News
N630 rent scam: CSO drags Saraki, Dogara, others to ICPC, Police
…Gives IGP 7 days ultimatum to arreast NASS leaders
A coalition of Civil Society organizations on the platform of Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), has petitioned the Inspector General of Police and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) over alleged financial theft to the tune of N630 million involving Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki, Speaker House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara and their deputies
The organisation has, however, given seven days ultimatum to arrest and persecute the National Assembly leaders over the allegation “or Nigerians will be mobilised to effect citizens arrest.”
The group had earlier made public that the National Assembly leaders allegedly used FCDA as a front under the guise of renting, renovation and furnishing of “fictitious official residences.”
In the two separate pettitions dated Friday 3rd February, 2017 and addressed to the Inspector General of Police and the ICPC chairman, CATBAN said “justice must be served, taxpayers’ money must be returned to the treasury, and everyone involved in this financial crime must be brought to book.”
The petition which was signed by the organisation’s co-convener Ibrahim Garba Wala, read:
3rd February 2017
Our Ref: CATBAN/NPF-PT-NASS-001
The Inspector General Nigeria Police Force, Federal Republic of Nigeria, FCT Abuja.
Sir,
PETITION TO INVESTIGATE, ARREST AND PROSECUTE THE FOUR (4) PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF OUR NATIONAL ASSEMBLE OVER THEFT OF N630 MILLION THROUGH FEDERAL CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (FCDA)
Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN) officially writes to demand an immediate investigation, arrest and prosecution of four (4) principal officers of National Assembly over criminal theft of Six Hundred and Thirty Million Naira (N630million) through false pretense at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
CATBAN is an investigative coalition of active and actionable civil society organizations that are ready to defend and fight against corruption and injustice in Nigeria.
In our continued efforts to prevent corruption and assist law enforcement agencies to bring culprits of criminal behavior to justice, CATBAN is hereby notifying you of a huge financial theft, fraud and corruption to the sum of N630,125,499.90 perpetrated by the principal officers of National Assembly in persons of Sen. Bukola Saraki (Senate President), Sen. Ike Ekweremadu (Deputy Senate President), Hon. Yakubu Dogara (Speaker, House of Representatives) & Hon. Yusuf Larsun (Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives) involving the use of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) as a front under the guise of renting, renovation and furnishing of ficticious official residences.
THE ALLEGATIONS
We thus hereby present details of the allegations as follows:
Sometime in the month of March 2016, the above mentioned four (4) principal officers of National Assembly clandestinely approached management of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to provide them with residential accommodation, being a follow up to an orchestrated plan perfected earlier by a loyal agent acting between the National Assembly and FCDA, to steal money through false accommodation request. To buttress the fact that these plans were perfected before the request, the speed & dispatch used in accepting, approving & disbursing hundreds of millions of naira for the so called residential accommodation was within 48hours.
The principal officers concerned presented companies that acted both as Estate Agents & Property Owners for the exercise, to which the huge funds were paid to by FCDA.
