General
South East Group Describes Soludo’s Comments on Peter Obi as Outright Jealousy
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Governor of Anambra State, Mr Charles Soludo, has been lambasted by a pan-Igbo socio-political pressure organisation known as the South East Revival Group (SERG) over his comments on Mr Peter Obi, a former governor of the state.
On Monday, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released an article where he said Mr Obi, a presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, cannot win the exercise.
This did not go down well with some supporters of Mr Obi and SERG, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said Mr Soludo should focus on his campaign promises and “first take Anambra State to the Dubai status” he reportedly promised when he asked residents of the state for votes.
In the statement issued by the president and national coordinator of the group, Mr Willy Ezugwu, SERG said that “this is not the first time predictions on Peter Obi’s victory at elections came and failed.
According to the regional association, “It was common knowledge in Anambra State in the build-up to the 2010 governorship election the popular prediction was that Professor Soludo as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would defeat Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
“In fact, most prominent Anambra people predicted that Peter Obi won’t win a second tenure even before the governorship primary.
“But on February 7, 2010, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Peter Obi the winner of the 2010 Anambra State Gubernatorial election, where he roundly defeated his former schoolmate at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
“So, Governor Soludo knows that his predictions against Peter Obi have never come to pass, not even his own election victory prediction in 2010.
“The SERG, therefore, enjoins Governor Soludo to face his job of governing Anambra State and ensuring that all his campaign promises to his people on Soludo Solution and on his ability to turn Anambra State into a Dubai overnight are waiting to be fulfilled.
“So far, Soludo has not been able to solve a single major problem of the Anambra State since he assumed office.
“As a matter of fact, his administration has turned Anambra into one of the unsafest states in Nigeria, going by recent security realities, including the consistent attacks on Soludo’s hometown.
“His approach to solving security problems in Anambra State has so far failed to yield any results. It has rather aggravated the security situation.
“Soludo claimed that Peter Obi cannot win because the Labour Party presidential candidate lacks the requisite structures to win the 2023 election.
“This is not new; it has become a wife’s tale as the Nigerian people, the poor, the oppressed, and those facing security threats in Anambra State and across the country have, in the past few months, shown Nigerians that they are the structures any politician needs to win in the 2023 general elections.
“For us, the sudden outburst of Governor Soludo against Peter Obi can only be explained as outright jealousy, having seen the unimagined rising profile of the Labour Party presidential candidate.
“The SERG believes that the opposition has hired the Anambra State Governor to do some dirty political jobs from Peter Obi’s home state in their efforts to course a crack in the solidarity and support the Labour Party presidential candidate is enjoying in the entire South East.
“On this note, Nigerians must recall that ahead of the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi never enjoyed massive support from the South East.
“The fact is that the current support being enjoyed by Peter Obi in the region was spurred by people from outside Igbo land, like the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, whose leader, Ayo Adebanjo began the clamour for a president of Nigeria of South East extraction even before the presidential primary elections.
“The same was the case in the North with northern groups, including Unified Northern Nigeria Youth Forum (UNNYF), whose Director General of the group, Dr Ibrahim Bature, on March 21, 2022, told journalists during the group’s road walk in Minna, Niger State capital, calling on Nigerians to support Igbo man for Presidency come 2023 for fairness and justice.
“Peter Obi is running for the President of Nigeria, not the President of Igbos. So, to measure Peter Obi’s presidential victory from the lens of Igbo votes like Governor Soludo is the most myopic political calculation.
“In any case, power belongs to God, and He gives and takes away power from individuals at will, and no individual can arrogate to himself the power to determine whom God has chosen to make the President of Nigeria in 2023.
“It is only God, through the votes of the Nigerian electorates, that can decide who takes over from President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We, therefore, advise Governor Soludo to face the issues of governance, especially insecurity, and get working as the people will decide his fate in the next governorship election in Anambra State based on his four-year scorecard,” SERG said.
Accusing Governor Soludo of taking his attacks on Mr Obi to “a petty level”, the group said “we are shocked to read a series of tweets from Governor Soludo making a case for PDP, even as an APGA Governor.
“Soludo tweeted that He (Peter Obi) attended my inauguration on March 17th. A few weeks later, he requested, and I obliged him to use the Anambra State government facility to launch his presidential bid under PDP. I was surprised to read in the news later that he had defected to LP (a party with literally zero structure), thereby attempting to weaken the same PDP he saw as the saviour a few weeks earlier.
