and his firm, Common Input Property and Investment Limited, to restitute about N2.1 billion that was traced to their bank accounts, to the federal government, after which it ordered that the company should be wound up.
The court found Mr Maina culpable of concealing his true identity by inducing officials of two banks, Fidelity Bank and UBA, to open accounts for him, without carrying out due diligence, using the identities of members of his family without their knowledge.
Two of those accounts had cash deposits of N300 million, N500 million and N1.5 billion.
The court held that Mr Maina stole monies meant for pensioners, “most of whom have died without reaping the fruits of their labour,” as he could not explain the source of the monies in his accounts. Moreover, his salaries and emolument as a civil servant could not justify the monies in these accounts to which he is a signatory.
The court further found Mr Maina guilty of purchasing a property in Abuja for which he paid with $1.4 million cash, without passing through a financial institution.
The court had on October 8, adjourned till today for judgment after Justice Abang refused the request by counsel to the convict, Mr Anayo Adibe, asking for time to file his written address. The prosecuting counsel, Farouk Abdullah opposed the application on the ground that the defendants had ample time to prepare their written address.
“The defendants cannot dictate to this court how to conduct its business””, he had said. Justice Abang upheld the argument of the defense, stating that “They (defendants) cannot dictate to the court when to file their written addresses and no material is placed before the court to seek for an adjournment in their favour.”
In the course of the trail, EFCC called several witnesses. One of the witnesses Rouqayyah Ibrahim, who testified as a ninth prosecution witness (PW9) told the court how Maina acquired properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, United States of America, and a $2 million property in Jabi, Abuja.
The witness revealed that about 32 documents, hard discs and flash drives relating to properties linked to Mr Maina and his family and details of some of his investments in Dubai and in the US were recovered from him.
“Particularly in Dubai, investigation revealed that his company, Northrich Company owned over 50 cars that were used for transportation business and he owns a villa in a High Ground area in Dubai. His wife Laila Abdurrasheed also owns cleaning services, called Spotless and Flawless. We also recovered pay slips during our investigation,” she said.
The witness also disclosed that investigation proved that another of Mr Maina’s company, Kangolo Dynamic does no business but that the defendant created a bank account for it in which his name did not appear anywhere on the account documentation even though he was in control of all the deposits in it.
She also told the court that investigation showed that Colster Logistics, belonging to Maina had a Fidelity Bank dollar account which had an inflow of over $400,000 from cash deposits as at the time the company was investigated.
She further told the court that over N500 million was discovered in the account of Kangolo Dynamic, within the years Mr Maina was chairman of PRTT.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The United Kingdom has opened the biggest visa application centre in Africa in Lagos, Nigeria through the UK’s new commercial partner, VFS Global to ease the often burdensome process.
According to a statement by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), residents of Nigeria travelling to the UK can now book appointments to submit their visa applications through VFS Global’s new state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres (VAC) located in Abuja, Ikeja (Lagos) and Victoria Island (Lagos) which have commenced operations since November 19.
The UK is a popular destination for travellers across Africa, with Nigeria being among the highest nationalities by volume for UK visit visas, accounting for 5 per cent of the global total. In the African region, VFS Global will provide Visa Application Centres for the UK in 31 countries.
Commenting at the launch of the new UK Visa Application Centre which is situated in Ikeja, Lagos, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Jonny Baxter, said, “I am delighted to witness the opening of this, the largest visa application centre in Africa. Nigeria remains one of the UK’s most important partners, and we hope that VFS deliver ever-improving services for those applying for visas to the UK.”
The Director of Visa, Status and Information Services at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), Mr Marc Owen, said, “The opening of our new VAC in Ikeja marks an exciting milestone for UKVI and VFS Global in the provision of a world-class UK visa service here in Nigeria and elsewhere across Africa.
“In the year to June 2024, we processed more than 225k UK visas for Nigerian nationals across all categories and this new partnership demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring our visa services are accessible, efficient and meet the needs of all applicants.”
Adding his input, the Head-Sub-Saharan Africa, VFS Global, Mr Alok Singhal added that, “We are excited to embark on this new journey with UK Visas and Immigration here in Nigeria. We have enjoyed a long-standing partnership with UK Visas and Immigration since 2003 and look forward to now bringing travellers from Nigeria our best-in-class services.”
According to the statement, UK visa customers can choose from optional services offered by VFS Global, to provide enhanced comfort and convenience. These include document upload assistance, Prime Time for application submission outside of business hours, SMS notifications, document checking service, and courier return of the passport once a decision has been made.
