Buhari orders ICPC to sanction corrupt civil servants – Newstrends
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Buhari orders ICPC to sanction corrupt civil servants

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President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to take actions against heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies MDAs and other personnel  involved in project racketeering,  budget, and payroll  padding  as well as  ”ghost workers retention.”

Buhari said that ICPC investigations had opened the government’s eyes to situations where some MDAs present new projects as ongoing, thereby circumventing his administration’s plan to cut down on the cost of governance.

He spoke at the opening of the 3rd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector in Abuja. The theme of the summit was: “Corruption and Cost of Governance: New Imperatives for Fiscal Transparency.”  

His words: “Necessary action and sanctions should be taken against the heads of such errant MDAs. I am confident that ICPC will continue to maintain the vigilance required of her by the ICPC Act in this regard.

“We reduced the cost of governance by maintaining our promise to complete abandoned or ongoing projects commenced by previous administrations and have ensured that MDAs do not put forward new capital projects at the expense of ongoing projects.

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“Government has, however, noted from the activities of the ICPC that some MDAs have devised the fraudulent practice of presenting new projects as ongoing projects.

“I am however delighted that the Legislative and Judicial arms of government are also under focus on managing the cost of government because the government is collective and is not the business of the Executive branch alone.”

The President said he was delighted that some public officers have continued not only to demonstrate the core values of ethics, integrity, and patriotism but have been identified for their sterling anti-corruption disposition in their workplace.

The high point of the event attended by Chief Justice of Nigeria Ibrahim Muhammad was the presentation of the 2021 Public Service Integrity Awards to three Nigerians.

They are Nelson Okoronkwo, deputy director (Legal) Federal Ministry of Information and Culture; Muhammad Ahmad, assistant commander of Narcotics, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Ikenna Nweke, a doctoral student in Japan.

Okoronkwo was recognised for his consistent acts of integrity in the different ministries where he served.

As Chairman of the committee on Illegal Recruitment in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, he facilitated the detection and removal of over 3, 000 fake employers from the service thereby saving the government millions of naira in terms of salaries and emoluments.

Okonkwo was also credited to have reported corrupt practices that led to the Ogoni cleanup investigation in the Federal Ministry Environment.

Ahmad was recognised for demonstrating the highest ideals and standards of public service in the discharge of his responsibilities.

A recipient of the Chairman/Chief Executive Award for Outstanding Performance and Integrity, Ahmad recently recovered and declared to his agency $24,500 offered to him as a bribe by a drug baron.

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Nweke found a wallet containing a very large amount of money and other valuables and handed it over to the Japanese police.

He declined 10 per cent of the money offered to him as a reward.

The Nigerian, who joined the event virtually from his base in Japan, was recognised for his act of “honesty and integrity.”

Speaking specifically on Nweke, Buhari said:”I am also happy to note the ICPC special award to Ikenna Steve Nweke, a Nigerian Ph.D. student from Imo State studying in Japan.

“He has done Nigeria proud in far-away Japan by displaying traditional Nigerian values of honesty and integrity and returning a wallet containing a very large sum of money and other valuables to the police.

“He also declined 10% of the money found as a reward offered to him.

“He is indeed an icon and a beacon for our youths. I also congratulate all those to be awarded the ICPC Certificate of Integrity through their agencies.”

The Nation

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It’s illegal to declare suspects wanted, Falana tackles DHQ

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It’s illegal to declare suspects wanted, Falana tackles DHQ

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has faulted the declaration of eight persons wanted by the Defence Headquarters over the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama community of Delta State.

He said it was illegal to do so without obtaining a court order.

He stated this in a statement released on Thursday and warned the military against bungling the case of the slain soldiers.

Falana said, “The authorities of the armed forces should be made to realise that the military cannot arrest, detain, investigate and charge civilian suspects with any offence whatsoever.”

“We have also read the eight people alleged to be involved in the cruel murder of the soldiers have been declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters. It is trite law that the police and security agencies lack the power to declare any suspect wanted without a court order,” he stated.

He cited the rulings of judges in a number of cases including Benedit Peters v Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to buttress his point.

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Third Mainland Bridge will be reopened in seven days – Minister

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Third Mainland Bridge will be reopened in seven days – Minister

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi,
says the Third Mainland Bridge will be reopened in seven days time.
He announced this on Thursday during an inspection of the bridge along with members of the Senate Committee on Works.
“In seven days Nigerians will be able to ply this road,” he said.
Umahi also said the Federal Government planned to install Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) on the bridge and under it to reduce illegal sand mining around the area.
Currently, he said the lane marking was being done, adding, “When the lane marking is over, we will open the bridge but formally it will be commissioned by Mr. President when he is going to flag off the coastal road.”

The Federal Government on January 9, this year closed the 11.8km bridge in Lagos for a three-month comprehensive rehabilitation.

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Fresh grid collapse plunges Nigeria into nationwide blackout

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Fresh grid collapse plunges Nigeria into nationwide blackout

The electricity grid collapsed on Thursday, plunging the country into blackout, the second time in three months in 2024.

Data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) showed the grid collapsed at about 4pm on Thursday, dropping from 2,984 megawatts (MW) to zero within an hour.

All the 21 plants connected to the grid stopped operations by 5pm.

Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), in a statement on Thursday, said the current power outage was due to a system failure from the national grid.

“The system collapsed at about 16:28 hours today 28 March 2024, causing the outage currently being experienced across our franchise area,” AEDC said.

“We appeal for your understanding as all stakeholders are working hard to restore normal supply.”

In a notice to its customers, the management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) said the system collapse resulted in a loss of power supply across its network.

“We are currently working with our partners as we hope for speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as the power supply is restored. Kindly bear with us,” EKEDC said.

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