AN analysis of Nigeria’s public debt stock, released by the National Bureau of Statistics, has shown that each Nigerian currently owes N396,376.19 in terms of debt per capita.
The NBS published that the country’s total public debt increased by 75.27 per cent from N49.85 trillion in the first quarter of 2023 to N87.38 trillion at the end of the second quarter of 2023. In monetary terms, this is an increase of N37.53 trillion in three months.
The ICIR calculated the debt stock per capita by dividing the total public debts of the country by the country’s population. According to the World Poverty Clock, Nigeria’s population is estimated at 220.4 million.
Breaking down by category, the total external debts by the federal government stood at N29.9 trillion, while the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory external debts were N3.35 trillion.
For domestic debts, the Federal government’s debt is N48.31 trillion, while for States and FCT is N5.82 trillion.
A report captured that the debts also contain the N22.71 trillion Ways and Means Advances of the Central Bank of Nigeria to the Federal government adding that other additions to the debt stock were new borrowings by the Federal government and sub-nationala from local and external sources.
Way and Means Advances is when the Federal government obtains a loan from CBN to meet short-term needs of emergencies. According to Section 38 of the CBN Act, the loan should not exceed five per cent of the country’s previous year’s actual revenue. The ICIRreported how CBN violated the Act by overlending the sum of $49.2 billion to the previous government.
According to NBS, the domestic debt as of the end of June 2023 was N54.13 trillion ($70,264.58 million), while external debt stood at N33.25 trillion ($43,159.19 million).
According to the data bureau, “Lagos state recorded the highest domestic debt in Q2 2023 with N996.44 billion, followed by Delta with N465.40 billion while Jigawa state recorded the lowest domestic debt with N43.13 billion, followed by Kebbi with N60.94 billion.
“In addition, Lagos state recorded the highest external debt with US$ 1.26 billion, followed by Kaduna with US$569.38 million while Borno state had the least external debt with US$18.75 million, followed by Taraba with US$21.92 million.”
Recall that in April, the World Bank said that Nigeria spent 96.3 per cent of its 2022 revenue to service debts. The ICIR went further to analyse Nigeria’s indebtedness to the World Bank, which grew from $6.29 billion to $13.49 billion in 2022.
By the calculations, each Nigerian owed N384,864 to the international apex bank.
The Director-General of the DMO, Patience Oniha, said that decades of operating budget deficits by successive governments are responsible for Nigeria’s high debt profile. She advised President Bola Tinubu to take cognisance of the situation and prioritise increased revenue generation.
IN a recent interview, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Muhammed Shehu, said political officeholders in Nigeria were not earning outrageous salaries as widely believed.
He said there had been no increment in salaries of political office holders since 2007 and emphasised that some civil servants earned more than ministers and legislators in the country.
He said, “From 2008 till date, there had not been any single review. I want to disabuse the minds of Nigerians. It is not true that people are getting jumbo salaries. The monthly salary of the President is less than N1.5 million; that of a minister is not even up to one million naira. I know of an average CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) worker who is not even a director, who earns more than a minister.”
Over time, several controversies have greeted the remuneration of elected or appointed political office holders, with many Nigerians calling for a reduction in the cost of governance.
In the 2023 fiscal budget, N2.9 trillion was appropriated for salaries and wages. It was the second-highest amount allocated on expenditures in the budget. Compared to the 2022 budget, salaries and wages gulped N2.51 trillion – the highest allocation on expenditure breakdown.
In June 2023, the commission suggested that the president approve the salary review, increasing it by 114 per cent. According to The ICIR findings, it was not approved.
The ICIR has analyzed, in several reports, the remuneration packages of senators, ministers and states’ special advisers appointed and how the salaries, if reinvested, could meet some of the country’s critical needs.
For instance, The ICIRobserved that five newly elected governors and two re-elected governors created positions to accommodate more people into the government. This appointment would cost millions in payment of salaries.
Also, The ICIRreported how the appointment of 46 ministers – a record in the country – by President Bola Tinubu would cost N29.91 million monthly to pay the basic salaries of these ministers.
Below are the leaders’ monthly and annual earnings, according to RMAFC‘s data.
These earnings, however, exclude allowances and loans, which are additional entitlements that come with holding such positions. These allowances are either based on applications, paid annually or after successfully completing their tenure.
