The 36 House of Assembly speakers has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists and enemies of the nation.
This was their resolution at a Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in Katsina State on Sunday.
The call of the Conference of Speakers comes a day after Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari toed the path of his Kaduna counterpart, Nasir El-Rufai and the National Assembly that the Nigerian government should declare a state of emergency on the nation’s security and declare bandits as terrorists.
Chairman of the Conference, who is also Bauchi State Speaker, Abubakar Suleiman said the resolution was part of their five-point communiqué at the end of their eight-hour deliberations.
The speakers have just concluded their third annual meeting.
He said, “We call on President (Muhammadu) Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists and enemies of the state. The conference has observed all the activities carried out by the bandits as containing the same mode of operations used by terrorists.
“The Conference also decried the state of insecurity in the country and resolved to work out legislative frameworks, to complement the efforts of the Federal Government to address the security challenges in the country.
“In addition, the Conference also resolved to make appropriate laws to address the fundamental issues that breed insecurity in the land, as well as create employment for the youths and curb the menace of insecurity in the country.”
The Speakers’ Conference further commended governors who gave their assents to the fund management bills passed by their respective state Assemblies and called on those yet to do so to expedite action on the bill for effective implementation of financial autonomy for the state legislatures and judiciary.
The Igbos for Progressive Nigeria (IPAN) has decried the Independent National Electoral Commission’s failure to give PVCs to would-be voters in the November 6 Anambra governorship election.
The group expressed worry over the non-release of the permanent voter cards to those that participated in the last registration exercise, a few weeks to the poll, and described it as a dangerous signal.
Michael Chibuzo, the national secretary of IPAN, said INEC should urgently distribute the PVCs to prospective voters.
“I call on us all to be committed to a peaceful electoral participation by all – the elderly, young, and special persons, the future is ours to make,” said Chibuzo.
He also called on eligible voters for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra to be vigilant to perform their civic responsibility by voting right.
IPAN advised the Anambra electorate to assess the governorship candidates based on their pedigree, either in private or public life, to determine who can manage the tiny resources of the state better.
Lawrence Onuzulike, IPAN National President, made the charge at a press conference on Sunday in Awka.
“Anambra cannot afford to make the mistake of voting in one who has no serious agenda for the people, who just wants to be called governor but does not have a purposeful vision,” said Onuzulike.
He added that the November 6 election is an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past, regretting that Anambra leaders in the past paid little attention to the issues that matter most.
According to Onuzulike, the incoming governor needs a political base with a general spread.
Armed soldiers in Sudan launched an offensive against members of the country’s caretaker government, raising fears of yet another military coup in a country long beset by political turmoil.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was taken into custody by soldiers on Monday morning after an unknown team of soldiers stormed his residence, local reports said. Sudanese forces also held five ministers, including four military members and one civilian, of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Al Hadath TV reported.
A media aide to Mr Hamdok was also reportedly arrested, Reuters said, in a plot that came barely a month after an attempted coup the country sparked worldwide condemnation.
The latest move by the military to remove Mr Hamdok, who assumed power in 2019, from power has also generated an uproar on Monday morning. Sudanese Professionals Association said in a statement that citizens should take to the streets to reject any military coup.
Internet outages were also reported across the capital Khartoum on Monday and confirmed by web infrastructure monitors Netblocks.
“Internet disrupted in #Sudan amid reports of military coup and detention of Prime Minister; real-time network data show national connectivity at 34% of ordinary levels; incident ongoing,” the group said on its Twitter handle.
Monday’s apparent takeover of power came a day after protesters loyal to the military blocked entrances leading to the capital on Sunday. Military and civilians have been sharing power since Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019, and last month’s attempted coup was summarily blamed on soldiers loyal to Mr Bashir, who has been charged with war crimes.
On Saturday, Jeffrey Feltman, United States Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, held talks with military and civilian leaders in Khartoum, urging them to strike a power-sharing deal.
Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, head of Transitional Sovereignty Council in Sudan, is believed poised to take absolute power following today’s coup. During Saturday’s meeting with Mr Feltman, Mr Al-Burhan expressed his readiness to resolve all crises assailing the power-sharing agreement and work with civilians to restore democratic order.
