Sahara Reporters Latest News Saturday 27th July 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Saturday 27th July 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 27/07/19

E2%80%98bow-and-go%E2%80%99-senate-ahmad-lawan-fredrick-nwabufo target=_blank>The ‘Bow And Go’ Senate Of Ahmad Lawan By Fredrick Nwabufo

Fredrick Nwabufo

Ahmad Lawan has been dutiful in his obligation of inking ‘’rubber stamp’’ on the senate. Though he had said the senate, which he leads, would not dissolve into the executive as an appendage; his actions have betrayed this gasconade. Soon after he became senate president, Lawan assumed the ‘’volunteer role of unofficial spokesman’’ of President Buhari and saddled himself with ‘’interpreting maladies’’. Rising to the occasion as an ‘’interpreter of inefficiencies’’ on July 10, the senate president explained away the hold-up in the president’s submission of a ministerial list, saying the list would be released that week. This was in response to a point-of-order raised by Senator Bassey Akpan. ‘’The list’’ did not happen, and he later recanted. Also, speaking with state house correspondents on July 18, the senate president did not flinch in seizing the moment to reaffirm his loyalty to the president. He rationalised the delay in submitting the ministerial list, saying it would not affect the presentation of the 2020 budget. He interpreted the inefficiency again, saying: ‘’I think there is nothing to worry us deeply. The budget itself is normally prepared by civil servants.’’ I think Lawan has been effortless in maintaining the ‘’label’’. Though in June, while addressing a group of women parliamentarians, he said he was close to Buhari; he believed in him, but he would not be a rubber stamp senate president.Hear him: ‘’During my campaign, I was called a potential rubber-stamp senate president to the executive; maybe because I am close to the president, or because I believe in his cause.‘’There is no time that I will ever be a rubber stamp. Yes, I believe in President Buhari as a person and I believe that our problems as Nigerians are Nigerian problems.’’ But how do you sunder your loyalty to the president from your duty to your boss – the citizens? Can a man serve two masters? How can the legislature perform its function as an institution of check when its leadership is a consort of the executive?

target=_blank>Ministerial Screening: Drama As Melaye Ask Festus Keyamo To Recite National Anthem

There was a mild drama at the upper chamber on Friday as the senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye asked ministerial nominee Festus Keyamo to recite the national anthem.
“I know you to be intellectually mobile, I want you to recite the national anthem,” he tells the nominee.
President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, overruled Melaye’s request stating that it is not a question.
Keyamo is the 28th nominee that has so far been screened by the senate.

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target=_blank>Bayelsa: The Poor Rich State By Paul Adujie

