President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Ola Olukoyede as the executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). A statement by the Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity also said that the president also appointed Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda to serve as the Secretary of the anti graft commission. The statement reads: By the powers vested in President Bola Tinubu as established in section 2 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, that “the Chairman and members of the Commission, other than ex-officio members, shall be appointed by the President,” President Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede to serve as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a renewable term of four years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation. Mr. Ola Olukoyede is a lawyer with over twenty-two (22) years of experience as a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence. He has extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016-2018) and Secretary to the Commission (2018-2023). As such, he fulfils the statutory requirement for appointment as Chairman of the EFCC. Mr. Olukoyede’s appointment follows the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa. Furthermore, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda to serve as the Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a renewable term of five years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation. Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda is a public administrator with extensive experience in public finance management who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Maiduguri and a Masters in Business Administration from the same university. He began his career as a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi. From there, he went into banking, including successful stints at the defunct Allied Bank and Standard Trust Bank. President Bola Tinubu tasks the new leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to justify the confidence given to them in this important national assignment as a newly invigorated war on corruption undertaken through a reformed institutional architecture in the anti-corruption sector remains a central pillar of the President’s Renewed Hope agenda. Chief Ajuri Ngelale Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) October 12, 2023

  The wife of Gabon’s deposed President Ali Bongo Ondimba, under house arrest since a coup in the central African country in late August, has been jailed, her lawyer said on Thursday. Sylvia Bongo Ondimb Valentin, suspected of allegedly embezzling public funds, was jailed late on Wednesday, her lawyer Francois Zimeray told AFP, condemning the “arbitrary… illegal procedure”. Bongo’s wife was charged on September 28 with money laundering, forgery and falsification of records. Sylvia Bongo has been under house arrest in the capital, Libreville, since the August 30 coup brought the curtain down on 55 years of Bongo dynasty rule. The putschists allege the former head of state and his entourage falsified the election results. They accuse Sylvia Bongo and her son, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, of manipulating the former president, who has not fully recovered from a serious stroke in 2018. They say the two have effectively run the oil-rich country for the past five years and have misused public money. Nourredin Bongo Valentin has been placed in detention since the coup, charged with corruption. “We condemned this illegal procedure,” lawyer Zimeray said. “There is a difference between justice and arbitrary actions, between the law and revenge.” The public prosecutor in Libreville has not yet responded to an AFP request for comment. Bongo, 64, who had ruled the central African country since 2009, was overthrown by military leaders moments after being proclaimed the winner in a presidential election. Many saw it as an act of liberation rather than a military coup. Ali Bongo was elected after his father Omar died in 2009 after nearly 42 years in power. Gabon is Africa’s third-richest nation in terms of per-capita GDP but one in three people lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. AFP

  Acting Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), Mrs Caroline Wuraola Adepoju has unfolded plans by the border security and migration management body to acquire aircraft, helicopters and drones for surveillance and aerial monitoring. Mrs Adepoju said such mobile critical infrastructure would go a long way for the NIS to discharge its core mandate of monitoring and the movement of persons across the country’s land, sea and land borders. She broke the news yesterday in Lagos at a retreat organised by NIS Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Command Lagos entitled: “One Impression: inter-agency collaboration.” She said the acquisition of the equipment is already captured in the 2024 budget of the Ministry of Interior. Besides the procurement of operational equipment, she said the NIS continues to invest in technology to drive the production of travel documents and other initiatives that would boost the security at the country’ s borders. She said from next year, the NIS will be deploying electronic gates at the airports to ease the facilitation of passengers coming into and out of the country. Mrs Adepoju said this underscores the agenda of the Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo’s support for border security with commitment to drive the restoration of the agency’s aerial capabilities. She said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that NIS gets its aircraft back, we used to have aircraft for border surveillance, we are now putting this into our budget. “We are going to buy aircraft, we will buy drones, we are going to buy helicopters to ensure that we effectively do aerial border management.” The e-gate implementation, scheduled for early 2024, she said aims to streamline entry for Nigerians through biometric identity verification, minimising the need for direct interaction with immigration officers. She explained: “Very soon, NIS will be deploying the e-gate to make it seamless for our nationals to come in, make it less stressful. In the early part of 2024 we will deploy the e-gate ensuring that our MIDAS will improve on them, ensuring our borders, air, land and sea are fortified. “The electronic gate, for example our nationals may not need, except they are persons of interest, to be attended to by immigration officers. “ The new Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Values and Social Justice, Mr Fela Durotoye urged agencies working at the airport to collaborate, share intelligence information to create new perceptions about the country in its drive for economic transformation. Comptroller of NIS, MMIA Command, Mrs Adeola Adesokan said synergy among security and border management agencies at the airport had attracted more investors into the country . Also, the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Kabir Yusuf, said the air travel value chain continues to harvest the benefits of collaboration among agencies at the Lagos Airport. Yusuf, who was represented by the Regional Manager, Southwest/Airport Manager, Mr Sunday Ayodele, craved for support in infrastructure to change the face of facilitation at the airport

  The Nigeria Ait Force troops of Operation Hadarin Daji have reportedly bombed over 100 bandits during a series of airstrikes in Kebbi state. According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the coordinated airstrikes were fired at the bandits while journeying via Sageko Malekachi village in the state on Wednesday afternoon. The publication quoted military sources as saying that the troops acted on intelligence that the bandits were teeming up in Madada village — in Maru LGA in Zamfara state — to attack communities in Kebbi. According to Zagazola, the bandits, who rode on motorcycles, decided to turn back halfway after being informed that air force troops were in the knowledge of their movement. The troops later intercepted the bandits in Dan Mani village and bombed over 100 of them in an operation that lasted more than an hour. Zagazola said the ground team of the troop also went after the fleeing bandits and killed 17 of them. Seventeen motorcycles were burnt while one damaged Ak47 rifle and 17 rounds of 7.2 MM special ammo were recovered after the airstrikes Christopher Musa, the chief of defence staff (CDS), has asked troops not to wait for Boko Haram terrorists to attack first before taking the fight to them. While speaking to troops of Operation Hadin Kai at the Maimalari cantonment, Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on Tuesday, the CDS said a soldier who comes to the theatre is not complete without killing at least one Boko Haram fighter.

