For The Record: Witnesses whose testimonies sent Farouk Lawan to jail By Ade Adesomoju

The judge says the evidence of the five witnesses presented by the prosecution convincingly incriminated the former lawmaker as a corrupt public officer. As Farouk Lawan, a former flamboyant lawmaker, adjusts to a new life in prison, a journey through the memory lane of his eight years trial brings back the incriminating testimonies that took him to his new abode. The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Apo, Abuja, sentenced the former lawmaker to seven years in jail for bribery and corruption on June 22. The judge, Angela Otaluka, who indulged his dilatory tactics for the last five years of the trial, convicted Mr Lawan of corruptly demanding $3 million and eventually taking $500,000 from billionaire oil mogul, Femi Otedola, to exonerate the businessman’s company from an allegation of fuel subsidy fraud in 2012. Mr Lawan, who had become known as Mr Integrity, in tribute to his roles in leading some self-appointed puritan legislators at the time, was the chairman of the ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives asked to investigate the multi-billion-naira fraud in the subsidy scheme at the time. In the report issued at the end of its inquiry, the committee indicted Mr Otedola’s Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd and many other firms, attracting applause as bearing witness to Mr Lawan’s guts to expose corruption no matter whose ox was gored. Specifically, the committee accused Zenon Oil of fraudulently obtaining over $230 million foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to import petrol under the subsidy scheme, but failed to use it for the purpose. The story, however, changed when Mr Lawan later removed Zenon Oil’s name from the list of indicted firms after receiving $500,000 from Mr Otedola as the first tranche of the “agreed” $3 million bribe, the judge was told. Ms Otaluka said the evidence of the five witnesses presented by the prosecution convincingly incriminated the former lawmaker as a corrupt public officer. Here are the five witnesses presented by the prosecution team led by Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and the highlights of what they said: Boniface Emenalo (PW1) Boniface Emenalo was the secretary to the then House of Representatives ad-hoc committee. Although he started as a co-accused person in the trial, he ended up being the first prosecution witness (PW1) whose testimony contributed to the evidence that sent Mr Lawan to jail. Messrs Lawan and Emenalo were first arraigned together by the Attorney-General of the Federation’s office which engaged Mr Awomolo as the prosecutor, on seven counts of bribery and corruption, on February 1, 2013. During their arraignment, they pleaded not guilty before Mudashiru Oniyangi, then a judge of the FCT High Court who would later quit the case following his elevation to the Court of Appeal bench. The case was reassigned to Bukola Banjoko, another judge of the court. No tangible progress had been recorded when Mr Lawan wrote a petition to then Chief Judge, Ishaq Bello, accusing the new trial judge of bias. The development made Ms Banjoko to voluntarily withdraw from the case, which was then re-assigned to Ms Otaluka. The movement of the case to Ms Otaluka’s court saw the prosecution fundamentally changing their tactics. They amended the charges, pruning down the number of counts from seven to three. In addition, they turned Mr Emenalo, who had been Mr Lawan’s co-accused for three years, to a prosecution witness. After these bouts of rigmarole that saw the case file tumbling through three courtrooms in the first three years, the prosecution was able to present its first prosecution witness on February 2, 2016. The case was later going to be caught in another web of legal shenanigans after the prosecution had called four out of its five witnesses. It took a trip to the fourth judge, Yusuf Halilu, but shortly after returned to Ms Otaluka who concluded the trial. Mr Emenalo, an employee of the National Assembly, who was summoned through a subpoena served on the Clerk of the House of Representatives, tendered some exhibits during his first court appearance as prosecution witness. In his testimony, he recalled that the committee’s report was presented before the House of Representatives on April 18, 2012. He described how he visited Mr Otedola in his house on April 24, 2012, on the instruction of Mr Lawan, where the businessman gave him $100,000 in two bundles. He said he handed over the $100,000 to Mr Lawan with a forwarding memo and he acknowledged receipt. Although, under cross-examination by defence lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, Mr Emenalo said he received the $100,000 from Mr Otedola as a proof that indicted firms were mounting pressure on the committee to exonerate them. David Igbodo (PW2) David Igbodo, who testified as the second prosecution witness, was the investigating police officer in the Special Investigation Unit of the Office of the Inspector General of Police. A lawyer and then Commissioner of Police, Legal Services, Force Headquarters, Mr Igbodo testified that he investigated the allegation against Mr Lawan and found out that the ex-lawmaker demanded $3 million from Mr Otedola to remove the name of Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd from the list of companies indicted for subsidy scam. According to him, his findings showed that Mr Lawan visited Mr Otedola’s house at about 3.47 a.m. on April 24, 2012, to collect $500,000 from the billionaire. He said the ex-lawmaker was caught on video receiving the money from Mr Otedola.

