Five weeks after the inauguration of two judicial commissions of inquiry to look into the activities of ex-Governor Samuel Ortom while in office, Arewa PUNCH investigations reveal that they are now set to quiz him and his aides.

Our correspondent reports that the state governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, had on February 26, 2024, inaugurated the two judicial commissions of inquiry to look into the activities of his predecessor, Ortom.

The inaugurated probe panels are the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Income and Expenditure of Benue State Government from May 29, 2015, to May 28, 2023, while the other one is the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Sale/Lease of Government Assets, Companies and Markets (both state and local government owned markets), as well as moribund companies from or before May 28, 2015 to May 28, 2023.

The two commissions of Inquiry comprise 16 members with their chairmen drawn from the South-West and North-East.

They are retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo from South-West who will chair the former and Justice Appolos Idi (retd) from Gombe, North-East will preside over the latter commission.

Arewa PUNCH further findings indicate that tongues are already wagging over the cause(s) of the delay in the take-off of the probe panels.

When our correspondent contacted the state Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mnyim, on Monday, he dismissed the idea of any possible obstacles that might be hindering the sitting of the panel.

Mnyim assured the residents that the panels would begin to sit from next week.

“There are no obstacles at all. The point is that the panels are waiting to begin sitting after Easter, so by next week, they will commence sitting,” the Attorney General of the state told Arewa PUNCH.

The two judicial commissions of inquiry are, among others, to identify the income of the Benue State Government from May 28, 2023, 2015, to May 29, 2023.

They will also look into the expenditure and utilisation of the Benue State income from 29 of May, 2015, to day 28 of May, 2023.

Also, they are to identify all the Benue State bank accounts and examine the propriety or otherwise of the transactions in the accounts from day 29 of May, 2015 to the day 28 of May, 2023.

Further more, they will identify the various loans taken by the Benue State Government from May 29, 2015 to May 28, 2023 and ascertain the appropriateness of the utilisation, interest charge on the loans and the possible abuses thereof.

The probe panels will equally identify the loan(s) given out by the Benue State Government, the alleged waiver, and the possible abuses thereof.

Finally, the panels will identify the special interventions, including but not limited to the Bailout Funds, Paris Club Refunds received by the Benue State Government from May 29, 2015 to May 28, 2023 and the application thereof.

Though the immediate past governor, Samuel Ortom, through his media aide, Terver Akase had stated that he was ready to face the panels and also urged all his aides to prepare to appear before the two panels.

The pump price of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, has dropped from about N1,700/litre which it sold for a few weeks ago, to around N1,350/litre in some locations across the country following the sale of the commodity by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

It was gathered on Tuesday that the $20bn worth refinery started pumping out diesel to the domestic market last Wednesday.

It sold a minimum of one million litres to each registered oil marketer that got the product from the plant since it commenced diesel sale.

Officials of the multi-billion dollar plant and oil dealers confirmed that the product was dispensed to marketers at between N1,225/litre and N1,300/litre depending on the volume of purchase.

This came as it was also gathered that the refinery would start releasing Premium Motor Spirit to the domestic market in May this year.

“They started pumping out diesel to marketers since last week. They also promised to sell aviation fuel soon. Some of my members confirmed this to me after making the purchase,” the National President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, told one of our correspondents.

He added, “So some of our marketers have started getting the product, but as an association we have not got the product yet, because we want to get the actual rate that it will be sold to us when we buy in bulk. However, they have started selling diesel because some of our marketers have started buying.

“They are selling at N1,225/litre and the minimum volume they are giving is one million litres per marketer. Also, they assured us that they will release more products, but for now this (diesel) is what they are starting with. So we are expecting them to release PMS anytime from now.”

Maigandi said the move by Dangote would definitely lead to a crash in diesel price, as the commodity rose to a high of about N1,700/litre recently.

“The price of diesel is going to fall because of the release of products from Dangote refinery. In fact, it is already coming down in Lagos,” Maigandi stated.

Another oil marketer, who is the Chief Executive, AF Ralph Oil and Gas Ventures, Dr Ralph Arokoyo, confirmed that the refinery had started the sale of diesel to dealers, adding that the plant started dispensing the product last Wednesday.

Asked if Dangote refinery had started supplying diesel to the market, Arokoyo replied, “Yes they have started. They started diesel sales last Wednesday and they have sold to many marketers including members of IPMAN and MEMAN (Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria), as well as other private registered independent dealers.”