The population of my home state, Bayelsa, is 2,000,000 and we all live in single-digit Local Government Areas of eight. 2,000,000 people are not too many people.
Bayelsa has the least number of local government areas in Nigeria. How difficult can it be to administer 2,000,000 citizens living in a paltry eight local government areas, compared with Lagos and Kano with 44 local government areas etc?
It is the case that population issues are political in the most toxic sense for a majority of the states; populations are inflated for political purposes. It is, therefore, even doubtful that Bayelsa State has 2,000,000 citizens, with voters register reportage of 923,000. Bayelsa is not, however, alone in this population engineering magic!
Manifestoes are similar to the promotional materials for political parties and persons, acting like a candidate, or who seek political office.
A manifesto is a platform and predicate advertisement, which gives insights to the voters as to what political parties and candidates for elective office, are promising to do or not does, upon being elected.
The governorship elections in my home and corner of Nigeria, Bayelsa State are just a few months away and none of the registered political parties in Nigeria, all 91 of them, have offered manifestoes or written promises of what their political parties and their candidates would do and refrain from doing, upon being victorious at the polls!
Instead, what the world has seen and observed so far, is merely the braggadocios of poor rich parties and poor rich men, who have, in the midst of abject, extreme poverty, unemployment, dearth of public infrastructure, neglected and abandoned projects which have been abandoned outright, the two major parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their swaggering candidates who have paid up 20 million naira each; monies from their vigorous and prodigious personal hard-earned money over the years, profits, dividends, savings and all, paid with ease and without qualms!
Upon paying this outrageous price for this indication of interest nomination forms, the candidates of the APC and PDP, the major contending political parties in Bayelsa State, my state, which is full of squandered promises and yet, full of potentials, the candidates are not telling us or even pretending to be telling us, or promising us, what the aforementioned political parties and their candidates might do, if elected.
But instead, all we are being taunted with, is why West and Not East, East and not South, or Nembe and not Sagbama or Amassoma and not Sabagria must be elected. These geographies are no testament of a can-do and will-do attitude which delivers so-called dividends of democracy to our people.
After all, our state, Bayelsa, is the same state which has proven wrong, the wrongheaded belief that if your local government produces a governor or president, that singular fact would assure, guarantee and make certain social, economic and infrastructural development.
The former President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan was the political umpire and referee for six years, and yet, there is no potable water in Otuoke, despite the federal expenditure of billions of naira on Otuoke Water Works, which did not yield water after all the hoopla of commissioning.
Furthermore, all the roads to Otuoke and all of Ogbia Local Government Areas are bad and impassable 366 days of the year, whether through the Agbura-Otuokpoti – Onuegbum axis or the Otuasegha-Okarki axis or the Emeya-Elebele Bayelsa Palm axis and Kolo-Ogbia Town axis. Ogbia Town is the Local Government Area headquarters!
There are uncountable projects, which have been abandoned by our state government over the years. These neglected projects abound and among them are, the 500-bed hospital on Imgbi Road in Yenagoa, which laid fallow for several years, before 2012 until 2018 when the premises was re-launched by the governor, Mr Seriake Henry Dickson with the help of Mr Olusegun Obasanjo, both men behaving as if these buildings and premises never existed for a day, before February 14, 2018.
Subsequently, the premises were summarily declared Bayelsa State Medical University, and everyone shouted Hooray!
All of our eight Local Government Areas could and can have individual campuses of the Niger Delta University.
NDU Nembe Campus, NDU Ogbia Campus, NDU SILGA Campus, I am sure that we all get the point, which is that a Bayelsa State University with multiple campuses in our eight Local Government Areas would streamline this critical education sector for Bayelsa State.
This will be more cost-efficient and administratively more manageable. One vice-chancellor and senate and governing council, instead of, and in place of multiple vice-chancellors, multiple senates, multiple management teams, multiple governing councils!
How can a governor who regaled us with austerity measures, arguing closure of NDU for several months, and shutting down Imiringi Turbine Power Station, be the same person who has inflicted this plethora of overhead costs, burdening our state and generations to come?
Bayelsa State and Akwa Ibom are peer states. They have identical birth dates. Since the implementation of the derivation principle, Akwa Ibom and the Bayelsa States have received more than a majority of the other 36 States of the Nigerian federation and received more revenue allocated to it from the federal revenues.
Akwa Ibom has a functioning airport, Akwa Ibom has outstanding and solid drainage systems, great networks of roads, a modern stadium and much more! Comparatively, Bayelsa State has no drainage system in Yenagoa or elsewhere and no good network of roads.
Bayelsa State’s Yenagoa International Airport was first planned approximately in 2007, to be at a location off East-West Road, then, a new location was off the road to Amassoma. The completion and commissioning were with pomp and pageantry, but, there are still no scheduled flights for once a week or even for once a month!
Yenagoa International Airport has its Control Towers still under construction, several months after the audacious landings of aircraft which heralded the commissioning with all the hoopla!
How be it, that those posturing and aggrandizing themselves as potentate or would-be governors of our very rich, but, poor state, neglect to mention these things? They have not stated their agreements or disagreements with these policies or how they might tinker with and tweak them for the benefits of all Bayelsa State citizens.
How come no governorship candidate is asking why it has taken eight years, and Isaac Adaka Boro Expressway is still under start, stop and start fitful constructions? Why is Adaka Boro Express a bridge too far?

