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ICFJ seeks entries to investigate election disinformation 

Joshua Ovorumu
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ICFJ seeks entries to investigate election disinformation 

THE International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is calling for applications for its Disarming Disinformation programme, sponsored by the Scripps Howard Fund. 

This programme provides master courses to participants to help them improve their abilities and understanding of tracking election disinformation and the role of artificial intelligence in its spread.

Journalists worldwide interested in combating electoral disinformation can apply for the programme, which will take place on November 7, 8, and 9.

Participants can apply for grant money for cross-border, joint projects studying election disinformation after the master sessions. In addition, participants will be invited to an in-person “investigation.”

The deadline is October 22, 2023. Interested individuals can apply here

Lawyers fault Olukoyede’s appointment as EFCC chair

Bankole ABE
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Lawyers fault Olukoyede’s appointment as EFCC chair

SOME lawyers have faulted the appointment of Ola Olukoyede by President Bola Tinubu as the new chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

One of the legal practitioners, Daniel Bwala, a spokesperson for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election, Atiku Abubakar, described Olukoyede’s appointment as unlawful and illegal. 

He said the appointment ran foul of the provisions of Section 2 of the EFCC Act, which requires that the person to be appointed as EFCC Chairman must, amongst other things, be a serving or retired member of any security or law enforcement agency; have 15 years of cognate experience in law enforcement, and must not be below the rank of assistant commissioner of police.

In a post on his X account on Thursday, October 12, shortly after Olukoyede was announced as EFCC chair, Bwala said Olukoyede was a private legal practitioner and had never worked or belonged to any security or law enforcement agency as a member.

“He does not have 15 years cognate experience as a law enforcement officer, and his private legal practice years cannot be equated to the rank in law enforcement. 

“He only has a stint as Chief of staff to Magu and later became a Secretary of the Commission, all of which last for less than six years,” Bwala tweeted.

In a further discussion with The ICIR on Thursday, Bwala stated other reasons he said made Olukoyede unfit to be the chairman of EFCC: “The fellow was indicted in the Justice Salami Report that removed Magu. As a private lawyer, potentially all the people he has or is defending as a lawyer now have a free pass now that he is a chairman. 

“Besides, the commission’s staff who supported Magu’s trial might have their jobs in jeopardy,” he added.

When asked if the appointment of former EFCC chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa also violated the EFCC Act, Bwala told the ICIR that, contrary to speculations, Bawa met the criteria.

According to Bwala, Bawa was a course one operative of EFCC at the time of his appointment and had put in 16 years of experience.

“He was a staff member of the EFCC, which is a law enforcement agency. His rank at the time was about the rank of assistant commissioner of police,” Bwala stated.

He said Bawa had 15 years of cognate experience investigating live cases, apart from receiving training outside the country.

Also reacting to the appointment, a human rights lawyer, Abdul Mahmud, said Olukoyede was not qualified to be appointed chairman of the anti-fraud commission.

According to Mahmud, Section 2 of the EFCC Act is very clear. “He’s not qualified. His years as Chief of Staff to Magu or as Secretary of EFCC don’t come near the 15 years of cognate experience required by law.

On the claim by the Presidency that Bawa resigned, Mahmud said, “Then, again, how could anybody claim that Bawa, who is currently in detention, resigned his position as Chairman,” the lawyer asked.

Presidency reacts

Meanwhile, the Presidency has reacted to the controversy surrounding Olukoyede’s appointment. 

According to a post by the senior special assistant to the president for public engagement, Fredrick Nwabufo, on the social media platform X, he argued why Olukoyede should be in charge of the EFCC.

According to Nwabufo, the appointment was approved by Tinubu in accordance with Section 2(3) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.

He listed the reasons as follows:

1. Olukoyede was the Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman of the EFCC (2016-2018) and Secretary to the commission (2018-2020). He was a member of a law enforcement organisation as Secretary, in this case, the EFCC, as stipulated in the EFCC Act, and as such, satisfied every legal detail to be appointed chairman.

2. Section 2(1)(p) of the EFCC Act plainly, ordinarily, and unambiguously established the Secretary to the commission (i.e., EFCC) as its member and head of its administration.