Monday’s development in Sudan came less than two months after soldiers led a successful takeover of power in Guinea on September 5, ending President Alpha Conde’s long grip on power.
In April, Chadian soldiers coordinated a bloody coup, assassinating President Idriss Déby to seize power. The African Union condemns the military coups as old-fashioned, undemocratic and dangerous, but the regional block has not been able to hold the coup plotters to account.
Nigeria makes history today as it becomes the first African country to digitise its currency, an exercise the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has described as “one of the milestones of a long journey.”
But the eNaira take-off is causing unease in the banking sector even as the concept note has admitted the project could unsettle banks as it comes with disintermediation risk.
Amid the anxiety, some experts have warned that eNaira is just one of the disruptive technologies banks will need to accept and adapt to; to avoid being overrun.
The launch will put Nigeria on the global Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) tracking map as the fifth country to launch a centralised national electronic money after the Bahamas first unveiled its version in 2017.
Nigeria’s unveiling was earlier scheduled for October 1, 2021, but the apex bank said it was postponed owing to other national activities to mark the country’s 61st Independence anniversary. President Muhammadu Buhari will do the unveiling at the State House, Abuja.
The project kicks off as the global community embraces the race for CBDC creation. Today, about 10 central banks are in the pilot stage of their CBDCs, while six have executed proof of concept. Some countries, including China, are positioning their digital currency project as the lead strategy for internationalising their currencies.
Central banks around the world, most notably in China, the United States and the United Kingdom, are actively considering whether to adopt or create their own CBDC. The geopolitical pressures are high, with China far enough along in trials that it plans to roll out this new currency for international visitors as early as the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Other countries, keen to embrace the “tech revolution,” are vying to be early adopters of CBDCs. South Korea, Sweden, Cambodia, the Bahamas and Hong Kong are among various countries with pilot programs.
South Africa also recently announced a trial of CBDCs for cross-border payments, just as Ghanaian central bank is seeking to make its digital currency, the e-cedi, available to offline users soon.
On the readiness of the underlying infrastructure for the rollout, Director of Corporate Communications at CBN, Osita Nwanisobi, told The Guardian, yesterday, that the apex bank was fully ready.
A little tension in the financial system on how the implementation would affect commercial banks in dealing with their role of intermediation has been perceived.
CBDCs, like other electronic money, including privately issued stable coins and cryptocurrencies, leverage blockchain technology to facilitate peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions and remove intermediaries.
A source, who has monitored the unease among top bankers, admitted that it was too early to conclude that eNaira would reduce the volume of bank transactions, but disclosed that “bank executives are extremely worried that a widespread adoption of eNaira could reduce the volume of businesses executed by banks and transaction revenues.”
No fewer than 18 Nigerian firms and individuals have been blacklisted by the World Bank over their engagement in corrupt practices, fraud and collusive practices in its 2021 the fiscal year 2021.
This was contained in the list of debarred individuals and firms presented in the new annual report titled World Bank Group Sanctions System FY21.
As contained in the report, the debarments were made by the World Bank Sanctions Board, World Bank Chief Suspension and Debarment Officer and the African Development Bank.
The debarments made by AfDB were recognised by World Bank, making the affected firms to be barred under the cross-debarment policy.
Individuals sanctioned include Elie Abou Ghazaleh and Fadi Abou Ghazaleh, alongside their firm, Abou Ghazaleh Contracting Nigeria Limited, debarred for six months for collusive practices.
Based on the decision of the World Bank Chief Suspension and Debarment Officer, a Nigerian firm, Swansea Tools Resources, was debarred for fraudulent practices for two years and 10 months.
Referred to under Sanctions Case No 651, it was disclosed that the firm misrepresented its past experience in its bid for a road maintenance contract.
The report read in part, “The SDO determined that the respondent, a Nigerian firm, engaged in fraudulent practice by misrepresenting its experience in its bid for a road maintenance contract under state employment and expenditure project in Nigeria.
“The SDO imposed on the respondent a debarment with the conditional release for a minimum period of two years and 10 months. As a mitigating factor, the SDO considered the respondent’s limited cooperation with investigators, noting that the respondent produced documents and agreed to be interviewed but did not accept responsibility for the misconduct.”
