- As JAMB has no funds to conduct UTME – Registrar
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will on Thursday (today) arraign a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, for allegedly receiving N26m from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Some fresh money laundering charges were last month filed against Fani-Kayode by the EFCC before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016, before Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The EFCC in the fresh case filed five counts in which it accused the defendant of diverting N26m allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office.
The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26m without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act.
The embattled former minister is already facing 17 counts of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister, Nenadi Usman; Danjuma Yusuf and a firm, Joint Trust Dimension Nig. Ltd.
They were charged with unlawful retention, unlawful use and unlawful payment of money to the tune of N4.9bn.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has commenced moves to remand a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Obla, for allegedly paying N5m into the bank account of a Federal High Court judge, Justice Rita Ofili – Ajumogobia.
Obla, who has been in EFCC detention for the last two days, is also a former EFCC prosecutor.
A source at the EFCC said, “We still need to keep him for interrogation. We will therefore approach a court to get a remand order.”
The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Tuesday that Ofili-Ajumogobia was quizzed by the EFCC for allegedly receiving N5m from a senior advocate through her bank account.
On Wednesday, Obla, who used to be an EFCC prosecutor, was identified as the senior advocate who made the mysterious payment and was detained by the EFCC.
In the meantime, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has disclosed the lack of funds in conducting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
He stated that despite charging candidates the stipulated N5,000 exam fee, JAMB was still unable to fund the exam. Mr Oloyede further said that JAMB usually contracted third parties to do most things while some commission will be given to them.
According to the Registrar, conducting examinations across the country requires human participation. Invigilators are recruited and the cost of setting exam questions are expensive.
Oloyede also revealed the capital involved in the preparation process of the examination.
He said, “The capital allocation is N1billion, the release so far is N45.57million, the overhead cost is N50million allocated but N24.9million is what we have received so far.
“The 24.9million given is not sufficient to pay electricity bills because all the 36 states and zonal offices depend on what comes from headquarters for their funding.” The Registrar urged the National Assembly to review the result to be valid for three years.
Punch with additional report from The Citizen
