The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Mr. Ekpo Nta, says the commission has seized 62 houses from a female public officer.

According to him, the matter is in the court and the property will be confiscated by the Federal Government after litigation.

The ICPC chairman revealed this while fielding questions from journalists at the Akwa Ibom Anti-Corruption Summit in Uyo on Tuesday.

He said, “How would the commission address unexplained wealth by public officers? The commission has a mandate to ask anybody to explain the source of his or her wealth. The commission has the power to issue an interim seizure order to any public officer to explain the source of their wealth.

“Through that order, the commission has seized 62 houses from one female officer, the matter is still in court and the property will be confiscated by the FG after litigation.”

Nta, who spoke on the theme, “Transparency and

Accountability: A Panacea for Good Governance and Sustainable Development,” said the anti-corruption war had yielded good results in the country.

He cautioned public office holders not to live above their incomes.

Nta said, “There are many facets of corruption in Nigeria. The commission will stop at nothing to bring anyone found to have contravened the anti-corruption crusade to book.”

He noted that the commission had retrieved 40 vehicles that were stolen by some retired directors of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and warned against trivialising the anti-graft war.

Nta explained that the commission was prosecuting over 400 corruption cases in different courts in the country, noting that those found guilty at the end of the trial would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

He added that the commission had taken a step further by launching the anti-corruption campaign in institutions of higher learning and among the members of the National Youth Service Corps.

He said that an anti-corruption module had long been introduced into the curriculum of the University of Calabar, maintaining that such a measure would go a long way in entrenching moral values in students.

Nta explained that the ICPC had inaugurated anti-corruption clubs in orientation camps, noting that such measures had assisted the commission in detecting and arresting about 42 fake corps members at orientation camps recently.

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, lamented that corruption had eaten deep into the fabrics of the Nigerian society.

Emmanuel advised all and sundry to be in the vanguard of curbing the menace of corruption if the country must move forward.

“We must change our mindsets about the way we do things in the country,” Emmanuel said.

The governor frowned on what he described as illicit cash running into over $157bn leaving the shores of Nigeria through fraudulent practices.

He identified corruption as the greatest enemy of development, noting that the repatriation of illicit funds across Nigeria’s borders to developed nations was regrettable.

He said if such funds were used within the shore of the country, the socio-economic life of Nigeria would have been positively impacted.

The governor enjoined all well-meaning Nigerians to join the ongoing crusade to rid the system of corruption and other economic crimes plaguing the country.

Popular Nigerian RnB star, Innocent “Tuface” Idibia also known as 2Baba has expressed appreciation to everyone who came out to support the One Voice #IStandWithNigeria protest.


The 41-year-old who backed out of the planned protest at the eleventh hour said all those who lent their voices to the protest to speak up against the ills in the nation were the real heroes.

Tuface had cited security concerns as the reason he backed out of the march after the Police warned him against going ahead with the rally.

However, the protest went on in major cities like Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan and other places.

Tuface said, “I watched with tears how Nigerians defied all odds to protest with #istandwithNigeria, it has shown that no voice is bigger than the other whether that of 2baba, security men or even any other person,” Tuface said in a video posted on his official Instagram page on Tuesday.

“I have read several opinions including being called a coward but I can say that I am glad that I am a coward who spoke up and will continue to speak up…I am grateful for everybody that lent their voice, when I lost mine. You were the real heroes.”

The Federal Government on Wednesday tendered before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, bags of cash in local and foreign currencies, guns, among other items allegedly recovered by the operatives of the Department of State Services from the house of a judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in October last year.

The items were tendered through the agency’s Exhibit Keeper, Mr. Umar Ahmed, who appeared in court as the 11th prosecution witness in the ongoing joint trial of Justice Ademola; his wife, Olabowale; and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Joe Agi, on charges, including giving and receiving gratification to influence the course of justice.

Led in evidence by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Segun Jegede, the witness took his time to identify the various items which were brought into the courtroom by the DSS operatives on Wednesday.

Umar totalled the various sums of money contained in three separate bags as N54m; $171,779; €4,400; £80 and R1,010 (Indian Rupee).

