Dasuki: EFCC Moves To Arrest Bafarawa

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive for the arrest of former national security adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), over his indictment in the alleged ‎multibillion dollar arms procurement fraud, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun moves against other his associates who may have a link to the deal.

The development prompted a team of EFCC investigators to visit the Abuja residence of former Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, to arrest him over his role in the dodgy arms procurement.

LEADERSHIP Friday recalls that Bafarawa had shown a closeness to Dasuki as he always appeared beside him during the appearance of the former NSA at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The SSS is prosecuting Dasuki before Justice Adeniyi Ademola over his alleged fraudulent roles in arms procurement in the last administration.

According to a member of the EFCC, who spoke to LEADERSHIP Friday on the condition of anonymity, the EFCC team visited the former governor with a view to arresting him because of some revelations in the ongoing investigations into arm procurement.

He, however, stated that the former governor was not at his residence at the time of the visit but that will not deter the Commission from its work as it was determined to continue with the investigations.

The source further noted that other persons, public or private officials, involved with the deal will be thoroughly investigated and, if possible, prosecuted as the Commission was out to ensure corrupt-free society and sanity in public offices.

Buhari had ordered the arrest of Dasuki for his involvement in the misappropriation of billions of dollars meant for the prosecution of the war against terror in the North east.

The president’s directive followed the submission of an interim report by the 13-man presidential committee set up by Buhari to investigate the procurement of equipment for the Armed Forces and defence sector from 2007 to date.

The latest development, perhaps, explains why the federal government has been reluctant to allow Dasuki, who is already being prosecuted for illegal arms possession and money laundering, to travel abroad for medical treatment as ordered by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

While Dasuki has, however, given his side of the story, insisting that he was never invited to appear before an investigative panel on the issue.

He also pledged to tell Nigerians more about the deal when the court case begins.

…Grills Former Perm Sec Over Misappropriation Of SURE-P funds

Meanwhile, the Commission has also interrogated the immediate past permanent secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Nkechi Ejele, for over eight hours for her role in the alleged misapplication of funds meant for the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) appropriated to the Ministry in 2013 and 2014.

Ejele, who arrived at the headquarters of the agency at about 10am, was drilled till late in the evening, spending over eight hours with EFCC interrogators.

LEADERSHIP Friday recalls that former chairman of SURE-P, Christopher Kolade, had revealed that he resigned his position in 2013 because the operations of SURE-P were becoming tainted with corruption and politics.

According to him, some officials of the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan were practising “something that was lower than the transparency” expected of an interventionist agency like SURE-P.

Ejele was deployed from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (Manpower Development Unit) to the Ministry Tourism, Culture & National Orientation on March 6, 2013, where she remained up until she was removed on November 10, 2015, by President Muhammadu Buhari along with other 16 former permanent secretaries.

Magu Goes After Compromised Operatives

Acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has commenced a massive clean-up of the agency with the arrest of some officers allegedly involved in unauthorized leakages of official information and those who caused damaging reports to be published against the Commission by bloggers based on false information.

According to a senior official of the Commission, the action of the officers is prejudicial to discipline and violates their oath of allegiance to the Commission.

The source noted that those already in custody include a management staff of the rank of director, some senior and lower cadre officers, including a former senior operative who was dismissed for corruption and involvement in cult activities.

“Available facts indicate that the staffers who operated as a syndicate were desperately projecting the management staff to take over the leadership of the Commission while attacking the integrity, professionalism and reputation of the EFCC.

“The management staff is believed to have rallied the others into the plot with the promise that he would see to the exit of all police officers (including those who recruited him) from the Commission once he ascends “the throne” as executive chairman.”

According to him, the investigation is ongoing with possibility of more arrests in the coming days.

The discreet investigators are also moving against EFCC officers against whom allegations of corruption had been made by members of the public.

In recent times, the EFCC has been at the receiving end of negative reports by bloggers and mainstream media, targeting its leadership and questioning the integrity of the Commission.

Dasuki Permitted To Travel Abroad For Medical Reasons

The former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki has finally been granted permission to travel out of the country.National Mirror reports that Dasuki was allowed this morning, Friday, November 20, to travel out on medical grounds pending when his trial will begin. Justice Adeniyi Ademola granted the former NSA a period of three weeks to travel out of the country in order to take care of himself medically.

READ ALSO: Dasuki’s Suit Against FG Postponed

Recall that Dasuki is being tried for allegedly involving in the unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering. The trial judge who had earlier granted bail to Dasuki on self-recognition varied the bail conditions which now include a surety, will write an undertaking to produce the accused person on the next adjourned date.