Also mentioned in the report is a Nigerian firm, Juckon Construction and Allied Services Nigeria Limited, debarred for corrupt practices for three years. Referred to under Sanctions Case No 649, it was disclosed that the firm made improper payment to a public official.
The report read, “The SDO determined that the respondent, a Nigerian firm, engaged in corrupt practice by making an improper payment to a public official in connection with the award and/or execution of two waste management and refuse collection contracts under a state employment and expenditure project in Nigeria. The SDO imposed on the respondent a debarment with the conditional release for a minimum period of four years.”
Another individual, Okafor Glory, was debarred for fraudulent practices for four years, while the firm involved, Unique Concept Enterprises, was debarred for five years for same reason.
The matter which involved Glory and the firm, Unique Concept Enterprises, was presented under Sanctions Case No 691.
It read in part, “The SDO determined that the respondents, a Nigerian firm and a Nigerian citizen, engaged in fraudulent practices by submitting false documents in connection with two refuse collection and disposal contracts under a state employment and expenditure project in Nigeria. In particular, the SDO found that: (i) the corporate respondent submitted a falsified income tax clearance certificate in its bids for the contracts; and (ii) both respondents submitted a falsified advance payment guarantee in connection with the execution of one of the contracts.
“The SDO imposed on the corporate respondent a debarment with conditional release for a minimum period of five years. On the individual respondent, the SDO imposed a debarment with conditional release for a minimum period of four years.
“As aggravating factors, the SDO considered that (i) the corporate respondent engaged in a repeated pattern of misconduct, and (ii) the individual respondent was the managing director of the corporate respondent.”
Another Nigerian firm, Asbeco Nigeria Limited, was debarred for five years for corrupt practices.
The matter which involved Asbeco Nigeria was presented under Sanctions Case No 675.
It read in part, “The SDO determined that the respondent, a Nigerian firm, engaged in corrupt practices in connection with an erosion control contract under an erosion and watershed management project in Nigeria.
“Specifically, the SDO found that the respondent (i) made a payment of N2m (approximately $12,000) to the project’s engineer to influence his actions in connection with the procurement and/or execution of the contract, and (ii) made a facilitation payment of N50,000 (approximately $160) to the project’s cashier to influence her actions in connection with the execution of the same contract.
“The SDO imposed on the respondent a debarment with conditional release for a minimum period of five years. In determining this sanction, the SDO considered as aggravating factors the respondent’s (i) engagement in a repeated pattern of corrupt activity and (ii) interference with INT’s investigation, noting in particular that the respondent engaged in acts intended to materially impede the exercise of the Bank’s contractual audit rights.”
Based on the World Bank’s Sanctions Board Decision, A.G. Vision Construction Nigeria Limited, was debarred for fraudulent practices and collusive practices for four years and six months.
Apart from the firms and individuals mentioned, there are some firms that were debarred by other multilateral organisations under cross-debarment, which makes them debarred by the World Bank.
Sangtech International Services Limited, Sangar & Associates (Nigeria) Limited, Mashad Integrated And Investment Co Limited, and Medniza Global Merchants Limited were debarred by the AfDB two years under cross-debarment recognised by the World Bank.
ALG Global Concept Nigeria Limited, Abuharaira Labaran Gero, Qualitrends Global Solutions Nigeria Limited, and Maxicare Company Nigeria Limited were debarred by the AfDB for three years under cross-debarment recognised by the World Bank.
In his opening remark in the report, the World Bank Group’s David Malpass, stated that the bank had granted over $157 billion to assist developing countries, as he emphasised the need for integrity and transparency standards in public finance.
“Since the beginning of the global pandemic, the World Bank Group has deployed more than $157 billion in critical assistance to developing countries. The crisis has required us to be rapid and innovative in mobilising this historic support.
“Yet, for these resources to have the needed development impact on the hundreds of millions of people who live in extreme poverty, we must ensure that resources are used efficiently, effectively, and for their intended purposes. And that means remaining vigilant to the scourge of corruption and ensuring that we promote the highest integrity and transparency standards in public finance,” he said.
He further highlighted some of the consequences of corruption.