When also asked about the minimum volume being sold to dealers and at what rate, Arokoyo said, “One million litres is the minimum and the rate is okay considering what other major tank farms are selling, which is why people are trooping to the refinery now.

“The price ranges between N1,250/litre and N1,300/litre depending on the volume you are buying. This is good news for Nigerians because in the last few weeks the price of diesel hovered between N1,600 and N1,700/litre.

“But in many locations across the federation, the prices are beginning to drop due to the emergence of products from that refinery and as the products are being dispatched since last Wednesday. Now you can get AGO (diesel) in some stations at N1,400/litre.

“Some are even doing N1,350/litre now and I want to believe that in a couple of weeks to come, we should see more reduction in the price of the product as more products from the plant hit the market and spread very well across the country.”

On whether the company informed dealers when it would start releasing petrol into the market, Arokoyo replied in the affirmative.

“They (Dangote refinery) said it (petrol) will be available between now and May, which is next month. We are optimistic about this, because PMS is largely used by Nigerians,” the oil marketer stated.

A senior official at Dangote refinery confirmed the sale of diesel to marketers, as the source noted that Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, would soon be released to the market.

“The product (diesel) is everywhere and they (marketers) are accessing it with ease. The product has been on sale to marketers since last week and the transactions have been better.

“The price of the product in various locations of the country will come down, and it is already coming down in many parts of Lagos since we started releasing products to marketers,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, stated.

The Dangote refinery has faced a series of hurdles as it strives to release refined products into the market after it was officially inaugurated by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May last year.

Recall that on February 8, 2024, indications emerged that lingering regulatory approvals stalled Dangote Petrochemical Refinery’s plan to release aviation fuel (Jet A1) and diesel for sale in the Nigerian market in January.

The report had stated that weeks after the January 31 timeline set by the management of Africa’s largest refinery to begin sale of its petroleum product in the local market, the refinery was still battling to cross the hurdles of the several layers of regulatory approvals.

It stated that the development came after the refinery began the production of refined petroleum products at the expansive facility.

On January 12, 2024, Dangote refinery announced that it had commenced the production of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, and aviation fuel or JetA1.

Aliko Dangote, in a statement issued by his firm at the time, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support, encouragement, and thoughtful advice towards the actualisation of the project.

Dangote also thanked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NMDPRA and Nigerians for their support and belief in the historic project, as he revealed that the facility would pump out diesel and aviation fuel in January, subject to regulatory approvals.

He said, “We thank President Bola Tinubu for his support and for making our dream come true. This production, as witnessed today, would not have been possible without his visionary leadership and prompt attention to details.

“His intervention at various stages cleared all impediments thereby accelerating the actualisation of the project. We also thank the NNPC, NUPRC and NMDPRA for their support. These organisations have been our dependable partners in this historic journey.

“We also thank Nigerians for their belief and support in this project. We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market within this month once we receive regulatory approvals.”

The refinery, Africa’s largest with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, was built on a peninsula on the outskirts of the commercial capital Lagos.

Nigeria has for years relied on expensive imports for nearly all the fuel it consumes but the $20bn refinery is set to turn it into a net exporter of fuel to other West African countries, in a huge potential shift of power and profit dynamics in the industry.

Meanwhile, the National Vice Chairman of IPMAN, Hammed Fashola, also confirmed that Dangote refinery had commenced the sale of diesel to marketers.

However, Fashola said IPMAN had yet to start receiving diesel from the private oil refining company.

“Yes, it is correct (that Dangote has started selling diesel), but not yet to IPMAN. Some marketers are already getting allocation, we are still waiting for our own. We’ve put in our request, and I am very sure that at the appropriate time, they will call us,” Fashola stated.

On the current price of diesel, he said, “In filling stations now, diesel ranges from N1450, N1500 to N1600, depending on the location”.

Fashola noted that Dangote’s diesel would have a positive effect on the price of the product, saying “at least there would be a difference from the imported one”.

While saying there was no financial commitments made yet, he expressed confidence that the independent marketers would fuel from Dangote this month.

“No financial commitments made yet, but we’ve put in our papers to make known our intentions and our requests. When they issue allocation, then we can talk of financial commitments,” he stated.

Meanwhile, a diesel distributor in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Kayode Lawal, said the pump price of diesel is now between N1420 and N1500 as of Tuesday.

