HECTOR INFO WORLD: News Paper Review: N1 trillion Forfeited Funds: EFCC Chairman In Trouble.

Today, October 28, Nigerian dailies are focused on a number of issues in the country such as the Oyo state election petition tribunal verdict on the governorship election and the House of Representatives seeking an investigation into the whereabouts of the recovered N1 trillion forfeited cash with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Daily Sun reports that the governorship election petition tribunal in Oyo state upheld the victory of the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi in the April 11 gubernatorial elections.

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Daily Sun front page, October 28, 2015.

The Justice Mohammed Mayaki-led tribunal ruled in favour of Ajomobi, resolving all issues in the petition, such as allegations of violence, falsification of results, bias of electoral officers, no accreditation and non-voting.

Senator Rashidi Ladoja, the former governor of the state, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, challenged the validity of Ajimobi’s victory on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the tribunal.

Giving the tribunal’s judgment, Justice Mayaki said that the petitioner failed to prove any of the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.

He added that many of the witnesses called by the petitioner contradicted themselves when they alleged that election did not hold in many polling units and later admitted that they were accredited and voted on the day of election.

The House of Representatives yesterday, October 27, questioned the whereabouts of the N1 trillion forfeited cash with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), The Nation reports.

This followed a motion moved by minority leader, Leo Ogor, who is seeking an investigation into the whereabouts of the recovered loot in line with the war against corruption.

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The Nation front page, October 28, 2015.

George Uboh, a businessman had petitioned the Federal Ministry of Justice, accusing the chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde of diverting the cash.

The ministry had in turn, directed the EFCC to probe its chairman based on Uboh’s petition.

At plenary yesterday, the House directed its Committee on Financial Crimes to investigate the alleged non-remittance of the funds by EFCC.

Moving the motion titled: “Urgent need to investigate the non-remittance of court-ordered forfeited funds and properties by the EFCC into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation and for other related matters”, Ogor opposed the Solicitor-General’s directive that EFCC should investigate Lamorde.

The Punch reports that the House of Representatives countered the EFCC directive to probe its Chairman, on the grounds that the commission could not be a “judge in its own case” by investigating the circumstances surrounding the non-remittance of the funds.

They noted that money and other recovered assets were alleged to have been diverted by the anti-graft agency’s boss as against the requirement of law that such assets should be remitted to the government.

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The Punch front page, October 28, 2015

After directing its committee on financial crimes to take over the investigation from the EFCC, the House called on the Solicitor-General of the Federation, Abdullahi Yola, to re-assign the investigation to either the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission or the Nigeria Police in order to guard against possible interference by the EFCC chairman.

In other news, the federal government has unfolded North East Marshall Plan (NEMAP) on the short, intermediate and long term interventions in economic reconstruction, development and emergency assistance at projected total budgetary expenditure of N92 .2 billion for the sub-region, The Guardian reports.

The critical intermediate plan is for the over two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

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The Guardian front page, October 28, 2015.

Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), the National Security Adviser (NSA), announced this yesterday in Abuja at a two-day “Counter Violent Extremism (CVE)-Media Roundtable; Reporting Responsibly on Violent Extremism.”

According to him, the the federal government has developed and will soon unveil a strategic national communication plan to counter the ideology and teaching of the Boko Haram sect and other such groups.

Meanwhile, the shares of Africa’s biggest mobile operator, MTN Group has been falling in the last two days, This Day reports.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had slapped the N1.04 trillion fine on MTN Nigeria last week for failing to fully deactivate 5.2 million subscribers with unregistered and incomplete SIM card details on its networks within the stipulated deadline given all mobile phone operators in the country to comply with the directive.

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This Day front page, October 28, 2015.

As investors scrambled to cut their losses following the news of the N1.04 trillion ($5.2 billion) imposed fine, MTN’s shares fell for a second day on Tuesday, easing 4.2 per cent to 159.98 rand on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

The NCC gave the company till November 16 to cough up the fine. But in a bid to lessen the impact of the record fine on its business, the company was said to have commenced talks with NCC to try to reduce the fine, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed yesterday.

The Union reports that Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers state was disappointed by the Supreme Court yesterday as they dismissed his suit seeking to cancel the sitting of the Rivers state elections petitions tribunal in Abuja.