Ned Nwoko bags FUPRE's Doctor Of Science awar

Dr. Ned Nwoko ....during the award.

The amiable and ebullient prince of Idumuje-Ugboko Kingdom, Hon. Prince Ned Nwoko has received the Honorary Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Award from the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE), Delta State, Nigeria.

Accepting the honour on behalf of other awardees, Ned Nwoko said it was an amazing moment standing on the front row of history to accept this prestigious honour.
According to him, ” To be recognised by the University is a badge of honour, seal of approval, power of confidence, acclamation of competence and celebration of social distinction.
This is a lifelong privilege given the lofty essence of University. The idea of the University is not just the treasure of learning and knowledge. It confers the finest toga of human prestige, dignity and self assurance”.
Speaking further, the kind hearted former House of Reps Member affirmed that the award holds so much fascination for him.
He recounted his love for education and how he dared beyond the ordinary to acquire western education and exposure in England.
In addition, he stressed that such personal effort and conviction changed his orientation even as a fulfilling international legal practitioner; thereby spurring him to return to Nigeria in 1999 to serve his fatherland in politics and humanity.
Ned Nwoko however, in his usual characteristics of philanthropy and capacity building, supported each of the 21 First Class graduates of the University with the sum of one million (totalling #21m).
The University of Petroleum Resources Effurun was established in 1997 and resumed academic activities with 50 undergraduates in 1998; however, becoming the first ever premier university in Africa and 6th in the world. Today it has over 4000 registered students.
At this second convocation ceremony holding on Saturday 27th April, 2019, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Onwuka ably represented the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari GCFR.
The Chancellor of the University, HRH Alhaji Dr. Attahiru Mohammad Ahmad (the Emir of Zamfara), the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Shehu Abdullahi Zuru (Professor of Petroleum Law and Policy), Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. A.O. Akii Ibhadode, including other eminent Nigerians were fully on ground playing prominent roles to ensure adequate success of the ceremony.
Moreover, the arrival of Prince Ned Nwoko to the venue of the Doctorate award was heralded by royal welcome and delightful ovation. He had come to the University’s ceremony with members of his family, several Anioma Royal Fathers, business associates, friends, supporters from the students’ community and Anioma groups.
Reported By Patrick Ochei

Saraki to Tinubu: Your budget padding allegation is irresponsible, careless, mischievous, callous, a spin narrative

Nigeria's President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

The president of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki has responded to the allegation of budget padding, delay and distortion against him and Speaker Yakubu Dogara, by the All Progressives Congress  (APC) national leader Bola Tinubu.

In a 14-point statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Sariki said that the allegations by Tinubu were false and fallacious, irresponsible, careless, mischievous and callous, pointing out that it is another evidence of Tinubu’s character traits of spinning fake narratives.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tinubu had in a statement on Sunday, to make clear his interest in the national assembly leadership, stressed that the APC did not what a repeat of what happened in the 8^th senate were its ‘un-anointed’ leadership high jacked the process.

He said in the statement: “Just look at how outgoing Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and their like, highjacked the budget process these past four years. ”

“National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly sought to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them.

”Even worse, they cut funds intended to prosper projects that would have benefitted the average person.

“After four years of their antics halting the progress of government, we should do all we can to prevent a repeat of their malign control of the National Assembly, “he said.

However, reacting to the statement by Tinubu, Saraki who alleged that Tinubu ‘hated’ him, stressed that the delay or otherwise in budget passage was a factor of the time of submission.

He urged the former senator Tinubu to look at the time of passage of budgets from 2010 and compare to the last three years, noting that budgets had mostly been passes between March and May.

Saraki said that the attacks by Tinubu on his person and the leadership of the National Assembly has become quarterly, describing the recent allegations as “careless, irresponsible and callous.

“We therefore demand that he should withdraw it,” he said.

Below is the full text of the statement:

1. Yesterday, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, released another of his now well expected quarterly vicious attack on the person of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the President of the Senate. In the statement, one could see the master of media spins getting ensnared in his own game as he struggled to extricate himself from the narratives about the contest for leadership positions in the Ninth National Assembly.

2. Since we have taken it for granted that Tinubu’s attack on Saraki every three months (Quarterly) will come as expected, we would just have ignored his statement but for the fact that it was filled with untruth, fallacies and misrepresentations. The statement was another effort to sell a concocted narrative about the Eighth National Assembly and its leadership.

