I received N77.5m from Metuh for Jonathan’s media campaign - Witness

The Managing Director of a public relations company, CMC Connect, , Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, has told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that he received 77.5 million naira from the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh to sponsor media campaigns for the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

In what looked like an indication of how Metuh, spent some of the N400 million he received from the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd, Badejo-Okusanya told the court that his company handled media consultancy jobs for the PDP in the run up to the 2015 general elections.

Testifying as prosecution witness, PW-5, Badejo-Okusanya said that the N77.5 million was paid to CMC Connect through the bank account of Metuh’s company, Destra Investment Limited.

Explaining that the money paid the agency was deployed to ‘launder the image’ of then President Jonathan to the electorate, the witness told the court that CMC Connect used the bulk of it to pay for advertorials in four television stations.

The witness tendered vouchers addressed to Destra Investment Limited for payment by CMC Connect to African Independent Television, AIT; Nigerian TelevisionAuthority, NTA; Channels TV; and Silverbird Television, STV as evidence.

He further told the court that before his firm was hired, Metuh helped him to secure audience with then President Jonathan, who gave his approval after listening to his presentation.

His words:
“When Metuh became National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, I met with him, and he said he liked the work we did for the party in the past, but unfortunately that the party did not have money to pay us to continue with the work.

“He promised to compensate us whenever an opportunity arose. This was in 2012. Early November 2014, I got a call from him and he asked me where I was. I told him I was in Lagos. He said he wanted me to come to Abuja to attend a meeting.

“When I arrived in Abuja and met him at his house, he drove me to the Presidential Villa where we met a meeting in progress. At the meeting was former President Goodluck Jonathan; his Deputy, Namadi Sambo; former PDP chairman, Adamu Mu’azu; former Senate President, David Mark; Reuben Abati, Alkali Rufai and Doyin Okupe.

“Although, the meeting was in progress, I was able to pick that it had to do with how to win the 2015presidential election.

“In the course of the meeting, Metuh introduced me as the communication consultant that worked for the party before. He then asked me to speak. I proceeded to speak what I considered very frankly with the President.

“I felt it was very important to let him know the critical things he had to do to get the nation right. He asked me a couple of questions himself, and I specifically remember telling him that there was a disconnect between his government and the people.

“He took everything in good faith and asked us to go. The next evening, Metuh called me and said that it seemed like I made an impression on the President. He asked me to coordinate the media campaign plan for the PDP presidential election.

“So, we set about the work with a plan. I was meeting Metuh severally  on the ideas we had on how we could position the party in the minds of Nigerians

“We got the first payment from him on December 1, 2014 which was N7.5 million, a cheque he issued in my name and I transferred the money to my company’s account. This cheque was from Destra Investment Limited.

“On December 15, 2015,  he did a transfer from Destra Investment Limited of N70 million to our company. By middle of December we had started the work.

“The first batch of work we did was to get Nigerians to appreciate the role of the military in the fight against Boko Haram. We also made advert placements in newspapers, radio and television."

The witness also tendered a bundle of newspaper publications as evidence.

The case was adjourned till Thursday next week for continuation of hearing.

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Why Eagles may shun future national call ups - Oliseh

Head Coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Sunday Oliseh has expressed fears that some of his players may not honor future invitations to play for the national team because of unpaid allowances.

He said that “some players who are being owed various sums of money might not come if they are not paid before the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers."

He disclosed that some of the players have been calling him to ask about their outstanding payments.

“I only have one fear. It is that I just hope that the next time we send invitations out, that players won’t start refusing to play for Nigeria. That is something that is scary but it is real. We have to start thinking because we’re not going to work miracles anymore.

“I’m just afraid that if we don’t put our acts in order we might invite players for the next qualifiers and may be some players might not come, I’m afraid. Already I’m getting phone calls from them. They're still asking what they’re being owed,” he said.

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$470m Lagos, Abuja CCTV contract awarded illegally - BPP

The Director General of the Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP, Mr Emeka Eze yesterday said that the $470 million contract awarded by the late President Musa Yar’Adua administration for the procurement and installation of Close Circuit Television, CCTV, in Lagos and Abuja was illegal as it did not follow due process.

Eze made the disclosure at an investigative hearing by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee looking into the circumstances of the award of the contract and the apparent failure of ZTE Corporation to complete the contract.

He said that the project was not known to the BPP and therefore did not receive a certificate of no objection.

“The contract for the installation of CCTV Cameras in Abuja and Lagos under the National Public Security Communication System project was not processed at the Bureau of Public Procurement prior to award. In other words, the project was not issued a due process certificate of no objection by the BPP.

“Considering the purported cost of contract in US$470 million, the contract ought to have been accompanied with a certificate of no objection issued by the BPP,” he said.

