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DEVELOPING: APC Absent At Big Presidential Debate On corruption

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Eniola Olayemi

 

Ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC) was conspicuously absent as political parties on Tuesday in Abuja debated how they would tackle corruption and promote public accountability in Nigeria.

Debate organised by Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) with support from MacArthur Foundation, engaged leaders of the political parties on their policy preferences on the two topics.

Of the five parties that turned up, only the African Action Congress (AAC) and Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) were represented by their presidential candidates; Omoyele Sowore and Tope Fasua respectively.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Young Progressive Party (YPP) and Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) sent their party officials.

The PDP was represented by a spokesperson of the Atiku campaign, Kassim Afegbua; the ACPN by its national secretary, Paul Osamadi; and YPP by its national publicity secretary, Egbeola Martins.

Corruption has been a topical issue in Nigeria over the decades with governments making numerous attempts to reform institutions, develop applicable legal frameworks, formulate and implement policies to promote a corruption-free environment.

These attempts had led to the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices (ICPC) and Related Offences Commission.

Despite these efforts, however, evidence and stories indicate corruption is on the rise under the different leaders.

According to observers, this can be linked to the inability of successive governments to ensure openness and transparency in their activities, promote accountability and demonstrate the political will to deliver good governance.

All the parties at the debate agreed that corruption is a problem that hinders development in the country but advocated different ways to tackle it.

However, the parties were not specific on the steps they will take to address the issue.

While AAC said corruption comes from the way parties are formed, candidates are picked, and lack of enforcement and consequences; ACPN said it would tackle corruption from the grassroots and ensure punishment for the corrupt and reward for excellence.

ANRP and YPP both said corruption can be fought with the use of technology. YPP added that the value system of the nation needs to be strengthened, leadership defined and laws reviewed.

“We intend to apply a systematic approach. It’s centered on the use of ICT to tackle the problem of corruption,” the party said.

For ANRP, “Technology always delivers, one the things that cause corruption in this country is addiction and psychological problems.”

PDP said fighting corruption is a collective responsibility and not just for the government. It said its government would deny institutions monopoly power, which it believes allows corruption to thrive.

“The global definition of corruption is monopoly plus discretion minus accountability. It’s the monopoly power of an individual that makes him abuse his discretionary power,” Mr. Afegbua said.

On the minimum wage of the country and the pay of members of the National Assembly, the parties agreed the pay of the lawmakers is ridiculous especially when civil servants are not paid enough as minimum wage.

They all noted the need for the increase of the minimum wage. AAC said it would put minimum wage at N100, 000 while ANRP suggested N45, 000.

 

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Kwara Court Jails Tailor for Impersonating, Defrauding EFCC Investigator

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Kwara Court Jails Tailor for Impersonating, Defrauding EFCC Investigator

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced a 27-year-old fashion designer, Haruna Musa Tolani, to 12 months imprisonment for impersonating and defrauding Callitus Egwuonwu, an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Directorate.

Tolani, an indigene of Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, was initially arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and cybercrime on January 28, 2025 and pleaded not guilty, but later changed his plea to guilty after overwhelming evidence was presented by counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola.

Count one of the charge reads:

“That you Haruna Musa Tolani in August,2024 at Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, misrepresented yourself via electronic message sent through unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) to Access Bank Plc. With respect to account number 0022643389, property of Mr Callistus Egwuonwu, with which you purchased N20000.00( Twenty Thousand naira) worth of MTN data which resulted into loss to the owner of the account and you thereby commit an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 14(2) of the cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2015”

Similarly, count two reads:

“That you Haruna Musa Tolani sometime in August,2024 at Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently impersonated one Callistus Egwuonwu via electronic message sent through unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) to Access Bank Plc with respect to account number 0022643389, property of Callistus Egwuonwu with intention to purchase MTN data worth Twenty Thousand Naira (20,000.00) which you did purchase and thereby committed offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(ii) of the cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act,2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(iv) of the same Act”

In his judgment, Justice Awogboro imposed a 12-month custodial sentence on Tolani with an option of a fine of N200,00( Two Hundred Thousand Naira). The court also ordered the forfeiture of a First Bank manager’s cheque of N200,000 in favour of the victim and directed the convict to restitute the sum of N20,000, the amount he fraudulently obtained.

Tolani bagged his imprisonment when he was arrested for internet fraud. He was charged to court, pleaded guilty and convicted.

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Two Truck Drivers Jailed for Illegal Possession of Minerals in Ilorin

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Two Truck Drivers Jailed for Illegal Possession of Minerals in Ilorin

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Thursday, May 15, 2025 convicted and sentenced two truck drivers, Abdulkareem Hussaini and Aliyu Ladan to one-year imprisonment each for unlawful possession of solid minerals.