Also, an attendant in Badagry Lagos State, Bose Opeyemi, told our correspondent that the product now sells at the rate of N1,395 in some parts of Badagry, Lagos State, while some sell at N1,450.

In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Saheed Babalola, who is a quarry agent, also said he got a litre of AGO at the rate of N1,45O

Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been sworn in as the fifth Senegalese President.

The 44-year-old Faye becomes Senegal’s youngest President.

DAILY POST reports that he took over from Macky Sall on Tuesday, April 2 in an event witnessed by African leaders in the new town of Diamniadio, near the capital Dakar.

“Before God and the Senegalese nation, I swear to faithfully fulfil the office of President of the Republic of Senegal,” Faye said before the gathered officials.

He also vowed to “scrupulously observe the provisions of the Constitution and the laws” and to defend “the integrity of the territory and national independence, and to spare no effort to achieve African unity”.

The formal handover of power with outgoing President Macky Sall will take place at the presidential palace in Dakar.

Napoli might look into the Super Eagles squad, as they look for a replacement for Victor Osimhen.

Osimhen is all but set to leave the Italian champions this summer.

However, the Serie A side are now looking at the 23-year-old’s compatriot, Victor Boniface to replace him.

Boniface, who plays for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in just 15 starts.

His impressive displays have seen him win the Rookie of the Month award four times consecutively.

However, he suffered an adductor injury, which has sidelined him for most of the Rückrunde while Leverkusen continued their pursuit of silverware on multiple fronts.

Italian transfer expert, Niccolò Ceccarini, has shed light on Napoli’s transfer plans, mentioning Boniface among the strikers on their radar.

Ceccarini stated, as reported by Calcio Mercato, “In addition to him, there is also Benjamin Sesko. Also in this case the evaluation is the same as Gimenez, Leverkusen’s Boniface.”

Former Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, has taken to his 'X' page to query Bayo Onanuga, Reno Omokri, Daniel Bwala and Bashir Ahmad for always launching attacks against the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi.

In a post, Dalung asked if Peter Obi was only one who challenged Tinubu in the 2023 elections.

He queried if there was something that they were trying to cover up with the frequent attacks.

He wrote;

‘’I have been praying to God to reveal to me why @aonanuga1956, @renoomokri, @BwalaDaniel, @BashirAhmaad only chose to attack @PeterObi, was he the only person who challenged @officialABAT in the 2023 elections? Or is there something they are trying to cover up? Something is amiss''

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that it has uncovered over 1,665 fake A’level results during the 2023 Direct Entry (DE) registration exercise.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed the alarming figure when he received the leadership of the National Association of Nigeria Colleges of Education Students (NANCES) in his office in Bwari, Abuja.

He said the A’level results verification regime was occasioned by the endemic corruption associated with the admission system and was intended to restore the integrity of the admission process.

Prof. Oloyede also revealed that out of the figure, 397 were from Colleges of Education, 453 were University diplomas, and the rest were other A’level certificates.

He pointed out that it should be of grave concern if no one respects the certificate one is holding, hence, there was the need to safeguard the integrity of A’level certificates that are used to secure admission through measures that would stand the test of time.

In its weekly bulletin released on Tuesday, the registrar recalled that in the past, when a candidate applied for DE, the Board would simply ask awarding institutions to do the necessary screening and due diligence.

He stated that JAMB was dumbfounded by the startling revelations from Bayero University, Kano (BUK), whereby out of the 148 Direct Entry applications to the institution, only six of the certificates forwarded for processing were genuine.

The Registrar added that it was the discovery of the monumental fraud that prompted the meeting of critical stakeholders, who met to chart ways of combating the menace.

Part of the measures suggested, he said, was the constitution of an A’level result verification task force as well as the creation of a common platform for the verification of A’level results and certificates. He said the platform is reliable and user-friendly, as it only takes five minutes to verify any certificate.

Oloyede further disclosed that, to underscore the importance attached to the exercise, the Board has put in place a “no verification, no admission” policy.

While listing 15 institutions that have not sufficiently complied with verification requests from the Board, he stated that the affected institutions, with more than 20 unverified candidates, would have to pre-verify candidates applying for admission with their certificates before the candidates can complete their DE registration process.

Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu stated this on Sunday while speaking with the press following a gathering with various All Progressives Congress, APC, members at the Oyo State party headquarters in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.

He assured that the government of President Bola Tinubu is ready and determined to change the face of things in the power sector and “to change the game in the power sector.”

