Connect with us

News and Report

N42 BILLION FRAUD ROCKS PENCOM…… THE DG’S INVOLVEMENT AND SHADY DEALS EXPOSED!

Published

on

The Centre for Public Accountability (CPA), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari, to order an immediate investigation into alleged sundry fraudulent practices in the National Pensions Commission, (PENCOM).
The group specifically alleged that about N42billion collected by PENCOM in 2012 cannot be accounted for by the Director General, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu.
In a petition addressed to the president and signed by the Executive Director of the Centre, Comrade Olufemi Lawson, CPA said the petition is intended to bring to the attention of the president the long list of infractions, mismanagement and maladministration that is ongoing at the commission under the leadership of Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu.
A copy of CPA’s petition which was made available to newsmen, read: “Mr. President, as you may be aware, the Pension Reform Act was enacted in 2004 for sustainable management of retirement benefits of citizens who worked within the public or private sectors of the federation. As at today, the accumulated pension assets stand at about N5.4 trillion. From that period to date, we want to assert that the commission has never been in the worst state than it is today.
“We affirm that the commission is bedeviled with multiple infractions, violations of the law and widespread corruption that warrant immediate and urgent attention of Mr. President.”
Raising its first issue on the annual collection, the Centre alleged that the Commission is mismanaging the 0.3 per cent annual fees on pension assets, thereby calling for a thorough investigation into it.
“The commission collects annually, 0.3 per cent on the total pension assets which presently stands at N5.4 trillion. Annually the commission collects about N15billion as fees which it spends without any accountability.
“We challenge the commission to publish how it has expended that annual fund which is regarded as slush fund by insiders. As at December 2015, the  current Director General of PENCOM has collected N42 billion which she cannot account for till date.
“We specifically call on the President to order an immediate investigation into how the N42 billion fees collected by the commission was expended from 2012 to date.
Similarly, the Center alleged that the Commission’s DG is involved in illegal application of regulatory powers, stating that there are obvious cases of harassment and selfish tendencies in the leadership of the commission.
“In addition to not implementing statutory provision as above, records showed that the commission under the current Director General has deployed regulatory powers of the commission for selfish, illegal and family usage.
Pension administrators and custodians are harassed and subjected to unholy surcharges including share takeover among others.
Currently, the families of commission Director Generals are the owners of Premium Pension. May we also inform you, that the commission also took over First Guarantee Pension under flimsy excuses and has refused to obey court orders directing a return of the firm to the owners. For more than five years, the commission held on to the firm and is scheming to sell it to interest known to be close to its Director General.”
While describing the annual World Pension being hosted by PENCOM as a wasteful expenditure, the Centre said the country is set to waste almost a million naira for a jamboree like event at a time the country is in recession.
“Annually, the commission plays host to the World Pension Summit, a body owned by two brothers from the United States. The commission forced pension administrators and custodians to pay participation fees while the commission itself spends almost a billion naira annually to host the annual event. The 2016 edition of that event is scheduled to hold by September 27 to 28   in Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
“In this era of recession, this is not just wasteful but corruption laden and out of tune with the spirit of the era. We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Director General to stop the summit forthwith as Nigeria and pensioners can ill afford such wasteful and extravagant event meant to enrich a family alleged to be working on behalf of the commission management.”
CPA also highlighted the non-implementation of transfer window by the Commission, stating that, “Nigerians deserve to know why depositors are not allowed to migrate if they so wish. We want to know why billions are spent without such migration being realized.”
Urging the president to urgently beam a searchlight on the activities of the commission, the CPA said, “that sector needs urgent clean up if the world, pensioners and workers are to take the administration seriously.
Among other requests to the president, the Center said, “We also call for an immediate investigation into the activities of PENCOM, under its present leadership, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Independent Corruption Practices and other related offences related Commission, ICPC.”
All efforts to speak with Emeka Onuora, the Corporate Affairs manager of PENCOM proved futile as his mobile number was not reachable as at press time.

