Today's Headlines: UK Police charges former petroleum minister Alison-Madueke with bribery, Wike to
UK Police charges former petroleum minister Alison-Madueke with bribery.
According to Vanguard news, The British police have charged the former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke with bribery offences.
According to Reuters, the UK police on Tuesday said they suspected she had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
The 63-year-old ex-minister served during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, from 2010 to 2015.
She was the president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Speaking about the charges, Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit, said, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
The NCA said Alison-Madueke was accused of benefitting from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
Wike to FCT officials: Wahala don come, I’ll increase your BP.
According to Vanguard news, Peeved by the growing level of filth and haphazard transportation system in the nation’s capital, Abuja, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has charged top officials of the administration to sit up or seek redeployment elsewhere.
Specifically, he ordered the director in charge of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, to clean up the city, saying he would be on his case to the point of increasing his blood pressure.
On transportation, Wike told top officials of the secretariat in pidgin that wahala don come.
He gave the charge yesterday in Abuja while receiving handing over notes from the Permanent Secretary in the FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola.
He said: “I will ensure that Abuja gets the best. You will see projects upon projects, and projects that will be completed and not abandoned.
We have invested over 500million dollars in domestic infrastructure — NSIA.
According to Vanguard news, The Managing Director, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mr Aminu Sadiq has disclosed that the agency invested over 500 million dollars in domestic infrastructure, while also investing over 1 billion dollars in what he called third-party investment.
He stated this at an investigative hearing by the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the activities of the NSIA since it’s inception in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said further that the NSIA has also carried out a robust infrastructure investment portfolio covering several critical sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and power, while developing over 10 institutions and platforms to improve the financial market ecosystem.
He disclosed that the agency has developed a 10 Megawatt solar panel project with over 500 jobs to be created, 13,504 housing affordable housing units under construction, and support over 236,000 farmers among others.
Photo Credit: Google.
Police arrest Rivers pastor, seal church over electrocution.
According to Punch news, The Rivers State Police Command said the assistant pastor of the church that owns a billboard linked to the electrocution that killed five people in the Rumuosi area of Obiri-Kwere in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state had been arrested.
Nine men were said to have been electrocuted on Monday when a metal billboard they were installing for the new-generation church touched a high-tension cable.
Five of them died on the spot while the four others were rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital for treatment.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the arrest to our correspondent on Tuesday.
Iringe-Koko said, “Yes, I can confirm that the assistant pastor of the Church has been arrested.
“He is in the custody of the China Police Division as we speak. An investigation is still ongoing.”
Also, officials of the Rivers State Signage and Advertising Agency, on Tuesday, sealed the church.
Also sealed was the billboard stand which was still at the scene of electrocution along the Obiri-Kwere stretch of the East-West Road, as the two areas had been cordoned off with tapes.
The Managing Director of the RSAA, Dr Anthony Okeah, said no approval was given for the installation of the billboard.
He warned those engaging in such form of outdoor advertising without the agency’s approval to desist forthwith, saying defaulters would be sanctioned.
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