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Pope says priests and bishops molest Catholic nuns, admits cases of sexual slavery in church

Jennifer UGWA
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Pope says priests and bishops molest Catholic nuns, admits cases of sexual slavery in church

POPE Francis for the first time acknowledged that nuns have been sexually abused by priests and bishops in the Catholic Church.

The comment which came in a press conference aboard the papal plane on the return flight from the United Emirates where for the first time also a Pope is visiting the Arabian Peninsula, comes as the Catholic Church is dealing with sexual abuse scandals in different parts of the world.

The Pope said that the development has been a problem that the Catholic Church is exploiting every avenue to handle.

He said, “There have been priests and also bishops who have done that,” the Pope said of sexually abusing nuns. “And I believe that it may still be being done. It’s not a thing that from the moment in which you realise it, it’s over. The thing goes forward like this. We’ve been working on this for a long time.”

The Pope said the Vatican has “suspended some clerics, sent them away for this” and “dissolved” some orders of nuns “that was very tied up in this, a corruption.”

“Must something more be done? Yes. Do we have the will? Yes,” he said.

Francis said there has been an instance where an order of nuns in France was dissolved by his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, after some faction in the Vatican tried to frustrate what he called sexual slavery of nuns in the church as a cardinal

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had tried to take action but was thwarted by Vatican insiders. At the time, Benedict was a cardinal and head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office.

“But when he became Pope, the first thing (he said was) bring me this from the archives and he began,” Pope Francis said.

“Pope Benedict had the courage to dissolve a women’s congregation that had a certain level because this slavery of women had entered, even sexual slavery, by clerics or by the founder,” the Pope said.

Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s official newspaper, last week published an article written by Lucetta Scaraffia on the sexual abuse of nuns by clergy, saying that “in this last year many new papers have raised the veil on this tragedy, and many religious from third world countries but also more advanced countries, have begun to speak and denounce it.”

“If we continue to close our eyes in front of this scandal — made even more serious by the fact that abuse of women includes procreation and so imposed abortions and children not recognized by priests — the condition of oppression of women in the church will never change,” the article read.

A congregation of nuns in India who spoke out about alleged sexual abuse by a bishop in the southern Indian state of Kerala claims the church is attempting to assign them to other parts of the country, in an attempt to silence them.

The nuns also alleged that the church officials have ordered them to leave the state, and have recently reached out to the chief minister of Kerala to intervene on their behalf.

All the nuns who have been served a transfer notice have formed a support group for a fellow nun who alleged last year that Bishop Franco Mulakkal had raped her 13 times between 2014 and 2016.

 

Boko Haram attacks escalate, IDP number increases to 59,200 in 3 months -IOM

Rebecca Akinremi
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Boko Haram attacks escalate, IDP number increases to 59,200 in 3 months -IOM

THE International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says there is a sudden rise of displaced people in North-east Nigeria in the last three months due to violent attacks ravaging the area.

Over 59,000 people have been displaced in the North East between November 2018 and January 2019, according to IOM in NAN report.

The UN migration agency warned in Geneva that Northeast Nigeria displacement crisis had continued due to “increased sophistication’’ of attackers.

“Since November, we have seen 59,200 displaced,” IOM Nigeria’s Chief of Mission, Frantz Celestin said, noting that in the last two years, “we have not seen that many people on the move”.

The agency said the armed extremists, notably, Boko Haram militants, had contributed to a decade-long humanitarian crisis in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, that had spilled over into the Lake Chad region.

The last two months of 2018 were also marked by “an increased sophistication’’ of non-State armed groups accompanied by “an increased number of attacks and success in taking towns,” Celestin explained.

According to him, civilians continue to bear the brunt of conflicts that have led to widespread forced displacement and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

IOM said the government efforts to drive back the non-state armed groups that operate in the north-east of the vast country have been hindered by the Harmattan dust cloud, an annual phenomenon that sweeps across West Africa from approximately November to March.

A recent attack by the Boko Haram insurgent in Rann, Borno State had caused the largest human displacement since 2017.

“In the town of Rann, which was attacked in January, nobody was spared in one assault,” IOM Nigeria Chief of Mission said.

