The situation is ‘too’ bad now ! The situation in the street is worst ! The elites may not understand what the ordinary people in the street are experiencing on daily basis! Tax officials on rampage ! EEDC exploitative estimated bills , high cost food items , land speculators everywhere! Everything is wrong !
If a Governor cannot inspire the people to begin to have hope , then it is a hopeless situation.
Lets review the Governor manifesto – ” i will create 150,000 jobs per year” where are the jobs ?
”I will create 1000 youths millionaires per year ”
Where are the millionaires?
GGM will publish the manifesto from where we will be assessing the Governor performance. Afterall, he applied for the job and we most graciously employed him . Ndubuisi GGM
The trial of Willie Obiano, former governor of Anambra State, continued on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja with two prosecution witnesses disclosing how they supplied Obiano cash in both naira and dollars through his proxies.
A former banker who was the account manager of the Anambra State Government accounts, including the state’s Security Vote account, Ugochukwu Chinedu told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he usually delivered raw cash in both Naira and US dollars to Obiano in line with the instructions given to him by the former governor of the state, Willie Obiano’s former principal secretary, Willie Nwokoye and accountant at the state government’s house, Theophilus Meize.
Chinedu, who is Prosecution Witness 3, added that the duo were signatories to the Security Votes account.
Obiano is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on nine charges of embezzlement and money laundering to the tune of N4 billion.
In a statement on Wednesday by the service’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, the witness was quoted as saying, “I usually processed transactions with the principal secretary, either daily or weekly, mostly using the instruments of cheques. I will go to his office on Fridays to balance the account. All the transactions I carried out were usually based on the instructions given to him by the account holders.
“Sometime around July 2021, I was called by the compliance officer that they had received an invitation from the EFCC regarding an ongoing investigation into the administration of the Anambra State Government Security Votes’ account.
In the course of the investigation, I was asked to provide details about some other accounts that I managed which included Udo Ventures Limited, Moment of Peace Limited, Easy Diamond Integrated Links Limited, C. I Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited, Xpressive Consult Nig. Limited, among others.”
According to Oyewale, documents relating to those accounts were marked PW3 A1 to A215, tendered, and admitted in evidence.
Oyewale also said PW4, who operates five, Bureau de Change companies, Hayatu Hassan, disclosed that he made a total sum of N222,371,000 available in dollars equivalent to the Government of Anambra State under Obiano.
In the same vein, a businessman and Prosecution Witness 4, who operates five Bureau de Change companies, namely: Seltris BDC Limited, Seltris Limited, Commaught International Services Limited, Holdall Limited, and Norricelea Limited, disclosed that he made a total sum of N222,371,000 available in dollar equivalent to the Government of Anambra State under Obiano,” the statement added.
Oyewale said Hassan stated that,“Sometimes last year, I was invited by the EFCC Abuja Office, and I was asked if I had any business with the Anambra State Government and I said no. Then, the person interviewing me showed me that my company, Commaught International Services Limited, has done some transactions with the state government. He showed me some payments in seven transactions that were done in my Commaught account.
“Two different transactions were in February 2018, about N172,371,000 (One Hundred and Seventy-two Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-one Naira) and it was for $465,000 (Four Hundred and Sixty-five Thousand US Dollars). The other one was in March 2018 for N50 million and it was for $135,000 (One Hundred and Thirty-five US Dollars), making a total of $600,000 (Six Hundred Thousand US Dollars) and naira equivalent of N222,371,000.
“I sold the dollars to Ayuba Tanko, another BDC operator. As soon as the transaction was done, I handed over the dollars to Ayuba Tanko. I didn’t know it was from the Anambra State Government,” he said.
The trial judge, Inyag Ekwo subsequently adjourned the matter till October 7, 8, 9 and 10 for the continuation of trial.
In a highly anticipated face-off, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump participated in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle on Thursday night. Held at CNN’s studio in Atlanta and moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, the 90-minute event saw both candidates answering questions on key issues such as the economy, healthcare, immigration, the January 6 Capitol attack, and Trump’s recent criminal conviction.
Economy
President Biden criticized Trump’s handling of the economy, attributing the economic downturn and inflation to his predecessor’s policies and the pandemic. Biden highlighted his administration’s efforts to lower prices, including reducing insulin costs. In contrast, Trump boasted about the “greatest economy” during his tenure and blamed Biden for high inflation, despite economic growth under Trump being lower than during some previous administrations. Trump’s proposal for a 10% tariff on all foreign products was also debated, with many economists disputing his claim that it wouldn’t drive up prices.
