President Muhammadu Buhari has again declared that his administration was winning the war against corruption in the country.

He said the successes recorded so far by anti-graft agencies, especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had bolstered Nigeria’s international image.

Buhari added that his government was poised to use cutting-edge information technology to strengthen the achievements and ensure that no government financial transaction was done in secret.

He assured that he would work towards making sure that reforms were deepened in such a way that there would be no hiding place for looters.

The President stated these on Tuesday in Kaduna at the Passing out parade of  Detective Inspector Course Five, of the EFCC.

Buhari said: “The fight against corruption is becoming much more effective. I make bold to say that Nigeria is winning the war against corruption. We have been working within the frameworks of National Action Plan for Open Government Partnership (OGP), National Anti-Corruption Strategy which is an adaptation of United Nations Convention against Corruption and the Global Forum for Asset Recovery (GFAR).

“Several of the reforms have been effective for several years with great impact on revenue and expenditure management. These include; the Government Integrated, Financial and Management Information System (GIFMIS), Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), Treasury Single Account, and Bank Verification Number (BVN).

“Executive Orders, such as Preservation of Suspicious Assets Connected with Corruption (Executive Order 6), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) Act 2018; and Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 2018 have been operating for a few years and effectively limiting system opportunities for corrupt practices.

“This administration, right from the inception, aligned with the Open Governance Partnership and Global Forum for Asset Recovery in addition to existing commitments to African Union and Economic Community of West African States’ Conventions Against Corruption, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

“These frameworks focus significantly on systems reforms in order to prevent corruption. Nigeria’s active participation in these global anti-corruption platforms means that the country is subjecting itself to periodic review of its progress in implementing the articles of conventions thus the fight against corruption.

”Our fight against corruption is being recognised by the international community as real and effective. The face of the country abroad is also changing as the international community is beginning to see Nigeria making substantial progress in the enthronement of transparency, accountability and good governance.

“The President of the 7th Session of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) had this to say when announcing Nigeria as Vice Chairman of the Conference of State Parties: ‘It is an election well-deserved. Nigeria has demonstrated remarkable determination in the fight against corruption.’ Nigeria retained the position of vice-chair of the 8th Session.

“During the 10th Session of the Conference of State Parties, the Implementation Review Group Report also noted the high number of Asset Recovery cases successfully initiated by Nigeria in cooperation with other countries under the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) framework.”

Stressing that his administration was poised to use cutting-edge information technology to combat administrative corruption and espouse fiscal transparency, Buhari explained that all government financial transactions would soon be done in the open with the implementation of the various reform agenda.

The President noted that the various national reforms and collaborative efforts with international organisations were designed to strengthen anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria.

His words: “My resolve is to ensure that the reforms are deepened such that there will be no hiding place for corrupt persons and proceeds of corruption. My aim is to ensure that no government financial transaction is done in secret and all are subjected to public scrutiny.

“The objective of this administration is to institute a level of transparency in governance through mainly information technology platforms. Just as advanced democracies and some developing countries, I am determined that within a short period, citizens would be able to follow core government operations on line.

“Our government has reached an advanced stage in Fiscal Transparency. The Appropriation Bill is placed online within hours of its presentation in National Assembly. The Budget Office of the Federation has been engaging interest groups in the budget cycle. A pilot scheme of 10 MDAs has been testing running online display of their budgets and expenditure movements.

“Our commitment to online disclosure of Beneficial Owners of Companies generally within the framework of the Corporate Affairs Commission and in the extractive industries through Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is on course.

“I am aware the portals are ready but owners of companies are unwilling to comply with all disclosure requirements. I urge all well-meaning Nigerians to fully comply.”

The President said he was “determined that recovered assets are effectively managed with greater impact on fiscal operations of government and social investment policies of our administration.”

He praised efforts of the EFCC in making the war against corruption effective.

He added: “I have listened attentively to the report in the speech presented by the Chairman of EFCC. The report is an attestation that right policies have been put in place to fight corruption and the fight is becoming much more effective.

“I congratulate the EFCC on its good work and I urge that the current level of success be sustained and accelerated.”

Buhari also expressed happiness that the EFCC was making steady progress by the recruitment, training and deployment of a special force of 665 cadets to its zonal offices within the past two years.

In his opening remarks, the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu stated that corruption was deadlier than cancer, coronavirus, Ebola virus and Lassa fever.

He also said the commission secured 1,893 convictions between 2015 and December 2019.

Magu added:  “Corruption is worse than cancer, Ebola virus, coronavirus and all other deadly diseases put together. Corruption is responsible for the insecurity and other vices experienced in Nigeria today and if we can remove corruption from our system, insecurity will disappear.

”In 2015, 103 convictions were secured. By 2016, 195 convictions were recorded, 314 convictions   in 2018 and over 1,281 convictions   in 2019.”

Magu also said that the commission was “currently developing its Statement of Strategy for 2020 to 2025, in line with the five pillars of National Anti-Corruption Strategy.”

He added that the EFCC, with the support of development partners, has built one of the best investigative laboratories in West Africa.

The laboratories, according to him,   have aided investigators and prosecutors in achieving accuracy and deployment of “incontrovertible” evidence in courts.

Nigeria rakes in between N5 billion and N6 billion daily from imports since the closure of its land borders with neighbouring countries.

Prior to the closure in August 2019, daily duty collections hovered between N4 billion and N5 billion, said the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in Lagos on Tuesday.

The NCS Comptroller-General Col. Hammed Ali (retd.) attributed the rise to increased activities at the nation’s seaports.

