Sanusi denies committing plagiarism against US Don ……says I’ve not been served any court process

The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, wednesday, denied allegation that he copied the research work of a United States based Nigerian Professor, Victor E. Dike and presented it as his own ideas at a public lecture he delivered in Edo state on November 26, 2010.

Sanusi who refuted the allegation via a press statement that was issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN,  Wednesday  insisted that he did not write the said paper that culminated to the lawsuit currently pending before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.

It will be recalled that the court presided by Justice Adamu Bello, on Monday, summoned the CBN governor to appear on May 31 to defend himself over his alleged complicity in acts of plagiarism.

The Court equally granted the plaintiff, Prof. Dike, who is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Engineering and Technology, National University, Sacremento and Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Centre for Social Justice and Human Development in California, leave to paste the court processes at the Notice Board of the apex bank, situated within the Central Business District, Cadastral Zone AO, of Abuja.

However, the CBN boss denied receiving the court papers, just as he refuted allegation that his security personnel thwarted efforts by the court bailiff to effect service on him.

The statement which was signed by the Director, Corporate Communications at the CBN, Mr Ugochukwu A. Okoroafor, reads: “The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been drawn to reports in the media regarding a suit against the Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, by one Victor E. Dike, who is said to be a professor of Engineering and Technology, National University Sacramento, USA.

“It is important to provide some clarifications on the matter. First, as at the time of release of this statement, no court papers in respect of the said suit, had been served on the Governor.

“Furthermore, and for the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi did not write the said paper.  Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria, just like Chief Executive Officers of similar institutions in Nigeria and abroad, deliver papers, not in their personal capacities, but on behalf of the institutions for which they are chief spokespersons.

“In the case of the CBN, such papers, even though presented by the Governor, represent our collective views and are prepared by professional researchers in the relevant departments of the Bank. We can vouch that such papers are prepared in line with strict global and ethical standards.

“As a responsible public institution, we always cooperate fully with court officers and our well trained and responsible security officers have ever been under strict instructions to treat them with the appropriate dignity and respect they deserve.

“While awaiting details of the alleged suit, it is pertinent to state that speeches delivered by the current Governor, focus on the core mandates of the Bank and are direct contributions to discourse on national development.

“At a time like this, when the Bank is deeply committed to critical reforms of the banking system, the least we can do is to focus on the arduous task of bequeathing to the nation a financial system that will effectively improve the collective welfare of the Nigerian people.”

Specifically, the plaintiff, told the high court that he was the original author of a research wok entitled:“Review of the challenges facing the Nigerian Economy: (Is national development possible without technological capability?), which he said the CBN boss copied verbatim and delivered as his paper during the eight convocation ceremony of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.

Prof Dike said he was forced to approach the high court for redress upon discovering that the CBN governor had in six separate occasions, plagiarized his intellectual works, just as he has asked the court to make a declaration that the defendant is in breach of the copyrights of the plaintiff.

As well as to grant, “a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from citing the two papers delivered by the defendant on the 26^th of November 2010, and 10^th of December 2010 respectively as his work, having breached the Copyrights of the plaintiff without proper reference and citation in accordance with Copyrights Acts.” Source: Vanguard

Gunmen kill five in Damaturu bar

Gunmen killed five people, including a police officer and a politician, at a bar in an area previously hit by a bomb blast blamed on Islamists, residents and a doctor said Wednesday.

Three gunmen stormed the bar in Damaturu, capital of northeastern Yobe State, late Tuesday and shot dead their victims as they sat around a table, a witness told AFP.

“The attackers … shot dead five people at a table and drove off,” said the witness. He said a police officer, a local politician and a senior state government official were among the dead.

Police could not be reached for comment, but a doctor at a state-run Damaturu hospital said five bodies were deposited at the morgue late Tuesday.

“The body of the police officer was taken away by his colleagues this morning while the other four bodies are still in the morgue,” the doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, Islamist group Boko Haram was blamed for an explosion at a nearby open-air bar in January that wounded several people.

The group has carried out other attacks in Yobe, including coordinated bombings and gun assaults targeting security forces in Damaturu in November that killed about 100 people.

Boko Haram’s insurgency, mainly in northern Nigeria, has left more than 1,000 people dead since mid-2009. (AFP)

Tinubu,Aregbesola, Others Storm Igbokoda, As Ex OSOPADEC Boss, Adewale Omojuwa Declares For ACN

The National Leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the Governor of Osun state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and other prominent leaders of ACN from across the country will storm, Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje local government area of Ondo state on Saturday, 28 April, 2012, to witness the official declaration of Chief Adewale Omojuwa from PDP into ACN.

Chief Omojuwa was the immediate past chairman of Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, (OSOPADEC), where he successfully implemented developmental projects that reportedly improved the living standard of the OSOPADEC coverage areas of Ondo state, under the government of Dr Olusegun Agagu.

His track record at the interventionist agency was said to have endeared him to the leadership of ACN, and there are speculations across Ondo state that he is being tipped for the position of deputy governor in the 20 October, 2012 election in the sunshine state.

PLATFORM NEWSWIRE also learned from a reliable source that all the prominent traditional rulers as well as sons and daughters of Ilaje Kingdom are now in a happy mood as a result of the unfolding events in the political life of Chief Omojuwa, whom they love, for his humility and his interest in the development of Ilaje. in particular and Ondo state in general.