Healthcare
Trump expressed support for the Supreme Court’s decision to preserve access to the abortion pill mifepristone, emphasizing his role in appointing justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. Biden countered Trump’s claims, asserting that most constitutional scholars supported Roe v. Wade. Biden’s performance in this section was marked by confusion, as he mixed up Medicare and Medicaid and struggled with tax rate figures, which Trump mocked.
Immigration and Capitol Attack
Trump accused Biden of allowing criminals and terrorists to cross the border, claiming the U.S. had the “safest border in history” during his presidency. Biden refuted these claims, citing a lack of data to support Trump’s assertions. When asked about the January 6 Capitol attack, Trump deflected, focusing on his administration’s achievements and insisting he called for peaceful actions on that day. Biden criticized Trump for continuing to deny the 2020 election results, calling him a “whiner.”
Sparring Over Presidency
In a heated exchange, both candidates accused each other of being the worst president in history. Trump called Biden the worst president during a discussion on childcare, while Biden cited a survey of political scientists naming Trump as the worst president in American history. Both candidates also addressed concerns about their age, with Biden, 81, pointing to his extensive experience, and Trump, 82, citing his cognitive test results and recent golf victories.
Election Integrity
On the acceptance of election results, Trump hesitated before stating he would accept the results “if it’s a fair and legal and good election,” while reiterating baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election. Biden dismissed these claims, pointing out that no court had found merit in Trump’s allegations and accusing him of being unable to accept defeat.
In a crucial effort to prevent an impending strike, the Federal Government (FG) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) concluded a significant closed-door meeting on Wednesday, pledging to resolve all contentious issues amicably.
The meeting, which commenced at approximately 4:30 pm at the Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja, lasted over two hours. It included key figures from the federal government, such as Education Ministers Prof. Tahir Mamman and Dr. Yusuf Sununu, along with other top officials. The ASUU delegation was led by its President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke.
Following the meeting, Prof. Osodeke addressed the press, indicating that the negotiation process had begun, and expressed hope that the government would adhere to the agreements made.
“We have discussions on all the issues and we have given assignments to some people to look at and agree on the way forward,” Osodeke stated. Regarding the two-week ultimatum issued by ASUU, he mentioned that they would brief their members on the meeting’s details.
Emphasizing the importance of the process, Osodeke said, “Our prayers are that we resolve it for the interest of our young men and the interest of the nation. The government has spent one year in office and we have not been called for any formal meeting. Today we are having the first formal meeting. There is a process we have started and we are going to set deadlines. We are going to meet to look at what has been done on those issues and we hope the process will continue.”
Prof. Mamman, representing the FG, highlighted the productivity of the meeting and the ongoing consultations needed to address the issues in the education sector.
“We’ve had a very good meeting and a very productive one. We’ve discussed progress on how to ensure that the system works well and lots of the issues we talked about are those that we inherited and some that are ongoing. We discussed them all without exception and we have a consensus on the way forward,” Mamman said.
He further noted the necessity of further consultations, involving other ministries, to gather comprehensive information and solve the existing problems. “The most important thing is that we had a very good meeting and agreed to continue with the consultations to overcome the problems bedevilling education in Nigeria,” he added.
This meeting comes in the wake of ASUU’s threat to initiate a nationwide strike due to the FG’s failure to meet its demands, including removal from IPPIS, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, addressing the backlog of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and resolving outstanding salary issues. ASUU had set a two-week deadline for the government to act on these demands.
The First Prosecution Witness, Tochukwu Aloysius Nnadi and Second Prosecution Witness, Mrs Chinwe Patricia Ebunam in the trial of ex-Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano on Tuesday, 25, 2024 told Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja that funds in the state’s security votes’ account were funneled to multiple private entities under the former governor’s watch.
Nnadi, a bank manager in Awka, Anambra State since June 2011 revealed that documents originating from his bank clearly showed that Easy Diamond Integrated Links, C.I Patty Ventures Nigeria Limited, Xpressive Consult Nig. Limited, among others were beneficiaries of the outflows from the state’s security votes’ account under Obiano.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Sylvanus Tahir SAN, the witness stated that the Anambra State Government under Obiano had several accounts with the bank that included: Statutory Revenue Account, Value Added Account, Consolidated Internal Generated Revenue Account, Security Votes Account and others.