“This is why we are addressing the root cause of the power sector problems.

“We are addressing all the problems associated with all the segments of the power sector value chain – from gas supply to generation, to transmission, to distribution and to the customers themselves. There are a lot of things that we are doing that Nigerians will soon start seeing.

“Yes, there are pockets of improvements here and there, but that is not where we are going. We are still going to Eldorado whereby every Nigerian will be able to enjoy adequate, stable, functional and reliable power supply.

“But let me tell you that it is a journey and not a destination. We will start seeing this improvement as we are seeing now to improve. This is because when you are repairing, you will still suffer some damages, you will still suffer some pains.

“When they were repairing the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for 10 years, people were having traffic jam and getting held up in serious traffic until they finished the road.

“So, while we are repairing, people must help us to bear the little pains that will come with it. But at the end of the day, we will make gains. For you to make an omelet, you must break eggs. This is the period of breaking the eggs. Very soon, we will start eating our omelet.

“I am determined to solve the problems in the power sector and Nigerians will start singing our good songs very soon,” he said.

The naira, on Monday, appreciated to N1,250 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market.

The FX rate is a 0.43 percent increase from the N1,280 recorded on March 29.

Currency traders in Lagos, also known as bureau de change (BDCs) operators, quoted the buying rate of the greenback at N1,230 and the selling price at N1,250 — leaving a profit margin of N20.

“The dollar keeps declining and it is affecting business but business is picking up gradually,” a currency trader named Aliyu said.

At the official section of the FX market, the local currency depreciated by 0.69 percent to N1,309.39/$ on March 28 — from N1,300.43/$ on March 27.

Meanwhile, Aminu Gwadabe, president, Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), on March 31, said the recall of members into the FX market has led to stability in the exchange rate.

“The reconsideration of the BDCs into the mainstream foreign exchange market has not only cleared illegal economic behaviours of hoarding, rent-seeking, round tripping and FX holding position, and led to the emergence of exchange rate convergence,” Gwadabe said.

Gwadabe also said the increase in FX inflows through the CBN’s monetary tools boosts foreign reserves, granting the apex bank the power to defend the local currency.

I sympathize with Mohammed Bello Adoke, referred to above simply as Citizen Adoke. Not necessarily because I know him personally, he and I, having served this country during the tenure of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, former President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Adoke from 2010 – 2015, and this writer from 2011 – 2015. I sympathize with him because of what Nigeria has done to him and how he has now become another living example of how many technocrats would rather shun the arena of public service because of how badly Nigeria has treated them, thus making it difficult for the best and the brightest to step forward to contribute to their nation’s development. I recall that many years ago, shortly after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, and the return to civilian rule in 1999, one of the major arguments put forward by civil society was that the military having messed up the country so badly, the return to politics and governance, as the military took their exit, never again to return, should be built on the involvement and participation of distinguished Nigerian technocrats in politics – men and women who have been tested in the field of practice and who could bring their experience to the public field.

This encouraged a significant number of persons – academics, lawyers, Nigerians at home and in diaspora, medical experts, engineers and accountants to elect to serve their country, if only to prove to the soldiers that the civilian populace could govern and that democracy is the best form of government. President Olusegun Obasanjo emerged from the residue of the 1993 – 1999 crisis as Nigerian President. In fairness to him, he bought into this logic and recruited personnel from across the spectrum. There were many Nigerians abroad who were persuaded to pack their luggage and return to serve their country. Other leading professionals at home joined the government, having been called upon to serve, many of them personally by Obasanjo. President Yar’Adua (2007 – 2010) also followed Obasanjo’s example. It soon became normal to have popular persons who had done well in professional practice serving in government, on the executive side and even more so in the legislature at all levels. Under President Goodluck Jonathan, the tradition continued. He had a team of bright technocrats, including some of the very best in their fields.

However, the sad part of the recruitment of the best and the brightest into the governance of Nigeria is that many of these talented persons often end up either being frustrated out of the system, or they end up being set up for infractions, or at worst, as is common, they are left with bruised hearts and egos. I once heard the story of an accomplished engineer who had worked in a top engineering company in the United States who was brought home to re-design some structures for the Nigerian electricity network. He came up with his designs which he thought would be cost-effective and deliver on the objective, but what he proposed would result in the demolition of some houses belonging to very powerful Nigerians. He was promptly advised to change his design to save those houses. He put up a spirited argument about engineering, cost and credibility. He was told that in this country some persons and spaces are untouchable. He quoted engineering expertise. He had to be reminded that Nigeria is not the United States. Out of frustration, the fellow packed his luggage and left. He would rank as one of the luckiest.