Other items tendered through the prosecution witness included, two Avar Magnum Pump Action gun, bearing the names of Justice Ademola and another judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Ahmed Mohammed.

The guns were accompanied with original copies and photocopies of the licences bearing Justices Ademola and Mohmammed’s names.

There were also two cartridges – a red head of 25 pieces and a white head of 10 pieces, among the items tendered.

Umar also identified two iPads and an 8GB flash drive as part of the items recovered from Justice Ademola’s house during the October 7, 2016 raid on the judge’s house.

Umar said four mobile phones belonging to the judge were also recovered from the house.

He said the phones were however returned to the judge after taking them “to the lab for exploitation.”

“The iPads too were taken to the lab for the same purpose,” he said.

According to the witness, the phones were returned to Justice Ademola but the iPads were not.

Apart from the N39.5m contained in a ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bags, the rest of the cash and other recovered items were contained in sealed transparent cellophane with different identification numbers.

While identifying the items, Umar said, “The white bag contains 12 bundles of N1,000 notes, making N500,000 per bundle. The total is N6m.

“The small black bag with a design contains 17 bundles of N1,000 each which equal to N8.5m.

“The ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ (grey in colour) contains 79 bundles making N39.5m.”

He also gave a breakdown of the dollar denominations as comprising 51 bundles of $100 bills, as well as other lower dollar denominations.

He confirmed the dollar currencies to be $121,779 in total and the rest of the cash as €4,400; £80 and R1,010 (Indian Rupee).

He said he received the items on October 10, 2016, which was two days after the DSS raid.

Umar said, “I got to office in the morning of October 10, 2016 and I saw honourable judges, about six or seven of them. Then later in the evening, Mr. Ike Onuoha, who happened to be the leader of one of the operatives that conducted the raid told me about the items recovered during their raid.

“He came up with the items with the forwarding letter, search warrant, and the list of items recovered from the accused person’s house.

“He brought them and I cross-checked with the list of items he gave me. Then I took custody of them. Taking custody means I have to take them and preserve and keep.”

The defence lawyers comprising, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), Chief Robert Clarke (SAN) and Mr. Jeph Njikonye, said they had no objection to the admissibility of the items as exhibits.

The trial judge, Justice Jude Okeke, subsequently admitted all the items as exhibits.

After the exhibits were admitted, Justice Okeke invited the Director of Litigation of the FCT High Court, Mr. Madugu Mohammed, to make an arrangement for the safe keeping of the money.The prosecution and the defence lawyers eventually reached an agreement to hand over the money to Mohammed for onward transfer to a “deposit account.”

The judge ordered that the cash sums marked as Exhibits X, Z, BB, CC, DD, EE and FF, must always be made available to the court whenever the need for them arose.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyers, Umar admitted that there were other items, mostly cheque books, recovered from Justice Ademola but not yet returned to him.

“I do not decide what to bring to court,” the exhibit keeper said.

Earlier, a banker with Guaranty Trust Bank, Mr. Malik Babatunde, who testified as the 10th prosecution witness, informed the court that Justice Ademola transferred N175m from his (Justice Ademola’s) account to Don Parker Properties’ account on January 24, 2014.

Reading from the judge’s statement of account, which was tendered and admitted as exhibits along with other documents produced by the bank on Wednesday, Babatunde said the two transactions were marked as “sale of properties” on the statement of account.

Under cross-examination by the defence lawyers, the witness confirmed that there was no entry around March 11, 2014, showing either lump sum of N30m or N10m was transferred from the wife of Justice Ademola (Olabowale) to the judge’s account.

He also confirmed that there was no regulation or policy barring civil servants from paying for properties from their accounts.

The trial continues on Thursday.

The Nigerian army, Wednesday evening, said it has arrested two soldiers who brutalised a physically challenged man in Onitsha for allegedly wearing a military camouflage shirt . A statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman said the two soldiers have equally been charged forassault by their Commanding Officer.

The army however enjoined the general public to regard the incident as an isolated case which does not reflect the true image of the Nigerian Army.