VFS Global’s Keep My Passport While Applying service allows customers to keep their passports once their application is submitted and biometrics have been enrolled. Customer will only need to re-submit their passport when a decision is reached.
Customers in Abuja can also submit their UK visa applications from the comfort and safety of their home, office, or any other preferred location with its On Demand Mobile Visa service.
In addition, their Premium Lounge service offers a personalised submission experience with dedicated staff members.
The UK government added a caveat that these services are completely optional and have no bearing on the processing timeline and outcomes of visa applications.
As a partner to UK Visas and Immigration since 2003, VFS Global offered visa services in 58 countries before the new contract and has now been awarded the contract to provide UK visa services in 142 countries worldwide.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has been commended by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) for successfully completing the long-awaited rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery after several failed self-imposed deadlines.
The group described this as a significant achievement, which it said marks a pivotal step towards revitalizing Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and ensuring energy security for the Nigerian people.
“The rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery will be a legacy achievement for the Mele Kyari-led management team.
“We see this success as a fruit of our commitment to advocacy for enhanced Nigeria’s refining capacity, reduced dependency on imported petroleum products, and urgent need to combat corruption in the petroleum industry,” the organisation stated in a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr James Ezema.
But it tasked NNPC to “adopt a more transparent and accountable approach in its operations,” submitting that, “As a government-owned commercial entity, it is imperative that NNPC Limited operates with the highest standards of openness, ensuring that the Nigerian people are fully informed about its activities and financial dealings.”
“Transparency is not only a cornerstone of good governance but also essential for building public trust and confidence,” the CNPP stated.
The umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in Nigeria equally called on NNPC Limited “to avoid the controversies that have previously marred the resuscitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery as a result of failure to meet its own set deadlines.”
“It is crucial that the processes for reviving the remaining Nigerian refineries, as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are conducted with utmost integrity and transparency. The Nigerian people deserve to see clear, accountable, and efficient management of these vital national assets.
“Furthermore, the CNPP appeals to President Tinubu to ensure greater transparency within the oil industry. Increased transparency will attract more investment, drive economic growth, and reduce the corruption that has long plagued the sector.
“Corruption in the oil and gas industry has been a significant detriment to Nigeria’s economy, leading to substantial revenue losses and forcing the country into a cycle of borrowing.
“The CNPP insists that addressing corruption and enhancing transparency in the oil and gas sector is paramount to Nigeria’s economic stability and growth. The Nigerian people must be assured that their resources are managed responsibly and that the benefits of these resources are equitably distributed.
“The Nigerian people expects a cheaper pump price of locally refined petroleum products in the coming days.
“The CNPP remains committed to advocating for policies and practices that promote good governance, accountability, and sustainable development in Nigeria.
“We will continue to monitor the activities of NNPC Limited and other key stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to ensure that the interests of the Nigerian people are always prioritized above personal mundane interests,” the group said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has vowed to permanently shut down all illegal cross-border routes used for smuggling petroleum products, particularly Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as petrol, out of Nigeria.
This is as it plans to complement efforts by other security agencies including the Nigerian Army, Navy, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in curbing the illicit trade of energy products.
This was disclosed by the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind (NCS) Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, who made the announcement revealed that in a recent operation, Customs officials seized 849 kegs of PMS, each containing 25 liters, along with two Mazda 626 vehicles used for cross-border transportation.
Mr Ejibunu, during a press briefing at the Customs Training College in Ikeja, Lagos, said the total value of the seized items, based on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited retail price, was estimated at N30.225 million.
According to him, this marked the seventh successful operation in the southwest region under the ongoing crackdown by Operation Whirlwind.
“About five weeks ago, similar PMS products were displayed here at the college parade ground. Our operation has tightened the grip on smugglers, leaving no room for their illegal activities across the country.
“We will ensure all illegal PMS smuggling routes leading to neighbouring countries are permanently blocked,” Mr Ejibunu pledged.
He also expressed gratitude to the National Security Adviser and the Comptroller-General of Customs for their continued support.
He pledged the commitment of the NCS in continuing with the efforts, with the aim of stabilizing fuel prices and preventing artificial shortages caused by illegal smuggling.
“We are grateful to the National Security Adviser and the Comptroller-General of Customs for their continued support,” he added.
Business Post reported recently that the Nigerian Navy halted the cross-border snuggling of 20,000 litres of petrol bound for Cameroon and arrested three suspects.
-
Feature/OPED5 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism8 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz2 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking6 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy1 year agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking2 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports2 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
-
Technology4 years agoHow To Link Your MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile Lines to NIN