News headlines for the 18th of March 2021.

Ex-JAMB registrar arrested for alleged N900m pencil, eraser fraud

THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission has arrested a former Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, for allegedly misappropriating N900m.
Ojerinde, who was arrested on Monday in Abuja by ICPC operatives, was alleged to have committed multiple frauds while heading JAMB and the National Examination Council.
He has been detained by the Commission for questioning over allegations of multiple identities, abuse of office, money laundering, tax evasion and making false statements to public officials.
The former JAMB boss was also being questioned by the anti-graft agency for allegedly awarding fraudulent contracts to shell companies which could not be traced.
According to a statement on Wednesday by the ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, Ojerinde allegedly awarded contracts for the supply of pencils and erasers at the cost of N450m each to Double 07 Concept Ltd. and Pristine Global Concept Ltd., respectively, between 2013 and 2014 while heading JAMB.

THE Christian Association of Nigeria on Wednesday called on the Federal Government and the Inspector-General of Police to intervene in the violence in Kwara State over the hijab policy.
CAN which expressed the views in a statement by its General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, advised Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to give peace chance.
Students in some Mission schools in the state had clashed over the wearing of hijab as part of their schools’ uniforms.
But Daramola said, “We learnt that the state government has ordered the reopening of the closed schools without resolving the crisis and consequently, churches and mission schools are being vandalized with impunity by the hoodlums banking on the state government’s support in the pretext of enforcing the policy.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Baptist Conference on Wednesday gave an insight into the attack on Christians at First Baptist Church in Surulere, Ilorin by Muslim fundamentalists, saying they mobilized themselves and touts in large numbers to carry out the attack.
The President, Kwara Baptist Conference, Dr. Victor Dada, said these in a statement obtained by journalists in Abuja

NIGER Delta Democratic Union, NDDU, has dragged the Federal Government to the Federal High Court, Asaba to challenge the decision to declare itself the sole ownership of returned 4.2million pounds sterling loot earlier seized from former Governor of Delta State, by the British Government.
The facilitator of the group, Dr Akpo Mudiaga Odje, in a statement, described the decision of the Federal Government to spend the money as an act of financial terrorism and gluttony adding that the people of Delta State lucidly possess the undisputed allodial title over these funds, and as such, should be the exclusive beneficiaries of same.
Accordingly, an action has been filed at the Federal High Court, Asaba to challenge this unprovoked onslaught and unrestrained belligerence against our Constitution and the People of Delta State.

The Federal Government has said it cannot locate the displaced Ogun State residents taking refuge in Benin Republic due to attacks on their communities by armed herdsmen.
The government explained that the Nigerian Embassy officials, who visited the communities where the people were taking shelter, were informed that they had returned to their communities in Nigeria.
The Director of Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Bolaji Akinremi, disclosed this to reporters on Wednesday in response to inquiries on what the government was doing to bring back the refugees.
The displaced persons from Agbon-Ojodu, Moro, Asa, Ibeku and other villages in the Yewa Local Government Area of Ogun State had abandoned their communities and took refuge in neighboring Benin Republic following incessant attacks by armed herdsmen.
Over 20 persons have been reportedly killed by the herdsmen, who also graze their animals on farms in the communities.

THE Federal Government has approved the sum of $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Refinery, which is the largest refining company in the country.
Disclosing this at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, yesterday, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said that the rehabilitation which would be in three phases. would commence immediately and would be handled by an Italian firm, Tecnimont SPA.
He explained that the first phase would be completed in 18 months, the second phase in 24 months and the final phase would be within 44 months.