Monday 7 September 2015

Bauch State Stolen Aircraft Found in Morocco

Image result for plane
According to Premiumtimesng news, Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State has disclosed that his Public Property Recovery Committee discovered an aircraft belonging to the state but hidden in Morocco.
Mr. Abubakar stated this on Saturday night in Bauchi in a broadcast marking 100 days of his administration.
The governor, who did not substantiate further on the aircraft, said the plane would be received by the state government in a few days at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Bauchi.
He said the aircraft was recovered by the committee set up by the government and headed by Ahmed Tijjani-Baba, a retired Air Commodore.
“I wish to announce the fruitful efforts in locating the state owned “Embraer 145. Aircraft in Morocco and soon it will land at the Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa international Airport in a matter of days,” said the governor.
He added that “the committee will now beam its satellite on the ministry for local affairs and the State Basic Education Board to see how billions of naira allocated to them were spent.
“Such examples are the N2 billion micro loans and others that were allocated them but carelessly spent leaving our pupils to study under the trees”, he added.
Mr. Abubakar assured that the state government would soon embark on the construction and reconstruction of some rural roads in the state to ease transportation problems.
He said the government has refurbished five trucks belonging to the State Fire Service as part of safety measures.
He added that 420 youths have been engaged as street cleaners by the government under its youth employment scheme to curb youth restiveness.
He also said water supply, especially within Bauchi metropolis, has improved following the government’s intervention such as regular payment of electricity bills and upgrade of electricity gadgets at Gubi Dam.
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/

Friday 4 September 2015

Presidency discloses details of Buhari, Osinbajo’s assets

“Documents submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), show that the retired General has indeed been living an austere and Spartan lifestyle, contrary to what many might expect of a former Head of State of Nigeria and one who has held a number of top government positions, such as governor, Minister of petroleum and the head of the Petroleum Development Trust Fund (PTDF).
“The documents submitted to the CCB, which officials say are still being vetted and will soon be made public, show that prior to being sworn in on May 29, President Buhari had less than N30 million to his name. He also had only one bank account, with the Union Bank. President Buhari had no foreign account, no factory and no enterprises.
“He also had no registered company and no oil wells.
“The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) who had been a successful lawyer before his foray into politics declared a bank balance of about N94 million and 900,000 United States Dollars in his bank accounts.
“President Buhari declared however that he had shares in Berger Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank.
“This is entirely unlike what one might expect from a former head of state of a country like Nigeria.
“The documents also revealed that President Buhari had a total of five homes, and two mud houses in Daura. He had two homes in Kaduna, one each in Kano, Daura and in Abuja. One of the mud houses in Daura was inherited from his late older sister, another from his late father. He borrowed money from the old Barclays Bank to build two of his homes.
“President Buhari also has two undeveloped plots of land, one in Kano and the other in Port Harcourt. He is still trying to trace the location of the Port Harcourt land.
“In addition to the homes in Daura, he has farms, an orchard and a ranch. The total number of his holdings in the farm include 270 heads of cattle, 25 sheep, five horses, a variety of birds and a number of economic trees.
“The documents also showed that the retired General uses a number of cars, two of which he bought from his savings and the others supplied to him by the federal government in his capacity as former Head of State. The rest were donated to him by well-wishers after his jeep was damaged in a Boko Haram bomb attack on his convoy in July 2014.
“As revealed by the same forms, highlights of the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo’s asset declaration include his 4-bedroom residence at Victoria Garden City, Lagos and a 3-bedroom flat at 2 Mosley Road, Ikoyi. The Vice President also has a 2-bedroom flat at the popular Redemption Camp along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and a 2-bedroom mortgaged property in Bedford, England. Aside from these, the Vice President has no other landed properties on the form.
“Apart from his law firm, known as SimmonsCooper, the Vice-President also declared shareholding in six private companies based in Lagos, including Octogenerium Ltd., Windsor Grant Ltd., Tarapolsa, Vistorion Ltd., Aviva Ltd. and MTN Nigeria.
“According to details shown on the form, the Vice-President has about ninety four million naira, nine hundred thousand US dollars and nineteen thousand pounds in Nigerian Banks with the foreign currencies kept in local domiciliary accounts. His personal vehicles are one Infinity 4-Wheel Drive SUV, one Mercedes Benz and a Prado Jeep.
“As soon as the CCB is through with the process, the documents will be released to the Nigerian public and people can see for themselves.”
Signed :
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity)
03-09-15

