Business News

School Feeding Programme: We found N2.6 billion in private accounts – ICPC

The ICPC raised alarm of discovery of N2.67 billion payment meant for school feeding programme, in personal accounts.

Published

1 month ago

September 28, 2020

School feeding, ICPC, FIRS moves to stop tax evasion with newly launched intelligence system

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, announced that it found N2.67 billion in some private accounts which was meant for the provision of school feeding to federal colleges during the COVID-19 lockdown.

This was revealed by the ICPC chief, Bolaji Owasanoye, on Monday at the 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in Abuja, according to Vanguard.

READ: PenCom recovers N17.51billion from defaulting employers, imposes penalties

Nairametrics reported in August that the FG said it only spent about N523.3 million on the school feeding program during the lockdown.

“We observed that transfers to sub-TSA were to prevent disbursement from being monitored. Nevertheless, we discovered payments to some federal colleges for school feeding in the sum of N2.67 billion during lockdown when the children were not in school, and some of the money ended up in personal accounts. We have commenced investigations into these finding,” Owasanoye said.

READ: NNPC to support alternative energy initiative by deploying CNG plants across the country

He also disclosed that the sum of N2.5 billion was illegally appropriated by a deceased senior staff of the Ministry of Agriculture; other assets recovered were 25 plots of land, 12 building premises and 18 buildings.

He said the Open Treasury Portal review was exercised from January to August on all MDAs, which he says N4.2 billion paid to private accounts could not be explained.

William Ukpe

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Companies

Dangote delays London Stock Exchange listing

Dangote Cement Plc isn’t expected to attempt a U.K. initial public offering until at least 2023.

Published

4 hours ago

October 29, 2020

Olumide Adesina

Aliko Dangote rallies private sector operators against COVID-19, 10 fantastic things Aliko Dangote has done in the last 10 years

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is once again delaying plans to list Nigeria’s second most capitalized company on the London Stock Exchange, rather choosing other options like boosting exports and the Nigerian company’s foreign-exchange reserves in a report credited to Bloomberg.

Dangote Cement Plc, Africa’s biggest producer of building material isn’t expected to attempt a U.K. initial public offering until at least 2023, Temilade Aduroja, Head of Investor Relations, at the Lagos-based company, said by email.

READ: Dangote Cement’s faltering pan-African operations is taking its toll

READ: Access Bank N15bn green bond set to be the first cross listing ensuing from NSE-LuxSE partnership

“The London listing is not something which will happen in the short to medium term. We are focused on our export strategy and increasing our foreign-currency revenue,” he said.

Dangote, a major shareholder of Dangote Cement, with a net worth of more than $14 billion has longed for the company to have a secondary London Stock Exchange listing to diversify its holding and gain more leverage to cheaper funds on international markets.

READ: Rocket Internet sells stake in Jumia, as eCommerce firm struggles with post-IPO scandal

READ: Afreximbank forced to postpone IPO plan in London; here’s why

Aliko Dangote said in 2018 that the listing would happen the following year (2019), only for Brian Egan, former Chief Financial Officer, to state that 2020 was more likely.

More detail later as the story is developing…

Coronavirus

COVID-19 Update in Nigeria

On the 28th of October 2020, 147 new confirmed cases and 4 deaths were recorded in Nigeria

Published

11 hours ago

October 29, 2020

Samuel Oyekanmi

The spread of novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria continues to record significant increases as the latest statistics provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reveal Nigeria now has 62,371 confirmed cases.

On the 28th of October 2020, 147 new confirmed cases and 4 deaths were recorded in Nigeria, having carried out a total daily test of 3,270 samples across the country.

To date, 62,371 cases have been confirmed, 58,095 cases have been discharged and 1,139 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. A total of 617,750 tests have been carried out as of October 28th, 2020 compared to 614,480 tests a day earlier.

COVID-19 Case Updates- 28th October 2020,

Total Number of Cases – 62,371
Total Number Discharged – 58,095
Total Deaths – 1,1139
Total Tests Carried out – 617,750

According to the NCDC, the 147 new cases were reported from 12 states- Lagos (82), FCT (20), Rivers (9), Kaduna (8), Plateau (8), Benue (5), Edo (3), Kano (3), Nasarawa (3), Taraba (3), Ogun (2), Bauchi (1).