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target=_blank>Ex-Delta PDP Chair Charged For Murder of Teenager

The Delta State Police Command has charged to court a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Ethiope East Local Government Area, Kings Okpako, and one Henry Ikechukwu, over the murder of an 18-year-old girl, identified as as Favour Ogheneyenrohwo Sunday.
Ogheneyenro was kidnapped by suspected ritualist. She was found dead in a Ghana-must-go bag with her pubic hair shaved.
The incident happened at Abraka, Ethiope-East council area of Delta State. According to reports, the victim’s remains were found at a dump site behind Ozoro Park in the town.
Witnesses said there were violent marks around her neck area, indicating that she was strangulated.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects a few weeks ago, disclosed that the suspects had since been charged to court and remanded too.
Onovwakpoyeya said, “On inspection of the corpse by the police, marks of violence were seen on the deceased’s neck which implied she could have been killed by an unknown person or persons.
“Subsequently, in the course of the police investigation, the deceased’s male friend, one Henry Ikechukwu, aged 32yrs old, who was last seen with the deceased on 17th of June, 2019 and who had been on the run since the incident, was tracked down and arrested on 28th of June, 2019.”
The police spokesperson further disclosed that, on interrogation, Ikechukwu confessed to having invited the deceased for an outing on 17th of June, 2019, from where he lured her and handed her over to a “prominent chief in the same Abraka community, who gave him the assignment to get the deceased for him.”
He added that both suspects were arrested and the case handed over to the state Criminal Investigation Department.”All the needful concerning the case has been done. The case was handed over to the state CID and after their investigation, the suspects were charged to court,” the police spokesperson stated.

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target=_blank>Delta Communities Accuse Okowa, NDDC Of Marginalisation, Seek Repair Of Roads

The people of Ndokwa/Ndoshinili communities of Delta north senatorial district of Delta state have protested against what they called “gross marginalisation” in the construction of roads and appointment of indigenes from the oil-producing area by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) since inception.
The protesters, who stormed the premises of the Delta State House of Assembly, on Thursday, led by Isaac Osakwe and Chinedu Ofulu, lamented that since the inception of civilian administration in Nigeria, they had written protest letters to every administration in Delta State on the need to construct the Asaba-Oko-Abala-Utchi-Okpai-Abalagada road, which serves the three local government areas but nothing tangible had been done.
The protesters noted that since the inception of NDDC, Delta central and south had benefitted more from appointments to the utter exclusion of Delta north.
The group said indigenes of Urhobo ethnic nationality had been NDDC board members for three times, twice as managing director and once as a member representing Delta State, adding that the Isoko had occupied the positions same number of times, Ijaw thrice while Itsekiri twice.
In the letter addressed to the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, and copied Okowa and President Muhammadu Buhari, the people stated that abandoned projects were inherited by the Delta State Government and had been appearing as “10E in the yearly budget with no administration ready to commit any money into it.”
The statement read, “Apart from voting always for the PDP in every election and allowed to suffer this way, We have also been producing oil, gas and electricity that service this nation and the state since the early 60s with nothing to show for our contributions. Your administration has done much around road construction to the extent that you have graduated to doing internal streets hence you have been christened “roadmaster.”

“Sir, where are our roads? How can our loyalty to your party only be repaid with continuous hardship? Pirates on the River Niger or Igbo cartel of traders seize or buy our goods at giveaway prizes because they know we cannot paddle the goods back home. Anambra State that has no oil way back in 1976 had the foresight to create a similar road from Onitsha to Ogwu-Ikpele (opposite Okapi) on the eastern flank of the Niger for her people, which we now use to avoid pirates.
“If it took Saipem Construction Company only two weeks to bulldoze the road and make it passable from Okpai to Head Bridge to connect the IPP high tension to Obosi, why is it so difficult for the Delta State Government to construct this road that has no bridge whatsoever?. Delta North in general and Ndokwa as the only oil-producing area in the senatorial zone has not had any member in the NDDC Board, and equity demands that justice is done.”
The protesters lamented that erosion had been ravaging most of their communities with the government doing nothing despite the availability of the ecological fund as well as the existence of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, (DESOPADEC) and the NDDC.
Addressing the protesters, who were received at the Assembly premises, the Speaker, Sheriff Oborewori, promised to liaise with the members representing the protesters at the National Assembly on their NDDC request, while the state will look into the roads marginalisation of the areas.