“The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a video clip in which two soldiers were seen maltreating a physically challenged person for allegedly wearing a camouflage shirt.”“We wish to inform the public that the incident took place on Tuesday 7th February 2017, at Onitsha, Anambra State.


“In line with our zero tolerance for acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conducts especially in relation to violation of human rights, we wish to further state that the soldiers involved have since been identified and apprehended.”
“They have also been charged for assault by their Commanding Officer.”

“Similarly, troops have been warned to desist from such acts that infringe on human rights and cast serious aspersions on the good image of the Nigerian Army.”

“The public should please regard this ugly incident as an isolated case which is not true reflection of the Nigerian Army.”


“Thank you for your kind cooperation.”Recall also that in the clip, the two soldiers were seen dragging the crippled man on the ground while lashing him severally withcanes. They equally took the crippled man’s wheelchair, threw it away and then descended on him while the civilians looked on helplessly.

The Federal Government has taken over the operations of troubled Arik Air to save it from total collapse. Arik Air has been immersed in heavy financial debt that has threatened to permanently ground the airline, Sundiata post reports. The Airline, which carries about 55 percent of the load in the country, has been going through difficult times that are attributable to its bad corporate governance, erratic operational challenges, inability to pay staff salaries and heavy debt burden among other issues.

These have led to the calls for authorities in the country to intervene before Arik goes under like many before it. Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, (AMCON), in a statement said: “We assure all stakeholders that the intervention is in the best interest of the general public, workers, creditors and other aviation interest groups.” The move, which clearly underscores government’s decision to instill sanity in the nation’s aviation sector has also prevented a major catastrophe that would among other factors protect, and preserve Arik Airlines as a going concern.

The development will afford Arik Airlines, which is the largest local carrier to go back to regular and undisrupted operations, avoid job losses, protect investors and stakeholder funds as well as ensure safety and stability in the already challenged aviation sector. The airline would now be managed by Capt. Roy Ukpebo Ilegbodu, a veteran aviation expert under the receivership of Oluseye Opasanya. Explaining the rationale for the latest intervention in Arik Airlines, Senator Hadi Siriki, minister of State for Aviation, said, “We believe that this appointment is timely and will stabilize the operations of the airline. “This will enhance the long term economic value of Arik Air and revitalize the airline’s ailing operations as well as sustain safety standards, in view of Arik Air’s pivotal role in the Nigerian aviation sector.”

The minister who further pledged that the federal ministry of Aviation would support the new management of the strategic carrier added that all necessary steps have been taken to ensure that there would be no undue disruption on Arik’s regular business operations or activities of other stakeholders, on account of the recent changes in the leadership and management of Arik Airline. Similarly, Capt. Ilegbodu, under the receivership of Opasanya, SAN has also assured both staff of the troubled airline and all other stakeholders that his appointment at Arik would among other objectives enhance the value of Arik, improve customer experience, and sustain the safety, reliable and secure operational history of the airline before all those were eroded.

As a matter of fact, Arik Airline has been in a precarious situation largely attributable to its heavy financial debt burden, bad corporate governance, erratic operational challenges and other issues, that required immediate intervention in order to guarantee the continued survival of the Airline. On February 8, Arik temporarily suspended its flight operations to the John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, United States, claiming that the two Airbus A330-200 aircraft dedicated to the route have been taken to France for C check at the same time. Equally more than eight aircrafts are currently grounded at the tarmac making it difficult to meet their routine commercial flights.

The two soldiers who allegedly tortured a cripple on Tuesday along the New Market Road, Osha in Onitsha, Anambra State, were court-martialled on Thursday.

Our correspondent learnt that the soldiers, whose names had yet to be disclosed by the army, had also been discharged from their unit and summoned to the 82 Division, Enugu State.

Also, it was learnt that the victim was billed to meet with the military authorities at the 82 Division on Friday (today).

The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, who is also the spokesman for the 82 Division, Col. Sagir Musa, confirmed the soldiers’ trial, adding that the victim had been invited.

PUNCH Metro had reported on Thursday that a video footage, which went viral, showed the soldiers allegedly dragging and flogging the crippled man for dressing in camouflage.