These allowances include accommodations, furniture estacodes, medical, severance gratuity, leave and motor vehicle loans. Also, as reviewed by former president Muhammadu Buhari, a minister is entitled to receive a duty tour allowance (travelling allowance).
THE Zamfara State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Sokoto has affirmed the election of Dauda Lawal as the state’s duly elected governor.
The Tribunal dismissed a petition filed by the former governor, Bello Matawalle, challenging Lawal’s victory.
In a judgement on Monday, September 18, the tribunal said the petition lacked merit.
The court also asked the petitioner to pay a N500,000 fine to Lawal.
Lawal defeated Matawalle in the March 18 governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Lawal the winner of the gubernatorial election.
The result was announced by INEC returning Officer Kassimu Shehu.
According to Shehu, Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 377,726 votes, while Matawalle of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was then an incumbent governor, polled 311,976 votes.
Dissatisfied with Lawal’s victory, Matawalle proceeded to the tribunal to challenge the election result.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Matawalle as the Minister of State for Defence in August.
Meanwhile, Lawal has reacted to the tribunal’s judgement.
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, on Monday in Gusau, the state capital, the governor described the judgement as “a clear expression of the people’s will.”
FOLLOWING the eviction of four housemates from the Big Brother Naija All Stars live show on Sunday, September 17, nine housemates are now left to battle for the N120 million grand cash prize.
The TV show, which started in August with 20 housemates, is expected to end on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
The show host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, had on Sunday night announced the eviction of Whitemoney, Neoenergy, and Alex while Sholzy, who had been a special house guest for four weeks, also bid farewell to the Big Brother house.
Whitemoney, whose real name is Hazel Oyeye Onou, emerged the winner of the ‘Shine Ya Eye’ edition (Season Six) and received a grand prize worth N90 million.
Omashola Kola Oburoh, known as Sholzy, entered the show during its fifth week as Big Brother’s special house guest alongside Prince Nelson, Kimoprah and Lucy. Sholzy was a top-five finalist in the ‘Pepper Dem’ (Season Four) edition.
Similarly, Neo Akpofure, known as Neoenergy, was also a top-five finalist of the show during the ‘Lockdown’ (Season Five) edition in 2020.
Alexandra Asogwa, popularly known as Alex, was a former housemate in the ‘Double Wahala’ edition (Season Three) of the show.
Meanwhile, Cross has bought his way into the final after Biggie had put up immunity from eviction for sale.
The immunity had given him an automatic qualification for the final, making him the first All-Stars housemate to become a finalist.
The housemates left on the show are Mercy Eke, Ilebaye, Soma, Angel, Cee C, Pere, Venita, Adekunle and Cross.
THE Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has replaced the image of former President Muhammadu Buhari with that of the incumbent President Bola Tinubu on its website following a report by The ICIR.
The ICIR confirmed the replacement on Monday, September 18.
On September 16, The ICIRreported that the Commission paraded Buhari’s image as Nigeria’s president on its website four months after Tinubu’s inauguration.
This was displayed under the website’s Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP) section.
Buhari left office after handing over power to Tinubu on May 29.
The NUPRC also paraded the image of its former head, Timipre Sylva, on the website with the caption “Minister of State for Petroleum Resources” attached.
This has now been replaced with the image of the current Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri.
Also, an image of Nigeria’s pioneer Minister of State for Gas, Ekperikpe Ekpo, has now been uploaded on the NGCFP section of NUPRC’s website.
Buhari introduced NGCFP in 2016 to achieve zero routine flaring by 2035 and allow investors to be involved in utilising gas released during oil production.
Although the programme was on hold for a while, it was relaunched in October 2022, and on September 13, 2023, the NUPRC announced that 42 bidders were selected for the process.
THE rift between the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, worsened on Monday, September 18, following the decision of the governor to lock out his deputy from the Government House.
A report stated that when the deputy governor arrived at his office today, the main door and gate leading to his storey building office were locked with chains and large padlocks.
It was also reported that Shaibu contacted the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Services, informing them that he had been locked out of his office.
In a viral video seen on social media, the deputy governor was seen making calls outside a locked gate.
The crisis between Obaseki and his deputy is over who succeeds him as governor in 2024.
The crisis assumed a new dimension when Shuaibu went to court to obtain an injunction against an alleged impeachment plot against him.
Following the suit, a Federal High Court in Abuja in August restrained Obaseki from instigating any alleged impeachment process against his deputy.