“The purpose of the demand and acceptance was to remove the name of Zenon Oil and AP Petroleum from the list of indicted companies. “On the same April 24, 2012, the defendant after collecting the sum at the house of Otedola, crossed the name of Zenon Oil earlier indicted in a report before the committee at the House of Representatives,” he said. He said Mr Lawan admitted going to Mr Otedola’s house to collect the $500, 000, and went on to cross out the name of Zenon from the list indicted companies. He also recalled Mr Lawan admitting that he collected the money and gave it to another legislator, Adams Jagaba, Chairman House of Representatives on Narcotics and Financial Crimes. ‎He said Mr Emenalo, who was secretary to the ad hoc committee, also visited Mr Otedola between 9 to 10a.m. on April 24, 2012 and was caught on video collecting $100,000 from Mr Otedola. ‎The police investigator said he found out that Mr Emenalo gave the $100,000 he received from Mr Otedola to Mr Lawan. He added that Mr Lawan only reported the $100,000 to then chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as an afterthought, five days after he was given the money. The defendant failed to disclose to the anti-corruption agency that he had earlier collected $500,000 from Mr Otedola, the witness also said. David Ojatah (PW3) David Ojatah, a Principal Staff Officer Technical Services in the SSS, testified as the third prosecution witness (PW3). The SSS operative told the court how the security agency received a petition from Mr Otedola accusing Mr Lawan of trying to extort him. He described how he and his team members interacted with Mr Otedola and mounted a video recording device in the sitting room of his house where he was scheduled to meet with Mr Lawan. The witness explained that the meeting between the two men was captured on video. He said the video clip showed Mr Lawan collecting a parcel from Mr Otedola. The video clip was produced, admitted as an exhibit, and played in the open court. Adams Jagaba (PW4) Adams Jagaba, a former colleague of Mr Lawan in the House of Representatives representing Kachia/Kagarko Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, testified as the fourth prosecution witness (PW4). His testimony ended up dealing the most fatal blow to Mr Lawan’s narrative of receiving money from Mr Otedola to obtain evidence of bribery against the businessman. Mr Lawan had claimed that he handed over the total of $620,000 received from Mr Otedola to Mr Jagaba with a covering letter characterising the money as an exhibit. The $620,000, according to Mr Lawan, comprised the $500,000 he personally took from Mr Otedola, and the $120,000 taken from the billionaire by Mr Emenalo.

Mr Jagaba, who was the Chairman of the House Committee on Narcotics and Financial Crimes in the 2011-2015 legislative session, vehemently denied receiving such money from Mr Lawan. Asked by the prosecution to respond to the claim that Mr Lawan visited him at about 3 a.m. on April 24, 2012, to report and submit the $620,000 offered to the ad hoc committee by Mr Otedola as bribe, Mr Jagaba said he was deeply asleep at the time. “My lord, the defendant was not in my house in the early hours of April 24, 2012,” he said. “I went to bed after 9 p.m. after taking my drugs. I live alone in the house so nobody could have opened the door for him. “By 10 p.m. all gates of the estates were closed and would not be opened to anybody no matter how highly placed. “My lord, I never saw or received such money from the defendant. “The money is not with me. I cannot have what was not given to me,” the ex-lawmaker told the court. He said he read about Mr Lawan’s claim on the pages of newspapers but decided not to react until he was invited by the police in Abuja. He recalled requesting to be paired with Mr Lawan during the scheduled police interrogation. His request was granted by the police and the two ex-lawmakers were made to sit next to each other and Mr Jagaban said Mr Lawan was asked to repeat his previous claims. According to the witness, Mr Lawan responded that he had only made the claims following his lawyers’ legal advice. During his testimony, Mr Jagaba confirmed from the House’s Votes and Proceedings of April 24, 2012, earlier tendered as an exhibit, that Mr Lawan, at the said proceedings, proposed an amendment of the ad hoc committee’s Recommendation 9, deleting items V and VI from the list of indicted firms. Femi Otedola (PW5) Mr Otedola, a principal character in the matter, testified as the prosecution’s fifth witness on November 21, 2018. Speaking of his encounter with Mr Lawan in the course of the House probe, Mr Otedola said the lawmaker reached out to him threatening to indict his firms for fraud in the fuel subsidy scheme. In response, Mr Otedola said he told Mr Lawan that there was no basis for the indictment because none of his two firms operating in the oil industry participated in the fuel subsidy scheme. He recalled telling Mr Lawan that the EFCC had investigated his two companies – African Petroleum Ltd and Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd – and found out that they were not involved in the scheme. Mr Otedola told the trial court that despite the clarification, and his companies’ importation documents submitted to the House committee, the then lawmaker visited his home on June 18, 2012, demanding $3million to free Zenon Oil from indictment.

