Anambra State Commissioner for Youth Development, Patrick Mba, and his wife have been…
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President Bola Tinubu has issued a directive to reduce the size of Nigeria’s official…
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A Vietnam-bound businessman, Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, has been arrested by operatives of the National…
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How I Was Accused Of Using My Ailing Wife For Money Ritual – Obi Cubana Recounts
by Our Reporter The Nigerian business tycoon, Obi Cubana has spoken out about his wife’s battle with…
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Amosun’s response to the controversial deal is presented below: We have read various media…
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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday,…
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FG Accuses Chinese Firm Of ‘Fraudulent’ Move To Strip Nigeria’s Assets Over Jets Seizure In a statement on Thursday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga alleged that the Chinese firm is trying “to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge”. In the dispute involving an arbitration award, the court in Paris ruled in favour of the Chinese firm, allowing it to seize three presidential jets on routine maintenance in France as “security” for claims in a decades-long judicial matter between the foreign company and the Ogun State government. Free-Trade Zone Row Back in 2007, the foreign firm signed a contract with the Ogun State government to manage a free-trade zone but the contract was revoked by the state government in 2015. Displeased, Zhongshan initiated an investment treaty arbitration against Nigeria under the bilateral investment treaty between the People’s Republic of China and Nigeria (the China-Nigeria BIT). The arbitrators ruled that Nigeria was in breach of its obligations under the China-Nigeria BIT and awarded Zhongshan compensation amounting to millions of dollars. The Nigerian government and the subnational appealed the matter in “eight” jurisdictions including the United Kingdom and the United States. The latest jurisdiction is in France, where three Nigerian presidential jets are on routine maintenance. According to reports, the court in Paris held that the seizure of the jets was to “preserve the claim arising from the arbitration award dated 26 March 2021, made by an ad hoc arbitral tribunal”. But the Nigerian government said it is “not under any contractual obligation with the company”. “The case in which Zhongshan is trying to use every unorthodox means to strip our offshore assets is between the company and the Ogun State Government,” Onanuga said, flaying Zhongshan which he said “has no solid ground to demand restitution from the Ogun State Government based on the facts regarding the 2007 contract between the company and the State Government to manage a free-trade zone”. “When the contract with Ogun State was revoked in 2015, the company had only erected a perimeter fence on the land earmarked for a free trade zone,” he said. Arm-Twisting Tactics? Onanuga said despite that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has been working with the Ogun State Government on an amicable resolution, “Zhongshan obtained two orders from the Judicial Court of Paris dated March 7, 2024, and August 12, 2024, without any notice being duly served on the Federal Government of Nigeria and Ogun State Government”. “This arm-twisting tactic by the Chinese company is the latest in a long list of failed moves to attach Nigerian government-owned assets in foreign jurisdictions. “The material facts in the transaction between the Ogun State Government and Zhongshan point to another P&ID case in which unscrupulous and questionable individuals falsely present themselves as investors with the sole objective of undercutting and scamming Governments in Africa.” He claimed the foreign company “withheld vital information and misled the Judicial Court in Paris into attaching the Nigerian government’s presidential jets, which are on routine maintenance in France”. “The use and nature of the Presidential jets as assets of a Sovereign entity whose assets are protected by diplomatic immunity forbid any foreign Court from issuing an order against them. “We want to assure Nigerians that the Federal Government is working with the Ogun State Government to discharge this frivolous order in Paris immediately. “Nigerian Government will always work to protect our national assets from predators and shylocks who masquerade as investors,” he noted. Shrinking Presidential Fleet The court order came amid a controversy surrounding the planned purchase of a new presidential jet for President Bola Tinubu who has had to use hired jets for official trips in recent times due to faulty presidential jets. The health state of the Presidential Air Fleet has been source of concern of late. In May, a faulty presidential jet stopped Vice President Kashim Shettima from attending the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa. Last December, a presidential aircraft, Falcon 900B, was put up for sale, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) asking interested persons to submit their bids for the purchase of the aircraft.