It was reported that in the video posted by one Prince Ifeanyichukwu Emmanuel on Facebook, one of the soldiers dispossessed the man of his wheelchair and threw it away. The soldier then held the victim by the hand and dragged him on the road as his colleague joined him to flog the man.

The video, which was recorded on Tuesday, also showed the victim begging the soldiers, unsuccessfully, to escape the assault.

The Nigerian Army had, in a statement late on Wednesday, said it had identified and arrested the soldiers.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.Gen. Sani Usman, said, “In line with our zero tolerance for acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conducts, especially in relation to violation of human rights, we wish to state that the soldiers involved have since been identified and apprehended.

“They have also been charged with assault by their Commanding Officer. Similarly, troops have been warned to desist from acts that infringe on human rights and cast serious aspersions on the good image of the Nigerian Army.”

PUNCH Metro learnt on Thursday that the soldiers had been summoned to the 82 division headquarters, Enugu.

The division spokesperson, Colonel Musa, said, “The soldiers have been tried at the unit level in Onitsha, and referred to the higher level for appropriate punishment commensurate with the offence committed.

“The victim has also been invited and he will meet with us on Friday. We also have a press conference where the issue will be discussed in detail. Whatever human rights infraction is seen with our men, appropriate sanctions will be applied to serve as deterrence to others. This case will not be an exception.”

Meawhile, the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in Abuja on Thursday condemned the attack on the victim by soldiers for dressing in camouflage.

A statement issued by the National President of JONAPWD, Ekaete Umoh, said the attack on the crippled man contravened his fundamental human rights and was inimical to the course of the rule of law.

She said, “We detest the treatment and call for proper investigation, prosecution and justice should take its course in this matter.

“We also call for the speedy harmonisation of the disabled persons billspassed by both the Senate and House of Representatives. President Muhammadu Buhari should assent to the bill for it to become law.”

The Nigerian Army has demoted two soldiers, Cpl. Bature Samuel and Cpl. Abdulazeez Usman of 82 Provost Company in Onitsha, Anambra, to Private for human rights abuse

The Nigerian Army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

Usman said the demoted soldiers on Feb. 7, maltreated a physically challenged person, Mr Chijioke Uraku, on the street of Onitsha, Anambra, for allegedly wearing Army camouflage uniform,

Usman said they were arrested, summarily tried on two-count charge and found guilty.“Consequently, both have been sentenced to reduction in rank from Corporal to Private Soldiers and 21 days imprisonment with Hard Labour, respectively.

“It includes forfeiture of 21 days pay to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“The Nigerian Army has also reached out to the victim of their unjustifiable assault, Mr Chijoke Uraku (alias CJ), as widely reported by the media.

“We wish to reiterate our avowed determination to ensure that troops conduct themselves in the most orderly and professional manner at all times.

“Any act of indiscipline would not be tolerated,” he said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in another breakthrough in Lagos said that it has discovered the sum of N11.75bn allegedly said to be that of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Also Mr Ibrahim Magu, Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday confirmed the recovery of 9.75 million dollars and 750,000 pounds from a residence in Kaduna state.

According to the EFCC Diezani was said to have bought the building situated in Lagos popular bourgeoise island called Banana Island between 2011 and 2012 at a total cost of $37.5m from the YF Construction Development and Real Estate.


Diezani fights back, disowns $153million loot
EFCC said, “The aggressive drive by the EFCC to recover all hidden assets of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is under investigation for corruption and money laundering, produced another breakthrough this week with the discovery of a property acquired through shell companies by the former minister at upscale Banana Island in Lagos.

“The property is a 15-storey edifice comprising 18 flats and six penthouses.

“The property was acquired by the former minister between 2011 and 2012 at a total cost of $37.5m from the developers, YF Construction Development and Real Estate.

The property was allegedly acquired in the name of a shell company, Rusimpex Limited under the control of certain Mr. Afamefuna Nwokedi of Stillwaters law firm, in Lagos.”

Last year, the commission seized an $18m mansion in the Asokoro area of Abuja allegedly belonging to the ex-minister.

She has, however, denied all the allegations levelled against her.