3. The Supreme Court determined in the case of Ejuetami v. Olaiya & Anor (2001) LPELR-1072 (SC) at Pg.23-24 that The words used are to be given their ‘ordinary and natural sense’. Therefore, the clear, explicit and unambiguous words used in sections 2(1)(a)(i)-(iii), (p), 2(2), 3(1)-(3) and 8(5) of the EFCC Act must be given their ordinary and natural sense in line with the guidelines set by the Supreme Court in its long line of undisturbed judicial precedents.

4. The provision of Section 2(1) sub-paragraph (iii) of the EFCC Act did not state the nature of the experience that a person is required to possess similar or alike for fifteen (15) years. This implies that such cognate experience is presumed to be that of the work or functions of the EFCC acquired anywhere since the EFCC Act did not state the specific place where it must be acquired. It is also unambiguous by the provisions of subparagraph (iii) that once a person possessed fifteen (15) years of such cognate (i.e., similar or alike) experience, then he has satisfied the provisions of subparagraph (iii) of section 2(1)(a) of the EFCC Act.

5. It is clear from the unambiguous provisions of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004, that any commission member, whether serving or retired, who has 15 years of cognate experience in their chosen career is eligible to be appointed as the commission’s chairman.

6. Prior to this time, the convention and precedence is that to be qualified for appointment as the Executive Chairman of the Commission, the nominee must be a Police Officer or someone with a law enforcement background, particularly in the area of investigation only exposed the commission to all manner of vices but has brewed internal wrangling, discontent, and hatred among the members of staff of the commission.

7. It is nonjusticiable to elevate convention above statutory provision. It is time to move away from fiction to fact and from convention to strict adherence to the statutory provisions of the enabling Act of the Commission in our constitutional democracy.

8. Olukoyede is not only a trained regulatory compliance officer but also a specialist in fraud management, compliance management, and corporate intelligence. He has more than 22 years of leadership expertise as a fraud examiner. He has led investigations and civil litigation of fraud and financial crimes in international development projects.

He further argued that Olukoyede fulfilled all legal requirements to be appointed as the chairman of the EFCC.

Ola Olukoyede’s appointment

The ICIR reported that Tinubu appointed Olukoyede as the EFCC chairman on Thursday.

The appointment was contained in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

Olukoyede’s appointment follows the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa.

He is the first head of the EFCC from Nigeria’s South since its creation 20 years ago.

The ICIR reports that none of the previous five substantive Chairmen of the Commission finished their tenure. 

Ajuri also disclosed that Tinubu approved the appointment of Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda to serve as the Commission’s Secretary pending Senate confirmation.

The ICIR reported in June that the DSS detained Bawa and the suspended governor of the Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

While Emiefele, who was arrested about the same time as Bawa by the Secret Service, was charged to court, Bawa has not been seen in any court of law since his arrest.

ABCON urges speedy implementation of policy as CBN unbanned 43 items 

Ehime ALEX
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ABCON urges speedy implementation of policy as CBN unbanned 43 items 

The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure speedy implementations of policies as it lifts foreign exchange (forex) restrictions on the hitherto banned 43 items from importers.

The president of ABCON, Aminu Gwadabe, urged the apex bank while following the lifting of the ban.

He said, “My call to the CBN is to ensure speedy implementations of the policies.”

In a statement, ‘CBN Restates Commitment To Boost Liquidity in FOREX Market,’ signed by its director of corporate communications, Isa AbdulMumin, on Thursday, October 12, the apex bank said it had removed its embargo on the 43 items.

“Importers of all the 43 items previously restricted by the 2015 Circular referenced TED/FEM/FPC/GEN/01/010, and its addendums are now allowed to purchase foreign exchange in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market,” CBN stated.

The apex bank had in 2025 excluded some importers from accessing forex at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), supposedly to encourage local production of the items.

It announced the ban in a June 23, 2015, circular signed by the Trade and Exchange Department director, Olakanmi Gbadamosi.

“For the avoidance of doubt, please note that these items are not banned, thus, importers desirous of importing these items shall do so using their own funds without any recourse to the Nigerian foreign exchange markets,” CBN stated in the circular.

The apex bank began by restricting importers of 41 items from accessing forex to import some goods and services. It later increased the number to 45 and down to 43.

The over eight-year embargo had worsened poverty, increased food inflation, and created forex scarcity, broadly affecting the Nigerian economy.

On June 16, The ICIR recently reported that CBN insisted the 43 non-eligible items remain banned from accessing forex.