Malpass said, “The negative impacts of corruption on lives and livelihoods are well known. Corruption diverts scarce development dollars from the people who need them most and corrodes the systems and services that are integral for reducing extreme poverty.
“Entrenched corruption also comes with greater economic costs for countries, as it distorts public expenditures and leads to inefficient allocations of financing away from productive investments toward rent-seeking activities. And corruption increases the costs of doing business and deters foreign investors from entering new markets.
“As the world moves toward recovering from the pandemic’s damaging impacts, these costs can also restrict the private sector, which plays an important role in revitalizing economic growth and development in our client countries,” he added.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has ordered that Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras be installed in all the correctional facilities in the state.
Makinde gave the order on Sunday when he visited the Abolongo Correctional Centre, Oyo, that was attacked on Friday night by unknown gunmen, where the majority of the inmates escaped.
The governor, who was accompanied by top government functionaries on the inspection, directed that the security cameras be linked with the state security situation room.
He said that his government would take immediate steps to protect the facility and also directed that the main road leading to the place be immediately graded.
He appealed to the general public, especially residents of the state, to be calm.
“This is shocking, unfortunately; we lost a soldier and an Amotekun operative, also another person is on the danger list at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, as we speak.
“In the main, investigation is still ongoing and we cannot say precisely whether this is an isolated event or the beginning of a wider issue that we have to deal with.
“But whatever the case is, we have made an assessment and taken some immediate decisions.
“We have challenges around the country; banditry, insurgency and terrorism.
“And we can only deal with those issues when we have the people in alignment with what the leadership is trying to do.
“So people should please believe that their leaders will tell them the exact situation of things at the appropriate time.
“Also, we are making a list of critical state assets that we need to monitor and I have also asked that the entrance and exit points into the state be monitored.
“We still have almost 300 criminals that are on the loose in the state. So, efforts will still continue to try and apprehend the criminals and bring them back here,” the governor stated.
Liverpool momentarily pushed away Manchester United from title conversations as the Merseyside lords mercilessly whipped the demons out of the Red Devils in their backyard.
Talismanic Mohamed Salah inspired the Jürgen Klopp side to a 5-0 demolition of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s boys in Sunday’s English Premier League game at Old Trafford. United’s star boy, Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, will spend the night in horror, hoping to forget the match in a jiffy.
Naby Keita gave Liverpool the lead at the Old Trafford barely five minutes into the game. Diogo Jota made it two for Liverpool in the 13th minute of the game leaving United struggling.
Enters Salah, who delivered a sterling display to compound issues for United with a brilliant goal in the 38th minute. He made it four for the visitors just before first half break, making a come back impossible for United.
Liverpool got their fifth goal early into the second half as the Egyptian fired in his third goal of the game.
Ronaldo escaped a red card after kicking the wrong ball around a Liverpool’s player’s groin but Paul Pogba was not so Lucky. He was shown the red card in the 60th minute, 15 minutes after he was introduced into to game for a rough tackle on the otherwise brilliant Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita.
With 21 points in nine games, Liverpool remain second on the EPL table behind Champions League champions, Chelsea, while United dropped to seventh position on the table with 14 points in nine games.
With a 12-day ultimatum handed the Federal Government by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the “unconditional release” of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, failure of which the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State may not hold, the stage appears set for a seven-day lockdown of the South East Zone.
And the group has also warned residents of the zone against flouting the impending sit-at-home directive, stressing that doing so amounts to testing the resolve of the people on the Biafra project.
According to it, shutting down the area for “just for one week to secure our permanent freedom” is not such a high price to pay since “we have been enslaved and caged enough by the Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria and its allies.”
IPOB’s threat notwithstanding, political parties participating in the election are unperturbed about the threat from the secessionist group over the election, even as they insist that nothing would derail the process, especially since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has already issued guidelines for the exercise.
Interestingly, while the Police High Command kept mum over the threat by IPOB when approached by The Guardian, key political parties are of the view that, with improved security, the campaigns are going on as scheduled.
Indeed, all attempts to get the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Commissioner of Police (CP), Frank Mba, to comment on the development proved abortive as he neither picked his calls, nor responded to messages to his mobile phone.
