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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 World Bank’s financing arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Norwegian investment fund (Norfund) have committed up to $83.2 million to expand solar hybrid mini-grids across Nigeria, in a move expected to connect nearly half a million new users to electricity.
The funding will support five renewable energy companies, Darway Coast Nigeria Limited, GVE Projects Limited, Prado Power Limited, PriVida Power Limited and StarTimes Energy, to build 315 mini-grid sites across underserved communities.
The projects are projected to deliver about 494,189 new electricity connections. Renewable energy solutions
IFC says the intervention is aimed at closing Nigeria’s massive electricity gap, noting that more than 85 million people in the country still live without access to power.
The institution said expanding distributed renewable energy will not only improve electricity access but also cut energy costs and support small businesses in rural areas.
According to IFC, “By supporting distributed renewable energy solutions, this initiative will help expand access to reliable electricity while reducing energy costs, strengthening local economies, and enabling income-generating activities.”
For operators already working in the sector, the new funding is expected to speed up expansion plans.
The chief executive of Darway Coast Nigeria Limited, Mr Henry Ureh, said the support will allow companies to scale faster and reach more communities that have remained off the national grid for years.
“Access to reliable electricity allows us to expand our operations, support local businesses, and create jobs in the communities we serve,” he said.
Nigeria’s off-grid power space has been growing steadily, but access remains uneven. Data from the Africa Solar Industry Association shows that the country currently has over 4.8 gigawatts of installed solar capacity, but only about 115 megawatts come from mini-grids serving rural communities.
The IFC has been one of the biggest institutional backers of this segment. Last year, it announced a separate $16 million financing package for Nigerian developer Virtuitis to build 97 mini-grids expected to serve over 140,000 off-grid consumers by 2027, showing a steady increase in international interest in decentralised power solutions.
With grid supply still unreliable in many parts of the country, mini-grids are increasingly becoming the most practical solution for rural electrification as they supply adequate but limited power for limited power consumption.
For many communities, the impact goes beyond electricity. Reliable power is expected to support trading activities, agro-processing, small manufacturing and education, all of which have struggled under years of unstable supply. But operators also warn that sustained policy support and stable regulation will be key to scaling beyond pilot-level projects.
As deployment begins across the 315 sites, observers are keen on understanding how quickly these projects can move from funding to actual connections to where they are needed.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of efforts to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment, a daily environmental sanitation monitoring and enforcement system has been introduced by the Oyo State government.
At a press briefing to mark his first 100 days in office, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Ademola Aderinto, explained that the government has shifted from the traditional monthly environmental sanitation exercise to a more proactive system that encourages residents to take responsibility for maintaining cleanliness on a daily basis.
He noted that this approach is being reinforced by continuous monitoring and enforcement by environmental health officers
“We are now enforcing daily environmental sanitation. Our officers are on the field every day to ensure compliance, and cleanliness must become a daily responsibility,” he stated.
According to him, to strengthen operations, the government has re-engaged 930 Environmental Vanguards, sweepers, and waste packers, while also procuring two brand new compactor trucks with the support of Governor Seyi Makinde to enhance waste evacuation.
Highlighting the ministry’s achievements, the Commissioner said the ministry has expanded its impact through strategic workforce deployment and innovation, adding that the 930 Environmental Personnel has been structured to improve enforcement and sanitation coverage.
Mr Aderinto hinted that with sweepers now operating twice daily to ensure cleaner roads across the state, while also benefiting from enrolment in the Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme.
The ministry also launched the Oyo Soro Soke (Oyo SSS) Environmental Whistleblower platform accessible via mobile applications and WhatsApp, empowering residents to report environmental violations and promote community participation in environmental governance.
In addition, the ministry strengthened operational capacity by introducing a first-of-its-kind waste segregation system across government offices, and initiated Public-Private Partnerships for the construction of modern public toilets.
The Commissioner expressed gratitude to the Governor for the opportunity to serve, assuring that the confidence reposed in him will not be misplaced, also appreciating members of the Executive Council for their strong inter-ministerial collaboration, as well as the Permanent Secretary, Dr Sunday Ojelabi, for his support.
Highlighting other achievements, he noted improved media engagement by the Ministry, with regular press briefings and public advisories on issues such as flooding, heat waves, cholera, and Lassa fever.
The Commissioner added that the Ministry has regulated charcoal production through a structured framework, commemorated World Earth Day with tree planting, intensified efforts to end open defecation, and strengthened interventions against diseases through inspections and environmental monitoring.
Reaffirming his commitment, Mr Aderinto assured residents that the Ministry will sustain and build on these gains, saying, “The future of our environment in Oyo State is bright. What we have achieved in 100 days is only the beginning.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has urged the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to prioritise policies that promote domestic gas utilisation.
The association recommended that NUPRC strengthen measures to ensure price stability and long-term energy security for Nigerians, as indicated in a statement by its national public relations officer, Mr Joseph Obele.
The call comes alongside PETROAN’s commendation of the choice of Mr Magnus Abe as NUPRC Board chairman.
PETROAN national president, Dr Billy Gillis-Harry, cited Mr Abe’s prior roles as a National Assembly lawmaker, Secretary to the Rivers State Government, and former board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, meaning he has extensive knowledge of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and its operational dynamics.
PETROAN also lauded NUPRC’s collaboration with the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), which has committed 100 per cent of its LPG production to the domestic market.
Mr Gillis-Harry projected that this would reduce cooking gas prices and other gas-based products soon.
The association highlighted NUPRC’s efforts to remove regulatory bottlenecks, improve ease of doing business, and sustain stakeholder engagement to meet rising domestic gas demand and shield the market from global volatility.
PETROAN emphasises that a stable upstream sector will have far-reaching benefits across the petroleum value chain, including enhanced product availability, reduced energy costs, job creation, and overall economic growth, stating it would support policies and reforms in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
Other PETROAN recommendations included sustaining regulatory reforms, accelerating gas infrastructure and distribution networks to ensure efficient delivery of gas to end-users nationwide; continuous and structured stakeholder engagement to promote transparency, policy consistency, and industry-wide collaboration; and maintaining structured stakeholder engagement.
It also urged collaborating with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to activate government-owned refineries, expressing confidence in Abe’s leadership and reiterated its support for policies fostering a competitive and transparent petroleum industry.
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