News
ALSCON Crisis: Appeal Court Affirms Order to Jail DG of BPE

The Appeal Court in Abuja on Friday in a unanimous ruling gave the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), and Alex Okoh, its director-general, 30 days to comply with and enforce the July 6, 2012 order of the Supreme Court in a unanimous ruling which affirmed BFIGroup as the winner of the bid for the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, .

Alex Okoh, DG of BPE
The Court affirmed the order of the Federal High Court, Abuja for the arrest and imprisonment of Okoh, for contempt and disobedience of Supreme Court orders over the ownership of Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria.
In a unanimous ruling, Justices Stephen Adah, A. Mustapha and Kenneth Amadi affirmed the order of Justice Anwuri Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 17, 2019.
In his ruling on the application filed by BFIGroup, the Nigerian-American consortium declared winner of the bid for ALSCON in 2004, Justice Chikere ordered that Okoh be remanded in prison for a minimum of 30 days “until he purges himself of the contemptuous acts of disobedience of the orders of the Supreme Court.”
Since July 6, 2012, the apex court, in a unanimous ruling, affirmed BFIGroup as the winner of the bid ALSCON.
Following the bid for ALSCON held in 2004, the National Council for Privatisation (NCP) declared BFIGroup winner and the preferred bidder with an offer of $410 million.
But, BPE unilaterally cancelled the win in controversial circumstances, resulting in BFIGroup taking the matter before the court in 2006. The case dragged till July 2012 when the Supreme Court gave “an order of specific performance” to BPE to rescind its earlier decision to cancel the bid, reinstate BFIGroup and hand over ALSCON to it.
However, after two orders of the lower court seeking the enforcement of the Supreme Court ruling failed to persuade BPE to reverse its decision, BFIGroup on April 4, 2019 commenced contempt proceedings against BPE and Okoh.
On April 10, the court issued a formal notice to BPE and Okoh threatening to commit them to prison for their continued disobedience of the directive of the Appeal Court and the order of the Supreme Court in respect of the ownership crisis in ALSCON.
The notice read: “TAKE NOTICE that this Honourable Court will be moved on the 13th day of May 2019 at the hour of 9 O’clock in the forenoon or soon thereafter as Counsel may be heard on behalf of the Applicant praying this Honourable Court for:
- AN ORDER of this Honourable Court for Committal to Prison to be made against: a. Alex Okoh, Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises; b. Bureau of Public Enterprises for disobeying and refusing to fully enforce the judgment/orders made by the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC 12/2008 BFI Group v, BPE dated 6 July 2012 and the subsequent Enforcement Order contained in the Judgement of the Court of Appeal No. CA/A/637/2014 BPE v. BFI Group Corporation dated 11 January 2019.”
Okoh ignored the notice, by refusing to enter negotiations with BFIGroup pursuant to the order of the court. Consequently, on December 17, 2019, Justice Chikere ruled on the application granting BFIGROUPROUP’s request for Okoh and BPE to be remanded in prison for a minimum of 30 days.
Although BPE claimed on December 24, 2019 that it filed an appeal, No. CA/ A/117/M/2019, for a stay of execution of the committal order against its DG, BFIGroup’s Executive Vice President, Jimmie Williams, faulted the application as a sham.
In a petition to the President of the Court of Appeal titled “RE: Mr. Alex Okoh and BPE’s Sham Stay of Execution in Case No. FHC/ABJ/ CS/583/2004” dated January 21, 2020, Williams, who is also BFIGroup’s General Counsel, urged the court to uphold the contempt charge against Okoh.
However, when the Appeal Court entered a final ruling on the matter on Friday, Counsel to BFIGroup, Patrick Ikwueto, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) told MEDIATRACNET that the court affirmed the order of the lower court.
“The Appeal Court upheld in its entirety the order of Justice Anwuri Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja which asked BPE and its DG to fully comply with the directive of the Supreme Court for ALSCON to be handed over to BFIGroup, the preferred winner of the bid. We expect BPE and its DG to do the honourable thing and respect the rule of law,” Ikwueto said.
Dr. Rueben Jaja, BFIGroup President, while reacting to the ruling, said the Appeal Court has demonstrated once again that the court is the hope of a common man.
“The court has reaffirmed that they are ready to support anyone, whether in Nigeria or abroad, who is ready to invest in Nigeria, despite the corrupt tendencies of some selfish and misguided public officials. BFIGroup is ready to go ahead to take over and revitalize ALSCON to benefit of the youth in the Niger Delta region,” Jaja said.
News
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira

National Reading Culture (NRC), an online investment platform targeting Nigerians has collapsed, resulting in the loss of billions of Naira for investors.