3. First, he alleged that national budgets were delayed, distorted, padded, new projects introduced, funds for projects reduced, “to halt progress of government”. It is unfortunate that a man like Tinubu who had been in the Senate (though for 22 months and under a military regime) should have a better understanding of how the legislature works. The passage of budgets is definitely not the exclusive responsibility of the leadership of the Senate. Most of the work is done in the various committees. These committees are headed by Senators representing different parties. It is the level of co-operation between the committees and the MDAs in the timely defence of the budget proposals and the ability of the two chambers of the National Assembly to reconcile their figures that usually determine how soon the budget is passed. To put the blame of budget delay on the Senate President or Speaker can only be mischief, or at best, playing to the gallery.

4. It is also a known fact that any so-called delay in the passage of budgets under the Eighth National Assembly is traceable to the refusal of heads of MDAs to defend the budget proposals for their agencies on time. Last year, the President himself had to direct the Secretary to Federal Government to compel heads of MDAs to appear before the National Assembly committees following the report made to him by Dr. Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara. So, if a man like Tinubu is spreading this falsehood about budget passage and delay being deliberately orchestrated by the National Assembly leadership, one wonders whether he tries to even understand what happens in the federal legislature at all or is that the only thing that is of interest to him is “jockeying and maneuvering for influence”, as he puts it.

5. To further make the points here clear, we invite Tinubu to look at the records of the time of submission of budgets and their passage since 2010 and he will see that with the exception of the 2013 budget which was passed on December 20, 2012, all the budgets have been passed between March and May of the same fiscal year. This should give him a better understanding of the fact that the date the Appropriations Bill is submitted to parliament and the readiness of the MDAs to defend the proposals submitted as well as timely agreement on the figures by both chambers of the National Assembly are the main determining factors in when the budget is eventually passed. So, Tinubu should see that the facts cannot support his spins and fake narrative.

6. In all the three budgets already passed by the National Assembly, we challenge Tinubu to make specific reference to where Dr. Saraki and the leadership of the National Assembly “sought to pad with pet projects” as he alleged. Tinubu should be graceful enough to substantiate this allegation. We consider that allegation careless, irresponsible and callous. We therefore demand that he should withdraw it.

7. However, there is need to let him know that it is the constitutional responsibility of the National Assembly to review the proposals sent by the executive and where it deems necessary, it is within the power of the legislature to make changes. A good example, is the decision by the National Assembly to include in the 2018 budget the one percent of the total budget, amounting to N33 billion, as allocation for Universal Health Coverage as provided by an extant law, which had been hitherto observed in the breach. Is this what Tinubu considers as budget padding? And this was a decision which was praised across the world as a real benefit to ordinary people across the country.

7. Tinubu also claimed that the Senate leadership “stymied APC legislative initiatives while attempting to hoist noxious reactionary and self interested legislation on the nation”. We wonder what these “legislative initiatives” are because in the four years of the Buhari administration, it has only forwarded 11 bills to the Senate, apart form the routine annual appropriations and supplementary budget proposals. Two of these bills, the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill and the National Minimum Wage Bill, have been passed. One of the bills, the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act (amendment) Bill was withdrawn by the executive following the disagreement between the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Also, another one, the National Water Resources Bill was rejected because it infringed on the rights of states to develop their water resources. The remaining seven which are the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Establishment Bill, Federal Institute of Industrial Research for the Development of Micro, Small and Large Industries Bills, the Suppression of Piracy Bill, Communications Service Tax Bill, 2015; Federal Institute of Industrial Research Bill, 2017; Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Repeal and Re-enactment Bill 2018; Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (Establishment etc) Bill, 2018- are at various stages of passage.

8. As a leader of the Eighth National Assembly, Dr. Saraki is proud that under his watch, the Senate has surpassed the records of all previous Senate in the number of bills passed, the significance of these bills to the revival of the economy, the fight against insecurity and corruption, improvement in the provision of health service and the education sector, as well as better social service delivery to the generality of the people. The bills passed, motions moved, intervention made and frequent engagement with the people were all directed towards addressing the day to day issues that affect the lives of the ordinary Nigerians. This Senate has passed 282 bills (the highest any Senate had passed is 129 bills recorded by the 5th Senate), among which is the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, Public Procurement Act (amendment) Bill, Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, Electoral Act (amendment) Bill, Police Reform Bill, Police Trust Fund Bill, Nigeria Railways Authority Bill, Company and Allied Matters Act (amendment) Bill, Secured Credit Transactions Act, Whistleblowers Protection Bill, constitution amendment bills, Discrimination Against Persons With Disability Bill, Electronic Transaction Bill, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, North East Development Commission (NEDC) Act, Witness Protection Programme Bill, Credit Bureau Reporting Bill, Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institution Bill and Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshots Bill, National Financial Intelligence Agency Act, Federal Audit Services Commission Bill, among others. It will be good to know which of these Bills Tinubu believes is “self interested” and not in the interest of Nigerians.