Unbanning the 43 items from accessing forex would deepen the market and stimulate bilateral trade and inward-looking industrialisation strategies, the ABCON president said. “It is a booster aimed at boosting confidence and eliminating uncertainties in the market.”

He, however, pointed out that the policy would entail reforms, compliance with official market rates and liquidity interventions.

The ABCON president stressed that CBN needs to emphasise intervention in the retail end sector, where the spikes are most pervasive through the effective pass-through of the Bureau de Change operators to close the gaps between the official and unofficial exchange rates.

“To enhance the buffers, the CBN should pursue a paradigm shift from demand measures to supply measures to boost the needed liquidity in the market,” Gwadabe added.

Commenting, the executive vice chairman of Highcap Securities Limited, David Adonri, said the reversal of the policy is a right step in the right direction.

However, he urged the authority to use its policies to ensure that the domestic substitutes for those 43 items achieve a competitive edge.

“Beyond that, the new foreign exchange policy has already made the policy ineffective because forex for all imports is sourced at almost the same rate from the market.

“The non-convergence of rates between the official market and parallel market is a market imperfection that will disappear very soon,” Adonri noted.

He suggested that market mechanisms can better engender efficiency instead of administratively allocating forex, which the ban exemplified.

He added that if the fiscal enablers can enhance the market reforms, the supply gap at the root of the economic mess would be addressed.

Nigeria drawn against host nation Cote d’ Ivoire, to begin 21st AFCON appearance

Dotun OMISAKIN
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Nigeria drawn against host nation Cote d’ Ivoire, to begin 21st AFCON appearance

NIGERIA’s Super Eagles will begin their campaign for the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they battle host nation Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and  Guinea-Bissau in group A.

At the draws held Thursday night at the brand-new Parc des Expositions, Abidjan, the Super Eagles were pitched in group A ahead of the biennial tournament, which will kick off on 13 January 2024 and end on 11 February 2024 in Cote d’Ivoire.

Mozambique will contend in Group B alongside Cape Verde, Ghana and Egypt, while in Group C, defending champions Senegal will put up a fight against Cameroon, Guinea and Gambia.

In Group D, Algeria,  Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola will play each other, while in Group E, Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, and Namibia will test each other’s strength.

The 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco will slug it out alongside DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania in Group F.

This AFCON will witness twenty-four nations competing in the tournament over four weeks to determine the country who will take the title from Senegal as champions or if the Teranga Lions can defend the title they won for the first time in 2021.

Also, this will be the 34th edition of the tournament and the second time Cote d’Ivoire will host after the first held there in 1984, where Cameroon emerged as winners for the first time.

Nigeria’s AFCON Record

The first time Nigeria featured at the Africa Cup of Nations was in 1963 and clinched their first trophy after 17 years in 1980.

In 1994, Nigeria emerged as the champion and nineteen years later, in 2013 won its third title.

Nigeria has won 3 AFCON titles, the host country- Cote d Ivoire has won 2, while Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau have no AFCON titles to their records.

CBN unbans 43 items restricted from accessing FX

Ehime ALEX
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CBN unbans 43 items restricted from accessing FX

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) lifted the ban on the 43 items from accessing foreign exchange (FX).

It announced this in a statement, ‘CBN Restates Commitment To Boost Liquidity in FOREX Market,’ signed by its director of corporate communications, Isa AbdulMumin, on Thursday, October 12.

“Importers of all the 43 items previously restricted by the 2015 Circular referenced TED/FEM/FPC/GEN/01/010 and its addendums are now allowed to purchase foreign exchange in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market,” it stated.

President Bola Tinubu appointed new leadership to the apex bank board headed by Olayemi Cardoso.

SEE ALSO: 43 non-eligible items remain banned from forex, CBN insists [List included]

On Tuesday, September 26, the Senate Chamber confirmed Cardoso’s appointment and the other four deputy governors – Emem Usoro, Muhammad Dattijo, Philip Ikeazor and Bala Bello.

Cardoso and his committee of governors have pledged to embrace a compliance culture to clear the FX backlog and face the daunting challenges head-on.

In the statement on Thursday, CBN added, “As part of its responsibility to ensure price stability, the CBN will boost liquidity in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market by interventions from time to time. As market liquidity improves, these CBN interventions will gradually decrease.

“The CBN is committed to accelerating efforts to clear the FX backlog with existing participants and will continue dialogue with stakeholders to address the issue.”