The court gave the ruling pending the determination of the matter.
Additionally, Shaibu was prevented from being detained, arrested, or subjected to harassment by the Inspector General of Police or Department of State Service (DSS).
The Deputy Governor had submitted an ex parte motion and a move on notice to the court, asking it to halt the alleged impeachment proceedings against him.
Obaseki, the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, and the Chief Judge of Edo State are the first through fifth defendants in the lawsuit with number FHC/ABJ/ CS/1027/2023.
In his earlier ruling on Friday, August 4, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed had instructed the parties in the lawsuit to maintain the “Status quo ante bellum”.
Additionally, he ordered the defendants to justify rejecting the plaintiff’s request for interim orders.
NIGERIA’S Aruna Quadri has defended his title in the men’s singles of the 2023 ITTF African Championships after defeating Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh in the final match played on Sunday.
Aruna, who is the tournament’s number-one seed, easily waltzed past Saleh in the final clash with a convincing 4-0 win to retain the title he won last year in Algeria.
There were mixed feelings for Aruna in Tunis, having missed the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games ticket through injury at the same venue.
“I am happy with the title because I have a good and bad memory of Tunis, having got injured here during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification.
“Winning another title here is good to erase the bad memory. This win will remain with me for a long time. I am happy and look forward to the next challenge,” he said.
Meanwhile, teenage sensation Hana Goda from Egypt defeated her compatriot Dina Meshref, 4-1, to win the women’s singles title in Tunis.
Goda appreciated her supporters, describing the victory as special.
“This is special, especially with the support from the Tunisian fans. I will cherish this for a long time to come,” she said.
Also, during the tournament, seven-time Olympian Funke Oshonaike, who came out of retirement, featured along with Fatimo Bello to win the gold medal for Nigeria in the women’s doubles event on Saturday.
In the final, they played against Cameroonian player Sarah Hanffou and her teammate, Egypt’s Marwa Alhodaby.
The feat made them the first Nigerians to win a gold medal in the tournament in Tunis, Tunisia.
The ITTF Africa Championship is a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Egyptians dominated all the events, securing multiple Olympic spots.
ASMA’U a 13-year-old girl, was living in Gatawa village, Sabon Birni, Sokoto state, northwest Nigeria, where terrorist attacks were frequent.
She was in Junior Secondary School (JSS) 2 when her family decided to leave their belongings behind and move to Sokoto, the state capital, to avoid the danger.
Asm’au and her classmate at GGDSS Arkilla, Sokoto. Credit: Adulwasiu Olokooba
As a young girl who dreamt of becoming a nurse, her major concern was for this change of environment, not to end her educational journey and put her in the same league with 18.5 million out-of-school children in the country.
Her parents informed her that there was a school close to their new home in Sokoto, and they would allow her to attend because the location was safe. This news brought her immense joy.
Asm’au’s class at GGDSS Arkilla, Sokoto. Credit: Adulwasiu Olokooba
Asma’a’s new school is Government Girls Day Secondary School (GGDSS) at Federal Lowcost Arkilla, Sokoto. This school was established in 2005 to promote girls’ education in the state, but now the available facilities are not sufficient to accommodate the staff and the large number of students who enrol in the school.
In a bid to expand the capacity of this school, the state government, through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, awarded a project titled, Expansion of Existing School GGDSS Arkilla Federal Lowcost Housing’ for a sum of N100,198,196.00 to Sunakhab Minerals Ltd in June 2022.
However, a visit to the school by this reporter in June 2023 showed that this project had not been executed.
The school principal, Binta Umar, revealed that the state government had not delivered any projects to the school in recent years, despite repeated complaints she had sent to the appropriate authorities about the school’s infrastructure inadequacy.
The principal added that the only new building on the school premises is an abandoned block of two classrooms built by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), a federal government agency.
“The only new project here is the UBEC project that was abandoned more than three months ago,” the principal revealed.
Contract Award Notice For Expansion of Existing School GGDSS Arkilla Federal Lowcost Housing by the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education Obtained From State E-Procurement Portal
“One of the challenges we are facing is the shortage of classrooms, which, because of this we used to reject admission. We don’t have enough classes and chairs to admit more students,” an English language teacher in the school, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of intimidation, told SaharaReporters.
The teacher revealed further that the school started rejecting admission in 2021 when it commenced Senior Secondary School(SSS) classes.