On its part, the INEC declined making any direct comment over the fresh threat.
However, its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, informed The Guardian that the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting, which comes up tomorrow (Monday, October 25) will deliberate on the way forward for the Anambra election.
Asked if INEC was considering postponing the election as a result of the insecurity in the state, Okoye said he could not comment on the issue until after the meeting.
IPOB in statement signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, yesterday, gave the Federal Government up till November 4 to release Kanu unconditionally, or it would commence a one-week lockdown in the region effective November 5.
The group explained that the one-week sit-at-home order, which would end on November 10, was to press for the release of their leader whom the Federal Government was prepared to keep in incarceration ad infinitum for nothing.
The statement read: “Following the adjournment of our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s court case to 10th of November 2021 by the Federal High Court, Abuja, we, the great movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), wish to inform Biafrans, friends of Biafra and lovers of freedom that IPOB will lock down Biafra land from November 5 to 10 except Sunday, November 7, a day our people worship the Almighty God, Chukwu Okike Abiama, if the Nigeria government fails to release our leader unconditionally before November 4, 2021.
“Our leader, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu must be released unconditionally on or before November 4, 2021 because he has not committed any offence known to any law. Failure to release our leader on or before November 4, 2021, our one-week sit-at-home begins on November 5, 2021 till November 10,” the group said.
The statement continued: “Although we quite understand the pains and adverse effects of this option on our people, we are compelled to take it to achieve a better purpose in the collective interest of Biafrans. We have taken time to analyse what transpired on October 21 when our leader was arraigned in court and discovered that the Federal Government is not sincere, and only wants to humiliate him and keep him perpetually in DSS custody to rot there.
“We all saw how lawyers, journalists, Igbo delegates and respected traditional rulers and other people who came from all around the world to witness his court case were restricted and denied access into the court premises by security agents who kept them outside under the scorching heat of the sun. What a humiliation and wickedness!
“We cannot accept that anymore. We can never allow our leader Onyendu Kanu to be tried secretly, and we can never also allow him to be tried under Sharia law under any guise. Nigeria must follow international laws in handling our leader.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is in a DSS dungeon today because of his passion for Biafra’s independence, and we must sacrifice all we can to ensure that he regains his freedom. He has sacrificed so much for us all, so we must be prepared to sacrifice a little for him. Unless the Federal Government releases him unconditionally before November 4, we shall sacrifice one week for him as a warning protest to convey to our oppressors, that Nnamdi Kanu represents over 70 million Biafrans. He is innocent of all the charges preferred against him. As long as he is in detention, our individual businesses do not matter so much because he is suffering for us all and we can’t abandon him.”
While regretting the inconveniences that the development may cause the people, it is stated that a “necessary sacrifice we need to make until we have our full independence. Nobody resident in Biafra land is expected to flout this directive as doing so amounts to challenging the will of the people on the Biafra project.
“This one-week sit-at-home is also to let our oppressors understand that we are not going to tolerate any plan to torment, or abandon our leader in the DSS’ custody through frivolous court adjournment. Any plans to subject him to trauma in detention through long adjournment while real terrorists and mass murderers are having fun across the country cannot fly.
Nnamdi Kanu must be freed because he committed no crime. Asking for referendum so that Biafrans will decide whether or not they want to continue as part of Nigeria is no crime. He should not suffer for seeking justice for his people.
“We have been enslaved and caged enough by the Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria and its allies. If we shut down Biafra land just for one week to secure our permanent freedom, it is worth the sacrifice. Everybody should brace up for this sacrifice.”
AS political parties remain unconcerned about the threat, the Political Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano, Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoli, stated, however, that APGA was not leaving anything to chance in ensuring that it retains the state.
“These things are distractive and APGA cannot give in. There are over 5, 000 polling units in Anambra State, I don’t see how IPOB will go there and stop people from coming out to vote.
“There will be an election. The constitution did not specify that a certain number must vote in any election for the winner to emerge. The only thing is that there may be low turn out of voters, but that does not mean that Anambra people will not vote.