Many others who thought that they could join the post-military train and help save Nigeria were not so lucky. There are examples of Nigerians who have tried to save Nigeria but have paid with their lives, or the lives of their relatives, or who remain scarred for life. When they are invited to serve, it is natural for them to see that as a special form of recognition, out of a large population of more than 200 million people. But Nigeria is like a stockfish: when you think you can bend it with bare hands, you may end up bending your hands in the process. Many who tried did so in vain. The stories are many, and I do not want to delve into too many individual tales, because every example has its own peculiar details, true and fictional, real and imagined, since those we identify as the best and the brightest have their own individuality and moral peccadilloes.

I started with Citizen Adoke and it is his story that I want to tell as I know it. He has himself told a better part of his story in his partly biographical book, Burden of Service (Clink Street, 2019) in which he reported that having attained the esteemed rank of an SAN, he dreamt of becoming the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Federation. He shared that dream with his mother, and they both prayed over it. He not only attained the silk, he also became Nigeria’s 21st Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice – a call of destiny for a poor, little boy from Nagazi, who read law by accident, and had to borrow a jacket for his university matriculation, only to be de-robed and humiliated publicly by the owner of the suit, and who in addition had to survive university education with the benevolence of friends who helped him with a 0-1-0 regime. Those who know, know what it means to go through university as an indigent student. After his Law School Education, Adoke even had to attend his Call to Bar ceremony in borrowed robes. He had no family or relative in attendance. But he was one of those who survived the odds. He practised law in Kano, acquired more education in Switzerland, and the UK, struggled to get to the top of the game and he ended up as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). His book, Burden of Service basically tells the story of how he got to the very top of his profession, across the ranks and in public service. He gives an account of his dedicated service and the reforms and the innovations that he brought to bear as Nigeria’s 21st Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. It was an achievement that he loved and that he was proud of. But there were burdens and none was more punitive, like the Cross, than the experience he went through after leaving office.

The Jonathan administration under which he served lost the 2015 Presidential election to an opposition party, the All Progressives- Congress (APC) which has been ruling Nigeria since then till date. As soon as the PDP lost the election, the APC even before assuming office went after the Jonathan officials. Adoke was one of the main targets. In August 2015, he left Nigeria for further studies at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. In November 2015, he was invited for questioning by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was accused of having collected bribe in the implementation of the OPL 245 Settlement Agreement, and that he waived taxes to get some personal settlement and used the proceeds of the same illegal settlement to buy property. He was traced all the way to the Netherlands where his apartment was searched for money laundering and corruption investigation reasons. His house in Abuja and in his home town of Okene, Kogi State were also searched. He received reports that there was a plan afoot to eliminate him, and that the whole matter was not just about allegations of a felony. He offers further clarifications and details in Chapter Eight (The Witch-Hunters) and Chapter Nine (The Mischief) in Burden of Service (2019).

In December 2016, he and eight others were formally charged at the Federal High Court, Abuja in respect of the OPL 245 transaction. His name was mentioned in two out of the nine charges, bordering on conspiracy, aiding and abetting and money laundering. His name was further mentioned in cases in other jurisdictions – Italy and London, involving the Italian oil giant, Agip-Eni, Shell and Malabu Oil and Gas. In 2020, the EFCC again filed another case against Mohammed Bello Adoke in the Federal High Court of Abuja accusing him of collecting N300 million gratification from the OPL 245 Transaction.

