Author: Temidayo Akinsuyi

After weeks of hide-and-seek game, Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi has confirmed that he will appear in court next week in the hearing of the N80.2bn fraud charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). A member of the former governor’s legal team who confirmed the development to TheScrutinyNG on Thursday said Bello has given the assurance that he will be at the Federal High Court, Abuja on June 13,the new date fixed for the trial. Bello, popularly called ‘The White Lion’ by his loyalists has been in hiding since April 17 when officials of…

Kola Ologbondiyan, immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday says the federal government must devote its attention to finding urgent solutions to the numerous challenges confronting the nation. Speaking with TheScrutinyNG on the controversy trailing the old and new national anthem, Ologbondiyan says he expects the government to devote time to addressing critical issues such as minimum wage controversy, hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal, electricity increase, insecurity challenges and others. “I believe the issue of national anthem has been addressed by Nigerians. What I noticed about this federal government is that they lack…

The presidency on Wednesday said despite Nigeria’s economic challenges, it is far cheaper to live in the country than Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, Angola and some other African countries. Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity disclosed this in a statement he posted on his social media handles. He also faulted those comparing minimum wage in other oil producing companies with Nigeria, saying statistics and numbers can be misleading. He wrote “There is this nairametrics table of minimum wage in oil producing countries in Africa compared to that of Nigeria. Seun Okinbaloye showed the same table…

Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), human rights lawyer and activist, has faulted the proposed N60,000 minimum wage by the federal government, saying the amount can’t buy a bag of rice in present-day Nigeria. In an article titled ‘ The Labour Strike and FG’s Inertia- The Way Forward, Ozekhome says a 50kg bag of rice currently sells between N80,000 to N120,000. While comparing, minimum wage prices across the world, Ozekhome says Nigeria’s minimum wage is one of the lowest as the FG’S propose N60,000 will amount to $40 per month. He wrote “By way of comparative analysis with some other countries globally,…

Some directors recently sacked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have rejected the offer made to them by the bank’s leadership to return as consultants, TheScrutinyNG has gathered. Checks by our correspondent showed that over 500 staff have been sacked since the assumption of Olayemi Cardoso, who was appointed the bank’s governor by President Bola Tinubu in September 2023. Cardoso, who wanted a clear departure from the mismanagement that took place during the tenure of his predecessor, Godwin Emefiele, embarked on a clean sweep of the CBN staff while planning to inject new hands into the system. Our source…

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has commended the gradual improvement of positive behavioural changes among Nigerians towards the Naira. He made the commendation in Abuja on Monday, June 3 2024 during an interview session with the EFCC Radio, 97.3 FM program called the Mandate. He noted that Nigerians are now embracing the fight against Naira abuse the right way as people are now paying attention to what they have taken for granted despite the level of resistance at the beginning. Olukoyede, who spoke through the Spokesperson of the Commission, Assistant Commander of…

Following the revocation of the licence of Heritage Bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to also terminate the licences of three other banks, our correspondent has been reliably informed. The three affected banks are UnityBank, Keystone Bank and Polaris Bank, a reliable source in the apex bank informed TheScrutinyNG on Monday. Our correspondent gathered that the affected banks “have been on life support for a long time and the CBN has no choice than to stop the treatment as they have no chances of survival”. ” The truth is, it took great pain for the CBN to…

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede has called on car dealers across the country to ensure that they register with the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), a department in the Commission that regulates and monitors the activities of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNBPs). He made the call on Saturday, June 1, 2024 through the Acting Zonal Director, EFCC Kaduna Zonal Command, DCE Dr. Benedict Ubi, during a meeting/inauguration of newly elected executives by the Motor Dealers Association, Kaduna (MODAK) at Arewa House, Kaduna metropolis. The Chairman noted that Section…

Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide on Monday says the N494,000 Minimum wage being demanded by organised labour is unrealistic. The labour leaders are currently commencing a nationwide indefinite strike due to the refusal of the Federal Government to increase the proposed minimum wage from N60,000. In a post on his Facebook page, he also accused the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero of fronting for Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 He wrote “₦494,000 is more than sixteen times the current minimum wage of ₦30,000. If the Federal Government…

Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disclosed why he rejected the appeal by Lagos elders to visit President Bola Tinubu. Speaking in an interview with TheScrutinyNG, he however said he accepted their plea to forgive Tinubu for the role he played in his unlawful incarceration for alleged contract splitting during his tenure as Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). Justice Joseph Olubunmi Oyewole, on October 26, 2009, sentenced Bode George, Chairman and five other former board members of NPA namely, the Managing Director, Architect Aminu Dabo, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, Alhaji…