Mr Otedola testified that he saw on television on April 18, 2012, that the House committee’s report was submitted to the House of Representatives plenary, “and I saw that my company was listed as one of the companies involved in the subsidy scam.” This, he said, prompted him to write a petition to the Director-General of SSS to report the alleged extortion. He described how SSS operatives later planned a “sting operation” with him to capture Mr Lawan on camera receiving “serialised United States dollars.” “After handing over the $500,000 USD to the defendant, I asked him what next, he said he would go to the House and discuss with its leadership. He said I should watch House plenary on the television,” Mr Otedola had told the judge. He added that on April 24, 2012, the secretary of the ad-hoc committee, Mr Emenalo who testified as PW1, also demanded $120,000 which he handed over to him the same day. According to him, Mr Lawan went on to remove Zenon Oil’s name from the list of the indicted firms and thereafter demanded the $2.5 million balance. He said he promised the then lawmaker that the money was being arranged and would soon be loaded into an Abuja-bound aircraft.

INEC: Despite criticisms, Senate panel set to recommend Onochie’s confirmation by Sunday Aborisade

There are strong indications on Friday that the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission may recommend the confirmation of the appointment of a presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie, as a National Commissioner for the electoral umpire. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, (retd.), had in a letter dated 12th October, 2020, and read by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, the following week, sought the Senate confirmation for Onochie and other nominees. The letter read, “Pursuant to Paragraph 14 of Part I(F) of the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, I hereby forward for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of the following four (4) Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission.” The nominees listed by the President are Prof. Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina); Prof. Kunle Ajayi ( Ekiti); and Saidu Ahmad (Jigawa) The red chamber suspended action on the nominees based on the controversy it generated with the inclusion of Onochie, the Special Assistant to the President on New Media, who critics believed is a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress. However, Lawan on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, surprisingly, asked the committee on INEC to screen for confirmation, the appointments of Onochie and five others as INEC commissioners. Two new nominees, Professors Sani Adam (North-Central), and Baba Bila (North-East), were added to the list. The development came eight months after the President sent the list of the nominees to the Senate for screening. The Senate INEC Committee led by Kabiru Gaya, screened the nominees including Onochie on Thursday. Onochie in her opening remarks, acknowledged a series of petitions against her which bothered on her membership of the APC and the fact that someone from her state was already on the board of INEC She renounced the party three times before the Senate committee. She admitted being part of the Buhari’s campaign organisation in 2015 before her appointment as Special Assistant on Social Media. Onochie also, admitted deposing an affidavit at the Abuja Federal High Court that she was a member of the APC. She nevertheless said she stopped being a member of the party immediately after the 2019 elections. She said, “Since 2019, I have not had anything to do with any political organisation, including Buhari support groups. “When the APC was doing re-validation of party members, I did not take part in that exercise. “As I’m sitting down here, I’m not a member of any political party in this country. I have no partisanship in my blood. “I have seen many petitions against my nomination not only from the Peoples Democratic Party, but also from some APC members. “I’m not partisan, they know. It is about the law. No one has any reason to fear for my nomination as INEC commissioner representing Delta. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m madam due process. That’s why all the attacks. I follow due process, I follow the law.” However, an affidavit dated 30th June, 2021, she swore to at an FCT High Court, attached to one of the petitions against her, contradicted her claims. She deposed to the affidavit at the High Court of the FCT in a case involving her as plaintiff an Emeka Ugwuonye (defendant). Onochie in her witness statement on oath, affirmed among others that, “I am also a member of the All Progressives Congress and a volunteer at the Buhari Support Organisation.” She further told the panel that Mrs May Agbamuche, a serving INEC national commissioner from Delta State, is actually representing Cross River on the board of the electoral umpire. There was a sharp disagreement among the senators on whether Onochie should say the denial on oath or not but Gaya ruled that it was not necessary for her to do so, and subsequently adjourned the proceedings. Meanwhile, investigations by our correspondent have revealed that some APC members in the panel are currently trying to influence the confirmation of Onochie by putting it in the committee report which would be laid next week. A member of the panel told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that the basis for writing petitions against Onochie had been defeated. He said, ‘The various petitions that we received on Onochie centred on her membership of the APC and the fact that her confirmation would make Delta State produce the two slots meant for the South-South region on the board of INEC. “However, Onochie has told the panel that she is not a member of the APC. She has also said the Delta State-born woman on the INEC board is actually representing Cross River. “If the argument is that she is a political appointee, even the Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, was a Federal Government appointee because he served as the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund during former President Goodluck Jonathan administration. “Personally, despite being an APC card-carrying member and senator, I don’t want Lauretta Onochie to be confirmed but we really don’t have anything to hold her back because she has cleared herself.” Asked if the affidavit she swore to at the court could not be used against her, the Senator argued that events had overtaken it. He said, “You can only argue based on moral grounds but the facts before us did not really empower us to disqualify her. “The law said nominees for INEC appointment should not be a card-carrying member of any party and she said she had stopped being a member of the APC since 2019.” Another senator, who equally spoke on condition of anonymity, said the committee was already in possession of a letter from the APC Secretariat, declaring that Onochie had ceased to be a member of the party. He said, “I don’t know how else they want the woman to defend herself. She has said that she is not a member of the party and we have a letter written from the APC National Secretariat that she is not their member. “As far as the committee is concerned, the petitions before us seeking Onochie’s disqualification has been addressed,” the source added. Senator Lawal Gumau warned other members of the committee against taking any hasty decision that the Senate might regret later. He said, “Nigerians were quick to condemn the former Minister of Finance (Kemi Adeosun) but we are all surprised when the court vindicated her recently. “I don’t want us to do anything that we will regret in case we discovered later that she is not a card-carrying member of the APC.” But a PDP Senator, who is a member of the committee, insisted that Onochie must be disqualified because she should not be appointed. He told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that “the section of the constitution which disqualified her from the appointment states that she should never have been a member of any political party.’ When contacted on Friday, the Chairman of the INEC Committee, declined comments on the issue. Gaya said, “I will not make any comments on the issue now. Our committee is still working on the report.” Meanwhile, further findings by our correspondent revealed that the opposition senators have vowed to resolve the issue by physical voting during the confirmation at the Senate panel. PUNCH.

