Former Portugal manager, Fernando Santos has given two reasons he benched captain, Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2022 FIFA World Cup knockout games.

Santos insisted it was a ‘tactical and technical decision,’ adding that Ronaldo was not happy to sit on the bench.

Santos benched the Al-Nassr forward during the win over South Korea in the Round of 16 and the defeat to Morocco in the quarterfinal.

His decision sent shockwaves across the world.

Reflecting on the incident at his unveiling as new Besiktas manager, Santos said (via Goal): “It was a tactical and technical decision.

“There was no other situation. Strategic decisions are always the most important things for me. I had to make these decisions and I made them correctly. If we had not been eliminated from the World Cup, there would have been no problem.”

“I told him that he was not going to start in the Round of 16. He was not happy with the conversation, as is normal. But I assure you that he never wanted to leave.”

[DailyPost]

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized the passports of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and her predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, over the ongoing investigations into scandals in the ministry.

Edu, who arrived at the EFCC headquarters, Abuja at 10am on Tuesday, was still being quizzed by the commission’s investigators as of the time of filing this report at 7pm.

As the EFCC interrogated the suspended minister over the N44bn fraud uncovered in the ministry, it was learnt that managing directors of three commercial banks were also questioned on Tuesday over the fraud.

The scandal involving Edu burst open after a leaked memo revealed that the suspended minister directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585m to a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget, who the ministry claimed currently serves as the Project Accountant, Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

The minister had claimed that the N585m payment was meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states, describing the allegations against her as baseless.

The Media Assistant to the minister, Rasheed Olarewaju, said in a statement that it was legal within the civil service for such payments to be made into private accounts of staff members, especially project accountants.

In deference to public pressure, the President on Monday suspended Edu and directed her to hand over to the permanent secretary in the ministry.

On Tuesday, Edu honoured the EFCC invitation and she was subjected to marathon interrogation by investigators.

It was learnt that her personal and official passports were taken away by detectives and she was barred from travelling out of the country.

Passports seized

Her predecessor, Umar-Farouq, had been quizzed by investigators for 12 hours on Monday in connection with the probe into the N37.1bn allegedly laundered during her tenure in office, through a contractor, James Okwete.

The ex-minister’s passport was also seized as part of her bail conditions before she was subsequently released late Monday night.

An impeccable EFCC source said the passports of Edu and the former minister were seized to deter them from fleeing the country while the investigation subsists.

“The commission has seized the passports of the two ministers, Sadiya Shehu and Betta Edu. We have also seized Mrs Halima Shehu’s passport pending the conclusion of investigations. The commission does not want to risk having any of them leave the country while they still have questions to answer,” the source said.

The lawyer to the former minister, Dipo Okpeseyi, SAN, could not be reached for comment on his client’s ordeal as he did not respond to phone calls. He also did not respond to a message seeking his comment. Also, efforts to get Edu did not succeed

The PUNCH could not immediately confirm whether she was released on Tuesday night.

Apart from Edu, Ms Halima Shehu, the National Coordinator and CEO of the National Social Investment Programme, an agency under the humanitarian ministry, had been similarly suspended indefinitely over alleged financial misappropriation.

Shehu had been arrested and questioned by the EFCC in connection with the movement of N44bn from the NSIPA account to some suspicious private and corporate accounts within the last four days in December 2023.

The huge sum was reportedly moved without presidential approval.

As part of her bail conditions, Shehu has been reporting to the EFCC office every day to assist investigators.

Before her appointment, Shehu worked as the National Coordinator of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Top EFCC sources confirmed the probe of the senior bank executives to our correspondent on Tuesday.

An impeccable EFCC source revealed that the banks were deeply involved in the fraud under investigation.

The source revealed, “The MDs of the banks were grilled by our interrogators at the EFCC headquarters on Tuesday. They were invited and are being probed in connection with the uncovered N44bn fraud and the N585m involving Halima Shehu and Betta Edu.

“The suspended minister and the coordinator have both given new revelations during their interrogations, and the investigation is still ongoing.’’

Giving his opinion on the unfolding scandals, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accused the All Progressives Congress of using the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and poverty alleviation as a cash cow for successive governments.

Atiku said the suspension of the minister, Edu, was commendable, but not enough.

Atiku in a statement by his Special Assistant, Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Tuesday, described it as unfortunate that a programme that was designed to lift over 100 million Nigerians out of extreme poverty had allegedly become a cash cow for successive APC governments.

