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NDDC IN A MULTIBILLION NAIRA CONTRACT SCAM. + ALL THE DOCUMENTS THAT EXPOSED THEM

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The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is reeking of a multibillion naira scam involving the board and top management of the agency.

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Documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES show that the board and management of the commission violated a directive by former President Goodluck Jonathan on probity and accountable handling of funds.

Mr. Jonathan had on December 16, 2013, while inaugurating the Bassey Ewa Henshaw-led board at the Aso Rock Villa, cautioned against the award of fresh contracts until all ongoing ones are completed.

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“A body like NDDC should not just go into a voyage of contracts procurement but ongoing projects must be completed for people to benefit before new ones are awarded,” Mr. Jonathan had said.

“There are just too many ongoing projects and we believe that you don’t even have enough manpower to manage the ongoing projects.”

The president also hinted at financial impropriety by previous managements of the NDDC, saying, “If you aggregate the total amount of money the Federal Government has spent on this agency, (it) is enormous. And I don’t believe on ground that we have something to show.”

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“The former board at a time had to be dissolved because instead of the board to work with the management to make sure that people from the area benefit from the NDDC, they were busy quarrelling over money.”

But this newspaper can authoritatively report that the commission not only jettisoned Mr. Jonathan’s directive, but it brazenly abused the nation’s procurement law.

Two weeks after it was inaugurated, the commission awarded a curious contract for what it called intelligence gathering, management and mitigation in all the senatorial districts in the nine states within the region.

To circumvent the Public Procurement Act 2007, the commission was said to have split the job into 30 lots and awarded to political gladiators and cronies of board members and top management staff.

A total of N2.7billion was doled out to 30 companies for the contracts, described as spurious by some insiders.

There are claims that some of the firms that benefited from the contracts are not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as prescribed by the Nigerian Companies and Allied Matters Act. But that could not be independently verified by PREMIUM TIMES Friday.

In each of the nine catchment states, a total N299.2million was spent on the contract with each contractor in a senatorial district getting N99.7million.

In the execution of the jobs, contractors served as both consultants and executors of the contract.

The jobs emanated from the office of the head of the security department through the Executive Director, Projects, Tuoyo Omatsuli, to the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Henry Ogiri.

Approval for the payment of the contractors was conveyed via an internal memo, dated December 15, 2014.

Some of the companies that benefited included Osmoserve Global Limited, Merryl Finch Limited, Viva Guarantees Limited, Actinum Limited, Virgin Logistics Limited, Wright Integrated services Limited, among others.

Again on February 25, 2014, the Managing Director, Dan Abia, awarded a N882million contract, above his statutory approval limit of N2.5million, for the purchase of 40 luxury vehicles.

The contract was awarded to Automatt Global Services, located at 167 Aba Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with a Local Purchase Order, LPO, no: 15301.

The order included 18 Toyota Hilux 4×4 pickup vans, two armoured LX570 Lexus jeeps, two regular LX570 Lexus SUVs, two armoured Toyota V8 Land Cruiser SUVs and 16 regular Toyota V8 Land Cruiser SUVs.

The Toyota Hilux van, which was bought by the commission at N156.5 million, with each costing N8.7million is sold for N6.5million at Carmudi, an online car shop.

Equally, a regular Toyota V8 Land Cruiser SUV, which was supplied to the commission at N27.9 million each, sells for N18.5million at Carmudi while a regular Lexus LX570 SUV which it got for N32.4million is sold for N22.5 million at Carmudi.

PREMIUM TIMES could not get the exact prices of the armoured vehicles but dealers, who spoke on the issue, insisted that the NDDC quotes were outrageous.

The vehicles where bought even when the commission has surplus in its garages and even gives away to top politicians across the country.

The commission also awarded contracts for the purchase of vehicles for the police commands in the catchment area at N12.5 billion.

Police commands in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo and Delta states benefited from the security vehicle contract.

However, instead of routing the contract through the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Federal Executive Council as mandated by the procurement law, the commission was said to have split the job into 12 slots and awarded each at the cost of N985 million.