CBN ifts 43 items

Here is the list of the 43 eligible items

  • Rice
  • Cement
  • Margarine
  • Palm kernel/palm oil products/vegetable oils
  • Meat and processed meat products
  • Vegetables and processed vegetable products
  • Poultry – chicken, eggs, turkey
  • Private airplanes/jets
  • Indian incense
  • Tinned fish in sauce (geisha)/sardines
  • Cold-rolled steel sheets
  • Galvanised steel sheets
  • Roofing sheets
  • Wheelbarrows
  • Head pans
  • Metal boxes and containers
  • Enamelware
  • Steel drums
  • Steel pipes
  • Wire rods (deformed and not deformed)
  • Iron rods and reinforcing bars
  • Wire mesh
  • Steel nails
  • Security and razor wire
  • Wood particle boards and panels
  • Wood fibre boards and panels
  • Plywood boards and panels
  • Wooden doors
  • Furniture
  • Toothpicks
  • Glass and Glassware
  • Kitchen utensils
  • Tableware
  • Tiles – vitrified and ceramic
  • Textiles
  • Woven fabrics
  • Clothes
  • Plastic and rubber products, polypropylene granules, cellophane wrappers
  • Soap and cosmetics
  • Tomatoes/tomato paste
  • Eurobond/foreign currency bond/ share purchases
  • Dairy/milk
  • Maize

Tinubu urges Supreme Court to dismiss Atiku’s Appeal

Bankole ABE
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Tinubu urges Supreme Court to dismiss Atiku’s Appeal

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has requested the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal filed by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate at the February 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, against his victory at the poll.

Tinubu characterised the appeal as insulting and pleaded for its rejection.

According to the President, Atiku and his party failed to substantiate their claims and representations to the tribunal.

Tinubu claimed that the tribunal made the right decision by ruling in his favour as the election winner.

He urged the court to reject the appeal, claiming it lacked merit and was not genuine.

Atiku and the PDP had filed a petition against the election result in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu the winner.

The petitioners claimed that, among other things, the election was tainted by irregularities and severe violations of the Electoral Act.

Additionally, they claimed that Tinubu’s running mate, Kashim Shettima, was ineligible to run, and consequently, the votes cast for them were invalid.

However, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal determined in its ruling on September 6 that Atiku failed to convince it with its claims.

On September 18, 2023, the former Vice-President appealed the ruling at the Supreme Court.

The appellants claimed that the tribunal’s ruling contained “grave errors and gross misrepresentation” that led to a miscarriage of justice in their 35-ground notice of appeal.

As a result, the appellants are asking the Supreme Court to annul the tribunal’s position.

In his bid to void Tinubu’s election, Atiku has petitioned the Supreme Court for permission to present some related documents from Chicago State University (CSU) as new proof supporting his appeal.

Atiku predicated his request to present new evidence on Order 2, Rule 12(1) of the Supreme Court Rules from 1985 and Section 137(1) of the Nigerian Constitution.

On October 5, Atiku submitted the application through his legal team, led by Chris Uche.

READ ALSO:

He urged the Supreme Court to grant him leave to produce and to receive “fresh and additional evidence” in documents, including a deposition under oath from a representative of CSU regarding Tinubu’s academic records.

Tinubu presented his CSU certificate to INEC as a contender for the 2023 presidential election, but Atiku had questioned its validity.

He claimed that the document Tinubu submitted to the election umpire was forged.

Minister warns against sexual harassment in varsities, others

Mustapha USMAN
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Minister warns against sexual harassment in varsities, others

THE Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has warned lecturers and other staff of Nigerian institutions of higher learning against sexually harassing students.

According to the Minister, the Ministry will deal decisively with perpetrators indulging in the practice.

A statement signed by Director Press and Public Relations, Ben. On Thursday, October 12, Bem Goong said the minister issued the warning after receiving the committee’s report on alleged sexual harassment by Cyril O. Ndifo, a professor and suspended Dean faculty of law of the University of Calabar.

The Minister explained that sexual harassment is a serious criminal offence and must be dealt with decisively when and whenever it occurs, adding that the Federal Ministry of Education would do everything possible to turn the ugly tide in the nation’s institutions of higher learning.

Mamman also noted that sexual harassment “ is cancerous and must be eliminated at all cost,” adding that all hands must be on deck to tackle the menace.

