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  • Abuja Online Publishers congratulate President Bola Tinubu

    *Set Agenda for Tinubu’s Administration

    Abuja Online Publishers Forum (AOPF) on Thursday felicitated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his assumption of office as the 16th President of Nigeria and using this opportunity to set agenda for the new administration.

    In a press statement jointly signed and made available to newsmen by the Chairman and the Secretary of the Association, Martins Odiete and Shola Akingboye, respectively, the body, while commending Mr President’s long walk to victory, says the former Lagos state governor fought through thick and thin with a dint of hard work and resilience which he demonstrated during campaigns that culminated into the hard-earned victory.

    Eulogising Tinubu’s political trajectory, the Chairman of the Forum, Mr. Martins Odiete reflected on the roles played by the new President in bringing Nigeria together in the wake of the June 12, 1993 election crisis that threatened the peaceful coexistence of the country.
    Odiete reiterated the role President Bola Tinubu played, along with other pro-democracy stalwarts in the fierce battle against military dictatorship in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria.

    He encouraged the President-elect to act as a transformational leader by itching his name in gold in the history of the country.

    “Given our constitutional responsibility as the watchdog of society, we will constructively bridge the gap between the government and the people,” Odiete said.

    AOPF therefore, highlighted the following areas as part of our agenda for the President-elect:

    “First, urgent palliative measures must be rolled out nationwide in the short to medium term to cushion the negative effects of the current economic crisis.

    “The President should be magnanimous in victory, and work with all patriots irrespective of political divides. Nigeria at the moment is divided across ethnic lines, at AOPF, we cannot but urge you to bring back the lost glory of Nigeria as one undivided Nation.

    “We call on you to strengthen the electoral process that brought you to power by reviewing the Electoral Act to bequeath a trusted and improved process. This will place Nigeria among committee of truly democratic nations of the world.

    “The tenets of federal character and inclusion must be upheld to the latter in distributing appointive positions without sacrificing competence and patriotic character.

    “Let there be equal rights for all religions; ethnicities, gender and other representations in the public service, military and security agencies.

    “Nigerians look forward to stable electricity, quality education, and affordable and quality healthcare for all, among other basic necessities under your watch.

    “Key among expectations of all Nigerians is a secure nation. Let the security of Nigeria be the administration’s priority, a nation where Nigerians can sleep with two eyes closed while businesses thrive for economic growth.

    “While commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the peaceful conduct of the last general elections as observed, the Forum is using this opportunity to appeal to the electoral umpire to be more proactive and ensure that future elections are free of rancour as witnessed in the last general election,” the statement said.

    Finally, the body admonished other candidates who are still in court to be patriotic in words and deeds as they seek redress over any grievance through democratic means in the interest of the nation.

     

     

                       

     

  • We signed election result sheets under duress- PDP witness tells Tribunal

    The first witness (PW1) of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and their candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has told the Election Petition Court that he signed election result sheets of the 2023 Presidential election under duress.

    He maintained that other party agents were also forced to sign the result sheets in their separate polling units and at the State level.

    The PW1, Captain Joe Agada (rtd) revealed that they signed the result sheets under duress when it became clear that the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC would not avail them of the result sheets.

    In his evidence in Chief, Captain Agada who claimed to be Kogi State Collation Officer for PDP in the February 25 presidential poll alleged that ballot papers and result sheets were manipulated by compromised Electoral officers in collusion with agents of other political party.

    Led in evidence by Atiku’s lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche SAN, the witness alleged that he was present in several polling units where Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS were manipulated in favour of a particular party.

    Agada specifically revealed that he visited over 20 polling units in two Senatorial Districts of Kogi State and watched where firms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C were signed under duress by the PDP agents as a condition for the agents to be issued with the result sheets.

    Under cross examination by INEC’S lawyer, Abdullahi Aliyu SAN, the witness claimed to have voted at Ogugu in Olamaboro but that he was allowed to move round to monitor the election because of the Special Election Duty Tag provided him by INEC.

    Also under cross examination by Chief Akin Olujimi SAN, counsel to President Tinubu, the witness maintained that he endorsed the collated State Result of the election when the reality dawned on him that he would be denied a copy of the result sheet.

    Captain Agada who admitted giving evidence for Atiku in 2019 admitted that he did not put his grievances against the election in his witness deposition on oath.

    Similarly cross examined by Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN on behalf of the All Progressives Congress APC, the witness admitted basing his report on the information supplied him by other agents of the party.

    Also, the Second Petition witness, 

    Dr Solarin Sunday Adekunle, the Ogun State Collation Officer said that he refused to sign the collated results in protest against electoral malpractices.

