Fact check shows Presidency’s list inaccurate, Saraki exposed in new offshore leak
Senate President, Bukola Saraki was exposed in a new offshore leak; fact check shows Presidency’s appointment list inaccurate; several names omitted, others wrongly described; dozens of Boko Haram insurgents killed in ambush and much more.
1. #ParadisePapers: Saraki, other world politicians exposed in new offshore leak
The President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, is among 40 world politicians whose offshore hideaways were exposed by a new ICIJ investigations dubbed #Paradise Papers.
A review of data obtained by German newspaper, Suddeutsche Zeitung, and ICIJ from two offshore secrecy providers (Appleby and Asiaciti Trust) and 19 secrecy jurisdictions showed uncovered a new offshore shell company owned by the politician. (PREMIUM TIMES will publish a detailed story on the senator on Monday).
The leaked 1.4 terabyte data, now infamously dubbed Paradise Papers, contains 13.4 million records and is no doubt one of the biggest leaks in history.
For a year, more than 380 journalists from 96 media organisations in 67 countries pored over the gigantic data, which cover a period of nearly 70 years, from 1950 to 2016. PREMIUM TIMES is the only Nigerian media organization involved in the investigation.
The Presidency on Saturday released what it called a ‘full list’ of all the appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari since he assumed office on May 29, 2015.
However, the 159-member list contains several errors and omissions, an ongoing review by PREMIUM TIMES has shown.
At least 29 names of heads of agencies or parastatals were missing on the list while data provided for another five were incorrect.
The presidency had been challenged by a publication by BusinessDay which indicated that 81 of Mr. Buhari’s appointments are either from the North-east, North-west or North Central.
3. Why we cannot disclose how states spent N388 billion Paris Club refund — Nigerian govt
The federal government has told the Federal High Court in Lagos that the record of spending of N388.304 billion London Paris Club Loan refunds by 35 “is protected by professional privilege, and therefore confidential.”
The federal government through the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, was responding to the suit number FCH/CS/523/17 filed by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, seeking “an order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the government to publish details of spending of N388.304billion London Paris Club Loan refunds allegedly diverted and mismanaged by 35 states.”
President Muhammadu Buhari recently lamented that despite the refund to states and other bailout funds, many states still owed several months of workers’ salaries and pensioners’ entitlements.
4. UPDATED: Buhari suspends panel on recovery of public property; places gag order on Obono-Obla
President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended further activities by the Special Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property.
In a November 1 memo, Attorney-General Abubakar Malami said the presidency had placed a gag order on Okoi Obono-Obla, the president’s special assistant on prosecution who also serves as the chairman of the recovery panel.
In the memo, reference number: HAGF/SH/2017/VOL/1/60, Mr. Malami said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had observed that the activities of the panel run counter to its term of reference.
Mr. Obono-Obla said the memo was “leaked” and he was surprised that such an internal communication could become a matter of media reports.
5. Maina sought opportunity to say the ‘truth’ in letter to Saraki
A letter written by former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, to Senate President, Bukola Saraki, urging the Senate to give him an opportunity of fair hearing has surfaced.
The letter dated June 19, 2015, one week after the inauguration of the present Senate, indicated that the fugitive ex-pension boss returned to the country shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration on May 29, 2015.
PREMIUM TIMES on October 20 broke the news of Mr. Maina’s secret recall and promotion in the Ministry of Interior.
Following the public criticism that followed the clandestine reinstatement, President Muhammadu Buhari on October 23 ordered “immediate disengagement of Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina from service.”
6. Dozens of Boko Haram killed in ambush, 6-year-old boy rescued — Nigerian Army
The Nigerian Army on Saturday said it neutralised dozens of Boko Haram insurgents in an ambush, while they were attempting to cross over to Sambisa forest.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, who disclosed this in a statement in Maiduguri, said many of the terrorists escaped with gunshot wounds.
Mr. Usman, a brigadier general, said that troops of 151 Battalion also rescued a six-year-old boy, when troops laid ambush on fleeing terrorist along Banki-Bula Yobe road in Bama Local Government Area of Borno.
7. 250 Nigerians die of snakebite in three weeks
Two hundred and fifty victims of snake bite have died in the last three weeks in Plateau and Gombe states, following an acute scarcity of snake anti-venom drugs in the country.
The figure represents the number of confirmed deaths from three snake treatment centres — General Hospital, Kaltungo, Ali Mega Pharmacy, Gombe and Comprehensive Medical Centre, Zamko, Plateau State.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria who visited the three medical outfits, met other victims in critical situations, with some of them left on bare floors as the doctors said they were helpless without the anti-venom.
NAN reports that the snake anti-venom drugs — Echitab Plus ICP polyvalent and Echitab G monovalent — had not been supplied to the country since August, throwing the treatment centres into crisis after the last vials were used up in the first week of October.
8. Criticisms trail MMM “restart” announcement
Criticisms have continued to trail the announcement by the management of controversial ponzi scheme, MMM, that the organisation has officially commenced a “RESTART” of the system.
In a message posted on the home page of participants Saturday morning, the scheme said that it had struggled to stay afloat after going on a break in December 2016; but had been forced to do a system restart.
Until its announcement on Saturday, the controversial scheme had left numerous Nigerian participants lamenting with millions of Naira trapped in the scheme.
According to the message seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the scheme also blamed the media and government for its failure, saying the problems accumulated and it had to announce a “restart”.
9. 18 bio-fortified food varieties released in Nigeria — Official
Eighteen bio-fortified varieties comprising six Vitamin A cassava, eight Vitamin A maize, two orange sweet potato and two iron and zinc sorghum, which are bred conventionally, have been released officially in Nigeria.
Paul Ilona, the Country Manager of Harvestplus, an international agricultural organisation, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Ibadan.
“Over two million farmers are estimated to be growing them now,” he said.
According to him, nutritious foods are of immense importance for good health.
10. PDP sweeps Enugu local govt elections
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has swept the 14 chairmanship election results released by the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) in Saturday’s local government election.
The party also swept all ward councillorship positions in 11 local government areas also announced by the commission.
The Chairman of ENSIEC, Mike Ajogwu, announced the results at ENSIEC headquarters in Enugu on Sunday.
