News

Minimum wage should be N500,000 Sowore Affrims.

Published

1 year ago

May 2, 2024

Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, has proposed N500,000 as the new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

News

EX EFCC CHAIRMAN BAWA EXPOSED FUEL SUBSIDY SCAM IN HIS NEW BOOK.

Published

14 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Abdulrasheed Bawa, the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has released a groundbreaking new book titled ‘The Shadow of Loot & Losses: Uncovering Nigeria’s Petroleum Subsidy Fraud’.

This powerful exposé provides the most authoritative account yet of Nigeria’s multi-trillion-naira fuel subsidy scandal, unraveling the inner workings of one of the country’s most pervasive financial crimes.

Drawing from his firsthand experience as a key investigator on the EFCC’s special team that probed the 2012 subsidy fraud, Bawa reveals the staggering scale, complexity, and audacity of the schemes used to siphon public funds under the guise of fuel subsidy payments. His insider narrative chronicles how billions of naira were recovered and several culprits brought to justice, while also shedding light on how entrenched corruption allowed the fraud to flourish for years.

In the book, Bawa details multiple fraudulent strategies including:

Ghost importing and over-invoicing: Companies submitted claims for fuel that was never imported or inflated shipment volumes to receive excessive subsidy payouts.

Manipulation of bills of lading: By altering shipping documents, fraudsters exploited international price fluctuations to claim higher subsidies.

Round-tripping and double claims: Single shipments were often used to obtain multiple subsidy payments.

Diversion and smuggling: Subsidised fuel was frequently diverted to black markets or smuggled out of Nigeria for profit.

These practices, Bawa explains, were enabled by forged documents, weak regulatory oversight, and systemic collusion between corrupt government officials and private sector actors.

“The Shadow of Loot & Losses is not just a chronicle of fraud,” says Bawa. “It is a call to action — a demand for transparency, accountability, and reform in Nigeria’s public finance management, especially in the oil sector.”

Having served as EFCC chairman from 2021 to 2023, Bawa brings rare credibility and insight into the institutional challenges and political dynamics that have shaped the anti-corruption fight in Nigeria. His book is both a revelation and a reckoning — offering evidence-based analysis and personal reflections on one of the most controversial chapters in Nigeria’s recent history.

God bless President Bola Tinubu for the removal of fuel subsidy. If not by now, Nigeria could have been totally bankrupt as a result of the fuel subsidy scam.

News

Two Workers Killed, One Injured As Kwara Hotel Fence Collapses

Published

19 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

SaharaReporters learnt that the workers, who were engaged in the ongoing reconstruction of the iconic state-owned hotel, were buried under the rubble of the fallen fence.

Tragedy struck in the Kwara State capital on Tuesday when a section of a fence under reconstruction at the Kwara Hotel premises collapsed, killing two construction workers and leaving another seriously injured.

SaharaReporters learnt that the workers, who were engaged in the ongoing reconstruction of the iconic state-owned hotel, were buried under the rubble of the fallen fence.

The victims were immediately rushed to Sadiku Hospital at Unity Road for emergency treatment, but two were pronounced dead on arrival.

A source familiar with the incident told SaharaReporters that the workers had earlier raised concerns about the structural weakness of the fence with the foreign contractor, Craneburg Construction Company, handling the project.

However, their warnings were reportedly ignored.

“The deaths of these workers are truly heartbreaking. This tragedy could have been avoided if proper safety measures had been in place — especially on a project of this scale,” the source said.

“We’re currently at the Janaza burial ground with the foreign contractors. It’s a deeply unfortunate situation,” the source added.

Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the collapse involved an old fence separating the hotel from a nearby facility.

Ajakaye noted that three workers were injured in the incident.

However, despite the first aid and emergency attention provided at the nearest hospital, two of them didn’t survive.

According to the Chief Press Secretary, “It is quite saddening. Yesterday, an old fence between the hotel and a nearby facility gave in. Three workers on duty were badly injured. One of them made it, but the remaining two didn’t survive it despite the first aids and the emergency response at the nearest hospital.

“It is very, very saddening. Their families have since been contacted, according to the facility managers,” Ajakaye said.

On January 24, 2024, SaharaReporters reported that Mustapha Mashood, an All Progressives Congress, (APC) Chieftain and former governorship aspirant has described the sum of N17.8billion awarded for the rehabilitation of the State Hotel by Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as unjustifiable and a waste of scarce resources.

The Kwara State government had approved N17.8 billion for the rehabilitation of Kwara Hotel after public backlash over the abandonment of the facility.

It was learnt that the project was awarded to Craneburg Construction Company Limited.

The project aims to transform it into a five-star hospitality facility at N17.8 billion, with a projected duration of 24 months.

However, the APC chieftain in an open letter to the Governor titled “NO ONE IS GOD, TREAD SOFTLY” dated 24th of January 2024, said the figure was outrageous considering that his company had bid for N3billion to complete the same task.

Business

Lagos Magistrate Courts sentence three for vandalism of Ikeja Electric assets

Published

23 minutes ago

June 11, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Ikeja Electric Plc has announced the successful conviction of three persons involved in tampering with its power distribution infrastructure in Lagos State.

The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kingsley Okotie.

They were tried and sentenced by magistrate courts in the state for acts of vandalism and theft of electrical assets owned by the utility company.

On May 5, 2025, the Magistrate Court in Ikorodu convicted Adegbite Jamiu for damaging a transformer supplying electricity to the Igboye community.

Jamiu faced a three-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful damage, and theft.

He pleaded guilty and received a six-month prison sentence, with the terms to run concurrently from the date of his arrest.

His arrest was facilitated by a community member who reported the incident to the police.

In another development, a magistrate court in Ogba, Ikeja, on May 7, 2025, sentenced Jeremiah Chukwuemeka and Joshua Udeh to one year imprisonment each.

They were found guilty of stealing cables from a transformer located on Sobo Arobiodu Street in Ikeja GRA.

Arrested on August 15, 2024, both men were charged with conspiracy, theft, willful damage to public infrastructure, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace. They also pleaded guilty and were convicted accordingly.

Mr Babatunde Osadare, Chief Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Officer of Ikeja Electric, while commenting on the court rulings, commended the judiciary and law enforcement agencies for their prompt action.

He emphasized the importance of safeguarding electrical infrastructure and encouraged continued community vigilance.

“These convictions reinforce our commitment to protecting our infrastructure and ensuring reliable electricity distribution to our customers. We appreciate the efforts of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies and urge community members to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activities to the authorities, and avoid taking the law into your hands,” Osadare stated.