“The MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) clinic was burnt, the IOM hub was attacked, the UNICEF clinic was attacked, the WHO/ICRC’s compounds were attacked.”

He said amid ongoing insecurity, humanitarian access was limited, hampering the ability of aid agencies to assess needs comprehensively.

Tens of thousands of civilians have fled into already overcrowded camps, mainly in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, the IOM official added.

“One of our biggest issues in north-east Nigeria in addition to the security issues is the access to land.

IOM said the available camps are completely congested which included Monguno camp in Borno, the largest of refugee camps in Nigeria. The situation had caused several displaced Nigerians to seek refuge in neighbouring countries

According to IOM Nigeria head, rumours of an imminent attack are enough to convince communities to flee, as people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries of the Lake Chad region.

“There were a number of people who moved across a number of villages in Cameroon.

In 2018, 7.7 million people in Nigeria were in need of humanitarian assistance, and 1.7 million people were classified as “food insecure” between October and December, according to the United Nations humanitarian wing.

NLC designates Kaduna, Kogi, Ogun workers-unfriendly states

YEKEEN Akinwale
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NLC designates Kaduna, Kogi, Ogun workers-unfriendly states

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has identified Kaduna, Kogi and Ogun states as states that are most unfriendly to Nigerian workers in terms of policies and treatment of labour matters.

The Congress particularly said that the sack of 22,000 teachers by the Kaduna State Government in 2018 without recourse to extant laws, and in total disregard to existing collective bargaining agreements and social dialogue procedure would not be forgotten in a very long time to come.

President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at the opening of the 12th National Delegates Conference of the NLC.

Wabba who was speaking on the state of the nation and the role played so far by the Congress lamented that about 9000 workers from ministries, departments and agencies were also disengaged by the state government.

“The state government till date refused to pay their retirement benefits including their severance package, gratuity and pension,” he said.

According to him, the labour union responded to the mass sack of the teachers by mobilising workers in Kaduna to protest the injustice meted out to teachers and workers in the state.

“The State government responded with disproportionate force against protesting workers but we held our ground. After weeks of a sustained campaign, the state government shifted its position by allowing the sacked workers to retake a new competency test,” Wabba said

He however said that, Congress’s position was that the sack of the teachers did not follow due process and those willing to go should be paid their entitlements.

“The Kaduna state government has remained adamant,” he said.

While noting that the actions of the Kaduna State government were reported to the International Labour Organization (ILO) during the 2018 ILO Conference in Geneva, Wabba said workers have been directed not to support any governor that treat workers as slaves.

Speaking on violation of the right of workers to organize by the Kogi State government,  the NLC President said in addition to owing salaries, the state government has been perpetrating diverse injustices against workers in the state.

“In 2016, the state government purportedly proscribed the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), at the Kogi State University at Anyigba,” he said

“Comrade Abdulmumuni Yakubu, the branch chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) was murdered at the height of an industrial dispute with the Kogi State government. Till date, the perpetrators of the heinous crime are yet to be brought to book to pay for their crime.”

These, he said were also reported to the International Labour Organization (ILO) 2018 Conference.

Wabba lamented that despite receiving billions in bailout funds, Ogun State government continues to owe its workers arrears of salaries.

According to him, workers of the Tai Solarin College of Education who have been owed arrears of salaries and pension for close to a decade were the most affected.

The Ogun State government, he added had also purportedly proscribed the Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education, Nigeria (SSUCEON) branch in the College of Education.

“Many workers of the Tai Solarin College of Education have fallen victims of avoidable ailments and even untimely death as a result of the victimisation by the Ogun State government,” he said.

“The government has also refused to remit all statutory deduction from the wages of workers in the states to the unions for the past three years.”

Speaking on the suspension of the state’s chairman of NLC, Akeem Ambali from his employment by the state government since 2015, Wabba said the Congress under his leadership had approached Ogun State government a number of times to reverse ‘this unjust decision’ but had always met a brick wall.

“In our letters, we reminded Governor Amosun that Nigeria’s 1999 constitution grants freedom of association to workers and that the provisions of our Trade Union Act and ILO Conventions protect the right to unionisation,” he said.