According to him, “the mandate of the Security Votes Account was operated by the then Principal Secretary to the governor, Mr Willie Nwokoye and the Accountant at the government house, Theophilus Meize. The accounts are funded weekly from various accounts, especially from the Consolidated Internal Revenue account in which payments are usually made weekly based on the advice from the operators of the account to various entities, be it individual or corporate entities which I cannot mention here because the names are many but I recall that I made a statement in the Commission where I listed some of those names there.”
The witness recalled that he submitted statements of account, certified true copies to the statements of account, certificate of identification and account opening packages to the Commission. The documents marked PW A1 to PW A794 and B1 to B432 were tendered by prosecution counsel and admitted in evidence by the court.
Similarly, the Second Prosecution Witness, PW2, Ebunam, an Onitsha-based businesswoman in her testimony disclosed that the sum of N156,800,000 (One Hundred and Fifty-six Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) was strangely wired to her account in 2022 from Anambra State Government`s Account even as she executed no contract for the government.
According to her, “Sometime around 20th May 2022, I received a call from EFCC that they needed me in their office, regarding my company C.I Patty Ventures, about some money that passed through my account, which I told them I don’t know anything about the money that passed through my account. All I knew was that I called my bank account officer, Ugochukwu Otibere to upgrade my account or post money into my account to enable me to pass the requirements of the embassy so that I can travel. He accepted and collected the details of the company’s account and cheque. He promised me that he will upgrade the account. I don’t know anything about the NI56,800 million that passed through my account from the Anambra State Government.”
Obiano is facing prosecution by the EFCC on nine-count charges of embezzlement and money laundering to the tune of N4 billion.
Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter to June 26, 2024 for continuation of trial.
Award-winning musician, David Adeleke, aka Davido, has described the day of his wedding with his long-time partner, Chioma Rowland, as the best day of his life.
The elated musician was heard in a video clip online saying he felt good about the decision to tie the knot with his lover.
“I feel good. It’s the best day of my life. It’s a great day. We are here to receive our wife,” Davido said in the video clip.
The wedding, which was staged in Lagos State, attracted dignitaries, including governors, high-profile traditional rulers, and celebrities, among others, who graced the occasion that became the most trending event in the country on Tuesday.
Note that they have 3kids already, though lost their first son Ifeanyi Adeleke in October, 2022.
We wish the couple well in their journey to marital bliss.
See the black market Dollar to Naira exchange rate for 25th June, below. You can swap your dollar for Naira at these rates.
How much is a dollar to naira today in the black market?
Dollar to naira exchange rate today black market (Aboki dollar rate):
The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players buy a dollar for N1500 and sell at N1505 on Tuesday 25th June 2024, according to sources at Bureau De Change(BDC)
Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.
The protest over the appointment of caretaker committee chairmen by Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara took a new turn as a middle-aged protester carrying dynamite was killed in an explosion in the State Capital, Port Harcourt
The incident occurred at 9:45 a.m. in front of Hotel Presidential, on Tuesday.
It is understood that he got killed while trying to discharge an explosive.
Eyewitnesses report that the victim’s body was quickly removed from the scene as security forces rushed to the area.
The protesters, who were en route to their destination, caused significant traffic congestion.
Recall that protesters, comprising political leaders from various wards in Obio/Akpor, are demonstrating in support of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
They have gathered at the Rumueme Civic Centre, urging the Inspector General of Police to maintain a strong presence in the councils and resist intimidation.
The protests follow the removal of Wike loyalists from local councils by Governor Sim Fubara, who has replaced them despite the secretariats remaining locked.
Kylian Mbappe is back in the France starting line-up for Tuesday’s Euro 2024 clash with Poland, his first appearance since suffering a broken nose against Austria just over a week ago.
Mbappe injured himself late on in the 1-0 victory over the Austrians on June 17 and did not play any part in last Friday’s 0-0 draw with the Netherlands in Leipzig as a result.
The new Real Madrid signing, who must wear a protective face mask, captains a France side who have already qualified for the last 16 before the Group D finale in Dortmund.
He returns in one of two changes made by coach Didier Deschamps to his line-up, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola getting a first international start as Antoine Griezmann and Marcus Thuram drop out.
Where France finish in the section depends both on their result and the outcome of the simultaneous encounter between the Netherlands and Austria.
Poland are already eliminated but their captain and record goal-scorer Robert Lewandowski makes his first start of the competition after injury.
