A prosecution witness, Victor Onyejiuwa, on Friday, told the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja that the alleged $600,000 he was asked to pay for the contract he executed for the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, was paid to the  former apex bank Director of Information Technology, John Ayoh and not to the embattled ex-CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Onyejiuwa who is the Managing Director of Resource Computer Limited, stated this while being cross examined by Emefiele’s lawyer , Mr Olalekan Ojo, SAN.

The witness who stated that  all his communication with Ayoh was done via Whatsapp, noted that first bribe payment he made to Ayoh was $400,000, in Lagos and the second payment of $200,000 was made in Abuja.

Onyejiuwa also stated that he didn’t get any letter of authorization from the CBN management that he should pay bribe for the contract that was awarded to his company but that it was Ayoh that signed the award of the contract and the completion.

He however noted that after Ayoh left the CBN, he still did other contacts with CBN till 2019 when  Emefiele was still in charge and that he was paid in due time and no bribe was demanded from him.

“I have never met him (Emefiele) before. My dealings with the CBN management was through Ayoh.

” I did a new contract with CBN and no bribe was demanded and the payment for the contract was paid in due time

” I executed the contract while Godwin Emefiele was still the CBN governor,” the witness said.

Asked whether he had any conversation with any of the CBN deputy governors, to find out  if Ayoh had the authority to collect the $600,000 bribe he answered in the negative.” No, I did not”. 

When asked if Ayoh showed him any communication between himself (Ayoh) and Emefiele about the delivery of the money, he said no.

The witness was also asked if he showed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC a letter demanding for bribe, he said no.

Asked who the money was delivered to he said it was delivered to Ayoh, in his office and after the payment was made it was an official of the IT department that signed.

The embattled Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are currently facing trial on 26 counts, bordering on abuse of office alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud.

The former CBN governor and Omoile pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Onyejiuwa on the last adjourned date in his examination in chief had told Justice Rahman Oshodi, that

he was pressured to pay $600,000 before he was paid for a contract.

According to him, sometime in 2017, he got an ‘enterprise storage and servers’ from the CBN and after executing the job, he was approached by a senior official who told him that his payment would not be approved if he did not pay certain sums.

“The official said there was pressure on him. I told him that our payment was being delayed. He told me that if I didn’t accede to his request, my payment would not be approved.

“After several back and forth, I succumbed to his pressure. I was able to organise the sum of $400,000 and $200,000 to facilitate payment of the contract funds.

“Within two or three weeks after, the payment was made. That is what happened,” the witness said.

However the case was adjourned till July 9, 10, for continuation of trial.

Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2023 election, has hinted at the possibility of supporting his Labour Party counterpart in the last election, Peter Obi in 2027.

The former Vice President, who is currently on a merger talk with stakeholders of some opposition political parties, said he will not hesitate to support Obi in the next election if the party picks the former Anambra governor.

According to The Sun, Atiku gave the hint in an interview with BBC Hausa Service.

Recall that Obi and Atiku recently met behind closed doors, sparking speculations about a merger of some opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Confirming the move by opposition parties to align in a bid to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the 2027 election, Atiku said, “We can merge to achieve a common goal. So, it’s possible and nothing can stop it if we so wish to achieve that.

Atiku said if the new “party decides that it’s the turn of the South-East and Peter Obi is chosen, I won’t hesitate to support him.

“I have said repeatedly and I even said it before the 2023 general elections that if PDP decides to zone the presidential ticket to the South or South-East specifically, I won’t contest it.

“As long as it is the decision of the party, I will abide by it. But I contested the 2023 presidential ticket because it was thrown open to all members of the party”.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi said the biggest problem of Nigeria’s democracy is the judiciary and not the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Obi stated this at the fifth memorial of late Justice Anthony Aniagolu at the Godfrey Okoye University in Enugu.

According to the former Anambra governor, justice in Nigeria “goes to the highest bidder” and has become “commodified.”

He said, “While the judiciary, today, still boasts of a few outstanding judges, there is an undeniable decline in our judicial system.

“This decline poses a significant threat to the future of Nigeria. Justice is increasingly commodified, and delivered in favour of the highest bidder.

“Whenever democracy is discussed, fingers point to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the problem. But INEC is not the problem, instead, the judiciary is. The judiciary is the biggest threat to Nigeria. If our judiciary is effective, our businesses will thrive.

“When the rule of law is compromised, the most vulnerable members of society are disproportionately affected, and the fabric of our society begins to fray. The integrity of our institutions, the protection of human rights, and the stability of our nation are all jeopardised.

“The rule of law is the highest intangible and most valuable asset of any society, and we must work tirelessly to protect and preserve it. We must prioritise the pursuit of justice above all else.

“I emphasised the urgent need to revitalise our judicial system by safeguarding its independence and promoting the values of character, competence, capability, compassion, and integrity among our jurists, as well as within our political leadership.

