Nigeria Times

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has paid tribute to the late Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, former President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, for his unwavering prayers during the political uncertainty caused by President Umaru Yar’adua’s illness. Speaking at Iwuanyanwu’s service of songs in Abuja, Jonathan recalled how Iwuanyanwu’s support helped him navigate the confusion when Yar’adua was incapacitated but had not formally handed over presidential duties. Numerous dignitaries attended the event to honor Iwuanyanwu’s legacy and contributions to Nigeria.

The year was 2008!

I had gone to visit Fr. Daniel Msugh Agber in his residence at Supreme Courts Quarters in Karu FHA, where good fate would later throw me for the second phase of my pastoral year. There I met Fr. Sam Tumba. Or he met me there?

When I was about to leave Karu at 8pm to head back home, Fr. Tumba was also leaving to his parish of Sacred Heart in Gwagwalada. He asked me to enter the car (I remember clearly: an ash-color Honda Accord 2007 model) so he could drop me off at the airport junction on his way to Gwagwalada. I probably was silent throughout the entire time we drove together. When we got to the airport junction, he said it was late and unsafe for me to leave. He drove me to Gwagwalada and asked the seminarian on pastoral year to give me a room for the night. The next morning he handed me some money as I prepared to leave.

This was the first time I came really so close to his space. In those days, many seminarians, including me, were frightened by the sight of Fr. Tumba. He hardly spoke much, often in monosyllables. “Uhm. Yes. Ok. What?” He always had a stern, no-nonsense mien around him. Given that he was then the chairman of the archdiocesan vocations committee, my fear was understandable.

Fast-forward to 2012. Providence would bring our paths to cross again in August of that year when I was posted, after my diaconate ordination, to serve in St. Donald’s FHA Karu where he was parish priest. The five months of my diaconate ministry under him have been some of the most memorable time of my clerical life. I cannot even begin to quantify all that I learned from him; he gave me many opportunities to preach, to baptize, to bring communion to the sick and homebound, and to catechize the faithful. Every Monday after morning Mass, he would ask me to celebrate a ‘mock Mass’ as I prepared for my priestly ordination. He would sit at the last pew in the church and tell me to raise my voice from the altar. “If you go to a parish where there is no microphone you should be able to project your voice,” he would say. If I made a mistake, he would stop me and ask me to repeat the action. I would see the effect of this practice much later when I became a priest!

After my priestly ordination in January 2013, he invited me to celebrate a thanksgiving Mass at Karu and I spent almost a month at the parish with him before my first official posting came out. The 620k he raised and gave me was what I used to start my priestly ministry: I got a laptop (we were not allowed to own personal computers in the seminary), a set of vestments, and other clerical equipment that I needed to set sail as a new priest.

Since that time, I have been to every parish that Fr. Sam has worked; I have lost count of the number of times he invited me to conduct parish retreats in the places he’s served. He is always the first to study every new papal magisterial document and to break it down for his parishioners through invited retreats and ongoing catechesis. An ardent ecologist, he has been in the vanguard of promoting care for creation and makes it a point to always mark the world day for the care of creation with several pastoral ecological initiatives. You can’t cut corners with Fr. Sam. He will catch you spot on!

My friendship with this reverend gentleman is one of the most fulfilling friendships I have ever cultivated. I have learned so much from him, and have found in him a most trusted and honest priest, father, friend, brother, teacher, mentor, confidante, confessor, and every good thing you can think of.

Today, Fr. Sam is 60!

For such an inimitable man of grace, finesse, poise, and impeccable goodness, I raise a toast in thanksgiving to God for giving us such a great and wonderful, generous and kind, disciplined and hardworking, admirable and simple soul.

Excellency: May your days be long, happy, and fruitful. Cheers to entering the age of the most senior citizens!
Fr. Emma Ojeifo.

The pro-democracy youth organization, Youth Bureau has joined in applauding Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the approving N85,000 minimum wage for the state workers.
Youth Bureau’s Publicity Secretary, Awakulu Galadima made this known during a press conference on Thursday in Lagos, describing the approval as a right step in the right direction.
The youth group said the pronouncement was a welcome development at the critical time of the nation’s economy. Adding that his actions aligned with the rule of law and insisted that the welfare of workers is an essential part of the social contract.
“We thank Gov. Sanwo-Olu for upholding the rule of law to pay N85,000. The Rule of Law is implementing the Constitution of the Country, eradicating corruption, and promoting the Social contract between the government and people.”
Adding that “the welfare of workers is an essential part of the social contract, it is a cardinal aspect of it. The approval granted by the Governor to pay #85,000 is commendable,” He said.
Furthermore, Galadima disclosed that” “The state governor knows the peculiarities of Lagos in transportation, accommodation, utility, and feeding; the workers and Lagosians pay more on all these.
“The N85,000 minimum wage is a welcome development and very much anticipated.
“This is a state that sets the pace for other states in Nigeria; the centre of excellence, land of aquatic splendour, a cosmopolitan state, the economic hub of this country.
“We must thank the governor for wisdom in understanding that people who work in Lagos deserve a better wage,” he said.
It will be recalled Gov. Sanwo-Olu, made disclosed that Lagos state will pay N85,000 minimum wage to its workers, which is N15,000 higher than the N70,000 approved by the Federal Government in July during an interview on Channels Television earlier in the week.
Sanwo-Olu during the interview said that he wanted the people to know “that their government is working for them.
“It is not a competition, so I am not going to say we are paying more than some other people, it is a function of affordability and it is a function of capacity, but we know too well that when people live in Lagos, Lagos has a premium in terms of even the cost of living, we are fully aware.”

