APC to establish institute for progressive studies, says Oshiomhole

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it will soon establish
an Institute for Progressive Studies to promote the manifesto and
ideology of the party.

The National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiohmole,
disclosed this at the end of a closed-door meeting with President
Muhammadu Buhari and members of the APC National Working Committee,
at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.

He said that the institute, when operational, would also
propagate the ideals of the party aimed at addressing the menace of
poverty and to re-create the Nigerian middle class.

He said: “We also share with the president our commitment to
building an Institute for Progressives Studies because the problem
with Nigeria is that people belong to various political parties but
most of them don’t understand the ideology of those parties, if
any.

“Some are not even familiar with the manifestoes of those
parties and there is no conversation about how appropriate or
inappropriate those manifestoes are.

“And you find that people holding very high positions in
government, in both legislative and executive arms and even some
party leaders may not even be aware of what we stand for as a
party.

“So, we told the president we are going to build an Institute
for Progressive Studies so that people will understand what defines
us; what is the essence of progressive politics which is basically
about social democracy.

“So, our party must be seen to be pro-poor, putting policies in
place that will lift our people out of poverty and re-create the
Nigerian middle class. And unless you re-create the Nigeria middle
class, you are not going to have a stable, peaceful society.

“The tragedy for now is that, over the period, people are either
very poor or very rich.’’

Oshiohmole, however, expressed the hope that the APC-led Federal
Government would, in the next four years, deliver on its promises
to the citizens.

He reiterated the readiness of the party and the National
Assembly to work with the president in addressing the menace of
extreme poverty in the country.

“Now, the president has to provide leadership, working with the
National Assembly and the APC leadership to see how we can, over
the next four years, deliver so that the current situation of
extremely poor and extremely rich is bridged by re-creating the
middle class,’’ he said.

The party chairman further stated that members of the NWC also
used the opportunity to present the party’s financial report to the
president as well as to congratulate him on his victory in the
February 2019 Presidential Election.

He said that the president’s renewed mandate was a call to duty
and “there is a lot to be done.’’

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Justice Archibong Sends Archibong to Jail over N28m
Fraud

Justice Archibong Archibong of the Akwa Ibom State High Court
sitting in Uyo, on Wednesday, August 7, 2019, convicted and
sentenced Archibong Effiong Edem to seven years imprisonment over
N28, 234, 735 fraud.

The convict was arraigned by the Port Harcourt’s Zonal office of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, at a Rivers
State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, on two-count charges
bordering on obtaining by false pretence. The case was later
transferred to an Akwa Ibom State High court, Uyo owing to issues
of jurisdiction.

Edem’s journey to jail began when a petitioner, Godwin Utumude,
alleged that sometime in 2004, in the United States of America, he
met the convict who showed him a property in Texas that was up for
sale.

According to the petitioner, the prize of the said property was
initially $218,000 (Two Hundred and Eighteen Thousand Dollars), but
the convict eventually agreed to sell at $200,000 (Two Hundred
Thousand Dollars) which was an equivalent of N28, 234, 735 (Twenty
Eight Million Two Hundred and Thirty Four Thousand Seven Hundred
and Thirty Five Naira) at the time, and on September 1, 2004, he
paid N20million to the convict who assured him that by December
2004, all documents regarding change of ownership of the said
property would be handed over to him.

To ensure that the necessary change of ownership was perfected,
the petitioner said the convict further requested the balance
payment of N8,234,735 which he made on January 17, 2015.

All efforts by the petitioner to get the said documents proved
abortive, hence the petition.

In the course of trial, the Commission called three witnesses:
Godwin Utumude, the petitioner (PW1); Michael Adukwu, an operative
of the EFCC (PW2) and Chukwuma Ekezie Amadi, Deputy Compliance
Officer, Zenith Bank (PW3).

The EFCC also tendered several documents which were all admitted
in evidence.

The documents comprised: A copy of the petition dated November
22, 2016 as exhibit A; a cover page of a document showing the
picture of a building as exhibit B; Pages 1 and 2 of a document
also showing the building as exhibit B1; Pages 3, 4 and 5 of a
document titled: “Seller Disclosure Notice” as exhibit B2, amongst
others.

Delivering judgement, the court noted that the prosecution had
overwhelmingly established a case of obtaining by false pretence
against the defendant through the evidences tendered before the
court by the three witnesses.

Justice Archibong said that: “The prosecution has satisfactorily
proved his case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused person
to warrant his conviction in counts 1 and 2 of the charge against
him. The defendant is hereby found guilty as charged and is
accordingly convicted on counts 1 and 2 of the charge”.

Before the convict was sentenced, the judge asked him if he had
anything to say.

The convict, without showing any remorse, maintained that he
never admitted to have collected the said amount: “it is not true
that I admitted under cross examination that I collected N28million
from the petitioner. I have always told him that I will pay him his
money and I will do so if permitted”, he said.

At this point, the defence counsel, S. A. Ngbe, prayed the court
to tamper justice with mercy on age and health grounds, “consider
his age and ailing health. My lord, he is over 70 years of age”, he
pleaded.

The court immediately sentenced Edem to 7years imprisonment on
each of the two counts without an option of fine. The sentence runs
concurrently from the date of his conviction.

Justice Archibong also ordered the convict to restitute by
paying the petitioner the entire sum which is N28, 234, 735.00.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity