No Banking Day: Customers boycott Service Today

The Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CAFON), a non-profit making organization, has threatened to boycott banking services from today, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, owing to perceived arbitrary charges by commercial banks.

Consequently, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has called on bank customers to be vigilant against excessive bank charges and channel complaints to appropriate authorities, instead of participating in the boycott of banking services. 

CAFON said: "It is pertinent to note that the Nigerian banking system had seen radical reforms in recent years in order to drive the Vision 20: 2020 programme. As part of this broad policy initiative the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, rolled out the cashless policy with a number of options in the electronic payment systems, including the mobile banking. 

"To achieve this, the CBN had enlisted electronic and telecom service providers to ensure convenience and safety.

"In addition, the Bank also set up the Consumer Protection Department, CPD, saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that bank customers are not unduly   short-changed by the commercial banks.

“Meanwhile, it is equally expected that while the regulators are doing their bit, bank customers must not only insist, but persist in demanding that their respective banks give them good service and at affordable charges. 

"Nigerians should note that the bank-customer relationship is personal and contractual and should seek for redress when shotchanged." 

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has called on bank customers to be vigilant against excessive bank charges and channel complaints to appropriate authorities instead of participating in the boycott of banking services. 

The apex bank stated this in response to the boycott of banking services today called by Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CAFON). 

Two weeks ago, CAFON launched a campaign against the introduction of Stamp Duty charge of N50, Current Account Maintenance Fee and excessive bank charges. The group called on bank customers to boycott all banking services in March to protest the charges. 

However in a statement issued yesterday, the CBN faulted the boycott, saying CAFON should rather encourage Nigerians to take complaints that were related to wrongful bank charges to the appropriate quarters.

Court remands Ex-Minister, Moro in Prison

The Federal High Court in Abuja Monday remanded the immediate past Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, in Prison custody over his alleged roles in the N676million immigration recruitment scam.

Justice Anwuli Chikere, ordered that Moro be remanded at Kuje prison after the former Minister pleaded not guilty to an 11-count criminal charge that was preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The court however granted an administrative bail to the 2nd defendant, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, who was the ‎Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior when the alleged fraud was committed. Daniel-Nwobia, nursing a baby, had through her lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, sought the permission of the court to allow her go home and take care of her baby.

Also remanded in prison custody was ‎a Deputy Director in the Interior Ministry, Mr. F. O Alayebami.

Age Fraud: Rickey Tarfa lied

                                                                           Rickey Tarfa

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday accused Mr. Rickey Tarfa of falsifying his age, urging Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court in Lagos not to allow a further and better affidavit filed by the Senior Advocate of Nigeria in support of his N2.5bn suit against the EFCC.

“He who comes to equity must come with clean hands,” lawyer for the EFCC, Mr. Wahab Shittu, said on Monday while moving a counter-affidavit to Tarfa’s application seeking to tender a better and further affidavit to support his case.

An   EFCC operative, Moses Awolusi, claimed in a counter-affidavit, that though Tarfa gave his age as 43 in the statement he made to the EFCC on the day of his arrest, findings showed that Tarfa’s real age is 54, The PUNCH reported.

“I know as a fact that the applicant, in his extrajudicial statement to the 1st respondent upon his arrest, falsely stated that his age was 43 years in the document marked Exhibit 1 to the counter-affidavit of the 1st respondent dated 18th February, 2016, whereas the true age of the applicant, as stated in the compendium published for all Senior Advocates of Nigeria referred to, is 54 years old,” Awolusi averred.

But Tarfa’s lawyer, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), urged Justice Idris to discountenance the EFCC’s claim, saying that anyone could misrepresent his age under the kind of treatment that the EFCC subjected Tarfa to on February 5.

“In such a situation, I would put my age at 25 because I will be u nder shock,” Ayorinde said.

Ayorinde argued that what the EFCC needed to concentrate on was how it would debunk Tarfa’s claim that an Access Bank account into which his law firm paid N225,000 into on January 7, 2014 belonged to one Mohammed Awal Yunusa and not Justice Mohammed Nasir Yunusa as the EFCC had claimed.

Ayorinde urged the judge to admit Mohammed Awal Yunusa’s further and better affidavit in support of Tarfa’s N2.5bn fundamental rights enforcement suit against the EFCC, saying it was in the interest of justice to do so.

But the EFCC’s lawyer, Shittu, described Tarfa’s application as an abuse of court processes and a ploy to arrest the judgment of the court, which was earlier slated for delivery on Monday, in the report.

Shittu, who claimed that Tarfa had already admitted paying N225,000 to the judge and had also lied to the EFCC about his age, said the SAN did not deserve the discretionary favour of the court.

The anti-graft agency had earlier alleged that it traced the payment of N225,000 from Tarfa’s law firm into Justice Yunusa’s Access Bank account, claiming that it was a bribe.