Tuesday 1 September 2015

NIMC Shifts Deadline For Use Of National Identification Number


NIMCThe National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has shifted the deadline for the mandatory use of the national identification number to January 9, 2016.
The development was disclosed on Monday by the Director General of NIMC, Mr Chris Onyemenam, at a press conference in Abuja.
The Commission had earlier fixed September 1 for all transactions by all relevant government institutions involving the identification of individuals or bodies to be carried out with the number.
Such transactions include application for and issuance of international passport, opening of individual or group bank accounts, voter registration and payment of taxes.
http://www.channelstv.com/

Chad executes 10 Boko Haram suspects by firing squad

According to Vanguard News online...Chad executed 10 alleged members of Nigeria-based Islamist group, Boko Haram, by firing squad Saturday, a day after they were found guilty of a double suicide killing that left 38 people dead in the capital N’Djamena.

A picture taken on August 26, 2015 shows suspected members of Nigeria-based Islamist group Boko Haram sitting in court in N'Djamena, during the opening of the trial of ten suspected Boko Haram members. Ten suspected Boko Haram members went on trial in Chad on August 26 over their alleged roles in twin attacks that killed 38 people in the capital N'Djamena in June.  AFP PHOTO / STRINGER
A picture taken on August 26, 2015 shows suspected members of Nigeria-based Islamist group Boko Haram sitting in court in N’Djamena, during the opening of the trial of ten suspected Boko Haram members. Ten suspected Boko Haram members went on trial in Chad on August 26 over their alleged roles in twin attacks that killed 38 people in the capital N’Djamena in June. AFP PHOTO / STRINGER
“They were executed this morning on a shooting ground north of N’Djamena,” a judicial source told AFP. The report was confirmed by a security source who asked not to be identified.
The 10 were condemned to death Friday in the country’s first trial of presumed members of the Islamist group. The hearings opened Wednesday.
Nigeria’s neighbours Chad, Cameroon and Niger have all suffered attacks by Boko Haram and earlier this year they announced a regional force to end the militants’ insurgency that has claimed more than 15,000 lives since 2009.
The defendants were accused of criminal conspiracy, killings, wilful destruction with explosives, fraud, illegal possessions of arms and ammunition, as well as using psychotropic substances.
The accused include Nigerian national Mahamat Mustapha, also known as Bana Fanaye, who according to Chadian authorities masterminded the June 15 suicide attacks that struck a school and a police building in N’Djamena, killing 38 people and injuring 101.
On July 12, a fresh attack in the Chadian capital claimed by Boko Haram left at least 15 dead and 80 hurt after an assailant dressed as a woman blew himself up in the central marketplace.
Shortly after Fanaye’s arrest in late June, Chad’s top prosecutor Alghassim Kassim said the suspect was the “ringleader of a network smuggling weapons and munitions between Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad”.
chad-a
A picture taken on August 26, 2015 shows suspected members of Nigeria-based Islamist group Boko Haram sitting in court in N’Djamena, during the opening of the trial of ten suspected Boko Haram members. Ten Dsuspected Boko Haram members went on trial in Chad on August 26 over their alleged roles in twin attacks that killed 38 people in the capital N’Djamena in June.
Chad has beefed up security in response to the bloodshed.
The regional force against Boko Haram is expected to number some 8,700 troops and police, but it has yet to go into action
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/chad-executes-10-boko-haram-suspects-by-firing-squad/#sthash.t1WXXVUT.z8dOavzy.dpuf

Monday 31 August 2015

SSS arrests 10 major Boko Haram leaders in Lagos, Enugu

Boko Haram new
The State Security Service, SSS, has stated that it arrested over a dozen Boko Haram leaders in the past two months including nine in Lagos and one in Enugu State.

The SSS, also known as DSS, said this in a statement by its spokesperson, Tony Opuiyo, on Sunday.

Mr. Opuiyo said “the sudden influx of Boko Haram members into Lagos State points to the determination of the sect to extend its nefarious terrorist activities to the State and in fact, other parts of the country.”

The Boko Haram, whose terrorist activities has caused the death of about 20,000 people, has only carried out attacks in Northern Nigeria, particularly in the north-east.

According to the spokesperson, “the arrest of these confessed terrorist elements has however helped in no small measure to avert devastating attacks in the area.”

Read the full SSS statement below: 
In line with the Department of State Services’, DSS, re-strategised Counter Terrorism measures to combat the menace of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, the Service has continued to make significant breakthroughs in this direction. This followed the rounding up of notable commanders and frontline members of the notorious group from different parts of the country. It should be noted that the group’s new pattern of movement and spread is necessitated by the pressure being put on them in their core areas of strength in the North East.

