News
2023: EFCC to arrest Politicians involve in vote-buying
By Matthew Denis Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it will continue to partner with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to curb vote buying, especially during the 2023 general elections.
The Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa gave his support in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, shortly after defending the Commission’s 2023 budget before the Senate Committee on Anti Corruption.
Bawa informed that the Commission would partner with INEC to arrest and prosecute persons involved in vote buying, adding that cases of those arrested for vote buying in previous elections were ongoing in court.
“We will continue to do what we have to do, we are trying to ensure that illegitimate funds are not finding their way into our electoral processes,” he said.
The Commission’s Chairman also thanked the National Assembly for supporting the commission, via landmark legislations designed to further assist it to deliver on its mandate.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank the National Assembly for their support as EFCC Chairman, particularly the committee on anti corruption.
“They have been with us 100 per cent. You remember recently they have worked with us to pass landmark Acts and legislations and the President has assented to it .
“So, we are working with them towards ensuring that this country is free of economic and financial crimes,” he said.
The EFCC Chairman lauded the redesigning of naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), adding it was a welcome development.
According to him, with the new policy, the Commission will be able to monitor people holding currencies legitimately and illegitimately.
“We welcome the policy; it is a good thing that the country is designing its currency, because how can you have an effective monetary policy when you don’t have control over 85 per cent of your currencies.
“Out there, people are holding it, people are using it to speculate on foreign currencies, and so coming out with this policy ,the government is trying to contend with it.”
“I am sure that those people that are holding back this money whether legitimately or illegitimately, we will be able to monitor and the right cause of the law will take its course,” he added.
On fight against cybercrimes, Bawa urged youths to support the Commission to rid the nation of cybercrimes and other criminal activities associated with cyberspace.
According to him, their activities are tarnishing the image of the country in the global arena, revealing that as of October 2022, the Commission succeeded in securing 2,847 convictions of cybercrime perpetrators.
“These are Nigerians from the youthful constituency, they should join me in fighting the scourge of Cybercrime.
“It is part of our mandate to fight cybercrime, to fight advance fee fraud,and we are working in conformity with the law.
“I am pleading with them not to stop doing such things at this time of transition of the country in terms of elections, in terms of government efforts to see that the economy is back on track,” Bawa added.
[6:29 PM, 10/27/2022] +234 815 938 5912: Delta goverment bags US award on healthcare financing
By Dave Okpogadie, Asaba
Delta Government has been conferred with the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) Award for exemplary leadership in healthcare financing.
The award – Partnership for Sustainability Healthcare Financing (Budgeting, Release and Expenditure) was 8 at the USCDC Biannual Program Performance Review Meeting/2022 End of Project Cycle Symposium held in Abuja.
Receiving the award at the Flag-off of 2022 State Integrated Measles Vaccine Campaign in Asaba on Wednesday, the State Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, commended World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and other partners for collaborating with the state government to safeguard the health of children.
He said that the flag-off was a component strategy at sensitizing mothers and caregivers on the need to vaccinate their children and wards aged between nine months and 59 months with the measles vaccine, thus conferring immunity against the disease on the recipients.
Okowa said that Measles outbreak occurred when the child population immunity waned and a high proportion of the children in the communities were zero-dose for routine immunization.
“The objective is to increase population immunity, thereby reducing the risk of measles virus transmission and outbreak in our communities.
“This, in addition to poor community and environmental hygiene practices, are risk factors for the disease.
“It is one of the diseases of great public health importance, thus requiring enormous collective efforts of individuals, households, health workers and various community-based organizations to ensure its prevention, control and surveillance,” he said.
He restated that the State Government, through her policy of a clean environment and tackling floods, was constructing drainages across the landscape of the State.
“I call on Deltans to properly dispose of their refuse and not dump them in the drainages as this has serious health consequences for the communities, which apart from worsening the flood situation in those areas, nurture more breeding sites for disease vectors and vermin.
“I hereby admonish all of us to take responsibility for our personal and communal health while supporting government health initiatives, interventions and programmes to achieve optimal health in line with this administration’s determination to achieve Universal Health Coverage through the Stronger Delta Agenda,” he stated.
Okowa who is Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urged mothers to come out massively with their children aged nine to 59 months and get them vaccinated against the deadly measles disease irrespective of previous vaccination status at the various health facilities across the State.
Welcoming guests earlier, Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Mordi Ononye, said Measles was one of the vaccine- preventable diseases of childhood and accounts for a large proportion of child deafness, blindness and death among under-five children in Nigeria.
He said the vaccination would be implemented in two phases for effective supervisory support to skilled health workers participating in the exercise.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa, (UBA) Plc, Oliver Alawuba has been appointed as the Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Body of Banks’ CEOs.
The CIBN announced this appointment on its website on Monday, July 8, 2024.
This prestigious appointment underscores Alawuba’s extensive experience and visionary leadership in the banking sector, as well as his unwavering commitment towards advancing the financial industry in Nigeria and across Africa.
In his role as Chairman, Alawuba will be at the forefront of fostering collaboration and driving strategic initiatives among the top executives of banks in Nigeria.
Like he has achieved as the GMD of Africa’s Global Bank, UBA, his leadership is expected to bring innovative solutions and strengthen the collective efforts of the banking community while addressing the dynamic challenges and opportunities within the financial sector.
