Tag Archives: Directors

Barely 24 hours after Osinbajo’s unscheduled visit, FG Sacks 10 Directors at NCAA

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It was a gloomy day today at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as the Federal Government approved the sack of all the directors in the regulatory agency.

No fewer than 10 directors were unexpectedly sacked from their duty posts by the government.

Our correspondent learnt from a source in NCAA that the Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman conveyed the sack message to the affected directors in a meeting at the agency’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

A source close to the meeting confided in our correspondent that Usman had called for a meeting with all the directors who were in the dark about what was to befall them, but in the course of the meeting, he broke the news of the disengagement to them.

Those affected are Engr. Benedict Adeyileka (Director of Airworthiness), Mr. Justus Wariya (Director of Air Transport Regulation), Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi (Director of Consumer Protection), Capt. Ayodele Sasegbon (Director of General Aviation and Mr. Austin-Amadi Ifeanyi (Director of Human Resources).

Others are Alhaji Salawu Ozigi (Director of Finance and Accounts), Dr. Joyce Nkemakolam (Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards), Barr. Aba Ejembi (Director of Administration) and Mr. Emmanuel Ogunbami (Director of Licensing).

The General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye in a telephone interview with our correspondent, confirmed the sack of all the directors but declined to give details when pressed further.He simply said: It is true that all the directors have been disengaged, but I don’t have details of their disengagement.”

However, a source close to NCAA confided in our correspondent that the relationship between Usman and his directors had been frosty in the past one year. The source told our correspondent that most of the directors had overtime complained about his managerial style, which they were not comfortable with and had confronted him severally.

The source alleged that the directors specifically told him to sit more in the office and attend to more safety matters, rather than junketing around the world with the Sirika.

Our correspondent gathered that this did not go down well with Usman who then vowed to ensure their removal through the ministry.

The source said: “The relationship between Usman and his directors has not been rosy in the past one year because they challenged him on his frequent stay out of office. He saw this as an affront and decided to deal with them.

“In fact, he specifically told Sirika that he was no longer comfortable with the directors and feared that if they still remained in the saddle, some of the shady deals perpetuated in recent time with Sirika would come to the open.”

All the sacked directors were political appointees.

 

Source: Sahara Reporters

EFCC Arrests Two SON Directors For Alleged N1.3bn Fraud

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two directors of the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) over alleged N1.3billion in the agency.

More staff of the organization might be questioned in the next few days.

Also, a prosecution witness has opened up on how $752,000 (about N229million) was deposited in the VISA Gold account of a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Badeh.

The witness said the huge cash was lodged by Badeh’s aide-de-camp (ADC) and orderly.

But the arrest of two directors of the SON was a major breakthrough for the anti-graft agency.

A reliable source said: “The two directors have been arrested and questioned for their alleged role in a N1.3billion fraud scandal rocking the agency.

“One of the directors is currently in the custody of the anti-graft agency, while the other, who is an assistant director, was arrested a few weeks ago and released on administrative bail after making a statement before a team of detectives.

“The arrest of the directors was pursuant to the investigation into a petition received by the agency from a body known as Peculiar Systems Services dated February 24, 2016.

“The body alleged gross financial mismanagement and embezzlement of public funds to the tune of N200million in the SON.

“ But in the course of the investigation, EFCC operatives found that more than N1.3billion was siphoned from the coffers of the SON by the affected directors and their collaborators in bogus payments.

“What we are doing now is profiling the accounts of the affected staff to determine their levels of involvement. We are determined to bring all those directly involved n the fraud to book”.

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EFCC arrests two SON directors for alleged N1.3bn fraud

Bhollywood Director Convicted Of Rape, Faces Seven Years To Life In Prison

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Indian film-maker Mahmood Farooqui has been found guilty of raping an American research student at his Delhi home in March 2015.
Farooqui, who co-directed the 2010 release Peepli Live, with his wife Anusha Rizvi, faces seven years to life I’m prison, according to the Indian Express. The court is slated to hear arguments Tuesday before sentencing him.

The case first came to light when the victim, who was a student from Columbia University, filed a police complaint which led to Farooqui’s arrest last June. He was later released on bail as the case went to trial in September.

The case is seen as a landmark as its verdict has been delivered under a 2013 amendment to the criminal law which included forced oral sex as a crime, the complainant’s counsel Vrinda Grover told the Express.

“This is perhaps one of the first cases of forced oral sex, which shows two things: that there was a crime for which we did not earlier have an offense named, now it has been recognized as rape. We’re also very happy to see that the court relied on very credible evidence that the woman gave.”

The brutal gang-rape of a young Delhi woman on a moving bus in New Delhi on December 16, 2012 sparked nationwide protests. The outcry led to a call for action against crimes against women which included legal amendments and fast-tracking rape cases.

Farooqui was first introduced to the student, who is in her thirties, by Danish Hussain, a long-time friend of the director. Local reports said that Hussain, in his testimony, said that the victim immediately contacted him after she was assaulted by Farooqui.

According to the Express, the 2012 incident was also referred to in the testimony of the American woman who told the court that she “did not resist” the rape because she feared she would also be killed like the Delhi gang-rape victim.

Farooqui is expected to appeal the verdict and the case could go to a higher court.

 “Our fight for justice is by no means over,” his wife Anusha Rizvi told the Hindustan Times. “We will approach the High Court for justice that has been denied to us.”

CBN Approves 4 Directors for Unity Bank

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved the appointment of four directors for Unity Bank Plc. The bank said in a statement on Wednesday that three non-executive directors and one independent director were approved by the CBN.

It said that the non-executive directors are Mrs Yabawa Lawan Wabi, Dauda Iliya and Priya Heal, while Sam Okagbue is the independent director. It said that Okagbue, is a legal professional and the Managing Partner and founding member of the law firm, George Ikoli & Okagbue (GI&O).

Okagbue holds an LL.B from University of Ife, Ile-Ife and an LLM from University of London, London School of Economics. Wabi has three decades of experience in accounting and financial practice and rose through the ranks in the Borno State Civil Service before serving as Minister of Finance in 2010.

She also served on the Board of Mainstreet Bank (now Skye Bank) as a Non-Executive Director. She holds a B.Sc in Accounting from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria.

Iliya is a veteran banker with cognate experience of over thirty years in branch operations, risk asset assessment, loan recovery, regulatory management, debt recovery, audit and inspection. Iliya is a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Honorary Senior Member (HCIB), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and Fellow, Institute of Economists of Nigeria (INEN).

Heal is the Managing Director, Chronos Group, Dubai/Germany and co-founded Chronos Asset Management. She has also served as the Managing Director, Filterinvest, Holland and Restructuring Consultant, Competition Authority, London, UK and a member of the World Economic Forum. Heal holds a Law degree (LLB) from Kings College London and was called to the Bar in 1998. She is an alumnus of Yale University, Connecticut, U.S. and the University of Passau, Germany. She is also a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn.

Credit: NAN