Monies in account linked to Tinubu in US, deducted as tax—Keyamo
Festus Keyamo, in defence of
All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has said that the alleged forfeited monies in certain U.S. accounts linked to his principal were deductions for tax on investments domiciled in the United States of America.
The Chief Spokesperson for the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council provided this clarification on Wednesday during his guest appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
Keyamo’s response follows the conversations generated after a United States court released documents about monies forfeited by Tinubu to the US court in 1993 after an out of court settlement.
Tinubu forfeit $460,000 in one of the accounts to the United States government believed to be proceeds of heroin trafficking and money laundering.
Keyamo said Tinubu took responsibility for all 10 accounts because they were also traced to his mother and “relatives.”
He went on to say that Tinubu was unfairly implicated in the drug trafficking case of two Nigerians who once lived in separate apartments in the same building where the ex-governor stayed in the United States.
“He, Asiwaju, went to open an account; the address at which he opened the account was already used by these people…investigated for narcotics,” he said.
Read also:U.S. court judgement indicts Tinubu for drug trafficking
Our investment focuses on creating value for stakeholders—Dangote
Hajiya Halima Aliko-Dangote, Executive Director, Commercial Operations, Dangote Group, on Wednesday restated the company’s commitment to creating value for all stakeholders across its subsidiaries via its focused investment decisions.
Aliko-Dangote, represented by Rabiu Umar, Chief Commercial Officer, Dangote Group, said this at the 36th Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the LITF organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is with a theme: “Connecting Businesses, Creating Value.”
She said the company had invested in several projects meant to create jobs and enhance the rapid industrialisation of the Nigerian economy.
“Dangote Cement Plc remains the continent’s foremost cement producer, with operations in 10 African countries'” she said.
“The activities of the cement company through its multiplier effect, provides direct and indirect employment to millions of people across Africa.”
She said the company’s food subsidiaries: Dangote Sugar Refinery, NASCON Allied Industries (Dangote Salt) and Dangote Rice, were providing jobs through various schemes.
U.S. midterm elections: Consul-General congratulates 8 Nigerian-Americans on victory
Lot Egopija, the Consul-General of Nigeria in New York, has congratulated eight Nigerian Americans on their victory in the U.S. midterm elections.
Egopija on Wednesday said that their victory symbolizes the doggedness of Nigerians strong willpower to survive regardless where they find themselves.
“We are not surprised. I want to wish all others, who are aspiring to do the same to continue to press on, hope is on the way.
“We are happy, and we are delighted about the victory,” he said.
According to the list provided by the Nigerian American Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC), Segun Adeyina won for Georgia State Representative in District 110, while Gabe Okoye won for Georgia State Representative in District 102.
Solomon Adesanya, Georgia State Representative in District 43; Tish Naghise won for Georgia State Representative in District 68 and Phil Olaleye was declared winner to represent Georgia State Representative in District 59.
Also, Carol Kazeem won for Pennsylvania State Representative in District 159; Dr. Oye Owolewa for U.S. House of Representatives (Shadow Representative) in Washington D.C. and Esther Agbaje was re-elected to serve for Minnesota State Representative in District 59B.
Similarly, Adeola Popoola, president of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), New Jersey chapter, congratulated them and commended NAPAC for doing a great job.
“NAPAC has been doing well in organising support, including fund raising for Nigerians seeking political offices in the U.S.
IMF, Bangladesh reach preliminary deal for $4.5bn loan
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provisionally agreed to provide a $4.5billion support programme to Bangladesh, with the country’s finance minister saying the deal would help prevent economic instability escalating into a crisis.
Despite the country economy boasting of being one of the fastest growing economy with a value of $416billion in the past five years, rising energy and food prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have swelled its import bill and current account deficit.
A situation that has resulted to its near collapse.
On Wednesday, it became the third South Asian nation to secure a “staff-level agreement” with the IMF for loans this year after Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Reuters reported.
“The heat of the global economy has affected our economy to some extent,” Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters after the IMF announcement. “We requested the IMF loan as a precautionary measure to ensure that this instability does not escalate into a crisis.”
“Bangladesh’s robust economic recovery from the pandemic has been interrupted by Russia’s war in Ukraine, leading to a sharp widening of the current account deficit, a rapid decline of foreign exchange reserves, rising inflation and slowing growth,” said Rahul Anand, who led a visiting IMF staff mission.
WNBA star Griner sent to Russian penal colony to serve sentence
American basketball star Brittney Griner has been sent to a penal colony in Russia to serve her sentence for drug possession, her legal team said Wednesday.
A Russian court rejected an appeal of her nine-year sentence last month. The eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist was convicted August 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
The Associated Press reported that her arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, and the politically charged case could lead to a high-stakes prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow.
“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “As we have said before, the U.S. Government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens.”
Griner’s legal team said she left a detention center outside Moscow on Nov. 4 for a penal colony — as prisons in Russia are commonly known. The move was expected since she lost her appeal.