Meanwhile, the latest numbers bring Lagos state total confirmed cases to 21,017, followed by Abuja (6,028), Plateau (3,622), Oyo (3,433), Rivers (2,790), Edo (2,657), Kaduna (2,633), Ogun (2,016), Delta (1,813), Kano (1,746), Ondo (1,666), Enugu (1,314), Kwara (1,069), Ebonyi (1,049), Katsina (952), Osun (923), Abia (898), Gombe (883). Borno (745), and Bauchi (711).

Imo State has recorded 616 cases, Benue (491), Nasarawa (482), Bayelsa (403), Ekiti (332), Jigawa (325), Akwa Ibom (295), Anambra (277), Niger (274), Adamawa (257), Sokoto (165), Taraba (143), Kebbi (93), Cross River (87), Yobe (82), Zamfara (79), while Kogi state has recorded 5 cases only.

Lock Down and Curfew

In a move to combat the spread of the pandemic disease, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the cessation of all movements in Lagos and the FCT for an initial period of 14 days, which took effect from 11 pm on Monday, 30th March 2020.

The movement restriction, which was extended by another two-weeks period, has been partially put on hold with some businesses commencing operations from May 4. On April 27th, 2020, Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari declared an overnight curfew from 8 pm to 6 am across the country, as part of new measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19. This comes along with the phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos, and Ogun States, which took effect from Saturday, 2nd May 2020, at 9 am.

On Monday, 29th June 2020 the federal government extended the second phase of the eased lockdown by 4 weeks and approved interstate movement outside curfew hours with effect from July 1, 2020. Also, on Monday 27th July 2020, the federal government extended the second phase of eased lockdown by an additional one week.

On Thursday, 6th August 2020 the federal government through the secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 announced the extension of the second phase of eased lockdown by another four (4) weeks.

ENDSARS

House of Reps to make Youths globally competitive

House of Representatives is determined to make the Youths globally competitive.

Published

11 hours ago

October 28, 2020

Omokolade Ajayi

House of Reps to make Youths globally competitive, Closing of Nigerian-owned shops in Ghana must be dealt with decisively - Femi Gbajabiamila, Lagos State needs N1 trillion for reconstruction - Femi Gbajabiamila

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have assured Nigerian youths that they are committed to make them globally competitive.

This was disclosed by the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday.

In a tweet, which the speaker shared after a meeting with a group of young lawmakers under the aegis of ‘Young Parliamentarians Forum‘, he reiterated that some of the demands of the youths following the #EndSARS protests would be addressed constitutionally, as part of the decision was to reform the Police, in a quest to accommodate a better Police Force.

On youth empowerment, the Speaker said that a lot still needs to be done, while pointing out that no government had done more than what the present administration has done.

What they are saying

He said, “All of us, every segment of the government, especially the House of Representatives, before the protests took the initiative, debated motions and took far-reaching decisions on the floor. We gave ourselves 30 days, and since then, we’ve been working night and day, especially with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

“We thought the best way to go about it is that we amend the Police Service Commission Act, and that has been done and the report has been concluded and soon, it will be published and be on the floor.

“We are determined to resolve the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) matter, and if we can resolve two out of three issues, I think we would have gone a long way to help the lecturers who are on strike.

“There’s a bill on vocational education, I think from the 8th Assembly that was even my bill. We’ll pick it up again and pass it to you (Young Parliamentarians Group) to polish it up and add it to whatever ideas you have.”

While speaking on the giant strides by the current administration in terms of youth empowerment, the Speaker said:

“I make bold to say that no government, in Nigerian history from inception, and I stand to be corrected, has put in as much in youth empowerment as this present government.”

“Facts don’t lie, a government that has devoted N500bn to youth empowerment every year. There’s Trader Moni, N-Power, and several others, they are all there,” he added.

Gbajabiamila added that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has done a lot about youth empowerment and is ready to do more.