News

FG Receives £4.2m Ibori Loot

Published

3 years ago

May 19, 2021

The Federal Government has received £4,214,017.00 of looted public funds seized from the associates and family members of former Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori.
This was disclosed, yesterday by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Abubakar Malami, SAN.
The AGF had earlier announced that the Federal Government of Nigeria was in touch with the government of the United Kingdom on the matter.
“Documentations with the banks in different countries often take longer than anticipated. We anticipated two weeks but we are not in control of the banks”, the statement said.
He maintained that the Federal Government was working assiduously to make sure that the transfer goes through successfully.
“There is neither complacency nor any delay as efforts are being made to ensure successful transfer of the looted funds”, he said.
A statement, yesterday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr Umar Gwandu, said the amount has been credited into the designated Federal Government account with naira equivalent value of the amount as of May 10.
The development, according to Malami, was a demonstration of the recognition of reputation Nigeria earns through records of management of recovered stolen assets in the execution of public oriented projects.
Ibori, who was governor between 1999 and 2007, in 2012 pleaded guilty in a UK court to charges of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud and forgery.
He was sentenced to an aggregate 13 years jail term.
The Nigerian government had signed an MoU with the UK in 2016 for the repatriation of the funds recovered from family and associates of Ibori laundered to the UK.
The Federal Government had announced that the funds would be used for the completion of ongoing work on the 2nd Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano and Lagos-Ibadan expressways, which were already being funded by the recovered $311million Abacha loot.
The AGF disclosed that already a reputable civil society organisation has been incorporated to monitor the use of the funds for the ongoing projects under the management of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
“It is to be recalled that the Nigerian government had all along provided the required mutual assistance and backup to the British authorities while the prosecution of James Ibori lasted in London, and today, we are rightfully taking benefit of that cooperation. I cannot but observe that what we are witnessing today is a glaring manifestation of the age-long national ties between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the United Kingdom”, he said.
However, the position of the Federal Government has generated controversy with the Delta State Government, indicating interest to challenge the use of the funds for the proposed Federal Government projects.
The state Commissioner for Information, Ehiedu Aniagwu, stated, “We would try to take advantage of the legal system to make the Federal Government correct the injustice they are about to visit on us as a state.
“If they are quite sure that the funds, they are about to repatriate left Delta State on account of those who have governed the state in the past, on what basis would they now take the money to another place? Under which law?’

News

UNIPORT: 301 Youths Benefit From Holiday Programme On ICT

Published

11 hours ago

September 11, 2024

The Tide

No fewer than 301 youths have benefitted from the one-month holiday programme on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) organised by the Centre for Information and Telecommunication Engineering (CITE), at the University of Port Harcourt.

The programme which was christened “Catch Them Young Digital Boot Camp” was designed to equip young individuals with essential skills on emerging digital realities and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Speaking during the graduation/exhibition ceremony, the Director of CITE, Prof. Bourdillon Omijeh, explained that the “Catch Them Young Digital Boot Camp” was more than a traditional holiday ICT training programme.

According to him, it is a life-changing, impactful, and career-driven experience aimed at preparing participants for the evolving digital landscape.

He said the programme is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative; not profit-driven, providing both privileged and less privileged youths equal access to digital education.

“This inclusivity enables participants to tap into the vast economic opportunities offered by the ongoing AI revolution.

“The Boot Camp trained about 301 participants, including about 190 males and 111 females, in various digital skills such as UI/UX, web development, mobile app development, coding, robotics, embedded systems, IoT, Drone technology, 3D design and printing, Microsoft Office packages, Python Programming, Data science, and Machine learning”, he said.

Professor Omijeh emphasized that the platform not only builds digital skills but also sharpens the vision, activates potential, and nurtures creativity and innovation in the participants, preparing them for excellence in their future careers.

He thanked the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Owunari Abraham Georgewill, for his continuous support for the Catch Them Young programme.

He also expressed appreciation to the parents, partners, and friends who contributed to the success of the initiative.

In his speech, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt commended the CITE team for their efforts in promoting digital literacy among young people and praised Professor Omijeh for his visionary leadership.

Also speaking, the Regional Coordinator of the National Information, Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Bernard Ewah, pledged NITDA’s continous support for CITE’s vision.

Mr. Chinedu Ikejiani of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) who represented the General Manager, Research, Stats and Development of NCDMB, Mr. Silas O. Ajimijaye, affirmed his organization’s commitment to supporting the initiative.

The Director of ICT, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Engr. Emeka Ani, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Information and Technology, NDDC, Engr. Patrick Isicheli, reiterated the Commission’s dedication to the programme and lauded Prof. Omijeh for his passion in promoting digital literacy in the Niger Delta region.