He said, “While Tinubu deserves commendation for suspending Edu, we believe this is a belated move. Firstly, he had no business appointing her as a minister of such a sensitive ministry in the first place. Tinubu put politics ahead of competence, hence this scandal.

“What experience did Betta have in the development sector? How was Imaan Ibrahim, with her wealth of experience, overlooked? How did the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, stand as Betta Edu’s referee during her clearance at the Senate?”

Atiku who called for reform of the Ministry, alleged that it was not only Edu that was involved in the transactions.

“Betta Edu should not be the fall guy. Others who have remotely and wickedly benefitted from money that was meant for poor Nigerians ought to be fished out, probed, and prosecuted too. It is demonic and tendentiously wicked to steal in the name of the poor, he stated.

The statement read in part, “There is a need for the government to reform the humanitarian affairs ministry and other interventionist programmes that had become an ATM and POS for those in power.

“He noted that the fact that the previous Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, was also being probed for N37bn fraud was evidence that immediate and urgent actions need to be taken to reform the ministry.

“Even during the COVID-19 lockdown, Umar-Farouq continued to implement the school feeding programme. She ridiculously claimed that the food would be delivered to the students at home since schools were shut.

“Today, Betta Edu claims that over three million households got N20,000 each during the Yuletide. Sadly, there is no evidence of millions of Nigerians getting such money. This shows that money has just been going into private pockets.

“The scandal that we are contending with is not about Betta Edu, nor about Halima Shehu, or any other rogue element for that matter. It is about a problem of systemic corruption through which the APC continues to bleed the treasury, ironically, asphyxiating the poor and vulnerable segment of the country, all in the name of caring for them.

“The APC has weaponized poverty and hunger to control the minds of the vulnerable masses, and it is even worse that they have devised a method to use poverty as an instrument of official corruption.”

APC slams Atiku

Reacting, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, cautioned the former vice president against jumping to conclusions, noting that Edu is not guilty until the allegations against her are proven.

He berated Atiku and the PDP, saying they faced more corrupt allegations than Edu and the APC.

 Ibrahim stated, “Atiku, from his record, it was said somewhere that he read elementary law. And if indeed he read law at whatever level, even if it is a kindergarten level, ought to know that the presumption of the law on an accused is that he is innocent until proven guilty.’’

The APC official noted that the way President Tinubu responded to the allegations showed that ‘’he is a president that listens to the yearnings of Nigeria and that will act by the provision of the law.’’

He added, “At the stage, we are now, a thorough investigation has been directed; it will be wrong for anyone to jump to the conclusion that there is theft or that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs is a conduit that is made to siphon public funds for APC governments.

“If it is, the investigations will not have been directed, and the government would not have acted swiftly and appropriately it did.”

On the allegation that the APC is a corrupt party, Ibrahim clarified, “If you say because a few people in the APC who are accused of wrongdoing are to limit wrongdoings to the APC, then, one is not being fair to the composition of parties.”

He continued, “In Nigeria, and I am sure like in other countries of the world, there is no party that is composed of saints, there is no party that can beat its chest and say its members are infallible.

“What is important is to see that the party they belong to has the willingness, the desire, and the courage to call them to order when they go wrong. The APC and the President of the country, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have demonstrated that willingness.

“If on the basis of allegations you will jump to conclusion, the PDP will not be in a position to talk because ever since the formation of the party in Nigeria, there has not been any party that has faced allegations of corruption like the PDP.”

 In a related development, the PDP has asked the President to suspend and investigate the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo over his alleged involvement in a N438m contract awarded by Edu.

Tunji-Ojo had denied involvement in the consultancy contract awarded to New Planet Project Limited, a company in which he was a former director.

The minister explained that he resigned as a director of the firm in 2019.

But the opposition party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, Tuesday asked the President to take immediate action “to protect the resources meant for the wellbeing of poor Nigerians from further plundering by suspending the Interior minister over the alleged fraud and hand him over to the EFCC for investigation like his suspended counterpart.’’

Interior minister

Meanwhile, Tunji-Ojo has dismissed reports claiming he was summoned to the Presidential Villa over allegations of involvement in the humanitarian ministry scandal.

Rather, the minister said he was at the State House to brief President Tinubu on the outcome of the recently launched online passport portal.

Tunde Alao, the media aide to the minister, in a statement on Tuesday, said Tunji-Ojo’s visit to Aso Rock was to keep an earlier scheduled meeting with the president, stressing that he was not summoned as speculated.

“The minister only visited Aso Rock to keep an earlier scheduled meeting with President Tinubu. The sensational social media headline that says the minister was summoned to Aso Rock was quite misleading and should be discountenanced by Nigerians,’’ he said.

