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Auditor General Queries NPA’s N44bn Unremitted Tax, N88bn Admin Spending

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The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation has issued more queries on the finances of the Nigerian Ports Authority, alleging various irregularities in the accounts of the agency for 2018.

The alleged infractions run into hundreds of billions, including the failure by the NPA to remit about N44.21bn in taxes to the Federal Inland Revenue Services and spending N88.23bn as administrative expenses during the year.

The Auditor General of the Federation, Adolphus Aghughu, issued various queries on the NPA’s consolidated and separate financial statements for 2018 in an audit report forwarded to the National Assembly which was dated May 24.

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has invited the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the management of NPA to appear before it on July 8 over the queries by the OAUGF based on the audit carried out by Messrs Muhtari Dangana & Co and SIAO (Chartered Accountants).

TheAuditor-General said the management of the NPA spent N409.17bn on property, plant, and equipment in 2018 without sufficient and appropriate audit evidence to confirm the completeness, existence, and valuation of the assets.

Out of the money, the NPA was said to have made ‘provision for depreciation charged in the accounts that would appear to be understated by N12.49bn’.

The report read, “It was observed during vetting that the provisions made against four classes of property, plant and equipment, namely roads and sidings, wharves, vessels, and buoys, did not correspond to the rates of depreciation reported in the financial statements.

“The depreciation rates that were charged on the assets were smaller than the rates arrived at during vetting.

“The understatement of depreciation by N12,486,991,000 resulted in the apparent overstatement of the Net Book value of the fixed assets and understatement of the surplus for the year by the same amount. An explanation would be appreciated.”

Furthermore, the Auditor-General said wharves were disposed of by the management of the NPA at the cost of N254.83bn without evidence of remittance to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, while demanding that the number of wharves disposed of, the cost and evidence of remittance be provided.

Also, the auditor-general said the authority reduced N126.63bn in the period under review to arrive at the trade receivable of N43.51bn.

Aghughu said, “This showed very weak debt recovery efforts on the part of the management of Nigerian Ports Authority.

“The minutes of the meeting where the group decided that these debts should be impaired should be provided. Detailed explanations should be given for the inability of the authority to recover its huge outstanding receivables. The detailed schedule of all the parties involved should be furnished.”

The NPA is also to explain how the N1.88bn meant for Staff Home Ownership Scheme was administered because the authority severed the relationship with Aso Savings and Loans Plc, the company that served as an agent for the creation of mortgages and the subsequent collections of repayments on the same mortgages.

The management, which had made an advance payment of N4.65bn, was asked to provide a schedule showing the names of the individual contractor, nature of the contract, contract sum, the amount of advance granted, age analysis of each of the advance and the unconditional performance guaranty supplied by the contractors should be furnished.

The auditor-general also asked the NPA to pay into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the sum of N2.33bn being money collected from the disputed cargo tracking note by the NPA, which had been kept in a dedicated account until July 2017 when the Economic and Financial Crime Commission directed First City Monument Bank that had been the custodian of the fund, to transfer the fund to an EFCC account.

BIG STORY

“My NGO Account Has Been Hacked, N160Million Diverted” — VeryDarkMan

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Popular activist and social critic, VeryDarkMan, has raised concerns about the hacking of his NGO account, which led to the diversion of N160 million.

In a video shared on his verified Instagram account on Friday, he revealed that the incident had left him feeling distressed in recent days.

He explained that the funds were stolen after hackers allegedly gained access to the NGO’s website. The compromised account, which initially contained N180 million, now holds only N20 million.

He mentioned that law enforcement agencies had tracked one of the suspects, resulting in an arrest.

To address the situation, he stated that the NGO’s app had been temporarily taken offline for maintenance to prevent further vulnerabilities.

He said, “For the past few days, I’ve not been myself. I am here with Officer Joe, and we are going to Jos. NGO money—somebody stole the money. Somebody hacked into the NGO website, and I don’t know how they did it. N180 million is missing, but thank God we have tracked the person, and we are on our way to Jos.

