WordPress

Author: Ugboma Chioma

  • Acquittal:  My 12 years prosecution was harrowing -former Lagos Speaker

    Former Lagos assembly speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiiji
    Ikuforiji
    By Chioma Ugboma
    Lagos, June, 26, 2024 (NAN) The  former speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiiji, says his acquittal from money laundering related charges and prosecution that spanned over 12 years was a harrowing experience.
    The speaker said his joy knew no bounds, describing the experience as a “rebirth of sorts”.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the  Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday, cleared the former speaker of 54 charges brought against him by the EFCC.
    Justice Mohammed Liman dismissed the charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), ruling  that the prosecution did not meet the legal burden of proof required.

    Addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos, Ikuforiji said: : “I am a very happy man. It feels so great to be free after 12 and half years of prosecution and persecution.

    “It is a long story.  Since 48 hours that I am free,  I am extremely grateful to God. When I got out of the court, I called my wife Mayowa, because  I did not tell her while going to the court that day.
    “I was even joking with my friend, when the Judge came, that if I had seen a Black Maria, I will have to run away.
    “As a strong believer, I always believed in what Almighty Allah decreed. But there are some things as a man in flesh  that you begin to  ask second questions.
    “I was at the House of Assembly for 12 years; 10 years, I was speaker and there was no time the lawmakers fought. The Lagos assembly was the best because of the harmonious relationship.
    “But if after 10 years of being speaker and leading a progressive house, making  progressive laws, even the National Assembly came to learn some things from us, we passed the FOI Act before them even the  Child Rights Law. “
    Ikuforiji, who served as Lagos speaker from 2005 to 2015, said he was wrongly prosecuted but would not sue the EFCC for that.
    “I suffered for 12 and half years  over wrongful allegations, I suffered unnecessarily for that period, what was my offence and what did I do?
    “A faceless petitioner wrote to the EFCC that the assembly arm twisted the Lagos state government to pay N500 million to it monthly and  later, I was accused of embezzling  the money, amounting to N7 billion.
    “Is that not ridiculous that the members did not do anything that I allegedly made away with N500m for 14 months?
    “I got a call from the director of EFCC while going to Umrah, I told him I will honour the invitation when I come back. I called him when I returned and he said I should come, I went there that Friday morning and I spent the weekend on the floor of  EFCC cell.
    “They showed me the petition and I faulted it, the person that wrote it,  no telephone number.
    They asked for the other members and I told them  that I don’t need to get others because I was in charge.
    According to him, I spent the weekend there and was released on bail, EFCC came to the house, combed  the books for three months and saw nothing.
    “I suffered the  agony for over 12 and half years.  Many sleepless nights.  I thank my Family, colleagues, friends and the media for standing by me.
    “The EFCC started with 200 charges and trimmed it to 54  and no one said embezzlement.
    “Today we are grateful to God that at the end of it all, we have been vindicated. The honest thing is that in the Quran, even in the dark,  there is always an element of light.
    ” I am now a Barrister at Law.  This case was what pushed me toward reading law. I was doing well as speaker, My lawyers came up with other things and I felt it was time for me to be learned.
    “That is something good, if this trouble was  not thrown at me, I won’t be a lawyer today. My family suffered a great deal. Members of the house  stood by me. Most of them followed me to court on court day, I am grateful to them.
    ” Lots of our leaders who were praying with me, I salute them. My wife is a Christian and they have been praying for years. God was really merciful to me and gave me people who supported me.
    “Today I am a free man, June 24, 2024 remains a second birthday to me because that is the day of my independence, , the day I smelt freedom.
    “In 2014, the Federal High Court said I had no case to answer and it went to the Supreme Court and the case was reassigned and here we are today,” Ikuforiji said.
    He, however,  said the charges might  have been politically or socially engineered but what mattered the most was that as a politician, stuff like that was expected.
    On whether he planned to contest for elective position in 2027, the former speaker said it is God that would determine that. (NAN)
    CHOM/MNA
    Edited by Maureen Atuonwu
    ========

  • Kano: NNPP not behind unfounded allegations against FG  – Aniebonam

    Dr Boniface Aniebonam, NNPP Founder
    Kano
    By Chioma Ugboma
    Lagos, June 20, 2024 (NAN) The Founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP),  Dr Boniface Aniebonam, says the party is not behind the unfounded  allegation accusing the Federal Government of creating crisis in Kano State.
    Aniebonam stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.

    Kwankwaso was reacting to the ongoing Emirate Tussle in Kano state, alleging further that  Federal security agencies, with constitutionally assigned responsibility for ensuring peace, law and order, had been backing the deposed Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero.

    NAN reports that Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate had on Monday, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government of attempting to create a new breed of Boko Haram terrorists in Kano state.