Mr Ibrahim Magu, Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday confirmed the recovery of 9.75 million dollars and 750,000 pounds from a residence in Kaduna state.

He also confirmed that N1.25 billion was recovered from a public servant and said that all the monies were recovered within two weeks.

Magu stated this in a report he presented to the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes during the 2016 budget performance appraisal and defence of 2017 budget before the committee.

He said the commission recovered N102.91 billion, 8.30 million dollars, GBP 29,155, 12,475 pounds, 117,004 Canadian dollars as proceeds of crime between January and December, 2016.

Other monies recovered during the period, he said, were 806.50 Dirham, 5,000 Francs and 2,000 Rupees.

“Out of the 37 accounts frozen/forfeited, six banks are yet to provide relevant information on the amount accrued into the suspected accounts within the period under review,’’ he said.

The document revealed that the commission secured 135 convictions, out of which 46 were from Lagos zone, 30 from Abuja zone, 22 from Port Harcourt zone, 19 from Kano zone, 15 from Enugu zone and three from Gombe zone during the period.

Magu acknowledged the support of the committee towards fast-tracking completing of EFCC headquarters in Abuja.

He disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Finance had listed the payment of N1.8 billion out of N2.9 billion meant for completion of the headquarters.

He, however, added that the commission had resuscitated its offices in Kaduna, Ibadan, Benin and Maiduguri as part of efforts to boost its operations across the country.

Magu urged the legislature to support the fight against graft, saying “corruption is fighting back”.

On recruitment, he said that the commission only recruited 331 cadets on equal quota basis across the country except Lagos, Ekiti, Bayelsa and Rivers with lower numbers.

Giving breakdown of the 2016 appropriated allocation to the commission, Magu told the committee that total budgetary approval was N18.89 billion, but that N14.74 billion representing 78.04 per cent was released.

He explained that N7.62 billion was for personnel cost, overhead was N2.75 billion while capital expenditure was N8.49 billion for the year.
Magu added that 91.1 per cent component of the released funds had so far been utilised.

Earlier, Chairman of the committee, Rep. Kayode Oladele, said that Nigeria had applied to join the league of members of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international anti-corruption agency.

He said that the move was part of efforts to strengthen ongoing anti-corruption crusade in the country.

Oladele, who lauded the development, expressed optimism that Nigeria would be admitted as “Observer Member’’ by the end of the year and would become full-time member in the nearest future.

“Our collective efforts to unleash sustainable development in Nigeria through the rooting out of corruption will not produce the desired result if Nigeria is unable to transact in the international market place without let or hindrance.

“In this regard, Nigeria has applied to join the FATF and based on the level of our commitment.

“A high-level delegation from the FATF is due to visit Nigeria in March, 2017, to meet with various stakeholders and report back to its plenary in June, this year.

“I have no doubt that we will be successfully accredited and admitted at the end of the exercise,” he said.

Oladele commended EFCC for the successes recorded so far and said: “for the first time in Nigeria’s history, anti-corruption searchlights have been beamed on the judiciary and the revelations have been mind-blogging.

“In addition, similar exercises in the arms procurement process by the Nigerian military have also led to several arrests.

“Overall, the EFCC made the highest number of recoveries of stolen resources, running into billions of naira in a single year in the annals of Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts.”

The chairman solicited the support of Nigerians in stemming the scourge of corruption in various facets of the economy.

According to him, the fight against corruption is one of the most potent weapons to fight recession which structural cause is rooted in waste, looting, misplacement of priorities and misappropriation of yesteryears.

Oladele also pledged the support of the house to the EFCC and assured of life assurance for the commission’s operatives.

SEVEN Nigerian Soldiers were killed and over 30 Boko Haram terrorists were sent to the great beyond in a bl**dy clash in Borno yesterday. It was gathered that the terrorists were armed by AA weapons and rocket propelled grenades with which the havoc was created during the ambush.

Spokesman of 7th Division, Nigerian Army, Lt. Col Kingsley Samuel confirmed the death of the seven soldiers even as he said 19 soldiers injured have been evacuated to hospital.

The statement he issued reads, “Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole gallantly fought their way through Boko Haram Terrorists ambush along Ajiri-Dikwa road, Borno State.