“They have arrested one person, and that is why I’m even saying it now. I’m excited, and the account has been put on PND. The account now has N20 million, while N160 million has been diverted to another account. We are currently going there to see how we can get the money back. I just want to update you people.

“I even had to shut down the app and put it on maintenance so that people will not really see what is going on, but let me just come out plain and tell everyone what is going on. Hopefully, we will get the money back.”

The NGO, which launched in October, gained significant attention after raising over N21 million within 24 hours of its inception.

The initiative, aimed at transforming Nigeria’s public education system, attracted support from prominent figures, including music producer Don Jazzy.

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BIG STORY

Christmas Celebrations: Police Arrest 23 Suspected Armed Robbers, Hoodlums, Kidnapper, Recover Dangerous Weapons [PHOTOS]

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  • As IGP Commends Officers For Vigilance, Commitment To Safety

 

In furtherance of the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., to commands and formations to emplace unalloyed anti crime strategies towards ensuring adequate safety and security during this festive period, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force across several states in the country have successfully apprehended multiple groups of armed robbers, cultists and hoodlums targeting fun seekers and engaging in gangsterism during Christmas celebrations.

On the 25th of December 2024, at about 1am, the police operatives attached to Lagos State Command, received a distress call that a group of hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons was operating around the Safejo area of Amukoko, Lagos State. The swift response by the police operatives to the scene led to the arrest of 3 of the suspected hoodlums identified as Emmanuel Okoli ‘m’, 20 years, Ogunde Tejiri ‘m’, 20 years, and Emmanuel Orji ‘m’, 18 years, and also the recovery of the weapons they had used in carrying out robbery attacks on innocent funseekers in the area. The police have emplaced intensified searches to apprehend the fleeing members of the gang.

In a similar development, Police Operatives attached to Saminaka Division of the Kaduna State Command on 25th December 2024, at about 8pm, successfully apprehended one Sule Muhammad ‘m’, 25 years, who has been actively involved in multiple kidnapping incidents within the Saminaka area. Further investigation led to the recovery of a fabricated AK-47 rifle from the suspect. The suspect confessed to being a member of a notorious kidnapping gang who had been evading arrest since the arrest of other gang members on August 16, 2024, until his recent arrest on 25th December 2024. Following cooperation received from Muhammad, efforts are in top gear to apprehend other members of his gang and recover more arms and ammunition in their identified camp. Commendable efforts of the Nigeria Police Operatives have also been witnessed in states including Delta, Ogun Katsina, Benue, FCT and Imo, leading to the arrests of several suspects in various locations during the Christmas celebration period.

The IGP has commended the officers involved in these operations for their vigilance and commitment to public safety, highlighting their display of exemplary dedication in safeguarding our communities, especially during this joyful season. The IGP urges the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities.

The IGP further assures citizens that the Force is fully committed to creating a safe environment for everyone as they partake in the joy and cheer of the holiday season. As the celebrations continue, the Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in its mission to protect all citizens and ensure that the spirit of festivities during this period remains unmarred by criminal activities.

 

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI,

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FORCE HEADQUARTERS,

ABUJA.

27TH DECEMBER 2024.

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BIG STORY

Road To 2027: We’ll Ensure APC Gets Less Than 15k Votes — Kwankwaso

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Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano state, stated that the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) will reduce the influence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting with party stakeholders in Tsanyawa LGA of the state, Kwankwaso mentioned that the NNPP aims to ensure the APC receives fewer than 15,000 votes in the 2027 elections.

In the 2023 governorship election, the NNPP garnered 1,019,602 votes, the APC secured 890,705 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came third with 15,957 votes.

Kwankwaso emphasized that the NNPP achieved the “remarkable feat” of over one million votes despite being a new political platform and starting its campaign late.

“Now, it’s our turn to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano come 2027,” Kwankwaso stated.

Kwankwaso, who was the NNPP’s presidential candidate in 2023, urged his supporters to stay united and focused to ensure the party’s success in future elections.

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