9. We will like to point the attention of Mr. Tinubu to the fact that most of the bills listed above got international and national endorsement from stakeholders who lauded the Senate for the move. For example, the Financial Intelligence Database Agency (Ultrascan) commended the Senate for passing the NFIU Act which enabled the country to be re-admitted into the Egmont Group. Also, the Nigerian Police leadership have praised the Senate for passing the Police Reforms Bill and the Police Trust Fund Bill. Again, when the National Assembly in the 2018 budget gave effect to the law allowing one percent of the budget to be devoted to Primary Health Care Delivery, it got kudos from Bill Gates, Bono, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of WHO, and various national groups who believe the move would bring health care delivery to the poor people across the country. The passage of the UBEC Act (amendment) Bill was praised by Pakistani child education campaigner and youngest Nobel Laureate, Yousafzai Malala. When the PIGB was passed, APC led by Tinubu, National Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), among others, hailed the Senate for a good job. Even, the World Bank commended the National Assembly for the passage of the Company and Allied Matters Act and Secured Transactions in Movable Assets and Credit Bureau Reporting Act. Of course, all these initiatives will be ignored by a man who is still sulking because his vow in 2015 that Saraki and Dogara will never lead the National Assembly did not materialize.

10. Tinubu and his mob have been sponsoring the narratives in the media that the emergence of the present leadership of the National Assembly was a mistake. We hereby submit that Dr. Saraki and other leaders of the National Assembly were democratically elected by their colleagues. And it is because they are the choice of their colleagues that they have remained in office for the past 46 months, despite all the plots hatched by anti-democratic, reactionary and fascist elements pretending to be ‘progressives’. In fact, Tinubu should know that if there was any mistake made on June 9, 2015, It was the miscalculation by himself and his small cabal in the APC who felt they could decide for the Senators-elect and House of Representatives Members-elect. When they failed after their grand-standing that they could always got whatever they desired, they resorted to undermining the institution of the legislature and waging a campaign of calumny against the law making body. It is now clear that those who took Senators away from the chambers contrary to the directive contained in the proclamation signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 9, 2015 are ‘mistake personified’. It is obvious that If they repeat that arrogance during the inauguration of the Ninth National Assembly, they will fail again because Nigeria is greater than them. The institution of the legislature is bigger than the over-bloated egos of these power mongers and dirty schemers.

11. Let us repeat again that we know that a Machiavellian politician like Tinubu will forever agonize over his erroneous belief that Dr. Saraki frustrated his ambition from becoming running mate to President Muhammadu Buhari through a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2015. In his usual cavalier manner, he will stop at nothing to punish Saraki for that. We know that this attack is not about the interest of the nation or that of President Muhammadu Buhari. It is about his 2023 ambition and it is obvious in the statement as he struggled to explain this away.

12. However, Tinubu should leave Dr. Saraki out of his schemes and manipulations towards 2023. It is obvious his arbitrary and tactless interference in the process for the emergence of the leadership of the Ninth Assembly is already falling through. The frustration from this experience might have been responsible for this needless and baseless outbursts. Our only advice for him is that if he is interested in the stability of the National Assembly, he should allow the members to elect their leadership in consultations with the party leadership. He should stop treating the legislators like hapless pupils receiving orders from a cane-wielding headmaster. A situation where he, Tinubu, is dictating to elected legislators and ordering them to either comply with his directives or get out of the party will not augur well for the legislature in the next dispensation. History should have thought him that only a leadership that truly enjoys the support of members can help the President and his administration to achieve their objectives. It is a good development that the candidates for the various positions are already reaching out to their colleagues and forging alliances. We can see that after he realized that he has misfired, he is trying to retrace his step and in his usual devious manner, he is looking for scapegoats. We advise him to leave Dr. Saraki out of his manipulations and “jockeying and maneuvering for influence and power”, as he termed it.

