News
774k jobs: ‘Beneficiaries are not from moon’ — Keyamo reacts to senate’s probe
Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour and employment, says the beneficiaries of the 774,000 special public works (SPW) scheme are not people from the moon.
On Wednesday, the senate committee on public account commenced an investigation into the SPW programme after lawmakers argued that nobody from their constituents benefitted.
The committee gave the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) two weeks to submit a comprehensive report of all beneficiaries across the 36 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).
The SPW scheme is a federal government intervention programme coordinated by the NDE as part of the efforts to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on citizens.
The programme was targeted at creating jobs for 774,000 Nigerians with a mandate of recruiting 1000 citizens from each LGA across the country.
Reacting to the senate’s decision on Thursday, Keyamo said the NDE will provide all the evidence, reports and processes of the exercise, adding that there was no corruption in the scheme.
“I think they have asked the NDE to produce the register, so, they should wait. Can they conclude before seeing the register? they gave two weeks, the response would be made available to everyone including the press,” he told newsmen.
“The NDE will give every evidence, so, follow it up with the NDE, they are there to give all the reports, all the processes, so follow it up on the committee so we don’t talk outside the committee.
“There was no corruption at all. When you go there, they will make everything available. The people who were chosen are Nigerians too, they’re not from moon, and they are not from Cameroon. So, it will be made available to everybody, so just follow it up from there. The NDE is in charge, they will include every evidence and all the documents.”
The minister added that the SPW programme has achieved all its set goals.
News
I’m willing to appear in court, but afraid of arrest, says Yahaya Bello
Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi, says his failure to appear before a federal high court in Abuja is due to fear of arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.
Although the arraignment was initially scheduled for April 18, Bello was absent from court on the day.
At the resumed court session on Tuesday, Adeola Adedipe, a member of Bello’s legal team, said his client would have appeared in court but was worried about being taken into custody.
“The defendant wants to come to court but he is afraid that there is an order of arrest hanging on his head,” Adedipe said.
He asked the court to revoke the warrant of arrest issued on April 17 against the former governor.
Adedipe argued that the charge had not been served on his client as required by law at the time the warrant of arrest was made.
“As at the time the warrant was issued, the order for substituted service had not been made. That order was just made this morning,” he said.
“A warrant of arrest should not be hanging on his neck when we leave this court,” counsel to the defendant added.
However, Kemi Pinheiro, EFCC’s lawyer, argued that for the arrest warrant to be vacated, the former governor must be arraigned and take his plea.
Earlier, Emeka Nwite, presiding judge, made an order directing that the defendant should be served the charges by substituted means through his lawyers.
News
Dana Air plane skids off Lagos airport runway
On Tuesday, a Dana Air plane veered off the Lagos airport runway, leading to the diversion of other flights to the international airport.
In a post by X user, BelemaMhart — who boarded another airline — it was stated that there were no casualties.
“We were about to land in Lagos and the pilot announced, he had to land at international and Taxi to local airport,” BelemaMhart said.
“On getting here, we learnt Dana Air had issues on landing, that was the reason our pilot was asked to land at the international airport.
“Thank God all passengers on Dana are safe.”
Six months before this incident, the aircraft engine of a Dana Air plane reportedly exploded shortly before take-off from Lagos.
However, in a statement by the company, Dana Air denied the explosion, saying its aircraft only experienced “some operational challenges” leading to “non-scheduled maintenance”.
Also, in July 2022, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended Dana Air for multiple regulatory infractions.
The authority said it suspended the operating licences of the company after “discovering that the airline is no longer in a position to meet its financial obligations and to conduct safe flight operations”.
Dana Air resumed flight operations five months after the suspension.
News
FCCPC seals Abuja Chinese supermarket over discrimination against Nigerians
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has sealed the Chinese supermarket located within the China General Chamber of Commerce in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Officials of the FCCPC stormed the premises and shut the supermarket on Monday.
The commission’s officials sealed up the place following the interrogation of Nigerian workers at the supermarket.
Recall that Nigerians had expressed outrage over a discriminatory policy implemented by the Chinese Supermarket for barring Nigerians.
The supermarket only granted exclusive entry to Chinese nationals in the country.
According to the facility manager of the complex, Shaibu Sanusi, Nigerians from outside the complex do not shop but Nigerians within can access it.
This was as facilities workers at the store disclosed that the owner of the supermarket had fled the premises.
The workers, who were largely Nigerians, disclosed that the owner of the supermarket had fled when the officials of the Commission stormed the supermarket on Monday.
The workers said that the owner of the supermarket, a Chinese lady, Cindy Liu Bei, fled on Monday at 8:26 am with her family as confirmed on the Closed-Circuit Television camera.
The FCCPC officials subsequently shut down the supermarket.
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