The Technical Manager of MTN, South-South, Dr. Theophilus, who has been an industry mentor in CITE also expressed satisfaction with the programme.

The graduands displayed their knowledge and skills on the CTY SCHOOL App, TICTAC TOE GAME App, CTY SCHOOL Website, Design of Website station, Design of an attendance system, and Design of an automated green house watering system(smart farm),

Design of gesture-controlled Robot Car, Design and implementation of an obstacle avoiding robot, Design and implementation of a remote and voice-controlled Robot car.

Others were Design and implementation of an industrial distribution robots, Design and implementation of a smart home automation robots, Design and implementation of a line following robot, Flash card design, Age Calculator, Tic tac toe game, Analog clock, Count down timer, etc.

The Tide source reports that “Catch Them Young Digital Boot Camp” which commenced from July 29, 2024, to September 7, 2024, has proven to be an invaluable platform for empowering young people with digital skills, preparing them to harness the economic benefits of the digital age.

News

Take Steps To Mitigate Effects Of Fuel Price Hike, NIM Urges FG

Published

2 days ago

September 9, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) has urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to forestall economic hardship occasioned by the recent increase in pump price of petrol.
The President of NIM, Dr Christiana Atako, made the call in a statement by the institute’s registrar, Mrs Taiwo Olusesi in Lagos.
Atako said that it was important to mitigate the harsh effects of the latest increase in the price of fuel on both the economy and Nigerians.
She said that the long fuel queues that resurfaced in various cities had attendant consequences on Nigerians whose cost of living was shrinking by the day.
“The Institute supports the current efforts by the Federal Government to kick-start the nation’s weak economy and put it on a good footing.
“However, NIM is an organisation committed to promoting good governance and sound management practices.
“We believe that government should do everything within its power to give the nation’s economic policies a human face,” she said.
The NIM president urged the Federal Government to continue working with the greater interest of Nigerians at heart by taking more proactive measures to impact the welfare of the citizenry.
She called on government to, especially, address fuel scarcity, the hunger in the land, as well as tackle the myriad of economic issues facing the country.
“The Institute concedes that the decision to remove fuel subsidy has come with some pains,.
“It is, however, a necessary step towards the nation’s economic stability as it will help to curb the mismanagement of scarce resources
“It will also reduce corruption in the oil sector, and ensure that the benefits of government spending are felt by all Nigerians.
“Since the removal of subsidy is a difficult decision with significant impact on the masses, it is essential that the Federal Government implements measures to mitigate its effects,” she said.
Atako suggested measures like providing a safety tax net for those who would be most impacted by the subsidy removal, greater government intervention in agricultural produce, public transportation and youth employment programmes.
She also enjoined Nigerians to be patient with the Federal Government, and called for more understanding.
She said that the NIM believed that the nation would soon turn the bend and start reaping the benefits of the present sacrifices.

News

NDLEA Destroys Over 100,000kg Cannabis In Ekiti Forest

Published

2 days ago

September 9, 2024

The Tide

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed over 100,000kg of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farm land in Ekiti State.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi yesterday, in Abuja.
Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday Sept. 3 and Wednesday Sept. 4 stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve, in Ise/Orun Local Government Area of the state.
He named the affected areas to include: Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares; Aba Paanu with 12 hectares and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.
He also said two suspects: were arrested on the Toro-Jos road, Kaduna with 305kg cannabis (Indian hemp) concealed in false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM.
Babafemi said that another suspect was arrested in possession of 18 kilograms of same substance at Makarfi town.
“Two other suspects others: were arrested on the Zaria- Kaduna highway in possession of 1300 tablets of Tramadol, all same day,”he said.
Also, in Jigawa state, a 30-year-old man was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis (Indian hemp) at Koran Shehu.
Babafemi said that operatives in Kogi intercepted 77,300 pills of Tramadol, Diazepam and Exol-5 with 1,230 bottles of Codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along Aloma – Ejule road, Ofu LGA, Kogi.
“Another was nabbed on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway with 42.400kg cannabis (Indian hemp) coming from Lagos enroute Kano.
“NDLEA operatives in Borno arrested a 40-year-old man at Ramat area of Maiduguri with 13,100 pills of Tramadol.
“Also, operatives in Kano nabbed a man with 25.8kg cannabis and 3,000 pills of Diazepam along Kano – Daura road,”he said.
The NDLEA spokesman said that no fewer than 87,790 pills of Tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, Taraba state.
Babafemi said that a raid on the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa, Osun state led to the seizure of 43grams of crack cocaine, 23grams of Methamphetamine, 17.126kg cannabis and a locally made pistol.