A former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has again honoured the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged misappropriation of funds.

It was gathered that the embattled former governor went to the anti-graft agency office on Tuesday morning in the company of his lawyers.

His visit to the commission follows the Supreme Court judgment which dismissed states’ case on the constitutionality of the anti-graft agency.

It was also gathered that Bello drove himself in a black Hilux to the EFCC office with his lawyers.

There were insinuations last week that he was going to visit the EFCC but the former governor’s media aides did not respond to enquiries on the information.

Recall that at the last hearing on the fresh charges preferred against the former governor which is before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court Maitama in Abuja, heard on November 14, the EFCC had sought for an adjournment to tomorrow (November 27) in the fresh case it instituted against Bello, saying the 30 days window was still running for thefor the summons earlier issued.

The EFCC, however, admitted his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, to administrative bail and prayed to the court for an extension of time for the 1st Defendant to appear.

Punch

After multiple delays, the Port Harcourt Refinery is finally set to start production.

Checks revealed that the Port Harcourt Refinery has missed seven deadlines for commencing production as of October 2024.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had set multiple dates for the refinery’s operational start, including promises made in March, August, and September 2024, all of which passed without fulfillment.

However, in a message from an impeccable source, seen by newsmen the NNPC said: “Today (Tuesday) marks a monumental achievement for Nigeria as the Port Harcourt Refinery officially commences crude oil processing. This groundbreaking milestone signifies a new era of energy independence and economic growth for our nation.

Leadership

Bayero University Kano (BUK) is set to establish a Centre for Archiving and Preserving Films, with a particular focus on Kannywood productions. The announcement was made during the Kano Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Market and Festival (KILAF24) conference, themed “Forging Cultural Identities in a Multicultural Africa: The Role of Indigenous Language Films.”

The conference is holding at the Department of theatre arts faculty of communications Bayero University Kano.

Professor Sageer Adamu Abbas, the Vice Chancellor of BUK, represented by Professor Dambatta, made the announcement during the conference. He highlighted the significance of the KILAF24 conference as a platform to discuss critical issues. “This provides us with another opportunity to discuss critical issues. As usual, KILAF24 is in African languages,” said Abbas.

The partnership between BUK and the film industry began in 2021, aimed at fostering social relevance between academics and practitioners. “It supports a conducive environment for intellectual discussions. Moving Image, on its part, has gone the extra mile to ensure that the conference holds annually,” Abbas added. He also noted that his administration had directed the Faculty of Communications to establish a research centre for archiving and preserving Kannywood films.

The Dean of the Faculty of Communications, Prof. Umar Faruk Jibril, welcomed attendees and emphasized the importance of the blossoming film industry in Africa and the world. “BUK and Moving Image have consolidated a partnership for over four years, despite the tough economic challenges Nigeria is facing. The partnership has continued from strength to strength, with Moving Image providing financial support and BUK providing the conducive atmosphere,” Jibril stated.

Abdulkareem Ibrahim, Head of KILAF and CEO of Moving Image, stressed the importance of maintaining cultural identity through indigenous languages. “KILAF is the answer not to lose our own identity because language is the vehicle of culture and through languages we maintain our own identity,” Ibrahim said. He emphasized the importance of encouraging the youth to produce films in their native languages to preserve cultural heritage.

The two-day conference attracted participants from various parts of Nigeria and other African nations, further underscoring the importance of indigenous language films in forging cultural identities in a multilingual Africa.