General
Buhari Never Authorised $6.2m for Election Observers—Boss Mustapha
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has informed Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that former President Muhammadu Buhari did not approve the withdrawal of $6.2 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay foreign election observers.
It was alleged that Mr Buhari, who left office in May 2023, signed a memo directing the CBN to pay in cash the sum of $6.2 million to international election observers in the last 2023 general election.
This revelation was made in the ongoing trial of the former Governor of the apex bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele, in court. He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
While appearing as a prosecution witness on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, Mr Mustapha stressed that neither Mr Buhari nor himself raised the controversial memo.
“My Lord, all through my years in service at my capacity, I never came across such a document. Having served for five years, seven months, I can say this document did not emanate from the office of the President,” he said.
He faulted the correspondence Mr Emefiele claimed came from the President’s office with a reference number, revealing that “once a correspondence has the President’s seal, there is no need for a reference number, because the seal is the authority.”
“I have looked at it, read it, and the Federal Executive Council’s decisions are not transmitted by letters but through extracts, after conclusions were adopted.
“My Lord, I am a custodian of all records, therefore, the President cannot give me the records, and in all my years in service, I have never heard the term Special Appropriation Provision that is referred to here.
“In all the correspondence I have received from my principal, it has never ended with please accept the assurance of my highest regard. I am his subordinate, so nothing of such would emanate.
“Lastly, my Lord, the Nigerian government has nothing to do with financing foreign observers. I know for a fact because I managed two elections, so the responsibility of such lies with INEC,” the former SGF added.
Asked by the prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), in respect of exhibit PD7 which states that it was 187 FEC meeting that held on January 18, 2023, Mr Mustapha affirmed that a FEC meeting held, but it was not 187 session, but rather first meeting of the year because it was January.
“My Lord, there was a meeting and it was the first meeting not 187. It was the first meeting of the year. My Lord, all FEC meetings are normally Presided over by the President or Vice president.
“In the case of January 18, it was the Vice president that presided over the meeting because the President was not around.
“My role was to prepare the agenda of the meeting and on that day, there was a16-point agenda, and there was no agenda that had to do with foreign observers, so it did not appear on the FEC of 18 January, there was no such approval or anything else from the FEC,” he said.
Asked whether the letter for the approval of the money emanated from his office, Mr Mustapha denied any knowledge regarding it.
“My Lord, to the best of my knowledge, that letter did not emanate from my office, not to talk of signing it.
“I am saying it was not from me for the following reasons; I was not privy to the operations of CBN, so I cannot write to the governor or the director.
“Secondly, the heading is defective because it reads ref. for election observers. It presupposed that there were previous correspondences when you say ref.
“So, my Lord, it is not true because it does not carry any FEC approval. And finally, there was a reference at the end of the letter.”
“I wish to state my Lord that I am not aware of any Special Taskforce and I do not know one Jibril Abubakar, Principal Officer One, who was alleged as the coordinator of this Taskforce, so I did not introduce any Abubakar to the CBN governor,” he said.
While on cross-examination, Mr Mathiew Bukka (SAN) asked whether Mr Mustapha received any amount from the money, he said he did not receive a single dollar when he was serving and when he left office.
He denied knowledge of Knowing Abubakar, stressing that he had never met him, nor did he ever work for him, saying he knew about the scandal on social media when it was stated that the defendant and himself connived to steal the huge amount of money, and for him to protect and redeem his image and integrity before the world, he then made a Press Release exonerating himself and at the same time encouraged further investigation on getting to the root of the matter.
After his testimony, Justice Muazu adjourned the matter till March 7, 11 and 25 for the continuation of trial.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Supreme Court has upheld the power of the President to declare a state of emergency in any state to prevent a breakdown of law and order or degeneration into a state of chaos or anarchy.
In a split decision of six-to-one, the apex court held that the President, during a state of emergency, can suspend elected officials, but within a limited period.
In the lead majority judgment, Justice Mohammed Idris held that Section 305 of the Constitution empowers the President to deploy extraordinary measures to restore normalcy where emergency rule is declared.
Justice Mohammed Idris noted Section 305 was not specific on the nature of the extraordinary measures, thereby granting the President the discretion on how to go about it.
The judgment was on the suit filed by Adamawa State and 10 other Peoples Democratic Party-led states challenging the propriety of the state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State, during which elected state officials, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, were suspended for six months.
On March 18, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following a reported attack on crude oil pipelines; and in the same breath, suspended the sitting governor and his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu. He then put in place a sole administrator.
This was challenged at the apex court by some states.
Justice Idris, in the earlier part of the judgment, upheld the preliminary objections raised by the two defendants against the competence of the suit.