While promising that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was out to protect the vulnerable groups in the country’s educational system, he assured that he would ensure that perpetrators are adequately punished.

He added that no one could take advantage of vulnerable groups.

Mamman also promised that sexual offences units would be established in the ministry and all institutions of higher learning to deal with the menace.

Earlier, while presenting her report, the Vice-Chancellor of UNICAL, Florence Obi, told the minister that the university followed all due processes in handling the matter, including suspending the suspect, issuing appropriate queries and setting up a disciplinary committee to hear all parties.

The VC said to ensure a very high degree of transparency, “the Public Complaint Commission, Nigeria Bar Association, Federation of Female Lawyers, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Chief Judge of the Student’s Union High Court, as well as seven civil society organisations were brought onboard the committee as observers.”

The ICIR reported that Ndifon was arrested and detained by the State Security Services (SSS) after allegedly committing the crime.

The SSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, said the Service arrested the embattled don after the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission requested the secret police’s aid to apprehend him.

He also noted that Ndifon’s detention was carried out by a court order authorizing it.

The ICIR reports that Ndifon had denied the allegations and described them as the works of his enemies. He claimed they were plotted after he emerged as a Dean of the Law Faculty.

He also called the accusations outright lies intended to harm his reputation.

Tax: What law says about Ilebaye’s BBNaija’s N120m prize

Ehime ALEX
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Tax: What law says about Ilebaye’s BBNaija’s N120m prize

THE winner of the All Stars edition of Big Brother Naija reality TV show (Season 8), Ilebaye Precious Odiniya, is liable to pay a personal income tax (PIT) to the coffers of the Lagos State Government from her N120 million prize money The ICIR reports.

Ilebaye, known as GenZ Baddie, was announced as the winner of this year’s edition of the show, which started on July 23 and ended on October 1.

She was presented with the prize money at the award ceremony in Lagos on Tuesday, October 3, by the executive head of content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice Nigeria, Busola Tejumola and the marketing director at Moniepoint Nigeria, Chinedu Oparaku, on behalf of the organisers.

Like other past BBNaija winners, Ilebaye is expected to pay PIT from the N120 million cash prize to the Lagos State government.

The 22-year-old and the show’s youngest winner announced on Saturday, October 7, that she would pay tithe from the prize.

Lagos govt cheekily demands tax from BBNaija winners

On September 28, 2020, while congratulating the winner of the BBNaija Season 5 reality show, Olamilekan Agbeleshe, popularly known as Laycon, the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) said it expected to receive Laycon’s tax in 2021 from the N85 million worth of prizes.

On October 4, 2022, the LIRS reminded the BBNaija Level Up star winner, Ijeoma Josephina Otabor, fondly called Phyna, to pay her tax from the N100 million she clinched from the show.

With the trend, the current BBNaija winner, Ilebaye, is expected to pay her PIT from the N120 million cash price to the LIRS.

Why Ilebaye is liable to pay tax from the prize money

According to the LIRS, PIT is imposed on individuals in employment or running small businesses under a business name or partnership.

It is generally collected by state governments from residents, regardless of whether they are federal, state, local government, or private sector workers, with the exemption of highly mobile federal workers (expatriate, police, military, etc) and residents of the Federal Capital Territory which the Federal Inland Revenue Service collects.

The current law guiding the taxation of personal incomes is the Personal Income Tax Act (Cap P8 LFN 2004).

Under the law, federal and state tax boards are empowered to identify persons living in or earning income from Nigeria who must pay tax, assess revenues, and tax their gains using specified guidelines and rules.

The law also guides tax officials in identifying the residence of potential taxpayers and the sources and origins of their incomes.

Under the LIRS structure, PIT includes pay-as-you-earn (PAYE), taxes from employment and taxes from self-employed persons (Direct Assessment).

Since it is legally binding for individuals to pay tax, any income or jackpot earned from competitions and gambling activities (games, lottery, casino) is subject to general income tax laws.

The formula for tax rate progresses from seven per cent when an individual’s annual income starts from N300,000 to 24 per cent when over N3,200,000, according to PwC, a tax firm.

Tax payment runs from January 1 to December 31 in a fiscal year, and tax returns are to be filed with the relevant tax authority within 90 days of the end of the fiscal year.

“All taxable persons (whether in salaried employment or self-employed) within the state are required to file their statutory annual income tax returns via the e-Tax platform,” a notification, signed by the LIRS executive chairman, Ayodele Subair, clearly stated.