    Aniebonam told NÀN that the NNPP’s stand on the Emirate Tussle had been that it was not a political matter but an internal cultural matter concerning the people of Kano state.
    According to him, such weighty and unfounded allegation against the Federal Government is condemnable as it is capable of triggering crisis in the state.
    “Kwankwaso has long been expelled from NNPP and so,  his allegations are personal and not the stand of our party.
    “We firmly believe that the Federal Government can wade into the matter if it may lead to loss of lives and property of citizens living in Kano state.
    “But making such allegation without proof is in our estimation, tantamount to incitement and we totally disagree with that.
    “As a political party that is peace loving, we refuse to be dragged into the Emirate Tussle crisis despite being the ruling party in Kano state.
    “We also will not be dragged into unsubstantiated allegations against the Federal Government,” Aniebonam said.
    While praying for peaceful and fast resolutions to the crisis, Aniebonam urged Gov. Abba Yusuf to tread with caution so as to continue to preserve the peace and respect accorded the state.
    He also sued for calm among members of the NNPP in the state, its supporter and people of Kano state. (NAN)
    CHOM/VIV
    =======
    Edited by Vivian Ihechu

  • Why we invested in Deafening Silence film in Nigeria –  EU, UNDP

    Premiere
    By Chioma Ugboma
    Lagos, June 6, 2024 (NAN) The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said they invested in the film – “Deafening  Silence”, because Sexual and Gender -Based Violence (SGBV) was under- reported in Nigeria.
    The EU and UNDP also said  they wanted to leverage  the power of arts to combat SGBV in Nigeria.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Deafening Silence, a film  directed by Biodun Stephen,  premiered in Lagos on Wednesday night.
    Deafening Silence, produced by the UNDP within the framework of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative,  aligns  strongly with Nigeria’s gender priorities as well as the EU’s and  UN’s Gender Action Plans.
    The film leveraged the power of storytelling to explore themes of Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and SGBV in Nigeria.
    Speaking at the premiere of ‘Deafening Silence’, a feature film on the theme of SGBV,
    EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi said that SGBV was under reported in Nigeria.
    Isopi, who was represented by Ruben Alba Aguilera, Head of the Governance, Gender Human Rights and Migration Section at the EU Delegation,  said they considered the potency of art as a driver of social transformation in investing in the flick.
    “SGBV is not only a Nigerian problem but a global issue requiring collective efforts and approach to solve it. It is not optimally reported in Nigeria.”
    With one in every three women globally having  experienced physical, sexual or any other form of violence in their lifetime,
    the EU ambassador stressed the need for continued advocacy on the  menace.
    This, she said, was  to inspire action to combat it and promote gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment.
    “Through initiatives like Deafening Silence, we aim to spark meaningful conversations and inspire tangible action toward gender equality.”
    According to Isopi, the  movie will  contribute to broader interventions around gender-based violence, connecting with rights holders and bearers, and opening up otherwise complex and difficult perspectives.
    “We hope that the movie will contribute to moving the needle on these susceptible topics, and trust that it will galvanise action and be a natural or intuitive way of further engaging with this discourse,” she said.
    Reaffirming the EU’s commitment to combatting SGBV, Isopi said the power of storytelling showcased in Deafening Silence would amplify the voices of survivors and advocates, and drive momentum for change.
    “The power of art lies in its ability to evoke empathy and provoke introspection.
    “It provides a platform for marginalised voices to be heard and validated.”
    NAN reports that the movie,  produced by Emem Isong Misodi, starred popular Nollywood actors including Toni Tones, Kate Henshaw, Femi Jacobs, Daniel Etim Effiong, Chidi Mokeme, Bimbo Akintola, Debby Felix and Ekamma Etim-Inyang.
    The movie premiere was attended by  Desmond Elliot, a Lagos State Assembly Lawmaker and Actor; Mr Steve Ayorinde, a   former Commissioner for Information in Lagos state; Ghanaian Actor, Majid Michel; BB Naija winner and influencer, Uti Nwachukwu among other top  actors and actresses.
    Deafening Silence will be in cinemas across the country from June 7.(NAN)
    CHOM/VIV
    =======
    Edited by Vivian Ihechu

     

  • Jimi Agbaje’s 1st son, Olubunmi, to be buried Friday in Canada

    Mr John Olubunmi Agbaje,  the late first son of  one of Nigeria’s top politicians, Mr Jimi Agbaje (NAN)

    Burial

    By Chioma Ugboma

    Lagos, June 5, 2024 (NAN) Mr Olubunmi Agbaje,  the first son of Nigeria’s top politician, Mr Jimi Agbaje, will be  buried on Friday in Canada.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olubunmi died on Monday, May 27, 2024 in Canada.

    Olubunmi, first son of  senior Agbaje, a former governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos State  and Chieftain of Afenifere Renewal Group, was 41 years old.

    Jimi Agbaje, disclosed part of the burial arrangements to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday via telephone.

    According to him, the family will also hold a special memorial service for the late son in Lagos on a later date, after the burial in Canada.

     

    L: Mr Jimi Agbaje, one of Nigeria’s top politicians, and his late first son, Mr Olubunmi Agbaje

     

    Agbaje, who said he had few words to say on the demise of his son, said the family, in faith, has handed the monumental loss over to God.

    “His mother and I, indeed the entire extended family, cannot describe our pains. The shock is still there but in all, we give in to the will of God.

    “We cannot question God and we know HE alone will help us to heal with time.”

    Olubunmi, fondly known as“Funtime” reportedly died of cardiac arrest.

    John Olubunmi Agbaje attended elementary school at Corona School Ikoyi and high school at Atlantic Hall, Lagos.

    He proceeded to  Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire, England for his A levels, and  initially started university at  the University of Plymouth.

    He later  transferred to and completed his undergraduate studies at University of West of England (Bristol) with post graduate studies at The University of Birmingham.

    He was a marketing manager with multiple consumer packaged goods companies in Nigeria and Canada before his death.(NAN)www.nannews.ng

    CHOM/VIV

    =======

    Edited by Vivian Ihechu