Alhaji Shuaibu Idris, mni, FIoD, has been appointed as Chairman for the IoD Centre for Corporate Governance (IoDCCG). His appointment was ratified at the 35th meeting of the Board of Governors of the Centre held on Wednesday, October 9, 2021.Alhaji Idris, who was elected for a two-year tenure in line with the Centre’s rules and regulations, succeeds Dr. Ebun Sonaiya, F.IoD, who retired recently. Similarly, the Board of Governors also ratified the appointment of the following Directors on the Board of IoDCCG: Mrs. Bimbola Wright (representing IoD Nigeria); Mr. Isyaku Bala Tilde (representing SEC Nigeria); and Ide John C. Udeagbala (representing NACCIMA).Alhaji Idris is a motivational speaker, a mentor to many and a regular commentator on financial, economic and political issues in local and international print and electronic media. Alhaji Idris has nurtured and established a number of Non-Governmental Organisations such as: Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (Breast Cancer NGO); Birnin Gwari Educational Endowment Fund- BEEF; and Teens Empowerment and Salvage Initiative-TESI, etc.He has worked in various organisations such as the Kaduna State Board of Internal Revenue, Chase Merchant Bank Nigeria, Lakeside Investment, Liberty Bank Plc and Dangote Group. Alhaji Idris is also a member of the Board of Directors of a number of companies amongst which includes: Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Company Plc; Capital Trust Investments & Asset Management Limited; Coronation BDC Limited; WACOT Limited; and Aims Media Limited to mention but a few.Alhaji Idris holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accountancy from the prestigious Bayero University, Kano and a Master’s Degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Wales, United Kingdom. He is a member of the Prestigious National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPPS as well as a fellow of a number of Professional Associations, including; Institute of Directors, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, National Institute of Marketing Nigeria, Institute of Credit Administration, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, Cost Management Institute (Nigeria), and Nigerian Institute of Management, amongst others. He is a Member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management (UK), and Associate Member of Public Relations Society of America.At the Board level, he was: a Council Member of the Kaduna State University; Treasurer and Member of Governing Council of Institute of Directors Nigeria (IoD); Member of Board of Trustees, Investors Protection Fund of the Nigerian Stock Exchange; Member, Regulatory & Compliance and Electoral Committees of the Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN).IoD Centre for Corporate Governance is a collaborative project of the Institute of Directors Nigeria, (IoDN) the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The Centre is committed to improving and promoting good Corporate Governance standards in Nigeria through advocacy, advisory services, research and high-quality training programmes for Board members and Management in public and private sector organisations. The Centre is also an Affiliate Member of the African Corporate Governance Network (ACGN) and it collaborates with The Centre for International Private Enterprise, (CIPE) Washington, USA on Anti-Corruption and Ethics compliance training and services.The IoDCCG will no doubt gain immensely from his expertise, vast knowledge and wealth of experiences.

LAGOS – Wadata Media and Advocacy Centre (WAMAC), an NGO, with the support of MacArthur Foundation, has called for sustained efforts against corruption in Nigeria using local languages. It called for this during a Town Hall Meeting in Lagos over the weekend to amplify the fght against corruption, deploying local languages: The meeting was themed, ‘Community Participation in the Fight against Corruption in Nigeria Using Local Languages’ held on Saturday.Participants were drawn from the media, civil society organizations, community based organizations, religious and community leaders as well as anti-corruption agencies- EFCC and ICPC – and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).At the end of the town hall meeting, the organization, through a press statement by Zubair Abdurrauf Idris, the team lead, made the following resolutions to fast tract the fight against corruption through community participation:- “We understand the endemic corruption in our society and call on people to be passionate about the fight against corruption in our various communities in order to redeem the collapsed family value system. We urge participants to take the right steps and own the fight against corruption. “We emphasize the need to fast-track investigations towards the conviction of exposed corrupt persons. “Participants also called for the teaching of local languages and core values of culture and tradition to aid the fight against corruption. “The meeting agreed on the involvement of the public, particularly the youth, in the fight against corruption, by sensitizing them on the destruction caused by corruption. “The meeting urged community leaders to take the message of anti-corruption to their different areas/domains, in their local languages. “Participants emphasized the need to use different means, such as the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act and whistle-blowing, in the fight against corruption.The meeting looked at the importance of using different channels of communication to inform anti-corruption agencies, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), about corrupt practices in our communities.

