The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) is inviting applications from journalists for training/capacity building in the specialized areas of business — illicit financial flows, taxes & taxation and finance reporting — oil & gas, power/energy, and other related beats.
The project, supported by Ford Foundation, will enhance participants’ knowledge about these sectors and build their skills on investigative reporting and data journalism.
After the training, the project will also provide funding for the journalists to work with the ICIR to undertake investigative reporting on the aforementioned critical sectors of the economy.
Applications, therefore, are requested from qualified journalists from the print, online and electronic (Radio & Television) media who cover these beats and are passionate about investigative journalism.
Applicants must have a minimum of three years’ experience as a practising journalist and must be working with (attached to) a media house.
Application for this training is online. Any other mode of application other than the online application will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Qualified female journalists are highly encouraged to apply.
Deadline for application for this training is October 19, 2017
NOTE: Application for this training is free. The Centre will not charge any applicant for registration.
John Magufuli, Tanzanian President, has readjusted his monthly earnings to 9 million Tanzanian shillings ($4,000), making him one of the lowest paid African leaders as he pursues a much-criticised policy of deep public spending cuts, according to Reuters.
In a speech to local officials in the capital on Tuesday, Magufuli said his government had slashed salaries of executives at state-owned companies at 15 million Tanzanian shillings ($6,700) a month — more than his own.
“They can leave if they don’t want it,” he said, lamenting that abuse of public funds was “rampant” at state firms, and that he had rejected requests from some local officials to more than double their allowances but he could not do so while many citizens lack access to water, health care and electricity.
Since taking office in November 2015, Magufuli — nicknamed ‘The Bulldozer’ — has cut government spending by imposing measures such as restrictions on foreign travel for government officials and the removal of “ghost workers” from the state payroll.
Some critics say his cost-cutting measures are excessive and argue they could undermine growth in East Africa’s second-biggest economy, and some have slowed investment in critical sectors such as mining.
Magufuli’s salary is a fraction of that of other African leaders. He has no other publicly-.known sources of income and his government said last year it plans to submit a parliamentary bill that would prohibit public leaders from engaging in business to avoid conflicts of interest.
By contrast, Kenya’s president earns a monthly salary of around $14,000. Jacob Zuma of South Africa is paid around $20,000 monthly, following a salary increase by parliament in 2015. Since 2009, Zuma has been embroiled in numerous scandals and allegations of abuse of office, including more than $500,000 of improper state spending on security at his private home.
Others with more modest pay include President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, who took a 50 percent pay cut when he took office in May 2015. The annual presidential salary was previously set at 14.1 million naira, which in mid-2015 was the equivalent of $70,000.
The House of Representatives committee on Public Petitions has issued a bench warrant on Ibrahim Magu, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
The warrant was issued following Magu’s refusal to honour an invitation by the committee over a petition by Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former first lady had written the lower chamber, alleging that the EFCC and other security agencies in the country had subjected her and her family to unwarranted harassment.
According to the House committee, four letters of invitation were sent to Magu, with acknowledgement copies as evidence, but he deliberately absented himself from three separate hearings on the matter.
The motion for the bench warrant was moved by Kingsley Chinda, a Rivers State lawmaker, and seconded by Brown Randolph, also from Rivers.
“It’s not only for the workings of this committee but for any other institutional body,” Chinda said.
“ So I move that the EFCC chairman be issued a bench warrant to appear before this committee to explain his role so that we can conclude this investigation.”
Verizon Communications, the company that bought over Yahoo, has revealed that all 3 billion of its accounts were hacked in a cyber attack that rocked the company in 2013.
According to Reuters, the new development triples the number of Yahoo accounts that was initially thought to have been affected by the attack, described as the largest data breach in history.
It also increases the number of lawsuits that could be filed by Yahoo shareholders and account holders against Verizon, Yahoo’s new owners.
The company faced at least 41 consumer class-action lawsuits in US federal and state courts, in May.
