TODAY'S TOP NEWS

EFCC arraigns two, firm for five-year-old fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned two suspects alongside a company before a Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, on two counts of conspiracy and obtaining N643, 000 by false pretences, which they allegedly committed in 2010.

The suspects, Samuel Denedo, Okpako Ejiro and Denox Trust MPCS Limited, were arraigned before Justice M.T Abubakar early in the week.

They allegedly collected various sums of monies from unsuspecting members of the public under the guise of running an investment scheme for which they were promised huge interests.

According to the EFCC, the money was diverted for personal use by the suspects.

Their charge reads in part “That you, Samuel Denedo, Okpako Ejiro and Denox Trust MPCS Limited, on or around January 30, 2010, at Ughelli, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of six hundred and forty three thousand naira from Okulonye Pius under the false pretence of an investment scheme and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004 and punishable under section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

But the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecution counsel, Mr. M.T Iko, asked the court for a trial date as the defence lawyer, Mr. M.B Erhire, made an application for the suspects.

Justice Abubakar adjourned the matter till May 6, 2015 for trial while the accused persons were remanded in prison custody.   

Momoh to deliver UMCAA Lecture

The University of Lagos Mass Communication Alumni Association has said that the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Channels TV, Mr. John Momoh, will deliver the maiden edition of Distinguished Lecture Series of the body.

President of UMCAA, Chief Lawson Omokhodion, said the first Distinguished Lecture Series of the association with the topic. “The Mass Media: Setting the Nigerian Agenda” would refocus the pivotal role of the fourth estate of the realm in nation-building.

Omokhodion said, “DLS is an avenue that the UMCAA aspires to use to bring order to our industry, influence public opinion towards positive growth in Nigeria and draw the attention of the public to the enviable credentials of the UNILAG Mass Communication Department.”

The President of UMCAA said that Momoh, a distinguished alumnus of the Department of Mass Communication, UNILAG, had been chosen to deliver the maiden edition of the DLS based on his commendable strides in the Nigerian mass media industry.

According to him, Momoh’s lecture will be complemented by a distinguished panel representing the media, government, civil society organisations and the youth.

Omokhodion said, “The audience at this lecture will consist of professionals, opinion leaders, academics, the media, captains of industry, politicians and the rank and file.”

Disband Rivers special police unit, Wike tells IGP

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, to disband the special police unit known as C4I in the state before the March 28 presidential election.

Wike alleged that the special police unit was put in place by the state government to manipulate the forthcoming elections.

The PDP governorship candidate, who spoke in Port Harcourt when the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, visited him at his campaign office, claimed that the C4I squad in connivance with the All Progressives Congress was responsible for an attempt to kill a member of his party identified as Ayella.

He explained that the C4I should be disbanded before the elections in the interest of peace.

Wike, who spoke a few days after PDP took similar position on the C4I, said the state governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, should be blamed for the political crisis in the state.

Wike added that the governor had frustrated the state judiciary and House of Assembly from performing their responsibilities.

“The governor has been buying AK-47 for some persons, but those who know how to buy guns should also know how to die first. Disband it (C4I) and bring it back after the elections,” he said.

The PDP governorship candidate, however, expressed surprise that the NHRC had not addressed the frustration the judiciary is passing through in the state.

Wike said, “You (NHRC) have to protect us; the less privileged like us. Mr. Chairman, you have a lot of work to do by looking into the activities of the governor who will soon be leaving office. It is certain that I will be taking over by May 2015. No amount of money can challenge that.”

Earlier, Odinkalu congratulated Wike for emerging as the state PDP governorship candidate, even as he condoled with the state for losing some of its people to political violence.

Odinkalu, who acknowledged that the country was facing economic and security challenges, expressed the need for the nation’s security assets not to be stretched further due to political violence.

But APC and the state police command had since responded to the allegations.

They said the C4I was specially set up to fight kidnapping.

Defence ministry’s workers threaten strike over pay

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has threatened to embark on strike if the Defence Ministry fails to pay thousands of civilian employees their allowances, including promotion arrears that have been outstanding since 2011.