2. Consequently, a number of them have been arrested in Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Enugu and Gombe States between July 8 and August 25, 2015. Of particular note was the arrest on July 8, 2015 in Gombe State of those responsible for the coordination and execution of the suicide attacks in Potiskum, Kano, Zaria and Jos. They are:

Usman SHUAIBU (a. k. a. Money):
3. SHUAIBU revealed that he coordinated the attacks under reference with the sum of N500,000 which was provided by his Amir, one Isa ALI. He claimed that the said Isa ALI has links to the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar SHEKAU, from where he collects monies to fund operations undertaken by their Markaz.  Also, he revealed that he has participated in several Boko Haram attacks, including the attacks at Gwoza Divisional Police Station in 2014.

4.  SHUAIBU admitted being the leader of the team of nine (9) sect members that was dispatched from Sambisa Forest to carry out the attacks. He disclosed that four out of the nine of them were used as suicide bombers in executing all the (suicide) attacks.

Ahmed MOHAMMED (aka ABUBAKAR):
5. Suspect, an IED expert, confessed to the preparation of the IEDs used for the mentioned attacks. He also averred that he was the one who strapped the suicide bombers, notably SULE and his wives, with IED vests, which they used in the attacks in Jos.

Adamu ABDULLAHI (aka Babpa)
6. Suspect confessed that Usman SHUAIBU motivated him to work closely with Ahmed MOHAMMED (aka ABUBAKAR) in the preparation of the IEDs used in the attacks under reference.

Ibrahim ISA
7. Suspect confessed that he was the one who carried out reconnaissance on the targets in Jos ahead of the attacks.
Muttaqa YUSUF (aka Mohammed SANI/Mudtaka):
8. Suspect disclosed that one ALIYU, believed to be Aliyu GOMBE, in Sambisa forest, was the one that ordered the serial attacks which the syndicate carried out. He further confessed that he assisted Usman SHUAIBU in planning and executing the said attacks.

9. Other arrests include:
i. Bakura MODU:- He was arrested on July 20, 2015, at Kara, Isheri Berger, Ikeja LGA, Lagos State;

ii. Mustapha Alli JAMNERI:- He was  arrested on July 24, 2015, at Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Alimosho LGA, Lagos State;

iii. Abuyi SHERRIFF:- suspect was arrested on August 7, 2015, at Ebute-Metta, Lagos Mainland LGA, Lagos State;

iv. Babagana ALI and Babagana KOLOYE:- were arrested same day (August 7, 2015), at Eric Moore, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere LGA, Lagos State;

v. Abba Modu SAGMA: He was arrested on August 9, 2015, at Ijora Badiya, Apapa LGA, Lagos State;

vi. Grema ABUBAKAR and Tijani BAGUDU: were arrested on August 10, 2015, at Amukoko, Ijora Badiya, Apapa LGA, Lagos State;

vii. Baba Alhaji and Abass IBRAHIM:- were arrested earlier on the same day (August 10, 2015), at Alaba International Market, Alaba, Ojo LGA, Lagos State;

viii. IBRAHIM AUDU: Suspect was arrested on August 192015, at New Artisan Market, Enugu, Enugu State;

ix. Ibrahim HARUNA: The 30-year old suspect from  Kanawa village, Sumaila LGA, Kano State was arrested on August 21, 2015, at Kwomi village, Kwami Local Government Area, Gombe State;

x. Mal Ali MOHAMMODU: The 33-year-old suspect was arrested on August 22, 2015, at Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Fagga LGA in Kano State;

xi.   Adam Wakil Abdul JILBE: was arrested on August 23, 2015, at  Obanikoro Area, Mushin LGA, Lagos State; and

xii. Mohammed USMAN: was arrested on August 25, 2015, at  Atuashe Estate, Gbagada, Kosofe LGA, Lagos State.

10.  Nigerians and indeed the general public have to note that the arrest of Usman SHUAIBU aka Money and the core members of his cell, stemmed the spate of bombings by the extremist sect. It would be recalled that MONEY and his group were arrested on their way to Bauchi State where they had planned to execute another heart-rending bomb attack and this was frustrated by the arrest.
Furthermore, the sudden influx of Boko Haram members into Lagos State points to the determination of the sect to extend its nefarious terrorist activities to the State and in fact, other parts of the country.
The arrest of these confessed terrorist elements has however helped in no small measure to avert devastating attacks in the area. However, the Service is making efforts to conclude its investigations and commence prosecution of the suspects.

