The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, has been suspended by the Office of the Head of Service due to allegations of sexual harassment.

Naija News reports that the Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, has constituted a committee to investigate the matter and the permanent secretary will remain on suspension until the outcome of the probe.

“The permanent secretary has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe by the committee set up, “ a senior director in the OHCSF told The PUNCH.

The allegations against Lamuwa were brought to the attention of the Head of Service by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, through a petition submitted on behalf of a staff member, Simisola Ajayi.

Ajayi has accused Lamuwa of serial sexual harassment, creating an unsafe and uncomfortable working environment.

The petition, signed by Adebayo A. Oniyelu of Falana & Falana’s, detailed multiple instances of harassment, including inappropriate advances and remarks made by Lamuwa during a policy retreat on October 7, 2023, and an incident on November 10, 2023, where Lamuwa allegedly invited Ajayi to travel to Hong Kong with promises of personal benefits.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, in a letter addressed to the Head of Service on May 27, 2024, expressed concern over the gravity of the allegations and requested that the matter be handled accordingly.

“I am compelled to write to inform you of a formal complaint against the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Adamu Lamuwa, on allegations of sexual harassment.

“Bearing in mind the gravity of the matter, I feel it necessary to draw your attention to it and ask that you handle it accordingly,” the minister stated in the letter.

An official familiar with the case has confirmed that a probe panel has been set up and pieces of evidence and witnesses will be gathered to investigate the matter thoroughly.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said, “Yes, the Head of Service has set up a committee to probe the whole matter. There are pieces of evidence, which will be tabled and witnesses who will also be invited to speak on the matter, so it is not a matter that will be swept under the carpet.

“The minister (Tuggar) is also very much interested in the outcome. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a special ministry that operates even outside the shores of the country, so you can’t expect that an issue of such gravity will be swept under the carpet.”

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has described the recent re-introduction of the old national anthem by the federal government as a waste of time and resources.

Governor Makinde lamented that there are more pressing issues that would impact the lives of Nigerians better than superficial issues such as a new national anthem.

Speaking yesterday, the Oyo State Governor said Nigerians are hungry, the economy is in shambles and the government needs to focus on solving such challenges rather than chasing frivolities.

He maintained that the return of the old national anthem shouldn’t be our priority when so many Nigerians are suffering.

The governor said: “Our country is in a state of crisis, and we must act now.

“Our people are hungry, our infrastructure is crumbling, and our economy is in shambles.”

“We should be focused on finding solutions to these problems, not wasting time and money on superficial changes like a new anthem.”

“We are at a point in Oyo State and our nation where we must prioritise economic development in Oyo and our nation. As a country, we have to prioritise production, we have to be productive. There cannot production without mobilisation.”

“Our strongest resource is our people. The training and education of our people is the best empowerment we can give them.”

“We have to keep on educating our people. Let them use their God-given talents to support what we are doing in Oyo State.”

Makinde called on the federal government to urgently take decisive actions that would tackle the myriad of challenges Nigerians are facing, stating that “We cannot afford to waste any more time.”

“Our people deserve better.

“They deserve a government that is focused on their needs, not on distractions and empty gestures.

“Let us put our resources and our energy where they are most needed, and let us work together to build a better, brighter future for all Nigerians,” he stressed.

he Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has compared the ongoing economic situation in Nigeria to the Titanic.

Naija News reports that Peter Obi made this known during an interview on Arise News on Wednesday night while discussing the state of Nigeria on the Democracy Day celebration.

The former Governor of Anambra State also linked Nigeria to an aeroplane going through turbulence, but its leaders are living in conspicuous consumption and acting like the country is not going through difficulties.

He said, “The first thing you do as a leader who inherited a difficult situation is to lead by example, and it starts by your own style, your behaviour, your conduct, how you manage resources. You cannot say that things are difficult when you’re living in conspicuous consumption.

“Nigeria today is the country with the highest amount of people without homes – over 24 million, yet you’re spending twenty-something billion to build a house for one person.

“You’re supposed to show a clear plan, it is not enough to say we’re going to go through problems. If we’re going to go through problems, this is very simple.

“You enter a plane, there is a bad weather, there’s going to be a turbulence. The pilot says, we’re going to go through bad weather, it’s going to take us maybe one hour, two hours because of this weather, and he follows it through. That is not the time- in that bad weather, everybody, even the crew, are asked to sit down. That’s not the time to start serving food and wine and everything when everything is up and down.

“I always say what happened to the Titanic is what is happening in Nigeria. While it was going down, people on the upper deck were busy dancing until the whole thing collapsed, that’s what is happening now. We should change and do things rightly. We can change and manage corruption and everything and all that.”