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target=_blank>Nigerians, Others In UK Sentenced To 61 Years For Drug Offences

Sixteen gang members have been jailed for more than 61 years for running Class A drugs through County Lines across the South East.
Those convicted include Connell Bamgboye, 25 of New Park Road, SW2 was jailed for six years; Chris Thomas, 23 of Masey Mews, SW2 was jailed for four years and six months; Rhys Walcott-Holder, 23 of Vibart Gardens, SW2 was jailed for four years; Shemiah Bell, 27 of Tilson Gardens, SW2 was jailed for four years and eight months; David Mundle, 23 of Clarence Avenue, SW4 was jailed for five years; Kyle Milton, 18 of Tilson Gardens, SW2 was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years; Ryeene Cowan, 24 of Fenton Close, SW9 was jailed for seven and a half years; Sadjo Diakite, 21 of Miranda Close, Coventry was jailed for three years and four months; Tife Orawusi, 20 (16.4.1999) of New Park Road, SW2 was jailed for three years and four months; and Kayce Leigh, 20 of Cassell House, SW9 was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years.
They all pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin).
They were all charged with one count of participating in an Organised Crime Group (OCG) which was left to lie on file.
Then, Mohammed Jalloh, 20 of Forster Road, SW2 was jailed for four years and six months; Taylor Mackey, 24 of Sangley Road, SE6 was jailed for four years; Darnell Bailey-King, 21 of Challice Way, SW2 was jailed for three years and six months; Tevin Nugent, 23 of Valley Road, SW16 was jailed for four years and six months; Robert Allison, 20 of Clarence Avenue, SW4 was jailed for four years; and Geoffrey Allen, 56 (27.12.1962) of no fixed abode was jailed for three years, pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) and one count of participating in an Organised Crime Group (OCG) but were convicted following trial:
They were jailed as the result of a joint investigation between the Met’s Specialist Crime South and Kent Police’s Operation Raptor. Operation Raptor teams focus on disrupting and dismantling criminals linked to county lines, drugs, and the exploitation of vulnerable people.
Between August 2018 and November 2018 officers identified the gang were running the following five County Lines:
Si LineThe Si Line was run from London into Bognor Regis, Sussex with Bamgboye as the primary owner. Walcott-Holder and Thomas controlled the line for short periods in Bamgboye’s absence. Initially, Thomas acted as a runner for the gang but was later promoted through the ranks. He became responsible for the resupply of drugs to Bognor Regis and oversaw the transportation of people to run the physical dealing – a role Leigh carried out. Phone records showed Leigh regularly updated Thomas on the profit made and amount of product remaining. She also frequently travelled between London and Bognor Regis to resupply the line. Thomas relied on a network of others in order to perform his role including Mackey, Nugent, Allison, and Bailey-King. Mackey was present on every identified journey carried out by Thomas, acting as a driver on the majority of trips.
AJ Line The AJ line, owned by Thomas, was infrequently operated in towns and villages on the borders of Berkshire, Hampshire, and Surrey. Its periods of operation coincided with the presence of either Thomas, Mackey or Nugent in the area. This was the only identified drugs line where the line-owner would spend extended periods of time in the dealing location.
Pepsi Line Mundle ran the Pepsi line between London and Medway, Kent. He used a number of addresses and runners in the area to store and sell the drugs. Diakitie was found inside an address linked to the line on 26 July 2018, along with large quantities of crack and heroin. Analysis of Diakite’s phone demonstrated he had regular communication with the Pepsi line. Mundle was arrested on 2 November 2018 and was found to be in possession of 362 wraps of heroin and the phone running the line.
