EFCC RELEASES ACCESS BANK MD

Herbert  Wigwe Managing Director, Access Bank who was arrested by officials of the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday at the headquarters of the bank was released before 10pm yesterday. 

Insiders hinted that contrary to claims that the astute banker was being investigated for his connection with the funds linked to former Petroleum Minister Dieziani  Allison - Madueke, his arrest has nothing to do with it.

Our source who was obviously miffed with the dramatic mode he was arrested "They came and created a scene as if they came for a common criminal with history of resisting or escaping arrest. It was most unnecessary. An invitation to their office would have been ideal".

We learnt that the  arrest was a mere 'routine investigation'. He reunited with his family last night and will be attending some social events today.

Ambode Endorses Four Year Term For LG Chairmen

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has endorsed four-year tenure for Local Government chairmen and other elected council representatives.

The governor signed into law the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) Amendment law, Local Government Administration Amendment law and the Local Government Election Tribunal Second Amendment law on Thursday at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, paving way for four-year tenure for council chairmen and others.

The State House of Assembly had recently approved the four-year tenure for council chairmen and other representatives. The governor’s signing it into law on Thursday formally endorsed the approval.

The four-year tenure is under the Local Government Administration Amendment law.

While signing the three bills into law, Ambode said the purpose of the Local Government Administration law is to provide for local government system, establishment and to regulate administration of local authorities and other connected purposes.

“One of the major highlights of this amendment is the increase of the tenure of the Chairman and the Counselors from three years to four years commencing from the date of taking oath of office,” he said.

The governor added that the essence of law in every society was the regulation of human conduct, saying that upon his assumption of office, his administration identified the need to improve on laws that impacted on people’s lives, “particularly that are relevant to us at the local government level which is unarguably the most critical level of governance in the state. It is in this vein, that these laws have been amended to meet current realities.

“The LASIEC amendment law seeks to create the commission to regulate election matters. The need to amend the law arose as a result of current trend in the political space to prevent a laccuna in certain instances.

“Some of the highlights of the amendment include the empowering of the Commission to review the de-alienation of wards in each Local government of the state at intervals of every 10 years and division of each Local government into not less than 10 wards and not more than 20 wards,” he said.

He said that section two of the amendment replaced section 5 of the principal, saying that “A new section 62 created by the amendment provides that the Vice Chairman elected with the Chairman would be sworn in as Chairman in the event of the death of an elected Chairman before been sworn in.

“The amendment to the law has also been proactive as Section 64 now provides that incumbent Chairman who wins a re-run election will have a period spent in office prior to the re-run. Local government Election Tribunal second Amendment law, the highlights of this amendment is to empower the tribunal to allow the time for doing any act or taking any proceedings or such terms as the justice of the case may require, provided that the enlargement of time shall not be granted to extend the life span of the petition beyond 45 days.

“Therefore, more time will now be available for consideration of election petitions,” he said, while commending the Lagos State House of Assembly for the speedy consideration and passage of the laws.

The governor urged residents to see the passage of the laws as a further institutionalisation of the rule of law in the state and commitment of his administration to local government reforms, as the local government system was crucial to grassroots development, sayng that the new laws were clear demonstration of a new golden era where the local government system would experience renaissance to create prosperity and good governance for the people.

“By the assent of these bills into law, LASIEC Is empowered to commence necessary administrative processes that will translate to the composition of the local government structure,” he said

BUHARI SIGNS 2016 BUDGET

President Buhari signed the 2016 budget into law at the Presidential Villa today, Friday 6th of May, 2016 . Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki & Speaker Yakubu Dogara were present at the signing. 

Man Who Climbed Lekki Electric Pole Is A Thief

Frederick Gino, a Cameroonian, who was rescued yesterday  from committing suicide on a high tension electric pole in  Adebisi Ogunniyi Crescent in Lekki Phase One, Lagos around 5:30am has been allegedly discovered to be a thief.

The incident attracted motorists and passersby, who called the Fire Service through the emergency toll free numbers.
He was sighted on the pole and all the efforts to get him down failed.

The Cameroonian was said to have climbed the pole to avoid being lynched after he was allegedly caught in an attempted burglary.