By Adeyinka Adeniran A Non-Government Organisation, Wadata Media and Advocacy Centre (WAMAC), has called on people across the country to be more passionate about the fight against corruption in communities in order to redeem the collapsed family value system. This is as the organisation also urged Nigerians to take the right steps and own the fight against corruption, if the effect and negative implications of graft must be reversed in the country. The charges form parts of the resolve reached during a town hall meeting held in Lagos and organised by Wadata Media and Advocacy Centre (WAMAC) with the support of MacArthur Foundation. The town hall meeting, according to the Chairman/Team Lead, WAMAC, Zubair Idris, was part of the effort of the organisations to amplify the fight against corruption in the country through the use of local languages. The 8-point communique issued at the end of the Town Hall meeting reads: “At the end of the Town Hall meeting the following resolutions were made to fast-track the fight against corruption through community participation: “The Town Hall meeting understands the endemic corruption in our society and calls on people to be passionate about the fight against corruption in our various communities in order to redeem the collapsed family value system. “Participants were urged to take the right steps and own the fight against corruption. “The meeting emphasised the need to fast-track investigations towards the conviction of exposed corrupt persons. “Participants also called for the teaching of local languages and core values of culture and tradition to aid the fight against corruption. “The meeting agreed on the involvement of the public, particularly the youth, in the fight against corruption, by sensitising them on the destruction caused by corruption. “The meeting urged community leaders to take the message of anti-corruption to their different areas/domains, in their local languages. “Participants emphasised the need to use different means, such as the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act and whistle-blowing, in the fight against corruption. “The meeting looked at the importance of using different channels of communication to inform anti-corruption agencies, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), about corrupt practices in our communities.” The Town Hall meeting themed: “Community Participation in the Fight against Corruption in Nigeria Using Local Languages” was attended by participants drawn from the media, Civil Society Organisations, Community Based Organisations, Religious and Community leaders, anti-Corruption agencies (EFCC and ICPC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

Some officials of the National Social investment programme (NSIP) in Adogo headquarter of Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State have been allegedly accused of extorting NPower applicants in the name of physical verification. According to an investigative report by Wadata Media in collaboration with Mac Arthur foundation, which was aired on a private radio station in Kogi state, on Thursday revealed that some NSIP officials have been collecting N1000 each from over 500 applicants saying” it was money for attestation which will determine the compulsory physical verification exercise for all the NPOWER applicant. It was gathered that the purported attestation letter is allegedly signed and stamped by the Desk officer of NSIP in Ajaokuta Local Government Shaibu Ovosi Yakubu. The under cover journalist in the report also pose as an NPower applicant, in which the officials at Adogo secretariat was heard in an audio clip negotiating N1000, for attestation letter. It was gathered that the purported attestation letter was allegedly signed and stamped by the Desk officer of NSIP in Ajaokuta Local Government Shaibu Ovosi Yakubu. The undercover journalist who also posed as an NPower applicant provided an audio exhibit in which the officials at Adogo secretariat were heard negotiating N1000 for the attestation letter.The report had alleged a similar corrupt act at the same secretariat during the NPOWER batch A and B exercise.Some applicants in the report said” they collected N1000 from us all in the name of attestation for our NPOWER physical verification. We called some of our people in other Local Government and state, they told us that it is free. Why is this place different? We are very sure that the money is going to their private pocket and not the government because we were told it is free. We have no choice but to pay because without crossing this bridge, we can’t participate in this NPOWER exercise”. In a reaction, the Kogi State Focal Person, Social investment Program, Mr Abdulkareem Onyekehi, said only six local government areas out of the 21 local government areas in Kogi State have commenced the physical verification for Batch C Npower. He said Ajaokuta was not part of the local governments that have commenced physical verification. Nigerian govt clears backlog payment of Npower batch A, B beneficiariesOnyekehi explained that the purported physical verification exercise carried out in Adogo under Ajaokuta local government is fraudulent and should be disregarded by the general public.He maintained that no applicant is expected to pay money to any individual in the name of physical verification for Npower. His words “It is totally wrong. It is a clear violation of what the NPOWER stands for. Whoever that collects money from applicants is not working under the guideline of NPOWER program. The Abuja Office didn’t instruct anybody to collect money from applicants. It is free of charge. I repeat again, physical verification is free. “No levy is attached. As a matter of fact, Ajaokuta Local Government Area is not ready to commence physical verification for now. Only six LGA’s after my communication with the Kogi State NYSC director is ready for NPOWER physical verification. They are Lokoja LGA, Ibaji, Igalamela, Kogi LGA, and one other Local Government Area. “These are the few LGA’S that are ready for physical verification. The reason why other LGA’S has not commenced is that the Batch 2 corp members are still in camp with their officials. When they leave the camp by 21st September 2021, according to my discussion with their state director, they will commence physical verification. For now, that is where we are. There is no physical verification in Adogo, under Ajaokuta Local Government, talk more of collecting charges. It is free”The State Focal person, however, vowed to carry out an investigation into the allegation assuring that whoever is found wanting will face the full wrath of the law. Meanwhile, a former Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, (NBA) Barrister William Aliwo while speaking on the alleged corrupt act called on the appropriate authority to ensure that those behind this shameful act are brought to book.Mr Okoro Ulu, the Kogi State Commissioner, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences, (ICPC) told our correspondent explained that they are yet to receive any petition on the matter.