The companies are:
GOGETIT INVESTMENT LIMITED:
Account Number: 1013452206 Bank: Zenith Bank
Account Signatory: Orkuma Hembe
(Orkuma Hembe is brother to Hon. Herman Hembe, Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Committee of the House of Representatives)
LEGENDARK CONSULT LIMITED
Account Numbers: 0212119991, 0216710224 Bank: Guaranty Trust Bank
Account Signatory: Akpoti Felix Otaru
(Felix Akpoti is brother to Natasha Akpoti, and they own Builders Hub)
PITCH GLOBAL SERVICES
Accounts: Domiciled in First Bank & Skye Bank Account Signatory: Harrison Onyekachi Ogu
BREAK DOWN OF PAYMENT
SEN. BUKOLA SARAKI presented one of his properties acquired since he was Governor of Kwara State, located at No. 48 Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama District, Abuja and received the following sums:
Rent – N113,095,238.00 + N11,904,761.90 (VAT) Furnishing – N67,857,142.86 + N7,142,857.14 (VAT) Total – N199,999,999.90
HON. YAKUBU DOGARA presented one of his properties located at No.9 Persian Gulf Close, off Euphrates Street, Wuse 2, Abuja (recently constructed by A. A. Oil) and received the following sums:
Rent – N72,833,333.32 + N7,666,666. 68 (VAT) Furnishing – N63,146,500.00 + N6,647,000.00 (VAT) Total – N150,293,500.00
SEN. IKE EKWEREMADU presented no residential property, yet received as follows:
Rent – N90,476,190.76 + N9,525,809.24 (VAT) Furnishing – N45,084,285.72 + N4,745,714.28 (VAT) Total – N149,832,000.00
HON. YUSUF LARSUN also presented no residential property, yet received as follows:
Rent – N62,428,571.42 + N6,571,428.58 (VAT) Furnishing – N55, 190,476.18 + N5,809,523.82 (VAT) Total – N130,000,000.00
GRAND TOTAL OF PUBLIC FUNDS STOLEN – N630,125,499.90
CONTEXTUALIZING THE THEFT
The National Assembly as an independent arm of Government has all its statutory earnings and allowances properly fixed and spelt out by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Act, 2002. This same law gives the National Assembly the power and control over her own budget and expenditure, including payment of all forms of allowances, and according to the RMAFC the remuneration package for political, public and judicial office holders is calculated in relation to the percentages of their annual basic salaries. For example, each Nigerian Senator receives 150% of his/her annual basic salary as accommodation allowance while each member of our Federal House of Representatives gets same equivalent. This percentage is also applicable for their furniture allowances yearly.
In view of this, the appropriate accommodation allowance for the Senate President is Three Million, Seven hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira Only (N3,720,000.00) and that of his Deputy is Three Million, Four Hundred and Fifty One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira Only (N3,451,500.00). In the case of the Speaker of House of Representatives, his accommodation allowance is Three Million, Seven Hundred and Five Thousand Naira (N3,705,000.00) while his deputy is entitled to Three Million, Four Hundred and Thirty Five Thousand naira only (N3,435,000.00).
Our investigation reveals that, in spite the fact that these principal officers collected a total sum of N28, 623,000.00 being their legally approved rent & furniture allowances as stipulated by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Act & representing 300% of their annual basic salaries, they still went ahead to connive & fraudulently collect a whooping N630, 125,499.90 of taxpayers’ money from FCDA to share, claiming same for rent & furnishing.
As an organization that has sworn to fight graft & instill good governance in public service in Nigeria, we were faced with a difficult question after it emerged from our preliminary investigations that these Principal Officers of the National Assembly impressed it on the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to provide them with accommodation, knowing fully well that the Monetization Policy prohibits the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) or any agency of government from using taxpayers money to meet up to personal demands of public officers outside the provisions of the law.
The 8th Assembly has since inception collected N150 billion and N120 billion as her annual budgets respectively, through First Line Charge. In this same budget, monetized provision of accommodation for Principal Officers are categorically stipulated & specified which the Senate President & Speaker collect with no context from anyone.
The Principal Officers of the National Assembly therefore have no excuse whatsoever to go asking for money from FCDA in the name of accommodation. What they have done is false representation & extortion, in connivance with individuals in the agency, all to enable collection and sharing of “free money”.
WHAT CATBAN HAS UNCOVERED AND PRESENTED ABOVE IS NOT JUST A MERE CASE WHERE THESE PRINCIPAL OFFICERS FALSELY CLAIMED MONEY FROM FCDA ON THE GUISE OF SEEKING OFFICIAL ACCOMMODATION, BUT RATHER A CLEAR CASE OF ABUSE OF POWER, STEALING, CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY AND DECEPTIVE USE OF SEEKING ACCOMMODATION AS A PLOY TO ENRICH THEMSELVES WITH PUBLIC FUNDS.
DISPELLING CLAIMS OF FALSE PATRIOTISM
Contrary to the seeming humane posturing of Senator Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara, our investigation reveals that the leadership of National Assembly deliberately refused to allow N10billion meant for the completion of the construction of houses of Principal Officers being handled by Julius Berger to go through the budget because of their ploy to exploit it to their criminal benefit. The contract was as a courtesy by the FCT Administration to provide official residence for any sitting officer of the legislature, but instead, they cut the allocation to N1 billion in the budget even when they know very well that it cannot in anyway advance the construction work. This is because they have seen the chance to continue to use the accommodation demand to FCDA as a conduit pipe to loot the treasury. The National Assembly has continued to spend millions of Naira on the rent accommodation and guest houses (too numerous to mention, both in Abuja & Lagos) for the Principal Officers from the budget of the National Assembly, and still go to the FCDA to collect money for same exercise.
