News
UK begins Alison-Madueke’s trial on bribery charges
Alison-Madueke sat in the dock alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who is charged with one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate count of bribery of a foreign public official.
The alleged corruption trial of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke commenced on Tuesday at the London’s Southwark Crown Court.
Alison-Madueke sat in the dock alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who is charged with one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate count of bribery of a foreign public official.
British prosecutors told the court that Alison-Madueke took bribes including luxury goods and the use of high-end properties from industry figures interested in lucrative oil and gas contracts, when she was minister for petroleum resources between 2010 and 2015 under then-president Goodluck Jonathan and was also briefly president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the first woman to hold either role.
According to Reuters, the 65-year-old is now one of the most high-profile former energy officials to stand trial for alleged corruption, having been charged in 2023 with five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, which she denies.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy told jurors at London’s Southwark Crown Court that Alison-Madueke “enjoyed a life of luxury in London”, where she often stayed, provided by those interested in being awarded or retaining contracts with Nigerian state-owned companies.
Healy said Alison-Madueke was given the use of high-end properties and vast quantities of luxury goods by people who “clearly believed she would use her influence to favour them”.
There was no evidence that Alison-Madueke awarded contracts to someone who should not have had one, Healy said.
But given Alison-Madueke’s role “she should not have accepted benefits from those who were no doubt doing extremely lucrative business in oil and gas with government-owned entities”, Healy added.
News
Edo House of Assembly Elect New Speaker Idiaye, Hints Why Agbebaku Resign
“Once the leadership is poor, it will drag the work of the governor backwards. So we decided to say no.”
•The new Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Mr Yekini Idiaye
The Edo House of Assembly has sworn in a newly elected Speaker , Yekini Idiaye, following the resignation of the former speaker, Blessing Agbebaku.
Speaking in an interview after his swearing-in ceremony in Benin, Idiaye pledged the full cooperation of the house to the state executive, describing Governor Monday Okpebholo as a performing leader who deserved legislative backings.
“He is doing a lot for the people of Edo, so we have to cooperate with him to move the state forward,” he added.
Fielding question on the exit of the former speaker, Idiaye cited the challenges of corruption and poor leadership.
Idiaye said: ” There’s corruption here and there. Every now and then it is adjournment — we resume tomorrow, adjournment for another 30 days, 20 days — and we were all not too happy with this leadership style.”
The new speaker pointed out that a weak legislature directly affected the executive, adding that the house had to act to protect the governor’s performance.
“Once the leadership is poor, it will drag the work of the governor backwards. So we decided to say no.”
News
Defence Headquarters say X Account Compromised
The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, disclosed this in a statement, describing the incident as a cybersecurity matter.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has issued a notification to the public, media representatives, and relevant stakeholders regarding the compromise of its official account on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, disclosed this in a statement, describing the incident as a cybersecurity matter.
He said “appropriate technical measures had been activated to secure the account and prevent further unauthorised access.”
Uba assured the public that efforts were ongoing to fully restore control of the account, while advising members of the public to disregard any suspicious, unauthorised or misleading content posted from the account during the period.
The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, has resigned following moves by some lawmakers to impeach him.
Agbebaku said his decision came after extensive consultations with his constituency and party leaders.
In related developments, other principal officers of the House, including the Majority Leader and his deputy, have been suspended.
Agbebaku had served as Speaker for six years, having assumed the position during the tenure of former Governor Godwin Obaseki. He defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the 2024 Edo governorship election.
Yekini Idiaye has emerged as the new Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly.
Watch video below:
Edo House of Assembly Elect New Speaker Idiaye, Hints Why Agbebaku Resign
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