Police Service Commission appoints Force Secretary, 7 DIGs

The Police Service Commission, PSC, yesterday , announced the appointment of seven Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, DIGs, who will make up the new management team to run the affairs of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF.

The announcement was made through a statement issued by the Head, Force Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Ani.

“The Commission on Monday, approved the appointment of seven Deputy Inspectors-General of Police to man the seven Management Departments of the Force.”

According to the statement, the  new DIGs and their portfolios are as follows:
DIG Shuaibu Gambo - Department of Finance and Administration.
DIG Joshak Habila - Department of Operations.
DIG Maigari Dikko - Department of Logistics and Supply.
DIG H. M. Dagala - Department of Force Criminal Investigations Department, FCID;
DIG Emmanuel Inyang - Department of Training and Development.
DIG Ntom Chukwu - Department of Research and Planning.
DIG Folusho Adebanjo - Department of ICT.

AIG Abdul Bube was appointed as the new Force Secretary.

“The commission has conveyed this approval to the Inspector-General of Police for implementation. Chairman, Dr. Mike Okiro, said the officers’ promotion letters will follow in due course,” said the statement.

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Senator Odua denies laundering N2.5b through housemaid's account

Former Aviation Minister, Senator Stella Oduah who represents Anambra North Senatorial Zone, has denied reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has discovered the sum of N2.5 billion in a bank account she operates in disguise using the identity of her housemaid.

In a statement issued on Monday by her media aide, Francisca Onyeisi, the Senator challenged the publishers of the allegation to validate their claim with proofs.

A US-based news website had over the weekend disclosed that Oduah was operating an account through which she did massive transactions using the identity of her domestic servant apparently without her knowledge.

Dismissing the publication as untrue and without basis, the Senator said that "if the reports were true, I would have been arrested long before now, especially at a time when the EFCC is freezing accounts and going after opposition governors who enjoy same level of immunity as the president.”

Oduah added that she made her money in the oil/gas and agricultural sectors before joining politics, urging the public to ignore the said publication.

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Kachikwu now Chairman of NNPC Board

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a new Board for the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in line with Section 1(2) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Act of 1997, as amended.

The Chairman of the new Board is the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu while the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Dr Maikanti Kacalla Baru and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance are members.

Other members are Mallam Abba Kyari; Dr Thomas M.A John; Dr Pius O. Akinyelure; Dr Tajuddeen Umar; Mallam Mohammed Lawal, and Mallam Yusuf Lawal.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina in Abuja on Monday, President Buhari charged the new board to ensure the successful delivery of the mandate of the NNPC, and "serve the nation by upholding the public trust placed on them in managing this critical national asset."

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CBN takes over management of Skye Bank

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on Monday, announced its take over of the Board and Management of Skye Bank Plc following the bank's failure to meet the  minimum key liquidity and capital adequacy ratios.

The CBN Governor,Mr Godwin Emefiele, announced the takeover during a press conference at the apex bank's head office in Lagos.

Emefiele said the CBN had appointed a new board and management for the bank following the resignation of its Chairman, Chief Tunde Ayeni, and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Oguntayo.

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Gombe flags off vaccination against pneumococcal diseases

The Gombe State government has flagged off the administration of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in the state.

Speaking at the flag off of the program in Gombe on Saturday, the Executive Secretary, Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Ahmed Gana said that about 800,000 children under the age of five die from pneumococcal disease in developing countries annually, according to the World Health Organization, WHO.

He disclosed that in Nigeria alone, about 177,000 children under age five die from pneumonia yearly, accounting for 16 per cent of deaths within the age group.

“The introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Nigeria will avert estimated 173,225 deaths. Immunization with PCV is a safe and effective means of protecting children against many strains of the pneumococcal disease, which will occur less frequently in immunized children,” he said.

Gana identified other ways of effectively preventing  pneumococcal infection as hand washing, exclusive breast-feeding, reduction in indoor air pollution and zinc supplementation.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Director of Immunization in the state , Mr. Musa Ibrahim Kuna, said that the new vaccine would be used in the routine immunization of babies from 6 weeks of birth -10weeks and up to 14 weeks.

Kuna explained that up to 1039 health workers from public and private clinics have been trained on the new vaccine which will be administered in the 11 Local Government Areas of the state.

He disclosed that Gombe was among the eight states  selected by the National Primary Health Care Devolvement Agency in collaboration with some other partners for participation in the program.

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PSC sacks 21 AIGs in shakeup (see the full list)

The Police Service Commission, PSC has announced the compulsory retirement of 21 Assistant Inspectors-General of Police.

The move is said to be aimed at avoiding conflict in the police force since the now retired AIGs are senior in rank to the newly appointed Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris.

The retirement of the AIGs was announced in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by PSC's Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr Ikechukwu Ani.

“The Police Service Commission has approved the retirement of 21 Assistant Inspectors General of Police who were senior to the new acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, before his appointment.

"The other affected AIGs are Bala A Hassan; Yahaya Garba Ardo; Irmiya F. Yarima; Danladi Y. Mshebwala; Tambari Y. Mohammed; Bala Magaji Nasarawa; Musa Abdulsalam; Adisa Bolanta; Mohammed J. Gana; and Umaru Abubakar Manko.

"Others are Lawal Tanko; Olufemi A. Adenike; Johson A Ogunsakin; Adenrele T. Shinaba; James O. Caulcrick; Olufefemi David Ogunbayode; Edgar T. Nanakumo; Kalafite H. Adeyemi; Patrick D. Dokumor and Sabo Ibrahim Ringim.

"The Chairman of the commission, Sir, Dr. Mike Mbama Okiro, congratulated the affected officers for their meritorious service to the nation and wished them well in their new endeavours.”

A source at the PSC explained the rationale for the sweep out of the senior police officers.

“The retirement became necessary in order to avert crisis in the police hierarchy because there is no way these AIGs can be taking orders or directives from their junior.

“This is not a new practice, the same yardstick had been applied before in the Nigeria Police.”

The sudden retirement is said to have come as a disappointing shock to the affected officers who were looking forward to their promotion to the next rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police.

“The sudden retirement of these good hands might discourage diligence in the service. I think the PSC ought to be more tactical in its retirement benchmarks and decisions," said a source.

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How ex-Minister used housemaid's account to launder N2.5b - EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has disclosed that a former Minister has been using her housemaid's account to launder looted funds. The anti graft agency said that at the time it made the discovery, about N2.5b was found in the account.

The EFCC said that investigations revealed that the ex-Minister opened the account to which she is the sole signatory in her domestic servant's name in order to conceal her tracks.

An anonymous source spoke on the investigations.
“Our findings indicated that the ex-female minister opened an account in the name of her housemaid and with her photograph. But the signature in the account is that of the ex-minister.

“At the time we made the discovery, over N2.5billion was in the account. But the volume of transactions in the account has been huge.

“We are suspecting that the ex-minister did not put the housemaid in the picture of what she wanted to do with her passport photograph.

“We have established that the ex-minister has been drawing funds from the said account. We have retrieved records of all transactions by the ex-Minister. We will soon bring her to justice no matter how long it takes to follow due process.”

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