News
Yahaya Bello’s visit to EFCC shows he had a gameplan – Commission
By Francesca Hangeior
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has dismissed former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello’s recent visit to its office as a stunt, claiming he was not genuinely prepared to surrender himself.
EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, made this assertion during an interview on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Thursday.
Uwujaren noted that Bello had another chance to appear before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, where his ongoing money laundering case was adjourned to October 30, 2024, for a ruling.
“That is enough to convince Nigerians that his presence at the EFCC on the 18th of September was more of a stunt not really that he wanted to abide by the rule of law.
“When EFCC officials went to the Kogi Governor’s lodge to ask him to come back, he would have followed them if he had no issue presenting himself to the commission.
“If he had done that he would have complied with the decision of the court of Appeal which mandated him to formally present himself. That as I am concerned exposed his insincerity in appearing at the car park of the EFCC on the 18th of September,” he said.
He said when the information of Bello’s visit to the commission went viral, the former governor had not even arrived at the office.
“Even before he arrived at the car park of the EFCC, he had already sent out media information across all the platform that he had presented himself to the EFCC and they were even saying he had been detained and that was not true.
News
Tinubu Approves Fresh Appointment Amid Cabinet Reshuffle Plan
President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, reappointed Bitrus Chinoko as the Director General of the Centre for Management Development (CMD).
According to reports, the appointment was disclosed by the Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu in a letter dated Aug. 28.
“Further to your letter, CMD/DGO/ABJ/02/2024, I am pleased to inform you that His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved your re-appointment as Director General, Centre for Management Development, for a second term with immediate effect,” the letter read.
It should be recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed the appointment of Chinoko as substantive CMD DG on April 28, 2020.
The appointment is for a final term of four years.
Chinoko took over from Dr Kabir Usman, whose two terms of four years each, ended at the time.
Meanwhile, NewsPOnline Nigeria reports that his appointment is coming at a time when the presidency has confirmed that a cabinet reshuffle is on the horizon, with indications that up to 11 ministers could soon be relieved of their positions.
This development was shared during a media briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Joining Onanuga at the briefing, O’tega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, did not provide a specific timeline for the reshuffle but hinted that an announcement could be made later this week.
Insiders who spoke with the Guardian noted that the long-anticipated changes were postponed following the conclusion of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Monday.
“It’s true President Bola Tinubu has plans to reshuffle his cabinet, but I can’t say specifically whether that will be done before the Independence celebration on October 1,” Onanuga stated, emphasizing that the President initially appointed his ministers in August of last year.
News
FG To Toll Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Others
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, says the Federal Government will toll all major roads in the country upon completion of construction and renovation.
“We have the Lagos-Ibadan (Expressway), we are completing it and we are tolling it,” Umahi said on Thursday in Abuja at an Inter-Ministerial Press Briefing, part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary.
He listed some of the roads as Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Road, and Makurdi-9th Mile, among others.
The former Ebonyi State governor said the tolling of federal roads “is going to bring a lot of money to the Federal Government”.
Umahi said private sector members have been engaged “to bring in funds, construct these roads, work with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Works to toll these roads”.
The minister said the government would start with the Keffi-Makurdi Road that has been completed, stating that his ministry has been engaging with the Ministry of Finance for a paperless mode of payment.
He said, “For example, we are completing the Lagos-Ibadan, we are working on Makurdi to 9th Mile in Enugu State, we are working from Abuja to Lagos. These roads are going to be tolled. But we are not just tolling them, we are bringing confidence in the use of these roads.
“If people can travel at night because we are bringing security, where the response time will be 10 minutes on the entire corridor, where you have solar light permanently there and then reduce travel time, and through the tolling, the roads are maintained, then, there will be confidence because Nigerians will pay if the roads are good.”
He said before now, road developments have not been handled as investments but the administration of President Bola Tinubu has been handling road developments more professionally.
He said the present administration inherited a total of 300 damaged roads and bridges, adding that more road constructions would commence from October 1, 2024, across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
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