By Abiose Adelaja Adams, Lagos

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday ordered the forfeiture of multi-billion naira assets belonging to former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani.

The former governor was charged along with his former aide, Sunday Anyaogu, and six firms – Rainbownet, Hillgate Nigeria, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile Nig Ltd, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.

EFCC re-arraigned them on 105 counts of money laundering and economic crimes involving about N4.5billion, committed while Nnamani was governor of Enugu State between 1999 and 2007. The defendants pleaded not guilty.

Part of the alleged laundered money was from the Excess Crude Oil Funds meant for some local government areas, including Aninri, Enugu South, Agwu, Igbo Etiti and Isi Uzor, which was allegedly transferred to Nnamani’s bank account in the United States.

In her ruling on Tuesday, Justice Mohammed Yunusa, ordered the forfeiture of his assets namely undeveloped properties and transmission equipment of Rainbownet Limited; properties of Hill Gate Investment Limited/Cuena Phones Limited; assets of Cosmo 105.5FM, and 22 duplexes at Ebeano Housing Estate (now Fidelity Estate).

Others are Rainbownet’s shares in Zenith Bank and Guarantee Trust Bank, with a combined account balance of N4.6million; as well as monies in its bank accounts worth about N34.8million.

The balances in different accounts with GTBank N313,700; Sterling Bank N986,958; Ecobank N24.5million; First City Monument Bank N3.8million and Zenith Bank N761,156.

EFCC said it is awaiting details of balances in Rainbownet’s 10 accounts with Access Bank.

The forefeiture order included the Rainbownet’s undeveloped properties. They include seven plots at Independence Layout; 567.96 Square meters (Sqm) at Abakpa; 574.96 Sqm at Emene and 2,951.98 Sqm at Achara Layout.

Others to be forfeited include thousands of square metres of properties at Abia State, namely Ogbor Hill (914.633), Abayi (one and half plots), Port Harcourt Road (1,856.449), Ariaria (640.32), Umungasi (573.263) and Asannetu (954.396), as well as Abakiliki, Ebonyi State (one plot).

Others are in Onitsha, Anambra State. They are at Barracks (one plot), Nkpor (1088.644), Awada (465.14), Fegge (one plot) as well as 2,200.06 square miles of land at Okpuno, Awka.

The company is also to lose 693.636 square meters of undeveloped property located opposite the War Museum, Umuahia.

Assets of Rainbownet Communications Limited, including Central Switch Room, Microwave Radio, Rectifier, Microwave Backhaul Transmission, among others at various locations in Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and Imo states are to be forfeited.

Justice Yunusa later split Nnamani’s trial from his co-accused as he was abroad receiving treatment.

However, after the trial was split, four of the companies on May 19 pleaded guilty to a 10-count amended charge through their counsel.

The companies are Rainbownet, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile and Renaissance University Teaching Hospital.

They were alleged to have failed to comply with lawful inquiry made by the commission.

Justice Yunusa had adjourned to July 7 for review of facts and sentences after EFCC’s lawyer, Kelvin Uzozie, told the court that he was still trying to get a list of all the companies’ assets.

On Tuesday, he prayed the court to convict the companies in view of their plea after tendering some documents, including the assets’ schedule.

He also urged the court to make an order of the assets’ forfeiture and for the commission to be involved in their management.

Counsel to the companies, Ifeanyi Ezeome, during the alucutus (plea for mercy), urged the court ‎to temper justice with mercy since they were first offenders.

“It is hereby ordered that the properties listed in the schedule be forfeited to the Federal Government”, Justice Yunusa ordered, adding that a company can be treated as a natural person in law.

The case of the remaining accused persons have been adjourned to November 12.

By Abiose Adelaja

The Environmental Rights Action, ERA, has urged the Muhammadu Buhari administration not to discard the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, as that would only embolden oil multinationals to continue to operate with impunity in the country.

