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‘Nigeria Must Go’ protest retaliation for ‘Ghana Must Go’ – SOG Precious

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A popular Ghanaian on-air personality and media strategist with Starr, SOG Precious, has said the recent Nigeria Must Go protest in Ghana was a retaliation for the Ghana Must Go protest in 1983.

Precious made this known in an interview on Channels TV’s Morning Brief on Friday.

His statement comes as a viral video on Tuesday showed a large number of Ghanaians protesting with placards suggesting the deportation of Nigerians.

Reacting to the protest, Precious said, “It is a form of retaliation for what happened in 1988.”

He further claimed data in Ghana suggests that some Nigerians, especially young girls, are prominent in prostitution and other outlawed activities in the country.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has appealed for calm over the matter, noting that there is “no cause for alarm.”

Earlier, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Demola, said the protest is not against all Nigerians but against some persons with undesirable activities in Ghana.

“I think the focus is on the tertiary traders and people whom I would describe as probably undesirable to their system, to their economy,” he said in an interview on Arise News.

Recall that in 1983, there was a mass deportation of Ghanaians from Nigeria under former President Shehu Shagari.

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Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers withdraw from case

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Kanu Agabi, former Attorney-General of the Federation and lead counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, on Thursday, applied to withdraw his representation in the ongoing terrorism trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Kanu is facing trial on a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism, filed against him by the Federal Government.

When the matter was called on Thursday, Agabi informed the court that he would no longer be representing the IPOB leader, adding that the defendant had decided to take back the case from them.

In the same manner, all the Senior Advocates of Nigeria involved in the case also announced their withdrawal from the case.

Kanu, confirming the development, told the court that he would be representing himself for now, but noted that the position might change later.

The trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, asked whether he should assign a lawyer to represent him, but the defendant (Kanu) declined.

Meanwhile, addressing the court orally to open his defence, Kanu argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to try him.

Recall that Justice Omotosho, on October 16, granted the defendant six consecutive days, beginning from October 23, to open and close his defence in view of the accelerated hearing earlier granted in the case.

Kanu had listed former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen Tukur Buratai (rtd); a former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), and others as part of his witnesses.

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UK Charity Commission freezes over 100 bank accounts linked to MFM

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On Tuesday, the UK’s Charity Commission announced it had frozen the assets of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International (MFM), a Nigerian-founded church.

On its website, the UK government concluded that its trustees failed to manage the organisation’s finances properly across its UK branches.

The UK Charity Commission is a non-ministerial department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, to ensure that the public can confidently support charities.

MFM, founded by Nigerian cleric Daniel Olukoya, is one of Nigeria’s most influential Pentecostal churches. It has a strong global presence, particularly in the United Kingdom, where many Nigerian diaspora communities worship.

MFM is not the first Nigerian-founded church to face scrutiny in the UK. In recent years, other Nigerian-origin churches, including SPAC Nation in December 2024 and Christ Embassy in November 2019, have been investigated regarding governance and financial accountability concerns.

The incident raises broader questions about how rapidly expanding churches adapt their internal systems when moving into regulated environments like the UK, where religious organisations registered as charities must meet strict financial reporting standards.

The case has, therefore, sparked wider conversations about financial transparency and governance among fast-growing African churches operating overseas.

How the investigation began

On 27 March 2018, the Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into MFM under Section 46 of the UK’s Charities Act 2011. Concerns have been raised regarding the possible misappropriation of charity funds and weak internal financial controls.

The Commission discovered that the church had expanded rapidly in the UK, growing from a few branches to more than 90 locations nationwide, without developing a solid financial governance structure to match its growth.

According to the final report, the Commission found that trustees did not properly oversee more than 100 separate bank accounts operated by different church branches. These accounts were opened and managed autonomously, often without informing central leadership or providing timely income reports.

Commission’s report

The commission reported that the church’s branches operated independently without central approval and that Major financial decisions, such as property purchases and lease agreements, were made without trustee authorisation.

Additionally, some branches used properties without securing planning permissions, leading to costly legal actions. It highlighted that Poor employment contract management resulted in financial settlements for employment disputes, and the lack of a unified monetary system created serious risks to charitable funds.

As a result, the regulator concluded that donor money was at risk due to weak financial oversight and poor governance.

Interim Manager Appointed to Restore Control

On 1 August 2019, following serious concerns about the trustees’ ability to manage the charity effectively, the Commission appointed an interim manager under Section 76(3)(g) of the Charities Act. The interim manager worked alongside the trustees to implement critical financial controls.

This oversight continued until 13 September 2024, when the interim manager was discharged after making progress.

Following the conclusion of the investigation, the Charity Commission announced that it had frozen the charity’s assets to prevent further financial risk while strengthening accountability structures.

Amy Spiller, Head of Investigations at the Charity Commission, said:

“The rapid growth of a charity comes with correspondingly larger potential risks, as our inquiry clearly shows. In this case, the trustees’ fundamental failure to maintain financial controls meant donor funds were at serious risk across their entire network.”

She added that the trustees are better positioned to ensure financial responsibility and compliance following regulatory intervention.

Regulatory Action

Upon completing its review, the Commission issued a regulatory action plan that required MFM to strengthen its governance policies and improve financial transparency. The Commission has confirmed that trustees have complied with the action plan, and the charity is now expected to operate under stricter financial controls going forward.

When this report was filed, neither MFM International nor its founder, Daniel Olukoya, had issued a public statement in response to the Charity Commission’s findings.

Collins Edomaruse, the media aide to Mr Olukoya, did not respond to calls or text messages.

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MDAs under fire as FG probes TSA violations

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The Federal Government, through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, has ordered all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to submit their statements of accounts in commercial banks.

The government said the move was part of its plans to maintain financial discipline.

This was disclosed in a memo signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, which was obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday.

Ogunjimi in the memo expressed grievance over the continuous usage of commercial banks by MDAs despite an earlier directive ordering MDAs to close such accounts and focus on the use of the Treasury Single Account domiciled in the Central Bank.

Recall that the government in February mandated MDAs to stop the use of commercial banks, as it opposes the framework of the TSA.

While reiterating the Federal Government’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account policy, the Accountant-General of the Federation urged the Federal Pay Officers to monitor and ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the States do not operate any account with the commercial banks or circumvent any provision of the TSA policy,” the statement by the OSGF said in February.

Reacting to the new memo, Ogunniyi said, “It has been observed with dismay that funds belonging to the Federal Government are still domiciled in several accounts held with commercial banks, contrary to Federal Government Circulars and the operational framework of the Treasury Single Account, which mandates the consolidation of all Federal Government revenues and receipts into the TSA domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“In view of the above and following the Honourable Minister of Finance directive, all Directors/Heads of Finance and Accounts in Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies and Federal Government-owned Enterprises are immediately required to submit Statements of all Bank Accounts (active, dormant and closed) maintained in all commercial banks over the last six (6) months, clearly indicating account names, account numbers, bank branches and current balances.”

“This directive takes immediate effect and must be treated with the utmost urgency, as it is part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen fiscal discipline and uphold the integrity of the Treasury Single Account Framework.”

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