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Just in: ICPC Reportedly Nabs Ex-President Buhari Minister, Ngige

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has been invited by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) for questioning in connection with the ongoing probe at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), an agency he supervised as minister during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

A reliable source, who confirmed Ngige’s invitation on Wednesday night, said the former Anambra State governor honoured the invitation without the usual excuses usually tendered by some past high-profile personalities.

I think he was invited in respect of an ongoing investigation at NSITF when he was minister of Labour. He is still coming back to conclude his interview,” disclosed our source.

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Details about his invitation were still sketchy last night. What was factually established by NewsOnline Nigeria was the former Minister’s invitation and the first leg of the interview session with the ICPC’s team of interrogators.

It would be recalled that in 2020, the former Minister accused the suspended management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) of misappropriating N48 billion.

Ngige made the allegation while appearing in an investigative hearing at the House of Representatives over the alleged illegal suspension of the management of the agency. The minister claimed that the management withdrew the amount through fake contracts, the proceeds of which were diverted into private pockets.

During the appearance, he pointed out that there were also irregular payments of salaries and allowances of N10 million, which were not in line with the condition of service of the organization or any reference to the Office of the Minister.

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Amongst other claims, he said the suspended management while on leave, travelled outside the country through first class with their spouses, and paid themselves N9.8 million each without the approval of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Going further, Ngige accused them of engaging the services of legal practitioners at the sum of N180 million without the approval of the Attorney-General of the Federation. He added that they spent N146 million on vehicles, and on May 31, 2020, awarded 30 contracts worth N332 billion, which were split into smaller components of N49 million.

He disclosed that the contract splitting was to enable the transactions to fall within the threshold allowed by law for the NSITF management to award contracts.

Ngige stated that the suspended NSITF management spent N570 million on health insurance outside the National Health Insurance Scheme.

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He added that since 2012, the NSITF had not submitted records of its audited accounts to the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, in line with the extant laws.

It was noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had since dragged the NSITF management to court on corruption charges.

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My dad has no dealings with Bobrisky – Falana’s daughter

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***Says, they are set to battle VDM in court

By Francesca Hangeior.

 

Folakemi Falana, daughter of human rights lawyer Femi Falana, has fired back at accusations of bribery and corruption involving her father, her brother, Falz, and Nigerian socialite Bobrisky.

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In a statement on her Instagram page on Friday, Folakemi clarified that her father had never met or spoken to Bobrisky and that Bobrisky reached out to Falz for financial assistance to stay in the VIP section of prison without discussing a presidential pardon.

She shared documents showing Falana & Falana’s history of applying for presidential pardons free of charge since 2016, emphasizing that anyone can request a pardon for a convicted person in Nigeria.

Folakemi expressed frustration that some Nigerians are quick to believe baseless accusations, including claims of Falz being homosexual and having an affair with Bobrisky.

She wrote, “My Parents and our firm, Falana & Falana have been applying for presidential pardons for Nigerians FREE way before a lot of you were born or before you could talk. Slide 1 is from 2016 and Slide 2 is from 2022.

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“It’s crazy that some Nigerians act like they can’t read or think for themselves. It’s unfortunate.

“It’s even crazier that all it takes is for a ridiculous character like VDM to accuse my dad and Falz of bribery, corruption and perversion of the course of Justice and you suddenly forget who they are and what they stand for. For him to have the audacity to go as far as even accusing Falz of being homosexual and having an affair with Bobrisky is wild. The fact that some of you believe it, is what is blowing my mind.

“For the record, anyone can write the president to request a pardon for any convicted person in Nigeria.

“To be crystal clear, the facts are as follows: 1) My dad has never met or talked to Bobrisky whether directly or via a proxy.
“2) Bobrisky reached out to Falz the same way he reached out to many other celebrities asking for money. The reason he gave was so that he could afford to stay in the VIP section of prison. He never discussed a presidential pardon with him. He said he was reaching out from prison Falz had no reason to believe otherwise.
“3) DO you think my dad or Falz need Bob’s money??? for what?.”

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Folakemi condemned the accusations as baseless and threatened legal action against the accuser, VeryDarkMan (VDM), saying “Seeing as you have refused to do the needful, #verydarkblackman see you in court.”

Recall that VeryDarkMan recently released audio recordings where Bobrisky allegedly claimed that Femi Falana and his son, Falz, had contacted him before his release from prison.

The recordings also suggested that Femi Falana arranged a settlement for 10 million naira to resolve the case.

Reacting to these allegations, Falz issued a 24-hour ultimatum to VDM, demanding the removal of all defamatory statements.

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Charity commission ban Naomi Campbell for using funds on spa treatment

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By Francesca Hangeior.

Naomi Campbell, the British supermodel, has been banned from being a charity trustee in England and Wales for five years.

In a statement by the UK Charity Commission, Fashion for Relief, Campbell’s charity, was said to have been “poorly governed and managed financially” by the trustees.

The inquiry which was conducted between April 2016 and July 2022 found that only 8.5% of the funds raised were spent on charitable grants.

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It added that part of the charity funds was also used to pay Campbell’s stay at luxurious hotels, spa treatment as well as her cigarettes.

Reacting to the inquiry in an interview with AP, Campbell said she was unaware of the expenses because she “was not in control of my charity”.

“I have just found out today about the findings, and I am extremely concerned,” she said.

“I was not in control of my charity, I put the control in the hands of a legal employer.”

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Asides from Campbell, Veronica Chou and Bianca Hellmich are among trustees sanctioned.

Hellmich was banned for nine years for receiving $385,000 of unauthorized funds for consultancy services. Chou was banned for four years.

Commenting on the ban, Tim Hopkins, who was part of the investigation, said Campbell and the other trustees failed in their legal duties.

“Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities,” he said.

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“Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, which has resulted in our action to disqualify them”.

About £344,000 has also been recovered and a further £98,000 of charitable funds have been protected.

The funds were used to make donations to two other charities and settle outstanding liabilities.

Campbell founded Fashion For Relief in 2005 with the aim of relieving poverty.

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By Francesca Hangeior.

 

Amid the ongoing N15 million alleged bribery, embattled Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky has stirred reactions on social media as he shares a new video on his Instagram page.

This is coming 24-hours after Bobrisky sparked concern among fans by opening up about suicidal thoughts and feelings of betrayal by friends.

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Despite ongoing controversy and bribery allegations, Bobrisky remains unfazed and refuses to be deterred.

Sharing video of himself, Bobrisky captioned it with a confident declaration, saying “ I’m pretty”.

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