2023: PDP may counter Southern govs on zoning, throw presidential ticket open by Olusola Fabiyi,John Alechenu, Tobi Aworinde and Gbenga Odogun

As the clamour for the emergence of a southerner as the president in 2023 continues to generate comments, there are indications that the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, may throw the contest open to all Nigerians, irrespective of their zone. This comes days after southern state governors, on Monday, met in Lagos and agreed that the successor to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), should come from the region. The 17 southern governors in attendance, who belong to different political parties, also deliberated on insecurity, constitution amendment, the Petroleum Industry Bill and anti-open grazing law in all member-states. Similarly, members of the House of Representatives from the southern part of Nigeria adopted the resolutions by the Southern Governors’ Forum on the issues, including the rotation of the presidency in 2023. The lawmakers said members of the House from the 17 southern states “unanimously and unequivocally endorse the patriotic resolution of the SGF on the resolve that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the southern region.” However, multiple sources among the members of the National Working Committee of the party told Saturday PUNCH that the decision to also zone would be left to the National Executive Committee of the party. The sources also explained that it would be too early to arrive at which zone would produce the party’s presidential standard-bearer now, when the race had yet to be declared open. However, they stated that it would be wrong for an opposition party to zone its tickets, saying the party would have to look at some variables and other strategies that could make it win the election in 2023. They pointed out that, of the 16 years the PDP was in power, southerners were president for about 14 years. One of the sources noted that the PDP had to take many things into consideration, the first being that the party was not in power. According to the PDP chieftain, the party must, therefore, think about many things before giving out its ticket for 2023. The source said, “Recall that we (the PDP) were in power for 16 years. Out of that 16 years, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in power for eight years. He handed over to President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007. Unfortunately, the former governor of Katsina State died in May 2010. “That was when his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, was sworn in as president. Jonathan was re-elected president and was in power till 2015 when he was defeated by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari. So, you will see that the PDP has produced more southerners as presidents. “Let me also say that as sound as this argument is, it is not the final say because the NEC would have to decide. But the fact still remains that no political party would want to field a weak candidate against a strong opponent and no political party would also want to marginalise other areas and concentrate power at a particular area.” The NWC member argued that no single zone could singlehandedly produce the president. “The North needs the South and the South also needs the North. You need to recall the number of years President Buhari had contested the presidential election before the southerners, especially the South-West, embraced him in 2015 and gave him their votes,” the source said. Another top source stated that the southern governors needed to have gone to their political parties to convince them of the need to zone the ticket to the southern part of the country, adding that their approach could be misinterpreted as ganging up against another zone. “I think the governors in the South should sell their idea to their colleagues from the North, and then, we will take it up from there,” the source added. It was learnt that apart from a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Governor Aminu Tambuwal had also indicated to his close friends his desire to run for the presidency in 2023. Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, was among other aspirants that were defeated by Atiku at the PDP convention in 2018. No southerner in the party has shown interest in the 2023 presidential race so far. Our correspondents gathered that a former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, who was a running mate to Atiku in 2019, had yet to indicate if he would run for president in 2023. It is also unclear whether the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, will be throwing his hat into the ring. Wike was, however, a die-hard supporter of Tambuwal during the 2018 race for the presidential ticket of the PDP. “It will be difficult for us to impose candidates on the southern part of the country, if there are no aspirants there who are willing to contest,” another source stated. When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a telephone interview, said the party had yet to take a position on the issue of a possible southern presidential candidate in the 2023 election. Ologbondiyan said, “Currently, the party has not yet taken a position. But the conversation has started with our leaders. Usually, that is how the conversation will start until it crystallises. As some of the leaders of the party are speaking, a discussion has been opened in the public space, but it is not yet before the party.” APC caretaker committee dodges zoning, leaves decision to incoming exco Meanwhile, the Caretaker Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress has decided not to speak on the contentious issue of zoning. It was also gathered that the party’s leadership had decided to leave the decision to the members of the party’s NWC to be elected at its national convention, whose date has yet to be fixed. The Governor of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), read the communiqué of the southern governors after their meeting. Akeredolu, a member of the APC, is the Chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum. It was gathered that because the issue of rotation was believed to be sensitive, the party’s leadership was being careful about how to handle it. The acting National Secretary of the party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, told our correspondent that the caretaker committee was planning a national convention and that the issue of the rotational presidency was not part of the committee’s assignments. “We are planning a convention and the issue of the rotational presidency is not part of our mandate. Wait until after the convention,” he said in response to an enquiry by our correspondent. 2023: Kogi gov, Bello, disagrees with southern govs over zoning In a related development, the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has said the concept of the rotational presidency is no longer feasible because Nigerians are now yearning for visionary leadership more than ever before. He said even if the issue of zoning was being considered, the North-Central region had been marginalised in the scheme of things. Bello spoke at the First Annual GYB Seminar, in Abuja, on Friday. He challenged proponents of rotational presidency to show the world which part of the Nigerian Constitution or the constitution of the APC supports rotation. Bello said, “I have always asked this question, there has been (power) rotation so to speak from the PDP almost all this while, and what has been our result between then and now? If zoning will solve our problem as at the time, President Olusegun Obasanjo was the president two times, all the problems of the South should have been solved. “As of the time President Musa Yar’Adua of blessed memory came on board, the whole problems of the North should have been solved. Or when it returned back to the South-South, the problem of the Riverine, Niger Delta or of the whole of the South should have been solved. “Now we have President Muhammadu Buhari and it is expected that the problem of the North should have been solved. I am not saying these various leaders have not tried their best. “They have tried their best within the circumstances they found themselves in the office or the situation of things at those times and what Mr President is doing today. For crying out loud, he is at his best practice. “When we are talking of democracy, it is about free choice. And it is about the number. Let the majority be allowed the free will to choose who they want. Let political parties not limit Nigerians to who they want to elect into offices. “When you look at it, I think it is unconstitutional. Not in our own constitution — APC —­ and it is not there in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended. We cannot be picking and choosing when it suits us. North should produce next president –Ex-lawmaker A two-time member of the House of Representatives in Kogi State, Sunday Karimi, has said the North should produce the president in 2023. The lawmaker argued that the South had a total of 14 years in power, while the North would complete 10 years in 2023. He added that, for the sake of equity, the next president should emerge from another geopolitical zone in the North, “preferably the North-Central.” PUNCH.

Don’t allow Obaseki take custody of 1,130 stolen artefacts, Oba of Benin urges FG by Friday Olokor, Godfrey George and Adeyinka Adedipe

