21022018 - APC CRISIS LATEST :Governor demolishes senator's house

16—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018
Abia govt seals federal
varsity over tax offence
U MUAHIA—ABIA
State Board of
Internal Revenue, BIR,
Tuesday, sealed the
premises of the Michael
Okpara University of
Agriculture Umudike,
MOUAU, over alleged tax
default to the tune of over
N120 million.
According to Abia BIR,
the University owes N120,
751, 998. 28 being tax
deducted from staff but
was not remitted to the
state coffers by the
management of the
institution.
The BIR was
empowered to seal off the
institution by a court order
obtained, a copy of which
was sighted by this
reporter. The court order
was signed by Justice
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Kelvin Wosu of the Abia
High Court Umuahia.
As the sealing lasted,
both students and staff of
the university were
unable to gain entry into
the university after it was
sealed.
Attempts by some
aggrieved students of the
university to forcefully
gain entry into the
premises was prevented
by the management who
feared the repercussion.
The Public Relations
Officer of the university,
Mrs. Adanma Odefa
confirmed the incident but
refused to give details.
Also, a popular event
centre, WonderLand,
owned by Senator Chris
Adighje was also sealed
by BIR for allegedly
owing N7, 696,512.82.
Imo chief judge cautions against
self-help in dispute resolution
By Chidi Nkwopara
OWERRI—A plea has
gone to Nigerians to
resist the temptation of
adopting self-help in
resolving disputes.
The Chief Judge of Imo
State, Hon. Justice Paschal
Obinna Nnadi, gave the
advice while laying the
foundation stone of a High
Court Complex at
Attanwambiri in Njaba
Local Government Area of
the state.
“The dangers associated
with the adoption of self
help in resolving disputes
are many and varied. The
law will normally take it’s
full course if the laws of the
land is infringed upon. To
be on the safe side, it is
expedient to follow due
process”, Justice Nnadi
said.
While commending the
community for embarking
on the court project, Nnadi
also appealed to other
communities to emulate
Attanwambiri community,
especially as “ government
cannot do everything for
the people.
“The High Court
complex, when completed,
will midwife justice. Again,
where there is justice, peace
and development will reign
supreme. I have no doubt
that the structure you are
about to erect will bring
justice, peace and
development”, Justice
Nnadi said.
He then assured the
community that he will
promptly post a judge to
the place as soon as a
befitting court hall and
judge’s residence is in
place.
NCDMB holds career
workshop in Owerri
By Chidi
Nkwopara
O WERRI—The
Nigerian Content
Development and
Monitoring Board,
NCDMB, has appealed to
Imo State students, to
remain serious with their
studies “as the future of
Nigeria’s industrial sector
depends on them”.
The Executive Secretary
of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi
Wabote, gave the advice in
a message delivered on his
behalf by the Head,
Capacity Development
Unit of the establishment,
Engr. Sallahudeen
Muhammad, during the
opening of a one day
career workshop with
senior secondary school students
in Owerri.
“The theme of the
programme, Bridging the
gap in Nigeria’s industrial
sector: science, technology
and engineering to the
rescue, is most appropriate
at this time of our nation’s
history”, Wabote said.
He urged the students,
who were drawn from the
three senatorial zones of
the state, to know what they
want in life and be
determined to achieve it.
In his own lecture, the
Lead Trainer, Mr. Kola
Samuel, reminded the
students that the sciences
hold the nation’s future.
“You must help this nation
to achieve it’s potentials,"
he charged.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo condemns trial of
Innoson’s chairman on trumped up charges
...vows to move against bank
By Emeka
Mamah
E NUGU—THE
apex Igbo sociocultural
organiztion,
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has
flayed the trial of the
Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of
Innosons Group, Chief
Innocent Chukwuma over
alleged criminal offences in
a civil matter between him
and a commercial bank in
the country, saying that
Ndigbo would not tolerate
poor treatment of its people
in a bid to give their
competitors some edge
over them.
It, however, threatened to
review the patronage of
Ndigbo people to the
alleged offending bank or
any economic
establishment trying to
hound Chief Chukwuma.
This was contained in a
statement signed by the
Special Assistant to the
President General of
Ohanaeze Worldwide,
Chief Emeka Attamah, in
Enugu yesterday.
The Ohanaeze’s
statement read, “The
attention of Ohanaeze
Ndigbo has been drawn to
a court action instituted
against the Chief
Executive Officer and
Chairman of Innoson
Nigeria Limited, Chief
Innocent Chukwuma in
which he is being charged,
ostensibly, for obtaining
Customs documents
through fraudulent means.