Individual – Sample personal income tax calculation

Based on the formula provided, it is assumed that the only relief allowances are consolidated relief allowance (CRA) and pension contribution.

Section 33(2) of the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) has been amended as follows; “For the purposes of this Section, “gross income” means income from all sources less all non-taxable income, income on which no further tax is payable, tax-exempt items listed in paragraph (2) of the sixth schedule and all allowable business expenses and capital allowances.”

In line with the Act, CRA is the higher of N200,000 or 1% of Gross Income plus 20% of Gross Income, while pension contribution is 8 per cent of gross income. It, therefore, means that the taxable income is N87.12 million while PAYE is N848,000. 

Please see the table below for a rough calculation using the abovementioned formula.

Taxable Income
PAYE

On Monday, June 5, 2023, the Lagos government filed a 12-count charge against the managing director of an interior firm and a social media celebrity, Ehizogie Ogbebor, over alleged failure to file tax returns.

According to the report, Ehizogie allegedly refused to pay PIT to the LIRS within the time stipulated by law since 2014 till date.

The report further revealed that a famous Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, was dragged to court over payment of N18,640,092.00 as PIT.

On March 3, 2019, the state High Court in Igbosere issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the actress and producer, Coker, over a tax evasion charge.

Legal experts submit to the extant laws that tax is a civic duty for citizens to pay and not to be caught in the web of evading or avoiding taxes.

Tinubu appoints new EFCC chairman, secretary

Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA
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Tinubu appoints new EFCC chairman, secretary

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Ola Olukoyede as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman.

This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday, October 12, by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

Olukoyede’s appointment follows the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa.

He is the first head of the EFCC from Nigeria’s South since its creation 20 years ago.

The ICIR reports that none of the previous five substantive Chairmen of the Commission finished his or her tenure. They were all sacked. The Commission’s pioneer Chairman is the incumbent National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Part of the statement read, “By the powers vested in President Bola Tinubu as established in section 2 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, that the Chairman and members of the Commission, other than ex-officio members, shall be appointed by the President, President Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede to serve as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a renewable term of four years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation.

“Mr. Ola Olukoyede is a lawyer with over twenty-two (22) years of experience as a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence. He has extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016-2018) and Secretary to the Commission (2018-2023). As such, he fulfils the statutory requirement for appointment as Chairman of the EFCC.”

Ajuri also disclosed that Tinubu approved the appointment of Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda to serve as the Commission’s Secretary pending Senate confirmation.

Hammajoda is a public administrator with extensive experience in public finance management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maiduguri and a Masters in Business Administration from the same university.

He began his career as a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi. From there, he switched to banking, including successful stints at the defunct Allied Bank and Standard Trust Bank.

The ICIR reported in June that the DSS detained Bawa and the suspended governor of the Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

While Emiefele, who was arrested about the same time as Bawa by the Secret Service, was charged to court, Bawa has not been seen in any court of law since his arrest.

Over 1,500 LAUTECH students set to resume in new campus

Mustapha USMAN
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Over 1,500 LAUTECH students set to resume in new campus

A TOTAL of 1,533 200-level students from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) are gearing up to resume their studies at the new Iseyin Campus of the institution by the end of October.

A statement by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, on Tuesday, October 10, said the College of Agricultural Science and Renewable Natural Resources would commence the second semester at the campus on October 23, 2023.

Oyelade emphasised the significance of the campus, stating that lectures for the 200-level students would officially commence after the Oyo State Government announced in April 2023 to relocate the Agriculture Faculty to Iseyin.

The commissioner also noted that to ensure a smooth transition and resumption, various meetings were held by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, represented by Saliu Adelabu, a professor, with key stakeholders including the school’s Pro-Chancellor Deji Omole and Acting Vice-Chancellor Rasaq Olatunde Kalilu, both professors, to guarantee the realisation of the students’ resumption and address any concerns.

During a meeting with stakeholders, community leaders assured their unwavering support for the resumption and committed to facilitating a comfortable stay for the incoming students. Agreements were reached on affordable accommodation, transportation, and enhanced student security measures.

While some lecturers may not secure immediate accommodation within Iseyin township, the commissioner stated that they have made daily arrangements to commute from their Ogbomoso base.

The first semester officially ended on October 3, 2023, setting the stage for the forthcoming academic activities in Iseyin.

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