Sgobir Empire Post

24/12/2023

FG to take over Union Bank, Keystone Bank, Polaris allegedly owned by Emefiele

The report of the special investigation into the activities of the Central Bank of Nigeria has accused the immediate past governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele, of using ill-gotten wealth to acquire banks for himself through proxies.

According to the report, Emefiele used proxies to acquire Union Bank of Nigeria for Titan Trust Bank Limited, as well as Keystone Bank without any evidence of payment.

As a result, it recommends that the Federal Government should reverse the sale of the banks and also take them over.

The special investigator, Jim Obazee, had on Wednesday submitted the report of his investigations into the acquisition of Union Bank and Keystone Bank to President Bola Tinubu in two separate letters dated December 20, 2023

Obazee also found out that the ex-CBN governor lodged £543,482,213 in fixed deposits in UK banks alone without authorisation.

23/12/2023

22/12/2023

Khateebs for Jumu’ah in the Two Holy Mosques.

20/12/2023

EFCC Chair Tasks CSOs in South East on Grassroots Anti-Graft Campaigns

Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has charged civil society organisations, CSOs, in the South East on proper collaboration with the Commission especially in spreading anti-corruption messages at the grassroots.

He gave this charge on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at the Enugu Zonal Command of the EFCC in a brief interactive session with CSOs, immediately after the commissioning of the new structure of the Command.

The Chairman, who spoke through the Secretary to the Commission, Muhammad Hammajoda said “the EFCC cannot achieve its mandate of ridding the country of economic and financial crimes alone and we need you the CSOs who are our major stakeholders to put in your energy, time and other resources to support us in this fight against corruption”.

Describing corruption as a“cancer”, the Chairman said every effort must be made to tackle it. “Please, we have to do this work together. The menace is just like cancer and we should fight it with all our strength. You are our eyes and ears in the public, you are our whistle blowers. Help us spread the anti-corruption message to the grassroots so that we can effectively fight corruption and win together”, he said.

Responding, Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Enugu chapter, Chief C.N.N Nwagbara, commended Olukoyede for recognising the roles of the CSOs in the fight against corruption and pledged total support of the Association to the Commission in achieving its mandate.

“We will be looking out for crimes, especially the ones that are within the jurisdiction of EFCC and probably make a report. I want to commend the Chairman and the Secretary to the Commission for calling for this meeting and I want to encourage you that there is a need for a repeat of this from time to time”, he said.

Another contributor, Mazi Ikechukwu Bismark Oji drew the attention of the Chairman to difficulties being

20/12/2023

The Executive Governor of Kebbi State, Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu has approved the appointment of 715 Special Assistants (SAs).

This is contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the Kebbi State Government, SSG, Alhaji Yakubu Bala-Tafida and made available to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi this Monday.

The Special Assistants are selected across 21 Local Government Areas of the state based on merit and their track record of hard work.

While congratulating the appointees, the SSG charged them to be dedicated and discharge their duties with high sense of dignity .

18/12/2023

PRESIDENT TINUBU: WE WILL ALWAYS UPHOLD MEDIA FREEDOM, RESPECT DIVERGENT VIEWS

President Bola Tinubu says his administration will always uphold media freedom and respect opinions, whether they are adversarial or complimentary to his government.

The President made the pledge on Monday in Abuja during a meeting with members of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN).

President Tinubu assured NPAN members that he would carefully consider their request for a review of policies affecting the paper industry, acknowledging concerns about existing regulations hindering local access to newsprint.

Speaking on the challenges faced by travellers during the festive season, the President said the federal government is taking measures to alleviate the high cost of transportation by granting waivers to operators in the air, road, and rail transportation systems.

He also said steps are being taken to reduce the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

''I care about what is going on in the country. I thank you for your support and opinions, even the criticism of our government. Without the support of some of you, I will not be standing here as president.

"You have held our feet to the fire, and we will continue to respect your opinions whether we agree or not. One thing I must say is that I read every paper, various opinions, and columnists,’’ the President said.

President Tinubu said his administration will remain steadfast in "reinvigorating, retooling and re-engineering the economy," citing bold decisions by his administration to end the petrol subsidy regime and initiate the ongoing unification of foreign exchange rates.

''I promise you a very transparent government. We will try our best to draw water from a dry well and create a good economic environment that will serve the people. The future of our country is clear with committed investments in health, infrastructure, transportation, and education, among others.

11/12/2023

Gov. Idris vows to end medical personnel exit to FG facilities

Press Release

Kebbi State Governor, Comerade Dr. Nasir Idris has assured regular payment of all allowances to medical personnel with a view to halting their movement from the state's own hospitals to Federal Medical Centres (FMCs).

