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Your letter inciting, self-serving: FG slams Obasanjo

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President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has warned former President Olusegun Obasanjo not to truncate the 2023 General Elections with his inciting, self-serving, and provocative letter on the elections.

In a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said what the former President cunningly framed as an ‘appeal for caution and rectification’ is nothing but a calculated attempt to undermine the electoral process and a willful incitement to violence.

The Minister expressed shock and disbelief that a former President could throw around unverified claims and amplify wild allegations picked up from the street against the electoral process.

”Though masquerading as an unbiased and concerned elder statesman, former President Obasanjo is, in reality, a known partisan who is bent on thwarting, by subterfuge, the choice of millions of Nigerian voters,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed recalled that the former President, in his time, organized perhaps the worst election since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, hence he is the least qualified to advise a President whose determined effort to leave a legacy of free, fair,a credible and transparent election is well acknowledged within and outside Nigeria.

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”As the whole nation waits with bated breath for the result of last Saturday’s national elections, amid unnecessary tension created by professional complainants and political jesters, what is expected from a self-respecting elder statesman are words and actions that douse tension and serve as a soothing balm.

”Instead, former President Obasanjo used his unsolicited letter to insinuate, or perhaps wish for, an inconclusive election and a descent into anarchy; used his time to cast aspersion on electoral officials who are unable to defend themselves, while surreptitiously seeking to dress his personal choice in the garb of the people’s choice. This is duplicitous,” he said.

The Minister reminded the former President that organizing elections in Nigeria is not a mean feat, considering that the voter population of 93,469,008 in the country is 16,742,916 more than the total number of registered voters, at 76,726,092, in 14 West African nations put together.

”With the deployment of over 1,265,227 electoral officials, the infusion of technology to enhance the electoral process, and the logistical nightmare of sending election materials across our vast country, INEC seems to be availing itself creditably, going by the preliminary reports of the ECOWAS Electoral Observation Mission and the Commonwealth Observer Group, among other groups that observed the election.

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”Therefore, those arrogating to themselves the power to cancel an election and unilaterally fix a date for a new one, ostensibly to ameliorate perceived electoral infractions, should please exercise restraint and allow the official electoral body to conclude its duty by announcing the results of the 2023 national elections.

”After that, anyone who is aggrieved must follow the stipulated legal process put in place to adjudicate electoral disputes, instead of threatening fire and conjuring apocalypse,” he said.

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ICPC detains TETFund boss ‘over questionable N7.6bn project’

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has detained Sonny Echono, executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

Demola Bakare, ICPC spokesperson, confirmed the development on Friday.

 

Bakare said that Echono was invited by the anti-graft agency on Thursday.

“The executive secretary of TETFund is here with us. He has been invited for questioning. He is still in custody. He was invited yesterday.” Bakare said.

 

“He was invited on Thursday. He has not been released. He’s still with us. Investigation is still ongoing.”

 

It was earlier reported that TETfund awarded two contracts to Fides Et Ratio Academy and Pole Global Marketing (PGM) within two months at the cost of N3.8 billion respectively without the approval of the federal executive council (FEC), which is required for the contract size.

 

The contract was to provide capacity building course and learning management systems to about 2 million students across higher institutions in the country.

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In a rejoinder, TETFund said it did not award N7.6 billion contracts to two companies without due process.

 

The agency said it was wrong to say they were contracts, whereas they were ICT projects implemented under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which doesn’t require competitive bidding in public procurement.

 

TETFund further said its disbursement guidelines were approved by the president on the recommendation of the “Fund’s Board of Trustees and concurrence of the Honourable Minister of Education in line with the TETFund Act 2011″.

In an interview with TheCable, Echono said there was no form of irregularity in the N7.6 billion project.

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American school writes EFCC, seeks to refund $760k of Yahaya Bello’s children fees

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The American International School of Abuja (AISA) has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid for the children of Yahaya Bello, immediate-past governor of Kogi state.

 

It will be recalled that Bello had àllegedly paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children from the coffers of the Kogi state government.