“The troops affected encountered the ambush while conducting routine rotation of troops last night.

“The gallant troops fought their way through, killing many of the terrorists.

“Unfortunately 7 soldiers paid the supreme price in the incident while 19 soldiers sustained various degree of injuries.

“The soldiers who sustained injuries during the fierce encounter have been evacuated and are currently receiving treatment at Military hospital in Maiduguri.

“The troops recovered an AK-47 rifle and ammunitions from the insurgents.

“Additional troops have been mobilized and are still on aggressive pursuit of the fleeing Boko Haram terrorists.”

The new management of Arik Air has said it inherited nearly an empty shell of a carrier with only 10 out of the 28 aircraft in its fleet functional at the moment.

It also said that the rot in the company would require N10bn to fix before the airline would be able to resume full and uninterrupted flight operations to its regular routes across the country and beyond.

The airline was on Thursday taken over by the Federal Government through the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria due to a debt profile of over N300bn.

It was gathered that only 10 out of the 28 aircraft in the fleet of the airlines were operational, with 18 either grounded or had gone for C-check in Europe.

The Capt. Roy Ilegbodu led management said in a statement on Sunday, “As if these problems are not enough, the airline does not have money to procure aviation fuel for the nine operational aircraft because no dealer wants to sell aviation fuel to Arik except it is on a cash-and-carry basis. This also calls for public understanding because flight schedules may be realigned based on the nine aircraft that are available and are technically sound and ready for flight operations.

“It was also discovered that Arik also owes its technical partners and is also in perpetual default in its lease payments and insurance premium, leading to regular and embarrassing squabbles with different business partners, which accounts for why 18 aircraft are off the fleet for different reasons.

“All these problems, in addition to huge staff salaries, which have remained unpaid for 11 months, and vendors that supply different items to Arik Air who are also owed, meant that Nigerians may have to tarry a while to allow the new management clean up the huge mess at the airline before Arik will finally resume uninterrupted flights.”

Ilegbodu, who operates under the receivership of Mr. Oluseye Opasanya, SAN, reassured Nigerians that the issues, though daunting, would be gradually resolved to enable Arik, which carries about 55 per cent of the load in the country, to recover the 18 aircraft.

According to him, once all the aircraft are back, Arik Air will in the shortest possible time regain its pride of place as a leader among the airlines in Nigeria.

He reiterated that the intervention of the government in the operations of the carrier clearly underscored its decision to instil sanity in the nation’s aviation sector, adding that the move also prevented a major disaster that would have befallen the airline.

Having settled the insurance cover for the aircraft, which would have expired on February 12, and met with different trade creditors as well as aggrieved staff members, Ilegbodu called for public understanding as the tough job of ensuring that Arik returned to full operational capacity within the shortest possible time begins.

He stated that the recent intervention was in the best interest of all stakeholders, including members of the general public, workers, creditors and other aviation interest groups in the country.

A media consultant to the new Arik management, Mr. Simon Tumba, told our correspondent that the liabilities of the carrier to different creditors were still being compiled and that many of the departments had yet to brief the Ilegbodu-led team.

He added that it was after the briefings by the different departments at the end of this week that a proper report about the true state of health of the airline would be ready, adding that new flight schedules would also be released to guide passengers based on the operational aircraft.

Tumba added that Arik was still operating flights on its Lagos-London and Lagos-Johannesburg routes, while only the Lagos-New York route had been suspended due to non-availability of functional aircraft.

The minister said the looted funds, which did not include the $9.2m in cash allegedly owned by a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, were recovered from just three sources through whistle-blowers who he said gave actionable information to the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami(SAN).

He said that the $9.2m cash and others, were also dividends of the whistle-blower policy.

The minister said that the biggest amount of $136,676,600.51 (N42bn) was recovered from an account in a commercial bank, where he said money was kept under an apparently fake account name.

This, he said, was followed by N7bn and $15m from another person and N1bn from yet another.

Mohammed said, ‘’When we told Nigerians that there was a primitive and mindless looting of the national treasury under the last administration, some people called us liars.