The ASCSN in a statement by its Secretary-General, Mr. Alade Lawal, and obtained by Saturday PUNCH in Abuja, said the ultimatum was necessary because it was unfair that “an institution which prides itself as an epitome of discipline, equity, and fairness could decide to oppress and dehumanise thousands of its civilian workers by denying them their entitlements.”

The organisation said efforts to discuss the labour issues causing restiveness and negotiate with the ministry authorities had been unsuccessful, urging the Defence Ministry to “convey the meeting or face industrial action.”

Lawal said, “It is necessary to emphasise that if within this period the meeting is not called, the national leadership of the union should not be held responsible if thousands of civilian employees in the Ministry of Defence decide to resort to self-help to resolve the impasse.”

The ASCSN regretted that even though the leadership of the union and the management of the ministry had agreed that there should be quarterly meetings to address the lingering labour issues and new ones that might emerge; no meeting had been held since the agreement was reached on December 16, 2014.

The issues in dispute include non-payment of promotion arrears since 2011 to date; non-placement of staff after their promotion; short-payment/non-payment of salary arrears and non-payment of hanging salaries.

Others are non-payment of Duty Tour Allowance to staff on duties outside their station; non-payment of death benefits and package/repatriation allowance and delay in conversion/upgrading of staff.

The union recalled that the first quarterly meeting was fixed for February 5, 2015, but was subsequently rescheduled for February 10 on the excuse that the Permanent Secretary, who had been scheduled to be part of the meeting, was out of the country.

The ASCSN said, “On February 10, 2015, when the national leadership of the unions arrived at Ship House, Abuja to attend the rescheduled meeting, no management team of the Ministry of Defence was available for the parley. All efforts to get information on why the meeting could not hold proved abortive.

“The Deputy Director (Staff Welfare), however, promised that he would liaise with the Permanent Secretary with a view to getting a new date for the first quarterly meeting. Unfortunately, no meeting has been fixed up-till now.

“If the 14-day ultimatum expires without the management of the Ministry convening a meeting to address the labour issues, thousands of civilian workers in the Ministry would have no other alternative but to embark on strike action to drive home their demands.”

Robbery: Fashola’s claim on Jonathan irresponsible, says Presidency

The Presidency on Friday described as irresponsible and unintelligent a statement by Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, that Thursday’s deadly robbery in Lekki area of Lagos was made possible as a result of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presence in the state.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, made the Presidency’s position known in an interview with State House correspondents in Abuja.

Three policemen and a fish seller were said to have been killed on Thursday by a gang of robbers who stormed the First City Monument Bank on Admiralty Way in Lekki, Lagos State.

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, said in the video posted online by Saharatvonline, “This afternoon (Thursday), we lost three policemen in a robbery in Lekki and it is the first of its type in a very long time.

“But it was sad to have seen all our security personnel and all our security vehicles deployed to protect one man. All the vehicles we bought for the police were stationed to receive the President in Lagos while the citizens were left vulnerable.

“Those policemen have children and tonight, their mothers would be hard put to explain to them why daddy would not be coming home.”

But Abati said the Presidency viewed the governor’s statement as “grossly and utterly irresponsible.”

He said he expected that a man of Fashola’s status should speak more responsibly.

He said it did not make any sense that the entire police formation in the state would be deployed to protect the President during his visit that saw him sounding the gong to signal closing of business at the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Abati said, “The visit of the President to Lagos or any part of the country does not necessitate the depletion of the police force active in that particular state or environment.

“The President has a defined team that protects him anywhere he goes.

“And again, President Jonathan does not need the entire police force in Lagos State to protect him in a state where he is loved by the people and where as we have seen, he enjoys overwhelming support in the lead up to the 2015 presidential elections.

“We do not only consider Governor Babatunde Fashola’s statement as irresponsible, we also think that it is unintelligent because it flies in the face of facts and it just does not add up.

“We hope that Governor Fashola, in an attempt to play politics, will not continue as his party does to play politics with the lives of people.

