Omoluwa moved N1.5bn of DSO fund Buhari to open EFCC’S anti- into fixed deposit account – banker Page 11 corruption summit Page 5 ...ensuring public accountability CR CorruptionVOL. 1 NO. 18 REPORTER Monday, June 10th, 2019 www.corruptionreporter.com @corruptionrep [email protected] Court adjourns FG’s $406.7m debt recovery suit against Shell until June 19 Page 13 EXCLUSIVE Lawan, Gbaja Coasting To Victory, As National Assembly Members Elect Find Cash Offers And Promises Of Juicy Committees Impossible To Refuse PAGE 4 OPINION Page 7 Buhari finally accepts Onoghen’s As Saraki goes into retirement, wants five new Supreme political purgatory Court judges appointed Page 17 ...ensuring public accountability CR Monday, June 10th, 2019 Corruption 2 REPORTER ...ensuring public accountability CR Corruption Monday, June 10th, 2019 3 REPORTER EDITORIAL DAAR group shutdown by NBC: the role of the media remains CorruptionCR to report news regardless of REPORTER whose ox is gored EDITORIAL TEAM PUBLISHER n 6th June of acceptability of its the livelihoods of such Idris Abiodun Usman 2019, the policies and programmes, a number of people nation received while the people are at a time when the the shocking able to air their views job numbers do not Onews of the “indefinite to the government. The make or good reading CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD shutdown” of the media has often found is tantamount to the Majeed Dahiru Daar Communications itself on collision course government of the day PLC owned AIT/Ray with the authorities, in shooting itself in the Power FM stations, carrying out its function foot. The government over what the of letting the governed must caution its EDITOR National Broadcasting know what is happening agents and agencies to Mohammed Basah Commission (NBC) in the government, while avoid presenting the termed, broadcasting some governments have impression that Nigerian that “is patently partisan preferred to keep the law enforcement is a and one sided and people in darkness. In means of punishment deliberately inciting and Nigeria the media was a rather than creating GROUP NEWS EDITOR heating up the polity”. major resistance block security for investment to Femi Lawson While we wouldn’t during the long and grow and thrive to engage begrudge the regulator brutal dictatorships the more of our country’s its right to maintain country had to live with unemployed citizens professionalism and from 1983 to 1999, while For all the negative INT’L CORRESPONDENT standards in the the media has played a reportage that Daar Willem Vermeer industry, this step by major role in bringing group was accused the NBC seemed to be many scandals to the of distributing and classic Nigerian case of fore during the course promoting, the killing a mosquito with a of the fourth democratic government of the WEBMASTER canon, while confronting republic. day has been guilty of Benedict Aguele elephants with bare To attempt to penalize spreading even more hands. AIT/Ray Power over, in an attempt to deride The Buhari among other things, the work of their administration has had viewer generated content predecessors and to think PHOTO EDITOR a less than stellar record was an overkill and an Nigerians wouldn’t follow Emmanuel Kenny Bako in its relationship with attempt to muzzle the the cue would have been the media over its four voices of the people. foolhardy. Thankfully year life and the next In America the media Daar group has gone to four, judging by this is clearly divided along court and secured an PAGE PLANNER forward move, do not partisan lines with CNN, injunction that restores Xtanlee Uche Echidi portend well for the New York Times and the status quo, while the fourth estate of the Washington Post being substantive merits of realm. The world over, clearly left leaning while its case and the defence even though the media the likes of Fox News of the government are doesn’t have legal powers tend to favour the right. heard. The government MISSION STATEMENT of making, implementing President Donald Trump, has equally complied, or interpreting the law, who has received more allowing broadcasts the media is recognized bashing than any of his to return fully. The Where feeble minds as the fourth estate predecessors, has taken Government of the compromise integrityand of the realm due to its on the CNN frontally day must show itself ability to inform and rather than attempting to be more receptive to dignityand refuse to speak influence people around to ban the station from criticisms and welcome out, we will lift our voices in contemporary issues airing. negative feedback so as to defence of Nigeria and its confronting societies. A cursory look a the better serve the people in people against corruption, The media and the number of Nigerians accord with its mandate. government