…faults CBN over failure to sanction

No fewer than seven Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for the immediate suspension of the Group Managing Director and CEO of Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) Mr. Olusegun Julius Kosebinu Agbaje and the Board of Directors of GTCO and GTB to allow for a fair and seamless investigation of alleged economic and financial crimes.

The alleged crimes includes: money laundering, unsolicited accounts opening, round tripping, terrorism financing, criminal diversion of funds, manipulation and sundry financial and economic heist.

The CSOs led by the Convener, Civil Society Coalition, Comr. Igwe Ude-Umanta and National Coordinator, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, Comr. Danesi Momoh, made the call while addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

While noting that both the United Kingdom and Ghana had wasted no time in sanctioning GTCO and GTB, the CSOs were appalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) failed to live up to its mandate of sanctioning erring banks and financial institutions operating in the country.

According to the CSOs, they CBN has no excuse as they were available evidences and facts to the allegations being levelled against GTCO the CBN could work on to save both the bank, depositors and shareholders.

They said: “The moment, the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) announced a profit before tax of N1.004 trillion, many critical observers while congratulating them, felt justifiably dubious about such exponential gain margin. This claimed profit represents an increase of 206.6% over the N327.4 billion of the corresponding period ended in June 2023. It therefore looks more like proceeds from a Ponzi venture, rather than regular bank practices and economics.

“It was therefore not very surprising to many keen watchers of the banking sector when various Civil Society Groups, especially Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN) appeared before the public with damning evidence-backed report about an alleged involvement of Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) in massive economic and financial crimes which have attracted sanctions against them in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana. The report detailed very specific incidences and material facts of transactions which are in breach of several financial laws of Nigeria and also raise reasonable suspicion of money laundering, terrorism financing, round tripping, criminal diversion of funds and manipulation against GTCO and GTB.

“Also, following a petition by Alhaji Yusuf Kabiru of Arewa Consultative Youth Movement, the Nigerian House of Representatives has waded into the matter to further ascertain the level of involvement or otherwise of GTB and its associates/affiliates. This is to underscore the level of urgent importance the resolution of this matter is to the country.

“Sadly and strangely however, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) whose express mandate it is to sanction erring banks and other financial institutions has remained “loudly” silent and maintained a stone cold indifference to a matter of an allegation of quantum criminal scale in the financial sector.

“The CBN should act decisively and transparently now! If these alleged fraud has happened under the nose of the CBN, it is unfortunate. Also, if CBN is slow, indifferent or partial in acting effectively and effectually, then it is a tragedy.

“The CBN has no excuse in examining these allegations and available facts, with a view to acting to save the GTB as a bank, hapless depositors and innocent shareholders. GTB under Olusegun Julius Kosebinu Agbaje (Segun Agbaje) is fast acquiring a domestic and global notoriety unbecoming of and too dangerous for a bank in an era of growing terrorism, thriving on illicit financial flows.

“For the records, let us state that while we await the results of credible investigations into this, there are already facts and documents against GTCO/GTB (as made available to us) to establish that all is not well. For instance, contrary to the denial of GTCO/GTB that the allegations brought forward by GICN are false, a document issued out to staff on August 23, 2024 and signed by one Joseph Balogun of Customer Escalation Resolution, Customer Experience Management admits the issue of Unsolicited Accounts Opening, which he merely cautioned staff of its consequences, but did not take any action to remedy it and sanction the offenders. The document is hereby attached.

“It is important to state herein, that apart from breaching the provisions of BOFIA, Unsolicited Accounts Opening is in clear breach of Regulation 1:11 of Central Bank of Nigeria Regulatory Framework for Bank Verification Number Operation Watch List for the Nigerian Banking Industry, 2021 as it affects Security and Data Protection. The criminal action is also in breach of various provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, particularly Sections 36, 39 and 40.