“People died in that unfortunate incident and President Jonathan commiserate with the affected families.

“But we will find it really cheap and disgusting that the governor of a state will now see that, an occasion of bereavement affecting the number of families, as an opportunity to play very cheap and irresponsible politics.”

The Nigeria Police have also said that there is nothing improper in deploying as many policemen as possible to protect the country’s President.

Asked whether a larger percentage of policemen in a state are deployed to protect the President whenever he visits any state in the country, Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, explained that the President needed as much security as he could get.

Ojukwu said, “There is nothing wrong in adequately protecting the President but that does not mean that the police force will leave every other Nigerian unprotected. That is why we are called ‘Nigerian Police Force.’

“There is simply no truth in the opinion that all our men were drafted to protect the President.” Meanwhile, the police in Lagos have said investigation is ongoing to track down the robbers.

Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, explained that men of the force in the state are in mourning, adding that whenever there is a development in the investigation, the public would be informed.

How long are we going to be slaves to DSTV?

I have decided to lend my voice to the call for sanctions against Dstv in Nigeria, despite the fact that I have been cautioned by a couple of entertainers that speaking up against the almighty cable network may result in the banning of my works on its network. Yes, it is true that challenging these multinationals in Nigeria attracts sanctions especially for entertainers, but I have decided to speak up because I am one of the millions of Nigerians affected by any increment in subscription charges. Moreover, what’s the point of having my works on a platform that my fans can’t afford? Every entertainer who’s chickened out of this campaign for his/her selfish interest should know that the continuous indifference of Dstv to our plights over the years is a slap on the face of every Nigerian, inclusive of the entertainers themselves. These are the same entertainers that have complained of being shortchanged by Dstv for many years. Nigerian movie producers have complained of receiving peanuts for their works on the same network. Nawa ooo! Should anyone be afraid to express his/her dissatisfaction with a product he/she is paying for? Let’s make Dstv understand that it is licensed to do business in Nigeria for none other reasons than providing value and the value it delivers has to justify the price charged. Otherwise, we will be persuaded to look for alternatives or invent our own like the Alaba boys are doing. No business can leave out customer value and satisfaction for ever, not even a beast like Dstv. Enough of its appalling pricing strategy. Heck, they have given us a truck load of reasons to boycott their services and it is incredibly ridiculous that NBC which is tasked with the responsibility of protecting our interest has chosen to stay mute even with all our complaints. This is one of many reasons why this country sucks.

Dstv reception is so damn terrible that spitting on the floor where its dish is pegged instantly scrambles the signals. The long rebooting process is another chapter in a voluminous book of frustrations. I wonder if the authorities of Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation are not experiencing this same horrendous customer service and monopolistic tactics that we have forever complained about. Well, I won’t be surprised to hear that Dstv has special packages for NBC staff. Or how does one explain why its bad PR and continued price hikes haven’t crippled its business in Nigeria? Can Dstv subject South Africans to such substandard services? It has a very unique and annoying way of practising price discrimination, by selling the same product at different prices to different groups of consumers. What’s most annoying is its refusal to communicate any valid reason for this exploitative act. This warrants for a total boycott of its services across the country. Now that it has seen that we have started complaining and threatening to boycott its services, it will quickly roll out a new promo and a small discount on a new package to keep us on board. Nigerians should be smart this time around. We shouldn’t accept anything less than a revert to the old price. For Christ sake, must we consistently haggle Dstv to keep prices down or treat us equally with people in its homeland? Sad thing is that our efforts don’t necessarily ensure rates won’t continue to rise because the regulators who are supposed to keep it in check have been compromised. With all the illegalities perpetuated by these multinationals, isn’t it a miracle that none has been sanctioned? I once asked a Chinese neighbour if he has a permit to drive in Nigeria and the goon waved a N50 note at me saying, ‘this is my driver’s licence.’ These foreign investors use paid lobbyists within our corrupt government to ward off sanctions. I am sure that with this ongoing campaign for Dstv’s sanction, some government officials would have received bogus cheques to turn a deaf ear to our cries.