Jeezy LineBell ran the Jeezy line between London and Medway with the assistance of Milton. On 20 June 2018 Allen was stopped in in Castle Road, Chatham and found to be in possession of 16 wraps of Class A drugs and a mobile phone linking him to the line. On 6 August 2018 police visited Grange Hill, Chatham and found Cowan inside an address with more than 600 wraps of Class A drugs. Examination of phone call data showed Cowan was in regular contact with the line.
The gang were also responsible for the sale of crack cocaine and heroin in several parts of South London.
The method of operation, in this case, is typical of county lines. The line holders managed the lines from London, directing younger members of the gang to ‘cuckoo’ addresses in the Home Counties to conduct sales from. These addresses often belonged to local drug users. Due to the hierarchal system of the gang, those in the middle tiers – such as Thomas – sometimes managed the lines themselves as they did not have younger members working for them. In the later stages of the investigation, officers carried out a weapons sweep of the communal areas surrounding Shemiah Bell’s address in Tilson Gardens, SW2. Just 15 metres from his front door, officers found 282 packages of heroin, a large quantity of cocaine and a smaller quantity of cannabis.
The investigation culminated in a large-scale arrested phase carried out in partnership with Kent Police on 15 November 2018. The operation involved more than 200 officers and was supported by local borough teams and other specialist units across the Met.
Warrants were carried out at the following addresses: New Park Road, SW2; Vibart Gardens, SW2; Sangley Road, SE6; Masey Mews, SW2; Valley Road, SW16; Challice Way, SW2; Stockwell Gardens Estate, SW9; Tilson Gardens, SW2; and Clarence Ave, SW4.
Officers seized a large quantity of Class A and B drugs, approximately £10,000 cash and a range of suspected stolen goods.
Detective Inspector Anthony Jones from the Met’s Specialist Crime South said: “This investigation is the result of months of hard work carried out by my officers in close collaboration with colleagues from Kent Police. They all showed exceptional commitment in bringing these 16 offenders to justice.
“County Lines remains a national issue, but as this investigation shows, we will work closely with colleagues from other forces to share intelligence, gather evidence and dismantle drug dealing networks.
“There is a clear link between the drug supply and the violence we have seen unfold on the streets of London. By disrupting the activity of this organised crime group, we have reduced the violent activity which blighted local communities in the months prior to this investigation.
“But we are not complacent, and we will continue to identify and pursue those intents on participating in criminal activity. Tackling violence is, and will remain, the Met’s main priority and we will tackle it using all the powers and tactics available to us.
“The support of our communities is vital in combatting violent crime. Please help us to keep London safe. If you aren’t comfortable speaking directly to the police, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They do not ask your name or trace your call.”
Detective Chief Inspector Gavin Moss, from Kent Police’s Crime Investigation Department, said: ‘The sentences imposed send out an unmistakable message that there is no place for county lines drug dealing.
“These offenders were all looking to make money from people living with drug misuse and cared little about the harm they were causing to numerous communities. The length of time they will spend in prison reflects the seriousness of such offending.
“The result from this case is a testament to the close partnership work between our Medway Operation Raptor team and the Metropolitan Police.
“Our teams will continue to work alongside the Metropolitan Police to identify and proactively target those involved in county lines drug dealing.”