11. Drawing from the above, the DSS reiterates its avowed determination to work with other stakeholders in the fight against terror and other forms of criminality in our country. Citizens and residents are therefore called upon to rise to the occasion by volunteering useful information to the Service and relevant security agencies.

Tony Opuiyo
Department of State Services
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/

Thursday 27 August 2015

NUC releases FULL list of illegal tertiary institutions

Just so you know, as parents, you need to make proper enquiries before falling prey of these illegal institutions. There is no hurry in giving your wards(children) the best especially when it comes to education.
Read below:
The National Universities Commission has released a list of illegal degree awarding institutions operating in Nigeria.
The schools were published in the NUC’s weekly bulletin dated August 24.
According to the bulletin, the NUC Executive secretary, Julius Okojie, warned that those who patronise the schools, do so at their own risk.
“Certificates obtained from these sources will not be recognized for the purpose of NYSC, employment and further studies,” the NUC said.
Full list:
1. University of Accountancy and Management Studies, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
2. Christians of Charity American University of Science and Technology Nkpor, Anambra State or any of its campuses.
3. University of Industry, Yaba, Lagos or any of its other campuses.
4. University of applied Sciences and Management Port Novo, Republic of Benin or any of its other campuses in Nigeria.
5. Blacksmith University, Awka or any of its campuses.
6. Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana or any of its other campuses in Nigeria.
7. Royal University Izhia, P.O. Box 800, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State or any of its other campuses.
8. Atlanta University, Anyigba, Kogi State or any of its other campuses.
9. Sunday Adokpela University, Otada Adoka, Otukpo, Benue State or any of its other campuses.
10. United Christian University, Macotis Campus, Imo State or any of its other campuses.
11. United Nigeria University College, Okija, Anambra State or any of its other campuses.
12. Samuel Ahmadu University, Makurdi, Benue State or any of its other campuses.
13. UNESCO University, Ndoni, Rivers State or any of its other campuses.
14. Saint Augustine’s University of Technology, Jos Plateau State or any of its other campuses.
15. The International University, Missouri, USA, Kano and Lagos Study Centres, or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
16. Columbus University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
17. Tiu International University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
18. Pebbles University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
19. London External Studies UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.
20. Pilgrims University operating anywhere in Nigeria.
21. Lobi Business School Makurdi, Benue State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
22. West African Christian University operating anywhere in Nigeria.
23. Bolta University College Aba or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
24. JBC Seminary Inc. (Wukari Jubilee University) Kaduna Illegal Campus.
25. Westlan University, Esie, Kwara State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
26. St. Andrews University College, Abuja or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
27. EC- Council University, USA, Ikeja Lagos Study Centre.
28. Atlas University, Ikot Udoso Uko, Uyo Akwa Ibom State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
29. Concept College/University (London) Ilorin or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
30. Halifax Gateway University, Ikeja or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
31. Kingdom of Christ University, Abuja or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
32. Acada University, Akinlalu, Oyo State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
33. Fifom University, Mbaise, Imo State or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
34. Houdegbe North American University Campuses In Nigeria.
35. Atlantic International University, Okija, Anambra State.
36. Open International University, Akure.
37. Middle Belt University (North Central University), Otukpo.
38. Leadway University, Ugheli, Delta State.
39. Metro University, Dutse/Bwari, Abuja.
40. Southend University, Ngwuro Egeru (Afam) Ndoki, Rivers State.
41. Olympic University, Nsukka, Enugu State.
42. Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Abuja.
43. Temple University.
44. Irish University Business School London, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
45. National University of Technology, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
46. University of Accountability and Management Studies, Mowe, Lagos Ibadan Expressway and its Annex at 41, Ikorodu Road Lagos.
47. University of Education, Winneba Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
48. Cape Cost University, Ghana, operating anywhere inNigeria.
49. African University Cooperative Development (AUCD), Cotonou, Benin Republic, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
50. Pacific Western University, Denver, Colorado, Owerri Study Centre.
51. Evangel University of America and Chudick Management Academic, Lagos.
52. Enugu State University of Science and Technology (Gboko Campus).
53. Career Light Resources Centre, Jos.
54. University of West Africa, kwali-Abuja, FCT.
55. Coastal University, Iba-Oku, Akwa-Ibom State.
56. Kaduna Business School, Kaduna.
57. Royal University of Theology, Minna, Niger Delta.
The NUC listed another eight illegal institutions as currently undergoing investigations and court actions. The commission said the action will lead to the prosecution of the proprietors and recovery of illegal fees and charges on subscribers.
The Universities are:
1. National University of Nigeria, Keffi, Nasarawa state.
2. North Central University, Otukpo, Benue State.
3. Christ Alive Christian Seminary and University, Enugu.
4. Richmond Open University, Arochukwu, Abia State.
5. West Coast University, Umuahia.
6. Saint Clements University, Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State.
7. Volta University College, Aba, Abia State.
8. Illegal Satellite Campuses of Ambrose Ali University.