When asked what he believes should be done, Peter Obi said, “You start by living like somebody who is coming through difficulty, who is facing difficulty, who wants to change things. That’s how we do it. You don’t engage in what we’ve been doing- buying vehicles, partying and everything as if things are normal when you say there is difficulty. You need to deal with the issue of cutting the cost of governance, that’s where you start. You need to deal with the issue of massive corruption.”

The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused some ministers and colleagues of the embattled ex-governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, of shielding him from prosecution.

Naija News recalls that Bello has been in a legal battle with the EFCC over alleged N80.2bn fraud.

Following a failed attempt to arrest him and his repeated absence from court for his arraignment, the EFCC declared Bello wanted, while the Nigerian Immigration also placed the governor on a watchlist.

The EFCC acting Zonal Director, Benin Zonal Command, Effa Okim, during a familiarisation visit on Wednesday to the Delta State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Asaba, Delta State capital, said Bello had ridiculed the Nigerian justice system by failing to present himself for trial in court.

When asked why the EFCC had yet to arrest the governor months after he was declared wanted, Okim claimed that the ex-governor was being shielded by some ‘political masters’ and associates.’

Okim noted that the case had a moral aspect beyond legality.

He said, “This is the last question I expected because the shame is on all of us. Is that a question I should answer alone? It’s not me, it is the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“That politically-exposed Yahaya Bello, whose crime has been traced to him by the allegation and has been invited by EFCC to come and explain, and for months he is acting drama and we are all here wanting to ask questions! The shame is our own shame!

“Can’t we catch him? We can, but do we go all out to catch him? Do we need to do that when he has his masters? Can’t they call him and tell him, ‘You are disgracing Nigeria’ What are you telling the world? Tell him to go and explain himself like others have done.

“Where are the ministers? Where are Yahaya Bello’s colleagues, even in his hiding? So, Nigerians can’t tell him ‘This is not fair, go and report; they are not going to kill you’? But people are still eating and dining with him.

“Where has morality gone before legality that we can’t summon that man and tell him to go and report himself to the EFCC? Some persons are writing, supporting him, while some are criticizing the commission.

“The problem is our own problem that borders on Nigeria’s image. Our children are watching their parents behave like children.

“To me, the truth has vanished. Even in Animal Farm, this will not happen, that a man who was part of the system that was a custodian of our culture, rules and laws can behave like this and you are asking questions.

“The media should come out for the first time to harmonise, criticise that action and forget about prosecution but tell him to make himself available; thereafter we know what to do.”

A former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani has urged President Bola Tinubu to pardon those incarcerated over the #EndSARS protest in 2020.

Naija News recalls that in 2020, Nigerian youths took to the streets to protest police brutality.

However, during the protest, some police stations, formations, and offices were damaged across the country, leading to some arrests.

While some of the arrested protesters were released, others are believed to still be in detention in various police stations.

Speaking at a special dinner organised to mark Democracy Day held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Sani said those who took part in the protest should also be considered champions of democracy.

According to him, he and other of his peers who were part of the fight to entrench democracy in Nigeria as the ENDSARS protesters learnt from President Tinubu to be dogged.

The dinner was attended by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside their spouses.

The President of the senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, secretary to the government of the federation, the chief justice of the federation, state governors, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), diplomats, traditional rulers, and lawmakers were among dignitaries that attended the dinner.

Russian police have detained two women accused of killing a man after he rejected their proposal for a threesome.

The suspects, aged 29 and 37, were drinking with the 63-year-old in a churchyard in Stavropol before the alleged attack took place.

According to a reports by The Mirror, the women allegedly killed the man by beating him after he refused to have sex with them.

Officers from Russia’s Investigative Committee were seen with the women at the alleged forest crime scene.

One woman demonstrated how she kicked the victim with a dummy, while another image showed one of the women being escorted by officers out of a police van.

In a statement, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported that the victim, known to both women, had suffered a vicious attack involving multiple blows to his head and torso with their fists and feet, resulting in his death at the scene.

The committee said, “In the course of an argument, the women gave the 63-year-old man multiple blows with their fists and feet to his head and torso.

“The victim died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

“Wishing to avoid responsibility for the offence, the accused dragged the body of the deceased to a wooded area and hid it in a hole.”

Rosa, 29, and Martha, 37, were remanded in custody for two months over the death of 63-year-old Alexander in the cemetery.

Social media was sent into a frenzy on Wednesday after President Bola Tinubu, slipped while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day celebration.
The President, however, quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings without further issues.