However, a former Director General of NigComSat, Ahmed Rufa’i told the committee that the contract was awarded through a presidential approval.

He that projects that border on national security do not have to pass through the BPP as the president has discretionary powers to approve them.

Chinese telecommunications company,  ZTE, in its submission, told the committee that it fully executed the project tagged National Public Security Communication System, NPSCS.

Managing Director of ZTE Nigeria, Mr. Had Fuqiang, said that the firm completed and delivered one of the world’s best Video Surveillance Systems, VSS, to the Federal Government.

“Contrary to public perception, the project was not to merely install cameras but one conceived to deploy comprehensive, reliable, modern and robust National Public Security Communications System, NPSCS," he said.

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Could Buhari be bringing back a new system for Fulani herdsmen from Kenya?

Buhari visits Diary farm in Kenya http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/01/buhari-visits-diary-farm-in-kenya.html

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How TETFund spent N100b on ICT in 2 years

According to Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, the agency spent N100 billion on Information Communication Technology, ICT in higher institutions over the last two years.

Bogoro said this in Abuja on Wednesday, while receiving the CISCO Strategic Partnership Award on behalf of TETFund. He said that the development of ICT is very important to enable Nigeria to catch up with the rest of the world.

"This award is symbolic; it means a lot to us as an intervention agency; CISCO is an international brand in ICT because of its capacity.

"The award shows that what we are doing in the education sector is being recognised outside the shores of the country.

"We are partnering with our regulatory agencies — National Universities Commission, NUC, National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, and National Commission for Colleges of Education, in deploying ICT to teaching and learning,’’ he said.

In his remarks, CISCO’s Regional Corporate Affairs Manager for Africa, Mr Alfie Hamid said that Nigeria must keep pace with the movement of the `smart world’.

He stressed that Nigeria’s educational system must catch up with technology, adding that CISCO was partnering African governments to see how they could bridge the ever widening technology gap.

"We have been around since 2008 but for the very first time in the history of Nigeria, we have a partner in TETFund and in one year we have been able to take CISCO programme to 11 institutions.

"It is ground breaking not only for Nigeria, but for the whole of Africa.

"It is an amazing achievement and the partnership will impact on 5,000 students each year.

"It will help to take Nigeria to a stage where it will be able to compete in the international arena,’’ he said.

He identified the benefitting institutions as University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Delta State University, Anambra State University, Federal Polytechnic, Nekede and College of Education, Warri. Others are Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Bauchi State University, Sokoto State Polytechnic, Federal Polytechnic,Yola and Esa-Oke Polytechnic, Osun State.

Hamid noted that with the current instability in crude oil market, there was a need to diversify the economy by investing in skills.

He said that the award was to reward of TETFund's strategic partnership and contribution to ICT growth in higher institutions in the country.

Cisco is an American ICT firm specializing in the manufacture, sales and design of networking equipment. It also offers  certification, training, and testing programmes to ICT professionals.

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Dasukigate: I go talk later, says Jonathan

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has said that he not like to preempt the courts by speaking on the arms procurement scandal currently rocking the country.

Some of the ex-President's former aides and political allies are currently either standing trial or under investigation for their roles in the arms scam.

Jonathan however took to Twitter yesterday to explain his deafening silence on the scandal.

“My voice will certainly be heard at the appropriate time regarding the alleged arms funds mismanagement. I would not want to interfere with the proceedings by the judicial system that my administration worked tirelessly to strengthen.

“My post-presidential focus is advancing democracy and good governance in Africa. If we do not spend billions to educate Africa’s youths today, we will spend it fighting insecurity tomorrow,” he said.

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Buhari seeks to strengthen money laundering, criminal activity laws.

In a bid to further strengthen the war against corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, sent two executive bills to the Senate, seeking to outlaw money laundering and criminal activities in the country.

in a letter to the Senate, President Buhari said he was introducing the bills, namely; ”The Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2016″ and “The Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016,” for formal consideration and enactment into law by the legislature.

In the letter read on the floor of the Senate by Bukola Saraki, Buhari said that the first bill provides for the repeal of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012.

He said that the proposed bill would “make comprehensive provisions to prohibit the laundering of criminal activities, expand the scope of money laundering, and provide protection for employees of various institutions, bodies and professions who may discover money laundering."

The second bill according to the President “seeks to facilitate the provision and obtaining by Nigeria of international assistance in criminal matters.”

He explained that these would include providing and obtaining  evidence and things, and   arranging for persons to give evidence or assist in criminal investigations.

He also said that the bill seeks “the recovery, forfeiture or confiscation of property in respect of offences, the restraining of dealings in property or the freezing of assets that may be recovered, forfeited or confiscated in respect of offences.”

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