…rejects Edo govt’s proposed museum, says gov needs prayers Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has asked the Federal Government to temporarily take custody of 1,130 stolen Benin artefacts after they are repatriated from Europe amid the controversy surrounding where the artefacts will be housed. The Benin Palace and the Edo State Government have been at loggerheads over where the artefacts will be housed. While the palace wants the artefacts kept in the Benin Royal Museum, which will be built within the palace, the state government wants the items preserved in the proposed Edo Museum of West African Arts. But Oba Ewuare II, at a world press conference on Friday at the palace, said that there was no controversy over the issue, as an agreement had been reached that the artefacts would be housed in the royal museum. However, a press release from the Government House also on Friday quoted Governor Godwin Obaseki as saying in Germany that a “transformational” museum would be built in Benin to house the artefacts upon their return, as part of a new cultural district in the city. The artefacts were allegedly looted during the invasion of the Benin Kingdom in 1897 by the British led by Captain Philip. Speaking at his palace on Friday, Oba Ewuare II insisted that the right and only legitimate destination of the about-to-be-repatriated artefacts was the Benin Royal Museum. He said, “I have called this meeting today (Friday) to intimate you of the matter of the Benin artefacts in Europe on the verge of being repatriated, which I am sure you have heard and read about in recent weeks. You may also have heard about the recent activities of a group of individuals who incorporated a company since January 2020 called Legacy Restoration Trust Limited. “It has become germane to note that the advocacy and demands for the return of the artefacts looted from the Benin Kingdom in 1897 have been going on for decades before the emergence of the incumbent Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki. I must sincerely thank the governor for joining the struggle and showing commitment to retrieve our stolen cultural heritage from Europe. “While anticipating the return of the looted artefacts from Europe, I want to note that attempts to divert the destination or the right of custody of the artefacts is not in the interest of the people of Benin Kingdom, to whom the Palace of the Oba of Benin provides leadership. The looted artefacts awaiting repatriation from Europe are the cultural heritage of the Benin Kingdom created by our ancestors and forefathers within the traditional norms and rites of the kingdom. “They are not property of the state government or any private corporate entity that is not a creation of the Benin Kingdom. The right and only legitimate destination for the artefacts to be repatriated as already pronounced by my father is under the aegis of the Benin Royal Museum that will be sited within the precincts of the Palace of the Oba of Benin, from where they were looted, and also, the proper traditional institution that is also the custodian of all the cultural heritage of the Benin Kingdom. “The palace, therefore, strongly advises that anyone, group, organisation, or government – national and international – that is dealing with any organisation or artificial group in the process of returning the looted artefacts from the Benin Kingdom would be doing so at their own risk and against the will of the people of the Benin Kingdom.” Oba Ewuare II said he did not believe that the move by a privately registered company, Legacy Restoration Trust Ltd, and the purported establishment of Edo Museum of West African Arts, were in consonance with the wishes of the people of Benin Kingdom, adding that after his ascension to the throne, he had several discussions with Obaseki on the plan for the Benin Royal Museum. The monarch said the governor expressed his readiness to work with the palace to actualise the wish of his late father, adding that he had acquired additional plots of land from different families within the Adesogbe area near the palace for the purpose of building the Benin Royal Museum. The monarch said he was, however, surprised to read Obaseki’s letter to the palace wherein a new museum was being proposed, and which would be funded and executed through the vehicle of Legacy Restoration Trust Ltd. He said, “I informed him (Obaseki) that Oba Ewuare II Foundation had been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and had worked out a framework for not only receiving the artefacts but also building a modern structure – the Benin Royal Museum – within the precincts of the palace and that land has been secured for the building of the Benin Royal Museum under the supervision of the traditional institution. “But for reasons best known to him, the governor has gone against the understanding, given recent events. As a matter of fact, the people of Benin Kingdom and other stakeholders, especially the Benin Dialogue Group, had at different meetings endorsed the Benin Royal Museum to be built within the palace, as well as endorsing the Oba Ewuare II Foundation for fundraising and other requisite administration processes. “We wish to use this medium to call on the Federal Government to take custody of these artefacts on behalf of the palace until the Benin Royal Museum is ready for their collection. Under no circumstances should the custody of our age-old artefacts be handed to any privately contrived entity like Legacy Restoration Trust.” Oba Ewuare II advised Obaseki to review his approach of using the private vehicle of Legacy Restoration Trust Ltd and the Edo Museum of West African Art and see how he could “genuinely collaborate with the Oba’s palace in accordance with our original understanding. We thank the German government for its interest and willingness to return the Benin artefacts,” the monarch said. “Perhaps, there is a bridge or gap in communication, not on our side but on the side of the state governor, Obaseki, who I insisted we should pray for. We need prayers for a peaceful resolution of these misunderstandings,” Oba Ewuare II added. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the German Minister of State for Culture, Prof Monika Grutters, said the way the German government was dealing with the issue of Benin artefacts was important in addressing its colonial past. She gave an assurance that 1,130 artefacts would be repatriated to Nigeria from the beginning of 2022, noting that Germany had twice sent delegations to Nigeria for talks over the planned repatriation. She said such a move indicated that both sides had moved beyond mere talks, saying all the museums in Germany stockpiling Benin Bronzes had agreed to cooperate. The meeting in Berlin was attended by Grutters, German Foreign Minister, Mr Heiko Maas, while the Nigerian delegation included the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and Obaseki. The Benin Royal Palace was represented by the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, Prince Ezelekhae Ewuare. Mohammed proposed a one-year time limit for the full return of its artefacts from Germany. The minister, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Adeyemi, said the agreement for the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes from Germany must be signed by December 2021. “For us, the most important issue in the roadmap is the signing of the agreement and the date of return. We won’t move forward if we don’t have a clear date on signing and return,” Mohammed told participants at the meeting. “Full return should be completed in a year’s time, not beyond August 2022,” he added. The Secretary of State in the German President’s Office, Stephen Steinlein, was quoted as saying the German President was happy with the progress made so far on the planned repatriation of the artefacts. Obaseki told the participants that a museum was being built to make Benin City a cultural hub. The architect handling the museum project, David Adjaye, reportedly made a presentation to the participants, during which he said the project would fuse the technology of ancient Benin Kingdom to that of the 21st century to get an organic pavilion that would boast an auditorium, storage as well as exhibition space, among other facilities. Other members of the Nigerian delegation included the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar; the Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Prof Abba Tijani; and the Director of the Board of Legacy Restoration Trust, Phillip Ihenacho. PUNCH.

