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US Court Subpoenas Buhari Over Wabote’s Foreign Account Case

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has subpoenaed President Muhammadu Buhari through the Office of Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
The subpoena followed a case between the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Kesiye Wabote, and US-based Nigerian-American journalist, Jackson Ude.
Buhari was subpoenaed in his capacity as president and minister of petroleum.
Wabote (Plaintiff), had sued Ude (Defendant), an international award-winning journalist famed for investigative journalism, in a US court for defamation of character.
According to Wabote, Ude, through his online publication, Pointblanknews.com, had defamed his character vide a story in which it was inferred that he financially compromised his position and abused the privileges of his office as executive secretary of the NCDMB in the build up to the launch of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7.
However, the case has taken a twist as the attorney to Ude from Amadi Law Office at 204 Blossom Street Extension, Suite A. Lynn MA 01901, Benneth O. Amadi, in entering appearance for the journalist, convinced the court to subpoena Buhari to explain to the court why and if he granted Wabote waiver to operate foreign bank accounts described by the court as “any account operated outside the borders of Nigeria.”
One of the items for which the president was subpoenaed was to produce “any, every, and all the documents fully and specifically explaining why plaintiff, Simbi Wabote, is allowed by the Nigerian government to operate foreign bank accounts while the other public officials and public officers are prevented and/or forbidden from opening and/or operating foreign bank accounts.”
The court also extended the subpoena dated December 7, 2021, to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
Other persons subpoenaed included Isaac Yalah of NCDMB; Director, Legal Services, NCDMB, Mohammed Umar; Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited; Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources; and chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
According to Pennsylvania Record in its Court Activity of May 17, a Nigerian, Simbi Kesiye Wabote had brought a civil case against Jackson Ude.
It said: “The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania reported the following activity in the suit brought by Simbi Kesiye Wabote against Jackson Ude on May 17: ‘Order That Counsel For Plaintiff(s) Must Serve This Order On Every Party To This Case Immediately After The Party’s First Appearance, Unless This Case Was Removed From State Court, In Which Case This Responsibility Falls On Counsel For The Party Who Removed The Case; Etc, As Herein Signed By Honourable Joseph F. Leeson, Jr On 5/17/21.
“Case number 5:21-cv-02214-JFL was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on May 14.”
Both parties had filed claims and counterclaims in the US court.
The subpoenas, according to the defendant’s lawyer, were directed at key actors in the Nigeria oil and gas value chain and that their respective responses would help in resolving the case.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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