According to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, 90 percent of money laundering occurs in the real estate sector.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, the anti-corruption agency leader claimed that although the industry is monitored via the special control unit, more needed to be done.
Bawa, “One of the problems we have now is the real estate. 90 to 100 percent of the resources are being laundered through the real estate.”
He said there are so many issues involved, but that they were working with the National Assembly to stop what he called “the gate keepers” as there would be reduction in looting if there is no one to launder the money.
Bawa, the EFCC boss, gave an example of a minister who expressed interest in a $37.5 million property a bank manager put up for sale.
He added that: “The bank sent a vehicle to her house and in the first instance $20 million was evacuated from her house.
“They paid a developer and a lawyer set up a special purpose vehicle, where the title documents were transferred into.
“And he (the lawyer) is posing as the owner of the property. You see the problem. This is just one of many; it is happening daily.”
The Japanese government stated on Monday that it will offer UNICEF with around US$39 million in emergency funds to help construct vaccine cold chains in Nigeria and 31 other African and Latin American countries affected by COVID-19.
The Government of Japan’s funding complements the work of the COVAX Facility, an international vaccine procurement mechanism dedicated to ensuring that people in all countries have equitable and timely access to vaccines.
UNICEF will use these funding to cooperate with the government to supply cold chain equipment in priority storage sites based on gap analysis, improving vaccine storage capacity and facilitating vaccine potency monitoring.
This has a significant impact on the country’s overall goal of preventing COVID-19 by vaccination, as well as the entire immunization program for child survival.
In each of the six states chosen, a walk-in freezer room will be erected. Solar vaccine refrigerators will be built in 175 wards where vaccine storage capacity is lacking. Temperature monitoring devices will be placed at 18 state cold storage facilities, with technical help provided to set up and maintain the equipment and devices.These supplies will ensure that the vaccines are of high quality.
Rushnan Murtaza, Officer in Charge, Representative, UNICEF Nigeria said, “We welcome the generous support of the Government and the people of Japan to Nigeria, as we continue to grapple with the impact of COVID-19. These funds will allow us to more effectively implement the strategy to ensure as many Nigerians as possible receive COVID-19 vaccinations, ensuring timeliness and efficacy of the vaccines, so that we can work towards a better future for all. UNICEF will continue to work with the Government of Nigeria, Government of Japan and other partners to support the COVID-19 response and to deliver positive outcomes for child survival and promote equitable access to vaccines for all.”
UNICEF has played a central role in supporting the procurement, transportation, and storage of COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria and other countries, taking advantage of its long-standing vaccine procurement, storage, and transportation experience, as well as its existing immunization infrastructure.
A truck driver attempted to kill the Directorate of Route Traffic Services (DRTD’s) ‘Truck Timing Unit Head’ on the Kugbo stretch of the Abuja-Keffi road, according to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministerial task committee on Traffic Management.
The driver of a Guinness-owned Mitsubishi truck with the Lagos registration number AAA -477 XB came upon Mr Udunobun Otaigbe, also known as ‘Santos,’ while on official duty.
The DRTS Kugbo Area Command’s truck timing unit was established several years ago in response to an FCT ministerial instruction that heavy duty trucks should not be allowed to ply the road at peak hours in the mornings and evenings when workers are either going to work or returning home after close of duty.
While directing his soldiers to prohibit trucks and other heavy duty vehicles from riding the highway during rush hour, the police was knocked down by a truck driver near Karu bridge.
The truck was first stopped and parked on the side of the road, but the driver attempted to run and collided with the senior officer, who was concerned with other problems and not looking in the direction of the halted truck.
While some of his men worked to save him, others chased down the fleeing driver, who was unable to get very far due to the heavy traffic.
Wilson Aniete, the truck driver, was swiftly apprehended with the help of members of the Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC and other security officers the truck driver, Wilson Aniete was quickly apprehended and taken to the Karu Police Division.
The DRTS personnel who is gradually regaining consciousness is currently at the intensive care unit of the Asokoro District Hospital even as his face, hands and legs are badly bruised with various degrees of injuries while his Femur bone on the left leg was badly broken.
Responding to the incident on Monday, Chairman of the Task Team, Comrade Ikharo Attah condemned the action of the truck driver which he described as barbaric and inhuman.
According to Attah , “These are the drivers responsible for the high profile accidents that claim several lives on the road during rush hours. For goodness sake, why will the driver decide to drive off when already parked by the men who were carrying out their official duties?”
While adding that, “the driver will be prosecuted for this gruesome act. When the judicial workers resume after the Democracy day public holiday he will be arraigned possibly on charges of voluntary attempted murder, evading arrest and other traffic violations”.
He pleaded with drivers of heavy duty vehicles to be patient during peak periods to prevent multiple road crashes on Abuja’s busy roads.
Former Militant Commander and head of the Biafra Customary Government (BCG), Mujaheed Asari Dokubo, has called the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a criminal.
Dokubo accused Kanu of utilizing the “Biafran fight” as a business endeavor in a video he posted on social media.
Kanu, he claimed, had been diverting cash intended for the Biafran cause.