 

 

 

Source: THE CPA

Continue Reading
Advertisement

News and Report

Finance Ministry Allegedly Spent N55million On Sendforth  Of Perm Sec, Udo Okonkwo Ekanem, Pays Money Into Personal Account…

Published

on

By

 

A  review of public payments portal, Govspend, has shown that a sum of over N55 million, was paid into the account of one Unoh Omolara, for the sendforth party of Udo Okonkwo Ekanem.

 

The payment was made by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

 

Okonkwo served as the permanent secretary, special duties of the ministry.

 

The payment for the party was made on September 13th, 2024.

According to the payment description, the event was scheduled to hold at Transcorp Hilton hotels on September 6th, 2024.

 

 

Further checks revealed that the event was confirmed by the ministry of finance on its website.

 

The ministry had noted that it celebrated the Ekanem in appreciation of his oustanding commitment.

 

 

This is despite the provision of Chapter Seven, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 states that “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.”

 

The money spent on the sendforth was twice the amount spent to set up 28 boreholes in Jigawa State.

 

According to details on the Govspend website, N28.3 million was spent on drilling twenty-three solar powered borehole and five numbers hand pump boreholes in Jigawa State.

 

 

This would mean that this money spent on sendforth, half of it would have provided same number of solar powered boreholes and hand pumps in other locations of the country.

 

There have been concerns over prudence in management of government resources by different ministries’ department and agencies.

 

Although, the government has expressed its commitment to accountability, experts say there are loopholes exploited by different government parastatals.

 

 

 

Source: Sahara Reporters.

Continue Reading

News and Report

ICPC Arraigns House Of Reps Ex-Member John Dyegh For Money Laundering

Published

on

By

 

The lawmaker was arraigned on Monday on a five-count charge before Hon. Justice M. Shitu Abubakar at the Federal High Court 1 sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, under case number FHC/MKD/CR/184/2024.

 

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences commission (ICPC) has arraigned a former House of Representatives, John Dyegh, for abuse of office and money laundering.

 

 

 

 

 

John Dyegh, who served as a member of the 9th National Assembly, representing Gboko/Tarka Federal constituency at the House of Representatives of Nigeria, was arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, for allegedly violating the provisions of the ICPC Acts 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

The lawmaker was arraigned on Monday on a five-count charge before Hon. Justice M. Shitu Abubakar at the Federal High Court 1 sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, under case number FHC/MKD/CR/184/2024.

 

 

 

 

 

The charges detail alleged corrupt practices, including Dyegh’s receipt of N18,970,000 (Eighteen Million Nine Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) on May 19, 2014, intended for the construction of school facilities in Guma, Benue State.

 

 

 

 

 

John Dyegh was accused of allegedly channeling the funds through the First Bank account of Midag Limited, a company in which Dyegh has a substantial interest. This alleged action violates Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act, of 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

He was further alleged to have received and transferred these funds through Midag Limited and Kangnaan Global Resources Limited, companies associated with him, contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act.

 

 

 

 

 

Dyegh allegedly abused his office by privately benefitting from contracts awarded to the companies while overseeing the related funds as a signatory on their accounts, according to the charge sheet.

 

 

 

The Presiding Judge, Justice Abubakar, at the commencement of the trial last Friday ordered Dyegh’s to be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Center, Makurdi, pending the determination of his bail application and adjourned the matter till Monday 11, November, 2024.

 

 

 

However, at the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, November 11, 2024, Defense Counsel S.E. Irabo moved a bail application of his client Dyegh.

 

 

 

He prayed the court to grant his client the bail citing health concerns.

 

 

 

Justice Abubakar, after listening to the argument of the counsels, subsequently granted Dyegh bail in the amount of N20 million, requiring two sureties with international passports to be surrendered to the court and verifiable addresses.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Justice Abubakar later adjourned the case until January 16, 2025, for a definite hearing of the corrupt case preferred against the former Federal Lawmaker.

