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By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the alleged operation of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) also heard fresh testimony from the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, who explained how a letter purportedly issued by the State House enabled the controversial council to obtain official administrative recognition.

Presenting his report, Ogunjimi said the Office of the Accountant-General first interacted with the council in November 2024 after receiving a letter dated November 7, 2024, requesting the creation of an administrative code for budgeting, accounting and reporting purposes.

He explained that the office followed established procedures by creating the administrative code and notifying the State House while copying the Office of the Auditor-General.

Subsequently, the office received additional requests relating to self-accounting status, Treasury Single Account (TSA), domiciliary accounts, staff deployment and funding.

Despite processing some administrative requests, Ogunjimi stressed that no public funds were released to the council.

“It is important to note that no funds were released under salaries, overhead, capital, or any form of intervention or special allocation to the council,” he told lawmakers.

He disclosed that although the council requested an establishment grant of N27.4 billion, the request was never approved because there was no budgetary provision for it.

He also explained that while the Central Bank of Nigeria opened two domiciliary accounts for the council, they never became operational because regulatory conditions were not met.

However, the most significant revelation came when Ogunjimi informed the committee that the original correspondence requesting the administrative code was later discovered not to have originated from the State House.

“The letter that was received by the Treasury. was respectfully addressed as coming from the State House.

“That letter was never issued by the State House”, he said.

The disclosure prompted lawmakers to describe the correspondence as a hijacked State House letter allegedly used to mislead government agencies into recognising a non-existent institution.

The Accountant-General further explained that two Treasury officers originally deployed to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser in 2010 and 2013 remained there after the office was allegedly taken over by the new council because no formal notification was sent to his office.

“It was never assumed or written to us that those two officers were being taken over.

“The staff also never reported to the office to say that another council had taken over the office and the name had changed.

“As far as I was concerned, we were dealing with a new agency, not the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser,” he said.

He added that when the council later requested five additional officers, only three were approved because officials considered the organisation too small to justify the number requested.

“It was when all this matter came to light that I got to know that two of our staff were actually working or being absorbed by the agency.

“We never knew. We believed, based on the records available to us, that those officers were still with the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser,” he said.

The House committee is expected to continue its investigation on Wednesday when Adeyemi is expected to appear before lawmakers to respond to allegations surrounding the operation of the purported presidential council and the alleged forgery of official government documents.

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Hon TeeJay Yusuf a three-term former member of the House of Representatives on Monday threw a surprise 50th birthday party for his almost two decades aide, Mr Sunny Omotolu.

Unknowingly to Sunny his boss had sent him to his Guzape site of 25/11eatates for an inspection as a decoy.

On returning to the office at about 1.30pm Sunny received a shocker as his colleagues, family members, friends of his boss from House of Representatives, the construction and management secor were already waiting for him.

Suddenly Sunny realized that there has a family coup to surprise him by celebrating his 50th birthday.

It was indeed a birthday bash filled with glamour as family members, his childhood friends, classmates and friends of his boss poured encomiums on Sunny giving vivid details about his transparent lifestyle and exhibition of courage when it matters most.

Engr Bidemi Olabayo said his halmmark is consistency laced with honesty,” I am careless with figures but Sunny is always there to fix the figures right anyday anytime.

Arc Steve Adamu, too had lovely things to say as he he described him as a very honest person.

Barrister Chuma Chinye, a former Commissioner in Rivers narrated the story of one Emma who derailed after a good start and cautioned Sunny not to follow that trend as it will rubbish all his good deeds.

Hon Olufemi Sunday popularly known as Lagata hailed Sunny as one man that can with little or no supervision.

Hon Dum Dekor also poured encomiums on Sunny describing him as a delightful and deligent aide.

Bolaji Afolabi a senior colleague to Sunny also declared that he never regretted recommending him to Teejay as his PA 16yearas ago.

His boss Hon TeeJay penciled an emotional birthday message to Sunny which he read at the event.

Hear him:
“When I won the election, I had invested about 10 years of my life consciously serving God and trying not to do certain things.

“And different names came for PA. And I was saying the first thing that he must be a Christian.

“So that even when I’m tempted to do certain things, I can’t send my PA.

“I have known him before then. We were in the same neighbourhood. In fact, we were neighbours. And I have known him with my younger ones.

And when he became a Christian, and I don’t know if you have this, I was living in Area 1 then. If I have new thoughts, I have a new opinion, I have a new thing I read that catches my eye, I drive to Area 1 to sit with him and begin to share new stuff with him.

So it was very easy for me to transit from that relationship and make him my PA. And a lot have been said? I don’t know how to transfer money.

“So if I have money, I would rather you pay it to him than pay it to me. Because if you pay it to me, if you have any pressing thing to do, I don’t know how to transfer. Why? Because I have somebody, it was him and my wife that had those, my hospital card, my account number, I don’t know my account number.

“So when my wife passed, it became only him. So when I was 50, I said this man won’t like this kind of level, he won’t do elaborate parties, but we will just celebrate this thing and let him realise that we appreciate him.

“This office runs because God equips him and energises him. There was a day we were here, I don’t know what happened. I wanted to do something. I said Sunny has gone home, there is nothing we can do. It was on Friday and they said Sunny has gone home.

“Like you said, the PA job is open-ended. But there are some, you regret calling them on that kind of assignment. You wouldn’t want to call them.