According to him; “They are now telling us India, Russia etc. This is how they audit accounts. This is what Biafra will look like under the criminal Nnamdi Kanu.”
“They claim that they brought money to Cotonou to give to me — N20 million. We are waiting for them to bring the evidence. They came to Cotonou to meet with me and I hosted them. They did not bring a dime.
“How is that an audited account? Why do Igbo people allow you, a conman, to be conning them? Igbos, you have to rise. He wants to destroy Onyeama. He wants to destroy Ekweremadu. He wants to destroy everybody and the Igbo people are keeping quiet.
“Biafra is your business now, you have no other avenue for gainful income. It is a pity how Igbo people have fallen for this evil, but your time is up.
He continued; “I am out for you. And I will get you. I just asked that our people be allowed to vote and you sent your dogs. I’ve broken their teeth.
“Nnamdi Kanu, I’m not in your category but for this, I will surely bring you down. I will destroy this evil empire that is working as a hindrance to the restoration of Biafra.”
Kanu is yet to react to the allegations made by Dokubo.
The Niger Delta former militant commander is not the first to level allegations against the IPOB leader.
Ralph Uwazuruike, leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), has repeatedly described Kanu as a fraud.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been challenged by Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, to bring a restructuring bill to the National Assembly.
The issue came after Buhari said in his Democracy Day speech that the National Assembly is responsible for reforming the country, as some Nigerians have demanded.
In response to this, Afenifere’s Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, issued a statement yesterday urging the President to present the restructuring and power devolution bill to the legislative branch as soon as possible.
Doing this, the group noted, would “Nigerians to believe that he meant what he says.”
On the president’s claim that his administration has not done badly in the last six years, Afenifere declared that “Nigerians were far better off in virtually everything in 2015 than they are presently.”
“For the President to claim that the country is better now than in 2015 clearly shows that he is not in touch with reality or that he has a different measurement when comparing the two eras,” he added.
The body regretted that the president confessed the seeming helplessness of his administration in combating the insecurity that was about to consume the country presently. “I am more pained than anyone can imagine with the ongoing security challenges because… they have increased the hunger, pain, and anger in the land,” the president said.
President Buhari does not need to tell us all of this since we already know and feel it.
What is required of him is to take actual action to address the issues he so eloquently outlined.”
According to what he (the President) confessed to telling Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State when the latter came to him with images of the destruction during the #EndSars demonstration in Lagos, the President was also accused of being insensitive.
Afenifere accused President Buhari of shifting blame and responsibilities when pressed on what his government ought to do.
“Were this not to be so, he would not have hidden his inability to confront insecurity problems on the excuse that state governors are allegedly pocketing allocations meant for the local government councils in their respective states.
“Also, he would not have sent Governors Seyi Makinde and Rotimi Akeredolu of Oyo and Ondo states back to go and face the insecurity problems in their states when he knew perfectly well that the tools to tackle the problem are not within the control of these governors.
Tax evaders who want to file a lawsuit against the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) must now deposit half of the assessed amount in dispute into a Federal High Court interest-bearing account before the court may hear their case.
Mr Muhammad Nami, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, revealed this on Friday during a public hearing held by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts to look into revenue leakages resulting from tax waivers and incentives given to foreign enterprises granted pioneer status.
According to Mr Nami, the new rule is contained in a recent Practice Direction issued by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Hon. Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, under Order 57 rule 3 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019. He also confirmed that the Practice Direction took effect from 31 May 2021.
Nami also stated that the Management of FIRS “has initiated a process for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with critical stakeholders as far as information sharing and amendments to the relevant laws are concerned”.
He revealed further: “We have gotten several amendments to our tax laws which require companies operating in the Free Trade Zones to file tax returns on their operations to the FIRS”. These amendments are aimed at checking the activities of taxpayers currently taking advantage of some gaps in our tax laws and fiscal policy by establishing businesses in the nation’s tax-free zones. He emphasized that such companies produce goods that are meant for export and then sell the goods to our custom’s zone thereby making it impossible for the companies operating in our custom’s zone to operate competitively with them.
However, as part of efforts to attract investment vis-a-vis raising revenue for the government, Mr Nami also hinted that as a first step, “FIRS has set up a high-power committee which is made up of senior officials of FIRS and the National Investment Promotion Commission(NIPC) to look into issues patterning to tax waivers and granting of pioneer status”.
Mr Nami, who maintained that tax evasion and tax avoidance were global phenomena, also said that such practices were equally fiscal policy issues. He then urged the National Assembly to, as a second step, amend the relevant tax laws that would make it almost impossible for these companies to exploit loopholes in our tax laws to shift both profits and taxes to their countries of origin. He pointed out that taxes not paid to Nigeria or waived by the Nigerian Government are returned to the treasury of defaulting companies’ home countries operating in Nigeria, hence the need for legislation to address the issue.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, has disclosed that blood stocks in the African Region have declined over the last year as travel restrictions and worries of infection have prevented individuals from attending donation centers.
In addition, over seven million people in African countries use this life-saving medicine each year.
She said, the average blood donation rate has decreased by 17%, and the frequency of blood drives has decreased by 25%. Blood demand fell by 13% as a result of the suspension of normal procedures in some nations and a reduction in the number of persons seeking medical help.