Continue Reading

News and Report

Nigerian Senator’s Wife Orders Policemen In Convoy To Arrest, Torture Skit-maker For Criticising Husband Over Bad Roads, Poor Health Facilities

Published

on

By

 

Personnel of the Taraba State police command acting on the orders of Hajia Fatima Lau, wife of the Senator representing Taraba North senatorial district, Shuaibu Isa Lau, arrested and detained a skit maker, Nafiu Hassan, for several days, SaharaReporters has gathered.

 

Lau is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Deputy Senate Minority Leader.

 

 

 

Hassan had done a skit where he decried the deplorable condition of roads in the senatorial district. He said that many of the roads are now killing zones due to their bad state.

 

However, sources said the Senator’s wife last Wednesday saw Hassan while passing by her street and called the police from GRA Division in Jalingo to arrest and detain him.

 

 

 

She was said to have created a scene publicly while accusing the skit maker of “cyberstalking and criminal character assassination.”

 

 

 

It was learnt that Hassan was tortured and released on Sunday.

 

 

 

The source said, “Nafiu Hassan made a video about a month ago about bad roads and dilapidated health facilities in Taraba North. However, this video led to his arrest last Wednesday and he was detained till Sunday,” a source told SaharaReporters.

 

“He was arrested by the police on the orders of the Senator’s wife. Nafiu was passing through the Senator’s street while the wife, Hajia Lau, was about to enter her residence in Old Commissioner Quarters in Jalingo.

 

 

 

“So, she saw him and created a scene knowing he was the one that made a video about bad roads and dilapidated healthcare facilities in her husband’s village. She termed that as defamation of character and then ordered policemen attached to her to immediately arrest him.

 

 

 

“These officers in her convoy then started beating him. Then they took him in their Hilux to GRA Division Jalingo and his bail was denied. He was however released on Sunday. He was accused of character defamation and criminal conspiracies, which are all null and void.”

 

 

 

Another source said it was not the first time the Senator’s wife would order security operatives to detain Nigerians.

 

 

 

He said, “This is the fifth time this woman is maltreating people in this state. There was an incident of two boys passing around Mayo-Gwoi. Her convoy was passing by at the time and one of the boys mistakenly touched the car leading her convoy which was moving slowly due to traffic.

 

 

 

“It wasn’t the car she was inside but one of the cars in her convoy; however, out of annoyance, she called the police to arrest the boy and he was detained for three weeks.

 

 

 

“The same woman ordered soldiers to beat about 10 people who went to see her husband at home. She sent them away, claiming there was one person out of them she did not like.

 

 

 

“They were exchanging words with her and then she informed soldiers to assault them. Guess what, they followed all the individuals to their homes and beat them mercilessly. These are the ones I can recall for now but there are more than those two cases. There are many cases linked to this same woman. There are others more deadly than them. But sadly, no one to stand for the victims.”

 

 

 

Efforts made by SaharaReporters to reach Senator Lau failed as he did not answer nor return calls to his mobile phone.

 

 

 

A text message sent to his mobile line had yet to be replied to as at the time of filing this report.

 

 

 

This comes a few days after a viral video showed Alex Ikwechegh, a member of the House of Representatives, assaulting a Bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya.

 

 

 

The footage showed the visibly angry lawmaker repeatedly slapping and insulting the driver after Stephen asked him to come outside to collect a package meant for delivery.

 

 

 

The incident, which occurred on October 27 in the Maitama district of Abuja, sparked outrage on social media. Ikwechegh then issued a public apology, acknowledging his actions and expressing regret over his behaviour during the altercation.

 

 

 

In a message posted on Instagram, the lawmaker apologised to the Bolt driver, Nigeria Police Force, and the National Assembly, admitting that his actions did not meet the standards expected of a public official, regardless of the provocation involved.

 

 

 

He was also arraigned at a magistrates’ court in Kuje, Abuja, where he pleaded not guilty to three counts bordering on assault and threat to life.

 

 

 

The defendant was released on N500,000 bail, and the court adjourned the case until November 8, 2024, for further proceedings.

Continue Reading

Trending