For refusing to honour an agreement on the utilisation of the bailout fund, the NLC President said the Congress “shall immediately from this conference schedule a day of protest in Ogun State.”

 

After stand-off with lawmakers, Ambode presents 2019 budget to Lagos Assembly

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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After stand-off with lawmakers, Ambode presents 2019 budget to Lagos Assembly

GOVERNOR Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State has presented a 2019 budget of N852.316 billion before the State House of Assembly, after a brief stand-off with the lawmakers that almost led to the commencement of impeachment procedures against him.

The lawmakers had accused Ambode of spending money from the 2019 budget when it had not been presented to the assembly and passed into law.

It took the intervention of former Governor of the State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, for the legislators to shield their swords.

Presenting the appropriation bill on Tuesday, Ambode said his administration, while preparing the document, took into consideration “the out-going year performance, the yearnings of our people and the fact that we are going into an election year”.

Ambode pointed out that the administration experienced a reduction in its revenue projection for 2018 and this affected the budget implementation for the outgone year which stood at 60 per cent as at November 2018.

The 2019 budget comprises a capital expenditure of N462.757 billion, representing 54 per cent of the total budget, while the recurrent expenditure was set at N389.560billion or 46 per cent of the total budget.

“We are today presenting a Budget that will be all-encompassing, reflect the level of resources that will be available and with special consideration to the completion of major on-going projects in the state,” Ambode said.

“We are confident that the revenues of the State will improve this year by consolidating on the already established public financial management and technology-driven revenue reforms; through data integration and use of multi-payment channels.”

Governor Ambode laying the budget document before the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Some of the priority infrastructural projects as listed by Ambode included the Oshodi-Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road and the Oshodi Interchange Terminal, Imota Rice Mill, Agege Pen Cinema Flyover, Phase II of Aradagun-Iworo -Epeme Road, among others.

In what sounded more like a valedictory speech, Ambode expressed gratitude to the Assembly for giving his administration maximum cooperation which resulted in the many successes recorded in his four-year tenure.

“This House has been a solid partner in progress and none of the achievements recorded in our State in the past three and half years could have been possible without the support and cooperation of this Eighth Assembly,” he said.

“I have been very privileged to have worked with this House and there is no bill we have brought forward that has not been given favourable consideration. That is the secret of the success of Lagos State; the cooperation between the different arms of government and our unity of purpose to make life better for all our people.”

Ambode will go into the record books as the first Lagos State governor since the return to democracy in 1999 that served only one term in office. He will not be running for a second term having lost the APC governorship primary to Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

NUC issues licenses to four private universities

Amos ABBA
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NUC issues licenses to four private universities

THE National Universities Commission (NUC) on Tuesday granted provisional licenses to four newly approved private universities in Nigeria.

The new universities include Greenfield University, Kaduna; Dominion University, Ibadan Oyo State; Trinity University, Ogun State; and Westland University in Iwo, Osun State.

On Tuesday, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, presented the licenses at the NUC headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony,  Adamu, represented by the Registrar of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, said the establishment of new universities would promote healthy competition in Nigeria’s educational system that would lead to quality service delivery.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the provisional approval for the four universities to operate is intended to create room for effective mentoring and qualitative growth within the first three years of operation,” he said.

He also stated that the four universities would be placed under a probational test by attaching them to established universities.

“During the probationary period, the four universities will be attached to older generation federal universities for academic and administrative mentoring to be moderated by NUC.

“It is also advised that upon commencement of academic activities, the proprietor should sustain funding towards improving the infrastructure, equipment for teaching, learning and research as well as human resources,” he said.

The executive secretary of NUC, Abubakar Rasheed, gave insight into how the four universities had gone through stringent monitoring tests leading to the final approval by the Federal Executive Council.

The NUC had placed the four universities under surveillance since 2002, he said.

“In the case of Westland University, a period of 16 years, 2006 in the case of Dominion University, a period of 13 years. 2010, 8 years in the case of Trinity University. 2013, a period of five years in the case of Greenfield University”.

He said the present numbers of universities in Nigeria cannot meet with the nation’s annual demand for access to university education, considering the country’s rising population.