BREAKING: Buhari decorates new COAS with Lt. Gen. By Bolaji Ogundele

President Muhammadu Buhari has decorated Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Farouk Yahaya, with the Lieutenant-General rank at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Assisted by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Buhari performed the brief ceremony just before the week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. Present at the brief ceremony were some members of FEC, including Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari; National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno; Minister of Defense, Major-General Bashir Salihi Magashi; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defense, Senator Ali Ndume; and wife of the Chief of Army Staff, Hajiya Salamatu Yahaya, among others.

Statement at the Meeting of His Royal Majesty Omo N'Oba N’Edo, Ewuare II, Oba of Benin with Palace Chiefs and Enigies on the Repatriation of the Looted Benin Artifacts.

In the name of God and our Ancestors, I welcome you all and thank you all for honouring our invitation. I have called this meeting today to intimate you of the matter of the Benin Artifacts in Europe at the verge of being repatriated which I am sure you have heard and read about in recent weeks.You may also have heard about the recent activities of a group of individuals who incorporated a company since January 2020 called Legacy Restoration Trust Ltd. It has become germane to note that the advocacy and demands for the return of the artifacts looted from the Benin Kingdom in 1897 have been going on for decades before the emergence of the incumbent Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. I must sincerely thank the Governor for joining the struggle and showing commitment to retrieve our stolen cultural heritage from Europe.While anticipating the return of the looted artifacts from Europe, I want to note that attempts to divert the destination or the right of custody of the artifacts is not in the interest of the people of Benin Kingdom to whom the Palace of the Oba of Benin provides leadership.The looted artifacts awaiting repatriation from Europe are the cultural heritage of the Benin Kingdom created by our ancestors and forefathers within the traditional norms and rites of the kingdom. They are not property of the state government or any private corporate entity that is not a creation of the Benin kingdom.The right and only legitimate destination for the artifacts to be repatriated as already pronounced by my father is under the aegis of the Benin Royal Museum that will be sited within the precinct of the Palace of the Oba of Benin from where they were looted, and also, the proper traditional institution that is also the custodian of all the cultural heritage of the Benin Kingdom.The Palace, therefore, strongly advises that anyone, group, organization, or government – national and international that is dealing with any organization or artificial group in the process of returning the looted artifacts from the Benin Kingdom would be doing so at their own risk and against the will of the people of the Benin Kingdom. There is no alternative native authority and custodian of the cultural heritage of the Benin Kingdom outside the Oba of Benin as constituted by the Royal Palace. I do not believe that the move by a privately registered company, the Legacy Restoration Trust Ltd. and the purported establishment of Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA) are in consonance with the wishes of the people of Benin Kingdom.It is pertinent to note that shortly after my ascension to the throne I had several discussions with the Governor on the plan for the Benin Royal Museum and he expressed his readiness to work with the Palace to actualize this laudable wish of my father. I made efforts and acquired additional plots of land from different families within the Adesogbe area near the present day palace for this purpose. I was however surprised to read from the Governor's letter to the Palace where reference was being made to the fact that a new Museum to be known as EMOWAA is now being proposed, which will be funded and executed through the vehicle of another body now referred to as Legacy Restoration Trust.When Governor Godwin Obaseki informed me in his correspondence of another implementation framework using the so-called Legacy Restoration Trust and the Edo Museum of West Africa Arts (EMOWAA), my response was that the setting up of another organization or legal entity in whatever form or guise will not be necessary nor acceptable. I informed him that Oba Ewuare II Foundation has been registered with the CAC and has worked out a framework for not only receiving the artifacts but also building a modern structure - The Benin Royal Museum – within the precincts of the Palace and that land has been secured for the building of the Benin Royal Museum under the supervision of the traditional institution. But for reasons best known to him the Governor has gone against the understanding, given recent events. As a matter of fact, the people of Benin kingdom and other stakeholders especially Benin Dialogue Group, had at different meetings endorsed the Benin Royal Museum to be built within the Palace, as well as endorsing the Oba Ewuare II Foundation for fund raising and other requisite administration processes.We wish to use this medium to call on the Federal Government to take custody of these artifacts on behalf of the Palace until the Benin Royal Museum is ready for their collection. Under no circumstances should custody of our age old artifacts be handed to any privately contrived entity like the Legacy Restoration Trust. Thankfully just yesterday I spoke with the Hon. Minister for information and culture who is presently in Germany over the negotiation with the German Government over the plans for the repatriation of our artifacts he assured me that the Federal government remain committed to get unconditional return of our artifacts and will guarantee its full custody for their onward transmission to Benin kingdom to the exclusion of any unauthorized private entities or third parties, we once again thank the federal government for this commitment. It now behoves the Federal Government to be the only level of government that can take custody of the artifacts with a view to transferring them to their original owner and their original place of abode, more so that there exist international treaties and laws guiding these processes. The Palace of the Oba of Benin wishes to advise His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, Governor of Edo State to review his approach of using the private vehicle of the Legacy Restoration Trust Ltd and the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) and to see how he can genuinely collaborate with the Oba Palace in accordance with our original understanding. We thank the German Government for their interest and willingness to return the Benin artifacts. We pray to God and our ancestors for a fruitful resolution of this issue. Thank you. The Palace July 9th, 2021