I don’t even want to think of its endless promo offers and how it makes it extremely difficult for me to know what I am paying for and what services I am actually receiving. Not mentioning the complex pricing schemes that make it almost impossible for anyone to figure out how much any of the bundles it is offering actually costs, especially once the promo is over. Dstv can’t tell us it doesn’t know that the absence of simple, transparent pricing reduces consumer confidence and increases distrust but it has deliberately chosen to capitalise on the monopoly status given to it by our corrupt government to deny us the benefits of simpler pricing, fewer plans, and greater transparency. Maybe it is so big that its competitors will have to attack multiple markets to fully take it down but it should also know that if a company’s success routinely sacrifices the satisfaction of its customers, it inevitably becomes more difficult to sustain growth and generate revenue.

The question now is, when will NTA and other local stations make use of innovative methods and bypass their old ways of doing things so that if Dstv doesn’t attempt to change and provide efficient customer services, its future in Nigeria will no longer be as bright as it thinks.

Card reader: The controversy continues

Observers have described the controversy trailing the mock test carried out on the smart card readers by the Independent National Electoral Commission as needless, FISAYO FALODI writes

The mock test carried out last weekend on the smart card reader by the Independent National Electoral Commission in 225 polling units and 358 voting centres in 12 states in the build-up to this year’s general elections over the usage of the device for the polls has continued to generate controversy among major stakeholders.

The test, which the election management body described as successful, was said to have been marred by hitches in some polling units.

In Anambra State, there were complaints that the card readers could not capture thumbprints of some eligible voters who had their Permanent Voter Cards, even after they washed their hands. It was also observed that in some cases, the verification of PVCs with the device lasted up to 10 minutes.

Majority of those who the card readers could not accredit their PVCs were said to be aged persons, diabetic patients and those who suffered burns or who had scars on their hands.

It was also learnt that it took the card readers more than five minutes to 10 minutes to accredit PVCs in some polling units in Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Niger and Rivers states.

But in Lagos and Ekiti states, the device was said to have achieved the desired result, prompting the Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, to describe the outcome of the test as a huge success.

Agbaje asked politicians to set their sentiments aside, adding that the new technology would put an end to all sorts of electoral malpractices at the polls.

He said, “There is nothing to fear about the introduction of the new technology, I supervised the exercise in Lagos and we saw it all, everything went on smoothly, in fact there was a man who came from another area not covered by the test running to where we operated the card reader and his card was rejected, that is the extent people will go to discredit all what INEC is doing to deliver a credible election for the nation.”

INEC National Commissioner supervising Kaduna, Kwara, Niger states and the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, also applauded the outcome of the test, but agreed that few hitches were recorded in the process.

Few hours after the exercise ended, the two major political parties participating in the elections and their supporters renewed their old rivalry over desirability of the device. Their reactions took the colouration that preceded the test of the machine.

Already, fifteen political parties and five presidential candidates participating in the forthcoming elections have opposed the proposed use of card readers. INEC had said apart from the fact that the card reader was designed to function effectively, it would also enhance the credibility of the polls, the controversy surrounding its planned usage rages on.

The Peoples Democratic Party expressed its reservations on the effectiveness of the card reader, citing difficulties in the accreditation through the failure of the biometric confirmation among some voters.

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, claimed that the fall-out of the test “vindicates earlier widespread calls by stakeholders that the card readers should be thoroughly tested to ascertain their workability before the general elections.”

The PDP said the lapses included but not limited to non-verification of voters’ fingerprints even after authenticating their PVCs, slow accreditation process as a result of poor Internet server operations in some locations, and apparent inadequate knowledge of the card readers by both INEC officials and voters.

The PDP governors at an interactive session with media and civil society organisations equally opposed the use of the device in the conduct of the March 28 and April 11 elections.

But APC hailed the outcome of the exercise and expressed its satisfaction with the device. It urged the electoral commission to go ahead with its usage.