“By doing so, we can ensure justice and fairness prevail as we endeavour to build a better Nigeria for all.

“Nigeria has become a country where anything goes. There is no rule of law, there is almost no judiciary. Everybody could be pushed down because there is no rule of law.

“Because the judiciary has become commercialised and depends on how much one pays, it has become difficult to get true justice in the judiciary.

“At any point in time where the judiciary is not working, the society suffers.”

Dangote Refinery is set to buy at least 24 million barrels of US crude over the next year as it ramps up its processing capabilities.

A report by Bloomberg revealed that the $20 billion refinery has issued a term tender for the purchase of 2 million barrels a month of West Texas Intermediate Midland (WTI) crude for 12 months starting in July, which amounts to 24 million barrels of crude in one year.

The call for US oil reflects Nigeria’s struggle to lift its own crude production, which remains well below theoretical capacity, as well as Dangote’s willingness to tap cheaper supplies than it can find at home. It also highlights how influential the refinery will be in global crude and fuel trading. 

Elitsa Georgieva, Executive Director at Citac, an energy consultancy specializing in the African downstream sector, said: “Supply of Nigerian crude is insufficient or unavailable and sometimes unreliable. WTI on the other hand, is available, with reliable supply and competitively priced.

“Buying different feed stocks also provides flexibility and optionality for the refinery, so the tender makes economic sense for Dangote,”

Nigeria has not been able to meet its Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) + quota for at least a year. The nation pumped about 1.45 million barrels a day of crude and liquids in April, still far below its estimated production capacity of 2.6 million barrels a day.

Crude theft, aging oil pipelines, low investment, and divestments from oil majors operating in the country have all contributed to declining production.

To ensure enough local supply to the 650,000 barrel-a-day refinery, Nigeria’s upstream regulator, the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), released new draft rules last month that will compel its oil producers to sell crude to domestic refineries. NUPRC mandated all oil companies in Nigeria to supply crude to domestic refineries that are unable to procure it locally. 

Producers are allowed to export crude only after meeting these domestic supply obligations. 

Under the new rules, NUPRC will act as an intermediary between local refiners and producers when agreements on crude supply are not reached, facilitating a sales purchase agreement using a willing-buyer, willing-seller model.

This new policy could benefit Dangote refinery by enabling it to procure crude oil from local suppliers rather than depending on imports. The plant, currently running at about half capacity, is taking advantage of cheaper US oil imports for as much as a third of its feedstock. Since the start of this year, it has received at least one supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of WTI Midland each month.

An official at Dangote declined to comment on the report, Bloomberg stated.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has revealed details of the contract given to new Super Eagles coach Finidi George.

Recall that Finidi was appointed as coach of the Super Eagles on April 19, and was unveiled by the board of the NFF at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Monday in Abuja.

Gusau refuted claims making the rounds that the federation only committed the new Super Eagles head coach to a one-year deal.

“I don’t know where the one-year contract information emanated from, all I know is that, as far as our contract with Finidi is concerned, he is going to be in charge of the team till the end of 2026,” Gusau said on Soccer Africa, a popular TV show in South Africa.

“So I don’t think 2026 is going to be a one-year contract.

“The key thing is, in every contract, there must be some indices and some targets that you must put in place for somebody in other for him to get optimal performance.

“And the first target is to qualify the team for next year’s Nations Cup and to get to at least the semi finals of the Nations Cup, as well as qualify the team to the World Cup and to get us the target of playing in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

“So these are the main targets we put in place for him in the contract, and by the grace of God, we are working hard to see how we can achieve that,” he added.

Speaking further, Gusau also stated that the federation didn’t force George to choose his assistants.

During the unveiling, the NFF also introduced the assistants who will support George: Daniel Amokachi, Benjamin James, Olatunji Baruwa, Chima Onyeike, and Mehmet Ozturk.

“I am very happy when we unveiled Finidi to Nigeria. The NFF Technical Director put all the names on the list, and they chose the best they felt would work. All the names you saw as assistants to Finidi were chosen by him,” Gusau said.

The Super Eagles will host South Africa in their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, June 7th.

The three-time African champions will travel to face Benin at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan three days later.

The federal government has asked labour leaders and other stakeholders to return to the negotiating table and continue discussions on the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Naija News understands the Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, Bukar Goni, sent a letter of invitation to labour leaders dated May 16, 2024 for a meeting on Tuesday, 21st May.

This development comes barely 24 hours after the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) stormed out of a meeting of the minimum wage negotiation committee on Wednesday over what they termed a ridiculous offer from the government.

It would be recalled that the government offered ₦48,000 as the new minimum wage while the Organized Private Sector (OPS), proposed N54,000 during the meeting while the labour maintained its stand on a ₦615,000 minimum wage for workers.

