The judge on Friday also ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission to shut down his company, ALHAKIM NIGERIA LIMITED as well as pay the state sum of N51.5 million which he stole while he held sway in office.

The presiding judge who delivered the judgement under section 3 (2) of the miscellaneous act said the judgement will serve as a deterrent to occupiers of public office who may want to filter resources meant for developmental projects.

Aliyu noted that Elias ought to have protected the public trust giving to him by living above board but instead, he decided to flagrantly helped himself with resources of the state and hence have to be punished.

The judge convicted Elias on count 3 and 4 charges and sentenced him to 10 years on each charge though the two convictions would run concurrently.

“I hereby sentenced the first accused, John Babani Elias for 10 years imprisonment on count 3 and another 10 years imprisonment on count 4 but the two sentences will run concurrently.

“In addition, the first convict must return/refund the sum of N51.5 million to Adamawa state local Government joint account fund from where it was stolen and diverted by him and his Coy.

“With regards to the second convict ALHAKIM NIGERIA LIMITED, I sentenced it to pay a fine of N5 million on the offenses in count 3 and 4 it is convicted of. In addition, the company would wound up by Corporate Affairs Commission as provided by section 3(2) of the miscellaneous offenses and all its assets forfeited to federal government of Nigeria,” Aliyu ordered.

Follow Us

The post Adamawa ex-Finance Commissioner jailed 10 years appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Haruna had on Thursday during a programme to mark the nation’s Democracy Day titled ‘A day with young leaders of Nigeria,’ announced that the President had offered amnesty to the insurgents in his determination to bring the ongoing violent attacks to an end.

Haruna had also said that series of integration programmes have been lined up for the members of the sect who would surrender their arms and embrace peace.

“Let me use this opportunity on behalf of the Federal Government, to call on the members of the Boko Haram sect to embrace the government’s gesture and key into the amnesty programme,” he stated

Curiously, President Jonathan, who spoke at the occasion after Haruna made the comment, did not make any reference to the Minister’s remarks but Abati, while speaking with State House correspondents on Saturday, maintained that the President did not offer amnesty to members of the sect.

Stressing that he would not say anything about the ‘amnesty’ announcement, he said that he would rather refer Nigerians to the Democracy Day nationwide broadcast by the President where he never used the term “amnesty.”

“Let me refer you to the speech by the President. If you read the speech line by line, you will see that it contains the very message that the President wanted to put across and in that speech, if you look at it I don’t think the President used amnesty.

“Instead, he spoke about those who are willing to renounce terrorism, those who are willing to embrace, opportunities have been created for them through the fact-finding committee, through the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolutions of Conflict in the North Eastern part of Nigeria,” Abati said.

On the murder of the Emir of Gwoza on Friday, he said: “The President got the news and he was sad about it because what it means is that these terrorists who are threatening peace and stability in Nigeria, are desperate and they continue to show that desperation.”

“But as the President made it clear in his democracy day broadcast, that was his main message to Nigerians, that at the end of the day it is the people of Nigeria that will prevail, no matter how desperate terrorists may be and that his government is determined to rid the country of terrorism.

“And the support solidarity the cooperation, the expression of partnership that we are receiving from our neighboring countries, the whole of the West African sub-region, Africa and the entire world shows that this is the battle that the whole world is prepared to fight.

“So the days of peace as the President said in his speech is assured because this battle will not end until it is won and sustainable development is fully guaranteed,” he said.

Follow Us

The post Jonathan never offered amnesty to Boko Haram sect – Abati appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Haruna who made the assertion in Abuja while being screened by the Senate in the committee of the whole House for ministerial appointment, said “I do not see any minister who is so powerful as not to allow me present a proposal that will benefit the people.

“I will not be intimidated by any minister in trying to do my work because I will key into the Transformation Agenda of the president,” he said.

The former governor who had been under EFCC investigation said that he had been exonerated of all the charges against him.

“I have been subjected to interrogation by anti-corruption agencies. I was arraigned for over 30 charges but two weeks before my name was sent here, I was exonerated of all the charges.”

He said it was wrong for an agency of government to be used against those who were in government just to show that people could not be in government and come out clean.

According to him, his case has shown that it is possible to hold position in government and come out clean.

The nominee told the senate that the best way to curb corruption in Nigeria was for the country to go through an attitudinal rebirth individually and collectively.

He said Nigerians could retrace their steps by embracing honesty of purpose where there was no “hanky panky” or double standards.

