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N950m PDP fund’s trial delays Shekarau from attending APC rally in Kano

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Nasir Ibrahim

Ibrahim Shekarau, APC candidate for Kano Central senatorial election district arrived late for the Buhari campaign rally on Thursday due to a court hearing over N950 million PDP campaign fund.

The trial was had been slated for Thursday January 31st and Friday February 1st, 2019 at a Federal High Court in Kano.

At the commencement of the trial on Thursday, counsel to Mr Shekarau, Jibrin Okutepa pleaded to the court to adjourn the matter to Friday to enable his client attend President Buhari’s campaign rally taking place on same day in Kano.

“My Lord, Mr President is coming to Kano today. My client is politician and wants to attend the rally,” he said.

However, the trial judge Lewis Allagoa rejected Mr Shekarau’s request and ordered for the commencement of the trial.

Again, about one and half hour later Mr Okutepa moved another application seeking for the adjournment of the trial based on the predicament of Mr Shekarau being a Senatorial candidate of the APC.

The trial judge rejected the request again, saying he wants continue with the case as the counsel did not provide a valid reason for adjournment.

When the matter was called up, counsel to EFCC Samuel Chiwe presented a staff of EFCC Mahmud Tukur as his first witness.

Mr Tukur told the court that the EFCC has received intelligence report that the sum of N23 billion  has been deposited by former Minister of Petroleum at Fidelity bank in Lagos out of which N950 million was directed to be given to Kano PDP.

He added that the money was received by former minister of Foreign Affairs Aminu Wali and Mansur Ahmad on March 26th, 2015 two days to the presidential election.

“I visited fidelity Bank Kano on April 27th, 2016 where I interviewed the business manager Aliyu Da’u Aliyu and operations manager Saheed. In the course of the interview, they confirmed that on night of March 26th, 2015 they gave 2nd and 3rd defendants (Aminu Wali and Mansur Ahmad) the sum of 950 millionNaira. They provided us with the receipt of payment alongside the identification document of the 2nd and 3rd defendants.

“We invited them, interview them and obtained their statement. The 1st defendant (Mr Shekarau) wrote a statement on May 12th, 13th and 14th,2016, the 2nd defendant (Mr Wali) wrote a statement on May 5th, 1016 and the 3rd defendant (Mr Ahmed) wrote a statement on May 13th, 2019,” Mr Tukur testified.

The court has admitted three exhibits against the accused persons. They are statements obtained at EFCC, receipt of bank payment and letter from the Fidelity bank.

The proceeding which lasted for only 2 hours was interrupted with two recess called by trial judge.

In an unusual move, the trial judge adjourned the case to Friday 1st February, 2019 at his chamber during second recess following a plea by both prosecution and defence counsels.

Mr Shekarau was a minister of education under former President Goodluck Jonathan prior to 2015 general elections. He is now contesting for Kano central senatorial seat under APC.

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BPSR Ranks NCC among Top 3 MDAs in Best Website Performance in 2025

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The Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) among the top three Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with the Best Ranking in Website Performance for 2025.

 

KANO FOCUS reports that this is coming barely three weeks after the telecom regulator was recognized as one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – a testament to the Commission’s consistency in investment in technology for ensuring efficient service delivery.

 

In the BPSR 2024/2025 scorecard ranking of agencies’ websites, the NCC came second in the ranking, trailing behind Galaxy Backbone Limited, which came first while the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) clinched the third position, from a pool of 235 MDAs, whose website were evaluated.

 

BPSR deployed 14 evaluation criteria in include MDA’s website compliance with .gov.ng domain name, appearance and aesthetics (look and feel) of the website, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and the website’ structure. Others include website’s responsiveness (device compatibility), security, load time, usability/ease of navigation, availability/uptime, functionality, interactivity, accessibility and capacity building.

 

The recognition was announced at the official release of Federal Government 2024/2025 Scorecard Ranking for MDAs’ Website held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja on Monday (December 22, 2025) while the award presentation took place at BPSR’s Office on Tuesday (December 23, 2025).

 

The award, which is an important index metric of the National e-Government Masterplan for determining the Nigeria e-Government Status, was received by the Commission in recognition of its commitment to maintaining a world-class website that enhances service delivery to the citizens.

 

Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, appreciated the BPSR for the recognition, describing the award as “another encouragement for the Commission to be a better public service institution leveraging digital platforms such as our web presence to enhance public service delivery to our various stakeholders, thereby implementing the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy direction.”

 

While presenting the award to the NCC, alongside other two agencies, BPSR’s Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, commended the top three for their proactive decisions in maintaining world-class websites, which are compliant with the Federal Government’s policy direction in effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.

 

According to the DG, the 2024/2025 MDA’s websites’ ranking represents a collective effort of federal public institutions in Nigeria to be transparent, accountable and open in governance, as well as a confirmation to align with global best practices in service delivery to the citizens.

 

Developed about six years ago, Arabi said as a result of the annual ranking, more public institutions have indicated readiness to embrace reforms, and align with the policy direction of the current administration’s Renewed Hope agenda on improve governance for effective service delivery, as introduced by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

“The ideals of harnessing and deploying technological tools for service delivery has become imperative following the COVID pandemic, and distortions of socio-economic system of nations, culminating in the evolution of competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and agile governance.

 

“As engine room of governance, it behoves on us in the public service to perform our statutory duties and we must put in place technological innovations and standardized websites to operate services as well as deliver service needs to citizens,” he said.