“Cognisant of the fact that
the matter is in court and
without any pretense to the
veracity of the case or
otherwise, Ohanaeze
Ndigbo views the current
travails of Chief
Chukwuma as yet another
attempt at hounding
BIRTHDAY: Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike
Rotimi Amaechi; Mrs, Priscilla Otti; Dr. Alex Otti; and Anambra State
Governor, Willie Obiano, during the 53rd birthday of Dr. Alex Otti in
Victoria Island, Lagos.
another son of Igboland
who, out of personal
enterprise and dint of hard
work, has helped in
shaping the economic and
industrial fortunes of
Nigeria.
“The apex Igbo
organisation frowns at this
recent attempt to obfuscate
the clear court victory won
by Innoson’s Group in a
crucial suit against a
leading bank in the
country.
“This release views the
current twist in the whole
affair as a deliberate
attempt to put Chief
Chukwuma on the
defensive in a matter that
clearly vindicates him and
confers a lot of financial
advantage on him and taint
his reputation by
introducing a criminal
angle to an already settled
civil proceedings.
“Ohanaeze is carefully
studying this discriminatory
treatment of his adversaries
by the law enforcement
agents with a view to
reviewing the patronage of
our people to any economic
establishment found to be
associated in this new
criminal assault of Chief
Innocent Chukwuma.
“We will no longer be
prepared to do business
with any organisation that
denigrates the best of our
people.”
Court strikes out corruption charges against
former Gov Nnamani
By Innocent
Anaba
LAGOS—A Federal
High Court sitting in
Lagos, yesterday, struck
out all the proceedings in
relation to the trial of a
former Enugu State
governor, Dr. Chimaroke
Nnamani, over alleged
N5.3 billion fraud.
Trial judge, Justice
Chuka Obiozor, struck out
the proceedings at the
instance of the prosecuting
counsel, Mr. Kelvin
Uzozie, who had earlier
told the court of the
intention of the Economic
and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, to file
a new charge against
Nnamani and his former
aide, Sunday Anyaogu.
Both Nnamani and
Anyaogu are being
prosecuted by the EFCC
on charges of N5.3 billion
fraud.
At the resumed hearing
of the matter, yesterday,
Uzozie, told the court that
looking at the fact of the
case, the position of the
EFCC was to file a new
charge with new number,
against the two accused
persons.
Uzozie said the decision
to file a new charge against
the two accused persons
was based on the judgment
of Justice Mohammed
Yunusa delivered of July 7,
2017, on charge number
FHC/L/09C/07,
The prosecutor also told
the court that "as at today,
there was no charge
against Nnamani and his
aide before the court". He
therefore, urged the court
to strike out the entire proceedings
before the court.
Nnamani’s lawyer, Mr.
Rickey Tafa, SAN and
lawyer to the second
accused, Mr. Victor Obaro,
did not oppose this
prosecution’s application.
Fuel crisis: NNPC spends N1.8trn
on petrol import—Baru
By Michael Eboh
ABUJA—THE Nigerian
National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC,
yesterday, said since the
fuel crisis resurfaced across
the country late last year, it
has spent $5.8 billion (about
N1.8 trillion) to import 9.8
million metric tonnes of
Premium Motor Spirit,
PMS, to tackle the scarcity.
Group Managing
Director of the NNPC, Mr.
Maikanti Baru, stated this
during a public hearing by
the Senate Committee on
Public Accounts at the
National Assembly
complex.
Baru, who was
represented by the Chief
Operating Officer, Finance
and Accounts, Mr.
Abdulrazaq Isiaka, said the
NNPC carried out the
massive importation in
fulfilment of its statutory
role of supplier of last resort
to ensure Nigerians didn’t
suffer as a result of product
unavailability.
According to Baru, the
NNPC’s provision of 9.8
million metric tons of petrol
so far has helped a great
deal in ameliorating the
sufferings of Nigerians.
He said the NNPC’s
intervention became
necessary, following the
inability of the major and
independent marketers to
import the product because
of the high landing cost
which made cost recovery
and profitability difficult
owing to the regulated
price regime.
While assuring the public
of adequate product
supply, Baru, however,
pointed out that crossborder
smuggling due to
price disparity between
Nigeria and neighbouring
countries where a litre of
petrol sells above N350 per
litre as well as logistic issues
in trucking products to
different locations across
the country remained
serious challenges in the
quest for fuel queue-free
situation in the country.
Also speaking,
Chairman, Senate
Committee on Public
Accounts, Senator
Matthew Uroghide, noted
that the public hearing was
a part of the committee’s
duty to find lasting
solutions to the problem of
fuel scarcity in order to
make life easy for all
Nigerians.