    Led in evidence, the witness 

    alleged that election results were allegedly inflated inflated prompting him to decline signing the result sheets.

    The third witness, Barrister Uzoma Nkem Abonta told the Court that the election was a nullify on account of so many irregularities, discrepancies and non compliance with rules of the election.

    Abonta said that because INEC failed to electronically transmit elections results, what was declared did not reflect the genuine wish of the people of Abia State.

    Matter continues June 2.

  • NFF, Tingo seal partnership agreement on Federation Cup

    NFF President (third from left), with GS (second from left), Dr. Ikpeme (second from right); Tingo’s Owokolo (third from right), Tingo’s Sanni (left) and Mr. Kadiri (right).

    The country’s oldest football championship, known presently as Federation Cup, secured another title sponsor on Thursday as the Nigeria Football Federation and Tingo signed a partnership agreement on the prestigious competition.

    At a modest but colourful ceremony inside the NFF Secretariat, President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau declared that the first partnership agreement in the life of the new NFF administration had taken some months to seal because his team places more premium on integrity and credibility of partnerships and relationships than the number of such relationships.

    “We took our time to conduct due diligence on the company and we found them to be upright and credible. For us, it is about credibility and integrity. A number of corporates have approached us for partnerships but we are taking our time to evaluate things.

    “I congratulate Tingo for their steadfastness to ensure the actualization of this relationship. We believe it is the beginning of great things that will happen between the company and the NFF going forward.”

    GS (fourth from left), Sadiq (left), Owokolo (third from right), Sanni (second left), Olajire (1st right) and Alizor (second right)  

    NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi added that the Federation is delighted to secure sponsorship for the oldest and most glamorous football championship in the land, and would go extra mile to ensure that Tingo derives the appropriate mileage from the title sponsorship.

    Chief Operating Officer of Tingo, Mr. Peter Owokolo commended the NFF for the opportunity given to the company to engage Nigeria Football at such a high level, and promised to explore areas of further positive contributions to the Nigeria game.

    “We are honoured to be here and to be able to take the title sponsorship of such a prestigious competition as the Federation Cup. It is a privilege. We are committed to promoting and positively projecting Nigeria Football in every way we can.”

    The Federation Cup began as the Governor’s Cup in 1945, and has been addressed variously as the Challenge Cup and the Football Association (FA) Cup over the decades. It became Federation Cup in 2008, when the Nigeria Football Association became Nigeria Football Federation following the approval of its Congress in Makurdi, Benue State.

    Also at the event were Tingo’s Project Coordinator, Dr. Segun Sanni; the Chairman/CEO of Skills and Dribbles Marketing Company (facilitators of the agreement), Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq; NFF Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme; Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. E. C. Kadiri; Director of Communications, Mr. Ademola Olajire; Director of Legal, Barr. Okey Obi; Director of Audit, Mr. Yohanna Mathias; Head of Marketing and Sponsorship, Mr. Alizor Chuks; Head of Protocol, Mr. Barnabas Joro; Head of International Competitions, Mr. Enebi Achor and; Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Women Football League, Ms Modupe Shabi.    

  • Tribunal: Obi, LP challenge 18 states’ presidential election results

    Tribunal: Obi, LP challenge 18 states’ presidential election results

    The Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi confirmed to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) that out of 36 states, they will be challenging the election results of 18 states.

    So far, the Petitioners have tendered certified electoral documents obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IREV) in only six states.

    A breakdown of the tendered and admitted documents showed that Forms EC8A were tendered in 15 Local Government Areas of Rivers State,  23 in Benue, 18 in Cross River, 23 in Niger State,  20 in Osun, and 16 in Ekiti Local Government Areas.

    Reacting,  INEC, who was represented by Kemi Pinhero SAN, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shetima, who are 2nd and 3rd respondents and represented by Adebayo Adelodun SAN, as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC), represented by Chief Afolabi Fashanu SAN, hinted to oppose the admissibility of the electoral documents.

    The Respondents confirmed they have gone through the documents sought to be tendered and will be giving reasons for objection when presenting their written addresses.

    Consequently, the panel of the court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the documents as exhibits after they were tendered by Chief Emeka Okpoko SAN.

    In the meantime, further hearing in the petition has been shifted to June 2, at the instance of the Petitioners.

    Obi and LP approached the PEPC are challenging the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

      

  • Police arraign Qur’anic teacher for rape, fraud

    Police in Lagos State arraigned a 42-year-old Qur’anic teacher, Suleiman Araromi before an Ogudu Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a lady and defrauding her of N536,000.

