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CSO Appeals To PMB,Bawa To Curb Excesses Of Ilorin EFCC Zonal Head

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President Muhammad Buhari

 

A Civil Society Organization, (CSO), Social Integrity Network, (SINET) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrashid Bawa to check the excesses of the Ilorin Zonal Head of the agency, Michael Nzekwe, over what they termed as witch-hunt of investors in Kwara State.

The Group noted that as part of the backward integration policy of the federal government, it is expected of manufacturers to depend heavily on the solid minerals available in the land for production processes among others

At a press conference held in Lagos on Thursday by its national coordinator, Mr. Oluseyi Adedoyin, the CSO expressed sadness over the unfortunate incidence of unlawful arrest of legal Miners in Kwara State by the EFCC calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Abdulrashid Bawa to order urgent replacement of Mr. Michael Nzekwe with immediate effect.

SINET also attributed the continuous arrest of innocent investors both locals and foreigners to an act tantamount to abuse of power, deliberate attempt to impoverish the state by chasing prospective investors from the state stressing, “Mr. Nzekwe is fanning the ’ember’ of crises in the state.
It was gathered that Micheal Nzekwe was dismissed in February, 2014 by EFCC for desertion which is a serious offence against discipline going by the provisions of Section 43(e) (i) of the EFCC Staff Regulation which states that “Any officer who willfully absents for twenty one (21) consecutive days shall be guilty of the offense of desertion and shall be dismissed from the Commission as a deserter.”

According to the EFCC statement of defense, he was directed to seek approval for his casual leave of 7 days before travelling overseas which he did not and later absconded for 21 days.

A source at the commission said he has a record of not obeying constituted authority.

EFCC To Arraign Idris On Friday

He contested his dismissal at the National Industrial Court and was ordered to be reinstated in October, 2015, according to the judge, he should have be tried and punished on disciplinary offences as provided by the rules.

According to Oluseyi Adedoyin , “He doesn’t honour the licenses and documents issued by the Federal Ministry of Mining and the Mining Cadastral, being the agency in- charge of authorization of mining activities in the country. He doesn’t respect anybody and he is already over stepping his boundaries and perpetrating huge sum of tribalism and religious sentiments in the state.
“He spares Igbo of any offence the commit and ensure that he victimise people of other tribes. That has being his stock in trade since his assumption of office in April 2022. We are in support of EFCC going after Internet fraudsters, financial crimes offenders and cybercrime thieves but we are totally against creating religions crises and ethnicity in the state. Don’t let foreign investors desert our land.

He further stressed that, “Nigerians are guided by laws and not by anyone’s assumption. Let Mr. Nzekwe respects the law and stop harassing innocent souls. His conducts does not actually reflect nor portray the ethics of a patriotic Nigerian. All his acts are unwarranted, unacceptable, and totally condemnable.”

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NNPC Ltd Clarifies Lagos Depot Fire Incident

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) wishes to clarify that the fire incident at a tank farm in Marine Beach, Apapa, Lagos, was at a depot belonging to HOGL Energy Ltd (Honeywell Depot), and not an NNPC Retail Ltd.’s facility as circulated by early responders.

The fire, which has since been extinguished, was as a result of petroleum products spillage within the perimeter of the tank farm.

Meanwhile, NNPC Ltd and other depots in the area have resumed loading activities.
NNPC assures that the incident will, in no way, affect petroleum products supply and distribution across the country.

This was contained in a statement signed by Chief Corporate Communications Officer NNPC Ltd Olufemi O Soneye in
Abuja

 

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Frontfoot Media to host its 5th Media Audit Reporting workshop in Gombe

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By Asile Abel,Jos

FrontFoot Media Initiative has concluded plans to hold the fifth edition of its Audit Reporting Training programme for journalists to be hosted in Gombe State.

Statement by the Front Foot Media Initiative Training Coordinator Mr Chido Nwakanma said previous trainings were held in Benin, Awka, Abuja, and Lagos state.

He added that, FrontFoot Media Initiative will hold the training under the auspices of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and the sponsorship of the MacArthur Foundation.

Mr Emeka Izeze, a director of FrontFoot Media, said “The Gombe programme will feature participants not only from Gombe but also from the neighbouring states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Plateau, and Taraba, a testament to the inclusivity and reach of Front Foot’s training initiatives. We look forward to training about 40 media personnel, each of whom plays a crucial role in our media landscape.”

Adding to the statement, Gombe State Governor, Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya would address participants in line with his agenda of openness and accountability.

Frontfoot Media Initiative also announced that Mr Ismaila Zakari, a past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, an Internal Auditor of Premium Pensions Abuja, and an ICAN Fellow, will lead the training supported by Mr Yusuf Doma, a Fellow of ICAN and Internal Auditor at Premium Pensions Abuja. Their expertise and guidance will ensure a high-quality learning experience for all participants.

The media and capacity building NGO described the programme as “a flagship capacity development programme of FrontFoot Media Initiative. It is a Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability project.

“In this effort, FrontFoot teams, accompanied by experts in the field, work in pre-selected states where they conduct free training for journalists. Participants learn how and where to locate the relevant reports, interpret the material, and write engaging news stories and features that enlighten, stimulate, and empower the electorate, and discourage impunity.” the statement added.

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Babangida’s Military Contemporary, Lt. General Garba Duba, Passes On at 82

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A military contemporary of Nigeria’s former military President, Lieutenant General Garba Duba, has died.

General Garba Duba died at the age of 82. A native of Kontagora, Niger State, Duba held several positions during his military career, including serving as Governor of Bauchi State in 1978 and as Governor of Sokoto State during Buhari’s regime.

An impeccable source told NIGERIAN TRACKER that the funeral prayer for the late Duba was held today, Friday, after Jumuat prayer at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Governor Muhammad Umar Bago of Niger State and legislators from the state attended the funeral prayer.

He joined the army as a Cadet Officer at the Nigerian Military Training College Zaria in 1962, presumably a course mate of Ibrahim Babangida. At the beginning of his career, he was at the Indian Military Academy. Duba was one of the northern officers who participated in the Nigerian counter-coup of 1966 which led to the death of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. During the Nigeria Civil War, he was a Captain, commanding a squadron of armored vehicles. As military governor of Bauchi state, he provided infrastructure in the form of residential accommodation and offices, including secretariats for the newly-created 16 local government areas.

In 1993, he retired from the military and went into private businesses where he held positions like chairman, New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC), chairman of SGI Nigeria Limited, director in First Bank of Nigeria, non-executive director of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc and chairman of the board of Leadway pension fund.

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