Headlines
Court adjourns Fani-Kayode’s trial till Jan. 24, Naira Marley’s trial Till Feb.16
Owolola AdebolaJustice Daniel Osaigor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, adjourned till January 24, 2022 further hearing in the alleged N4.6bn fraud involving a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode and others.Fani-Kayode is standing trial alongside a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, a former Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, (ALGON), Yusuf Danjuma, and a company, Join-Trust Dimensions Nigeria Ltd. on a 17-count charge bordering money laundering to the tune of N4.6billion.The defendants had pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges preferred against them.
Though counsel to the first defendant, Chief Ferdinard Orbih, was absent at today’s sitting, following a letter notifying the Court in advance, other defence counsels, including Norrison Quakers, SAN and Clement Onwuenwunor, were present.
The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, raised no objection to the letter sent in by the defence.
He, however, told the Court that the prosecution’s investigation of the several letters that Fani-Kayode claimed to have obtained from Kubwa General Hospital and presented to court at previous sittings as an excuse for his absence showed that they were all fake.
He further added that the EFCC was “currently working on the report and will do the needful.” The matter was, thereafter, adjourned till January 24, 2022 for continuation of trial.At the last sitting on October 13, 2021, F.B. Ajudua had told the court that his client, Fani-Kayode, was “currently on bed rest at Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja”.
Similarly, Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has adjourned the trial of Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley, till February 16, 2022.
Marley is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC)on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy and credit card fraud.
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when he was arraigned on May 20, 2019.
At the last sitting on October 27, 2021, Augustine Anosike, a forensic analyst testifying as to the second prosecution witness, had concluded his examination-in-chief. The court subsequently adjourned till November 30, 2021, for cross-examination.
At Tuesday proceeding, however, the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the witness was absent in court on “compassionate grounds”.
“I only got information as to the absence of the witness at about 9.30 while still in the parking lot of the court this morning,” he said, stressing that it was not in his character to waste the court’s time.
Defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, however, lamented the delay.
“It is rather unfortunate that the matter could not proceed today.
“ The prosecution ought to have given sufficient notice of the witness’ absence,” he said.
Subsequently, Justice Oweibo adjourned till February 16 and 17, 2022 for the continuation of trial.
Headlines
Exclusive! Hope rises on take-off of proposed $3bn Badagry Deep Seaport as NPA, APMT resume discussion
The approval was finalised following a presentation by the Federal Ministry of Transportation at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during the last administration of President Mohammed Buhari.
According to officials, the port is expected to generate $53.6 billion in revenue over the 45 years concession period.
The proposed site of the project is located 55km west of Apapa and the port of Lagos, along the 55km long Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which is being upgraded from a four-lane to a ten-lane expressway.
The port is expected to have an annual throughput capacity of 1.8 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
The proposal for the project was announced in 2012. Feasibility studies have been completed and construction works are yet to start.
The project will be implemented in four phases, with the overall project cost estimated to range between $2 billion and $3 billion.
Also, it is expected that the new port will primarily ease pressure on the existing ports of Lagos, Apapa and Tin-Can Ports, which handle approximately 85 percent of the country’s non-oil throughput.
It will further alleviate the burden on the country’s existing ports, which are on the verge of exceeding their cargo handling capacities, and address the country’s annual container traffic, which is expected to grow to 10 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units by 2030.
Plans for the adjoining Badagry Free Trade Zone will include a power plant, oil refinery, industrial park and warehousing and Inland Container Deport functions.
Headlines
Jamoh, Bello- Koko, serial award winners, bag National Productivity merit awards
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, is gradually turning into a serial award winner as he has landed yet another plaque of honour from the federal government.
An excited Jamoh expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, noting that it is a call to greater service to our Fatherland.“I am spurred by this award, particularly as it is coming from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, which underscores the ministry’s role in ensuring reward for hard work and productivity in public service”
“Let me also use this opportunity to dedicate the award to the industry’s stakeholders; external and internal, as they have made our work easier as an administration.
“We will continue to strive to make the maritime sector a viable economic driver, especially with the Blue Economy mantra, which is critical to the sustainability of the maritime sector”, Jamoh said.
Commenting the on the selection of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the DG said it is a well-deserved honour, as she has remained a core professional and astute administrator in the coordination of activities in the Ministry and the Agencies under the supervision of the Ministry.
“I am not surprised by her selection, as she is an administrator par excellence and has remained resolute and professional in the discharge of her duties.
”This conferment can only spur me and the entire team at the Nigerian Ports Authority whose commitment to exceptional performance culminated in this recognition, to continue pushing the limit and advancing the frontiers of trade facilitation.
”Imbued with the understanding that excellence is a moving target, I want to seize this moment to assure that we will not rest on our laurels in our resolve to turn our rich maritime potentials into actualities’, an elated Koko declared.
The National Productivity Order of Merit Award was instituted by the Federal Government of Nigeria to recognize and honour productive individuals and organizations in Nigeria in the year of the award for achievements made in the preceding years.
Headlines
Shippers’ Council bestows on APMT certificate of registration as regulated service provider at ports
-
Headlines3 weeks agoMSC overtakes Maersk as world’s largest container carrier of 5 m TEU capacity
-
Foreign1 month agoUK court shuns Nigeria, ECOWAS pleas as it sentences Ekweremadu to 10 years imprisonment for organ trafficking
-
Headlines2 months agoObasanjo’s second daughter, Olubusola Obasanjo, among 510 promoted NIMASA staff
-
Headlines1 month agoUS frets as China pushes to head IMO
-
Headlines1 month agoBuhari appoints Professor Umar Katsayal as Vice Chancellor, Daura University of Transportation
-
Customs1 month agoFate of customs officer who exposes smuggling ring at Nigerian borders unknown