Blood donors in numerous nations have made unusual efforts to continue donating blood even throughout the pandemic, according to Moeti.
In eight African countries, awareness efforts backed by the partnership of donor groups, civil society organizations, and armed and security services have resulted in high levels of voluntary donor recruitment.
Because fewer people donated blood during the COVID-19 epidemic, the Regional Director revealed this in her statement commemorating the 2021 World Blood Donor Day with the theme: “Give blood and keep the world beating.”
According to her ; As WHO we are working with a range of stakeholders to improve access to quality blood supplies. We have partnered with the Coalition of Blood for Africa (CoBA), launched in November 2020, to drive this agenda, including engaging the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) and the private sector. The BloodSafe Program funded by the United States of America National Institutes of Health supports research to enhance availability of safe blood in African countries. Through this partnership, research projects in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi are underway in collaboration with universities in the United States.
“On 14 June, WHO celebrates World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, like plasma. This day is also an opportunity to thank and appreciate voluntary, unpaid blood donors for this life-saving gift.
“Safe blood and its transfusion are key aspects in providing quality care to save mothers haemorrhaging during childbirth and people with serious injuries. Blood is needed for surgical procedures, as well as to treat severe anaemia, inherited blood disorders, and other conditions. Blood can only be stored for a limited time and so a steady supply of donations is important to make sure adequate blood products are always available”,she added.
Moeti further stated that; As part of the COVID-19 response, 10 African countries are investigating the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) therapy. Among them, Ethiopia, Guinea and Mauritius have collected CCP for compassionate use and randomized control trials are ongoing in South Africa and Uganda.
She said the UN agency in partnership with Facebook, have set-up a Regional Blood Donations feature, which connects people with nearby blood banks. The tool is now live in 12 countries and over 3.8 million Facebook users have signed-up to be notified of blood donation opportunities.
We are encouraging more young people to donate blood to save lives and to inspire their peers and families to do so too. In some countries, in line with national guidance, people aged 16 and 17 can donate blood with their parent’s or guardian’s consent, and in all countries anyone over 18 can save someone’s life by donating blood.
She urged governments, in collaboration with blood donor associations and nongovernmental organizations, to put in place the systems and infrastructure needed to increase the collection of blood from voluntary donors.
“To all those who have donated blood, I thank you, and I encourage everyone to give this life-saving gift”,she said.
At the Onne seaport in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seized almost 100,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing a total of 15,325 kilograms.
The illicit substance, cough syrup with codeine (100mg), packed in 500 cartons and concealed in a container marked MRKU 1565305, bearing imported food masks made in India, was discovered on Thursday, June 10, 2021 in a warehouse at the Onne port complex, according to the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi.
This, he claims, happened during a joint examination with officers from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the State Security Service (SSS), and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDA).
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted over 100,000 bottles of codeine syrup with a total weight of 15,325 kgs at the Onne seaport, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said on Saturday in Abuja that the illicit substance, cough syrup with codeine (100mg), packed in 500 cartons and concealed in a container marked MRKU 1565305, bearing imported food masks made in India, was discovered on Thursday, 10 June 2021 in a warehouse at the Onne port complex.
According to him, this was during a joint examination with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), State Security Service (SSS), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), among others.
The seizure followed an intelligence received by NDLEA, as a result of which the container was put on hold and moved to the Customs Government warehouse within the port complex.
“No importer or agent has however come forward in respect of the container but efforts are ongoing to track the owner for further investigation and prosecution,” Babafemi said.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (NAIA), have seized nine cartons of khat, weighing 146.95 kgs at the cargo wing of the airport.
The consignment packaged as dried green tea was shipped from Addis Ababa, on board Ethiopian airline flight ET911.
After initial examination and suspicion, a clearing agent was asked to report with the consignee before the release but failed to do so for fear of arrest, a development that led to a laboratory test on the consignment, which tested positive to khat and the eventual seizure.
Speaking on the development, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) hailed the synergy among various government agencies at the Onne port and charged them not to rest on their oars as they daily work hard to keep Nigeria safe of illicit drugs.
He said, “The damage 100,000 bottles of codeine would have done to our youths if they had slipped through the port to our villages, towns and cities is unimaginable. 146.95 kgs of khat could have done the same damage if allowed to go into our streets. We’ll continue to motivate our officers and men so that they can give their best in the discharge of their responsibilities across the country and ultimately with the support of all our stakeholders and partners.”
Non-Saudi residents will not be recognized eligible for Hajj in the holy land for the second year in a row.
Saudi authorities said in a statement on Saturday that only Saudi citizens will participate in this year’s Hajj.
“In view of what the world is seeing with the pandemic Covid-19 and the advent of new varieties, Hajj 1442 shall be confined to residents and citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ONLY — (60,000).”
“This year, the total number of pilgrims is limited to only 60,000 persons, including inhabitants of all nationalities and nationals of Saudi Arabia.
“The health status of those wishing to register for Hajj 1442 must be from the following categories: a vaccinated person, a vaccinated person who has completed one dose and spent 14 days, or a vaccinated person recovering from infection.”