Wednesday 26 August 2015

Shocking details of how Oronsaye, Maina, others allegedly stole N1 Billion from pension funds


Oronsanye and Maina
By Dayo Aiyetan
In a little over a month, the sparks will start to fly in what might turn out the most celebrated trial of this year as the prosecution of the former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye; former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, PRTT, Abdulrasheed Maina; and others accused of siphoning over N1 billion from pensioners’ funds, commences.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on July 10 slammed a 24-count charge on Messrs Oronsaye, Maina and Osarenkhole Afe, a consultant who worked with the Task Team, as well as his company, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, which was used as conduit pipe to siphon funds from the pension unit of the HOSF’s office.
Although Mr. Maina is not listed as one of the respondents in the case, his name features prominently in all the charges and he is being prosecuted along with the others.
EFCC sources indicate that his name is not listed among the respondents because “he is at large and cannot be tried in absentia”.
Messrs Oronsaye, Maina and the others are accused of using bogus or inflated biometrics enrolment contracts, dubious “collective allowances” and other schemes to steal money from the account in which pensioners’ funds were kept.
About N1 billion is believed to have been illegally taken out of the pension funds at the Pension Office of the office of the Head of Service for dubious biometric enrolment contracts while more than N100 million is believed to have been withdrawn in the name of collective allowances to staff of the pension department travelling on official duty.
Even now, investigators are still digging into the pension fund’s accounts, as it is believed that more of the stolen funds would be discovered.
Specifically, the accused persons allegedly awarded contracts for the conduct of biometric enrolment of pensioners in several states to front companies owned by them, their aides, friends and cronies.
The companies include Fredrick Hamilton, Innovation Solutions and Projects Ltd, Xangee Technologies and Fatidek Ventures. Others are Obalando Enterprises, Jolance Integrated Concepts, Vivian Ebony Nig. Ltd, MOF Investments and Fesbee Global Resources.
In some instances, the contracts were just schemes for siphoning money as in reality, no jobs were ever carried out yet monies were paid out to front companies which then paid them back to the accused persons.
Mr. Oronsaye’s sin is that as Head of Service, he approved the payments for the bogus contracts and also allegedly benefitted from the graft as some of the stolen funds were reportedly paid to him.
In fact, the Permanent Secretary, Establishment and Record in the HOSF’s office, Charles Bonat, who supervised the Pension Office, accused Oronsaye of usurping his functions, including the signing of cheques.
Mr. Bonat, who indicted Oronsaye for setting up the Task Team without a formal letter, terms of reference or duration and for approving payments contrary to regulations, said the former Head of Service “took away my duties and responsibilities which he now assigned to the task team”.
The Permanent Secretary, who has since retired, said further that Mr. Oronsaye also took from him the role of being the accounting officer of the pension accounts by making himself and others signatories to the accounts.
Others people implicated Oronsaye in the monumental fraud are Phina Ukamaka Chidi, a former deputy director at the Pension Office of the office of the Head of Service, who has also been standing trial since last year for stealing billions from pensioners’ funds, and Salami Kareem Adesokan, a former stores officer at the Customs Immigrations and Prisons Pension Office, CIPPO.
In 2011, Ms. Chidi told investigators that shortly before Mr. Oronsaye retired as Head of Service, she was asked by her boss, the director in the Pension Office of the office of the Head of Service, Teidi Shaibu, who is also being prosecuted for pension fraud, to source for companies to be used siphoning funds for Mr. Oronsaye using bogus contracts.
The plan, she said, was to award bogus contracts to such companies, which would later return the contract sums to Mr. Oronsaye.
“I was asked by Dr Shaibu to source for company names to execute some contracts the proceeds of which should be given to Mr. Oronsaye as the Head of Service then. The proceeds had been given to Oronsaye,” Chidi claimed in her statement to the EFCC on January 1, 2011.
“When the money came in from the contract from Olanipekun, he used to give to Ikenna in Zenith and Benni in UBA for safe custody before they were given to Dr Shaibu to give the former HOS Mr. Oronsaye,” Ms. Chidi revealed.
She added that such bogus contracts were thus awarded to about 60 companies for sums ranging from N4 million to N15 milion.
In his own statement to investigators, Mr. Adesokan alleged that he was also used to siphon money from pension accounts as he was asked to seek companies to be used to receive monies for contracts that were never awarded or executed.
