Muslims to look for new moon-Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar 111, has urged Muslim community in the country to be in the lookout for the new moon for the month of Ramadan on May 26.

Prof. Sambo Wali, the Chairman, Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council, Sokoto, made the call in a statement in Sokoto on Thursday.

He stated that “this is to inform the Muslim Ummah that Friday, May 26, 2017, is equivalent to 29th day of Sha’aban 1438 AH and shall be the day to look for the new moon of Ramadan 1438 AH.

“Muslims are, therefore, requested to start looking for the new moon of Ramadan, 1438 AH on Friday.

“They should report its sighting to the nearest District or Village Head, for onward communication to the Sultan.”

He urged Muslims to report the sighting of the new moon to the sultan on the following numbers: 0803-715-7100, 0706-741-6900, 0806-630-3077, 0806-548-0405, 0803-595-7392, 0803-596-5322 and 0803-614-9767.

I will wipe corruption in 12months- magu

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, on Thursday said that he would end corruption in Nigeria in the next 12 months.

Magu spoke during the official opening of the Ibadan Zonal Office and Stakeholders Engagement Session, held in Iyagaku, Ibadan. He said despite the challenges being faced by the agency, the anti-corruption war had been a success.

The event was also attended by the Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, who was represented by one of the traditional rulers from Osun State, and other notable dignitaries.

Magu said, “The fight has just started and we will do it to the last. We will get them out, just give me 12 months, you will not see them again.”

Stephanie otobo sues Apostle suleman for $5m

Stephanie Otobo sues Apostle Suleman for $5m in Canada
Published April 20, 2017   
Founder Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman.

Stephanie Otobo has sued Apostle Johnson Suleman of the Omega Fire Ministry Worldwide, claiming five million Canadian dollars in damages.

In the suit filed in Canada’s Superior Court of Justice, Ontario, Otobo is claiming the damages for breach of trust, breach of fiduciary relation, breach of contract, negligence, defamation, poisoning, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The self-acclaimed stripper is also claiming damages for forcible confinement, multiple instances of battery, false imprisonment, fraud, assaults, sexual assaults, sexual harassment, harassment and malicious prosecution.

Apostle Suleman and Otobo had been in the news recently after the later alleged she had extramarital relations with the cleric.

She claimed that Apostle Suleman got her pregnant and subsequently gave her a concoction to drink to terminate the pregnancy.

She also demanded a public apology from the pastor for the way she was treated.

The cleric has since denied her allegations and has taken legal action against her.

Otobo was arrested on March 17, and was charged to court. Before leaving Nigeria, she was arraigned before a Tinubu magistrate’s court in Lagos

ASUU calls for Jamb registrar's resignation

Following alleged lopsidedness in the on-going registration of candidates by Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, the Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) University of Ibadan Chapter, Dr Deji Omole has called on the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede to voluntarily resign from office.

The academic union also asked the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu to call the registrar to order to lessen the difficulty being experienced by the candidates.
Dr Omole said the board had outlived its usefulness and the best thing is to scrap it and allow universities design their standard examination for their own candidates.
He noted that the fact that a mock examination was stopped due to logistic reasons underscored the point of alleged incompetence of the Registrar, noting that if candidates could not do mock how sure are they to pass the examination.

He said: “Why will anybody make life difficult for candidates whose parents are struggling to live under the terrible condition the government has made them to live in?"
“Why would somebody introduce changes that are only known by members of the board? We have made case for the scrapping of this body because in the present instance the introduction of different registration procedures has turned candidates to victims of fraud.”while different centres now make business by arranging with private schools who bring all their students in group to come and register while children of the masses look on.”

“This is a failed approach to change and the Registrar admitted this with the cancellation of the mock examination. How can we ensure that the candidates prepare well for the exams when they spend weeks waiting for Personal Identification Number and are at the mercy of registration officers who force them to go to cybercafe where they have arrangements to first create their profile before they can have their PIN”

“This is where people are duping Nigerian children. This is a total failure. Students must have at least three months for registration, its procedure must be open and their options to public universities must not be limited to serve the agenda of the proprietors of private universities”, he argued.

Naira closes at 390

The naira recorded a major gain on Wednesday, closing at 390 per United States dollar at the parallel market, up from 405/dollar on Tuesday.

This came barely 24 hours after the Central Bank of Nigeria announced the injection of $280m into the various segments of the forex market and the commencement of its weekly $20,000 sale to licensed Bureau De Change operators.

Before closing at 405/dollar on Tuesday, a day after the Easter holidays, the local unit had closed flat at 410/dollar for seven consecutive days.

As a result, currency analysts had expressed concerns over the exchange rate resistance to the CBN’s continued dollar supply into the forex market aimed at bridging the gap between parallel and official exchange rates.

Last week, some currency analysts predicted the naira would appreciate this week if the central bank sustained its interventions in the market.