The All Progressive Congress, APC, had in a report in Bloomberg, which was confirmed by its Policy Director, Kayode Fayemi, said the President should discard the PIB and replace it with a new reform bill that is based on discussions with international oil companies to “ensure all perspectives are adequately considered”.

But ERA, in a statement issued in Lagos, described the call as “very disturbing” in light of the support the PIB has garnered in the last four years from civil society groups and Niger Delta communities that have suffered degradation and neglect.

ERA executive director, Godwin Ojo said: “We are perplexed at this call coming at a time that Nigerians are demanding environmental accountability and a say on how oil multinationals operate in the environment”.

Ojo noted that while the APC made some positive recommendations which included a review of audits and corruption allegations against the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, he added that calling on the government to discard the PIB “will amount to government lacking the political will to hold oil multinationals accountable for their human rights violations, environmental degradation and the application of the polluter pays principle.”

He said that the APC government “should not set a bad precedent by disappointing the expectations of the Niger Delta people who remain shell-shocked by the rigmarole of the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan in pushing a strong legislation through.”

“That government also failed to implement the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Assessment on Ogoniland. We believe that a strong PIB will promote the interest of local communities and the protection and preservation of the Nigerian environment,” Ojo observed.

The ERA boss recommended that “the Buhari administration must sieve the recommendations and show good example by listening to the voice of the people which is overwhelmingly in support of a strong PIB”.

“It is now time to stop paying lip service to environmental sustainability and hold those who violate the environment of the Niger Delta accountable. Nothing short of the peoples demand for a strong PIB is acceptable”, Ojo insisted.

Gombe State branch of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Monday expelled the senator representing Gombe Central, Danjuma Goje from the party.

The state chairman of the party, Magaji Doho, who disclosed this at the party’s secretariat in Gombe said the lawmaker was expelled with effect from July 1 2015, for his involvement in anti-party activities.

He said one of Goje’s offences was his setting up of parallel state executives.

He added that the former governor of the state “is grossly involved in anti-party activities and we have therefore decided to expel him from the party from the first day of July, 2015, to instill discipline in our great party.”

Doho said the state executive council had written a comprehensive report to the national secretariat of the party, indicting the expelled senator.

“We have expelled Goje from APC because of his activities, disloyalty and his going contrary to the constitution of the party,” the party chief said.

Doho said the party would not allow ‘bad eggs’ among its fold to destroy the good reputation the party has built over the years.

He also announced that some members of the state executive council that have decided to pitch their tents with Goje by operating a parallel executive council have been relieved of their positions.

He, however, said they could remain as members if they so wished.

He listed the members as Umar Sefuddin, assistant secretary; zonal women leader, Gombe South; Ishaya Karu, deputy chairman; Walin Awak, zonal vice chairman Gombe South; Aliyu Fada; Hajiya Larai, zonal women leader Gombe Central; Hajiya Lumbi, deputy women leader; Adamu Pata, zonal vice chairman, Gombe Central;

By Tosin Omoniyi

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase has ordered the immediate deployment of enhanced security around churches and mosques around the nation.

He equally mandated state command commissioners of police to strengthen security around venues where Moslems break their fast in the evenings.

In a press statement issued by deputy force spokesperson, Abayomi Shogunle, worshipers were advised to be vigilant, and to promptly report to the police any suspicious persons or substance found in or around their environment.

The police in the statement also reiterated its determination to enforce the ban on street hawking and all forms of trading on Abuja roads and highways especially, road intersections, traffic light points and traffic hold-ups.

In the same vein, the statement noted that unauthorized taxi parks and bus stops formed around the Federal Secretariat, in the Federal Capital City, FCT, is now prohibited.

It added that only bus and taxis painted in authorized commercial colours would be allowed to operate at designated taxi parks and bus stops in and around the central business area in the metropolis.

Musdapha Ilo

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has commenced a post election review of its performance during the last general election the North east, in an attempt to make the necessary adjustments in subsequent polls.

The chairman of the post election review committee, Shuaib Oyedokun, who made this known to newsmen in Gombe said the PDP is prepared to regain power in 2019.