Also, a former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, has commended President Bola Tinubu on the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.

Shekarau commended Tinubu in an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday.

[Punch]

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has justified why President Bola Tinubu acted swiftly on allegations of fraud against the suspended minister of humanitarian affairs, Betta Edu.

The party said there are processes information undergoes before it gets to the president.

The National Publicity Secretary of the All progressives Congress, Felix Morka stated this in an interview with Arise Television on Tuesday.

Morka said, “We are talking about the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, you don’t expect that every act that happens in a ministry is something that is mirrored in the presidency or that there is a board where the president is seeing everything happening in every ministry.

“When there is a problem, that problem works its way up through the channels of information of vetting and filtering to present information to the president for his assessment and decision.

“I don’t think the timeline that you are talking about is less swift because people discussed it first. My point is that the president responded as swiftly as can be and appropriately on this matter.”

Morka also said no one can regulate the actions of humans, adding that there is no mechanism available for a party to modulate the conducts of its members.

He added that the only thing that can be done is to set standards and consequences for those who take those actions.

“You are expecting superhumans to be members of the APC and therefore people who are high above reproach and will do no wrong. That is not the standard of any democracy or any political party because people populate the parties. The question is not whether people do wrong, there is no mechanism available for a party to modulate human conduct.

“You can set standards and parameters for imposing consequences for when those actions are taken. That is what this president has done. Whether people choose to do what they do is beyond the control of the president.

“The question is, has the president responded as expected in a democracy? Yes. He swiftly responded to the appearance that something wrong was done,” he said.\

Recall that Edu had asked the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein to send public funds to a private account that belonged to Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola, identified as a project manager by the minister.

The minister had approved that N585,198,500.00 should be disbursed into a personal account.

The ministry approved funds for flight tickets and airport taxis for her team from Abuja to Kogi State, even though the latter has no airport.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu on Monday suspended Edu and ordered an investigation into the alleged fraudulent activities of the minister.

The Federal Government yesterday launched a probe of degree racketeering in foreign and local private universities.

A seven-member inter-ministerial committee will investigate the allegations within eight weeks.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, mandated it to review the role of any ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) or their officials in the facilitation of the recognition and procurement of fake certificates in question. 

The committee has the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Committee of Vice Chancellor of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), Prof. Jibrila Amin, as the head. 

Other members are Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki; Lazarus Ikpadaba from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr Abel Olanrewaju from the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Others are Omeh Nwokpoku from the Office of the National Security Adviser, Amina Lugga from the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, and Mrs Doam Iyortyom from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The minister, while reading the terms of reference, urged the committee to review existing policies and procedures on accreditation and certification.

He said: “The committee must also examine the rules, procedures and processes for recognition and accreditation of foreign universities and programmes by the Federal Ministry of Education.”

“Establish if unapproved foreign institutions (Degree Mills) exist or not in Nigeria in whatever form with their identities and locations if any.

“Make appropriate recommendations for review of any rules, procedures, processes to prevent re-occurrence and sanctions for identified erring officials.

“Make other recommendations that will strengthen the system of recognition, accreditations and quality assurance of degrees in Nigeria.

“Examine the extant rules, procedures and processes for granting of provisional licences to new universities by the NUC.”

The Federal Government last week announced the suspension of accreditation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo.

The decision followed an investigative report titled: “How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in six weeks.”

The Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Zenith, Providus, and Jaiz banks have reportedly been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following their link to fraud allegations surrounding suspended and former Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu and Sadiya Umar-Farouq.

A source close to The Guardian confirmed the development saying Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu (Zenith Bank), Haruna Musa (Jaiz Bank), and Walter Akpani (Providus Bank) were arrested on Tuesday.

The source revealed further that they have been suspected of facilitating the improper diversion of public funds into private accounts.

Speaking further, the source said EFCC is working on unearthing suspicious transactions involving hefty sums of public money going into private accounts involving both Edu and Farouq during their tenures as ministers.

Recall that Farouq, a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs under the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, was accused of embezzling N37 billion meant for the conditional cash transfer program under Buhari’s tenure.

Meanwhile, Betta on the other hand was accused of fraud involving the sum of N585.189.

Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election has faulted the recent National Assembly’s approval of President Bola Tinubu’s request for the securitisation of outstanding N7.3 trillion ways and means debt balance.

While Ways and Means is a loan facility through which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provides short-term financing to cover the government’s budget shortfalls, securitisation is the practice of pooling together various types of debt instruments and selling them as bonds to investors.