In a statement released after the meeting, the labour leaders expressed disappointment, saying the federal government has shown its unseriousness with the amount it proposed.

They described the ₦48,000 proposed new minimum wage by the federal government as an insult to the sensibility of Nigerian workers.

However, according to Punch, there are indications the government may review its proposal upward during the fresh meeting.

The tripartite committee chairman, in his letter, is understood to have indicated the willingness of the government to shift grounds on its ₦48,000 offer.

The letter was titled, ‘Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage: Negotiation.’

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved part payment of all power sector debts, estimated at N3.3 trillion.

Adebayo Adelabu, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, disclosed this at Thursday’s 8th Africa Energy Marketplace in Abuja.

He noted that the federal government’s N1.3 trillion debt to power-generating companies would be paid via cash injections and promissory notes, while about $1.3 billion (N1.994 trillion using the current official closing rate) owed to gas companies will be paid via cash and future royalties.

Adelabu stressed that the federal government had commenced payment of the cash part of the N1.3 trillion debt owed Gencos and concluded plans to settle the second part via promissory notes within two to five years.

“The debt for the power-generating companies is N1.3tn. I can also tell you that Mr. President has consented to pay on the condition of reconciling these debts between the government and the power-generating companies.

“It is true that I mentioned that Mr President has approved the submission of the Hon. Minister of State Petroleum (Gas) to defray the outstanding debts owed to the gas supplying companies to the power sector operators.

“The payments will be in parts. We have the legacy debt and the current debt. For the current debt, approval has been given for a cash payment of about N130bn from the Gas Stabilisation Fund, which the Federal Ministry of Finance will pay if it hasn’t already,” he said.

In March, the government paid $120 million out of the $1.3bn indebtedness to gas companies.

On different occasions, Adelabu has blamed indebtedness to gencos for the epileptic power supply in the country.

Recall that on April 3, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission approved a 230 per cent electricity tariff hike for band A customers, who receive a 20-24 power supply.

A month later, the government slashed the hike by N18.2 to N206.8 per kilowatt-hour from 225kwh.

However, the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, and other Nigerians have kicked against the hike, calling for its complete reversal.

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje has said that the decisions, policies and programmes introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will take the country out of the woods to progress and prosperity.

He gave the assurance on Thursday night when he hosted officials at the Forum of APC Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

While commending the leadership virtues of Tinubu, the APC Chairman noted that the President, unlike his predecessors, took bold decisions to give the country the push that will usher her into the next level of prosperity and development.

“I assure you that our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is also a grassroots politician, tested and trusted. He is great, because he is bold enough to take some decisions which the previous administrations could not take and very soon, you will start seeing the positive effects of the reforms that he’s introducing.

“Our refineries will soon be producing abundant fuel. It is all over the world now that the narrative is changing about the use of petrol, CNG vehicles will soon be on ground where transportation will be cheaper.

“The reforms Asiwaju is introducing will take Nigeria to the next level,” Ganduje said.

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, on Thursday, announced May 24, 2024, as the official date for “the opening of the portal for student loan applications.”

The announcement was made in a statement by the media lead for the NELFund,  Nasir Ayantogo.

Ayantogo, in the statement, said the opening of the application portal marked a significant milestone in the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to “fostering accessible and inclusive education for all Nigerian students.”

On June 12, 2023, Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, 2023 into law to enable indigent students to access interest-free loans for their educational pursuits in any Nigerian tertiary institution. 

The move was in “fulfillment of one of his campaign promises to liberalise funding of education,” a member of the then Presidential Strategy Team, Dele Alake, said.

The Act, popularly known as the Students Loan Law, also established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to process all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.

Although the government initially announced that the scheme would be launched in September, it suffered several delays leading to an indefinite postponement in early March.

The Presidency had linked the delay to Tinubu’s directive to expand the scheme to include loans for vocational skills.

After receiving briefing from the NELFund team led by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, on January 22, the President had directed the Fund to extend interest-free loans to Nigerian students interested in skill-development programmes.

Tinubu based his decision on the need for the scheme to accommodate those who may not want to pursue a university education, noting that skill acquisition is as essential as obtaining undergraduate and graduate academic qualifications.

“This is not an exclusive programme. It is catering to all of our young people. Young Nigerians are gifted in different areas.

“This is not only for those who want to be doctors, lawyers, and accountants. It is also for those who aspire to use their skilled and trained hands to build our nation.

“In accordance with this, I have instructed NELFund to explore all opportunities to inculcate skill-development programmes because not everybody wants to go through a full university education,” he had said.

Through the portal, students can now access loans to pursue their academic aspirations without financial constraints.

The portal, according to the statement, provides a user-friendly interface for students to submit their loan applications conveniently.

“We encourage all eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in their future and contribute to the growth and development of our nation.

“Students can access the portal on www.nelf.gov.ng to begin application,” the statement said.