He continued: “We can’t admit more than 40 students in a class because we don’t have enough classes and chairs, it’s only 20 chairs per 40 students in a class.
“And this year (2023), we received many in SSS 1. We also have some students on transfer from some local government in Sokoto and neighbouring states like Zamfara especially due to the issue of banditry.
“Many students were here because their parents left their villages due to insecurity,” the English language teacher added.
GGDSS Arkilla, Sokoto. Credit: Adulwasiu Olokooba
When asked about the estimated number of students the school had rejected their admissions since 2021, he said, “We have rejected not less than 40 girls from 2021 till now because we don’t have enough classrooms.”
“We are also facing the problem of vandalization of doors and padlocks which we have to buy new padlocks almost every two weeks because our school is not fenced,” he added.
Abandoned UBEC Project at GGDSS Arkilla, Sokoto. Credit: Adulwasiu Olokooba
Contract awarded to company with links to state procurement official -Kabiru Haliru
According to information obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Kabiru Haliru, a public official of Sokoto state, is one of the directors and major shareholder of Sunakhab Minerals Ltd. This company was awarded a N100 million contract by the Sokoto Government to expand GGDSS Arkilla.
This is in breach of Section 69(9)(a-b) of the Sokoto State Bureau for Public Procurement and Price Intelligence (Amendment No.2) Law, 2020, which prohibits all state public officers from engaging in any procurement transactions that would confer any undue advantages to them.
Haliru was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Due Process Office, known as Sokoto State Bureau Public Procurement and Price Intelligence Unit, by the immediate past governor of the state, Aminu Tambuwal, in 2016.
In 2022, he was appointed Permanent Secretary Sokoto State Ministry of Justice by immediate past Governor Aminu Tambuwal.
The CAC document shows that Haliru, the beneficial owner, incorporated the company Sunakhab Minerals Ltd two years after his appointment as the state procurement official.
The provision of the law reads: “Every public officer involved directly or indirectly in matters of public procurement shall:
(a)divest himself of any interest or relationships which are actually or potentially inimical or detrimental to the best interest of government and the underlining principles of this Law; and
(b) not engage or participate in any commercial transaction involving the state government, its ministries, extra-ministerial departments, corporations where his capacity as public officer is likely to confer any unfair advantage pecuniary or otherwise on him or any person directly related to him.”
Section 69(11)(b) also states that a conflict of interest will exist during the procurement process where a person “possesses a direct or indirect interest in or relationship with a bidder, supplier, contractor or service provider that is inherently unethical or that may be implied or constructed to be or make possible personal gain due to the person’s ability to influence dealings.”
N13m Project Awarded To Sunakhab For Construction Of Corpers Lodge
But it is not only the GGDSS Arkilla contract that was awarded to Haliru’s company.
The Sokoto State Ministry of Work and Transport on the June 21, 2022, also awarded N13,108,832.76 to Sunakhab Minerals Ltd for the construction of the ministry’s corpers’ lodge at Unguwar Rogo Area, Sokoto. This project appeared in the state procurement portal after a competitive bidding process.
Contract Award Notice For Construction of the ministry’s Corpers lodge at Unguwar Rogo Area, Sokoto by the State Ministry of Works And Transport Obtained From State E-Procurement Portal
When this reporter visited the location of this project in June 2023, it was realised that it was not executed. The old building of the lodge was met in a derelict state.
Sokoto State Ministry of Works Corpers’ Lodge. Credit: Abdulwasiu Olokooba
The roof of the room had fallen, and the environment appeared untidy.
According to a man who was met inside the lodge who identified himself as Mustapha Yusuf, the building’s watchman, the ministry did not conduct any renovation to the existing structure or build a new lodge during the seven months he was hired by the ministry to monitor the lodge.
Fallen Roof At Sokoto State Ministry of Works Corpers’ Lodge. Credit: Abdulwasiu Olokooba
“I was directed to relocate here by the ministry, l have been here since almost 7 months back, and I stayed with three people here before they left recently. All I know is that there was a time that an engineer told me that he came here and did some measurements,” Mustapha told this reporter.
Sokoto State Ministry of Works Corpers’ Lodge. Credit: Abdulwasiu Olokooba
When asked if he was aware that the ministry awarded a contract for the construction of the lodge, he declined to give a definite answer and directed the reporter to the ministry instead.