    Araromi, who resides at Balogun Ilawe Street, Alapere, Lagos, is facing a three-count charge of stealing, fraud and unlawful sexual intercourse with the lady.

    Police prosecutor, Inspector Donjour Perezi told the court that the defendant committed the offences in February at Mile 12, Lagos.

    Perezi said the defendant told the lady, who sold medicinal herbs to pay N536,000 to him so he could pray for her for her blessings to manifest.

    He added that the defendant fraudulently obtained the N536,000 through his bank account in instalments paid by the lady.

    Perezi said the Qur’anic teacher also had sexual intercourse with the lady without her consent.

    He said the offences contravened Sections 260, 287 and 314 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State (2015).

    Araromi pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Section 260 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State stipulates life imprisonment for rape, while Section 314 stipulates 15 years for fraud.

    Presiding magistrate, Mrs M.O Tanimola, remanded Araromi in a correctional facility pending advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on the matter.

    Tanimola adjourned the case till June 26 for mention.

  • NCoS promotes 17,636 senior personnel

    The Civil Defence, Corrections, Fire and Immigration Services Board has promoted 17,636 officers and men of Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) across the board in 2022.

    The Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Mr Abubakar Umar disclosed this on Thursday in a statement issued in Abuja.

    Umar said that the promotion was meant to motivate officers and men of the NCoS for efficient service delivery.

    He said that officers from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Corrections to Assistant Controller of Corrections benefited from the exercise.

    He also said that the Controller General of Corrections (CGC), Haliru Nababa had approved the promotion of 7,505 junior officers.

    According to him, Nababa charged the beneficiaries to see their elevation as an opportunity to put in their best in the discharge of their duties.

    The CG admonished the beneficiaries to note that promotion comes with additional responsibilities, hence, it was expected of them to brace up to the tasks ahead.

    He also called on those that did not benefit not to feel bad as more opportunities abound in the future.

    The NCoS boss reiterated that the Service would not relent in its commitment towards improving the welfare of staff as well as promoting reformation and rehabilitation of inmates in custodial centres.

  • Tinubu holds first meeting with Service Chiefs

    Tinubu holds first meeting with Service Chiefs

    President Bola Tinubu on Thursday met with the Service Chiefs at the State House in Abuja.

    The routine meeting in the previous administrations is the first since President Tinubu’s assumption of office on May 29, 2023.

    Those in attendance at the President’s first engagement with heads of the nation’s security and intelligence agencies include the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao; and the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba.

    Others are the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

    Tinubu, during his inaugural speech on Monday, promised to prioritise security, amongst other pressing areas.

    He said, “We shall defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country and our sub-region.”

    “Security shall be the top priority of our administration because neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence.

    “To effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security doctrine and its architecture.

    “We shall invest more in our security personnel, and this means more than an increase in number. We shall provide, better training, equipment, pay, and firepower,” he added.

  • U20 W/Cup: Nigeria Coaches hail Bosso, Flying Eagles for beating Argentina

    The Nigeria Football Coaches Association (NFCA) has commended the Chief Coach of the Flying Eagles, Isah Ladan Bosso, his lads, the Flying Eagles, and the backroom staff over their emphatic 2-0 victory against host nation Argentina in the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup.

    In a statement signed by the association’s Public Relations Officer, Etta Egbe, the Acting President of the Association, Dr. Isiaka Salami, praised the leadership, technical and tactical efficiency of Coach Isah Ladan Bosso against Argentina, which were rated as favourites to win the 2023 Under 20 World Cup.

    He was full of praises for the boys, the Flying Eagles, who gave their best that made Nigeria to record this rare achievement against Argentina.

    Dr. Salami admonished the team to work towards taking the next three important steps to winning the Under 20 World Cup, by maintaining that spirit of determination to win and hard work.

    He advised the team to celebrate less, be focused and prepare more for the task ahead.

    He stated that apart from the members of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association who are solidly behind the Flying Eagles, the entire country stands behind them.

    This is the time Nigeria needs the U20 World Cup the most. “We pray for you to succeed”, he added.

  • Leaked Exams: 56 rogue website operators set for prosecution- WAEC

    The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has identified 56 rogue website operators that leaked its West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

    The Head of National Office, Nigeria (HNO) Mr. Patrick Areghan, made this known on Thursday in Abuja while monitoring of the examination in some Government Secondary Schools.

    Areghan said that the identified rogue website operators would be prosecuted by the police in due course.

    According to him, some dubious supervisors are responsible for some of these malpractices during examinations.