A source in the commission, who asked not to be named because he is not empowered to speak on the matter, confided in this newspaper how a contract for the acquisition of waste disposal trucks worth over N1.6 billion was awarded against the provisions of the procurement law.

“The contract was split among 85 companies and each got close to one hundred million,” said the source.

“You can see from the local purchase order for the purchase of the 40 luxury vehicles that was awarded to a Port Harcourt-based automobile firm that the NDDC does not obey relevant laws of the land.”

Attempts to speak with the commission’s managing director, Dan Abia, failed as he would neither answer calls nor respond to a text message sent to him.

However, when contacted on the telephone, the commission’s spokesperson, Ibitoye Abosede, said, “I am not aware of all these things. Is the NDDC the only place you are supposed to report? I am not aware of these things you are talking about. Thank you.”

Here are the documents below:

NDDC 10NDDC 11NDDC 12

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Sahara weekly online is published by First Sahara weekly international. contact saharaweekly@yahoo.com

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COURT DISMISSES LAND SUIT AGAINST NIGERIAN BREWERIES

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COURT DISMISSES LAND SUIT AGAINST NIGERIAN BREWERIES

COURT DISMISSES LAND SUIT AGAINST NIGERIAN BREWERIES

 

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The Imo State High Court of Oru Judicial Division sitting at Mgbidi and presided over by his Lordship Hon. Justice Onyekachi has dismissed Suit No. HOU/71/2019, which was instituted by Chijioke Nwadika against
Nigerian Breweries Plc in the said suit, the claimant Mr. Chijioke Nwadika prayed the court to declare that the entire Ama Ogbejelem farm land at Awo-omamma in Imo State where Nigerian Breweries Plc constructed it’s drainage for waste disposal at its Awo-omamma
Breweries plant belongs to him and his family.

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COURT DISMISSES LAND SUIT AGAINST NIGERIAN BREWERIES

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The claimant also sought the court to order Nigerian Breweries Plc. to remove the drainage system from the land and pay the sum of N500,000,000 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as damages for unpaid
royalty, and destruction of the family’s economic trees as a result of disposal of waste through the drainage that runs through the claimant’s
farm land as claimed.

The claimant Mr. Chijioke Nwadika was represented through-out the
Suit by his counsel Damian Uneze Esq. who urged the court through his
submission to grant the reliefs. Dr A.A Orunkoya Esq counsel to Nigerian Breweries Plc vehemently challenged the claims of the claimant and urged the court to dismiss the suit on grounds that the
claimant failed to prove with empirical evidence the ownership of the and where Nigerian Breweries is situate or any part of it where the
drainage system of Nigerian Breweries passed.

It was his contention
that the claim of Mr. Chijioke Nwadika is predicated on tittle; hence the onus was on him to prove ownership of the land before he can be
entitled to any other relief or claim for damages connected to the land.
Dr. A.A Orunkoya Esq. further informed the court that the claim of Mr. Chijioke Nwadika was statute barred as the entire suit was centered on
a contract he purported his father had with Nigerian Breweries in 1983
whereas the action was instituted in 2019 in breach of limitation of
Action Laws that requires actions founded on breach of contract to be
instituted within six years.
The trial judge Hon. Justice Onyedikachi after considering the argument
and evidence put before the court dismissed the suit in favour of Nigerian Breweries Plc. Dr. A.A. Orunkoya Esq defence counsel to
Nigerian Breweries Plc while addressing the press after the judgment,
reiterated that the judgment has further rekindled the hope of investors and corporate organizations to invest in rural communities.

He stated that private companies are usually sued by unscrupulous
persons in their host communities thereby discouraging investors.
Dr. A.A Orunkoya Esq. further stated that the suit of Mr. chijioke
Nwadika was capable of frustrating the continuous existence of the Nigerian Breweries in Awo- Omamma but because the claims lack
merit, the court appreciated the issues of law that was canvassed as a defence and entered judgment in favour of Nigerian Breweries by dismissing the suit.

