EFCC Arrests Imo Accountant General Over Alleged N1.050bn Money Laundering

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Enugu Zonal
Office, has arrested the acting Accountant General of Imo State,
Mr. Uzoho Casmir, for alleged money laundering.

He is alleged to have laundered the sum of N1.050billion through
a new-generation bank for the governor of the state, Owelle Rochas
Okorocha.

A source at the commission who disclosed this said Uzoho’s
arrest followed intelligence report that the governor intended to
use the money for vote buying in favour of a particular candidate
in tomorrow’s gubernatorial election.

The source further disclosed that Mr Casmir withdrew the amount
in three tranches between Tuesday and Thursday this week. The money
was withdrawn in the following order; N200million on Tuesday,
N500million on Wednesday and N350million on Thursday.

He stated that EFCC had blocked the traced accounts, even as he
submitted that the arrested accountant general had been providing
useful information to the commission.

Mr Casmir was before his appointment, a Director of Finance in
Okorocha’s government and was in 2016, allegedly fingered in
N2billion bailout fund scam, which was then given to the state by
the Federal government for the payment of salary arrears of civil
servants.

Women’s Day: CISLAC Laments Exclusion on Women in
Political Appointments

Today the entire world celebrates women of all races, all
religion and sexual affiliations for the great contributions and
achievement the world has recorded because of women. As the world
celebrates the International Women’s Day, the Civil Society
Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC lends her voice to laud women
across the globe and to use this opportunity to call for social
inclusion of women and girls in the developmental process of all
nations with specific focus to Nigeria. To further buttress our
interest in promoting women, CISLAC is hosting a side event in New
York on the 15th of March, 2019, with the title: Promoting Social
Protection for African Women, to discuss issues affective women’s
development in Africa.

No nation can fully achieve sustainable development without
including women, girls and all vulnerable groups. As the giant of
Africa, with population of women a little higher than that of men,
female headed households almost equal to those of male headed
households, Nigeria is doing itself a disservice by excluding women
in its political and socio-economic development. Women have been
sidelined in the helm of affairs in the country politically as
established in the lopsided elective and appointive positions in
Nigeria. The eight assembly recorded very few women vying for
elective positions and even fewer appointive positions were
recorded for women. This discouraging turn of event has seen even
fewer women vying for elective positions under this political
dispensation. The only female presidential aspirant under this 9th
assembly bowed out under pressure at the dying moment. The 8th
assembly recorded only 6.2% of female senators out of 109 senators,
male senators constituting 9.38%. The house of representatives is
also no different as 22 seats alone were secured by women as
against 360 seats leaving the whooping 338 seats for their male
counterparts.

In the area of education, women also have their fair share of
discrimination as the girl-child school enrolment in the north east
and west remain under 20 and 25 percent respectively, according to
World Bank report. It is said that poverty has the face of a woman
and this myth is yet to be demystified because of extreme cases of
gender disparity, abuse and undermining. How then can a woman/girl
that is not educated function properly and provide for her family?
All these injustices contribute to poverty which in turns affects
the nation as a whole.

Similarly, since the United Nations Commission on the
Elimination of all forms of Violence Against Women (CEDAW) was
ratified in Nigeria, such bill as the Gender and Equal Opportunity
bill which is an adaptation of CEDAW has regularly been thrown out
of the assembly. The Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP)
Act which has been passed is yet to become active or implemented by
the Nigerian government. It appears that domestic violence is even
on the increase even when we have a law that even has sanctions on
offenders to tackle the menace of violence against women. The
National Gender Policy which has also been reviewed to include 50%
affirmative action is only being paid lip service.

We therefore call on the Nigerian government to commence the
implementation of VAPP and the amended National Gender Policy.
We call on the government to ensure that women are carried along
during this political dispensation through 50% appointive position.
We call on the 8th National Assembly to as a matter of urgency pass
the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill before they exit office.

We condemn all forms of discrimination against women and call on
equitable distribution of resources in favour of women.

We further call on the Nigerian government to become more
responsive in implementation of UBEC and funding of education to
encourage girl-child enrolment and completion of school.

Signed:

Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani)
Executive Director
CISLAC