He said, “You know l work with the Ministry of Works, l work as watchman of the ministry, whatever happens, they will hold me responsible, even if they did any kind of fraud, you would know if you go there.”
A N51million survey office renovation project
Information found on the state e-procurement portal revealed that Sunakhab Minerals Ltd was also the company that was awarded N51,896,394.26 for a project titled, ‘Renovation of Survey Office including fencing of the whole complex’ in June 2022.
Investigation revealed that the N51 million project was yet to be executed twelve months after it was awarded. A staff of the survey office who spoke to this reporter anonymously confirmed that no rehabilitation was done to the complex despite repeated requests by the ministry to the government to do so.
Contract Award Notice For Renovation of Survey Office Including Fencing Of The Whole Complex’ in June 2022 by the State Ministry of Lands And Housing Obtained From State E-Procurement Portal
“You can see nothing has been done here, did you see something new here,” he said rhetorically.
Sokoto State Land Survey Office. Credit: Abdulwasiu Olokooba
The state e-Procurement PORTAL also revealed that the ministry awarded the construction of drainages at TSAFE and AGAIE Roads, worth N105,165,027.50 and N105,182,047.50 respectively, on June 21, 2022 after competitive bidding processes to Sunakhab Minerals Ltd. ICIR’s Investigation revealed that these projects were not executed.
Sokoto State Land Survey Office. Credit: Abdulwasiu Olokooba
N48million awarded to Sunakhab for purchase Of 50 HP Laptop Computers and 100
Tablets Headteachers
Another project awarded by the Sokoto State government to Sunakhab Minerals Ltd is the purchase of 50 HP laptops and 100 tablets for school headteachers by the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. Like the previous three projects, findings revealed that this was also not executed.
Contract Award Notice For Purchase of 50 HP Laptop Computers and 100 Tablets for School Headteachers by the State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education Obtained From State E-procurement Portal
Visits to Waziri Model Primary School, Tudun Wada, Sokoto South, Yahaya Gysau Model Primary School, Old Airport, Range/Shuni and Akija Model Primary School, Yar’akiji, Sokoto North in June 2023 revealed that the state government had distributed neither laptop nor tablet to any of the school headteachers.
A teacher at Waziri Model Primary School claimed he once heard from the headteacher of Yakubu Muazu Science Model Primary School in Mabera, Sokoto, that he received a tablet from the government, and he, therefore, directed this report to visit the school to determine if the tablet was among the 100 tablets awarded to Sunakhab Minerals Ltd by the state government.
When the reporter visited Yakubu Muazu Science Model Primary School, he learned that a tablet had been provided to the headteacher. The tablet was a TecnoP703 model. The headteacher stated that the tablet was supplied to him by some group of people who came together with officials of the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in early 2022 to conduct pupils’ data and register their attendance online.
Tablet Received By The headteacher of Yakubu Muazu Science Model Primary School Under BESDA Project
But the headteacher said he could not confirm if the tablet was among the ones I was tracking.
Tablet Received by The Headteacher of Yakubu Muazu Science Model Primary School Under BESDA Project
To ascertain the real status of this project, this reporter met with the Chairman of Sokoto State Headteachers’ Association, Abubakar Moyi at his school, 500 Housing Primary School, Sokoto, Old Airport Area, Sokoto, who confirmed that the tablet this reporter saw at Yakubu Muazu was not procured by the state government.
He explained that the ‘BESD’ inscribed at the back of the tablet meant ‘Better Education Service Delivery’, revealing that it was one of the tablets shared by the Federal Government to the state with the support of the World Bank for the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) Operation Project in the country.
Abubakar went on to say that he was not sure if the Sokoto government had recently purchased any computers or tablets for headteachers because if they had, he would have heard about it and would have benefited as a result of his position.
The chairman equally urged this reporter to visit Magaji Rafi Model Primary School,
Turaki Model Primary School and Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa Model Primary School to see if any of the school headteachers there got a tablet from the state government.
“There is no way the government would distribute these tablets that I or any of these three schools I mentioned will not know,” the state headteachers’ association chairman told this reporter.
However, the headteachers of these primary schools told this reporter that they did not receive any laptops or tablets procured by the state government when the reporter visited them in June.