“All over the world, private initiatives are welcome.  Proper education cannot be handled by government alone except the private sector comes.

“The NUC is not ready to sacrifice quality on the altar of access; we must ensure adherence to quality; we do not want to encourage you to run the university with impunity,’’ he said.

He also said the commission has over 200 applications to process for new private universities in the country.

“Sometimes, it is not the fault of the NUC nor the fault of the applicants. It is simply that, some people started early. Before they give you license you are required to present the physical infrastructure. But if you are applying without any infrastructure it will take a longer time before you get the license.

“In the last one or two years, we have been trying to make the steps easier without compromising more stringent steps required,” he said.

Nigeria’s current population is estimated at over 200 million, with 170 universities (43 federal universities, 48 state-owned universities, and 79 private universities).

ICPC files N1bn charges against former Customs CG, Dikko, to arraign him in absentia

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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ICPC files N1bn charges against former Customs CG, Dikko, to arraign him in absentia

FORMER Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Abdullahi Dikko, will be arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday, January 14, 2019, before Justice Lucia Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Dikko, whom the ICPC described as currently on the run, is charged alongside Garba Makarfi, former Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, and Umar Hussaini, a lawyer.

The Premium Times reports that trio was accused of inducing one Yemi Obadeyi to pay the total sum of N1,100, 952,380.96 into the account of Capital Law Office (a company belonging to Hussaini) for the purchase of 120 units of duplexes as residential accommodation for officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.

Hussaini was said to have distributed the money into various other bank accounts and for his part in the deal, he was rewarded with the sum of $3 million.

According to the affidavit deposed to by  Ephraim Otti, ICPC’s legal officer, the illegal activities of Dikko and his co-accused were contrary sections of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000; Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, and Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended).

Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had recovered several luxury vehicles from a warehouse which the commission said was owned by Dikko. In another operation by the EFCC on another of Dikko’s properties, several units of tricycles, motorcycles, buses, and rug carpets were also recovered.

In June 2016, Dikko was arrested and queried by the EFCC. He surrendered himself to the anti-graft agency after months of being outside the country.

Dikko was said to have acquired a N2 billion mansion in the Jabi district of Abuja. Another N2.6billion was also said to have been withdrawn from the account of the Nigeria Customs and paid into several bank accounts belonging to companies allegedly floated by a former Assistant Comptroller General who served under Dikko.

Later, in November 2016, the EFCC through its then spokesperson told the media that Dikko had returned N1 billion to the federal government coffers.

A corruption case filed against Dikko before Justice Binta Nyako of the federal high court is still ongoing, but the EFCC had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court asking for all cases involving the commission to be withdrawn from Justice Nyako, as her husband, former Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, is also being prosecuted by the commission.

REPORT: Bandits having a field day in Zamfara, kill seven soldiers on Monday

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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REPORT: Bandits having a field day in Zamfara, kill seven soldiers on Monday

ZAMFARA State has remained a hotbed for banditry, kidnapping and violence killings as seven soldiers were killed on Monday and several incidences of abduction reported in past week.

This is according to reports by Ahmad Salkida, a journalist who has covered the insecurity situation in Northern Nigeria for many years.

News about the deteriorating security situation in Zamfara and its neighbouring states are not rampant in the conventional media because “both the State and FG (federal government) are bent on treating the calamity as a non-issue”, Salkida tweeted on Monday evening.

Salkida further reported that residents of several local government areas in Zamfara have fled to neighbouring Sokoto and Katsina states, but even those states are not safe from the marauding bandits who operate almost without any confrontation by security operatives.

According to Salkida,  Niger Republic offers the only real chance for safety for hundreds of the fleeing victims.

This is coming in the heels of the three-day fasting, prayer, and Quranic recitation period declared by the Governor of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Yari on Tuesday, January 29, 2019.

“On Wednesday, armed bandits killed 4 and abducted 5 persons along Dangulbi-Magani road. The killing spree continued in Maganawa, Tabanni, Matankari and Saulawa communities with 10 people killed. The residents have since migrated to Dansadau town,” Salkida tweeted on Monday evening.