They were arraigned on one-count separate charges by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The charge against Hussaini reads:

“That you, Abdulkareem Hussaini on or about the 11th day of June 2024, at Ballah Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, comes into possession of minerals to wit: Thirty-Five Tonnes of mineral, conveyed in a Layland DAF Truck, with registration number KTG 54 XB and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1 (8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1984”

Similarly, Ladan’s charge reads:

“That you, ALIYU LADAN, on or about the 13th day of September, 2024 at Ballah, Asa Local Government Area, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, comes into possession of minerals to wit: 30 tons of mineral, conveyed in a SINO truck, with registration number: FTA 981 XB and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offices Act, 1984”

The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them.

Following their pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, reviewed the facts of the case, tendered evidence and thereafter prayed the court to convict the defendants accordingly.

In his judgment, Justice Awogboro sentenced Hussaini and Ladan to 12 months in prison with an option of fine of N1 million each. The judge also ordered that the solid minerals recovered from the convicts at the time of arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The convicts started their journey to the Correctional Centre when they were found in possession of large quantities of minerals without valid authorization, an act that violates Section 1(8)(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1984.

They were charged to court, pleaded guilty to their charges and convicted.

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Adjudication Kicks Off for The Nigeria Prize for Science

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Adjudication Kicks Off for The Nigeria Prize for Science

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H


Momentum is building and adjudication is set to commence for the 2025 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Science, with 112 entries handed over today to the Prize’s Advisory Board for onward transmission to the judges.

Caption: (L-R): Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs (NLNG); Dr. Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development (NLNG); and members of The Nigeria Prize for Science Advisory Board – Prof. Barth Nnaji (Chairman), Chief Dr. (Mrs.) Nike Akande (Member), and Prof. Yusuf Abubakar (Member) during the handover of entries for the 2025 edition of NLNG-sponsored prize held in Lagos…on Tuesday.
The Nigeria Prize for Science, arguably Africa’s richest and most prestigious science award, is worth $100,000.

The 2025 edition features the theme “Innovations in ICT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Technologies for Development,” seeking solutions to bolster Nigeria’s digital economy.

Sponsored by NLNG, the Prize attracts entries from scientists worldwide (Nigerians and Non-Nigerians) and aims to identify and reward groundbreaking innovations that advance industry and promote sustainable development in Nigeria.


At a press conference in Lagos, NLNG’s General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, formally handed over the 112 entries to the Advisory Board, chaired by renowned scientist Professor Barth Nnaji.


The handover marks the start of a rigorous evaluation process, during which a panel of distinguished judges will assess entries based on merit, originality, and potential impact on national development.

The competition is expected to be intense, reflecting rising global interest and innovation in AI and digital technology.


In her remarks, Horsfall highlighted that this year’s theme reflects the global shift toward technological transformation.

She stated: “This year’s Prize seeks to spotlight pioneering research and bold solutions that harness technologies to empower industries, uplift societies, and transform Nigeria’s development trajectory.”


She further added: “These technologies hold immense transformative potential for Nigeria.

As Africa’s largest economy and a nation blessed with a vibrant pool of young talent, we have a unique opportunity to harness digital innovation to develop scalable, globally relevant solutions that will drive sustainable socio-economic development.”


Professor Barth Nnaji, while receiving the entries, expressed his appreciation for the number of submissions. “The Board is greatly encouraged by the volume of entries.

The 2025 competition is shaping up to be intensely competitive, and we are confident it will showcase outstanding innovation,” he said.


He emphasised the transformative power of AI and digital technologies across sectors: “AI is rapidly reshaping nearly every aspect of modern life, driving innovation, improving efficiency, and unlocking new possibilities across industries.”


He added; “ In healthcare, AI enhances diagnostic accuracy and speed through advanced imaging and predictive tools. In education, it personalises learning experiences, helping teachers address challenges early using intelligent tutors and automated assessments.

In agriculture, AI enables precision farming by analysing sensor and satellite data to improve crop management and forecast yields.

These sector-wide transformations underscore AI’s growing role as a catalyst for innovation and sustainable progress.”
Other members of the Board are Chief Dr. Nike Akande, a two-time former Minister of Industry, and Professor Baba Yusuf Abubakar, a professor of quantitative genetics and animal breeding.


The Prize continues to champion innovation, creativity, and scientific excellence as key drivers of Nigeria’s development, while fostering a culture of research that positions the country at the forefront of global innovation.


The winning entry for the 2025 Prize will be unveiled at a world press conference scheduled for September.

Caption: (L-R): Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs (NLNG); Dr. Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development (NLNG); and members of The Nigeria Prize for Science Advisory Board – Prof. Barth Nnaji (Chairman), Chief Dr. (Mrs.) Nike Akande (Member), and Prof. Yusuf Abubakar (Member) during the handover of entries for the 2025 edition of NLNG-sponsored prize held in Lagos…on Tuesday.

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