“Report of United Kingdom (UK) Based Private Investigators on GTB Transactions Account for the year ending 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 for the banks operations in the UK is equally as instructive as it is damning. The report show that GTB violated extant laws; especially the Financial Services Authority (FSA) Regulations in the UK; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Establishment Act 2004 and Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) Money Laundering Regulations.

“The Independent Audit prove that under the period reviewed, suspicious transactions which in their opinion violate the Money Laundering Regulations, worth over N1 Trillion and Millions of USD, GBP and CHF were done using about 49 Bank Accounts and 66 individuals and corporate bodies. These transactions involve In and Out transactions, which is depositing monies and collecting them by the same persons, usually on the same day or a few days intervals. They also involve absence of transaction descriptions and in some cases, transaction types; currency specification, address, receivers’ account numbers, dates and such other details necessary in knowing a genuine bank transaction.

“In all, it is obvious from the report already that GTB is in breach of Regulations 18-19 of the Regulations for the Implementation of Targeted Financial Sanctions on Terrorism, Terrorism Financing and Other Related Measures, 2022. Also, the transactions indicate a blatant and conscious breach of Sections 4 (1-10), 9, 13, 18, 23 and 33 of Central Bank of Nigeria (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism in Banks and Other Financial Institutions in Nigeria) Regulation, 2013. These are due to the fact that transactions are made without recourse to relevant regulations, because they have been alleged to be illegal.

“In the absence of any clear rebuttal so far, we contend that the allegations of money laundering, terrorism financing, round tripping, criminal diversion of funds, manipulation and other economic and financial “heist” levelled against the GTCO and GTB have enough substance to cause an immediate investigation and sanction.

“It is really suffocating that it will have the Civil Society and Media screaming and demonstrating for this level of alleged crime to be addressed. Sanctions were given elsewhere for violation of extant laws and regulations. But here in Nigeria, even to investigate an allegation has become a struggle.

“We also firmly demand the immediate suspension of Mr. Olusegun Julius Kosebinu Agbaje (Segun Agbaje) and the Board of Directors of GTCO and GTB to ensure that investigation is not in anyway obstructed. GTB must not fail and should not be a channel for illicit financial flow. The struggle is on, and the judgment of posterity will be on the CBN and its present leadership.”

NIPCO Gas Ltd has attributed the recent gas explosion at its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station in Eyean, Benin City, Edo State, to unauthorized CNG technicians installing substandard cylinders. The explosion, which occurred during refueling on Wednesday, injured three individuals.

According to NIPCO’s statement, the explosion was caused by a fake, non-compliant CNG cylinder installed in the vehicle. The driver fled the scene, and two victims were hospitalized, one requiring surgery. NIPCO emphasized the dangers of unauthorized installations and temporarily suspended operations at the station while cooperating with authorities to prevent future incidents.

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has criticized President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for being out of the country simultaneously. In a statement on his X account, Obi expressed concern over their absence during a time when Nigeria faces numerous domestic challenges. He argued that the explanation from the presidency that there is no vacuum in leadership is questionable, especially with both leaders away.

Obi pointed out that the two weeks President Tinubu was supposed to be abroad had already passed, and the nation needs his presence to address the hardships caused by his administration’s economic policies. Additionally, Obi questioned the decision to send Vice President Shettima to Sweden from Nigeria, suggesting that Tinubu, already in France, could have made the shorter trip himself, demonstrating fiscal responsibility in light of Nigeria’s economic struggles.

He urged the country’s leaders to prioritize the welfare of citizens and make decisions that reflect the nation’s economic realities. Obi emphasized that responsible leadership is key to alleviating the suffering of Nigerians.

In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved an increase in Nigeria’s minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000. However, the implementation has varied across states, with some going beyond the federal mandate and announcing even higher wages.

Below is a list of states that have committed to paying more than N70,000:

• Lagos State: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced on October 16, 2024, that workers in Lagos would receive a minimum wage of N85,000, with plans to raise it to N100,000 by January 2025 due to the city’s high cost of living.
• Ogun State: On October 15, 2024, Governor Dapo Abiodun approved a minimum wage of N77,000 for workers in the state.
• Gombe State: An agreement was reached between the state government and the Nigeria Labour Congress to increase the minimum wage to N71,451.15 on October 14, 2024.
• Ondo State: Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on October 12, 2024, announced a wage increase to N73,000 during his campaign for the upcoming governorship election.
• Kogi State: Governor Usman Ododo approved a minimum wage of N72,500 with immediate effect and suspended taxation on the new wage for one year.

Several other states have committed to paying the federal minimum wage of N70,000, including Anambra, Katsina, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Oyo, Borno, Osun, and Benue.

Meanwhile, states like Jigawa, Zamfara, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa are yet to announce plans to implement the new minimum wage.