In response to the allegation, Tarfa had, in a further affidavit deposed to by the head of his chambers, John Odubela, denied bribing the judge, stating that the N225,000 he paid into the judge’s bank account was donated by some friends of Justice Yunusa towards the funeral rites of the judge’s father-in-law, Alhaji Audi Damasa.

Odubela had said, “That the applicant and some friends of Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa made some donations for the said funeral rites and to commiserate with the judge since they could not physically go and commiserate with him in Maiduguri, where he was, said The PUNCH.

“That the contributed monies amounted to N225,000, which was given to the applicant with the responsibility to get same across to the bereaved judge.

“That the applicant consequently made arrangement to forward the sum of N225,000.”

But in the better and further affidavit, which Tarfa sought to tender, Mohammed Awal Yunusa claimed to be the owner of the Access Bank account into which Tarfa’s law firm paid N225,000 into on January 7, 2014, contrary to the EFCC’s claim that the account belonged to Justice Mohammed Nasir Yunusa.

We are bound to support Buhari's administration - Ohaneze chieftain

The Chairman of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Anambra, Chief Chris Eluemuno, has said that the organisation is bound to support President Mohammadu Buhari in the interest of the Igbo.

Eluemuno told newsmen on Sunday after being conferred with the traditional title of “Ogbuefi Nwajiugo” by his Nkwelle- Ezunaka community in Anambra that the apex socio-cultural organisation had no choice but to partner with the government.

“Ohaneze has no choice than to partner with the Federal Government because we are not there to support any political party but to support any government in power in the interest of the Igbo.

“We are bound to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in the interest of the Igbo,” Eluemuno said.

He, however, urged Buhari to consider more appointments for the people of the zone and fulfill his promises in the infrastructural development of the zone, especially the roads and the Second Niger Bridge.

“If you give good roads, power supply, water and other enabling environment for businesses to thrive to the Igbo man, he will do wonders because he is industrious,” Eluemuno said.

The Ohaneze chieftain also advised the Igbo to imbibe traditional discipline and guard against bearing the ‘Eze Ndigbo’ title outside their indigenous communities.

``If you are an Igbo leader outside your indigenous community, call yourself one, but don’t bear the `Eze Ndigbo’ title.

“We in Ohaneze have said that it is no longer acceptable for people to bear such titles as Eze Ndigbo in the Diaspora,” he said.

Eluemuno advised the various communities to mete out punishments to their sons who bore the title Eze in Diaspora.

The Ohaneze chieftain said that chieftaincy title taking in Igbo land signified respect, identity and accomplishments.

He assured his people that the title given to him would spur him to do more for them.

He commended Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra, members of Ohaneze Ndigbo, state functionaries and stakeholders for gracing the occasion. (NAN)

Confusion as court dismisses contempt suit against NERC

 A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday, dismissed a contempt suit against the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over alleged disobedience of its order.

A Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Mr Toluwani Adebiyi, had filed the suit, challenging the hike in electricity tariff.

He had sought an order of court, committing NERC's Chairman and the Chief Executive Officers of the Distribution Companies (Discos) to prison for allegedly flouting a subsisting order of the court.

Justice Mohammed Idris had on May 28, 2015, directed NERC to suspend all actions relating to any increment in electricity tariff pending the determination of a suit filed by Adebiyi.

Adebiyi had argued that despite the subsisting order, NERC in conjunction with the Electricity Distribution Companies commenced the implementation of the new electricity tariff on Feb.1, 2016.

He said the implementation of the new tariff by the defendants indicated that the substantive suit meant nothing to them.

Delivering his ruling on Monday, Justice Idris held that the procedure for committing a party for contempt outside the face of the court must be strictly adhered.

``Before a party can be committed for contempt it must be shown that he is aware of the order or judgment because a person cannot be said to be in contempt of an order he is not aware of.

``The best way to notify the alleged contemnor of the pending order or judgment is to serve him with the order personally.

``In the light of the law, it is clear in this case that the purported service of form 49 without service of form 48 is premature.

``In the circumstances, I hold that the defendant's objection have merit. The form 49 and the motion for order for committal are hereby set aside,’’ he said

Idris held that he set aside the contempt proceeding due to procedural irregularities.

``However, let me warn that where the disciplinary jurisdiction of this court is properly invoked, anyone found to have neglected the order of court will be dealt with.

``Those who intend to take the judicial system for a ride should think twice and those who have done so should retrace their steps.

``To be fore warned, is to be fore armed; this is the ruling of the court,’’ he said
Idris then adjourned the case to March 15 for hearing.

It was recalls that Adebiyi, in the substantive suit, is seeking an order restraining NERC from implementing any upward review of electricity tariff without a significant improvement in power supply.

He also wants an order restraining NERC from foisting compulsory service charge on pre-paid meters, until the meters are designed to read charges per second of consumption. (NAN)