”The NCS daily collection before the border closure ranged between N4 to N5 billion but now, the NCS collects N5billion to N6 billion daily as a result of the rise in activities at the nation’s seaports,” Ali said on Tuesday at a forum on the “impact of land border closure on the Nigerian economy.”

The forum was organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and the support of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Lagos.

The Customs boss, who was represented by the ACG/Zonal Co-ordinator, Zone A, KayCee Ekekezie, also said the border closure had led to a 30 per cent drop in fuel hitherto supplied by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for local consumption.

He added that the sums being realized from the ports would help the Federal Government provide more infrastructures and add fillip to critical sectors of the economy.

His words: “This (money) will be used to build more infrastructure and develop critical sectors of the nation’s economy. The border drill has also curbed the diversion of petroleum products from Nigeria to our neighbouring countries. NNPC records show a 30 per cent drop in fuel consumption, which means that we have been subsidizing fuel for neighbouring countries.”

Ali also stated that before the border closure, NCS had engaged the customs of neighbouring countries severally, drawing their attention to the need to comply with ECOWAS protocols on the transit of goods and persons.

He said: “The protocol demands that when a transit container berths at a seaport, the receiving country is mandated to escort same without tampering with the seal to the border of the destination country.

”Unfortunately, experience has shown that our neighbours do not comply with the protocol, rather they break the seals of containers on transit to Nigeria at their ports and transload the goods in open trucks which belongs to their country. The trucks will, in turn, make entry into Nigeria and trans load same onto Nigerian trucks.”

The President of LCCI, Mrs Toki Mabogunje, said the border closure has had positive and negative implications for the economy.

“We have seen an appreciable increase in domestic rice and poultry products production and decrease in fuel smuggling to neighbouring countries. The directive paid off for the NCS as revenue generated by the agency increased to N1.34 trillion in 2019 from N1.2 trillion in 2019” she said.

On the flip side, she said, the closure has triggered inflationary pressures through rising food prices. She added that food inflation continues to uptrend, hitting a record 14.7 per cent in December 2019, the highest in 20 months.

She said the policy had also led to unplanned losses for manufacturers, especially those who export their products by road.

The Advisor, Borderless Alliance, Mr Caleb Omoyiola, said the policy had resulted in increased internally generated revenue, rise in consumption of local products and reduction in smuggling.

On the negative side, according to him, is a breach of ECOWAS protocols/rules of integration and free movement of persons, goods and transport within the region.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr Muhammad Babandede, has said that only President Muhammadu Buhari could determine when the borders would reopen.

Babandede spoke at a news conference on NIS infrastructural projects validation and execution nationwide on in Abuja yesterday.

He said: “The borders are partially closed and this is in line with the ECOWAS rules where you must have valid travel documents.

“You must enter through legal routes and with valid documents and not illegally.”

Babandede emphasised that the visa on arrival policy was not at variance with the border drills, saying that the increase in the number of visas from six to 79 was to enable appropriate endorsement based on request.

He said that it was also to cover a wide range of professions, skills, and areas of expertise and a platform for reciprocating in line with diplomatic practices globally.

“The visa is not free, payment is done online. Biometric capture is carried out at the point of issuance and due diligence is observed in a manner that will not compromise national security and in line with international best practices,” he added.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday re-arraigned six public officials allegedly involved in police pension scam to the tune of N64. 6 billion in an FCT High Court Maitama.

Those re-arraigned are Atiku Abubakar Kigo; Ahmed Inuwa Wada; Mrs Veronica Ulonma Onyegbulam; Sani Habila Zira; Mrs Uzoma Cryril Attang and Christian Madubuke.

They were first arraigned before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, with the case number FCT/CR/64/2012 in 2013 on a 20-count charge bordering on conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

They were then arraigned alongside Esau Dangabar, who died on July 24, 2019, in the course of the hearing. In view of Dangabar’s death, EFCC on October 17, 2019, filed a motion before the court for amendment of charge with a view to removing the name of the first defendant from the charge.

EFCC told the court that the further amended charge was in pursuant to Section 216 and 218 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

The defendant could not take their plea as counsel for the third defendant, Earnest Ikeji, drew the attention of the court to the inclusion of the name of John Yakubu Yusufu, who was convicted for the crime in 2012.

On resumed sitting of the case, the prosecuting counsel, Mr Oluwaleke Atolagbe, urged the court to admit the further amended charge dated and filed on Feb. 17.

He prayed also that the charge is read to the defendants for them to take their plea.

When the 18-count further amended charge bordering on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, receiving gratification and disobedience of government directive was read to the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty.

EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired between January 2008 and June 2011 to commit criminal breach of trust by public officers in respect of the sum of N20. 1 billion.

The offence the anti-graft said was punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532, Laws of the FCT, Nigeria 2007.

They were also alleged to have between January 2009 and June 2011 knowingly disobeyed the order contained in the Federal Government Treasury Circular dated October 22, 2008, lawfully promulgated by the Accountant-General of the Federation.

The EFCC further alleged that the defendants converted N20.1 billion belonging to the Police Pension Office to their own use.

This offence is punishable under Section 309 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532, Laws of the FCT, Nigeria 2007, among other charges.

Following their not-guilty plea, Atolagbe asked for a date for continuation of trial, which was not opposed by all the counsel for the defendants.

Baba-Yusuf then adjourned the case until March 25 and April 21 to April 22 for the continuation of hearing.

Veteran Nollywood actress, Patience Oseni has died.

The actress died on Monday, February 17, 2020, in Calabar, Cross River State. Her daughter, Augusta Akomolafe confirmed the actress’ death to the National President of AGN, Ejezie Emeka Rollas.

Oseni was a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and the organization is mourning her demise.