“When has leaving a political party become an offence? Did Soludo not leave the PDP to join APGA?
“Did Soludo not work against PDP in Anambra State in partnership with former Governor Willie Obiano to ensure that Obiano returned for a second tenure as the state Governor against the PDP candidate?
“Beyond mere jealousy, it is now very obvious that Governor Soludo has been purchased by the opponents of Peter Obi to work against the popular wish of Nigerians but he has failed, having lost a sense of priority”, the group stated.
General
FG Plans G2P Card Initiative, Digital Registry to Identify Farmers
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), is finalising plans to introduce a digital farmer registry via the Government 2 People (G2P) card initiative.
The National Identity Number (NIN) enabled card initiative will address the Federal Ministry’s immediate challenges of identity and authentication, required to deliver government services efficiently and accurately, according to a statement jointly issued by Mr Joel Oruche, Director of Information, FMAFS and Mr Kayode Adegoke, NIMC’s spokesperson on Thursday.
The statement added that the programme seeks to address existing barriers to effective government programs, ensuring that aid reaches the right beneficiaries.
The partnership will, “leverage the National Identity Management System to power the Ministry’s farmer registry by the linkage of the NIN and attendant biometric identity data of each farmer to their farmland, as well as all necessary supporting data relating to that farmer, including the size of the holding, type of crops or livestock.”
Connecting the NIN-backed registry to the G2P card will allow for the provision of targeted and ring-fenced aid to the farmers and other recipients of government benefits under the FMAFS programmes.
“The G2P card ecosystem is an initiative that allows for the issuance of NON-enabled cards by Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and enables the use of the card’s frontend by these MDAs for their respective programmes. The key feature of the ecosystem is a biometrics card with multiple wallets that can provide verifiable identification and also process transactions without internet connectivity, allowing the Ministry to support beneficiaries in the most remote locations. The card is unique to each citizen, and every Nigerian and legal resident is eligible to obtain it, banked or unbanked. The G2P card will be owned by and personalised to each MDA that adopts its usage.
“By adopting this card, FMAFS can uniquely identify all farmers, provide multiple agriculture services through the card in a manner that eliminates risks and fraud and also provide end-to-end visibility within the agriculture value chain thus enabling scalability. Agriculture services to be provided through the card include farmer financing, input distribution, farmland mapping linked to identity, extension services monitoring & evaluation and agency banking as well as multiple types of third-party services.
“Within this framework, NIMC will provide the foundational identity ecosystem to FMAFS, who as the owner of both the farmer registry and G2P card scheme will provide government services via the issued G2P cards, tailored to the needs of the farmers supported by the Ministry at the national and sub-national levels.
“The G2P card has a large capacity in-card chip that stores beneficiary identity, know your customer (KYC), picture, and fingerprints. In addition, it has two applets and several wallets dedicated to multiple types of programmes, which provides the flexibility and channels needed for multiple interventions to be implemented against the same unique identity. This flexibility is required to address infrastructure challenges limiting identity verification and digital evidence of beneficiary access when implementing government programmes,” the statement revealed.
The G2P biometric cards will be processed through a bespoke but interoperable biometrics Point of Sale (POS) acceptance device, which requires biometrics to access and operate which will allow the Ministry to better deliver services and programmes in any location regardless of infrastructure challenges.
The card will operate as a digital wallet/ prepaid card and it is tailored for government transactions such as subsidies, loans, welfare disbursement, pensions and other activities carried out by FMAFS.
“With the G2P ecosystem, any programme implemented by the Ministry can now be administered independently and showcased through digitally enabled dashboards displaying key data on how each programme has been efficiently implemented or otherwise,” the statement added.
General
EFCC to Arraign Oba Otudeko, Bisi Onasanya, Others Over Alleged N12.3bn Fraud
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will arraign the Chairman of Honeywell Group, Mr Oba Otudeko, and three other defendants on Monday, January 20, 2025, over an alleged fraud worth about N12.3 billion.
The anti-graft agency on Thursday filed a 13-count criminal charge against the respected businessman and others. They will be brought before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos next week.
Mr Otudeko will be arraigned alongside a former Managing Director of First Bank, Mr Olabisi Onasanya; a former member of the board of directors of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr Soji Akintayo; and a company linked to Mr Otudeko, Anchorage Leisure Ltd.