John Yanchunis, a lawyer representing some of the affected Yahoo users, said a federal judge had asked for more information to justify his clients’ claims.
“I think we have those facts now,” he said. “It’s really mind-numbing when you think about it.”
Last December, Yahoo said that data from more than 1 billion accounts was compromised in 2013, forcing it to cut the price of its assets in a sale to Verizon.
But in a statement on Tuesday, the company said “recently obtained new intelligence” revealed that all user accounts had been affected.
It however said that the investigation indicated that the stolen information did not include passwords in clear text, payment card data, or bank account information.
But experts said the hacked data included security questions and backup email addresses, which could make it easier to break into other accounts held by the users.
Many Yahoo users have multiple accounts, so the actual number of people affected was far fewer than 3 billion.
A Yahoo official emphasized that the 3 billion figure included many accounts that were opened but never, or only briefly, used.
The company said it was sending email notifications to additional affected user accounts.
The Senate has set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate allegations of corruption in the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC).
Another committee was also set up to probe allegations of corruption levelled against Ibrahim Idris, Inspector General of Police, by Isah Misau, a senator.
The motion for an investigation into the affairs of the NNPC was sponsored by Samuel Anyanwu and supported by Yusuf Abubakar and Kabiru Gaya.
Anyanwu noted that the allegations raised by Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, in a recent memo to President Muhammadu Buhari, could not be swept under the carpet, given that the NNPC is almost the sole foreign exchange earner for the country.
The committee will be headed by Aliyu Wammako, and its members are: Tayo Alasoadura, Kabir Marafa, Akpan Bassey, Sam Anyanwu, Ahmed Ogembe, Chukwuka Utazi, Rose Oko and Baba Kaka.
“We must investigate this allegation and hope the quality of report will meet the standard we have set in the 8th Senate,” said Bukola Saraki, Senate President, after the announcement of the composition of the committee.
Similarly, the formation of a probe panel on the IGP followed the allegations by Misau that the police boss collects billions in bribe money in order to provide influential Nigerians with personal police security.
Misau, himself a retired police officer, told journalists during a phone interview in August: “Specifically, the IGP, on good authority from within the force, collects over N10 billion on monthly basis as money for special security provided by men of the force to corporate bodies and highly placed individuals, including criminals, running to N120 billion on a yearly basis without any reflection in the police’ annual budget or internally generated revenue.
“On nepotism, the IGP is scoring high marks by making almost half of the mobile commanders in the country people of his Nupe extraction.”
The committee to probe the IGP will be headed by Francis Aliimikhena; its members are: Joshua Lidani, Binta Garba, Nelson Effiong, Obinna Ogba, Duro Faseyi, and Abdul-Aziz Nyako.
Jalal Arabi, Permanent Secretary in charge of the State House Clinic, says services offered by the hospital are free, hence its inability to function optimally.
Arabi said the clinic would henceforth commercialise its services in order to remain afloat.
This comes days after Zahra Buhari, one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughters, condemned the clinic’s management via a post that went viral on the social media.
Zahra had complained that despite the billions allocated to the clinic in the budget, patients could not access quality healthcare there.
Many media houses had also done critical reports about the hospital, which is situated right inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Reacting to the various reports, Arabi said that the hospital is the only medical facility in Abuja where services are absolutely free for patients.
“This is the only health centre in Abuja where patients are not required to pay any dime before consultation,” he said in a press statement signed by Atta Esa, Deputy Director, Information at the State House.
“In other government hospitals in Abuja, patients are required to pay for consultation, treatment, laboratory tests and others, but that has not been the case with the State House Medical Centre.
‘‘The Centre offers free services; nobody pays a kobo for hospital card, consultations or prescriptions; and this has taken a toll on the subvention the Centre receives from the government.
‘‘We have some of the best equipment in the country. For instance, to maintain the MRI and other scan machines, we spend close to N2 million monthly. Yet we do not charge a dime for those who require MRI scans in the clinic.”