Similarly, another nominee, Abduljelil Adesiyan, said in his opening remark that he was innocent of the assassination of Bola Ige, a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

Adesiyan said; “I was wrongly accused and unlawfully detained for three and a half years for something I knew nothing about. I am innocent.’’

Two other nominees were also screened , Dr Khaliru Alhassan (Sokoto) and Dr Tammy Danagogo (Rivers).

Out of the 12 ministerial nominees sent to the senate by President Goodluck Jonathan for screening, 10 have been screened while the remaining will appear before the Senate on  Feb.18.

Meanwhile, a mild drama ensued while Sen. Danjuma Goje (Gombe) got up to ask one of  the nominees a question.

Goje who was seated at the side allocated for senators of the PDP said he was a senator of the APC.

This statement apparently infuriated Sen. Smart Adeyemi (PDP-Kogi) who raised a point of order.

Smart referred to the Senate President’s persistent ruling that a matter which was in court could not be debated on the floor of the Senate.

He said that it was inappropriate for Goje to sit  on the PDP section and said he was of the APC, thus making reference to a matter which was pending in court.

Mark, however, said that he understood Adeyemi’s point of order but that he reserved his ruling on it.

The post Nobody can intimidate me – Boni appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The group which threatened to “march on the Senate and embark on aggressive protest to bring sanity into the Nigerian system” also slammed the President over the appointment of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, barely two days after being sacked as Chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

A former National Security Adviser, Lt-Gen Aliyu Gusau; former Governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna and Ambassador Aminu Wali from Kano State  were on the list of 11 ministerial nominees forwarded by the President to the Senate for confirmation.

The Executive Secretary of ACN and former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye in a statement in Abuja called on the Senate to reject any ministerial nominee of questionable character.

He said, “The nomination by the President Goodluck Jonathan to the Senate of people averagely between the ages of 60 and 80 clearly shows that Mr. President is buttressing generational apathy. What hope for Nigerian youths and my own generation? Wali and Gusau can give birth to Jonathan.

Melaye also described the appointment of Bamanga Tukur as Chairman of the NRC when his eldest son is approaching 50 years as laughable, adding that it was appalling that the President has further “demonstrated his love for corruption and corrupt persons” by the nomination of a former Governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna, currently faing corruption charges with the EFCC.

Melaye therefore, called on the Senate President and the Senators to reject any ministerial nominee of questionable character, particularly those indicted or facing criminal or corruption charges with any of the anti-graft agencies. “Mr. President owes the Nigerian people a lucid explanation why he is nominating corrupt characters as Ministers,” he said.

The ACN director said that  “This romance of corruption by Mr. President juxtaposes the continuous stay in office of the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah despite the N255 million bullet-proof car scandal; Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke; Minister of Niger-Delta Affairs, Elder Godson Orubebe and many others elucidates why indicted Ministers sin his government are not being punished.

“We will stop at nothing if the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria proceeds in clearing corrupt nominees for Ministerial appointment. We will march on the Senate and embark on aggressive protest to bring sanity into the system,” he said.

While describing corruption in Nigeria as endemic, systemic and becoming contagious, the ACN boss said that for Nigeria to be rescued, “we should stand up without fear or favour, the fear of consequences and fight corruption headlong because we don’t have any other country we call our own apart from Nigeria.”

He said, “We must do everything to rescue this country from the hands of these economic cankerworm. I am bold to say that in this government, since Jonathan’s assumption of office, not one political office holder has been prosecuted and jailed.

“The fight against corruption in Nigeria is a herculean one because there is a popular saying that when you fight corruption, corruption fights you. There is intimidation, incessant arrests, threats and assassination attempts on my life. But for me, I am resolute because the battle to deliver this country from economic cankerworms, financial vultures and inept leadership as I have repeatedly said is a battle of no retreat, no surrender.”

Nigerians, he said, must creep out of their cocoons and become change agents adding that “we need to call a bloodless revolution that will transform this nation from the hands of these economic cankerworms and financial scavengers. Nigeria is not only sick but also suffering from a dreadful continental abnormality.

“In an unjust society, silence is a crime, this is the time in the history of Nigeria where silence is no longer golden. People must come out and speak because the day you stop eating is the day you start dying. Where dictatorship becomes legalised, revolution becomes a right.”

The post Group faults Jonathan over ministerial nominees, Tukur’s appointment appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.