EFCC Probe: Ondo Finance Commissioner Goes Into Hiding.

The Ondo state Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Yele Ogunndipe has gone into hiding, over fear of arrest by officials of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,(EFCC), in the ongoing investigation of alleged mismanagement of Ondo state funds by the anti graft agency.

PLATFORM NEWSWIRE can recall that Mr. Ogundipe was arrested by the EFCC, two weeks ago, although he denied the arrest, claiming that he only visited Abuja on official duties.

PLATFORM NEWSWIRE findings revealed that Ogundipe had gone into hiding since last week to avoid arrest over the ongoing OSOPADEC probe as well as other petitions written against the Ondo state government, bordering on wastage of public funds as well as alleged inflation of contract sums awarded by Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

A staff in the ministry of Finance, Akure told our reporter that Mr. Ogundipe no longer sleeps in his official residence, over fear of arrest, preferring to sleep in a private residence of one of his close confidants, located at Ijapo estate, Akure.

He was also said to have changed his mobile phone numbers to avoid contacts with EFCC officials who are currently monitoring his movements.

Lady Akinjoko, Ondo State PDP Woman Leader Joins ACN

The Immediate past woman leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo state, Lady, Ambassador Folake Akinjoko has resigned her membership of the party and pitch her tent with Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.

Lady Akinjoko, who announced her resignation as a member of the self-acclaimed largest political party in Africa, told PLATFORM NEWSWIRE in an exclusive interview earlier today that she tendered her resignation letter to the leaders of PDP and joined ACN in view of the actions of some PDP leaders which had brought great misfortunes to the party and for the fact that PDP seems not ready to participate and win in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo state as well as in other elections.

Lady Amb Folake Akinjoko

Her words’ “It’s a fact that I dump PDP, and the reason is not farfetched. It’s because of internal rancour and insincerity of the party leadership. I have seen it that PDP as it is cannot face the challenges of the 20th October, 2012 election in Ondo state and win. And I want to sincerely see myself as somebody who is representing her people in any position I find myself.”

Lady Akinjoko also stated that as the immediate past woman leader of PDP, her action will enable her to console her people and to help them in taking decisions that lead them to the Promised Land.

“I dumped PDP because we always talk of federal might and we believed, if truly, PDP is enjoying that federal might, we would not be losing those elections that we are not suppose to lose. For instance, when we left government in February 2009, through the travesty of justice given by Nabaruma, we believed that, as a party that belongs to the federal government, we had not lost anything. But later, we realized that we lost all,” she added.

She promised to help ACN in the area of mobilising Ondo state women to take part is dislodging the current government, headed by Dr Olusegun Mimiko, as according to her, the governor’s projects are misplaced priorities and waste of public funds, compared to the developmental efforts of the past administrations in Ondo state, especially, during the reign of Dr Olusegun Agagu.

Police rescue woman, recover N2.9m ransom from suspected kidnappers

The Police Command in Delta today, announced the rescue of the wife of the Financial Secretary, Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association,  the recovery of N2.9 million ransom and arrest of four persons in connection with the kidnap.

Mr Ikechukwu Aduba, the Commissioner of Police while briefing newsmen in Asaba, said the woman was kidnapped on Tuesday in her store at Ekpan in Warri.

“The gunmen who demanded the sum of N5 million, took the victim to their hideout in Benin, Edo State,’’ Aduba said.

He said that police officers who carried out the rescue operation returned with the woman unhurt at about 4.30 a.m. on Saturday.

“Acting on intelligence report, men of the state anti-terrorist squad stormed the kidnappers’ hideout in Benin city and arrested four notorious armed kidnappers including a 20 year-old girl.

“The victim was rescued and items recovered from the suspects included N2.9 million which they collected as ransom.

“We also recovered one black Sienna space bus with registration number EK 483 BEN and an Audi car with registration number AA 261 DGS,” the commissioner said.

Aduba told newsmen that anti-crime patrol team from Sapele also arrested two suspects during a stop-and-search operation and recovered 25 live cartridges.

“On interrogation, the two suspects confessed membership of a robbery gang terrorising the residents of Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area and its environs,’’ he said.

The commissioner, who described Ororokpe in Okpe LGA as a `den of criminals,’ appealed to parents to monitor the activities of their children and wards.

“It has become necessary to warn criminals to have a change of heart and take to legitimate business or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.

“We want to appeal to members of the public to have absolute faith in the Command as we have resolved to rout  hoodlums and kidnappers out of the state,’’ Aduba said. (NAN)

Ondo denies arrest of officials by EFCC

Ondo State Government on Friday denied a report, alleging that three top officials of the state had been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. It blamed the opposition for spreading falsehood against it and its officials.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said attempts by the opposition to blackmail the state government would fail.

He claimed that a national newspaper and an Akure-based radio station both owned by a leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria had in separate reports alleged that the EFCC operatives had arrested some of its officials.

Akinmade said the reports were false and that the officials presumed to have been arrested were still at their duty posts till the end of work on Thursday and were currently with their families within the state. He added that they were very embarrassed by calls being received since the reports.

He said, “The game plan of the opposition is to use the false reports to destabilise the state government, using the EFCC but forgetting that the anti-corruption establishment does not act on sentiment and would not allow itself to be dragged into politics.

“The opposition, especially the ACN, is becoming excessive in its campaign of calumny and blackmail to cast aspersion on the state government all in the name of politics.”