“Well, the whistle-blower policy is barely two months old and Nigerians have started feeling its impact, seeing how a few people squirrelled away public funds.

“It is doubtful if any economy in the world will not feel the impact of such mind-boggling looting of the treasury as was experienced in Nigeria.

‘’Yet, whatever has been recovered so far, including the $9.2m by the EFCC, is just a tip of the iceberg.’’

He appealed to Nigerians with useful information on looted funds to continue to provide the authorities with such information, saying confidentiality would be maintained with regard to the source of the information.

The minister also reminded Nigerians of the financial reward aspect of the policy, saying ‘’If there is a voluntary return of stolen or concealed public funds or assets on the account of the information provided, the whistle-blower may be entitled to between 2.5 per cent (minimum) and 5 per cent (maximum) of the total amount recovered.’’

Meanwhile, some human rights groups – the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and the Campaign for Democracy – have called on the Federal Government to show value for the recovered loot by immediately injecting it into the economy.

The SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said the Federal Government must immediately inject the loot back into the economy so that Nigerians could feel the socio-economic impact.

He said, “We are not just looking at recovery for recovery sake. We want whatsoever is recovered to be pumped immediately into the economy. What will be the benefits of Nigerians from recovered loot? Is it recovery to keep in personal purses or to inject into the economy?

“The critical areas of our economy include building infrastructural facilities and the Federal Government should immediately deploy these funds.

“Another area is that if the loot was recovered as a result of the whistle-blower initiative, the government must keep to its promise. You will recall that when the idea came up, it was promised that if a whistle-blower gives information and it leads to the recovery of sums of money, compensation will be given to the whistle-blower. I hope the government would not go back on that. I think the whistle-blower policy should continue.”

The CD President, Bako Usman, said, “It is very unfortunate that the Federal Government has been recovering loot without meaningful development. Such recovery can take care of some of our debts, provision of social amenities and others. Up till now, we have not seen the value of the recovered loot. The government must work on this.”

Also, the Executive Secretary Anti-corruption Network, Ebenezer Oyetakin, noted that the whistle-blower policy was yielding positive results.

He stated, “I have a concern about what follows the recovery. Is it that we secretly collected back the loot and let go the looters without serving any deterrence, or worse still, we do not want such looters name to be known to the public?
“That will be a gross disservice to the intention of the anti-corruption fight. What is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. Everyone who has participated in the disgraceful act of national sabotage, betrayal of trust and blatant thievery of our common patrimony should be exposed.”

Meanwhile, the United States Agency for International Development, has identified inappropriate use of funds as one of the problems affecting national development in Nigeria.

The USAID Senior Planning and Program Adviser (Health Population and Nutrition Office), Celestine Carr, stated this in Abuja during the closing ceremony of a five-day workshop on Health care Financing which was organised by USAID in collaboration with Health Finance and Governance, a non-governmental organisation.

Carr said the USAID was committed to supporting the efforts of the Nigerian government in preventing women and children from falling victims of preventable diseases, by injecting more funds to increase universal health coverage to all citizens.

She said, “One of the challenges that the government has had both in national and state levels is inappropriately use of existing funds. Existing funds can be used in a way that will go a long way if it is used appropriately.

“If funding does dry up (we don’t know if it will, but we are going through a period of economic challenges), we should be able to budget the current funding more appropriately. So, we can access the means and access the drugs and human resources that are needed for Nigerians to be healthy and strong and be able to be more productive.”

The Sokoto State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Shehu Kakale, said allocation of the 15 per cent of the budget to health by both the federal and state governments as proposed by the Abuja Declaration, was the key to achieving national development.

“The 15 per cent will go a long way if the Federal Government and state governments implement it all across board. It means that more children and more women will be healthier. There will be healthy adults in the workforce and of course the productive workforce of the country will earn more revenue for the country.”

Kakale further called for the operationalisation of the National Health Act of 2014, which stipulates that one per cent consolidated fund of the country should be dedicated to primary health care.

The commissioner maintained that such action would turn around health care financing and more importantly, the landscape of primary health care which was responsible for about 80 per cent of health products consumed in the country.