13. The Eighth Senate has done very well and will leave a good legacy. Despite all the underhand tactics to undermine the legislature by outsiders and the public posturing, members have always worked as a team on critical issues that have benefits for our people and our nation. That is why hitherto unachievable legislations like the PIGB, Police Reforms Act and other bills or amendments to existing laws were passed with ease because the members and the leadership know that they are elected as Senators of the Federal Republic not as party representatives.

14. Tinubu should know that while we await his attack for the next quarter, we can only advise him to stay on facts. (NAN)

How Galaxy boss, Dalori pulled-off N7bn alleged fraud on Nigerian investors, by EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says it has arrested the Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Transportation and Construction Services Limited, Babagana Dalori, who defraud 27,400 Nigerians to the tune of about N7billion through fake promises of mouth-watering returns on their investment in his companies.

The anti-fraud agency stated in a statement by its Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Tony Orilade that Dalori, who is currently undergoing interrogation in the Commission, had incorporated the firm in 2012 with one tricycle (Keke NAPEP), which through pool investments by members of the public later boasted of 50 tricycles.

The statement stated: “The entrepreneur later diversified into other business ventures while promising mouth-watering returns to investors. The Commission’s investigators discovered that Dalori initially paid 200 per cent interest on investors’ deposits in the firm and later reduced the interest to 135 per cent before the scheme crashed in 2018.

“To suck as many unsuspecting victims into his ponzi net, Dalori engaged in massive advertisements on radio and television, including a production of a movie by A-list Nollywood actors, which aimed at convincing members of the public to invest in his companies.

“As a victim stated, ‘he even went to the extent of organizing Nollywood stars to produce a movie for him to further promote public investment into his company. He specifically organized some actors and actresses in Kannywood to act in a movie called “Zero Hour” to show the need for people to invest in Galaxy.

“Unfortunately, his gimmicks paid off as different people took their hard-earned savings, inheritance, pensions and other source of income and invested in Galaxy. Now, the scheme has crashed and investors can no longer get their money.

“At the moment, he has used the investors money to incorporate different entities without getting their consent. He now has Galaxy Global Energy Concept Ltd, Galaxy Miners Concept Ltd, Galaxy Global Farms, Galaxy Computers, Galaxy Block Making Factory, Galaxy Hospital and Galaxy Hotel.”

Dalori’s modus-operandi, according to the EFCC, is typical of those of Nigerian wonder banks, by accepting deposits from members of the public when his company is not a licensed financial institution, the suspect and his company has committed a criminal act punishable by the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act.

At the moment, all bank accounts belonging to Galaxy have been frozen in order to prevent further dissipation of investors’ funds, pending the conclusion of investigation. 

The EFCC quoted Dalori’s media aide, Cletus Onoja, as blaming Dalori’s inability to honour his obligation to his investors on the loss of one of his companies' largest dredgers in Jere sand mining site in Kaduna State.

Aniocha North again: My life, wife, family in danger, Ekene Origin Nwaonye cries out, gets anonymous threat letter

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

An anonymous letter threatening the life of the Leader of the Aniocha North Legislative Arm, Mr. Ekene Origin Nwaonye has been sent and received by him.

Accordingly, and naturally, Mr.  Nwaonye has cried out to the general public intimating them that his life, that of his wife and his entire family are in danger.

Nwaonye who made this known to Journalists on Monday 15th April, 2019 at Asaba, the Delta State Capital said that a warning letter addressed to the Leader of Aniocha North Legislative Arm was found by him at the porch of his house at Issele-uku on Sunday evening on his way back from his vacation.

He said that on opening the letter, he was shocked to read a three short paragraph warning him to withdraw the vote of no confidence passed by the Aniocha North Legislative Arm on the Chairman of the Local Government and the Clerk of the Legislative Arm, threatening that if he fails to do so himself, his wife or members of his family will be kidnapped and dealt with severely.

“You know the security situation in the country as a whole, based on this; I had to immediately report the matter to the Issele-Uku Divisional Police Headquarters, and the Issele-Uku office of the State Security Services, SSS where the matter has been taken note of

 “I have gone further by calling on the members of the press this afternoon and through you to the general public to let you all know that my life, that of my wife and members of my family are in danger,” Hon. Nwaonye stated.