“On Saturday night, bandits invaded Dutsi in Zurmi LGA & killed 3 persons, abducted dozens. Same day, bandits also opened fire on commuters along Gurbin-Baure road, killing a driver, abducting dozens. Soldiers have to escort a long caravan of fleeing refugees to temporary safety.

“Just yesterday (on Sunday), a small village Karuma, in Anka LGA was attacked by bandits, the casualty figures are not yet given, but dozens were reportedly abducted during the attack. In Maradun LGA, Malammai town which used to be full of life is currently empty, it is now a ghost town.

Niger Republic is now considered the safest place to be for many Nigerians living in these crisis areas. The military continues to do its bit, but the death toll is not abating.”

Salkida continued his tweets on Tuesday morning, saying: “As we went to sleep, Madaba village in Magami District in Zamfara was attacked, with dozens killed and wounded. Also last night, a group of bandits invaded a house of a newly wedded couple in Birnin-Magaji and abducted the bride. This is everyday life in Zamfara, Nigeria.”

He would later write that the bandits also abducted and later killed one Ade Marafa, sister to a serving Senator, Kabiru Marafa, while her husband, a village head, was taken away apparently for a ransom demand. 13 others also lost their lives in the attack.

Kabiru Marafa is currently eyeing the Zamfara governorship position but his ambition was not supported by the Governor who prefers another candidate to succeed him.

Salkida then posted another tweet at about noon n Tuesday, saying that “bandits killed seven soldiers in Bini village of Maru Local Govt in Zamfara (on Tuesday)”.

“The corpses of the soldiers that died in active service are currently deposited at the Federal Medical Centre Gusau. Information on last night attacks are only trickling in,” he said.

The ICIR cannot independently verify Salkida’s reports as efforts to contact either the Nigeria Police or the Nigeria army failed.

Contact information of the new police PRO, Frank Mbah, was not available on the website of the Nigeria Police. The website still showed Jimoh Moshood as the PRO despite the publication of a press release announcing the appointment of a new PRO almost a month ago.

The spokesman of the Zamfara police command, Mohammed Shehu, did not pick his call, neither did he reply text messages sent to him. The contact information for the new Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, was not available on the police website. In fact, Jimoh Moshood is still represented on the website as the FPRO even though he left the office almost one month ago.

List of former FPROs yet to reflect Mbah’s re-appointment.

The army is yet to confirm or refute the claim by Salkida.

With less than 11 days to the 2019 presidential election, many say the rising insecurity in several parts of Northern Nigeria could disenfranchise a lot of citizens in the region.

Buhari swears in Owasanoye as new ICPC chairman, inaugurates new board

Amos ABBA
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Buhari swears in Owasanoye as new ICPC chairman, inaugurates new board
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Monday appointed Bolaji Owasanoye as the new chairman for the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC).
 Owasanoye takes over from Musa Abubakar who was appointed in an acting capacity to head the ICPC in March 2018.
According to a press release by the agency’s head of media and publicity, Rasheedat Okoduwa,  the swearing-in ceremony took place in the State House, Abuja.
 President Buhari expressed satisfaction with the enabling conditions provided by the government for the ICPC to thrive.
“I’m particularly delighted that the ICPC law under which you will operate is robust enough to assist government to sanitise the public sector in service delivery, public procurement, diversion of public revenue, deliberate misuse of public funds, and so on,” he said.
The newly appointed chairman swore to enhance the fight against corruption and expose wrongdoing.
“The Chairman will be in office for a tenure of 5 years, which is renewable only once, while the Board Members have a 4-year tenure that is also renewable only once,” the statement added.
The Senate had, late last year, screened and confirmed Bolaji Owasanoye and other board nominees whose nominations had been pending for over a year.
The new board members replaced their predecessors who left office over a year ago.
The Members that were sworn in with Owasanoye are Grace Chinda (Delta State), Titus Okolo (Enugu), Obiora Igwedebia (Anambra), Justice Adamu Bello (Katsina).
Others include Olubukola Balogun (Lagos), Hannatu Muhammed (Jigawa), Abdulahi Saidu (Niger) and Yahaya Dauda (Nasarawa).
Owasanoye will be the fourth substantive Chairman of ICPC since its inception and has by the swearing-in taken over the reins of office from the acting Chairman, Dr. Musa Usman Abubakar, who is the Commission’s Secretary.