In Burden of Service, Adoke has argued that the allegations against him were malicious, because as he put it: “I did the best for my country. I saved my country from a certain liability of a $2 billion claim by Royal Dutch Shell at the International Centre for the Settlement of Disputes (ICSID), an organ of the World Bank. More so, the $210 million signature bonus paid for OPL 245 by Shell and Eni is the highest in the history of Nigeria. I did nothing wrong. I did not take a bribe, not even a cup of water, or a slice of cake. Along the line, the narrative about my role has been severely twisted, but the dust will settle someday and the whole truth will come out as straight as an arrow. Truth is so stubborn it refuses to give up until it triumphs.” Adoke did not fold his arms. He fought every challenge to his integrity in every court and in every jurisdiction. In the Nigerian courts, he and his lawyers made a “no case submission”. In January 2024, the EFCC eventually admitted that it indeed had no evidence against Mohammed Bello Adoke and that it had no objection to his “no case submission”. This was after the EFCC had presented its case for three years and after calling 10 witnesses. Last week, on March 27, the Federal Capital (FCT) High Court ruled definitively in the matter with Justice Abubakar Kutigi chastising the EFCC for filing frivolous charges against Adoke and six others. He commended the prosecution for conceding that it had no credible evidence to oppose the no-case application by Adoke and others but complained that the agency simply wasted four years and that the defendant should not have been charged in the first place. The prosecution failed to prove the essential elements of the offences for which the defendants were charged. His Lordship dismissed the EFCC case, and admonished the EFCC not to file such frivolous charges in the future. In effect, the Nigerian government has lost all the cases it filed or in which it was joined in Italy, the UK and even here in Nigeria with regard to OPL 245. This is scandalous.

It must be noted that in 2016, Adoke sought an order of the Federal High Court, Nigeria declaring that his involvement in the negotiation, execution and implementation of the OPL 245 Resolution Agreements was in line with Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution and that he could not be held liable on personal grounds. The Court, notably, found in his favour. In 2021, the Italian Court in Milan, discharged and acquitted all defendants in the OPL 245 case. Adoke was not on trial in Milan but his name was mentioned - another victory for him nonetheless. In 2022, the Federal Government further lost its case against Adoke and JP Morgan at the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales Commercial Court. At every turn, the Nigerian Government could not establish that any fraud had been committed in the OPL 245 transaction.

This is why this is a major triumph for all the defendants in the case. The full story of OPL 245 is in the public domain. Truth has now prevailed. Justice Kutigi spoke of the waste of four years by the EFCC. This is more than that. The EFCC and the Nigerian Government spent four years on a wild goose chase around the world from Italy, to London and here in Nigeria, on the frivolous pursuit of a case in which they lacked evidence. Even when courts in Italy and London dismissed the OPL 245 case, Nigeria kept at it, looking for every opportunity to nail persons they had condemned before any trial. The justice system should not work like that. This is a very bad commentary on our justice administration system. Our justice system must never be used to settle personal or political scores. In other parts of the world, before a person or an entity is charged to court, there would have been a diligent attempt to find and establish evidence and a prima facie case. Where this does not stand in the court of law, the matter is promptly dispensed with as seen in the handling of the OPL case in Italy and the UK.

In Nigeria, politics is more important than the law. Cases are delayed and you could be on trial for years even when you are innocent. Once you are marked out by the state as an adversary, the evidence does not matter. Mohammed Bello Adoke and others must count themselves lucky indeed. It is now possible to see reason in Adoke’s argument that he considers himself the target of a witch-hunt by the Nigerian government. I have singled him out to praise his resilience to get justice and prove his innocence. He serves as an example of why many Nigerians would rather stay away from public service. Justice Kutigi spoke of the EFCC wasting four years. I think that has to be calculated in real terms: the EFCC wasted the time of the court and wasted all the Nigerian resources spent in pursuit of a case that has now failed from one court to another.

The falsely accused lost more than four years. OPL 245 was such a cause celebre in which members of the public took positions. For more than four years, Adoke could not even return to Nigeria. He was in exile, away from work, family and friends. In December 2019, he was intercepted in Dubai, UAE by Interpol and detained for five weeks before he was brought back to the country. Nigeria had placed the name of its former Attorney General and Minister of Justice on an Interpol list of wanted persons! And now the same country says the same man has no case to answer. Nigeria must learn to be fair and more diligent and professional in the prosecution of allegations of misdeeds. The Federal Government owes Adoke and all others in the OPL 245 case an apology. The FG must also compensate them. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must personally put a closure to the defamation by giving the necessary directives to address this gross embarrassment and ensure that under his watch, the EFCC and other agencies do not engage in any form of gross misconduct.

Arrangements have been concluded for President Bola Tinubu to depart Abuja, Nigeria’s capital to attend the inauguration of Senegal’s President-elect, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

He is billed to leave Abuja on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, for Dakar, Senegal, following an official invitation from the Republic of Senegal.

According to Tinubu’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale on Monday, the President who doubles as the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, will join other regional leaders to witness the inauguration at Diamniadio Exhibition Centre on Tuesday.

He noted that the Nigerian President will be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and other senior government officials.

“Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria after the conclusion of the inauguration,” the terse statement added.