All four were listed as defendants in the suit filed by an EFCC prosecutor, Mrs Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, on January 16, 2025.
The EFCC alleged the four committed fraud in tranches of N5.2 billion, N6.2 billion, N6.150 billion, N1.5 billion and N500 million, between 2013 and 2014 in Lagos.
In proof of the charge against the defendants, the EFCC intends to call representatives of First Bank, including Mrs Cecelia Majekodunmi, Mr Ola Michael Aderogba, Mr Abiodun Olatunji, Mr Raymond Eze, Mr Abiodun Odunbola and Mr Adeeyo David, all of whom are expected to give evidence of the fraudulent misrepresentation of the defendants and tender relevant documents.
The agency will also rely on the testimonies of representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Stallion Nigeria Limited, and V-tech Dynamics Ltd.
Also included in the EFCC’s list of witnesses are one Ms Farida Abubakar and Ms Adaeze Nwakobi.
Some of the Counts
According to the commission, the offences contravene Section 8(a) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and were punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
Count 1 of the charge says that Chief Oba Otudeko, Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, Soji Akintayo and Anchorage Leisure Limited between 2013 and 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to obtain the sum of N12,300,000,000.00 (Twelve Billion, Three Hundred Million Naira Only), from First Bank Limited on the pretence that the said sum represented credit facilities applied for by V- Tech Dynamic Links Limited and Stallion Nigeria Limited, which representation you know to be false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
In Count 2, it was alleged that the defendants, on or about 26th day of November, 2013 in Lagos, “obtained the sum of N5.2 Billion from First Bank Limited on the pretence that the said sum represented credit facilities applied for by V Tech Dynamic Links Limited which representation you know to be false.”
The 3rd count claims that the defendants, between 2013 and 2014 in Lagos, obtained N6.2 Billion from First Bank Limited on the pretence that the said sum represented credit facilities applied for and disbursed to Stallion Nigeria Limited, which representation you know to be false.”
Count 4 reads, that you, Chief Oba Otudeko, Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, Soji Akintayo and Anchorage Leisure Limited on or about 26th day of November 2013 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to use the total sum of N6,150,000,000,.00 (Six Billion, One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira Only.), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: Obtaining by False Pretence and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 18(a), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
Count 5 accuses Chief Oba Otudeko, Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, Soji Akintayo and Anchorage Leisure Limited on or about 11th day of December, 2013 in Lagos, procured Honeywell Flour Mills Plc to retain the sum of N1.5 billion, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of your unlawful activities to wit: Obtaining by False Pretence and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(c), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
General
NNPC Remitted N10trn into Federation Account in 2024—Kyari
By Adedapo Adesanya
The chief executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Mele Kyari, has disclosed that his organisation remitted about N10 trillion into the purse of the federation last year.
Speaking on Wednesday during a presentation on NNPC Limited’s 2024 revenue performance and 2025 projections to the National Assembly’s joint committee on Finance, Mr Kyari the NNPC was the highest taxpayer in the country in 2024 with the N10 trillion paid to the nation, claiming the state-oil company remains the only in Nigeria to publish 100 per cent of its account statements annually.
The NNPC boss also called for a forensic audit of the funds spent by the company on fuel price stabilization and ensuring uninterrupted petrol supply between January and September 2024.
“Until October 1, 2024, NNPCL, as mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), acted as the supplier of last resort for fuel supply,” he boasted.
“A forensic audit is needed to determine the financial obligations of NNPCL and any owed entities. Our transactional accounts are transparent and published annually, reinforcing our status as the top taxpayer and the highest contributor of royalties and dividends,” the NNPC chief added.
Regarding the company’s 2025 revenue projections, Mr Kyari indicated that a definitive figure would be provided after the upcoming board of directors meeting in two weeks, assuring the committee that the parameters for the 2025 budget were both realistic and achievable.
Recall that last year, the NNPC claimed that the 125,000 barrels per day Warri Refinery was operating at 60 per cent capacity and will focus on producing and storing critical products, including Straight Run Kerosene (SRK), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and heavy and light Naphtha. after the first 110 barrels per day refinery in Port Harcourt was operational.
The NNPC also noted that Kaduna Refinery and the 150,000 barrels per day second refinery in Port Harcourt will consolidate Nigeria’s position as a global energy provider.
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