This is contained in a press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Alhaji Ahmed Idris and made available to Newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital on Monday.

Idris said his principal disclosed this at a dinner organised in honour of 13 indigenous medical doctors who graduated from Usman Danfodio University Sokoto.

He promised to accord more priority to health sector in view of their important role in saving human lives.

"I will do my best to increase the doctors and other medical staff allowances and ensure that the gap in allowances between the state and the federal government is filled, so that they can stay at home and work for their people. Now I am happy, you people have graduated and ready to serve the state," he added.

The governor had also increased the scholarship allowance of medical students studying at various universities from N30,000 to N50,000 to support their academic activities.

Idris pledged to construct standard hospitals across the four Emirates in the state to boost accessibility of health facilities and reduce the suffering of citizens occasioned by different illnesses.

In his welcome address, the Hon. Commissioner for Health, Comerade Alhassan Yauri appreciated the governor for organising the reception for the graduating medical doctors, describing it as the first of its kind in history of the state.

He then made a passionate appeal to the governor to reconsider the doctors and other medical staff allowance as it was the only remedy to prevent them form moving to other organisations.

Those in attendance are; the Deputy Governor, Sen. Umar Tafida, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Yakubu Bala-Tafida.

09/12/2023

Gov. Idris flags-off construction, upgrade of 120 secondary schools worth N8.9bn

Press Release

Kebbi State Governor, Comerade Dr. Nasir Idris has flagged-off the construction and upgrade of 120 secondary schools across the state valued at N8.9b.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday at Bubuche in Arugungu Local Government Area, the governor said the gesture was meant to reposition the education sector in the state.

He explained that the programme, which was under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for learning and Empowerment (AGILE) in incollaboration with the world Bank and Dominat Engineering Limited aimed at promoting education sector by providing conducive learning environment for children.

"This flag-off will occasion the constitution of new schools designed to upgrade 120 schools from primary school to junior secondary and junior secondary to senior secondary schools under AGILE" he added.

Idris pointed out that his administration's desire was to change the educational fortune of the state for the better through creating "best enabling environment that will promote,.enhance and institute the education of girl-child in the fabrics of our society."

He, therefore, noted with satisfaction that the administration wasted no time in giving education its place of prominence and priority, adding, "For us, education is a priority and good education for the girl-child is our guarded and guided obligation that must be promoted and sustained at all cost.

"We are therefore committed to the faithful facilitation and positive implementation of the AGILE programme in the state," he said.

The governor observed that the introduction of AGILE had yielded positive outcome which culminated into an increase in the enrolment of adolescent girls by 40% and most of them had proceeded to obtained their secondary school certificate.

"The programme has improved the physical infrastructural condition of our schools with 294 schools getting small grants while 93 rece

04/12/2023

PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Publication, issued in Abuja

Mon. 4th Dec. 2023
3pm

HIRED EXPELLED NNPP HANDS STAGING PRESS CONFERENCE TO DISPARAGE ABBA KABIR YUSUF AND RABIU MUSA KWANKWASO.

It has come to our notice that certain expelled members of the NNPP which include Tope Aluko and some ex state chairmen, who are sponsored elements, are conducting a press conference in Jabi, Abuja to falsely state as a form of propaganda, that H.E. Abba Kabir Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP as at the time of the election and that His Excellency, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso is dismissed from the party.

These allegations are totally false and inaccurate. We state that the Kano State Governor was a bona fide member of the NNPP at all material times and that we have confidence in the Supreme Court of Nigeria that justice will be done. These hired/paid hands who seem to be lackeys in the hands of the APC national chairman, Ganduje, seem to have "sold their souls" and will do anything for pecuniary gains at the expense of the Nigerian electorate.

We remind the general populace that Chief Boniface Aniebonam, one of the founders of the NNPP, recently spoke out in favor of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and asked that his election be upheld. Therefore it is a mystery that some of his loyalists would stoop so low as to become hired hands to misinform Nigerians.

In conclusion we urge that Nigerians ignore the false statements by these enemies of the Nigerian electorate!

Ladipo Johnson Esq
On behalf of the NNPP
National Working Committee under the leadership of Ag. National Chairman Hon. Abba Kawu Ali

16/09/2023

On Friday, vice president Kashim Shstteema addressed World leaders at the ongoing G77+China Leaders’ Summit at the Palace Convention Havana, Cuba.

Speaking to an assembly of Heads of State and Government, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Gutteres and delegates from over 100 countries from the global South.