Mr. Adesokan used three companies, Fatidek Ventures, Obalando Enterprises and Jolance Integrated Concepts, and the three firms received a total N147, 019,800 for non-existent contracts. In his statement, he claimed that he was instructed by Mr. Maina to withdraw the money and give it to His (Mr. Maina’s) secretary, Anne Igwe, who later delivered it to her boss.
However, Mr. Adesokan also claimed that each time he withdrew money and handed over to Igwe for delivery to Mr. Maina, he noticed that the money was usually moved to Mr. Oronsaye’s vehicle at the car park of the office of the Head of Service.
“When the money were collected and handed over to Anne Igwe, Mr. Maina’s secretary, I used to noticed the onward movement of these money again to Oronsaye, the then Head of Civil Service of the Federation, through his then Special Assistant in person of Ayo Otepola and Oronsaye’s driver,” he said.
He added that he was able to notice such movements of cash because “during 6.30 pm to 8 pm because this time I used to be in the mosque by this time and the mosque was such located that you will see anybody entering Block D of the Phase 11 of the federal secretariat.”
“I normally see the handling and movement of bags popularly known as Ghana Must Go,” he further stated.
However, the case against Mr. Oronsaye peters into insignificance compared to the accusations against Mr. Maina, who was appointed by Mr. Oronsaye in 2010 to reform the pension administration at the office of the Head of Service.
As chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Mr. Maina had unearthed the monumental looting of funds from the pension funds and blown the whistle on the likes of Messrs Shaibu and Chidi, which led to their prosecution.
Now, Mr. Maina is accused of doing exactly as the people he exposed by looting close to a billion naira from money meant for the payment of pensioners.
Several of those who were part of the scheme orchestrated to steal the money have already confessed their role and all pointed at Mr. Maina as the architect of the monumental fraud.
The first scheme allegedly employed by Mr. Maina was the biometric enrolment of pensioners across the states, which he demanded in order to sift out fake pensioners. But in most cases, it was alleged, no biometric exercise was conducted, instead contracts were awarded and the monies routed back to Mr. Maina.
The first biometric contract that got Messrs Maina and Oronsaye into trouble was awarded in June 2010 to Innovative Solutions, a company introduced to the office of the Head of Service by Mr. Afe, a respondent in the case. The contract was worth N63, 375,000 (sixty three million, three hundred and seventy five thousand naira).
Although many things were wrong with the process of bidding for this contract, Oronsaye approved it and the contract sum was paid to the contractor. It was later discovered that the said job was carried out at the sum of N35 million by Uptrach Communications Limited and not Innovative Solutions.
The chief executive officer of Innovative Solutions confessed under interrogation that Uptrach Communications did the job for N35 million and that it was Mr. Afe who instructed him to work with the company and Fredrick Hamilton, which he (Afe) owns.
Afe told investigators that the remaining N28 million was split between Maina, Otepola (Oronsaye’s Special Assistant), another director in the office of the Head of Service, Karamot Lawal and himself.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg for what would later become a looting spree. After the initial biometric enrolment exercise, Innovative Solutions requested for an extension of the exercise and therefore demanded the payment of extra N136 million. Mr. Afe later confessed that he was instructed by Mr. Maina to ask the company to seek the extension of the exercise for that amount, bringing the total cost of the biometric enrolment contract to N199 million.
However, investigators discovered that the second contract for N136 was never awarded but was a scheme to siphon money. Moreover, rather than being paid a total of N199, Innovative Solutions ended up being paid N224 million, with an excess of N25 million. In all, the company fraudulently received a total of N161.4 million.
According to Mr. Afe, the scheme to illegally pay N161.4 million to Innovative Solutions was orchestrated by Mr. Maina who also ended up being the sole beneficiary of that monumental fraud.
According to statements made by Mr. Afe, Innovative Solutions paid his own company, Fredrick Hamilton, a total of N155, 147,000 from the N161.4 million it received.
“After the exercise, Innovative Solutions Limited transferred the sum of 155.147 million to my Fredrick Hamilton account. I handed these funds over to Mr Maina.
“I wrote blank cheques to disburse the funds in the presence of my Oceanic Bank account officer (name withheld) on 8 July 2010,” he further stated.
Apart from this, Fredrick Hamilton also got paid another N119 million ostensibly for executing a biometric enrolment contract. Yet, there is no existing documentation regarding this contract for which payment was made.
However, in his statement, Mr. Afe, the owner of the company claimed that N35 million of the amount was payment for his project management consultancy job and that the balance was paid entirely in cash to Mr. Maina.
“The difference made here was at the instruction of Mr Maina and the funds were given to him in cash at my bank, Oceanic Bank, NAOWA Complex branch, Abuja,” Afe said.