“We have seen several threats to the coming election, but none has marred the process. November 6 will come and go. It will not mark the end of Anambra State. Those issuing threats can continue to do so. What I think is that there should be dialogue on this agitation for Biafra. It is not all the time that we should resort to threats. The election has been fixed and nothing will stop it. We are looking forward to that date and I am fully convinced that Anambra people will not accept anything that can derail the process.”
THE Anambra State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Chief Okelue Madukaife, while reacting to the threat said that the party was going into the election to win.
“Everybody is looking forward to this election. INEC has issued its guidelines and APC is following it patiently. We cannot submit this process to any kind of threat. In the last one week, with improved security in the state, we are busy with our campaign rallies. It will even get better within the election week. There is no cause for alarm. We are not afraid of threats by anyone over the election. Our people will vote on November 6. I don’t see IPOB or any other group stopping us on that day”, he said.
ALSO, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cautioned that stalling the poll would be in the interest of no one in the state.
The Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, said, “We are not afraid of threats by anyone over the election in Anambra State … It is not even in the interest of those who are issuing the threats. We have seen similar threats before now, yet it did not stop us. We are going ahead with the election. So, the PDP is not bothered about what they are saying.”
ON his part, the governorship candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), in the forthcoming poll, Akachukwu Nwankpo, has called on the government to free Kanu and embark on dialogue as the best way out of the challenges fuelling agitations for self-determination.
Akachukwu said it would be tantamount to self-deceit for anybody to think that the incarceration of Kanu would end the agitation for self-determination and sweep the injustices pervading the states of the federation under the carpet.
According to him, the detention of Kanu would make millions of his cult followers restive, as he has built a large network of adherents some of who he might not be in a position to control, and who may resort to self-help, if he is still left behind bars.
Four officers of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LSNA) have been suspended for assaulting a protester during the #EndSARS memorial held on Wednesday.
The Agency said after investigating a viral video where its officers were seen assaulting Uber driver – Adedotun Clement, it found the officers guilty and sanctioned them.
The officers were publicly de-kitted and suspended from the agency for two months. As part of their punishment they will resume to another agency for behavioral evaluation.
“The Management of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSA) has sanctioned all the Officers involved in the unlawful treatment of Adedotun Clement (the Uber Driver) during the ENDSARS anniversary protest,” a statement from LSNA reads.
The statement said after the conduct of an orderly room trial, the two officers and their supervising officers at the venue of the protest were “charged with disreputable conduct as a result of the assault on a member of the public.”
LSNA said its officers used pepper spray on the victim, “which is not a standard issue kit for officers of the Agency.”
The statement never said how the officers came about pepper spray.
The senior officials in-charge of the operations were suspended for a month, while their roles will be conducted by their deputies while they remain on suspension.
“The Commanding Superintendents and the Divisional Commander for Lagos Division of LNSC, under whose jurisdiction and command at the event were also suspended for one Month and their deputies are to act in their place until further notice,” the statement said.
The LSNA tendered a public apology to Adedotun “for the conduct of the officers,” adding that it places high premium on its relationship with the public as its greatest asset.
On Wednesday, scores of Nigerian youths observed the one year anniversary of the October 20, 2020 #EndSARS protest.
The memorial turned chaotic after the Police shot teargas at civilians and arrested protesters, including journalists at the protest ground.
Controversial politician, Dino Melaye, lied and never emerged the best graduating student at Baze University, according to Convocation documents.
The former senator who graduated with a second class lower had earlier claimed he was the “best graduating law student”, a lie peddled by one of his aide and corroborated by the politician on social media.
Mr Melaye’s aide Bode Gbadebo had first posted on Facebook that, “Senator Dino Melaye graduates from Baze University, emerges best graduating law student.”
However, the Baze University convocation list seen by The Gazette shows that Mr Melaye finished with a “weak second-class lower”. The ex-senator’s claim misled The Gazette and other outlets into publishing false report.
When The Gazette reached him on Sunday morning to ask him about his lie, he abruptly hung up the phone. Mr Melaye himself also didn’t return requests seeking comments about why he had to deceive Nigerians about his grades.
Mr Melaye’s dubious claim is despite residing abroad and rarely attending classes since losing his re-election into the national assembly in 2019. He was widely deemed as highly controversial for his combative conduct at the parliament, including numerous physical attacks on his colleagues.