 

The children are in grade level 2 to 8 at the school.

 

On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege on Bello’s residence in Abuja in attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.

 

While the operatives were at the house, Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, arrived at the property and reportedly whisked Bello away.

 

In a letter addressed to the Lagos zonal commander of the EFCC, the school said the sum of $845,852 has been paid in tuition “since the 7th of September 2021 to date”.

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AISA said the sum to be refunded is $760,910, because it had deducted educational services already rendered.

 

“Please forward to us an official written request, with the authentic banking details of the EFCC, for the refund of the above-mentioned funds as previously indicated as part of your investigation into the alleged money laundering activities by the Bello family,” the letter reads.

 

“Since the 7th September 2021 to date, $845,852.84 (Eight Hundred and Forty Five Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty Two US Dollars and eighty four cents) in tuition and other fees has been deposited into our Bank account.

 

“We have calculated the net amount to be transferred and refunded to the State, after deducting the educational services rendered as $760,910.84. (Seven Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ten US Dollars and Eighty Four cents).

 

“No further additional fees are expected in respect of tuition as the students’ fees have now been settled until they graduate from ASIA.”

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The school said it will draw the attention of the anti-graft agency if there are any further deposits by the Bello family.

 

In a statement signed by Greg Hughes, AISA also said “Ali Bello contacted the school on Friday 13 August 2021 requesting to pay the family school fees in advance until the students graduate from High School”.

 

The EFCC has since declared Bello wanted, with the NIS placing the ex-governor on a wanted list.

 

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Arms deal: N4.6bn traced to Bafarawa’s son, EFCC witness tells court

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Hamza Abdullahi, a witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has narrated how N4.6 billion from the arms deal was traced to the son of Attahiru Bafarawa, a former governor of Sokoto.

Abdullahi appeared before Y. Halilu, the judge, at the federal capital territory (FCT) high court on Wednesday.

Bafarawa alongside Sagir, his son; Bashir Yuguda, former minister of state for finance; Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA); Dalhatu Investment Limited, a company owned by the former Sokoto governor; were arraigned by the EFCC.

The defendants are facing 25 counts of misappropriation, criminal breach of trust and receiving stolen property.

 

Their trial is connected to the alleged misappropriation of arms funds by Dasuki while he was NSA from 2012 to 2015.

On Wednesday, EFCC presented Abdullahi as the second witness in the trial-within-trial of the former Sokoto governor.

During the court proceedings, the EFCC witness said N4.633 billion was traced to the account of Dalhatu Investment Limited, where Bafarawa’s sons were directors.

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The witness added that Sagir was the sole signatory to the company’s bank account.

 

The EFCC witness told the court that he was the second-in-command of special task force, fraud investigation on arms, defence equipment procurement in the office of NSA in 2015.

He said the team investigated the activities of 78 companies that received money from the office of the NSA without justification, adding that Dalhatu Investment Limited was among the companies.

Abdullahi said Sagir was interviewed on November 25, 2015 by the investigation team and that he made his statement voluntarily.

“My Lord, I witnessed the statement dated 25/11/2015 of Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa. He was interviewed in my presence, the statement was also recorded in my presence,” the witness said.

 

“At the conclusion of the written statement, I read it to him. Thereafter, I endorsed the written statement. I equally endorsed the second statement at 4pm and it was concluded by 4:25pm, the same day. I witnessed it, my name and signature were there.

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“My Lord, there was nothing like promises made to the accused, threat or inducement. To the best of my knowledge, there was nothing like that.

“It was a very conducive environment and that was the secretariat of the special task force at the head office then.

 

“The secretariat is the conference room of the chairman, and no member of the special task force is authorized to make any promise in the course of investigation.

“When Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa honored our invitation, he came with his lawyer and he was confronted with the evidence that we have.

“Afterwards, he said he needed to consult his lawyer and later volunteered his written statement. These statements were based on the fact of the evidence we have on the company.”

After the witness’ testimony, Halilu adjourned the case to May 22, 2024.

Bafarawa served as the governor of Sokoto from 1999 to 2007.

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