OUR DEMANDS
1. An open and clinical investigation into the fraud to uncover how such huge amount of money were hurriedly processed and paid within 48 hours.
2. Immediate arrest and prosecution of the four (4) principal officers of the National Assembly by the Nigeria Police Force.
3. Immediate arrest and prosecution of all those involved in the theft at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA)
4. Unconditional refund of our taxpayers’ money, stolen by these principal officers in connivance with their allies at the FCDA.
We expect that these culprits will be arrested within the next Seven (7) working days, failure to which CATBAN would be left with no option than to believe police needs citizens help to arrest them and as such, we will mobilize Nigerians to occupy the National Assembly and help police arrest them accordingly.
We are here to #TakeBackNigeria
Accept our warmest regards in your robust determination to not only effectively reposition the Nigerian Police Force, but to add real value to this administration in fighting graft & injustice irrespective of people involved.
Yours in National Service, FOR: CATBAN Coalition
Ibrahim Garba Wala
President of the Bloggers and Vloggers, Content Creators Association in Nigeria (BAVCCA), Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, has charged Nigerians on the need to protect Dangote Refinery, describing it as a “national asset that every citizen must protect, nurture, and defend against any form of sabotage or doubt.”
Chukwunyere made this declaration on Wednesday at BAVCCA’s National Secretariat in Abuja, following a visit by a 15-man delegation of the association to Dangote Industries in Lagos.
Adding that the visit to the Dangote Refinery was more than a familiarization tour but “a pilgrimage to witness firsthand the embodiment of Nigerian ingenuity, resilience, and vision.”
According to him, the team’s interaction with Dangote Industries’ Vice President, Mr. Edwin Devakumar, provided deep insight into the sacrifices and determination behind what he described as one of Nigeria’s greatest industrial achievements.
While recalling Devakumar’s powerful testimony about believing in Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s vision for the refinery, even when many investors doubted its feasibility.
“Despite the doubts from potential backers, Mr. Devakumar provided crucial support, backing Alhaji Dangote’s dream every step of the way,”
Chukwunyere said. “Alhaji Dangote himself made extraordinary sacrifices, selling most of his assets to fund the project amid those investor doubts.”
He said the refinery, valued at over $20 billion, was “a testament to this unyielding faith” and a model of how personal commitment can turn vision into reality.
Quoting Devakumar, he said Aliko Dangote’s motivation was rooted not only in business ambition but in a “deep prioritization of Nigerians’ well-being.”
“This passion fuels his endeavors, placing the welfare of our people at the heart of every decision,” he added.
The BAVCCA President noted that despite setbacks such as the closure of the Arewa Textile Industry in Kaduna, Dangote “persevered, keeping his vision alive against all odds.”
He described the refinery as the largest in the world, with the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, set to expand to 1.4 million barrels daily. The project, he said, has created over 65,000 jobs, saved billions in foreign exchange, and generated an estimated $55 billion in annual revenue potential.
Chukwunyere also highlighted the achievements of the Dangote Fertilizer Plant, which he said has “an impressive production capacity of 3 million metric tonnes per annum of urea,” positioning Nigeria as a key player in global agriculture.
During the visit, Chukwunyere said he personally expressed appreciation to the Dangote Group on behalf of BAVCCA and recounted the association’s efforts in defending the refinery against social media misinformation.
“We amplified the truth, countered misinformation, and rallied public support to ensure this vital project was not undermined,” he stated.
In response, he said, the Dangote Vice President “expressed his pleasure with the bloggers’ efforts and commended the good work being done by our community.”
The BAVCCA leader also announced that the association’s forthcoming national conference, scheduled for October 31 in Abuja, would highlight “the achievements of the Dangote Refinery, showcase the visionary behind it—Alhaji Dangote—and celebrate the transformative role of such initiatives in Nigeria’s development.”
He emphasized that content creators have a patriotic role to play in defending national investments.