“We support the use of card readers because they will guarantee one man, one vote,” the APC National Woman Leader, Ramatu Aliyu, said. Also the party’s spokesperson in Lagos State, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said in a statement that the successful test-run of the new technology had exposed those who opposed the device because it would frustrate their plan to manipulate the elections.

“We see the success recorded at the trial test as vindication of not only INEC but all those who have stood solidly behind it as it fights those who see the card reader as an impediment to their effort to rig and manipulate the coming elections,” Igbokwe said.

Some observers are, however, of the view that the outcome of the test is a major leap in Nigeria’s democratic journey. They described the controversy trailing the exercise as needless, unnecessary and diversionary.

According to them, all stakeholders, including the “warring political parties” should support whatever technology introduced by INEC to ensure the success of the forthcoming polls.

Even before the observers expressed their views, Bishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon of the Diocese of Kaduna (Anglican Communion) applauded INEC for introducing the use of PVC and card reader to ensure the credibility of the general elections.

Although the bishop agreed that the card reader might not be able to completely rule out the possibility of rigging, he said if used, it would at least reduce rigging to the barest minimum and give a measure of credibility to the election process.

Idowu-Fearon, however, said the challenges associated with the planned use of the card reader may be there, but calling for its abandonment would amount to an insult to the generality of Nigerians.

Like the cleric, Prof. Francis Fagbohun of the Department of Local Government Study, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, and a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, saw the initiative as a platform by the electoral body to lay a solid foundation for the development of democracy in Nigeria.

They both agreed that the controversy trailing the test of the new technology was diversionary.

The observers are asking those opposed to the use of the machine to reserve the energy being expended on the controversy for something more productive, especially in assisting INEC to find solution to hitches noticed during the test-run.

They told Saturday PUNCH that the initiative was a boost to the development of Nigeria’s democracy.

“Democracy is a process; any initiative that will facilitate its growth should be welcome,” Fagbohun said.

He said, “The 90 per cent success recorded during the test run of the card reader should be applauded as a pointer to the desirability of the machine.

“So far INEC has tested the card reader and it worked; unless anybody has skeleton in his cupboard, it is needless to kick against the usage of the technology.

“Even the card reader is not 100 per cent perfect; it was said to have recorded 90 per cent success. So, why worry? I don’t think there should be any reason to campaign against it unless one has hidden agenda.

“Unless those kicking against the card reader want to manipulate the election process, the plan by INEC to use the card is okay.”

The Professor of Political Science, however, believe that Nigeria’s democracy will move more than two steps forward if the card reader is allowed for the conduct of the election.

“The major problems with elections in Nigeria are rigging and manipulations. So, if the card reader is allowed, the tendency to rig will be reduced by 70 per cent,” he said.

Shittu, who argued that so far the card reader had been tested to be reliable, added that agitation against its deployment for the conduct of the general elections was diversionary.

He said, “INEC is the statutory body saddled with the power to conduct election in Nigeria and the commission should be allowed to deploy any technology to carry out its responsibility so far the card reader was designed to minimise rigging. Whoever is against the use of the card reader is a chief rigger. INEC should be allowed to do his job without any inhibition.”

The human right lawyer, however, asked INEC to fix all the loopholes detected during the text before the elections day to ensure the credibility of the polls.”

But another lawyer, Mr. Rasheed Bamisile, differed. He said the fact that it took some of the card readers about 10 minutes to recognise fingerprints was an indication that the technology might not guarantee the anticipated credibility of the polls because many voters could be disenfranchised. Bamisile, who likened the introduction of the machine to commissioning of a faulty plane for flight, doubted the possibility of having a safe trip.

He said, “The issue of card readers should have been settled many months before now. I don’t even subscribe to the adoption of the card reader for the conduct of the general elections for now.

“The card reader should have been used in one of the previous governorship elections for the purpose of ascertaining its effectiveness; that would have served as a litmus test.

“INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has not done its homework well. Why is the commission insisting on the use of the card reader after the postponement of the general elections?”

