General News
GEJ Tells GMB to Extend Probe to Obasanjo, Others
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday advised the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, not to single out his administration in any probe he may want to carry out after his inauguration on Friday.
The outgoing President who spoke at the valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, advised Buhari to extend his probe beyond his regime or else, the probe will be seen as a witch-hunt.
The other administrations include those of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (1998-1999), former President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) and the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (2007-2010).
Jonathan said such probe should cover how oil wells and fields were allocated in the past.
Jonathan said “Some people are even calling for the probe of this government. I agree in Nigeria there are a number of things that we will probe, very many things. Even debts owed by states and this nation from 1960 up to this time, they say it is Jonathan’s administration that is owing all the debt.
“I believe that anybody calling for probe must ensure that these probes are extended beyond the Jonathan administration; otherwise, to me, it will be witch hunting. If you are very sincere, then it’s not just the Jonathan’s administration that should be probed.
“A number of things have gone wrong and we have done our best to fix them. The Attorney General is aware of massive judgment debts. If we aggregate all of them, it’s almost going to $1 billion. How did we come to this kind of huge judgment debts?
“These issues should be probed. How do you allocate our oil wells, oil fields, marginal wells and all that; do we follow our laws? All these should be probed. And I believe all these and many more areas should be looked at.”
According to him, the fuel scarcity and workers’ strikes are acts of sabotage by those bent on bringing down his administration, despite having few days to go.
Jonathan said: “Even this last fuel scarcity, to me, one can clearly say it was an act of sabotage. This government has few days to go. That is definitely not the time you expect massive strikes, using marketers and unions; unions asking for increase in salaries at a time oil price has dropped and volumes have dropped.
“None of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) is increasing salaries but our unions wanted 11 per cent increase in allowances and so on and so forth and went on strike.
“There was 21 days reserve in this country. It is not as if we had no products but they just refused to lift. Diesel was deregulated long ago, so the issue was not the product but people who felt they must bring this government to its knees even when they know that we had few days to leave. But we thank God we are getting over it and God will see us through.”
The President also stressed that his administration had done its best for Nigeria.
His words: “One thing that is clear, I enjoyed working with all of you. I’m very pleased with all of you. I want to thank all of you for your various contributions to the development of our country. I want to thank those that have been with us, the Advisers, Special Senior Assistants, the secretariat, other senior government functionaries, including the media that covered proceedings every Wednesday.”
“As a cabinet, we have tried our best. I believe we have done well under a very difficult situation. There are a lot of criticisms; people say different things at different times. Some of those who make some statements know they are purely political.
“I have always throw, the challenge that those who criticise us should compare what we have done in the various sectors to what others have done. I may not need to enumerate but if you look at the rail system and what we have done within this period, the oil sector where there has been so much attack, one good thing we did was the Nigerian content law that revolutionised the oil industry.”
He went on: “There were a lot of fabrication going on in Lagos and other places but it was never like this before. Nigerians are playing key roles in the oil sector. People sometimes forget this. Even with that, maybe we have offended some people but the Nigerian local content has really helped so many Nigerians to play big in the oil sector.”
“The agriculture, power sectors and maybe in foreign relations, like the Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned, from 1960 to date, we have been members of the Security Council as non-permanent members five times; out of these five times, two times was with the five years of our administration.”
“We have been an independent nation for years and we have been in the United Nations Security Council as non-permanent members five times, two within this administration. That shows clearly that the rest of the world appreciates our little contributions to global issue.”
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday advised the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, not to single out his administration in any probe he may want to carry out after his inauguration on Friday.
The outgoing President who spoke at the valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, advised Buhari to extend his probe beyond his regime or else, the probe will be seen as a witch-hunt.
The other administrations include those of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (1998-1999), former President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) and the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (2007-2010).
Jonathan said such probe should cover how oil wells and fields were allocated in the past.
Jonathan said “Some people are even calling for the probe of this government. I agree in Nigeria there are a number of things that we will probe, very many things. Even debts owed by states and this nation from 1960 up to this time, they say it is Jonathan’s administration that is owing all the debt.
“I believe that anybody calling for probe must ensure that these probes are extended beyond the Jonathan administration; otherwise, to me, it will be witch hunting. If you are very sincere, then it’s not just the Jonathan’s administration that should be probed.