However, investigators believe Mr. Afe lied about earning N35 million since no such contract was ever awarded, insisting that the entire N119 million was deliberately illegally siphoned.
In all, it was discovered that MR. Afe’s company, Fredrick Hamilton had illegally received payments totalling N280.05 million. In his statement to the EFCC, he claimed that he paid over N250 million to Maina.
The EFCC also alleges that Mr. Maina used other people and companies to siphon funds from the pension accounts of the Pension Office at the Head of Service.
One of the persons Mr. Maina allegedly used was Mr. Adesokan, who worked with him while he was director of CIIPO.
Mr. Adesokan used his company, Fatidek Ventures, to obtain bogus biometric enrolment and file jacket supply contracts totalling more than N30 million from the Head of Service’s Pension Office. But it was a ruse. There was no contract at all.
Mr. Adesokan confessed under interrogation that the N30, 056,000 obtained by Fatidek Ventures for the bogus supply contract was paid to Igwe, Mr. Maina’s secretary.
Mr. Adesokan also confessed using other companies to obtain other bogus contracts from the Pension Office.
According to him, these include, Jolance Integrated Concepts and Obalando, both owned by his friends.
“Jolance was awarded feeding contract to the tune of N20,000,000 but actually the company was not the one that provided feeding during the exercise,” he stated.
He further stated that the N20 million was also handed over to Anne Igwe as verbally directed by Abdulrasheed Maina.
Obalando, the other company used by Adesokan, got three bogus biometric enrolment contracts for N52,600,000, N9,925,400 and N32,240,000, all totalling N96,765,400. The entire sum, Adesokan said he was instructed to withdraw and hand over to Mr. Igwe by Mr. Maina, which he did.
Another civil servant used in siphoning money from pension accounts at the office of the Head of Service was Bonat’s secretary, Kate Chinwe Obiekwe, who was personally paid N56 million in the name of collective allowance and biometric enrolment. She claimed that most of the money was withdrawn by her and paid to the secretary of the Task Team, Ibrahim Abdulkareem, whom she said in turn handed it over to Mr. Igwe, Mr. Maina’s secretary.
Ms. Obiekwe added that Abdulkareem also asked her to provide her company’s account details to receive payments for biometric enrolment contracts. She provided her company, Vivian Ebony’s account details, and the company got N16, 786,000 but Ms. Obiekwe claimed that she also withdrew and handed over the money to Mr. Abdulkareem. For her services, she claimed to have been paid the sum of N50, 000. Other than payments for biometric enrolment, another avenue that was allegedly used by Mr. Maina to siphon money from the pension funds was what was known as collective allowance.
These are allowances due to civil servants on official assignment outside Abuja with the voucher raised in one person’s name. It is alleged that names of staff of the Pension Office were drawn up as due for collective allowance for which monies running into several millions of naira were illegally paid out. But in truth, no official ever travelled rather it was a scheme designed to siphon money from the pension funds.
The names of several officials of the Task Team headed by Mr. Maina and other civil servants in the office of the Head of Service were used to siphon money this way.
Part of the N50 million paid to Ms. Obiekwe was received as collective allowance. In all, she must have received about N15 million into her personal account. She confessed that the money was not used for paying collective allowance to officials on duty outside Abuja rather was expended on such things as purchasing “office consumables,” “running the office”, helping staff and old pensioners return back home after coming to Abuja to pursue their pension and so on.
Mr. Abdulkareem was also discovered to have received a total of N80 million as collective allowance from the pension funds, while another staff of the Pension Reform Task Team, Mohammed Abdullahi, also allegedly collected more than N20 million for the same purpose.
When EFCC investigators confronted him with the allegations against him, Mr. Oronsaye denied all of them. First, he said that he was not the accounting officer of the pension office, insisting that Mr. Bonat held that responsibility.
Mr. Oronsaye also denied knowledge of about N500 million and another $2 million being held in trust for him as alleged by Ms. Chidi.
“I am told that $2 million and about N500 million are being held in trust for me by Mrs Chidi to be delivered to me at a later date. This is news to me. I could never be part of this,” Oronsaye stated, adding that he had never collected any money from her.
Regarding the illegal payment of N224 million to Innovative Solutions for a N63 million contract, the former Head of Service said he was advised on the importance of the biometric exercise by Afe, adding that the contract went through the tenders board, although he could not recollect if it was advertised as required by procurement laws.
Ms. Oronsaye denied knowledge of the N136 million contract for the extension of the biometric exercise and the other contract for the sum of N119 paid to Fredrick Hamilton, Afe’s company.