 

The Scorecard exercise, he said, is part of the BPSR reform broader function of conducting research on reform implementation efforts and presenting ‘best practice’ models to the entire Public Service, and to among others, improve access to government information, facilitate seamless financial transaction, eliminate corruption and cyber theft, as well as facilitate access to government services.

 

Speaking on the rigorous nature of the exercise that produced the top three winners, the DG said “in the past few weeks members of the Scorecard Jury drawn from inter-Ministerial Agencies, had worked tirelessly to mill websites of selected MDAs through a rigorous process of enduring criteria for the ranking and the outcome had also passed through a quality assurance mechanism to validate the outcome.”

 

 

 

Nnenna Ukoha

Head, Public Affairs

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Quality of Service Challenges in Abuja

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) acknowledges the Quality of Service (QoS) challenges being experienced in Abuja, which have impacted the quality of experience of telecommunications subscribers.

 

 

 

In response, the Commission is collaborating with major stakeholders and licensees to address these challenges, largely caused by disruption to diesel supply affecting IHS Nigeria Limited, the colocation provider responsible for powering Airtel and MTN base stations in the affected areas.

 

 

 

The challenges are a result of the activities of the National Oil and Gas Suppliers Association (NOGASA), which disrupted diesel supplies to sites with the attendant telecommunications services outages in Abuja. The NCC is committed to ensuring seamless communication services for all Nigerians and recognizes the importance of reliable power supply for the provision of optimal telecommunication services.

 

 

 

The NCC is actively engaging with relevant stakeholders to address the diesel supply issues and explore sustainable solutions. The Commission urges all parties to work together to collaboratively resolve these challenges swiftly by removing the diesel supply bottlenecks affecting critical telecommunications infrastructure, arising from NOGASA’s actions.

 

 

 

In the face of these challenges, we reiterate our commitment to fostering a conducive environment for the growth and sustainability of telecommunications services in Nigeria. We are taking proactive steps to facilitate dialogues between the impacted service providers and other stakeholders to promptly resolve the diesel supply concerns that have negatively impacted service quality.

 

 

 

The Commission remains dedicated to effectively managing the situation and will keep the public updated on progress towards restoring full telecommunication services in Abuja. We thank telecommunications subscribers for their understanding and patience during this period and reaffirm our commitment to delivering high-quality telecommunications services nationwide.

 

 

 

Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha

Head, Public Affairs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BEC Ranks NCC Among Top Five Best-Performing Government Agencies in 2025

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The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 under the Transparency and Efficiency Category. The NCC was recognized alongside the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, which emerged overall best-performing agency; the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, which placed second; as well as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority.

 

 

 

KANO FOCUS reports that the recognition was announced at the PEBEC Awards and Gala Night held on Tuesday at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.

 

 

 

The award celebrates transparency and efficiency in Nigeria’s public service and was presented to the Commission for its “commitment to openness, accountability and operational excellence in Public Service Delivery.”

 

 

 

Receiving the award on behalf of the Commission, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to sustaining transparency and accountability in its regulatory approach. He noted that these principles remain central to improving industry performance and fostering a conducive environment for telecommunications businesses to thrive.

 

 

 

“The Commission is proud to be listed among the Top Five Best-Performing Federal Government Agencies for 2025. This recognition is an affirmation of the values that guide our work: transparency, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to regulatory excellence. It signals that the reforms we have pursued, the systems we have strengthened, and the decisions we have taken are yielding the right results.

 

 

 

“For us at the NCC, this honour is both a validation and a responsibility. It reassures us that we are on the right path, and at the same time challenges us to deepen our commitment to the Nigerian people

 

“As an economic regulator, our mandate is to create an environment where operators can thrive—an environment that attracts investment and sustains healthy competition, ensuring consumers enjoy the best possible choices.

 

 

 

“Nigerians can rest assured that we will not rest on our oars. We remain fully committed to ensuring that the telecom consumer receives the highest quality of service, supported by a fair, transparent, and competitive industry. We will also continue to strengthen our collaborations with all stakeholders—because meaningful progress in our sector can only be achieved through shared commitment and collective action,” Dr. Maida stated.

 

 

 

Speaking at the awards, the PEBEC Director-General, Zahrah Mustapha-Audu, said the event was organised to celebrate reform champions and highlight progress made in improving the country’s business climate.

 

 

 

“This evening is not merely an awards ceremony; it is a powerful affirmation of possibilities, honouring the champions who have moved beyond compliance, embracing excellence as the new standard for public service delivery.

 

 

 

“The achievements we acknowledge are the tangible result of collective resolve to make Nigeria the most attractive and predictable competitive destination for business in Africa.

 

 

 

“Under the unwavering leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, and the active chairmanship of Vice President Sen. Kashim Shettima, our reform efforts have been characterised by intentionality, accountability, and the strategic deployment of data.

 

 

 

“We understand that to fix the operational environment for businesses, we must first fix the government’s framework.”

 

 

 

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who chairs the council, said the awards reflect the government’s commitment to a more efficient and competitive public service.

 

 

 

“The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council has spent the last couple of years championing reforms that speak to the whole of our economic aspirations.

 

 

 

“The reforms that make it easier to do business, that restore your best confidence, that ensure our institutions work in the spirit of national growth.

 

 

 

“Tonight, we salute the men and women driving these institutions, when we commit to working together across MDAs, across states and across sectors, Nigeria wins,” he said.

 

 

 

Signed

Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha

Head, Public Affairs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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