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target=_blank>Bill To Protect Rights Of Internet Users In Nigeria Passes First Reading In Parliament

The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, which seeks to protect the rights of internet users in Nigeria from infringement of their fundamental freedoms and to guarantee the application of human rights for users of digital platforms has passed the first reading at the National Assembly.
In February this year, President Buhari declined assent to the Bill after it was passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the 8th National Assembly. Meanwhile, Paradigm Initiative, the organization leading the advocacy for the passage of the Bill had been engaging stakeholders on the way forward for the Bill after Buhari declined assent.
Boye Adegoke, Programme Manager at Paradigm Initiative, said in a statement, “On April 18, 2019, we hosted a stakeholder roundtable in Abuja to review the reasons President Buhari declined assent to the bill.
The roundtable gave a unique opportunity for us to get robust stakeholder feedback and buy-in into the objective of the bill from stakeholders. We have on the basis of that revised the bill and we are glad for the immediate attention it has received from the National Assembly.”
Tahir Monguno, a lawmaker who sponsored the bill in the house said the Internet was opening up new possibilities for Nigeria’s teeming young population.
“As a legislator, I hold the firm belief that we must encourage young people by assuring them of their protection when doing legitimate activities on digital platforms.”
On the chances that President Buhari will sign the bill when passed by the National Assembly, Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative explained, “We are hopeful that the President will sign the bill.
The President was clear when he declined assent to the bill in the 8th NASS that he would be happy to sign the bill if his concerns were addressed. Those concerns have now been addressed and the bill has started another legislative journey. We hope that the President will keep his word.”
He added that his team worked with the Ministry of Justice, the Nigeria Communications Commission and other stakeholders in producing the current version of the bill.
The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, 2019 (HB. 98) was read on the floor of the House on July 16, 2019, for first reading. The bill must be passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate before it is sent to President Muhamadu Buhari for assent.

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target=_blank>Google To Introduce Nigerian Accent To Map Navigation

Search engine giant, Google, has announced the launch of new products and features on the light-weight app, Google Go, features like Lens, Discover and Google assistant have been added. The lens feature allows users to interact with Google using cameras.
The map will include information on the expected fare, travel time and even photos of the bus stops to help guide commuters. Outside Lagos, Google is expanding street view imagery to Abuja, Benin City, Enugu and Ibadan.
Commuters making their way through Nigeria can now hear travel advice in a local voice on Google Maps under new features aimed at attracting more users in Africa that were unveiled by the company on Wednesday.
Rapidly expanding populations, increased mobile phone penetration and crowded cities that are often poorly signposted have led technology firms to identify African countries as potential growth areas.
The local accents feature, unveiled at an event in the commercial capital Lagos and also available on Google Assistant, is the first move by the U.S. technology giant to offer such a service in Africa.
They are now offering transport features from detailed maps to motorcycle ride-hailing services. Google’s motorcycle directions will also be available in Benin Republic, Ghana, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda from Wednesday, the company said.
The technology titan owned by Alphabet Inclusive said it is aiming to capture new users and expand its appeal beyond just drivers.
“There are 10 million (motorcycles) in Nigeria, it’s hugely popular, we’re going market by market based on popularity,” said Ramesh Nagarajan, Google’s director of product management.
In the coming months, the maps feature will also allow users in Lagos to seek directions on what it calls “informal transit” – such as yellow danfo minibuses that ply virtually every road in Lagos, but about which it is difficult for outsiders or even Lagosians travelling to a new neighbourhood to find information.
Google partnered with local start-up Road Preppers Technologies Ltd to gather data on the different routes available and aims to tell users the best options available based on traffic, weather and road conditions.
“What we’re hoping is for people who might be making a trip to an unfamiliar town, maybe a journey they don’t usually take, to be able to discover the info they need to make that journey,” said Jeff Albertson, a Google senior product manager who worked on the development
Google has worked hard to expand in West Africa, especially Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country with an estimated 190 million citizens.
Last year it unveiled WiFi hotspots across Lagos, and in 2017 it launched a program to train millions of Africans in tech skills to make them more employable.
Google, however, didn’t say what sort of investment it was putting into the recent Spatio-temporal technological developments.

