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‘Flood’ washes away NEMA’s N1.6bn fund

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The House of Representatives has discovered how Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Engr Mustapha Maihaja, blew a whopping sum of N1.6bn released to him by the Federal Government in July 2017 for relief intervention to flood victims in 16 states.

The huge sum was said to have been expended on contracts awarded to 216 companies that were not qualified for contract awards in the country.

At an investigative hearing on the violation of public trust in NEMA by the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Maihaja was found to have spent the N1.6bn on contract awards to the companies who have no tax clearance and other prerequisite qualifications as demanded by the Nigerian laws.

At the investigative hearing presided over by the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ali Isa, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in their reports submitted to the committee revealed that the NEMA boss violated the law on tax and other breaches in the contracts to the companies.

The FIRS, ITF and PENCOM in their separate reports adopted by the Committee during the hearing specifically stated that the NEMA’s boss did not carry out due diligence and financial regulations on the companies to know their qualifications and their status before awarding the multi-million Naira contracts to them.

Apart from the tax laws, Maihaja was also indicted for breaching the Public Procurement Act 2007 in his refusal to follow the relevant laws of procurement in the ways and manners he awarded the controversial contracts to the benefitting companies.

At the explosive investigative hearing, the committee was told that the governing council of NEMA inaugurated on April 3, 2018 on the same day suspended six directors of the agency who were said to have kicked against the ways and manners the NEMA boss was implementing contracts awards in breach of due process.

The suspended officers are Director of Finance and Accounts, Akinbola Gbolahan; Ag. Director, Special Duties, Mr. Umesi Emenike; and Director, Risk Reduction, Mallam Alhassan Nuhu.  Others are pilot in charge of Air Ambulance and Aviation Unit, Mr. Mamman Ali Ibrahim; the Chief Maintenance Officer, Mr. Ganiyu Yunusa Deji; and the Director of Welfare, Mr. Kanar Mohammed.

The Committee acting Chairman, Hon. Isa however ordered the NEMA boss to produce the suspended NEMA officials before the committee tomorrow for continuation of the investigation and to enable the directors give evidence in the interest of fair hearing.

The suspension of the officers was said to be arbitrary and suspicious especially in the ways and manner it was purportedly carried out by the governing council the same day the council was inaugurated.

The committee had queried Maihaja in his claim that the report of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recommended the suspension of the officers while the DG who was also facing investigation along with directors was left out of the suspension in the purported EFCC’s report.

During the hearing that lasted several hours, Maihaja who resumed in April 2017 was said to have failed to respond to the distress occasioned by floods in 16 states in which several lives were lost and properties worth billions of Naira damaged.

In some of the reports submitted by the affected 16 states, the NEMA boss was said to have delivered emergency relief materials to Kwara, Enugu and Ebonyi states to the flood victims a year after the flood disaster occurred, while other complained that the items delivered to them were less than N50mn as against the N100mn approved to each of the affected states by the Federal Government.

Apart from the three states other 13 states could not received the emergency relief materials six month after they suffered loses prompting the house committee to agree that the purpose of the federal government in releasing the sum to the affected states for emergency relief had been defeated by the action of the agency.

Specifically, the committee lambasted NEMA boss for misleading the President to release the huge sum in the name of emergency situation and ambush Nigerians by refusing to act on emergency situations as demanded by the law that established the agency.

Meanwhile the house committee had adjourned further investigation till tomorrow April 12, 2018 to enable the NEMA boss to produce the six suspended officers and he is also expected to shed light on how intervention to victims of Boko Haram in North-East and how he managed the 6776metric tonnes of rice donated by Chinese government

Early, the Committee had threated to refer the NEMA boss to trial on perjury when it was discovered that he was not giving appropriate answers to the questions put to him by committee members in the bids to unravel the controversies surrounding the spending of the flood funds. (PRNigeria)

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Dangote Foundation Donates 80,000 Bags Of 10kg Rice To Communities

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The Aliko Dangote Foundation has donated 80,000 bags of 10kg rice to support vulnerable communities in Lagos State.

The Special Adviser on New Media to the Lagos State Governor, Jubril Gawat, disclosed this on his X handle on Wednesday.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; founder and chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; and Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Holdings Plc, Femi Otedola, were present at the event of the food distribution.

Dangote has reportedly spent about N15bn on the food intervention programme with beneficiaries across Nigeria.

The food intervention programme by his foundation was first launched in Kano State on Saturday, and will see over one million bags of 10kg rice distributed across the 774 local government areas of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory.

Here are pictures from the event.

We appreciate Dangote for this kind gesture.

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36-Year-Old Lady In Shock After Her 19-Year-Old Daughter Welcomed A Baby Without Her Knowledge

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She wrote: “My 19year old daughter made me a granny at the age of 36 😭😭 im still shook and traumatized

She hid the pregnancy for 9months up until her water broke. After God fear ama 2000.

Amid so many reactions from netizens, she also wrote;

“Lol some comments amuse me .. I’m not ashαmεd or embarrassed that I had my daughter at the age 18 , yes it was not planned but she has been the biggest blessing to me

I’m a mad that she got pregnant, yes any parent would be . Because I still wanted her to achieve more.

I’m also mad that she hid it from me because I could have planned better . And as for that little baby boy , I will love and raise him as my own son . He’s a huge blessing to me and the family.”

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Chinese Man Sentenced To Death By Hanging For Killing Nigerian Girlfriend

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Geng Quandong, a Chinese man standing trial for the murder of his Nigerian Girlfriend named Ummukulsum Buhari, has been sentenced to death by hanging by a Kano High Court, Daily Nigerian is reporting.

On September 16 2022, Mr Quangrong stαbbed his 23-year-old girlfriend to death at her family residence in Janbulo quarters, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano.

According to him, He said he had spent millions numbering upto 60 million naira on her.
All the expenses he made included buying her a car worth 10 million naira, Getting her a house worth 4 million naira, Opening a business worth of 18 million naira. Plus other millions he spent planning for their weddings and extra spendings he’s done for her.
And he did all that with hopes that they will get married to each other, But she married someone else instead. So he was really heartbroken which led to his actions.

Mr Quandong, 47, was found guilty of the offence of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 221 of the Penal Code Law of Kano State and convicted accordingly.

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