The website unexpectedly shut down, blocking users from withdrawing their funds and locking in their investments.
Just like all other investment scams, victims were lured with promises of doubling their money in few weeks.
When National Reading Culture eventually crashed, the operators vanished with users’ funds, leaving investors devastated.
How the Platform WorkedTask-Based Earning:
According findings, National Reading Culture lured users with promises of making money by completing simple daily tasks like reading articles, clicking links, or inviting friends.
They also offered investment tiers to earn higher daily profits, where users had to deposit their own money into the platform.
Evidence showed the website previously operated as a Chinese job search platform before rebranding into an “earning” scheme.
News
NSITF Partners South African Insurer on Digital Transformation

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) to collaborate on digital transformation aimed at strengthening worker protection systems and support economic growth.

According to RMA, the agreement was concluded during a visit by its delegation to Abuja.
The partnership will focus on institutional capability development, modernising operating models, improving service delivery and sharing knowledge between the two organisations.
Through the partnership, RMA and NSITF will collaborate to strengthen institutional capability, modernise operating models, accelerate digital transformation and improve services for workers and employers.
The organisations will also explore opportunities for knowledge exchange and the adoption of best practices in social security administration.
RMA said the agreement forms part of its broader engagement with governments, regulators and social security institutions across Africa to support improvements in governance, operational resilience and service delivery.
“Our partnership with NSITF reflects much more than the signing of an agreement,” said Mandla Shezi, group chief executive officer of RMA. “This partnership is not simply about sharing knowledge. It is about co-creating the next generation of African social security systems.”
He added: “By combining our respective strengths, we can help build institutions that are more resilient, more responsive and better equipped to protect workers while supporting national development.”
Shezi said the future of social security depends on integrated systems where prevention, insurance, healthcare, rehabilitation, technology, investment management and institutional capability work together.
News
Senate Rejects Nationalisation of MTN, DStv Over Xenophobic Attacks on Nigerians in South Africa

Senate on Tuesday rejected calls for the nationalisation of South African-owned companies operating in Nigeria, including MTN and DStv, as a retaliatory measure against renewed xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

The upper chamber, however, condemned the attacks and intimidation of Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, urging the Federal Government to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure the safety of Nigerians living in the country.
The resolutions followed a motion titled: “Motion on the Need to Halt the Recurring Xenophobic Attacks and Intimidation Against Nigerians and Other African Nationals in the Republic of South Africa,” sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC-Cross River South).
The motion was triggered by renewed concerns over attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa following the expiration of a June 30, 2026 deadline reportedly issued by some vigilante groups asking foreigners to leave the country.
During the debate, Senator Wasiu Eshilokun proposed that South African companies operating in Nigeria should be nationalised, while Senator Adams Oshiomhole suggested that profits generated by South African firms could be appropriated to compensate Nigerians who suffered losses if the South African government failed to provide compensation.
Oshiomhole argued that Nigerians should not continue to bear the consequences of attacks against their businesses and lives while South African companies operating in Nigeria continued to make profits.
He said the government should consider using profits from affected companies to compensate victims if South Africa refused to address the losses suffered by Nigerians.
However, the Senate declined the proposal, opting instead for diplomatic engagement and further investigation into the attacks.
Presiding over plenary, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin cautioned lawmakers against relying on unverified social media reports and urged a careful approach to the matter.
Jibrin said Nigeria must condemn attacks against its citizens but should allow relevant committees to complete their investigations before taking further actions.
He directed the Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations to review previous resolutions on the matter and submit a report within two weeks.
The Senate also urged the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa, to obtain written assurances from South African authorities on the protection of Nigerians and demand the arrest and prosecution of persons responsible for violence, intimidation and looting.
The lawmakers further called for collaboration with other African countries and relevant continental institutions to establish effective mechanisms for monitoring and preventing xenophobic attacks.
Senator Ekpenyong had earlier raised concerns that the attacks were no longer limited to undocumented migrants but had extended to Nigerians with valid work and residence permits.
He described the situation as a threat to the dignity and safety of Nigerians abroad, urging the government to take stronger measures to protect citizens.
The Senate’s latest action comes amid renewed public anger over attacks targeting Nigerians and other foreigners in South Africa, with lawmakers insisting that diplomatic solutions should be prioritised over economic retaliation.
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