In upholding the objections raised by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the National Assembly (the defendants), Justice Idris held that the plaintiffs (the 11 PDP states) failed to establish any cause of action capable of activating the original jurisdiction of the apex court.
He struck out the suit for want of jurisdiction, proceeded to also determine the case on the merits, and dismissed it.
However, Justice Obande Ogbuinya dissented and held that the case succeeded in part.
Among others, Justice Ogbuinya held that although the President could declare a state of emergency, he cannot use such powers as a tool to suspend elected state officials, including governors, deputy governors, and members of parliament.
By Adedapo Adesanya
High-impact sectors, including agriculture, wholesale and retail, will see double digit increases with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across Africa by 2035.
This is according to a new report by the African Development Bank (AfDB) developed under the G20 Digital Transformation Working Group, Africa’s AI Productivity Gain: Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation, which establishes a strategic roadmap for unlocking the economic and social potential of AI across the continent.
The study, carried out by consulting firm Bazara Tech, finds that inclusive AI deployment could generate up to $1 trillion in additional GDP by 2035 equivalent to nearly one-third of the continent’s current economic output.
The report added that this is underpinned by Africa’s growing digital capacity, favorable demographics, and ongoing sectoral reforms, making it one of the most promising regions for AI-driven growth globally.
According to the report the AI dividend is expected to be concentrated in select high-impact sectors, rather than spread evenly across Africa’s economy. Analysis identified five priority sectors—agriculture (20 per cent), wholesale and retail (14 per cent), manufacturing and Industry 4.0 (9 per cent), finance and inclusion (8 per cent), and health and life sciences (7 per cent)—which together are projected to capture 58 per cent of the total AI gains, or approximately $580 billion by 2035. These sectors combine economic size, readiness to adopt AI, and strong potential to deliver inclusive development outcomes.
“We have set out the key actions in this report, identifying the areas where initial implementation should be focused,” said Mr Nicholas Williams, Manager of the ICT Operations Division at AfDB.
“The bank is ready to release investment to support these actions. We expect the private sector and the government to utilize this investment to ensure we achieve the identified productivity gains and create quality jobs,” he added.
The report also revealed that realising the potential of AI depends on five interlinked enablers: data, compute, skills, trust, and capital. Reliable and interoperable data forms the foundation for AI insights, while scalable compute infrastructure ensures solutions can be deployed efficiently across the continent.
It noted that a skilled workforce is essential to develop, implement, and maintain AI systems, and trust built through governance, and regulatory frameworks underpins adoption.
The report also noted that the enablers, together with adequate capital investment to de-risk innovation and accelerate deployment, would “foster a cycle of AI-driven growth.”
The report also outlines a three-phase roadmap toward Africa’s AI readiness: ignition (2025-27), consolidation (2028-31) and scale (2032-35).
“Achieving early milestones by 2026 will set Africa’s AI flywheel in motion,” said Mr Ousmane Fall, Director of Industrial and Trade Development at the bank. “Africa’s challenge is no longer what to do — it is doing it on time.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has clarified that the crude oil vessel, MV Skipper, intercepted by the United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the US Navy for its alleged involvement in crude oil theft and other transnational crimes is not registered in Nigeria.
NIMASA said the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) SKIPPER with IMO Number 9304667 is not a Nigerian-flagged vessel, and its purported owners, Thomarose Global Ventures Limited, are not registered with NIMASA as a shipping company.
An analysis of the vessel’s movement carried out NIMASA through its Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4i) Centre showed that the facility was last sighted on Nigerian waters on July 1, 2024.
“After departing Nigerian waters, the vessel continued on its international voyage pattern and was tracked operating in the Arabian Sea (Asia) and later in the Caribbean region, where the US interdiction eventually took place.
“Records indicate that SKIPPER, which was formerly owned by Triton Navigation Corp, has undergone multiple name changes over time.
The Director General of NIMASA, Mr Dayo Mobereola, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, including US authorities, in the ongoing investigations, noting that in a statement that criminality will not be tolerated on Nigerian waters.
Last week, US forces seized an oil tanker carrying a Panama flag believed to be the VLCC Skipper, after satellite imagery showed the vessel secretly loading over 1.8 million barrels of sanctioned Merey crude at Venezuela’s José Terminal.
The vessel had been transmitting falsified AIS positions during the operation, a tactic increasingly used by “dark fleet” tankers tied to Venezuelan and Iranian trades. It was later revealed that the seized tanker Skipper, was carrying crude contracted by Cubametales, Cuba’s state-run oil trading firm.
The seizure of the sanctioned oil tanker has sharply escalated tensions between the US and Venezuela. The US government also said it is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil.
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