He was said to have gone up the pole following disconnection of light by the Eko Distribution Company.
Gino was said to have attempted to harm himself when operatives of the fire service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrive to bring him down.
The Nation gathered that he was injured while been rescued and taken to Oba Yekini Eleguishi Health Centre in Lekki.
According to a witness, the Cameroonian said he did not know how he got to Nigeria.
He claimed that the victim climbed the pole after he was caught attempting to burgle a nearby mall.
“It is not a suicide attempt. The guy is a thief. He wanted to burgle a mall in the neighbourhood but he was caught and chased. He fled and climbed the electric pole for fear of being lynched.
“He didn’t get the close to the cable until Eko Distribution Company was contacted to isolate the area. Even at the hospital, he wanted to run but he was pinned down. He later started begging that he was hungry and needed food. That he has nowhere to go,” said the eyewitness.
LASEMA General Manager Michael Akindele said; “Security operatives will conduct proper investigation on the matter. People should be watchful, observe strange faces and other activities around them. Such incidents should also be reported to security agencies or a call placed to either 767 or 112.”

LAGOS DEMOLISHES 84 STREET GATES

Lagos State Government says it has demolished 84 street gates which were shut against motorists before 12 midnight deadline it stipulated.

In a bid to resolve traffic gridlock in the metropolis, the state ordered all street gates to be opened till 12 midnight of each day so that motorists could drive through them in a bid to decongest.

Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami disclosed that out of the 148 street gates earmarked for demolition across the state, 84 of them had been pulled down for failing to abide by government’s instruction to leave them open till 12 midnight.

“The Ministry promoted 24-hour access through gated streets in the State with the involvement of Community Development Associations in the State. So far, enforcement in 84 locations has been effected as at April, 2016. This is being done to improve security, free flow of traffic, safety of lives and properties of all citizens in the State,” he said.

The commissioner warned landlords and others who normally lock their street gates before 12 midnight to prevent motorists from plying them to desist from such immediately as government would demolish such gates forcefully for refusal to comply.

On boundary dispute, Folami lamented that Ogun State had encroached seriously on Lagos’ land, saying that “Ogun State has almost taken a large chunk of Lagos land.” He said because of the dispute arising from land, the state government had begun to erect signposts to mark out its land from that of Ogun State to avoid encroachment.

“The Ministry facilitated the Attention of 114 sign posts at inter state and inter local government boundaries to minimize conflicts and inform the public about same in collaboration with the Surveyor-General’s Office and the Lagos State Number Plate Agency. Additional 114 will be installed within the next few months to further delineate the boundaries and inform the public about same.

Niger-Delta Militants Blowup Warri Chevron Valve Platform

Militants in the Niger Delta region have continued their onslaught on oil installations in the area with the blowing up of the Chevron Valve Platform in Abiteye, Warri North council area of Delta State. The incident it was gathered occurred at about 10:40pm on Wednesday.
Though the company’s Public Affairs Manager, Deji Haastrup could not be reached for comments on the incident, on official of the Department of Security Services, DSS who spoke on anonymity, confirmed the incident adding that the platform was totally destroyed with the use of dynamites. 

The security source further hinted that the platform is a major connecting point where all other platforms link up and serves as a fulcrum to chevron BOP and the Chevron Tank farm thereby halting all operations of the company in the region. Claiming responsibility for the incident, the Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group in the region in a statement on Wednesday night, while attributing the incident to the effort of its strike Team 6, stated that attack on the facility is in line with its promise to the Nigerian government to cripple the economy. 

The group which had earlier claimed responsibility for destroying the Forcados 48-inch Export Pipeline, also threatened to attack oil facilities in Lagos and Abuja, the nation’s capital. “We want to pass this message to the all international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta that the Nigeria Military can’t protect their facilities. They should talk to the federal government to meet our demands else more mishaps will befall their installations. “Until our demands are met, no repair works should be done at the blast site,” the group added.

EFCC QUIZES STERLING BANK MD

For about two hours officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday,May 4 , 2016 stormed the corporate head office of Sterling Bank Plc in Lagos to interrogate the bank MD, Mr. Yemi Adeola, over the operations of the lending institution .

Sources from within the bank however described the visit as  routine exercise that did not warrant any unnecessary attention.

The EFCC’s visit to Sterling bank is coming on the heels of a similar visit to Fidelity Bank Lagos head office on Tuesday by the officials of the compliance unit of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as part of the investigations into a $115m transaction made in the run-up to presidential elections last year.

Fidelity Bank MD, Nnamdi Okonkwo, has been detained by the EFCC since Wednesday, last week. On Tuesday, the agency claimed that it had secured a court order that empowered it to detain the Fidelity Bank boss while investigation progressed.