Justice Ademola also said that the surety should be ready to take the position of the accused in case Dasuki refuses to appear in court. In the alternative, Justice Ademola ordered any of the senior counsel to the accused person to sign an undertaking to take his place, before the international passport of the accused is released. His trial has been adjourned till November 26 and 27, 2015.

Dasuki (retd) recently expressed his disappointment over reports that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered his arrest over alleged siphoning of billions of dollars earmarked for arms purchases.

Nigeria Has Many Educational Problems – Prof Awosika

Speaking on Sunrise Daily, the university don noted that “our problems are many” adding that “I shudder when I think of what we need to do to overhaul this educational system”.

She listed some of these problems as the reduction of the pass mark of the Joint Administration and Matriculation Board (JAMB) score.

“We lowered the JAMB scores again this year; 180 for universities and 130 for colleges of education and polytechnics” she said insisting that “we should not water down the system.

“But if we are not going to use JAMB, lets task the universities and colleges of education to have solid curricula that will build up solid people, especially for the college of education” she said.

She however added that those with an E pass can be allowed entry into the colleges of education noting that “there is nothing wrong with it; but we have to have a curriculum to back those people up when they show up, so that it’s just not theoretical but we are giving them solid foundation on how to teach, what to teach”.

Prof Awosika berated the fact that S75 ( a certificate given to candidates who fail the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) ) holders “are teaching in the senior section of our secondary schools” noting that “Ekiti to be specific has that issue”.

She also frowned at the fact that education is the last resort for school and work applicants insisting that “it shouldn’t be that way because people teaching our students should be excellent, stellar individuals but we are putting our dregs where we need to put the top ones”.

She argued that the Nigerian education should be tailored to the system obtainable in Finland because they picked the best of their best, made them to teach in a fashion where the students were not only learned enough to pass their examinations and also abolished the standardised examinations.

“And when they tested this out with the rest of the world, they beat everybody else. They beat the United States of America, they beat Norway because teachers are special and are paid like their contemporaries in oil companies” she said.

She advised that “we flush out the ones that are not supposed to be in our educational system; any teacher that is not qualified to be there should not be there” adding that “let’s find them something else to do because the future of this country is too special for that”

Prof Awosika also assured Nigerians that the recommendations reached at the 20th National Economic Summit Group’s conference on Education is still being worked on and described the appointment of former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, as the Minister of Education as “a step in the right direction”.

She noted that the committee members are still working to ensure that recommendations made in the subsectors are eventually implemented but noted that “it will take a lot of support for that to be achieved, from the Ministry of the Education and the Federal Government.

“Unfortunately, time is running out till 2015but we are hoping we and get some low hanging fruits before the next election because a lot rides on that” she said.

She allayed fears of discontinuance of the recommendations should there be a change in the leadership of the government noting that the organisation is set up to give continuity on any project, whether it is agriculture, education or health and make sure “they sit on it through any kind of government changeover”

She said part of the recommendation at the summit, though not clearly spelt out, was to have “someone who could do the job” of overseeing Nigeria’s educational system.

“Someone with a background and qualified to do the job. I think appointing the new minister (Ibrahim Shekarau) is a step in the right direction, because no matter what we put out there as recommendations, if we do not have someone on that seat who is fit for purpose, who is committed to education that is fit for purpose, then we would have done it in vain” she said.

“The new minister has had a lot of time in the ministry and has been in education for a long time and so hopefully that is a step in the right direction” she added.

This year’s National Economic Summit, which focused solely on the education sector, was declared open by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The decision to hold the Summit on education was taken to address the decline in a sector that is critical to economic development,” said Frank Nweke Jnr, Director-General of the NESG.

“The Nigerian education sector is in dire straits, and requires both public and private sector intervention, if the country is to fulfil its potential as not only a regional powerhouse, but as a global player”, he added.

The fear of PMB in Nigeria

Corruption in Nigeria

Corruption is the biggest among the challenges in Nigeria. It is clear to every citizen of Nigeria that the level of corruption in the country is high. Corruption in the country is found in all the entire sectors of the country. Be it a small or big sector, there is every possibility of observing corrupt practices when critically examined.

What is corruption? What is corruption to you? Corruption is dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power typically involving bribery. Corruption is illegitimate use of power to benefit a private interest (Morris 1991). Corruption is the giving of bribe by a person to an official so that the truth will not be told. It involves the embezzlement of public fund for personal use. Corruption is involving in any act which is considered to be criminal act according to the Law of the particular society.

Corruption in Nigerian Custom Service

Corruption in Nigerian Custom Service

Are the Nigerian customs really doing the work they are called to do correctly? The custom service of Nigeria is the organization that is authorized to clear goods that were imported into the country. This group is not free from the menace of corruption.

In most occasions, you must pay bribe to Nigeria customs before your goods are cleared to be taking to business places. Many containers that are being held captive by the customs is because the owners are not willing to pay the large amount of money being demanded by the customs.