“Dangote Industries is not just about refining petroleum; it’s about refining our nation’s future—creating jobs, boosting our economy, and reducing dependency on imports,” he said. “Every Nigerian—bloggers, vloggers, content creators, citizens—must rise to protect Dangote Industries.”
Chukwunyere reaffirmed BAVCCA’s commitment to “lead this charge, using our platforms to educate, inspire, and unite,” while calling on Nigerians to honor the sacrifices of Alhaji Dangote and the faith of leaders like Devakumar.
“Join us at our conference on 31st October, and let’s build a Nigeria where national assets like Dangote Industries thrive unhindered,” Chukwunyere concluded.
By: Fabian Apechihin
In a major educational breakthrough for Kaduna State, Governor Uba Sani has signed into law a bill establishing the Kaduna State College of Agricultural Technology and Environmental Sciences in Lere Local Government Area.
The landmark bill was sponsored by Hon. Munira Suleiman Tanimu, the member representing Lere East Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The new institution aims to equip young people with modern skills in agriculture, technology, and environmental management — key areas for the state’s sustainable development.
Expressing her delight, Hon. Munira said:
“I am overjoyed to announce that Governor Uba Sani has signed my bill into law. This college in Lere will empower our youth with practical knowledge in agriculture and environmental protection. It will open doors to innovation and help our communities thrive.”
She noted that the college will serve as a hub for research and practical training, boosting agricultural productivity and addressing pressing environmental challenges in the region.
“Agriculture remains the backbone of Kaduna’s economy, and this institution will help modernize the sector while creating new opportunities for our young people,” she added.
Hon. Munira also reaffirmed her commitment to effective representation and progressive legislation:
“We will continue to champion laws that make real, positive impacts in people’s lives. The future is bright, and together, we will build a better, stronger Kaduna State.”
She extended her appreciation to Governor Uba Sani for his visionary leadership and unwavering support for education and rural development.
Residents of Lere and across Kaduna have welcomed the development with excitement, describing the new college as a beacon of hope for the youth and a catalyst for growth in the state’s agricultural and environmental sectors.
With the creation of this new college, Kaduna State takes another bold step toward improving education, empowering its citizens, and building a greener, more prosperous future.
News
Soludo’s Alleged Threat to Jail Catholic Clergy After Re-election Sparks Controversy in Anambra
By Fabian Apechihin
A report claiming that Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, plans to jail Catholic bishops, priests, and other clergymen after his re-election has stirred heated debate across the state.
However, Rev. Fr. Raphael Onyekwelu, PhD, Chaplain to the Governor, has dismissed the report as “baseless, ridiculous, and malicious,” describing it as the work of desperate political opponents trying to pit Soludo against the Church.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Fr. Onyekwelu said:
“Our attention has been drawn to a fabricated, malicious, and unsigned piece currently circulating on Facebook and other social media platforms, falsely alleging that His Excellency, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, intends to ‘take on the hierarchy of the Church, especially the Catholic Church,’ after winning the forthcoming November 8, 2025 governorship election.”
He said while such falsehoods would normally be ignored, the campaign season had created fertile ground for misinformation and propaganda.
“This is an election period, and desperate politicians are churning out fake news to deceive the public and cause division. It is laughable that they first admit Soludo is likely to win, and then try to manufacture lies to undermine his relationship with his Church — the Catholic Church,” he stated.
Fr. Onyekwelu noted that the alleged statement did not specify any wrongdoing by the Church to warrant such “imaginary arrests,” calling the entire report “a pitiable fabrication.”
He reaffirmed that Governor Soludo, a devout Catholic, holds the Church in the highest regard and recognizes its crucial role in promoting moral values, education, healthcare, and community development.
“Governor Soludo is a proud and practicing Catholic who cherishes the Church’s partnership in governance and social transformation, in line with Catholic Social Teaching. He deeply appreciates the clergy and their contributions to the moral and socio-economic progress of Anambra State,” he added.
Fr. Onyekwelu emphasized that the governor remains committed to working closely with all religious bodies to advance peace, development, and good governance in the state.
“Under Soludo’s leadership, Anambra continues to experience transparent, people-centered governance anchored on faith, service, and shared values. As the governor often says, ‘Government, Church, and People — together we shall continue to build a peaceful, prosperous, livable, and God-fearing Anambra State,’” he concluded.
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