Reacting to the development in a statement issued via his verified X page, Obi described the securitisation as “illegal”.

“This is the time when we need to go beyond politics and partisan grandstanding to address the fundamental issues of rational economic management. I am afraid that the current administration is not paying sufficient attention to issues of rational economic management,” he said.

The LP’s presidential candidate said former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration also got the senate to approve N22.7 trillion in ways and means borrowing from the CBN, barely 26 days to the end of the eight-year tenure.

“In seven years, CBN lending to the Buhari government had climbed 2700% in flagrant violation of the CBN Act,” the former Anambra governor said.

“Indifferent to the illegality of the excessive ways and means borrowing, the national assembly still approved the new Tinubu administration’s request for an N7.3 trn securitization of the existing ways and means facility just before considering the 2024 budget proposals.

“No questions asked. No explanations were sought as to the precise purpose of these borrowings all within the seven-month tenure of this government.

“Ordinarily, minimum public accountability should require that the president and his administration offer more specific explanations about the purpose of these borrowings. But so far, all we have been told is that these borrowings are meant to fund ‘capital’ expenditure,” he said.

Samuel Eto’o, a former captain of Cameroon has asserted that Africans are more gifted football players than Europeans.

Eto’o who made the assertion on Tuesday said that an African nation can triumph in the FIFA World Cup with ease.

Speaking before this weekend’s 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the former Barcelona and Chelsea player noted (via SportBible’s Instagram handle): “Africans have a lot of talent, Europeans a bit less.

“I don’t see why an African country will not win a World Cup. It’s one of the easiest things to do. It’s just a couple of football matches.”

Former France, Barcelona and Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry, has revealed that he struggled with his mental health during his career, adding that he “must have been in depression.”

The 46-year-old ended his glittering 20-year club career in 2014, which also included stints at Monaco, Juventus and New York Red Bulls.

He scored 228 goals for Arsenal during his two spells, winning two Premier League titles before moving to Barça, where he won a pair of LaLiga titles as well as the Champions League.

A World Cup winner with France, Henry has also managed Arsenal’s youth teams, served as assistant coach of Belgium, and was the head coach of Monaco and Montreal Impact in MLS. He was appointed as the head coach of France under-21s in August.

“Throughout my career, and since I was born, I must have been in depression,” Henry told The Diary Of A CEO podcast.

“Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? No. But I adapted to a certain way.”

Henry said it had been a difficult time for him during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was managing Montreal.

“I was in isolation in Montreal, and not being able to see my kids for a year was tough,” he added.

“Tears were coming alone. Why I don’t know, but maybe they were there for a very long time.”

[Leadership]

Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand has warned Axel Disasi that he could lose his spot at Chelsea next season if Thiago Silva remains at the Premier League club.

Since his £38.5 million move from Monaco last summer, Disasi has made 22 appearances for the Blues.

The defender has played at both centre-back and right-back under Mauricio Pochettino due to injuries.

Silva’s future at Stamford Bridge remains uncertain, with the 39-year-old’s contract due to expire at the end of the season.

The Brazilian remains one of Chelsea’s standout performers and Ferdinand feels he should partner Levi Colwill if he extends his stay at Stamford Bridge for another campaign.

“I don’t think he gets to play.

“Next season I’d keep Thiago Silva still and I’d play Colwill left centre-back,” Ferdinand said on Vibe With Five when asked about Disasi’s start at Chelsea.

[DailyPost]

Popular traditional chief in Ogun state, Adeyinka Folarin, the Baasegun of the Itunsokun village in the state, has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen.

He was shot at his Sagamu residence around 8:00 p.m. on Monday, January 9, by the gunmen suspected to be cultists. 

The tragic incident was confirmed by two traditional rulers seeking acknowledgment.

One of the traditional rulers said: “The information is correct but I don’t have much information about the incident. We heard that the chief who is a popular traditional chief and member of the Akarigbo in-council was killed last night. He is popularly called Baasegun, we however can’t say these are the people who did these terrible acts. We leave the police and other security agencies to do their job.”

According to a Sagamu local government employee who preferred anonymity, the incident also forced the LG employees to quickly end their workday to save their lives. 

The source said: “Already, tension is very high in the town as I speak to you, workers are already moving out of the local government secretariat to avoid being caught in any form of crisis. Many are saying the man was killed by cultists but no one could really confirm this, the information is still scanty now.”

However, the spokeswoman for the Ogun state Police Command, SP Omolola, is yet to confirm the incident. 

[TheNation]