“At every point in time, when you call him, he’s giving his best. That’s why I say I’ve been privileged. I don’t know what would have happened to me because I’m not that detailed about certain things.
Money, you know what? I’m not talking about money.

” Anything you say, it is as good as done. I just call I want to buy this colour of dress. I don’t choose the material. I don’t choose the design. I don’t choose the tailor. I just love the material I wear.

“Even if I don’t remember, he remembers that, come, you need to change your wardrobe. So, I don’t bother about the costs or the price or what have you.

” All I know is that he will bring me, you see a lot of log sheets, give me this one, this one.
And I recollected that at a point, I just started building, I had a client. I do real estate. I’m not doing that business. Before I came here, when I was running my election, I had about three clients.

“One had the house in …. He doesn’t even live in the house he is a Kano man. If I do any transaction with this man, the money is always with me. He spent it on me.

“He had the house in Maitama. And so, 2006, he wanted me to sell the house for, I guess it’s 40 or 50 million naira. I innovated the house. I sold the house for one hundred and something million naira. And he was shocked as of that that I brought him his money.

“I pay for DSTV. I pay for children’s school fees. If he wants to spend money, maybe he has an investment he wants to pay some money for. He will take me to Kano to show me. As if wants to convince me to release his money. His property in Asokoro, the same one is with me.

Anywhere he has property, I have the C of O, it’s with me. If you are not dealing with me, if you want to buy his property, he will just give you a note. Do transaction with TJ and pay him, and if you cannot pay him, don’t buy my property.
So when I saw that, I said, oh, it’s God. Because I didn’t know I was on the level.

“The only time I saw Sunny broke down in tears was a point I had a reason to doubt something about him. We where in the office and something happened and I was angry with everybody.

“I came back and saw him in serious tears that I could doubt him. He invested so much into his honesty.

“So Sunny has been very, very, very, very loyal, dedicated, committed young ones. So, I sent this message to him on his birthday. I want to read it because when I woke up that day, it took me time before I sent the message.
I said, I don’t just want to wish you a happy birthday.

” I want to tell him something because it’s common with us, almost all of us. We do not remember to appreciate people that work with us or work for others. We take it for granted. And we think that it is normal. It is not normal, I’m guilty of it.

“But that morning, God reminded me. I said, Happy Golden Jubilee Sunny. Thank you for your loyalty, dedication, steadfast love. As you celebrate this milestone, I pray that this new season marks the beginning of greater glory.

“May God establish the work of your hands. Enlarge your influence. Grant you divine favour. And surround you with peace.
May every door he has ordained for you open.

“Every delay give way to acceleration. And may you walk in uncommon wisdom, strength, good health, and lasting joy.
Your best years are ahead of you. Happy 50th birthday. And may the Lord continue to bless and keep you.

“Madam, thank you too because all this we say, if you do not have peace in the home front. I tell people that one of the greatest …

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. Convict’s re-arrest after 10 years on the run demonstrates NDLEA’s doggedness in tracking down fugitives and ensuring no drug trafficker escapes the long arm of the law, says Marwa

A fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and an ex-international football player, Hunkarin Segun George have been convicted and sentenced to a combined total of 24 years imprisonment by Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, for unlawful importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.

Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge marked FHC/L/227c/2015 for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine. He pleaded not guilty and was admitted to bail, but jumped bail midway into trial and remained at large for nearly 10 years. He was eventually re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday 24th June 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine on an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. He was a frequent flyer known for conveying clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey.

Investigation showed that the convict was coming from Turkey on Ethiopian Airlines flight but transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria. Further checks revealed that an accomplice who turned out to be a former professional footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, was waiting for Chinedu at the airport carpark to collect the consignment from him. Hunkarin who had stayed years in Brazil playing for football clubs was promptly tracked and arrested at the carpark.

In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia.

Both Chinedu and Hunkarin were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 for unlawful importation of 800grams of cocaine. Delivering judgment on Friday 24th July 2026, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for the unlawful importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine, and a further two years, also without an option of fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to unlawfully import 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total sentence to 22 years. Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, bringing the combined jail terms to 24 years imprisonment.

Reviewing the facts of the case, prosecuting counsel, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had earlier been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saudi (now retired) in 2015 on the same importation charge but vanished after being granted bail. Citing a plethora of legal authorities, the NDLEA prosecutor urged the court to sentence the convicts in line with the relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act.

Defence counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara for Chinedu and Chief Emefo Etudo for Hunkarin, had pleaded with the court for leniency and urged that fine options be considered in lieu of custodial sentences. The court, however, after a careful review of the submissions, cited authorities and tendered exhibits, sentenced both convicts to prison terms without any option of fine.

Reacting to the conviction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for the judgment, describing it as a reaffirmation of the courts’ commitment to ridding the country of drug trafficking and those who perpetrate it, no matter how long they evade justice.

Marwa also commended the officers, men and women of the Agency involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case, noting that the eventual re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly ten years on the run demonstrated the doggedness, patience and thoroughness of NDLEA operatives in tracking down fugitives and ensuring that no drug trafficker escapes the long arm of the law.
He restated the Agency’s resolve to continue working closely with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that persons involved in drug trafficking, regardless of their status or how long they attempt to evade justice, are brought to book.