A social analyst, Mr. Kehinde Fosore, agreed with Bamisile. He said though the hitches noticed during the test-run were negligible, the machine should not be completely relied upon for accreditation of voters.

He expressed the belief that if the hitches were not properly rectified before the election, genuine voters might be disenfranchised.

“The introduction of the new technology is a welcome development, but INEC must be careful not to disenfranchise genuine voters,” Fasore said, asking the electoral body to take into cognisance the fact that some voters may want to protest if the machine failed to read their cards.

“INEC should find a way of accrediting voters in case the card reader fails to prevent disenfranchisement,” he said.

An Information Communication Technology expert, Mr. Alaba Fasua, dwelled more on the hitches noticed during the test.

Stressing that the hitches should not be made an issue by any of the stakeholders involved in the election, he said the lapses could still be corrected before the election day.

Fasua, who likened the new technology to an Automated Teller Machine that requires correct information before it can dispense cash, asked INEC to enlighten the electorate on the operations of the card reader.

He said, “The card reader does not take time to read. People just need to be educated on the operations of the card reader. People should be told to clean their hands if they want to come to polling booths to vote. They should not use any cream or oily materials so that the machine can recognise their fingers.

“With the configuration of the machine, it should not take more than one minute to accredit a voter.

“All that should be done is public enlightenment by all the agencies involved in the election process.

“The INEC should ascertain that the life span of the card reader’s battery is okay. It should also provide backup battery, which can last additional two hours.”

Ogoni group backs Abe for re-election

The Ogoni Democratic Movement has said that the Senator representing Rivers South East senatorial district in the Senate, Magnus Abe, should be re-elected as a senator due to his contributions to the development of the area.

The President-General of the Group, Godwin Bazari, in a statement on Friday said Abe’s role during the ministerial screening of his kinsman, Kenneth Kobani, in the senate was commendable and should be rewarded.

Abe is a member of the All Progressives Congress while Kobani belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party. He was one of those nominated for screening by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Bazari in the statement said, “In view of the political differences between the two men and their parties, especially in Rivers State, many people expected the Senator to oppose the nomination of his fellow Ogoni man, even if it was to score political point, but he spoke well of him.

“Our movement is non-partisan but I am tempted to canvass votes for the Senator in the March 28 election. His show of brotherhood deserves appreciation through our votes.”

He urged youths in the area to borrow a leaf from the senator by resisting involvement in political violence being orchestrated by desperate politicians.

NSCDC arrests seven with 33,000 litres of fake petrol

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps command in Akwa Ibom State has apprehended seven persons who were caught transporting fake petroleum products to Kano and Akwa Ibom states.

The suspects – Baba-Ali Haruna (65), Hassan Abdullahi (23), and Haladu Abubakar (54), were arrested while transporting a 33,000-litre truck filled with substance mixed with disused engine oil to Kano.

The state commandant, NSCDC, Mr. Pedro Ideba, told journalists on Tuesday in Uyo that the suspects were arrested at Ibagwa area of the state.

Also arrested in connection with the case were Godspower Ezekiel (18), Jurry Brownsy (20) Ifeanyi Ogeh (23) and Peter Igwe (32).

Ideba told journalists, “On February 28, 2015, at about 1.30am, we arrested the men with a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation branded truck, which was loaded with substance like petroleum product from Onne Port, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“The driver and the conductor were arrested at Ibagwa in Akwa Ibom State as they tried to go to the northern part of the country through Cross River State.”

Assistant Commandant in charge of Public Relations/Protocol, Mr. Ime White, who conducted journalists round the exhibition yard, told our correspondent that some of the suspects used polythene bags to package diesel.

One of the suspects, Ogeh, said he was surprised that the NSCDC apprehended him for doing his normal business.

“They arrested me because I carried 450 litres of diesel in my car. I bought the product from New Town along the road in Rivers State.

“I was bringing it to Uyo to sell. Nobody sent me, it is the business I do by myself. The whole affair is about hustling,” he said.

The NSCDC explained that the men would be charged to court as soon as investigation was complete.