In Mr. Maina’s case, our reporter was able to reach him through his cell phone at his base in Dubai, where he has lived for about two years now. He denied any wrong doing while in office as chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, insisting that there was an agenda to tarnish his record as the man who saved more than N282 billion that would have been stolen.
He denied collecting monies from Mr. Afe, who alleged that he gave him more than N250 million.
“You say somebody said he gave 15 blank cheques to me. So, how did I cash them? Can’t they go to the bank and find out? Come on,” he said. When told that one of the contractors alleged that he issued him blank cheques to collect N119 million.
Mr. Maina insisted that it was because the EFCC had found no evidence against him that they failed to list him as one of the respondents in the case.
He also pointed out that the EFCC had not been fair to him as the Commission never invited him concerning any of the allegations levelled against him. When he was told that the anti-graft agency had informed our reporter that it had invited him through Ms. Igwe, his secretary, he said that only showed the agency was up to some tricks.
“How can they invite me through Anne. Don’t they know my house? Is Anne my mother? Am I in the civil service? Is Anne still my secretary?” he queried.
“How can they say I absconded? Did they invite me? They never invited me.”
Mr. Maina insisted that anytime money was collected for biometrics, it was judiciously used, noting that even officials of the EFCC travelled for the exercise and received payments due to them.
He also wondered how the EFCC would turn round and charge him of stealing from the pension funds when he blew the whistle on all those that are now being tried, observing that his team and the EFCC worked together in unravelling the rot in the pension administration at the office of the Head of Service and the Police Pension Office. The former Task Team chairman said that he had nothing to fear and that he was returning to Nigeria soon and would therefore be waiting for the investigators.
For many Nigerians who have followed the unearthing of the corruption that characterised pension funds administration in the country, the allegations must come as a rude shock. And the irony of the situation would also not be lost on them.
It was, indeed, Mr. Oronsaye who in 2010 set up the Pension Reform Task Team and invited Maina, then head of CIIPO, to cleanse the Pension Office in the office of the HOSC
In his statement to the EFCC, Mr. Oronsaye said he set up the task team to reform the pension system “as a result of the many pensioners who clustered around the office of Head of Service saying they had not received their entitlements.
Mr. Maina rose to prominence as an anti-corruption czar when he uncovered the massive looting of pensioners’ funds first in the HOSF’s office and later at the Police Pension Office, PPO.
The disclosure by the Maina – led Task Team uncovered the looting of some N40 billion at the HOSF’s office and led to the prosecution of Messrs Shaibu, Chidi and 30 other persons slammed with a 134-count charge of conspiracy, fraud and corruption.
(Read our report on that monumental fraud here)
Also, at the Police Pension Office, the task team discovered another N20 billion fraud perpetrated by top civil servants and their aides.
In that case, investigations showed that between 2008 and June 2011, the civil servants, in the name of the director of the Police Pension Office, illegally withdrew a total of N18.1 billion from Police pension funds using some 13,874 check leaflets.
They did not even bother to disguise their criminal activities by awarding contracts or making payments to ghost pensioners as others did instead just wrote cheques payable to the director in the pension office.
Those who were arrested and are being prosecuted include Abubakar Kigo, former director, PPO, who retired as a permanent secretary in the ministry of Niger Delta; Esias Dangabar a retired director, PPO; Ahmed Wada, former deputy director, PPO, and Abdullahi Umar, deputy director, Ministry of Works. Others are John Yusuf, an accountant and a lady named Vicky, a cashier, both of whom worked in the PPO.
(Read details of our report published on February 27, 2012 here)
In all, the Task Team is also said to have saved the nation about N282 billion which would have been stolen by the pension thieves.
Mr. Maina is now being accused of borrowing the looting template employed by the pension looters, through bogus or inflated contracts, brazen issuance of cheques to persons for jobs not done and in the name of collective allowances.
These were the same methods unearthed by Maina as having been used by Shaibu and others to loot pension funds.
When the former Task Team chairman spoke to our reporter on the phone on August 2, he said that he was ready to defend himself and indicated that he would be returning to Nigeria the following week. But three weeks later, at the time of filing this report, he still had not returned home.
This report was first published by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. We have their permission to republish here.
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