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Palliatives: Dangote donates 80,000 bags of rice to Lagos residents

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Palliatives: Dangote donates 80,000 bags of rice to Lagos residents

 … Sanwo-Olu says Dangote prioritize Nigerians’ welfare above profit

 

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The Aliko Dangote Foundation, (ADF) has flagged off the distribution of 80,000 10kg bags of rice to the vulnerable in Lagos state.

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President of Dangote Group and Chairman of the foundation, Aliko Dangote, noted that the gesture is part of the over one million 10kg bags of rice that would be distributed to reach one million vulnerable people in the 774 local government areas of the country.

 

 

 

 

Speaking at the flag off in Alausa, Dangote, said the distribution of the 80,000 bags of 10kg rice is another demonstration of the foundation’s commitment to upholding the values of compassion and solidarity that are at the core of humanity.

Noting that the distribution of the rice is in addition to the daily distribution of 12,500 loaves of bread in Lagos, Dangote stressed that with the initiative, the foundation aspires to ameliorate some of the burdens faced by vulnerable communities across Lagos State.

In his remarks, Governor of Lagos state,  Babajide Sanwo-Olu, applauded the many initiatives of Dangote to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians, while praiseing him for showing compassion to the needy in the society.

Sanwo-Olu said the gesture of distribution of 80,000 bags of 10kg rice shows that the leadership of the Foundation prioritize the welfare of the people beyond the pursuit of profit and accumulation of wealth.

The Governor said: “Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian that has chosen to be different. You have choices but you have made the right one which is caring for the vulnerable. I appreciate Mr. Aliko Dangote for extending his kind gestures to the people at the bottom of the pyramid and we are grateful for supporting us in government. There is a lot of global disruption in different parts of the world, and it is a tough time to be in a position of leadership,” he said.

While encouraging other wealthy Nigerians to emulate Dangote, the Governor said the distribution of the rice would support the initiative of the state in addressing the effects of the economic hardship.

Justifying the food intervention in Lagos, Dangote said: “While our traditional Ramadan food distribution has been focused on the Muslim Community, we recognize that the current circumstances where a significant proportion of Nigerians across the nation are experiencing severe hardship due to the prevailing high prices of food, require that we broaden our program to cover communities of all faiths. This is why we are extending the Ramadan initiative to cover all the thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory as a testament to our commitment to supporting our communities in line with our core values and the spirit of the Holy Month of Ramadan,” he said.

The CEO of the ADF, Zouera Youssoufou, said the Foundation is partnering credible NGOs, civil societies, religious bodies among others to ensure the donations go to the most vulnerable in Lagos State.

She said the Foundation is guided by a vision of empowering Africans to achieve their self-actualization and full potential as it believes that every individual, regardless of their circumstances, deserves the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

“In times of hardship, it is imperative that we stand together as one nation, one community, extending a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in their time of need as we have done with our female empowerment programme in Lagos State which targeted 40,000 (Forty thousand) disadvantaged women,” she added.

Group Executive Director Commercial Operations at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Fatima Aliko-Dangote, noted that the flag off in Lagos is a follow-up to the 120,000 bags distributed in Kano on Saturday, said the intervention is targeted to reach the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.

“We have been doing this for a while but we didn’t publicize  it because  our chairman  believes  this is between him and God but this year we decided  to publicize  it so that we can encourage  and inspire others to do so.

“There are many other things the Dangote foundation is also doing. We are also serving 2,500 breads all over Lagos daily. We started this in 2020 during COVID-19. Also in our hometown in Kano, we have been doing breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past 35 years. The foundation has invested in many things. Years back, we gave women some money to be able to invest in their businesses,” she said.

Speaking further, Dangote noted that Lagos state holds a special place in the hearts of the Group, hosting two of its major investments – Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Dangote Fertiliser Plant.

He disclosed that the Dangote Group is also working on the nutrition agenda and has made significant strides in food fortification, investing in iodized salt and vitamin A fortified sugar. He stressed that the Group actively promotes food fortification within the Nigerian food industry and is exploring fortification methods for staples like rice and wheat and bouillon cubes to help ensure improved nutrition nationwide.

