Tag: State governors

Court orders INEC to probe electoral offences ‘perpetrated by Governors’  

Aminu Imam
Court orders INEC

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate cases of electoral violence, bribery, vote-buying, and conspiracy during the 2023 general election. The judgment was delivered on Thursday, following suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/583/2023. The suit, which was filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP), had sought for the prosecution of suspected perpetrators of electoral offences and their sponsors. In a statement issued yesterday, SERAP said the court ordered INEC to ensure the appointment of independent counsels to “investigate cases of electoral violence…

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“Return LG funds or face legal action”, SERAP tells 36 Govs., Wike

Aminu Imam
SERAP on LG funds

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP), has called on the 36 State governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to “immediately account for and return the local government funds which they have collected over the years”. SERAP’s appeal came in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling yesterday that declared the practice of state governors and the FCT Minister withholding and utilising funds intended for local governments unconstitutional. In an issued statement yesterday, signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said, “We…

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SERAP sues Tinubu’s Govt. over failure to account for loans by ex-presidents

Aminu Imam
Collage Maker 05 Nov 2023 09 58 AM 2422

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the government of President Bola Tinubu “over the failure to publish spending details of the loans obtained by the governments of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari”. The suit was filed against the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Debt Management Office, (DMO). In the suit, filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Andrew Nwankwo, last Friday at the Federal High Court,…

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How 30 Govs. spent N968.64bn on refreshments, others in 3 months – Report

Aminu Imam
State Govs.

No fewer than 30 State governments of the federation spent N986.64bn on recurrent expenditures, including refreshments, sitting allowances, travelling, utilities, etc., in the first three months of 2024, according to reports. The States’ Budget implementation reports was obtained from Open Nigerian States, a website supported by BudgIT that acts as a repository for public budget, showed for the first three quarters of the year; data for six States was not available. A breakdown showed that the 30 State governments spent N5.1billion on refreshments for guests, N4.67bn on sitting allowances to…

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EFCC denies releasing list of ex-Govs. under investigation

Aminu Imam
EFCC denies

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), has disassociated itself from a circulating report in the media alleging the release of a list of 58 former State governors under investigation for corruption, to the tune of N2.18 trillion. In an issued press statement yesterday, signed by EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, the Commission clarified that it has not issued any such list nor discussed the investigation of the former governors with any media outlet. According to the statement, the report, titled: ‘EFCC Releases Full List of 58 Ex-Governors that Embezzled N2.187…

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’35 State governors hiding palliative money’ – Anti-corruption group alleges

Aminu Imam

Leading anti-corruption body, Follow The Money (FTM) has accused 35 state governors in the country of hiding the N9 billion palliative and infrastructure development funds provided by the Federal Government, saying that only Plateau State has been open on the money. FTM co-founder, Hamzat Lawal, speaking in an interview, said Nigerian governors have kept mum following confirmation of the receipt of the money, which came as N2 billion for fuel subsidy removal palliatives and N7 billion for infrastructure development. Noting how FTM sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all…

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Forex Crisis: ‘Govs. converting monthly allocations to dollars’, Activist alleges

Aminu Imam

Executive Director of a prominent Data-mining and Public Relations company, Cell HUB, Idris Etanami Usman, has voiced serious concerns regarding the economic crisis afflicting the nation. The company’s investigations have reportedly uncovered troubling evidence pointing to the involvement of certain State governors in worsening the dire economic situation. In a statement issued to newsmen yesterday, Usman expressed regret over the situation, emphasising the need to bring attention to the role of several state governors in Nigeria in exacerbating the current economic crisis. The findings suggest a pattern of behaviour where these…

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‘State Govts. open security vote accounts with CBN’ – NFIU

Aminu Imam

Governors will henceforth draw their security votes from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The development followed the agreement reached earlier in the year between the 36 State governors and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, (NFIU). With the agreement, the governments in the States were mandated to open dedicated accounts for their governors’ security votes with the apex bank. The opening of such accounts will enable the NFIU to monitor cash withdrawals for security purposes by the governors. Amid mounting concerns from Nigerians, regarding alleged withholding of cash palliatives, the…

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Insecurity: ‘Govs, LG chairmen pocket over N375bn security vote annually despite worsening situation’ – Report

Aminu Imam

By Aminu Imam, with agency report It has been revealed that State governors and local government chairmen in the 36 States of the Federation collect a whopping sum of N375 billion annually in the name of security votes, an act not provided for in the Nigerian Constitution or any known law in the country. According to reported figures, this amount excludes those collected annually by the President, Vice-President, the leadership of the National and States’ House of Assemblies, Ministers and other top government officials. According to the reported figures, across the…

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State governors receive Covid-19 vaccination

Aminu Imam

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufa’i and his deputy, Hadiza Balarabe, yesterday received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. El-Rufa’i, who was vaccinated by the Commissioner of Health in the State, Amina Baloni, called on the people of the State to observe all the safety guidelines against the virus. Also, Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, has also flagged-off the Covid-19 vaccination in the State as he received the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday. The vaccine was administered by his personal Physician, Dr. Shehu Ahmed, at the Government House, Minna,…

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