Some experts, however, expressed doubt that the CBN possessed the stock of forex to wage the currency war against speculators.

But the regulator has assured the market participants that with the external reserves currently at $30bn and with oil hovering above $50/barrel, it will sustain the regular dollar injections.

The local currency had closed at 375/dollar about three weeks ago amid record dollar injections by the central bank.

Last week, commercial banks could not purchase $39m out of the $100m offered for sale by the CBN on Thursday due to shortage of naira.

A breakdown of the CBN’s $280 intervention on Tuesday showed that invisibles such as Business Travel Allowance, Personal Travel Allowance, medical bills and tuition received $80m, while the Small and Medium Enterprises window received $100m. Together with the wholesale bid auction of $100m, the CBN sold $280m into the market.

The bank’s spokesman, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, said the CBN was committed to supplying forex to genuine bank customers.

Names of occupants of Osborne Tower's ikoyo where $50m was found by EFCC

SaharaReporters has obtained the full list of occupants of a swanky apartment building in Lagos where operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) found close to $50million last week.

The building, located at 16 Osborne Road in Ikoyi, has nine floors of 19 Apartments and two penthouses. It is owned by a former Peoples Democratic Party chairman, Ahmed Muazu, who retained for himself the penthouses, 10A and B; as well as Apartments 11A and 11B.

Since the raid became public, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has laid claim to the funds, its Director-General Ayodele Oke saying it was meant for covert operations authorized by President Goodluck Jonathan during his tenure. SaharaReporters, however, reported on Monday that the woman who was discreetly ferrying the money into the apartment in bags was Mr. Oke’s wife, Folashade.

According to the apartment ownership list obtained by SaharaReporters, other owners include:

1A - A former Guaranty Trust Bank chairman, Fola Adeola, who owns Apartment 1A.

1B - Former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi and his wife, who own Apartment 1B.

2A - Ahmed Kida

2B - Ahmed Kida but apartment occupied by Esther Ogbue (a recently retired MD of NNPC)

3A - Kayode Sonaike

3B - Sterling Assets

4A and 4B - Leo Stan Ekeh

5A - Sterling Bank

5B - Damian Dodo, SAN

6A - Mo Abudu

6B - Career Terminal and Logistics Ltd.

7A - Mr. and Mrs. Edo-Osagie (Daughter of PDP Chieftain Anthony Anenih and her husband)

7B - Chobe Ventures Limited (Controlled by Folashade Oke, wife of DG, NIA) apartment where $50m was found by EFCC)

8A - Chikki Foods

8B - Mr. Balogun

9A - Damian Dodo, SAN

9B - Alhaji Tukur

10 A & B - Ahmed Muazu

11 A & B - Ahmed Muazu.

The NIA has claimed that it warehoused the funds at the apartment, which is under the control of the wife of its DG, as a “transit” arrangement, as it planned to move it to a more permanent location.

Northwest, Northeast most backward-sanusi

EMIR of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II is worried over the backwardness of the Northwest and the Northeast in community healthcare delivery and education.
According to him, the two zones have remained the most backward for a decade.
Speaking yesterday at the Aminu Dabo College of Health Science and Technology, Kano, where he inaugurated a state-of-the-art health science laboratory named after him, the emir urged the rich in the North to invest in health and education.
He said “the two regions have multi-dimensional index of poverty”, due to their inability to measure up with other regions in terms of healthcare delivery and education.
The elite, Emir Sanusi said, should unite to drag the North out of its socio-economic problems.
The monarch described healthcare delivery and education as very important to human development, just as he called on politicians, businessmen and northern elite to encourage education and community health programmes through donation and award of scholarships.
He, however, commended the proprietor of the College, Aminu Abubakar Dabo, for his foresight and service to humanity through investment in programmes that have direct impact on human development.
In his opening remarks, Dabo said: “The idea behind the establishment of the College of Health Science and Technology is to bridge the gap that exist in the availability of qualified and well trained professionals in the field of health care provision in the state, northern Nigeria and Nigeria at large.”
Dabo, a one-time Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), further stated: “The aim of the institution is to train health and allied health professionals in the areas of environmental health, community health, dental health, health information management, pharmacy technician, medical laboratory technicians and dispensing optician.”
According to him, the institution, now operating on a temporary campus acquired from the defunct Bank of the North Training Centre, has acquired 100 hectres of land at Kanye, in Kabo Local Government Area as its permanent site, with hostels in Hotoro.
The Provost of the College, Prof. Babatunde Opabola, said plans have advanced to elevate the College to Aminu Dabo International Medical University.

naira closes at 410/dollar, CBN introduce formX for SMEs

The Central Bank of Nigeria has introduced “Form X” for the Small and Medium-scale Enterprises seeking to purchase foreign exchange from the apex bank.

The CBN said the decision was part of its commitment to increase forex liquidity and improve access by the SMEs and retail businesses to forex.