‘Bid Rigging…’
To get more details about the procurement process for the projects awarded to Sunakhab Minerals Ltd by the Sokoto State government, this reporter did Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and open source searches for all the three companies that appeared as bidders on the award of contract documents for the projects. These companies are: Nushema Precious Minerals LTD, Shenuus Solid Minerals LTD and Marbash Farms Limited.
Further investigations showed that all three companies share one email address, khtambuwal@gmail.com, and one physical address in Tambuwal, Sokoto State: No 5, Kebbe Road, Tambuwal, Sokoto State.
A visit to the address in August revealed that none of these companies has their office there. A nearby shop owner informed this reporter that in the more than five years he has been there, he has never heard of any of these firms.
An anti-corruption advocate,Nurudeen Salako, described what happened during the procurement processes of these contracts as ‘bid rigging’.
He said, “Yes (it’s bid rigging), because the rightful bidding contractors would have pushed forward for the contracts, but Haliru with his position, influence and connection as a public servant, would have grabbed the contract which he shouldn’t have bid for it in the first instance.”
Section 70(9)(b) of The Sokoto State Bureau for Public Procurement and Price Intelligence(Amendment No.2) Law, 2020defines instances that can amount to ‘bid rigging’ to include “an agreement between persons whereby their conduct has had the effect of directly or indirectly restricting free and open competition distorting the competitiveness of the procurement processes and lending to an escalation or increase in cost or loss of value to the state treasury.”
Salako added that this reporter’s findings had further confirmed how corruption at the state level contributed to the lack of accountability, transparency and development in Nigeria.
He continued: “The anti-graft agencies, especially the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) must swing into action and further investigate the allegations against Kabiru Haliru and other conspirators to ensure that they face the wrath of the law.”
The Law
Sani Abdulqadir, a legal practitioner said a careful perusal of The Sokoto State Bureau for Public Procurement and Price Intelligence(Amendment No.2) Law, 2020showed that Haliru, who is supposed to be the custodian and enforcer of the law has breached some vital provisions.
He said, by virtue of Section 70(5) of The Sokoto State Bureau for Public Procurement and Price Intelligence(Amendment No.2) Law, 2020, Kabiru’s altitudes put himself at risk of being liable for an offence to “a commutative punishment of a term of imprisonment of:
“(a) a term of imprisonment of not more than 2 years or N200,000.00 fine.
“(b) termination of appointment from government services.”
Ministries React
When this reporter contacted the three ministries involved in these contracts awarded to Sunakhab Minerals Ltd to get their reactions to our findings and asked why these projects were not executed, the officials directed him to contact the State Due Process Office, Public Procurement and Price Intelligence Unit, claiming it is the agency that is statutorily empowered to regulate matters of procurement in the state.
When this reporter contacted the Director of Architecture and Buildings in the Ministry of Work And Transport, Fatima A. Tunau, for her reaction to his findings via WhatsApp, she confirmed that her ministry truly participated in the pilot of the state e-procurement exercise during the former administration of Aminu Tambuwal.
She, however, claimed that it was the ministry’s Quantity Survey Officer and the State Bureau Public Procurement and Price Intelligence Unit that could provide more details on the procurement processes of the awarded contracts.
“Like I said, it was a pilot exercise the ministry participated in it. The Due Process Office concluded the procurement process. The Ministry QS (Quantity Survey) and desk officer to the Due Process E-Procurement office will give more details,” she told this reporter.
This reporter obtained the number of the ministry’s Quantity Survey Officer, identified as Hali Bodinga and called his mobile number. Speaking to this reporter via a telephone conversation, Bodinga, who claimed to be part of the procurement process, confirmed that the ministry truly awarded the N13,108,832.76 to Sunakhab Minerals Ltd for the construction of the ministry’s Corpers lodge at Unguwar Rogo Area, Sokoto.
He, however, denied knowing Sunakhab Minerals Ltd’s director and believed the project had yet to be prosecuted because the government did not release money for it.
“I don’t think the government has released money for the project because if they had released money, the company would have come to the ministry,” Bolinga stated.
He later directed this reporter to speak to the official of the state Due Process Office to get more details on the project and promised to send the official’s phone number.
A few minutes later, this reporter received a text message from Bodinga which read: “Name: Barr Kabiru Due Process. Phone1: 08036251117 Phone2: 08036251117.”
Haliru, now a Permanent Secretary in the Sokoto State Justice Ministry, told this reporter over the phone that the reason for the non-execution of the multi-billion-naira projects was that they were not “formalised” by the state government.