In this article, Naija News highlights other world leaders aside from Tinubu, who had a momentary fall during a public ceremony.

1. President Joe Biden: In March 2021, United States President, Joe Biden tripped on Air Force One stairs while scaling the steps to Air Force One to Atlanta to meet with Asian-American community leaders on a massacre.

2. Robert Mugabe: In February 2015, Zimbabwe’s 90-year-old President Robert Mugabe fell down a staircase as he walked off a podium after addressing supporters at Harare International Airport.

3. President Gerald Ford: Former President of the United States, Gerald Ford, slipped on Air Force One in 1975 while visiting Vienna in Austria for talks with Egyptian President Anwar Sada.

4. Cuba leader, Fidel Castro: Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, in October 2004, fell off the stage in Santa Clara, Cuba. Castro broke his knee and arm in the fall.

5. Barack Obama: In March 2015, former US President, Barack Obama came close to falling down the steps of Air Force One. Obama was returning to Washington DC from a golfing trip in Florida when he bounded from the plane door only to lose his footing. He recovered and continued across the tarmac with the same spring in his step.

6. Mike Pence: In June 2020, Vice President Mike Pence had a moment remarkably similar to President Biden’s upward slip. Pence was filmed running, then tripping, up the staircase of Air Force Two.

7. Tommy Tuberville: In October 2023, Senator Tommy Tuberville, who has previously criticised President Joe Biden for falling in public view, was mocked online after a video showing him falling down a flight of plane stairs himself went viral.

8. Hillary Clinton: The then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in 2011, was boarding a plane to Yemen when she slipped to her knees at the doorway and was only saved from further embarrassment when an aide gave her a helping hand.

9. Vladimir Putin: The Russian leader who loves to display his aura, saw himself on the floor during a 2019 hockey game he played in. He was doing a victory lap around Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome and applauding fans when he slammed on the floor.

10. Boris Johnson: The former United Kingdom prime minister, was a victim of an epic fall after he tripped and landed on the floor during a charity tug-of-war game at a World War I commemoration event with Britain’s armed forces in 2015.

Super Eagles skilled winger, Ademola Lookman, has been named as Atalanta’s Player of the Month for both May and June.

Naija News reports that Lookman surpassed Gianluca Scamacca and Ederson in the voting process to clinch this prestigious award.

During these two months, the 26-year-old talented winger managed to score six goals and provide three assists, showcasing his exceptional abilities on the field.

Concluding the season with a total of 17 goals and eight assists in various competitions, Lookman truly proved to be a valuable asset for Atalanta.

Naija News reports that Lookman has been a revelation for Atalanta since joining them in 2022.

His contributions have been significant, both statistically and in terms of the team’s overall success:

Lookman has been a prolific scorer. In his two seasons at Atalanta, he’s amassed a total of 30 goals, finishing as Atalanta’s fifth-highest scorer in Serie A during his first season.

Lookman’s biggest moment came in the 2023/24 Europa League final. He single-handedly secured Atalanta’s first European trophy with a stunning hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen, held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in a one-legged European final since 1969.

The Nigerian player brings more than just goals for Atalanta. His pace, dribbling skills, and ability to create chances for teammates make him a constant threat on the wing.

Nigeria’s crude oil output hit a new low in the month of May, dropping to 1.25 million barrels per day, as reported by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Naija News reports that OPEC’s monthly report on the global oil market for June indicated that Nigeria’s daily average production was 1.25 million barrels per day in May, marking a 2.34% decrease from the 1.28 million barrels per day seen in April.

The OPEC noted that the data on production was gathered through direct conversations with Nigerian officials.

The organization receives information on crude oil production from two main sources: direct communication with member countries and secondary sources like energy intelligence platforms.

Further examination of the report revealed that production levels were at 1.3 million barrels per day by the end of the fourth quarter of 2023 and the beginning of this year.

Despite the drop in production, OPEC acknowledged that the fight against crude oil theft and pipeline damage by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had shown some improvement.

The decline in production was observed despite the reported efforts to curb these issues.

However, OPEC highlighted that Nigeria still maintained its status as Africa’s top oil producer, followed by Libya, which produced 901,000 barrels per day in the month under review.

OPEC also mentioned that Algeria was the third-largest oil producer, with production reaching 264,000 barrels per day in May.

On the other hand, the OPEC report pointed out that data from secondary sources suggested Nigeria’s crude oil production had increased by five percent to 1.41 million barrels per day from the previous month’s 1.35 million barrels per day.