The Acting Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, who confirmed this on Monday, said that the measure was intended to ease documentation challenges usually encountered by this category of businesses.

He further explained that the new form, which must be completed by all the SME applicants required the applicant to fill the form with a supporting application letter as well as beneficiary invoice and bank wire transfer.

The objective of the new guideline, he added, was to remove obstacles usually encountered by those whose forex needs for either visibles or invisibles were as small as or less than $10,000.

He reiterated the apex bank’s determination to continue to ensure adequate supply of forex for genuine transactions in the coming days.

The introduction of the ‘’Form X” was coming barely one week after the CBN opened a special forex window for the SMEs.

Meanwhile, the naira closed at 410/dollar on the parallel market on Monday, the last day of the Easter holidays.

Despite the series of dollar supplies into the various segments of the forex market by the central bank, the naira had closed at 410 against the United States dollar from Friday to Sunday, fuelling concerns about the CBN dollar interventions.

Earlier, the local unit had also closed at 410/dollar consecutively from last Tuesday to last Thursday.

Deposit Money Banks lacked naira liquidity to bid for the $100m offered for sale by the CBN last Thursday.

Banks were unable to buy over $39m out of the $100m offered for bid by the apex bank.

The CBN is reportedly planning to raise dollar sales to the BDCs to $40,000 from the present $20,000, which will improve liquidity and help support the local currency.

capital oil sold missing fuel, senate calls for massive sack in NNPC

    The Nigerian Senate has commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for responding to the motion moved during a plenary session by Senator Kabiru Marafa, chairman, Committee on Petroleum Downstream Sector, on the theft of petroleum products kept in the farm tanks of two oil companies and urged the corporation to take more radical measures to avoid recurrence.

    In a statement obtained by Politics Nigeria, signed by the spokesman of the senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the legislative chamber advised that NNPC should go beyond the sacking and redeployment of a few officials but initiate a comprehensive restructuring of its operations which presently allow officials and other firms to appropriate national resources for their personal use, thereby contributing to the suffering of the people.

    “The Senate is appalled that NNPC is not contemplating on doing something about the involvement of officials of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) which actually played key roles in the missing products case.

    “It is instructive that NNPC did not do anything on the case until the matter was raised on the floor of the Senate and the press picked the matter up from the motion.”

    “The unauthorised sale of 132 million litres of fuel kept in the storage tanks of MRS and Capital Oil designated as strategic reserves is a grave occurrence. This probably is not the first time it is happening and NNPC must review its operations. It should, in fact, carry out a shake-up in the PPMC,” Abdullahi stated.

    It will be recalled that following the Senate debate on the motion on the theft of the fuel, the NNPC sacked two senior officials and redeployed a few others. Its spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu said the sack and deployment were in line with the on-going reforms the corporation initiated to cleanse it of corruption.

    The NNPC lost 130 million litres through a breach in its throughput transactions with MRS and Capital Oil. However, MRS had returned the product it sold from the stock but Capital Oil is yet to refund the 82 million litres it sold. The Missing fuel sold by Capital Oil is valued at N11 billion.

    While Capital Oil insisted that NNPC owed it on past business transactions, the corporation vowed to recover the products, investigate the breach and set up new modalities to guide its engagements of throughput partners.

$5m scam: Nigerian kelechi declared wanted- FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has declared a Nigerian, Kelechi Declan James, wanted  for allegedly scamming  victim  of more than $5 million.

A statement on FBI website reads: “FBI agents are looking for the public’s assistance in locating Kelechi Declan James. He has federal criminal charges against him from an investigation by FBI New York’s Cyber Crime Task Force. James is known to frequent the Brooklyn neighborhoods of East New York (Crescent Street and Loring Avenue; Vermont Street between Blake Avenue and Dumont Avenue), Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant (MacDougal and Hull Streets), Crown Heights (Park Place and Utica Avenue), Flatbush (E 29th and Avenue D), and East Flatbush (East 51st and Winthrop Street). The FBI is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest.

“James is 32 years old, 6’0″ tall, and approximately 175 pounds. He is a Nigerian national, has brown eyes and black hair, and may have a beard. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of James is urged to contact law enforcement immediately. The FBI can be reached 24 hours a day at (212) 384-1000. He is not considered to be violent in nature.

“As alleged in a complaint sworn out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, James, along with four other co-conspirators, ran a business e-mail compromise scheme that resulted victim losses of more than $5 million for their victims.

“As part of scheme, James and his co-conspirators defrauded victims across the U.S. by tricking them into wiring money to bank accounts the victims believed were owned by family members, friends, or business associates. They did this in two ways: by overtaking an e-mail account of an individual trusted by the victim and then requesting money be wired to a bank account; or by developing a relationship of trust with victim like an Internet romance and then asking the victim to wire money. As soon as the money was wired, it would be moved from one account to another, and the funds would be withdrawn. James’s role in this scheme was to withdraw the money from bank accounts.”