“A number of things have gone wrong and we have done our best to fix them. The Attorney General is aware of massive judgment debts. If we aggregate all of them, it’s almost going to $1 billion. How did we come to this kind of huge judgment debts?
“These issues should be probed. How do you allocate our oil wells, oil fields, marginal wells and all that; do we follow our laws? All these should be probed. And I believe all these and many more areas should be looked at.”
According to him, the fuel scarcity and workers’ strikes are acts of sabotage by those bent on bringing down his administration, despite having few days to go.
Jonathan said: “Even this last fuel scarcity, to me, one can clearly say it was an act of sabotage. This government has few days to go. That is definitely not the time you expect massive strikes, using marketers and unions; unions asking for increase in salaries at a time oil price has dropped and volumes have dropped.
“None of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) is increasing salaries but our unions wanted 11 per cent increase in allowances and so on and so forth and went on strike.
“There was 21 days reserve in this country. It is not as if we had no products but they just refused to lift. Diesel was deregulated long ago, so the issue was not the product but people who felt they must bring this government to its knees even when they know that we had few days to leave. But we thank God we are getting over it and God will see us through.”
The President also stressed that his administration had done its best for Nigeria.
His words: “One thing that is clear, I enjoyed working with all of you. I’m very pleased with all of you. I want to thank all of you for your various contributions to the development of our country. I want to thank those that have been with us, the Advisers, Special Senior Assistants, the secretariat, other senior government functionaries, including the media that covered proceedings every Wednesday.”
“As a cabinet, we have tried our best. I believe we have done well under a very difficult situation. There are a lot of criticisms; people say different things at different times. Some of those who make some statements know they are purely political.
“I have always throw, the challenge that those who criticise us should compare what we have done in the various sectors to what others have done. I may not need to enumerate but if you look at the rail system and what we have done within this period, the oil sector where there has been so much attack, one good thing we did was the Nigerian content law that revolutionised the oil industry.”
He went on: “There were a lot of fabrication going on in Lagos and other places but it was never like this before. Nigerians are playing key roles in the oil sector. People sometimes forget this. Even with that, maybe we have offended some people but the Nigerian local content has really helped so many Nigerians to play big in the oil sector.”
“The agriculture, power sectors and maybe in foreign relations, like the Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned, from 1960 to date, we have been members of the Security Council as non-permanent members five times; out of these five times, two times was with the five years of our administration.”
“We have been an independent nation for years and we have been in the United Nations Security Council as non-permanent members five times, two within this administration. That shows clearly that the rest of the world appreciates our little contributions to global issue.”
The trial of three employees of Wema Bank Plc and four others accused of orchestrating N8.9 billion cyber heist has been stalled due to the Eid-el-Kabir public holiday.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the bank staff—Samuel Asiegbu, Fabian Onyeimachi, and Kingsley Kejim—alongside four alleged accomplices: Hannah Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe, before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos on May 25, 2025.
The seven defendants face an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cybercrime, and obtaining money under false pretences. They were accused of hacking into Wema Bank’s computer systems in January 2025 and unlawfully transferring N8,568,090,500 to various accounts.
According S.O. Larry Peters, counsel, EFCC, the defendants acted in concert with two other suspects—Nurudeen Ibrahim and Alhaji Sulaiman—who are currently at large. The syndicate allegedly manipulated the bank’s data using sophisticated digital tools to cause financial loss and confer illegal economic gains on themselves.
Peters further revealed that two of the defendants—Hannah Okunlola and Sunday Osademe—provided personal bank accounts for the illicit proceeds. Investigators traced N199 million to Okunlola’s UBA account registered under Search Light Media Concept, and N2.25 million to Osademe’s Union Bank account.
The offences, according to the charge sheet, violate Sections 6(2), 8, 14(1), 14(5), and 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as well as Sections 17(a)(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004.
All seven defendants pleaded not guilty. Following their plea, the court remanded five of the accused in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services, while Kingsley Kejim continued on existing bail terms.
The court granted a special request by defence counsel to remand Hannah Okunlola in EFCC custody due to medical concerns.