The three-man post election review committee has the task of critically looking at the party’s poor performance at the polls at all levels in the 2015 general elections.

It would also work out a road map for repositioning the party and restoring confidence in the party.

According to Oyedokun, stakeholders of the party from the six states of the North east would appear before the committee to identify what went wrong during the election and proffer solution.

These suggestions would be forwarded to the national secretariat of the party.

“We are having audience with delegates from the six states of the zone and we have been having serious frank discussions about what happened and the way forward. We will later report back to our national headquarters in Abuja, for proper analysis and final recommendations to the party,” he said.

He said the template provided by the party would be strictly followed as directed.

READ ALSO:

• NEMA Calls For Blood Donation To Help Zaria Bomb Blast Victims
• Rights Group Urges FG Not To Discard Petroleum Bill
• Zaria Bomb Blast Leaves 25 Dead, 32 Injured
• APC Expels Senator Danjuma Goje
• Police Beefs Up Security Around Churches, Mosques

“We are also looking at how conflicts were resolved during the polls, the campaign strategy as well as funding and disbursement of campaign funds among many others,” Oyedokun said.

The former national deputy chairman of the party admitted that complacency was partly responsible for the failure of the party but assured that corrections would be made, so as to reclaim power.

“We were not careful enough. We failed a little in managing the success we had for 16 years and we were complacent. This failure now has taught us a lot. This exercise we are embarking on is indeed an innovation,” he stated.

Recently the PDP set up a committee headed by the deputy senate president, Ike Ekeremadu to assess its dismal performance in the 2015 polls. The committee was broken down into sub committees to cover the different geo-political zones.

The party lost in some of its traditional strongholds, including Bauchi, Plateau, Benue, Niger, Katsina and Kebbi states.

By Tosin Omoniyi

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday approved the immediate release of N713.7billion as intervention funds for states currently battling to pay workers’ salaries.

The bail-out, it was gathered, is part of a three-tiered relief package that will end the plight of workers in the state.

About N413.7billion will be given directly to states as special intervention funds while the balance of N300billion is expected to be issued as soft loans to states.

The N413.7 billion will be sourced from the recent Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG, proceeds while the balance of N300 billion is a Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, assisted special intervention fund.

As an added aid, the Debt Management Office, DMO will directly assist impoverished states to restructure over N660billion commercial loans which are stunting the growth of their respective economies.

The Federal government will equally wield its influence to guarantee the elongation of the subsequent loan repayment by the states in order to help them get back on track.

The beneficiaries of the relief package would also include workers in federal ministries, departments and Agencies, MDAs, and other relevant agencies currently affected by the cash crisis.

The measures to be put in place are also expected to put more cash in the hands of the average worker thereby reflating the depressed economy a bit.

The special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, while confirming that there was indeed a relief package on the way to help out the keeling states, added that these were just a part of measures being spearheaded by the federal government to kick start the economy.

States currently battling to pay off backlog of workers’ salaries include- Osun, Ekiti, Rivers, Buachi, Oyo, Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Plateau, and Benue.

Analysts estimate that the phalanx of states collectively owe their workers about N110 bn.

Officials of the finance ministry and the CBN have, however, said that the owed salaries and arrears are in the region of N250bn.

It would be recalled that at a parley between state governors and the President a few weeks ago, the former had stoutly rejected any bailout from the government.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues,Zamfara State governor, Abdulazeez Yari, said instead of bailouts, the governors requested for the refund of federal government project monies they carried out in their states.

According to him, the governors also asked that the tax paid by the Nigeria Natural Liquefied Gas Company be paid into the Federation Account shared between the federal and states governments.

They also asked the federal government to ensure that all monies paid into the Federation Account for sharing be divided as stipulated by the Constitution.

President Buhari had promised to look into their demands. He also subsequently set up a committee headed by his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo to look into the government coffers with a view to ascertaining what monies could be shared immediately to assist the embattled states.