Lagos, Nigeria – E don happen! Na so Mamman Ali, wey be son of former PDP chairman, Ahmadu Ali, just jam 14 years for prison. This one na as e take dey involved for ₦2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud wey EFCC dey yan about. Ali no dey carry this matter alone o; Christian Taylor, wey be oil marketer and him partner for this wahala, don dey collect same sentence too.
The Lagos special offences court for Ikeja no gree show dem mercy at all. Dem convict both of dem on plenty charges like conspiracy wey dem use to grab money by false pretences, forgery, and using fake documents. All dis matter dey under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. Wetin dey sup?
First, EFCC carry dem go court on top 49-count charge but later, na 57 counts dem come land for. Ali and Taylor gree insist say dem no do am, but na the judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, come put dem for scale and see say dem no fit cover face for the crime.
As dem dey try to show say dem collect ₦1.48 billion from federal government through Petroleum Support Fund, na only one big lie dem dey tell. Dem say na payment for importing over 20 million litres of premium motor spirit (PMS) through some company wey dem gist fit check well – Nasaman Oil Services Ltd. But court no gree swallow dat yarn.
Justice Dada, wey take over the case after Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo remove himself, talk say wetin Ali and Taylor do na serious breach of public trust. E no too dey sweet when people wey dem suppose trust come dey do bad things, abi na lie? Dem need serious time to think am!
Meanwhile, for another gist, Felix Ogbe, wey be the executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), don drop correct bombshell. He talk say Nigeria don finally retain 56 percent of oil and gas industry expenditure. Na major leap from 5 percent wey dem dey just 10 years ago! Wetin dem no go talk when dem see progress like this.
This announcement come after Ogbe yan for local content event wey happen for Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, as dem dey celebrate 15 years of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act. He talk say this improvement no be magic, but hard work and dedication to make sure we sabi do our own thing in our own country!
Ogbe also jabber about how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu don sign three Executive Orders to help the oil sector. E no stop there o; dem don also launch new deal called ‘Nigeria First Policy‘ wey dey show how serious government take local content development and energy self-sufficiency. E dey sharp like that!
With the Africa Energy Bank wey dem dey set to open in Abuja before Q2 don land, people go expect better funding for Nigerian companies. Dey even dey push tech-driven initiatives like NOGTECH Hackathon to boost innovation. Wetin we go do without technology?
For all dis matter, Ogbe advise International Oil Companies (IOCs) make dem put Nigeria firms for front when dem dey do projects. He mention ventures like UBETA, Bonga North, and Zabazaba as where we fit show wetin we sabi do. Omo, na so we go make am!
Abeg, if you dey feel dis local firms like Renaissance, Seplat, and Oando wey dey lead the pack, make you sha dey help mentor younger companies. Na wetin dey show sey we dey grow together! At the end of the day, no be to share the money, but wetin we fit achieve together?
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