  Diphtheria killed no fewer than 600 persons since the beginning of the current outbreak in December 2022, the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, has said. He stated this yesterday in Abuja during the third quarter 2023 review meeting of the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee (NTLC) on primary health care delivery.   He said over 14,000 suspected cases had been recorded during the period with over 10,000 of them recorded in Kano. He said the disease had spread to 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with over 97% of cases recorded in Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Kaduna and Bauchi states. Shuaib said the federal government would launch the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines on October 24, adding that the NPHCDA would embark on a comprehensive campaign to introduce HPV vaccines in schools and healthcare centers. Countering crimes: Ribadu, IGP, EFCC chair, others to speak at symposium Economic hardship: Katsina farmers decry produce theft At the event, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, said the federal government was committed to bringing the diphtheria outbreak under control and had established the Diphtheria Emergency Task Team to quickly tackle it. He said the country has made a lot of progress on polio immunization but that a lot of work still needed to be done in tackling circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, and zero-dose children. The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, thanked the members of the committee for their work and enjoined them to double their efforts. He also thanked the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Aliko Dangote Foundation and other partners for supporting the committee with funds. NTLC Chairman, Alhaji Sama’ila Muhammad Mera, said the meeting was aimed at reviewing all the PHC activities conducted from July to October this year, adding that it is also an opportunity to assess their progress, identify areas of improvement, and chart a course for the future. Also yesterday, the Executive Director of NPHCDA revealed that Kaduna State had recorded 156 confirmed cases of diphtheria with 20 reported deaths. Shuaib, who also serves as the Co-Chair of the Federal Task Team on Diphtheria, made this announcement during the team’s visit to Kaduna on Wednesday after inspecting the Kaduna Diphtheria Treatment Centre at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital. He told newsmen that since the detection of the diphtheria outbreak in March, approximately 156 cases and 20 deaths had been recorded so far across the state. He emphasized the importance of early presentation by patients and the necessity of vaccinating their contacts. He emphasized that vaccines were the most effective tools against vaccine-preventable diseases and commended the state government’s efforts in combating the outbreak. Shuaib also encouraged the public to wear face masks, particularly when visiting healthcare facilities, to help control the spread of the disease.

  The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Wednesday condemned the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that has claimed many lives. On October 8, Hamas attacked Israel in a shocking move. Over 1,500 people have been confirmed dead in the conflict with fears that the death toll could increase. In a statement, CAN President, Daniel Okoh, called for prayers and peace. He said the recent surprise attack by a militant group on Israeli citizens, resulting in the tragic loss of numerous lives and abduction of several persons, including women and children, is a distressing event that undermines the pursuit of global peace. He expressed concern over the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has resulted in the loss of countless lives, destruction of infrastructure, and deepened the humanitarian crisis in the region. “While recognizing Israel’s right to self-defence, we emphasize the importance of proportionality and the avoidance of harm to innocent civilians in any military response. The loss of innocent lives on both sides of the conflict is a tragic consequence of this escalating situation, and we extend our deepest condolences to all those who have suffered the loss of their loved ones in these incidents,” the statement read. “Consequently, we call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and violence between Israel and Palestine. We believe in the sanctity of human life and the principles of justice and peace, as upheld by our Christian faith. We urge all parties involved to engage in dialogue and seek diplomatic solutions.”

  Votes were still being counted in Liberia yesterday after Tuesday’s election with President George Weah in early lead. Predict & Win Up To ₦4,000,000 Exclusively His challenger, former Vice-President Joseph Boakai, was claimed to be in contention yesterday. Local and regional election observers said polling was peaceful, despite clashes between rival political camps in the final days of the campaign. Voter turnout was reported to be high in a campaign dominated by the economic crisis and corruption allegations. The election commission said the first results would be announced later yesterday. Weah is the favourite to win, with his main challenger seen as former Vice-President Joseph Boakai. But a run-off will be held if no candidate secures more than 50% of the votes cast. Parliamentary elections were held alongside the presidential election, with about 2.4 million people registered to cast their ballots. The delivery of election materials to some remote areas in south-east Liberia was delayed by floods and muddy roads. Some canoes that were transporting electoral staff and materials capsized, leading to the loss of the election materials, but the National Elections Commission (NEC) said that voting was extended in those areas. This is the first time that a generation of young voters, born in peace-time Liberia, voted in national elections. A brutal civil war, which killed an estimated 250,000 people, ended two decades ago. “I vote for the good of my country. I expect peace and development,” Agostina Momo, 18, who was voting for the first time, told the AFP news agency in the capital Monrovia. The electoral commission is due to begin releasing initial results, but the final announcement will be done within 15 days. Weah, who was 1995 Fifa World Player of the Year, entered politics following his retirement from football. He won his first term in 2017 after securing 61% of the vote in a run-off, defeating Boakai. Analysts said this might be the 78-year-old’s last attempt at the presidency.