These figures were lower than Nigeria’s quota set by the OPEC for the year 2024, which was 1.5 million barrels per day.

The OPEC report stated: “According to secondary sources, total OPEC-12 crude oil production averaged 26.63 million barrels per day in May 2024, 29 million barrels per day higher than the previous month.

“Crude oil output increased mainly in Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, while production in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya and Congo decreased.

“At the same time, total non-OPEC DoC crude oil production averaged 14.29 mb/d in May 2024, 152 tb/d lower, m-o-m

“Crude oil output increased mainly in Mexico, while production in Russia and Kazakhstan decreased.”

Unresolved corruption probes in Nigeria have remained a significant concern, begging the question of why millions of public funds are allocated to probes when there are no plans to convict offenders.

In Nigeria, probes come with a lot of theatrics: first the announcement of investigative panels, then the media rounds, photo ops, and press outings, with long-winding sessions running into months and years but never ending in indictments or prosecutions.

Not forgetting the huge sitting allowances often allocated to such probe panels, another avenue for graft and appeasing political allies—a case of “the more you look, the less you see.”

Some of the high-profile corruption cases involving top politicians and government officials, mostly initiated at the National Assembly, remain unresolved, leading to public frustration and distrust in the government.

Social critics believe that corruption probes are merely a means of appeasing aggrieved citizens. However, for many Nigerians, justice would mean seeing corrupt officials sent to jail.

A report recently released by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI) through its Probes Monitor Portal showed that a total of 614 grand corruption probes were initiated by various administrations between 1999 and 2023. However, only three of these have been brought to a logical conclusion.

This huge gap, according to the centre, highlights the lack of accountability and transparency by successive governments, much to the detriment of the public good.

For instance, in the Petroleum Subsidy Scandal of 2012, billions of dollars were allegedly embezzled through fraudulent fuel subsidy claims. Investigations and arrests were initiated, but many did not lead to convictions.

In the Dasuki Gate scandal of 2020, former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a $2 billion arms fraud. The conclusion of this probe is yet to be seen.

Also, recall the probe of over N1.8 trillion in federal government interventions in the power sector since its privatization from 2012 to date by the Senate, the probe of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) over the spending of N17.16 billion ($40 million) in 2013, the investigation of the alleged diversion of N525 billion by a former Abia State Governor by the EFCC, and the probe of former minister Stella Oduah over the N255 million armored car scandal by the House of Representatives, among many others.

The challenge, according to Umar Yakubu, the Executive Director of CFTPI, is not only that these probes are never completed, but also that Nigerians are never informed of their status even when decisions are made.

Yakubu worries that by abandoning these probes and leaving the public in the dark, the government gives the impression that these actions are mere political theatre designed to placate the masses temporarily. He asserts that transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of any democratic society.

Without these principles, the very foundation of democracy is at risk. The lack of transparency in publishing the findings of these probes allows corruption to continue unchecked, as those who engage in corrupt practices feel emboldened by the lack of consequences.

Currently, Nigeria is gravely paying the price for corruption with a persistent economic downturn, unemployment, social injustice, poverty, and underdevelopment.

This is because funds that would have been utilized for the general good have found their way into private pockets.

Dr Otive Igbuzor of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, insisted that corruption may never be overcome unless proactive steps are taken to entrench sanctions, sincere probes, sentences, and convictions.

He said, “The media has a great role to play in holding the government to account and promoting social justice, transparency, and accountability in society.”

“The challenge before us is what should be done to ensure that the probes are completed and acted upon and ultimately reduce corruption in Nigeria. I suggest citizen engagement and advocacy, media activism, developmentalist coalitions, participation in politics, and movements for change.”

He advocated sincere legislative oversights to ensure allocated funds are properly utilized, systems that expose corruption, and internal checks for every organization handling government money.

Although analysts attribute unresolved probes to judicial inefficiencies, political interference, lack of political will, or failure of anti-graft institutions, Prof Okey Ikechukwu of the Development Spec Academy warns that they are also forms of corruption.

He noted that the government must also begin to check the misapplication of public funds and the wrong prioritization of projects where funds are deployed to areas that do not address the immediate needs of society.

“For example, spending public money to deploy computers in a school where no teacher is computer literate or building a bridge in a community where only three people have motorcycles,” he said.

He described such situations as procurement corruption involving political allies.

Prof Ikechukwu also cautioned against the glamorization of corruption and ill-gotten wealth, warning that young people would always emulate what society prioritizes.

While Nigerians demand that agencies fighting corruption in the country wake up to their responsibilities, they await a time when probes will be completed and sanctions meted out to offenders.