Access Holdings Plc on Monday announced the appointment of Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the holding company. The appointment follows the death of its late Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, who died in a helicopter crash in the United States on Friday. Mr Wigwe died alongside his wife, son, and a former chairman of the Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimboloa Ogunbanjo. “Further to its announcement dated February 11, 2024, the Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc (‘the Company’) has today announced the appointment of Ms Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company following the unfortunate demise of its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Herbert Wigwe, on February 9, 2024,” the company said in a statement Monday. Ms Agbede joined Access Bank in 2003 as an Assistant General, with nearly three decades of professional experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services. She served in different roles at the bank including, Head, Group Human Resources between 2010 and 2022 before she was appointed the company’s founding Executive Director, Business Support in 2022, a role she held until her new appointment. Bolaji Agbede holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Cranfield University UK in 2002, the statement said, adding that she is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria. The appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria. “The appointment of Ms Bolaji Agbede is in alignment with our robust succession planning practices,” said Abubakar Jimoh, chairman of the company. “We are strongly convinced that Ms Agbede, being the company’s most senior executive, with exceptionally rich, professional and leadership experience and understanding of the Access culture, would provide the much-needed leadership to steer the company towards the attainment of its strategic vision of building a globally connected community and ecosystem, inspired by AAfricafor the world.”

  The naira fell to a new all-time-low of N1,534/$ on the official Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market on Monday. This indicates a loss of 3.93 per cent fall or N58 from the N1,476.13/$ the national currency closed last week Friday, according to FMDQ Exchange, a platform that publishes official foreign exchange trading in the country. Monday’s official rate became the worst official exchange rate since the Central Bank of Nigeria floated the national currency in June 2023. However, at the parallel market on Monday, the naira traded between the rate of N1,480 and N1,490. It appears the local currency has been trading higher at the parallel market in recent times especially since the FMDQ reviewed the methodology it uses to calculate the official exchange rate. The change in the methodology for the calculation of the official exchange rate had led to the depreciation of the naira from over 900/dollar to over 1,400/dollar. Sometime in December, the naira closed above the N1000/$ on the official window. On December 8, the naira first fell to an all-time low of N1,099.05/$. On December 28, 2023, it closed at N1043.09/$, and N1035.12/$ on January 3, 2024. On January 9, 2024, it closed at N1089.51/$ and N1082.32/$ on January 10, 2024. It had also fallen to an all-time-low of N1348.63/$ on January 30, 2024, when the FMDQ reviewed its methodology for the calculation of the official exchange rate. Meanwhile, dollar sales by banks dropped by 56.58 per cent to $253.77 million on Friday from the peak of $584.53 million on Monday, the first trading day after the CBN ordered banks to sell excess dollars in the official FX market. Cumulatively, commercial banks sold a total of $1.97bn in one week. Currency traders in Abuja, also known as Bureau De Change operators, quoted the buying rate of the greenback at N1,480 and the selling price at N1,503, leaving a profit margin of N23. Mallam Yahu, a BDC operator in Wuse, said, “We currently buy between the rate of N1,480 and N1,490, and we sell at N1,500 and N1,503.” Another seller, simply identified as Yahaya Abdul, however said he could not buy beyond the rate of N1,460.

  Tuesday 13 February 2024 Wigwe: FG, US begin talks as officials test copter’s wreckage Minimum wage: Private sector, states fault Labour’s push for N1m IMF forecasts $8bn fall in Nigeria’s 2024 foreign reserves Naira reaches all-time low at official market Buhari’s reckless policies responsible for current hardship — Sanusi, Oshiomhole Tell your husband Nigerians are suffering, Emir of Kano tells First Lady Nurses protest certificate verification guidelines in Abuja, Lagos IPOB to S-East govs: We don’t want cattle ranches Release Nnamdi Kanu, Ohanaeze, Afenifere, PANDEF, others urge Tinubu FG Resolves January Salary Delay, Commends Workers For Patience How Emefiele Approved $6.23m Cash For Election Observers – CBN Official Hardship: Nigeria Almost On The Road To Venezuela – PDP Governors PDP governors to Tinubu: Collaborate with states to end hardship Electricity billing: FCCPC backs NERC over sanction of DisCos Nigeria’s oil production up by 177,000bpd in January Court Reinstates Austin Agada As Benue APC Chairman Alleged $6bn Fraud: Agunloye Asks Court To Prohibit EFCC From Trying Him Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  A.20-year-old girl, Aisha Aliyu, who got married in December 2023, has allegedly killed her husband, Idris Ahmadu in the Nasarawa community in the Lapai local government area of Niger State. Aisha was said to have stabbed the husband in his chest and slit his throat. According to witnesses, the bride disagreed on Sunday evening with her husband and was seen to have resolved their disagreement. Neighbours said they heard screams of Idris in the middle of the night and ran into the house with his mother, meeting him trying to leave the room while holding his neck before he fell and died. The wife was said to have fled from the scene before others came into the house. The Niger Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident saying that effort was on to arrest the fleeing suspect. Today 12/02/2024 (Monday), at about 1200hrs, information was received that in the early hours, one Idris Ahmadu of Nasarawa village, via Lapai was stabbed to death by his wife, Aisha Aliyu 19/20 years of the same address. “Before the arrival of the police at the scene, the suspect had fled to an unknown destination, while effort is being intensified to arrest the fleeing suspect. The case under investigation please,” he said.

Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, minister of women affairs, has announced a N2 million bounty on Adachukwu Cukelu-Okafor, an Anambra-based lawyer, who allegedly abused her 10-year-old house help. In a viral video, the house help was seen with iron-stamp burns all over her body, allegedly inflicted on her by Cukelu-Okafor. The house help is said to have started living with the lawyer on January 5, 2024, in Onitsha north LGA of Anambra. Cukelu-Okafor was said to have used a broken bottle, knife, and electric iron to inflict injuries on the child for allegedly touching her daughter. Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the minister said she has the right to intervene in any matter that concerns women and children in the country. “I kept quiet because I thought by now it should have been solved. For the fact that up to date it has not been solved, I’ve decided to wage in,” she said. “Everything that concerns women and children across Nigeria, I have every right to get involved in it. See this one I kept quiet what has happened to date? Nothing! “So I’m not going to listen anymore. I am going to wage into any issue that concerns women and children across this country. “So I am declaring Adachukwu Cukelu-Okafor wanted. Please, Nigerians go out there and search for this woman bring her out, call any police station, and hand her over. “The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs is offering N2 million to anybody that will lay hand on this woman and hand her over to the police. “We need this woman urgently because this girl is in pain. This girl has been in the hospital. It could be your child tomorrow. It could be anybody’s relation. So let us not fold our hands. This happened in Anambra state, N2 million will be given to anybody that will give us information on how this woman will be apprehended by the police because police have been looking for her and she’s nowhere to be found.” Kennedy-Ohaneye said she would soon make a pronouncement to put a stop to the use of under-18 as house helps. “There’ll be a pronouncement on that within a week from now. And there’ll be an enforcement programme towards that action. And we will need whistleblowers who are Nigerians, Nigerians come out and fight for your country,” she said. “Especially now that you have a president who listens to your problems, and who is eager to solve them. Are we going to fold our hands and allow this opportunity pass time? “We should come out. Don’t rely on anybody or don’t fear anybody come out and give information about anything that you feel will help this country. If you don’t know anywhere to go to, come to Federal Minister of Women Affairs, and you will see immediate action.”

  The Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and the mobile police attached to them were on Monday attacked by angry drug hawkers and touts at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The enforcement team of the agency was on a raid of fake, unregistered, and counterfeit drugs at the Area One motor park of the FCT when they were attacked. While the enforcement exercise was ongoing, the hawkers and touts at the park began to throw stones and other dangerous objects at the team and journalists. It took the intervention of the mobile police who threw tear gas and shot sporadically into the air to disperse them while the enforcement team and journalists escaped from the park. However, two of the vehicles belonging to NAFDAC were vandalised. Speaking with journalists after the raid, the Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Federal Task Force, NAFDAC, Umar Suleiman said the raid followed intelligence from the Department of State Security on the activities of drug hawkers at the motor park.     Suleiman said, “This exercise that we just conducted at the Area 1 motor park was a result of the intelligence we received from the DSS since last year, a lot of hawkers were there selling their products and many people patronising them and that was why we raided the park. “The attack is a normal thing for us in the investigation and enforcement department, that is the reason we always go with armed Mopol and Investigating Police Officers in case of any arrest. “But to my surprise, we had not done half of the work when the drug hawkers absconded but mobilised in full force against us, throwing stones at us and destroying the glasses of the vehicles but with the gunshot and tear gas released on them by the armed Mopol, they soft pedalled and we had to leave the place to reinforce and go back next time.” Suleiman, who led the team noted that the drugs seized during the raid were worth about N5m. The enforcement team, he said, confiscated some controlled drugs like Rohypnol, Dizapam, Tramadol (500mg and 225mg), Cocodamol, and aphrodisiac, among others.

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has announced the arrest of four brothers, alongside 30 others for alleged involvement in internet fraud. The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, made this known in a statement on Monday, where he disclosed that the suspects were nabbed by operatives of the commission in Enugu State. “The all-male suspects were arrested on Friday, February 9, 2024, in an intelligence-driven sting operation at various locations within Enugu State,” he said. Oyewale gave the names of the arrested brothers as; Egbo Chukwuebuka, Egbo Favour Chibuike, Egbo Francis and Egbo Victor. Some of the 30 others arrested are; Great Eze, Ani Callistus, Ekpe Chigbo, Eze Eric, Nnaemeka Gabriel, George Tochukwu, Uche Divine, Chiamelie Ede, Enenta Ebube, Treasure Ugwueze Osinachi, Ejiakor John Chidiebere, Kingsley Dugwu Olisa and Ugwuanyi Bright Ekpere. Others are; Uzor Obi Godson, Tochukwu Nwankwo Firminus, Ebuka Ike Comas, Okwudili Mmoyekwe John, Samuel Ogbonna Otti, Agada Daniel Olema, Odoh Collins Nnabuike, Okeke Harrison, Oriasotie Presley Meshack, Ekperechi David Ebube, Ugwu Ebuka Sebastian, Eli Izuchukwu Ogbonna, Martins Chinedu Ugwu, Aloysius Chibuike Alphonsus, Sunday John Cross, Aroh Collins Chinecherem and Miracle Ifeson Obiora. The EFCC also stated that items recovered from the suspects include mobile phones and different exotic cars. The suspects would be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded.

  An Imo based lawyer, Victor Onwubiko, Esq. has been murdered by unknown hoodlums at along the Okigwe/Uturu road in Imo State on Saturday night. A Source who do not want to be mentioned on the media, said the lawyer was killed while returning to Abia State University, Uturu, where he resides. He said: “A lawyer who was later identified as Barr. Victor Onwubiko was killed by gunmen along Okigwe Road. He is based in Okigwe town in Imo state but is a resident of Uturu, Abia State. He was returning to Abia State where he also resides when he was ambushed by gunmen and killed along Okigwe/Uturu road. Reacting to the tragic incident on Monday, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Henry Okoye, said: the police are on top of the situation, I am going to issue a press statement on it.”