Encomium
1. FIRE RAZES FEDERAL CHARACTER COMMISSION HEADQUARTERS
The Federal Character Commission Headquarters, Abuja, was on Tuesday engulfed in fire.
According to reports, the fire was caused by an electrical fault, which resulted in enormous damage to the Data Centre of the commission.
Engr. Saleh Ahmadu, the Head of MIS at the Commission, said the fire initially defied attempts to quench it, but with the activation of the fire alarm system and the prompt response of the fire service, the inferno was put out.
He added that an assessment to check the extent of the damage is on.
2. MAIKANTI BARU AND IBE KACHIKWU IN SUPREMACY BATTLE
There is tension at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, engaged in a supremacy fight with NNPC GMD Maikanti Baru over control in the institution.
According to a reports, Kachikwu has written to President Muhammadu Buhari to complain about his humiliation in the hands of Dr. Baru.
He also informed the President of Dr. Baru’s desire for sidestepping due process in running the NNPC.
The complaints of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources were contained in a memo addressed to President Buhari.
3. TWO WHISTLE-BLOWERS PLEAD GUILTY FOR GIVING FALSE INFORMATION IN BAYELSA
Two persons have pleaded guilty in a Yenagoa Court for giving false information to the Monitoring Team of the Inspector-General Of Police.
Francis Babatunde and John James both pleaded guilty to a two-Count charge of conspiring to cause harm to the younger brother of the Bayelsa State Governor, Moses Oruaze Dickson for alleging that he was in possession of fire arms.
While the third person, Obiene Matthew is still at large, the magistrate ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison till October 24, for judgement.
4. ORDER AGF TO BRING ME BACK TO NIGERIA – DIEZANI BEGS COURT
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to compel the Attorney General of the Federation to bring her back to Nigeria from the United Kingdom, where she travelled to shortly after leaving office in 2015.
She said she would like to appear in court in Nigeria to defend a criminal charge bordering on alleged laundering of N450M, where her name was mentioned.
The main defendants in the charge are a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Dele Belgore; and a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman.
At the resumed proceedings in the case on Tuesday, one Obinna Onya, a lawyer from Abuja, appeared before Justice Aikawa with an application seeking the joining of Diezani as one of the defendants in the charge.
5. WE ARE PROCEEDING WITH DINO MELAYE’S RECALL – INEC CHAIRMAN
The Independent National Electoral Corruption has said it will not be discouraged by the legal obstacles it is facing in the process of recalling Kogi-West lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this at the quarterly consultative meeting with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
Yakubu said constituents had the right to recall anybody they wanted to in a democracy.
The INEC boss also warned politicians seeking to run in 2018 and 2019 to stop campaigning as this was in contravention of the Electoral Act.
6. BUHARI’S MINISTER, ANTHONY ANWUKAH, HOSPITALISED IN US
The Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwukah, is being hospitalised in the United States.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, disclosed this at a press briefing on the 2017 World Teachers’ Day in Abuja.
Mr. Adamu, who did not disclose the ailment for which his colleague is hospitalised, urged those at the event to rise for a prayer for the speedy recovery of Mr. Anwukah.
According to the minister, Mr. Anwukah needed prayers from Nigerians especially stakeholders in the education sector.
This is coming weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari returned from medical treatment in the United Kingdom.
7. WHY EFCC IS AFTER PATIENCE JONATHAN – PRESIDENCY
The Presidency on Tuesday said that the former First Lady, Patience Jonathan was attracted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC because of some stolen items.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie made the remark in response to Mrs. Jonathan’s claim that she is being witch-hunted by the Acting Chairman of the EFCC.
Reacting to the claims of the former First Lady, Onochie said EFCC are only attracted to those who have stolen items.
In a series of tweets on her Twitter handle, Onochie wrote: “Madam, under your admin, oops, your husband’s admin, perversion of the course of justice was standard. Under @MBuhari’s admin, it’s forbidden.
8. HIGH COURT JUDGE WITHDRAWS FROM TRIAL OF BOKO HARAM SUSPECTS
A Federal High Court Judge, John Tsoho, has withdrawn himself from the trial of eight Boko Haram terror suspects.
The judge made the decision following an application by six of the defendants asking that their case be transferred from his court.
The defendants are facing trial for the alleged murder of five foreigners who were abducted from a construction site in Kebbi State six years ago.
The defendants are also accused of murdering seven other foreigners in Borno State.
9. DOGARA SWEARS-IN DORATHY MATO AS HERMAN HEMBE’S REPLACEMENT
The House of Representatives has sworn-in Dorathy Mato as a replacement for Herman Hembe.
Hembe, a former Chairman, House Committee on Federal Capital Territory, was sacked by the Supreme Court in June.
The court decided that Mato was the validly elected candidate of the All Progressives Congress to represent Konshisha Federal Constituency of Benue State.
10. IART PROFESSOR SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS IN JAIL FOR DIVERTING WORKERS SALARY
A professor of Agriculture, Benjamen Ogunmodede, along with two others have been sentenced to 40 years in prison by a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan.
The other two are Zacheus Tejumola and Adenekan Clement.
Prof. Ogunmodede, who is also a Reverend with the Anglican Church, is the former Director General of the Institute of Agricultural, Research and Training (IART), Apata, Ibadan, while Tejumade and Adenekan were Chief Accountant and staff of the institution respectively.
They were accused of diverting over N177 million from N600 million received as subvention from the Federal Government to pay salaries of worker and execute certain projects in the institute.
