Digital Leonard Blog

The Federal Executive Council has approved the upward review of contract sum for the Mangu water supply in Plateau State from N855 million to N977 million. The review was announced at the end of yesterday’s FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.  Briefing State House Correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu said the project which started in 2012 had no budgetary allocation between 2014 and 2016. He said with the review, N122.2m has been added to the project. The minister said when completed, the project would address the water supply challenges in Mangu, Plateau State. “There was a need to augment the project with N122.2m to bring the project cost from N855.49m to N977.7m,” he said. The Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi also said N103.7m was approved for the medical and laboratory equipment for the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says the anti-graft agency has secured 486 convictions and recovered over N500 billion in two and half years. Magu said this on Tuesday at the commissioning of new headquarters of EFCC in Abuja. According to him, the EFCC is also making giant strides in high profile cases including the conviction of a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The acting chairman said the commission would not go after the innocent but those who have looted funds. “From January to date, we have secured 89 convictions, 486 convictions in two and half years and recovered over N500 billion,” he said. “We do not go against the innocent but after those who have stolen. There is no better time than now to fight corruption so that the international community will no longer view Nigeria as fantastically corrupt. “We owe the conducive environment to fight corruption to the political will of Mr President. This edifice can stand side by s...

Ibrahim Magu, chairman of the Economic Crimes Commission (EFCC), has defended the use of N24 billion in building a new headquarters. Speaking with journalists during a tour of the complex in Abuja, on Wednesday, Magu said contrary to insinuations that the money is too much, the value of the building could have been five times the amount used. He said the EFCC gave the N24 billion to the developers and warned them that “there is no cheating on this at all”. He said: “Are you saying that N24 billion is too much for this edifice? Then you must be joking. “Do you know what we have here, just because we procure most of the equipment? If you go and ask any other valuer (sic), they will charge you more than N100 billion. An overview of the new complex “Go and see the transformers and the clinic alone, other persons could have used more than N24 billion. “I am telling you that before you get a property like this, people would ask you for five times the price we used. If you like, you can go ro...

Senate President Bukola Saraki has assured Ibrahim Magu, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), that he is with him in the fight against corruption. Saraki said this on Tuesday while speaking with journalists after a tour the new headquarters of the commission in Jabi, Abuja. Saraki said he would continue to support efforts to build and strengthen the country’s institutions irrespective of any differences. “If we are going to build a better society in our country, one of the main things we must tackle is the issue of corruption and how we can do that is by strengthening these institutions,” Saraki said. “My presence here is to say that whatever we do in our job, the most important thing is that we all represent institutions and we must work and see that it is in the interest of the country. “So my presence here is, after a building like this where the national assembly has played a great role, it must be my responsibility to see how the money was spent and I c...