Arabi said that going forward, the clinic’s management will “among other things seek the commercialisation of the centre to boost its revenue and augment the appropriation it receives from the government in the quest for a better qualitative service”.
The commercialisation will be only a part of other reform efforts aimed at returning the clinic to its deserved status.
“We have already created a NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme) desk at the clinic where patients will be required to authentic their profile,” Arabi said.
“If their HMOs (Health Maintenance Organisations) are registered in other hospitals, they will be required to transfer to the centre.
“This is another way through which we can boost revenue generation at the hospital and this has started yielding results because the stark reality is there is no free lunch anywhere.”
Arabi, however, dismissed allegations of corruption and embezzlement of funds meant for medical supplies in the centre, as alleged by Zahra’s social media post.
“I know people will insinuate and give all sorts of reasons because they don’t ask but it will be foolhardy and madness for anybody in his senses to defraud a medical centre of a kobo and toying with people’s lives,” he said.
“No sane person will do that, so the truth of the matter is that the hospital is being run on subvention and appropriation.
“If it (subvention) comes, we pile the drugs; but the truth is the drugs are always overwhelmed by the number of people who use the centre, because it is not controlled,” he said.
The leaked internal memo written by Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum resources, to President Muhammadu Buhari, is still generating heated conversations among Nigerians on the social media.
According to the memo dated August 30, Kachikwu had complained bitterly about the unprofessional attitude of Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, as well as how he (Kachikwu) was being sidelined in the running of of NNPC’s activities.
It is yet unclear how the memo got leaked to the press but Nigerians care less and have taken to Twitter to express their opinion on the matter.
As usual, some of the expressions were comical, with one particularly suggesting that Buhari may not even read the memo, and another saying Kachikwu was too good for the mess he was instigating. One even advised him to turn in his resignation.
Here are a few of the interesting comments:
Ibe Kachukwu is too good for this mess. He should resign. How can you not have access to your direct boss? Smh. https://t.co/PpwnMfgcn3
#KachikwuAllegations So let’s focus on the substance of Kachikwu’s allegations, which are pretty damning-corruption, poor governance, tribalism and no due process at NNPC!!! Will Kachikwu be Buhari’s Sanusi???
Willie Obiano, Anambra State Governor, says President Muhammadu Buhari likes governors like him who are hardworking and deliver on their campaign promises.
Speaking after meeting with Buhari at the villa on Tuesday, Obiano said the President reassured him of a free and fair governorship election in Anambra State on November 18.
“He [Buhari] has reassured free and fair election; that’s what should be important to me,” Obiano said.
“He likes governors like me who are hardworking, who are delivering on what people can see, who are bringing dividends of democracy to their people, that’s what the President wants.
“He doesn’t care about your party; he wants to know that you are doing well in this area, in that area, and that’s how a President should work.”
Obiano said that Buhari’s expectation is in tandem with the policy of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which is regard for best practice.
“We do not believe in rigging, APGA has never rigged an election,” he said. “All we want is for the umpires to be unbiased – free and fair election – and you will get the result.”
Buhari also met with Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State, who visited him in the company of Kayode Fayemi, Minister for Solid Minerals Development.
Benjamin Ogunbodede, former Executive Director of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), has been sentenced to 40 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Ibadan.
Ogunbodede, a Professor and a priest of the Anglican Church, was convicted on Tuesday alongside two others: Zacheus Tejumola, an accountant with the institute, and Omitowoju Janilekun, a contractor.
They were found guilty of a 10-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful conversion, and stealing of school subvention, which was brought against them by the EFCC.
JUST IN: Prof Benjamin Ogunbodede, Ex-DG Inst of Agric Research & Training sentenced to 40years in prison for defrauding the Inst of N177m.
Justice Ayo Emmanuel, who presided over the case, sentenced the accused persons to four years imprisonment for each of the counts, but ruled that it would run concurrently.
