– INEC admits some of its staff got over N3 billion as bribe in the 2015 general elections
– Royal Dutch Shell admits paying money to Malabu Oil and Gas for rights to oil bloc OML 245
– Wilfred Ndidi returns for Leicester City as his team plays Atletico Madrid tonight in the UCL
The Newspaper headlines on Wednesday, April 12, have focused on comments by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) that some of its staff got over N3 billion as bribe in the 2015 general elections, the Royal Dutch Shell admitting that paying money to Malabu Oil and Gas for rights to oil bloc, OML 245 ahead of other top stories.
According to The Punch, INEC has disclosed how some of its staff got over N3 billion as bribe in the 2015 general elections.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in a report detailed how about N23 billion was deployed to influence the elections, but INEC said its figure was arrived at after an in-house investigation of 282 of its serving and retired staff, including a former national commissioner and several Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs.
READ ALSO: Patience Jonathan explains why she withdrew cash from her account
Newspaper Headlines
Part of the statement reads: “The Commission met today to consider the report of its expanded Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee on the EFCC Interim Report on Bribery Corruption and Money Laundering Charges during the 2015 general elections.
“You may recall that late last year, the Commission received an Interim Report from the EFCC detailing allegations against 202 serving and retired INEC officials and staff in 16 States of the Federation. In furtherance of its zero tolerance for corruption in the electoral process, the Commission ordered a thorough investigation into the allegations to establish the culpability or otherwise of those named in the EFCC Report.
“The Committee’s work was thorough and painstaking, involving issuance of queries to the 202 staff mentioned in the Report and interviewing them individually in accordance with the principle of fair hearing and in consonance with INEC Staff Conditions of Service. As a result of initial findings of the Committee, an additional 80 serving officials of the Commission, who were not named in the EFCC report but whose names came up in the course of the investigation, were also queried and interviewed.
“Among other things the Committee found that there was a clear attempt to bribe INEC staff to influence the outcome of the 2015 general elections using an NGO, the West African Network of Election Observers (WANEO), made up mainly of retired senior INEC officials.”
In other news, Royal Dutch Shell has admitted paying money to Malabu Oil and Gas for rights to oil bloc, OML 245.
Malabu is owned by former Petroleum Minister, Chief Dan Etete.
Shell spokesman, Andy Norman, said the group had known the federal government “would compensate Malabu to settle its claim on the bloc.”
The company had previously said its payments from the 2011 deal went to the federal government.
According to Norman, while Shell knew that former Petroleum Minister, Dan Etete, was “involved” with Malabu, it had not confirmed that he controlled the company, Vanguard reports.
He said: “Over time, it became clear to us that Etete was involved in Malabu and that the only way to resolve the impasse through a negotiated settlement was to engage with Etete and Malabu, whether we liked it or not.”
Newspaper Headlines
However, former president Jonathan, in a statement by his spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, denied allegations that he received a bribe of $200 million as proceeds from the Malabu oil deal.
Moving on, non-oil exporters have threatened to cease exports till restrictions limiting access to their proceeds from the interbank market are removed, The Guardian reports.
The interbank market is the official window through which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) trades on the nation’s currency against its international counterparts.
READ ALSO: Magu will continue as EFCC chief, Osinbajo opens up
Newspaper Headlines
Efforts by the CBN to defend the Naira may become futile if an export-import balance is not addressed under the federal government’s fiscal agenda, as speculators continue to mop up the apex bank’s dollar intervention in the parallel markets.
Already, continued mopping up of the apex bank’s dollar intervention by speculators has led to the Naira depreciating further in value to N410 at the parallel market yesterday, April 11.
In the world of sports, Super Eagles’ star, Wilfred Ndidi will return to action tonight when his team Leicester City square up against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Complete Sports reports.
Ndidi who was missing in action over the weekend due to a groin injury, returns to the heart of Leicester City’s midfield with the instruction to stop Atletico Madrid’s talisman, Antoine Griezmann from wreaking havoc against the English champions.
Newspaper Headlines
Leicester City are the only English club remaining in the competition and many pundits believe this tie would be the furthest they will go in their maiden campaign in Europe’s elite club championship. But Craig Shakespeare’s men are no respecter of pedigree.
Ndidi and his mates are returning to Spain for a second time this season having dispatched another La Liga top team, Sevilla in the previous stage of the competition.
Catch these stories and many more on the pages of your favourite newspapers today, April 12
Watch this ZENITHBLOG.com video where a man regretted being a member of APC
0naze
No comments:
Post a Comment