TENACITY AND RESILIENCE: THE BUHARI EXAMPLE FOR THE NIGERIA CHILDREN

TENACITY AND RESILIENCE: THE BUHARI EXAMPLE FOR THE NIGERIA CHILDREN

By

Comrade Chinekwu Anthony Ugbor Jnr

Tenacity is using new data to make new decisions to find new pathways to find new ways to achieve goals when the old ways didn’t work by ~Seth Godin. Our hypocrisy has suffered shame. We are quick to use Abraham Lincoln as an example of a man with a never-give-up spirit. We use President Lincoln to motivate ourselves to never give up on our goals and aspirations. But when GMB was showing persistence in the pursuit of his aspiration, we lambasted him. We said he was too old to be the president of the country. We said he was too desperate for Aso Rock, that he must have an ulterior motive (like planning to Islamize Nigeria). What hypocrisy! But Buhari, a great man, was never deterred. He was unmindful of our criticisms. After three failed attempts, he finally got what he wanted. Those who said he was too old now call him a dogged fighter, a man of history.

Whoever says he or she is too old for enthronement should take a lesson from GMB. With persistence and courage, you can get to your desired throne. Men, don’t give up. The power to enthrone and dethrone a king resides in the people. Nigerians are increasingly enlightened that political sovereignty lies with them. Spiritual fathers are good. We need their prayers. But in politics, don’t lean on them at the expense of your political godfather. Those spiritual fathers, they understand everything but not the abracadabra of politics. Don’t abandon your political master thinking the prayers of those little gods in cassocks will suffice for you. In politics, place your political godfather above spiritual men.

Everybody wants to associate his or herself to  success not a failure 3 times this man failed even his neighbour and family members were avoiding  him now he succeeded old classmates from 1953 now remember they were in the same school together. The lesson here is never give up on ur dream!  No vision speaks at the beginning but at the end it shall speaks thou it may tarry. The most difficult thing is the decision to act the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward. ~Robyn Davidson

Gen Buhari is one man who has lived above board. People freely call him and deservedly too, THE INCORRUPTIBLE. Gen Buhari has held virtually every juicy position in Nigeria at the very top but till today even his worst enemies couldn’t pinpoint even one kobo against him. Nobody has yet come out to accuse Buhari of taking even a kobo that doesn’t belong to him. Buhari was head of state, minister of petroleum resources, governor of Borno state and more recently, the chair of the petroleum trust fund (PTF) which was then the cash pot of the nation. However, there has not been even an allegation of Buhari taking even a dime that is not his. This is remarkable. The Moto of Gen Buhari which he stated was that anything that doesn’t belong to him, he doesn’t need it.

The only one to thank is God who gave buhari the uncommon attributes of integrity, modesty and tenacity. Buhari’s victory, which is the first of such in the country’s political history and a novel occurrence in the African continent, actually tasked the commitment of Nigerians to the entrenchment of representative government. The success of Mr. Buhari at the election across the country proved he is the choice of the people for his resilience and tenacity over the years. By his resounding success in the election across the country, General Buhari has proved that he is the choice of the people,” his resilience and tenacity over the years which have seen him equal the record of great leaders like Abraham Lincoln of the USA. His victory is a lesson to all of us that we can be what we want to be if we are patient and persistent in our legitimate pursuits in life”. “His speeches before, during and after the election are also commendable because they went a long way in dousing the tension in the country. This actually shows that the ‘Peoples General’ as he is fondly called is indeed a statesman’.

It is not only the Super Eagles that can turn Nigerians to sudden mathematicians. Results of the presidential elections can, too. As the results were being announced, Nigerians were recording and calculating the figures in their houses and offices, the victory is for all Nigerians. Governance knows no party. The APC, hear the words of Nigerians: We have set you on the throne with our political power; we can dethrone you in four years’ time with the same power.  Nigerians are difficult to please. They hail you today and crucify you tomorrow. The APC stalwarts shouldn’t think that Nigerians voted for the party because they love it. No. They voted for GMB. Four years ago, they voted for GEJ and not the PDP. This time, they have told GEJ enough is enough. They will treat the APC-led government the same way if it fumbles. GMB must show us that there is a difference between change and transformation. He must prove to us that beyond semantics, change is better than transformation.

Life is a struggle. Life wills through curveballs at you, it will humble you; it will attempt to break you down. And just when you think things are starting to look up, life will smack you back down with ruthless indifference. The reason most people never achieve their dreams is because they simply give up. Life was never meant to be easy it’s a constant struggle, with extreme lows and extreme highs. Remember that the times when it’s most important to persevere are the times that you will be most tested. Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about by Sir Winston Churchill.

                                                           chinekscau@yahoo.com

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