in an ideal whose jobs and The media must be inpunity, bad governance setting ought to be businesses would have allowed unencumbered and those who trample the partners in progress, been affected by this ability to perform its role laws of our land under their serving as a feedback ban on AIT shows that of providing feedback feet. mechanism for the entire action was for government to better government to feel the not clearly thought deliver services to the pulse of society in terms out, as taking away citizens. ...ensuring public accountability CR 4 Monday, June 10th, 2019 Corruption COVER REPORTER Exclusive: Lawan, Gbaja coasting to victory, as National Assembly members elect find cash offers and promises of juicy committees impossible to refuse he Leadership of the 9th 40thousand Dollars to all members- National Assembly has been a elect who committed to voting for the major issue among the political Gbaja/Wase ticket”. The source also class since the conclusion of the confirmed that some who resisted, “like Tgeneral elections on March 9th 2019, one member from the north central with all the horse trading and high level region who has a great deal of influence negotiating that characterizes such over the votes of the caucus, was told matters. The leadership APC, the ruling that the ant graft agencies would be party which won majority of seats in sent after him over some questionable both houses, fired the first salvo when business dealings in the past. This is it declared that the party had settled the strategy that has been used to gain for Sen. Ahmed Lawan (representing more members to the party’s preferred Yobe North Senatorial District) and ticket”. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Goje in, Goje out Lagos state), as Senate President and In the race for the Senate Presidency, Speaker House of Representatives Senators Ali Ndume of Borno and respectively. Danjuma Goje of Gombe, had earlier Nigerians would recall that both men thrown their hats into the ring. While were the choice of the party for the 8th the Distinguished Senator Ali Ndume Assembly leadership, which would would stay on in the race, claiming to later go to Senator Bukola Saraki and have the support of the majority of Hon. Yakubu Dogara, causing major Senators, Senator Goje withdrew from disagreement and divisions among the race just days to the contest, even the rank and file of the party. The though he had insisted he was in it for Senate President Saraki would go on good and wouldn’t stand down. to weather several legal battles, which In a strange turn of events, less he claimed were not unconnected to than 24hours after announcing he his ambition to lead the senate and Democratic Party’s members-elect even at that, our campaign is more had stepped down for Sen. Lawan, his initial opposition to the party positions of chairmen and deputy aggressive towards poaching the PDP Senator Goje’s 25billion Naira fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket for chairmen of committees if he is elected members than the aggression of the embezzlement case which EFCC had the 2015 Presidential elections. The the Speaker of the Ninth House of PDP members trying to poach our been prosecuting for the last 8years party leadership seems determined Representatives on Tuesday. members”. was taken over by the office of the to avoid the mistakes that led to its The Director-General of the Femi “As it is today, the reality of the Attorney General’s office. At a hearing chosen candidates failing to pick up Gbajabiamila /Ahmed Wase Campaign matter is that the PDP has been split of the case in a Federal High Court in the plum jobs. Organization, Abdulmumin Jibrin, into two factions. We have been open Jos, a representative from the Ministry disclosed this in an interview with in negotiating with both factions. of Justice announced that the Ministry Senators-elect endorse Ahmad journalists in Abuja on Saturday. Jibrin We have sealed a deal with one of the would be taking over the prosecution of Lawan for senate president said the 60 PDP members had accepted factions and we are still talking with the matter from the EFCC’s prosecutor. As at the time of writing, the makeup the offer and have started working the other faction. A source who was privy to the meeting of the Senators-elect for the 9th senate with their colleagues in the ruling All “We are only doing that as a safety Senator Goje had at the Villa, informed are as follows: Progressives Congress to ensure that net. We do not need the whole of the our reporter that “Sen. Goje agreed APC - 62 Gbajabiamila, who is the preferred PDP members to win the election. In to withdraw, if among other things, PDP - 44 candidate of the party, emerged the fact, we may not even need a vote from his corruption case is withdrawn by YPP - 1 winner.