Soyinka: I’m not a member of any ‘Third Force’ but I endorse efforts at consensus candidate

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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Soyinka: I’m not a member of any ‘Third Force’ but I endorse efforts at consensus candidate

NOBEL Laureate, Wole Soyinka says he is not a member of any “conveners’ council or third force” aimed at coming up with a consensus candidate for the forthcoming presidential campaign, contrary to a recent newspaper report.

In a statement issued on Monday, Soyinka clarified that he is not a member of the Alliance for the Defence of Democracy (ADD) which is the body that is trying to come up with the coalition candidate, but that he fully endorses the idea.

Read Soyinka’s full statement below:

I wish to correct the report in THE NATION, Sunday, February 3 – that confers on me membership of The Alliance for the Defence of Democracy, dedicated – among other aims – to identifying a Consensus Candidate for the coming presidential election. Neither did I attend the meeting that took place at Sheraton Hotel on Thursday, January 31, 2019. I, therefore,could not have been part of whatever resolutions were agreed upon at that meeting.

I was invited, but I did not attend. I must state however that I fully endorse, and have encouraged the efforts of ADD and of other similarly motivated groups to identify a candidate to take the battle to the two parties currently monopolizing the political space and throw up a viable challenger for the occupancy of Aso Rock.

Indeed, at the meeting convened by CITIZEN FORUM at Freedom Park, coincidentally on that very day and time – I took pains to inform my audience of the ongoing meeting of the ADD, and its commendable purpose. I also mentioned the meeting of yet another group in Abuja which had been holding for over two days.

I am NOT a member of any Conveners’ Council or Third Force. There is cooperation among several groups and individuals on various levels, but it is essential to clarify that my interventionist role is clarified so as not to compromise my own objective preferences which will be made only after CITIZEN FORUM has concluded its own line of inquiry and guided itself accordingly.

We are all collaborating, monitoring and collating preferences, acting in the same cause, aspiring to a creative and effective convergence, but in full respect for the independence of action of the various groupings.

N48.9 million: How much Ezekwesili spent on her three-month presidential campaign

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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N48.9 million: How much Ezekwesili spent on her three-month presidential campaign

THE campaign team of the former presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Obiageli Ezekwesili, says it received a total of N48,957,416 (Forty-eight million, nine hundred and fifty-seven thousand, four hundred and sixteen naira) in donations from well-meaning Nigerians with which it carried out the campaign activities.

Iyin Aboyeji, the Deputy Director General of “Oby 2019” campaign, gave the breakdown during a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the first since Ezekwesili announced her withdrawal from the presidential race.

The explanation became necessary following the allegation by the National Chairman of the ACPN, Abdul-Ganiyu Galadima, that Ezekwesili had embezzled the millions donated to her campaign, and by extension the party.

Aboyeji, describing the allegations as funny, said that the Ezekwesili, being a renowned figure respected for her disposition to anti-corruption and transparency, made sure that her campaign team adhered strictly to all acceptable standard of accountability.

He explained that the finance department of the team operated independently without any interference whatever from Ezekwesili.

Out of the total N48.9 million received as donations, N27.8 million came from Ezekwesili’s family members and relatives. N15.6 million were donated by several other Nigerians, some donating as high as N500,000, and others as low as N500.

$6,145 was realised via Gofundme, another N11,265 came from Paystack, and N443,050 came from Flutter Wave.

Gofundme, Paystack, and Flutter Wave are online crowdfunding platforms.

Aboyeji said the team spent a total of N45, 742,423.56, excluding bank charges, during the three-month campaign period. According to him, the funds were spent on travel expenses, printing of campaign materials, media and publicity, personnel costs, meetings and logistics, etc.

More than 100 public engagement events were carried out by Ezekwesili’s campaign team, including television and radio interviews, walks, market storms, community engagements and speaking events, Aboyeji said.

He promised that the total breakdown of who donated what to the campaign, as well as the minutest details of how the funds were spent will be uploaded to the campaign’s website, www.oby2019.com, which he said would not be taken down even as Ezekwesili has withdrawn from the race.

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