Ibrahim Lamorde, the former chairman of the anti-graft agency, EFCC, is dead. He was 61.

Mr Lamorde died in Egypt where he had travelled for medical treatment, a close associate disclosed.

Born on 20 December 1962, Mr Lamorde joined the Nigerian Police in 1986 and retired as a Deputy Inspector General of Police in 2021.

While a police officer, he served as EFCC chairman between 2011 and 2015.

According to his profile on the EFCC website, Mr Lamorde was the third Executive Chairman of the Commission.

He was appointed in an acting capacity as Chairman of the Commission on 3 November 2011 following the removal of Farida Waziri by President Goodluck Jonathan. He was confirmed as the third substantive Chairman of the Commission by the Senate on 15 February 2012.

Mr Lamorde, who was born on 20 December 1962 in Mubi, Adamawa State, attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology in 1984. He joined the Nigerian Police Force in 1986.

When the EFCC was created in 2003, Mr Lamorde was made the pioneer Director of Operations. In December 2007, he took over as Acting Chairman in January 2008, holding the position until Mrs Waziri was appointed Chairperson and confirmed by the Senate in June 2008. In December 2010, Mr Lamorde returned to the EFCC, again as Director of Operations to replace Stephen Otitoju, the then Acting Director of Operations.

When Mrs Waziri was replaced on 23 November 2011, Mr Lamorde, then an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), was again appointed Acting Chairman.

He was confirmed as substantive Chairman of the EFCC on 15 February 2012, a position he held till 9 November 2015, when President Buhari replaced him with Ibrahim Magu as the EFCC Chairman in an acting capacity.

President Bola Tinubu is ready to fire underperforming ministers who fail to deliver on targets set for them, the Presidency has said.

The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, said though the President was yet to decide on the ministers’ performances, he had told them to deliver on his administration’s eight-point agenda. He added that those found wanting would be asked to leave the cabinet.

Onanuga also rated the performance of the administration high as it approaches its first year in office, giving it a score of 70 per cent.

He said when President Tinubu took over, Nigeria was using 97 per cent of its revenue to service debt, and was borrowing for recurrent expenditure, which include the payment of salaries, adding that the administration brought the nation back from the brink of economic collapse with the implementation of bold policies, such as the removal of fuel subsidy, and the unification of the exchange rate.

Tinubu’s charge to ministers

President Bola Tinubu, had while inaugurating his 48 ministers, advisers, and other aides, urged them to put aside their personal interests and focus on his government’s immediate concern of pulling Nigeria out of poverty.

The President gave the advice at the close of a three-day retreat for ministers, permanent secretaries, presidential aides, and other top government officials at the State House, Abuja, last year after they were appointed.

He told the participants that they had the responsibility of changing the narrative about the country, noting that if they had any problem with Nigeria, they should have a conversation about it.

President Tinubu stressed the need for the officials to bond and ensure that the country recovered from ‘elephantiasis’.

He said, “We have gathered here to shape the future, no threat about it. The responsibilities we bear are not just titles; they are the hopes and aspirations of millions of Nigerians.

“You might be ready to forget about the rest of the world but as a Nigerian, let’s go out there, let’s bond together and make sure our country is fully recovered from elephantiasis.

“Let me remind you that you are not here to make excuses; neither am I. I am your friend, brother, father and grandfather.

“You must put outside personal ambitions and focus on the progress of our nation. It is through this that we can be truly proud. I am proud to stand before you. I am very proud of all of you. And, I am proud of myself too. I contested the election and won with your support. They took me to court, and I won.”

The President also extracted the commitment of the ministers and other government officials to work together as a team to achieve the goals of his government, asking, “We are about to close this three-day cabinet retreat, are we proud that we are Nigerians? Are we sure that we’ve done this? Is the responsibility of the permanent secretary clear in partnership with the minister? Are we one family?

“Since we are one family and one nation, and we are in this vehicle together to change the narrative and bring about the economic prosperity of our country. Are we ready?”

The President further told his ministers and other aides, “We have a responsibility to our country to make sure we completely change the narrative about Nigeria.

“If we have problems, let’s talk to one another. Let’s have gentle conversations about our country. It is not about ‘just leave me alone, I’m going home’; you may not have a home.

“There’s nothing you can do successfully without good healthcare and poverty reduction. Like I said before, poverty is not a shameful thing, but it is not acceptable. Are we going to dig our people out of it?”

1. Beginning from June 2024, the Nigerian Immigration Service will start home delivery of passports in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Abuja, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has assured. The minister spoke when he inspected the electronic gates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport’s new terminal in Abuja.

2. Six soldiers allegedly responsible for the death of an NDLEA official, Kingsley Chimetalo, have been court-martialed and dismissed by the Nigerian Army. Four of the soldiers allegedly involved have been handed over to the police while two others ran away.

3. President Bola Tinubu on Saturday departed Abuja for Lagos to inaugurate several projects including the concrete-paved road to Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, the refurbished Third Mainland Bridge, and the rehabilitation of 330 roads and bridges across the country.

4. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser, has threatened to file a defamation suit against Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, Deputy Governor of Kano State. He issued the threat over the comment of the Deputy governor on the emirate tussle in Kano, saying the NSA’s office is being used to cause chaos in the state.

5. The Kano Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association has raised concerns over the recent developments in the state following the repeal of the Kano Emirate Council Law of 2019. The association, in a statement on Saturday by its chairman, Sagir Gezawa, called for adherence to legal and constitutional processes.

6. The deposed Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, has broken his silence following his dethronement as the 15th Emir of Kano State. Bayero said justice would prevail while urging residents to maintain law and order. He stated this on Saturday in his native language at the mini-palace where he has been since returning to the state after dethronement.

7. The Rivers State House of Assembly members loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, said it had written to the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections to fill the vacant seats in the state legislature. The current factional leader of the House, Sokari Goodboy stated this in an interview on Saturday.

8. Troops of the Nigerian Army, on Friday killed no fewer than six terrorists during separate operations in Kaduna State. The troops also recovered arms during the operations. This came after the military high command revealed that troops deployed for counter-terrorism operations arrested over 253 terrorists and arrested 172.

9. A fuel tanker on Saturday morning fell and caught fire at the Ibafo/Aseese axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency said that no life was lost.

10. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disclosed that his agenda for the people of the North Central is to build infrastructure and implement policies that will develop all the sectors of the zone. He, however, appealed to stakeholders and leaders of the APC in the zone to remain united to take the party to the next level of development.