The Chief of Party, Health Finance and Governance, Dr. Gafar Alawode, disclosed that universal health coverage could only be achieved through the establishment of State Health Insurance Schemes throughout the country.

“The states should have their own support health insurance; but to achieve that, we need to put in place structures. To that end, we are supporting the states on how best to place the structures for health insurance,” he stressed.

He also called for appropriate use of funds, saying “financing alone is not the problem, even in the little amount of money the states are spending, probably there are better ways of spending the money to achieve better results.”

Samson Siasia is spreading his net wide as he searches for a new job.

The former Super Eagles manager, who has been out of work since he guided the national Under-23 team to a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, was last week listed among the 52 coaches who applied for the vacant Rwanda job.

It was learnt that Siasia has also applied for the South Africa manager’s job, which became vacant following the sacking of Ephraim Mashaba in December last year.

Siasia had earlier confirmed applying for the vacant manager’s position at South African powerhouse Orlando Pirates.

Sources on Sunday said the Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner is also scouring other parts of the continent for a job. A number of national coaches’ jobs are under threat following their teams’ poor performances at the Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Callisto Pasuwa was fired following Zimbabwe’s group stage exit at the tournament, while Belgian Georges Leekens called it quits with Algeria following the star-studded Desert Foxes’ elimination from the championship. And Israeli manager Avram Grant ended his reign as Ghana coach after the Black Stars came fourth in Gabon.

Reports on Sunday said Siasia was one of the 32 coaches who had submitted their CVs to the South African Football Association to be considered for the vacant Bafana job.

Also said to have applied for the role are former Inter Milan and Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini, who is currently out of job, former Italy manager Giovanni Trapattoni and Hassan Shehata‚ who guided Egypt to three successive titles at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

SAFA chief executive Dennis Mumble, who confirmed that the association had been contacted by the coaches about the Bafana job, however said they had not spoken to any of them

“We have received all these CVs and we want to make it clear that they are all unsolicited and we have not spoken to anyone about the Bafana job‚” Mumble was quoted by SowetanLIVE as saying on Sunday.

SAFA president Danny Jordaan said former Bafana captains Lucas Radebe and Neil Tovey would be part of a committee to interview the managers who had applied for the national team job.

He said the association would only consider a coach who possesses the quality to help South Africa to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Cameroon 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, CHAN and winning the Cosafa Cup.

Jordaan said a coach would be appointed before Bafana take on Guinea Bissau and Angola in friendly matches in March ahead of their Cameroon 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said he will, like other consumers, be more resistant to payment of electricity bill if there is no supply.

Fashola said this on Monday at the 12th Monthly Power Sector and Stakeholders’ Meeting in Ibadan hosted by Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.

Power generation in the country has worsened in recent weeks after hitting the 4,000 megawatts mark in December last year, with many consumers without prepaid meters complaining about over-estimated bills despite the dip in supply.

Commenting on the problems in the power sector, the minister said sabotage of gas assets and pipelines had “decommissioned power plants and their ability to provide up to 3,000 megawatts of power”.

He said, “The 3,500MW to 3,800MW that we have been able to keep on the grid over the last few months will be assisted greatly if we can have the gas pipelines back and add 3,000MW to it. That means we will be able to deliver well over 6,000MW if the gas pipelines are safe.”

Fashola said the sabotage had also created debt and liquidity problems, shortfall in power expectation, and in revenue recovery by power distribution firms.

“Consumers are more resistant to payment when they don’t have electricity, and I will be, too, and you will be too,” he told the power investors and other stakeholders at the meeting.

“We see that they (consumers) pay more when the power is more stable. Of course, there are issues also at the retail end – metering, estimated bills.”

Noting that all stakeholders have different roles to play in solving the problems, the minister said, “You will see that government has begun to act. The Vice President, representing the President, is going round those Niger Delta communities, engaging them more openly, more robustly.

“The idea is to bring them to the table to stop the vandalism while the issues that agitate them can be treated and resolved. I believe that if we are successful as we expect to be, we should be able to, sometimes, this year recover all the 3,000MW that has been lost to gas pipeline outages.”