Justice Aneke had adjourned the matter to June 6, 2025, for commencement of trial. However, due to the nationwide Sallah holiday declared by the federal government, the proceedings could not go ahead as scheduled.
A charge reads: “That you, Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu, Ejim Kingsley Kelechi, and others now at large, in January 2025, conspired to alter Wema Bank data to cause the loss of N8.568 billion in order to benefit economically, thereby committing an offence under Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.”
The case has drawn significant attention as one of the most audacious cybercrime cases involving bank insiders in Nigeria’s recent history.
The 2025 Ojude Oba celebrations kicked off on Friday evening with “Evening with Glo,” a special event organized by Globacom and headlined by Juju music legend Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi and Fuji maestro Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1)
This year marks a significant milestone: Globacom’s 20th anniversary as sponsors of the Ojude Oba festival, an event it has helped transform into a globally recognized cultural spectacle.
The “Evening with Glo” was a vibrant mix of live music, delicious food, and captivating comedy from Gbenga Adeyinka, Bash, and Kiekie. The Conference Hall venue was packed as guests enjoyed more than two hours of Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi’s timeless hits, with the audience singing along and dancing.
Globacom organized the event as a gesture of appreciation to the Ijebu community for their unwavering support over the past two decades of the Ojude Oba festival. “We decided to bring together great sons and daughters of Ijebuland to celebrate our shared heritage, and indulge in the melodious rhythms that resonate deeply throughout Yorubaland,” the company stated.
The company explained their choice of musical icons, noting that the “ageless icon and Juju music maestro, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, has contributed decades of good, sonorous and philosophical songs to our society. His songs are still as fresh and full of inspirational messages as they were yesterday.”
Regarding KWAM 1, the company highlighted that “For decades, King of Fuji, K1 De Ultimate, the Fuji master, has been a great part of the music firmament in Nigeria, with his unique brand of Fuji that has elicited huge interest.”
The event saw a strong turnout of prominent Ijebu figures, including the Olori of Oba Awujale, Chief Mrs. Olukemi Adetona; the Coordinator of Ojude Oba Festival Planning Committee, Professor Fassy Yusuff; and a committee member and Iyalode of Ijebuland, Chief Mrs. Bisi Osibogun.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has emphasized the importance of developing policies that intentionally include approximately 35 million persons with special needs in digital literacy and technology empowerment initiatives.
Ms. Grace Jerry, executive director, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and Malam Kashifu Inuwa, director-general, NITDA.
This was stated by Malam Kashifu Inuwa, director-general, NITDA, in Abuja during a meeting with a delegation from the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), a disability advocacy organization led by Ms. Grace Jerry, its executive director.
Inuwa noted that integrating persons with special needs into these programmes supports President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of economic reform and inclusive growth.
“This has brought to my attention the need to be more intentional in the way we design our programmes because there is no way we can achieve 95 per cent digital inclusion if we exclude 35 million Nigerians.”
“The agency has always been conducting targeted training for people with special needs in various parts of the country in the past.
“We will ensure that we expand our initiatives to all parts of country and our office facility have that in consideration but our programmes going forward will reflect this inclusion,” he said.
The Director General recommended including representatives from the disability community in national ICT committees tasked with setting standards, designing training curricula, and shaping policy frameworks.
He emphasized that their participation would ensure adequate representation and facilitate implementation beyond bureaucratic constraints.
He further advocated for the integration of disability-focused initiatives into national programmes such as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) tech schemes, women’s training cohorts, and other major technology-driven activities. According to him, these platforms offer vital opportunities for networking, skills development, and enterprise support.
“For us, it’s beyond just training. The real goal is empowerment, how we can train people to use IT to expand their businesses and improve their lives,” Inuwa said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strategic collaboration and invited disability-focused organisations to partner with NITDA in shaping an inclusive digital economy.
Earlier, Jerry expressed appreciation to the agency for the engagement and highlighted the digital gap within the disability community.
She said the government’s goal of achieving 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030 would only be realistic if it was truly inclusive.
“Digital literacy is fast becoming a foundational skill for employment, and without deliberate inclusion, millions will be left behind,” Jerry said.
The meeting highlighted NITDA’s growing commitment to inclusive policy development, aligned with the nation’s economic reform agenda.
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