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$350,000 fraud: US submits 97,000-page evidence against suspended Ogun governor’s aide
A United States prosecutor has submitted 97,000-page materials against Abidemi Rufai, suspended aide to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State of Nigeria.
Rufai, currently in the US prison custody, was indicted for alleged conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
He was arrested at the JFK airport in New York on May 14 over alleged $350,000 COVID-19 unemployment fraud in the United States.
The indictment alleges that Rufai used the stolen identities of more than 100 Washington residents to file fraudulent claims with the Employment Security Department (ESD) for pandemic-related unemployment benefits.
Acting US Attorney Tessa M. Gorman had said Rufai filed fraudulent unemployment claims with Hawaii, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania, using variations of a single email address in a manner intended to evade automatic detection by fraud systems.
The agreed application filed on August 3, 2021, apparently based its assessment of the complexity of the case on the volume and nature of the evidence filed by the prosecution.
“On July 26, 2021, the government produced approximately 97,000 pages of material.
“In addition, the government is in the process of executing two additional electronic search warrants.
“The discovery includes electronic documents in a variety of formats,” the document stated in part.
It added much of the material “contains personal identifying information or sensitive financial information.”
Rufai was arraigned before the court on June 25, 2021 where he pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The court then scheduled trial for August 31, 2021 and set a pretrial motions deadline of July 23, 2021.
News
Edo Election: Group accuses INEC of disenfranchising voters
Edo Election: Group accuses INEC of disenfranchising voters
A coalition of civil society organizations, under the aegis of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CONGOS), has raised an alarm over the alleged denial of the voting rights of Edo State citizens by the Prof. Yakubu Mahmood-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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FG borrows N3.8trn from CBN in 6 months, says new report
FG borrows N3.8trn from CBN in 6 months, says new report
In the last six months of 2023, the Federal Government of Nigeria received an additional N3.8 trillion in what appeared to be a fresh Ways and Means borrowing, according to a provisional data published in the latest statistics bulletin for the fourth quarter of the year recently released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This is despite claims by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, that the President Bola Tinubu government had not borrowed money from the CBN.
The CBN’s provisional data showed that the total figure rose from N4.4 trillion at the end of June 2023, meaning that the cumulative Ways and Means balances due by the government grew to N8.2 trillion as at December 2023.
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Total Ways and Means balances as at May 2023 when the Tinubu administration took over was N26.95 trillion. However, the balances were securitised as included as part of the federal government’s domestic debt profile.
A breakdown of the data shows that the balance at the end of June 2023 was N4.36 trillion, indicating that the prior month balances may have been moved to the Debt Management Office.
However, from July 2023, the balances increase every month, first to N4.5 trillion in July, then N5.1 trillion in August, crossing the N5.1 trillion mark for the first time.
By September, the total was N6.4 trillion, representing the single largest additional borrowing for a month with about N1.3 trillion. It then climbed to N7.2 trillion in October before rising marginally to N7.6 trillion in November.
At the end of the year, in December, the total hit N8.21 trillion, suggesting that Ways and Means increased by 88 per cent in six months.
FG borrows N3.8trn from CBN in 6 months, says new report
News
GRA regeneration scheme: Alake endorses housing projects
GRA regeneration scheme: Alake endorses housing projects
The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo has declared his support for the initiative of the Ogun State government to holistically transform the Government Reservation Areas (GRAs) across the state to bring back the faded glory.
Oba Gbadebo made this declaration when the management team of the Ogun State Ministry of Housing led by the Commissioner, Jamiu Akande Omoniyi, paid a courtesy visit to the Alake’s Palace, to intimate the Egba Traditional Council on GRA Regeneration Programme.
Alake, who expressed his delight about the project promised to rally Egba indigenes both home and in the diaspora to buy into the new scheme.
“I am very excited today because of the project you brought to me; you can count on my support. I just don’t support, but I realised the development that the project will bring to Egbaland. I’m sure with the location of the project, the housing units to be built will be over-subscribed”, the traditional ruler stated.
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The monarch, however, implored the Ogun State government to allocate the Third Phase of the Prince Court Estates in Kobape and Kemta Idi -Aba, Abeokuta, to the remaining successful applicants.
Addressing members of the Traditional Council members earlier, the Commissioner for Housing, Jamiu Akande Omoniyi, reeled out the successes recorded by the incumbent administration in the provision of affordable housing to the people of the state, saying the positive response received from people prompted the government to continue to build more for various categories.
He emphasised that the new GRA Regeneration Scheme is meant to create a modern, vibrant smart city.
“The programme is not merely about demolishing and reconstructing, it will bring a total transformation geared towards enhancing economic value of the state. Save for unforeseen circumstances, the project should be completed within 18 months.
“The project when commenced will also create employment benefits with the engagement of artisans within the host communities”, Omoniyi stated.
Responding respectively on behalf of the Egba Traditional Council, the duo of Asiwaju Onimoro and Onimoro of Egbaland, Chiefs Tokunbo Odebunmi and Adeniyi Akanni, appreciated the state government under the leadership of Governor Dapo Abiodun for taking the bull by the horn with the GRA Regeneration Scheme, advising the government to be transparent about the project.
GRA regeneration scheme: Alake endorses housing projects
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