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E2%80%99s-crony-jeddy-agba-enmeshed-corruption-scandal-makes-buhari%E2%80%99s-ministerial-list target=_blank>Diezani’s Crony Jeddy Agba Enmeshed In Corruption Scandal Makes Buhari’s Ministerial List

Goddy Jeddy Agba, President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominee for Cross River State, allegedly aided Nigeria’s ex-petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in shady deals and was allegedly part of the looting that took place during the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan, SaharaReporters has gathered.
Agba is a former Group General Manager (GGM), Crude Oil Marketing Division (OMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
During Diezani’s tenure as petroleum minister, Agba was described as “the lord of the manor” where he superintended the multi-billion dollar oil-for-fuel swap deals. There are reports he is being considered to head the Federal Government’s petroleum ministry.
Sources, who detailed Agba’s alleged corruption deal, said that his appointment would be tantamount to Diezani’s return to power.
Diezani Alison-Madueke has been embroiled in a global corruption scandal involving hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Under that regime (Jonathan’s) Jeddy Agba knows most of the deals that took place in illegal and corrupt oil sales. He has questions to answer in the Nigeria National Petroleum Petroleum Commission and should not to be a federal minister. Goddy’s coming to power is Diezani coming back to power,” the source told SaharaReporters.
The source gave details of landed properties allegedly purchased with illicit funds by Agba.
One of them has the title number NGL621946 from the HM Land Registry, Wales Office, United Kingdom. The address of the property reads ‘25 Harman Drive, London (NW2 2ED). Price Stated : £1,750,000.’
Registered owner, according to the document, are Onyung Jedy Godwin Agba and Beatrice Ejodamen Jedy-Agba of 25 Harman Drive, London NW2 2ED.

RegisterNGL621946.pdf

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The source said, “Agba bought this property as a general manager at NNPC. There are about five more in London. He practically bought the ministerial nomination. Buhari failed in doing his checks.
“He also has serious health challenges. In 2014, while campaigning for governor, he collapsed due to a brain tumour and was rushed to Germany and operated on. He almost died. Diezani funded the air ambulance. He has to go for monthly checks. He is medically unfit. They fleeced us dry.”
This is not the first time allegations of corruption were levelled against Agba. In 2016, Paradise News, an online publication covering Nigeria’s south-south region, had reported how the Federal Government, through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), began to beam its searchlight on Agba.
According to the report, Agba was being investigated over his role in the oil swap deals through which billions of dollars were siphoned from the nation’s coffers.
The report partly read, “Agba, who was in charge of sale of crude in the NNPC is also thought to be neck-deep in oil bunkering even as he is also said to have made a lot of money for himself through sundry illegal deals and is alleged to be the owner of choice properties in most cities of the world.
“Agba, who has a soft spot for a top-of-the-range automobiles and choice wine, is one of very few Nigerians who owns a Bentley and a private jet to boot. Agba, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to avoid prosecution, is said to be enjoying the protection of some persons in the presidency.”
President Buhari had, on Wednesday, submitted the long-awaited ministerial list to the Senate for confirmation.
Many Nigerians who had expected the president to include new but competent hands across the ethnic, religious and political divide were shocked and disappointed to see old faces again.
Agba is not the only nominee accused of corruption. Many other nominees on Buhari’s ministerial list have also been linked with one form of corruption or the other.
It will be recalled that elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai had on Wednesday described Buhari’s nominees as “fantastically corrupt”. Many Nigerians also took to the social media to express their disappointment and frustration concerning the list and the Buhari-led administration.

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Three More Shiites Have Died In Police Custody –Islamic Movement in Nigeria

Three more Shia Muslims have died in the custody of the Nigeria Police Force, claims the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).
“Reports reaching the Islamic Movement in Nigeria have confirmed the death of 3 detainees, who were shot and held in Police custody at SARS headquarters, Abuja since Monday. They died on Wednesday because of bullet wounds they sustained during the free Zakzaky protest early in the week,” a statement by the group said on Friday.
The Shia group claimed that more of its members might die in police custody because there are at least 15 people in the detention centre with various degrees of bullet wounds, without medication.
Among these are women and a minor who was shot in the leg.
The statement added, “All entreaties made by relatives of the detainees for the police authorities to allow them have medication have fallen on deaf ears, an indication that they are waiting for them to slowly die in excruciating pains.

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Nigeria News Today Headlines Update

Sahara Reporters Latest News Saturday 27th July 2019

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