“At the heart of the Aliko Dangote Foundation lies a deep-seated belief in the importance of nutrition in human capital development. We understand that access to nutritious food is not only a basic human right but also a critical determinant of good health and well-being. By providing these modest bags of rice to those in need, we are not only looking to alleviate immediate hunger, but also investing in the long-term health and prosperity of our communities,” he added.

While commending Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu as a Governor with a penchant for overcoming adversity and enormous capacity in handling emergencies, Dangote urged other well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations to emulate the efforts to support the less privileged in the communities, especially during Ramadan, which is a time of self-reflection, empathy, and charity.

Palliatives: Dangote donates 80,000 bags of rice to Lagos residents

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NIFESAF ESUT Lagos Holds 4th Edition Of Business, Career Exposition

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The Lagos State Alumni Fellowship of Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFESAF) has held the fourth edition of its Business and Career Exposition programme themed ‘Maximizing Technology and Strategic Customer Loyalty For Sustainable Business Growth In Today’s Economic Condition’ on Saturday, 23rd of March, 2024 in Lagos.

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The programme which was basically for Small and medium-sized enterprises since its inception has served as a major platform for the promotion of Nigerian-owned businesses and created several opportunities for SMEs to thrive and have access to the world through the global reach of NIFESAF ESUT.

Just like the previous editions, the fourth edition wasn’t any different; it featured an avalanche of exhibitions by several Nigerian businesses with guests who were ready to patronize them and a huge platform to publicize their businesses.

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Some of the businesses involved in the exhibition include Finet Mobile, Purch Gadgets, Congratulations Corporate Events, Exceptional Intensive Vocational Training, Farmskills Limited, Jigsimur health drink, De Luxe flour, Royal Almonds, Ifiefruit, Ihubest trading enterprise, K-shape fashion designer, Zara Caps and Hats, Chee Havillah Royal Services Ltd, Lowan Enterprises, Mace Ventures, Arif Bureau, Davis Exotic Homes, Whiztech Global Ltd, Earthblend flavours, to mention but a few.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Global Body— Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES) ESUT Alumni Fellowship, Mr. Fred Nnadike, said the essence of the business exhibition was to support and build a community of excellent, Christians who would be role models in their respective careers.

Nnadike who urged believers under the umbrella to keep the faith alive equally charged them to uphold ethical standards, sound corporate governance, and avoid sharp practices in their respective professions and business endeavors as ardent followers of Christ.

“We want to encourage what we produce and link our entrepreneurs to the global space. SMEs are indispensable for economic growth and development. The government across board should do something urgently to revive the economy by making the environment conducive for businesses to thrive” he implored.

On his part, the Lagos State Chapter Chairman of the Fellowship, Mr Henry Nnadike, said the leadership of NIFESAF has often reminded the government that MSMEs are still the engine room of every strong economy.

“Government must address multiple taxation, epileptic power supply, dilapidated road network, and general scorching economic environment. Governments must be transparent in their reforms and interventions. Besides, we need informed ideas, programs, and policies that must be designed by the best brains. The government should learn to put the interest of the masses above their personal interest for posterity’s sake” he urged.

Similarly, the Vice Chairman of NIFESAF, Lagos Chapter, Mrs. Chika Idalah–Allison, called on the state and federal government to partner with NIFESAF and related organizations which are poised to promote skills and craftsmanship, particularly for youths.

“Government should partner with organizations promoting skills acquisition, innovation, human capital development, and creative industry. In NIFESAF we are under the mandate to support every entrepreneur under its umbrella even beyond.

Idalah – Allison told newsmen that she was able to travel to different countries for business purposes, not by her academic certifications but by the salability of her skills in artwork and design.

“Nigeria is our only country, we must build it because the world is waiting for us to step out, and that is what we must all do collaboratively, however, our education curriculum should be designed fit- for -purpose” she asserted.

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