The CIBN also announced the appointment of Mrs. Miriam Olusanya, the CEO of GTBank, as the Vice Chairman of the Body of Banks’ CEOs. Her appointment, alongside Alawuba’s, signifies a strong and unified leadership team poised to enhance the banking landscape in Nigeria.
UBA extends its heartfelt congratulations to Alawuba and Olusanya on their appointment and the Bank is confident that their combined expertise and visionary leadership will usher in a new era of progress and innovation for the banking industry in Nigeria, and that under their guidance, the Body of Banks’ CEOs will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping policies and strategies that will drive sustainable economic growth and enhance the overall stability of the financial system in Nigeria.
…says work to begin on Alagbole-Ajuwon, Akute-Ajuwon Roads, others soon-Abiodun
The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Monday, gave a matching order to the contractor handling the construction of Denro-Ishashi-Akute road to ensure the completion of the project within two weeks.
The governor also disclosed that work would begin on the Alagbole-Ajuwon and Akute-Ajuwon road in Ifo Local Government Area of the state soon.
Other roads, whose contracts are to be awarded soon include Hercules Giwa (Oke Aro Rd), some section of Akute- Ijoko road, and the road leading to Yakoyo.
The governor, who made this known during an on-the-spot assessment of roads in the local government, assured residents that his administration would also construct a brand new Primary Health Care Centre for them.
Prince Abiodun said the construction of the Denro-Ishashi-Akute Road started almost three years ago, adding that the contractor must mobilise to site immediately and ensure the completion of the project in two weeks.
He recalled his promise to ensure equitable provision of infrastructures across the state, adding that this is being followed religiously.
He said his administration has ensured that road construction is evenly spread across the 20 local governments in the state.
“My pledge is that I have come here today to see things for myself. There are two roads that are considerably important to our people.
“First of all, the Denro-Ishashi-Akute road, I have given the contractor a matching order that the road must be completed in the next two weeks, asphalt and the bridge.
“I want to assure you all that it is your time now. It is your right. You voted for us. I am a promise keeping governor. I will not make empty promises.
“Now, within the next two weeks, maximum three weeks, active construction will start on Alagbole-Ajuwon and Akute-Ajuwon roads.
“Today, here, we’ve reconstructed Olusegun Osoba-Toyin Street, Denro-Ishashi-Akute is under construction. We have so many other roads we’ve constructed here. But because there is so much deficit in the infrastructural development in this area, at times, it appears as if we are not reconstructing them as fast as they want us to.
“The Primary Health Care Centre here, I will reconstruct it. I have told Hon. Fola Salami and the Commissioner (health) to look for a land for me here because I will build a new one for you. I want to build a brand new Primary Health Care Centre that is befitting for Ajuwon-Alagbole-Akute,” he said.
Governor Abiodun, while noting that his administration owes everyone equitable infrastructure development, added that the deficit that he met on the assumption of office made him wonder what the previous administrations were doing.
Noting that although the past administration had very good intentions for the people of the state, Governor Abiodun, however, bemoaned why projects were abandoned after structures had been demolished and single carriageways were turned into dual carriageways,
He said: “When I assumed office on the 29th of May, 2019, the deficit that we met on assumption of office was such that we began to wonder what the previous administration was doing.
“In some instances, they appear to have good intentions, they go to the roads, they demolished houses, roads that should not be more than a single carriageway, they turned them to dual carriageway By so doing, they removed all the asphalt that was there serving the people and abandoned these roads.
“We inherited quite a lot of these roads. Some of those roads are federal roads, and you know our people cannot differentiate between federal and state. They will geo-locate their pains where and when they are feeling it.”
He stated further that his administration had to draw up a priority list taking into consideration vehicular traffic and economic impact of some of the roads it had embarked upon till date, adding that his administration would continue to put the people first.
“Let me give you an example of the road that goes from Agbara-Atan-Lusada road. When I assumed office, trailers carrying containers were falling off on that road. That is the road that leads to the biggest industrial estate not just in Nigeria but one of the biggest in Africa.
“It is a road that counts for hundreds of thousands of employees and employers. So, it is important for us in Ogun State. I had to prioritize it, and it is a federal road.
“So, we have to draw up a priority list and the priority list amongst others factored in the vehicular traffic, the economic impact.
“Ijebu-Ode-Epe road is a road that evacuates people from the Lekki corridor to the Eastern flank of Nigeria. That road was non-existent. I had to prioritize that road. Sagamu-Abeokuta Road, the road leading to the state capital, was not good. People were dying. I had to prioritize that road, another federal road, and so many other roads.
“Today we can brag and say not only have we constructed 600 kilometers of highway or roads, both inter-state, intra-state, inner-city roads, but, I beat my chest that there is no local government in Ogun State today that does not have at least one or two roads that we have reconstructed in the last five years and that is in line with been equitable and fair,” he said.
Abiodun called on those who derive pleasure in only reporting negative stories to, as a matter of fact, also learn to report about the over 600 kilometres of road constructed by his administration.
UBA GMD appointed Chairman, CIBN body of Banks’ CEOs
Abiodun sets 2 weeks deadline for completion of Denro/Ishashi/Akute road