by Our ReporterIn a statement on Thursday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga alleged that the Chinese firm…
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A fire outbreak occurred in the early hours of today, Friday, at a seven-storey…
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N90 Billion Hajj Subsidy: NAHCON Chairman In EFCC Detention, 314,098 Saudi Riyal Recovered The Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, are currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the alleged mismanagement of the N90bn 2024 Hajj subsidy. In a document sighted by our correspondent yesterday, the anti-graft agency said, “A total of SR314,098 was recovered,” from the NAHCON chairman and other ranking officials. The EFCC said its investigation revealed that from the N90bn Hajj subsidy, Arabi, fraudulently overpaid himself and others the necessary operational cost. Also according to the document, the approved 2024 Hajj operational cost for the Chairman/CEO, Commissioners, Secretary and Directors/Chief of Staff in the 2024 budget are stipulated as $4,250, $12,750, $3,825 and $15,300, respectively. The EFCC, however, alleged that: “The chairman fraudulently overpaid himself, the commissioners, secretary and directors for the 2024 hajj operational cost. “The chairman was entitled to SR15,929 but he got SR50,000; three commissioners who were meant to get SR 15,929 each received SR 40,000 each. The secretary got SR 30,000 instead of SR14,336. Directors/Chief of Staff received SR 30,000 instead of the SR2,550 they were entitled to. The total of SR314,098 were recovered from all of them.” The anti-graft agency had first grilled Arabi for hours on July 29 and released him on bail. Also, last week Wednesday, some top officials of the Hajj commission were arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged mismanagement or diversion of the N90bn subsidy. Yesterday, a source in the EFCC told our correspondent that the NAHCON Chairman was taken in again on yesterday for questioning and was detained. “The Secretary and Chairman of the commission are in our custody and are facing serious interrogations on the N90bn subsidy, among other allegations,” the source said on condition of anonymity because they could not speak officially. A document exclusively sighted by our correspondent revealed that SR 8,614,175.27 cash withdrawal out of the N90bn released by the federal government to the commission is yet to be accounted for by NAHCON. The document partly read, “The sum of N90bn was released by the Federal Government of Nigeria to the National Hajj Commission to subsidise the 2024 Hajj Operations by the Federal Government of Nigeria. “The total sum of N1, 764,705,937.62 was deducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria as bank charges. “The sum of N88, 235,294,063.72 was subsequently converted into United States dollars at the rate of N1,416.13, which amounted to USD 62,307,164.48 and thereafter transferred into NAHCON British SAAB Account in Saudi Arabia. “The sum of USD 62,307,164.48 was converted to Saudi Riyal at the rate of N3,748, which amounted to the sum of SR 233,527,252.47. “That the opening balance of the IBAN-E track for 2024 Hajj activities was SR 19,813,810.89 and has an inflow of SR 485,000,000.00 from NAHCON with a closing balance of SR 78,985,266.03. “That the closing balance is inclusive of the SR20,637,908.23 refunded from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Saudi Arabia. “That the total sum of SR 22, 815,367.74 was withdrawn cash from the British SAAB account by one Abubakar Muhammed Lamin in Saudi Arabia during the 2024 Hajj operation. “The expected cash payment for services and allowances to staff and stakeholders is SR 14,905,910.47. “That the total sum of SR 8,614,175.27 cash withdrawal is yet to be accounted for by NAHCON.” Meanwhile, an investigation into the commission’s activities since 2022 resulted in the recovery of estacodes paid to staff who did not undertake study tours and payments made to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd for services that were not rendered. The document stated, “While investigation commenced on the criminal aspect which has led to the recovery of Estacodes paid to staff, who did not travel to Indonesia for study tour, also recoveries were made for services not rendered of the sum of SR 1,026,000.00 and SR 1,780,019.99, being purported 7.5% of consultancy paid to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd for debt recover of the sum SR20, 637,908.23 from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Saudi Arabia.” The document stated that all supporting documents for payment of the consultancy services, including the Executive Chairman’s approval, were fraudulently backdated to January 23, 2024, to enable the payment of the sum of SAR 780, 019, 59 to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd on April 14, 2024. “The first suspect, Jalal Arabi, confessed that the consultant did not render any services. “A meeting of the Expanded Transitional Exco was held on 25th January 2024 with seven members and 18 staff in attendance but the payment of the consultancy services to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd was not discussed. “The commission’s secretary slotted the approval for the payment of the 7.5% consultancy to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd in the minutes of the Expanded Transitional Exco meeting as item 10 under AOB to enable the perfection of the documentation to steal the funds. “That the said sum of SR1,026,000.00, equivalent to about N430,920,000 Million, was also recovered from one Eastern Gulf Company Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
by Our ReporterThe Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s…
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We Were Acting A Skit, Husband Of Lady Who Tore Passport Pleads As NIS Arrest Wife ( Pictures, Video)
by Our ReporterThe lady who allegedly tore her husband’s International passport in a viral video at…