News

Court finds ex-revenue officer guilty of defrauding hospital

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2022

The Enugu State High Court, in Enugu, has convicted former revenue officer with the National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu, Dorothy Chigozie Amalili, for defrauding the hospital of N4.6 million.

According to a statement by the ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Oguwa, on Wednesday, Mrs Amalili was convicted on all six counts preferred against her.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had accused Mrs Amalili of diverting N4.644 million belonging to the hospital into personal use.

The commission also accused her of knowingly furnishing false statements in respect of money received in order to conceal her actions while performing official duties as a revenue officer.

ICPC’s counsel, Enosa Omoghibo, told the court that her offences which were committed between February 2017 and December 2018, were contrary to Section 16 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section of the Act.

“The convict, while performing her duties would write the actual amounts collected from patients on the original copy of the receipts, while writing lesser amounts on the duplicate and triplicate copies of the same receipts kept in the Accounts Department for audit purposes, which enabled her to remit lesser sum of money than the actual amount collected to the hospital, thereby fraudulently retaining the difference. She, through this deceitful means, was able to defraud the hospital of N4,644.030.00, over a period of time.
Six months’ imprisonment

The trial judge, K. Okpe, at the conclusion of the trial, found her guilty on all six counts. He, therefore, sentenced her to six months imprisonment for each of the counts which will run concurrently.

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The convict was also given an option of a fine in lieu of custodial sentence by the trial judge for being a Person Living with Disability (PLWD). Her right leg had been amputated due to a diabetic foot ulcer.

Sentencing the convict, the judge also ordered her to refund the entire money she embezzled to the National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu.

She will refund the balance of N4,544,030.00 to the hospital after an initial repayment of N100,000.

The money is to be taken from her Pension Funds domiciled with IBTC Pensions into the ICPC Recovery Account under the TSA as recovery for and on behalf of the hospital.

News

Ghana is looking to supply Nigeria with its electricity needs following power grid shutdown

Published

4 hours ago

September 23, 2023

Seun Okerayi

LAGOS- With the goal of achieving “100% universal energy access” and maybe exporting electricity to its neighbor, Nigeria, Ghana has steadily been developing its power sector.

During his presentation in Lagos on the second day of the Nigeria Energy Leadership Summit, Mr. Hanson Monney, the Head of the Generation and Transmission Unit at the Ghanaian Ministry of Energy, made this point, emphasizing that via effective policy development and implementation, Ghana has already attained an impressive 80% to 85% universal energy access inside its boundaries.

“So, we are working on all these things to make sure that the power system of Ghana continues to be as good as it is or even better, and then, maybe, we can be exporting more to our big brothers in Nigeria when the grid is finally settled,” Mr. Hanson Monney said

This declaration follows the second national power grid breakdown in Africa’s most populous country and the continent’s top oil producer, Nigeria which resulted in a total blackout of homes and businesses.

In contrast, Ghana is aggressively pursuing a variety of energy sources, including grid electricity, mini-grids, and solar-dominated renewable energy, to attain “Universal access to energy by 2024” as instructed by the country’s President.

Monney agreed that the geographic limitations make it difficult to provide everyone in Ghana with access to electricity, particularly on isolated islands, riverbanks, or lakeside villages. In response to this, he stated,

“So, now, we are trying to scale our renewable energy access, and that is how we have planned in 2022 to scale up our renewable energy program,” he said.

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Financial sustainability is one of the biggest problems facing Ghana’s power sector, as the country struggles with growing debts and the purchase of surplus capacity.

“There is so much debt that the government has to shore up to make sure that the system is afloat because we have procured a lot of excess capacity, which comes with attendant costs. So, these financial challenges require some policy actions to eliminate legacy debts,” Mooney stated.

Monney stressed the significance of lowering electricity prices, particularly for enterprises, since high electricity bills are a major issue in Ghana. “We saw that in Ghana historically. These industries have been subsidizing the residential sector, and it should be the other way around. Industries should remain viable so that businesses can thrive,” Mooney stated.

Crime

EFCC declares Delta brothers wanted over alleged N330m fraud

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2023

Seun Okerayi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared two siblings from Delta State wanted for alleged fraud of N330 million.

This was contained in a statement issued by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State on Friday.

The anti-graft agency named 55-year-old Faith Onoja and 44-year-old Emmanuel Onoja, both from Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, as being declared wanted by the EFCC.

According to the commission, Faith’s last known address is “Close to Celestial Church, Ekrovie new layout, old Egini road, Orhuehorun, Delta State” while Emmanuel’s last known address is “No 6. Jasmison Street, NPDC/ND Western Estate, Warri, Delta State”.

The statement urged that “anybody with useful information as to their whereabouts should contact the commission” in its offices nationwide.

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Education

Gov. Kefas Grants 50% Tuition Cut for Final Year Nursing Students

Published

2 days ago

September 21, 2023

Seun Okerayi

In a move that underscores the commitment of the Taraba State Government to prioritize education and make it more accessible, the Taraba state Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas has approved a significant reduction in tuition fees for final year students at the College of Nursing and Midwifery Jalingo.

Effective immediately, all final year students pursuing their nursing and midwifery diplomas will benefit from a 50% reduction in tuition fees. This decision aims at alleviating the financial burden on students and their families, ensuring that quality education remains affordable and accessible to all.

Dr.Agbu Kefas stated, “Education is the bedrock of our society, and we are dedicated to providing opportunities for our students to excel without the undue burden of high tuition costs. We believe that this reduction will not only support our students but also contribute to the development of the healthcare sector in our state.”

The Taraba State Government remains committed to enhancing the quality of education and healthcare services in the state. This reduction in tuition fees is a significant step towards achieving these goals.