Kabiru Haliru’s Profile Picture on WhatsApp
He said, “The contracts were not formalised by the state government. It was initially intended just for the purpose of piloting the e-procurement. But it was not formalised. None of the contracts was formalised.
His WhatsApp Displays the Same Gmail Address As The One connected with Sunakhab’s Director by CAC
But when told that our investigation revealed that those companies involved in the procurement processes of these projects as found on the state e-procurement portal were linked to him, Haliru denied owning them.
“No. It is not true (they were not owned by me). You need to check very well,” he told this reporter despite informing him that there were documents obtained from CAC that linked him with this company.
A Screenshot of WhatsApp Conversation with Kabiru Haliru
Haliru failed to reply after a signal showed he received and read the message. He did not pick up repeated calls made to his cell phone by this reporter for further comment.
* This investigation republished from Sahara Reporters is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting.
HUMAN rights lawyer Femi Falana has urged President Tinubu-led Federal Government to prosecute the suspended and now former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over the naira scarcity that hit the country early this year.
In a statement he released on Sunday, September 17, 2023, Falana said Emefiele and the CBN lied to Nigerians over the availability of cash owing to redesigning the nation’s currency.
“Convinced that the suspended Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. Emefiele, had lied and deceived the Nigerian people, we requested information about the actual amount made available to each of the commercial banks. In its belated response to our request, the CBN has now confirmed that it issued redesigned currency notes of N402 billion to the banks,” he said.
“Having misled Nigerians to believe that sufficient cash was distributed to commercial banks to replace the sum of N3.5 trillion mopped up from customers, Mr Godwin Emefiele and the entire management of the CBN ought to be prosecuted for incitement and culpable homicide.”
Falana also charged the CBN to rebuild commercial bank buildings destroyed by angry customers while the scarcity lasted.
He also appealed to the apex bank to compensate the families of those who were killed due to the incitement of the public.
Buhari authorised the policy, which the CBN said made the old notes cease to be legal tender from February 10.
In one of its many reports on the hardship the policy has brought to people in the country, The ICIRreportedhow Nigerians went nude, fought in banks and engaged in other habits that counted as offences when things were normal.
The then-candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and incumbent President, said the prevailing fuel scarcity, which coincided with the naira scarcity, aimed to sabotage the 2023 general elections.
The ICIRreported how Tinubu suspended Emefiele shortly after assuming office and directed him to hand over the affairs of his office to the deputy governor operations directorate, Folashodun Shonubi.
The State Security Service (SSS), which arrested him shortly after his suspension, did not initially give reasons for his arrest.
However, the SSS eventually brought him to the Federal High Court in Lagos, where he faced charges of alleged illegal gun possession, comprising two counts related to firearms and ammunition.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo granted him bail on a N20 million bond, requiring one surety of equivalent value.
However, the Federal Government filed additional charges against him in Abuja on August 15, following his rearrest at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
THE Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has apologised for threatening female students who testified against the suspended University of Calabar (UNICAL) lecturer, Cyril Ndifon.
The university suspended Ndifon, a professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law in the institution, on August 17 after the female Law students protested, alleging that he had subjected them to sexual harassment and assault.
Ndifon denied the allegations.
Following the developments, the university set up an investigation panel to investigate the allegations, namely sexual harassment, lack of accountability and abuse of office.
In a video, the minister threatened the students testifying against the lecturer with dire consequences, including imprisonment if they lied against him.
However, in a statement released on Sunday, September 17, 2023, Uju tendered her apology to Nigerians and students who testified in the probe.
Uju stated: “I wish to express my sincere apologies to those who were offended by my comments and actions regarding the sexual harassment scandal at the University of Calabar. This is extremely regrettable as my intentions were sincere and aligned with my consistent advocacy for the welfare of Nigerian women and the pursuit of justice.
“I stand for all Nigerian women, and I stand for justice. It is my hope that we can work together to actualize the dream of a country where women’s rights are respected and protected and where our daughters feel safe in institutions of learning.”
She further expressed her concern over the escalating cases of sexual harassment across campuses and emphasized the need for decisive action. She assured that her ministry would actively seek justice for those affected.
The ICIR reported how in a leaked telephone conversation said to be of Ohaneye with one of the girls claiming to have been raped by Ndifon, threatened the girl and other testifiers that they would go to jail if they lied against Ndifon.