    ”We have a regulation to release papers to supervisors one hour before commencement time to enable them to go from the collection point to the administrative point because of distance in some schools.

    ”But what they do is to snap the question papers and send to their syndicate groups. You now begin to ask questions about what they are trying to achieve with it.

    ”Candidates are already in the exam hall and you are posting the questions. Sometimes, they change the front of the questions and add 2023 for exam questions of 2020.

    ”Some gullible parents and students will go for it and destroy themselves because there is no way they can get our questions,” he said.

    The WAEC head said that the council had put in place technology to detect any form of maleficence from any location.

    ”I am happy to announce that so far in this exam, we have made a lot of arrests. We made arrests in Ibadan, Maiduguri, Abeokuta, Osogbo, Umuahia, and many other states.

    ”In all, we have made arrests of no fewer than 15 persons comprising candidates, supervisors, school proprietors, and others connected with the malpractices.

    ”Supervisors are our problems because they make a lot of money from this. The exam is taking place in over 21,000 secondary schools in Nigeria with only 2,000 staff strength, how many centres are we going to man?

    ”These supervisors are teachers given to us by state ministries of education and when they come, they make it a business.

    ”We are not in control of social media, small boys post questions for advertisement and ask candidates to subscribe on their websites and then they give them fake questions,” he added.

    He, therefore appealed to candidates, teachers and parents to maintain the ethics of examination to have a good and sound educational system, saying that all hands must be on deck to fight the monster called examination malpractice.

    Also, the WAEC Board Chair, Hajiya Binta Abdulkadri, expressed worry with the involvement of school principals in the exam malpractices.

    Abdulkadri, who is also the Director, Senior Secondary Education, the Federal Ministry of Education, commended the council for the deployment of technology to nap perpetrators of examination malpractice.

    Meanwhile, the principal, Government Secondary School, Kubwa, Mr Musa Zuru commended the progress made by WAEC saying that schools in FCT operate zero tolerance for examination malpractice and urged other schools to key in.

    A total of 1,621,895 candidates are sitting for the examinations across the country in over 21,000 secondary schools.

  • Access Bank launches French Desk

    In a bid to strengthen its business relationship with France, Access Bank PLC has launched the ‘Access Bank French Business Desk’.

    The bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Roosevelt Ogbonna, said in a statement on Thursday that the action followed the opening of the first subsidiary of Access Bank Plc in the European Union, in Paris.

    Ogbonna said the Access Bank French Desk, which was in partnership with Business France, was created as a platform to connect French and Nigerian companies.

    He said the act would provide them with financial solutions to conduct trade and investments between both countries.

    The financial solutions, he said, would be through business advisory services, engagement with relevant institutions, economic roundtables, trade facilitation, and comprehensive banking solutions.

    He said the desk would remain the trusted partner that would empower and facilitate business opportunities for Nigerian and French businesses on their journey to success.

    “The French Desk will help to strengthen the Bank’s partnership with institutions that shared in its commitment to global economic development.

    “We have developed competencies to grow with institutions that have powered us to where we are today even as we continue to create intrinsic value, beneficial to the economies of all the countries where we operate,” Ogbonna said.

    He further said that the new desk would serve as the platform to provide enhanced services and support to French businesses and individuals operating in Nigeria and Nigerian businesses with significant interest in France or seeking to establish their presence in France.

    “By leveraging the expertise and resources of both Access Bank and Business France, the Desk aims to create dynamic and comprehensive banking solutions tailored specifically to the needs of these businesses.”

    The statement also quoted the Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, as saying: “Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy endowed with vast human and natural resources while France possesses technological expertise, innovation, and a rich cultural heritage.

    “The Access Bank French Desk will play a pivotal role in facilitating trade and investment between our nations.

    “It will serve as a knowledge hub, providing valuable insights, intelligence, and networking opportunities for businesses from both countries.”

    “We aim to create an enabling environment for French companies to thrive in Nigeria while also assisting Nigerian businesses in navigating the intricacies of the French market.

    “Collaboration with multilateral organisations such as PROPACO and AFD will further enhance the impact of the Access Bank French Desk,” Wigwe added.

    The statement also quoted Mrs Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, French Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, as congratulating Wigwe and welcoming the signing of an agreement with Business France Nigeria to partner on the French Desk.

    She said: “This initiative illustrates the huge dynamism and potential of the economic ties between Nigeria and France, which have been continuously strengthened since President Macron’s visit to Nigeria in 2018.

    “This Desk will enable us to further strengthen an already substantial economic partnership and benefit companies from both countries, including SMEs”.