President Buhari Approves Appointment of Ooni, Alaafin, Sultan, Others as Chancellors of 42 Federal Universities (Full List)

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of chancellors of 42 federal universities across the country with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III and other foremost traditional rulers making the list. He has also approved the appointment of pro-chancellors and chairmen of councils of 23 federal universities and four inter-university centres. A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola, was re-appointed as Pro-chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, announced this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, saying this was part of efforts to strengthen the institutions for effective service delivery for national development and global competitiveness. He said: “You will recall that following the approval of the President and Visitor to Federal tertiary Institutions, I inaugurated Visitation Panels to all tertiary institutions in April 2021. “The president has, following the establishment of additional Universities, approved the appointment and/or reassignment of chancellors to 42 federal universities. “The exercise is intended to also replace deceased chancellors of some federal universities. “As royal fathers, these chancellors are expected to be the moral compass of the various universities to which they are assigned. “They have been taken from their kingdoms and primary constituencies to other kingdoms and these appointments are expected to play a role in cementing relationships between communities in the country.” The chancellors and their institutions are as follows: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe Aladesanmi, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Obi Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha; Alex Ekwueme University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, the Alake of Egbaland. Others are: Bayero University, Kano, Oba Ewuare, the Oba of Benin; Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, King W.S. Joshua, the Ibenanawei of Bomo Kingdom; Federal University Gashua, Yobe State, Professor Chike Edozien, the Asagba of Asaba; Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State, HRH Ezeogo Ewa Elechi, THE Isu-Oha I of Ohaisu Kingdom. Others include, Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Shekarau Angyu, the Uka of Wukari; Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State, Alhaji (Dr.) Mohammadu Abali ibn Mohammed Idris, The Emir of Fika; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, the Attah Igala; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ebidem Ekpo Okon, the Obong of Calabar; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, the Akarigbo of Remoland. The Federal University of Technology, Akure has Alhaji Umar Kabir Umar, the Emir of Katagum; Federal University of Technology, Minna Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, the Deji of Akure; Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja jeki, the Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom; Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State, Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa, the Ona of Abaji; Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, the Obi of Obinugwu and Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Igwe Lawrence Agbubuzu, the Ezema of Olo Kkingdom. Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa has Alhaji Sidi Bage Muhammad, the Emir of Lafia as its Chancellor;; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike has Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar, the Emir of Gombe as Chancellor; Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, has Dr Uwa Umoh Adiaka, the Ekporikpo of Obot; National Open University of Nigeria has Agabaidu Elias Obekpa, the Ochi Idoma and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka has Da Jacob Gyang Buba, the Gbong Gwon Jos. Also, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has Alhaji (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe as Chancellor; University of Abuja has Dr Rilwan Adamu, the Emir of Bauchi; University of Agriculture, Makurdi has Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, the Emir of Ilorin; University of Benin, Professor James Ayatse, the Tor Tiv; University of Calabar has Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano; and University of Ibadan has Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, as chancellor. The University of Ilorin has Alhaji (Dr.) AbdulMumini Kabir Usman, the Emir of Katsina as chancellor; University of Jos, Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamali the Emir of Zazzau; University of Lagos has Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar el-Kanemi, the Shehu of Borno; University of Maiduguri, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo and University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife. University of Port-Harcourt has Alhaji Muhammadu Ilyasu Bashar, the Emir of Gwandu; University of Uyo, Alhaji (Dr.) Adamu Abubakar Maje, the Emir of Hadejia; Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos; University of Health Sciences, Alhaji Attahiru Muhammed Ahmed, the Emir of Zamfara; Nigerian Army University, Biu, HRM Felix Mujakperuo, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom. Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, has King Alfred Papapereye Diete-Spiff, the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass and Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru, Eze Eberechi Dick, the Eze Uudo of Mgboko Ngwa, Amaise.