On who could be responsible for that letter and the motive, the Leader of the Aniocha North Legislative Arm noted that it is the Job of the security agencies to find out.

He however explained that as councilors representing various wards in the local government area, they were elected by the people to be their eyes and ears in the Aniocha North Local Government and to speak on their behalf; hence as the Leader, he has been leading members of the legislative Arm to do just what they were elected to do.

 “But It is obvious that the Chairman of the Local Government, Hon. Chuks Oseme, in spite of the fact that the people need me and others to work for them, does not in any way want me to be at the Local Government not to talk of being the Leader of the Legislative Arm.

 “So he has been doing everything within his power to do away with me, not knowing that power is given through the instrumentality of the Almighty God,” Nwaonye said, and went further to explain how the chairman of the Local Government has been using a civil servant who is the Clerk of the Legislative Arm to frustrate the activities of the legislative Arm, adding that the Clerk’s impunity has gone to the extent of convening the sitting of the legislative Arm without the directive of the Leader.

 “You will recall that on the 13th of November, 2018 the Legislative Arm of Aniocha North Local Government, passed a vote of No confidence on the Executive Chairman of the Local Government, having witnessed unprecedented fraudulent practices and persistent violations of due process,” the Leader stated and made available a copy of a document addressed to the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly petitioning the State House of Assembly on the Matter.

In that document titled, “Vote of No Confidence on Honourable Oseme Chukwugoziem, Executive Chairman Aniocha North Local Government Council, Issele-Uku and Request for Investigation” they listed 21 indictments on the Executive Chairman of the Local Government and prayed the House through the Speaker to come to their aid by setting up an investigative panel of inquiry, relying on section 131 sub section 11 paragraph 1 of the Delta State Local Government Law 2013 as amended.

They also prayed for four other things which included the removal of the Clerk of the Legislative Arm from office for complicity and dereliction of duty.

The document was signed by the Leader, the Deputy Leader and Chairman, Finance and Appropriation Committee and copied to the Honourable member representing Aniocha North State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Engr. Emeka Nwaobi.

Hon. Ekene Nwaonye further revealed that with the intervention of the State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who in his magnanimity resolved the matter, a kind of truce was reached and we thought that with the intervention of the Governor, the Chairman will run the affairs of the council in line with due process, but all to no avail, instead his impunity was taken to another height.

Nwaonye also to the journalists that the Chairman in his bid to frustrate him and the activities of the Legislative Arm, took full control of the Clerk who now takes directives from him instead of the leadership of the legislative Arm, thereby bringing the activities of the Arm to nothing.

 “it was based on this ugly development that the House in its sitting of 21st February, 2019 passed a vote of No confidence on the Clerk and requested for her suspension for  reasons listed in this Document which I will hand over to you”, he stated.

The Leader also disclosed that on the same 21st February, the House because of the exigency of the General election resolved to go on recess to reconvene on the 18th of April, noting that the resolution was as usual forwarded to the Chairman for his information.

He noted that before they went on recess, the Chairman of the Council did not in any way bring up the issue of the Presentation of the 2019 proposed Budget estimate of the Local Government until he traveled out, having duly handed over to his Deputy.

 “It was on Wednesday, 27 March 2019 while we are on recess that members received a text message from the Clerk, the Clerk that a Vote of No Confidence has been passed on by the House, calling members for sitting with regard to 2019 Budget Estimate.

 “ Members were asking, if it was not the Clerk that they no longer have confidence on and at the same time wondering if the Chairman was not aware that the House was on recess. OK accepted that it was an emergency situation, did the Chairman call the Leader or the Deputy leader’s attention to the need to convene the House? Why bringing the Honourable House to disrepute? There are many ways for him to reach us and accord us our due respect and regard, but he chose to dishonor us using the clerk and her husband who is not even from Aniocha North”, Hon. Nwaonye Stated.

He disclosed that having reported the Clerk to the Delta State Local Government Commission on the resolution of the House, the legislative Arm has also resolved not to carry on any more legislative activities until the Clerk is removed and replaced.

 “This is the reason they want to kill me, my wife and members of my Family, but the security agencies have been duly informed and My God is able”, he concluded.

A call was put across to the Delta State Police Command through the PPRO, DSP. Onome Onovwakpoyeya, who responded that she was out of town and referred us to her Assistant, ASP Orisewezie who said that the command has not received any information regarding the subject matter.