Yuki, wife of the detained Binance Holdings Limited executive, Tigran Gambaryan, has described the 65 days her husband has spent in custody as the longest in their lives.

Gambaryan and another Executive of the company, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were detained on February 26 following an investigation into Binance’s activities in Nigeria.

Yuki, represented by her congressman, Rich McCormick, spoke at the House Foreign Affairs Committee roundtable on Americans detained abroad on Tuesday.

Yuki accused the Nigerian government of luring her husband to the country and detaining Gambaryan without initially charging him with any crime.

Gambaryan’s wife stated that although she couldn’t speak on behalf of the company, she stressed that the charges against her husband were completely unfounded.

She said, ” My husband and the father of our two young children, Tigrin, has been in Nigerian custody for 65 days, the longest two months of our lives. On February 25, he landed in Abuja at the Nigerian government’s request for a financial compliance policy. This is what Tigran does. He helps countries navigate the notoriously prickly world of finance, crime, and compliance.

“He spends his days investigating and pursuing criminal activity on the cryptocurrency platform of Binance, his employer. However, 24 hours after his arrival, he was arrested and detained without charge or explanation.

“It took over two weeks for the Nigerian government to fabricate tax-related charges against Tigran and finance. I cannot speak for his employer, but the charges against Tigran are utterly baseless.

“He was lured into the country under false pretences, only to be arrested due to some allegations against his employer.”

Yuki also lamented that her husband was being kept at the Kuje correctional centre where terrorists were being held.

“Today, my husband sits in the notorious Kuje prison, a place that has held Militants from Islamic State and Boko Haram,” she said.

Gambaryan’s wife accused the Nigerian Government of using her husband as a bargaining chip, a situation she described as devastating.

She said, “Ironically, Tigran spent more than a decade as a special agent for the United States General Revolution Revenue Service, investigating issues of national security, terrorist financing, identity theft, distribution of tile pornography, tax evasion and more.

“To see my husband, who is by nature a person of goodwill and strong moral character, be used as a bargaining chip by the Nigerian government is devastating.”

She therefore called on the United States of America government to stop being passive in the matter involving its citizens.

Yuki said, “The United States cannot afford to remain passive while its citizens suffer tremendously in the name of geopolitical gamesmanship.”

Anjarwalla on March 23 escaped from safe custody and fled the country.

Gambaryan alongside Binance were subsequently arraigned by the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on tax evasion and money laundering charges respectively.

The House of Representatives has called on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to suspend forthwith the implementation of the new electricity tariff nationwide.

Recall that NERC recently mandated electricity distribution companies to charge Band A consumers increased tariffs in a move aimed at ensuring a stable power supply for those who can pay for it.

However, many Nigerians accused NERC of migrating most consumers to Band A even as they complained of epileptic supply.

Coming under the motion of urgent public importance at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, a member representing Ivo/Ohaozara/Onicha Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, Kama Nkemkanma, reminded his colleagues of the need to address key issues surrounding “The sudden hike in electricity prices in Nigeria.”

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He noted that the motion “Highlights concerns over due process, fairness, and the impact on consumers. The motion aims to restore public trust, protect consumer rights, and ensure regulatory accountability in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.”

He said, “What’s more concerning are the reports indicating discrepancies in customer categorisation and widespread complaints regarding inadequate service despite increased charges. This situation has not just sparked national anxiety, but it also threatens regulatory certainty and investor confidence in the sector, demanding immediate attention.

“This motion argues for legislative intervention, underlining our constitutional and moral obligations to address the crisis and alleviate the burden on Nigerian citizens. It places a strong emphasis on the legislative oversight role over NERC and the electricity utilities.”

According to the Labour Party chieftain, “Key issues highlighted include the failure of due process in approving the tariff increase, concerns over discriminatory practices, and the disputed nature of government subsidies to electricity distribution companies.

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“The motion proposes resolutions to suspend the recent tariff increases, establish a special committee for hearings involving relevant stakeholders, appoint a technical consultant to assess the legality and reasonableness of NERC’s procedures and draft a bill to improve regulatory processes in tariff setting.

“Overall, this motion underscores the importance of legislative action to address the challenges facing the electricity sector and ensure fair treatment of consumers while promoting transparency and accountability in regulatory decision-making.”

Following the adoption of the motion, the House ordered NERC to suspend the operation of the new tariff.

It also resolved to set up a special committee made up of the Committees on Power, Commerce, Delegated Legislation and National Planning to organise a well-structured hearing on the price regulation of NESI with the participation of the Minister of Power, Chairman and Commissioners of NERC, the CEO of all electricity utilities in Nigeria, President of the National Industrial Court, Trade Union Congress and leaders of chambers of Nigerian.

The House also resolved to appoint a well-regarded former regulator as technical consultant to the House “To develop templates for determination of the legality and reasonableness of the procedure adopted by NERC in approving the tariff increase and establishing the performance benchmarks for the Discos.”

It further authorised the consultant to work with the special committee to draft a bill “To provide for administrative procedures that entrench proper consultation and legislative review of the process for tariff setting in the electricity and other public services in Nigeria.”

The Federal Government has approved an increase of between 25% and 35% in salary Increase for Civil Servants on the remaining six Consolidated Salary Structures

The Salary Structure are Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS), Consolidated Para-military Salary Structure (CONPASS), Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure (CONICCS) and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS).

It will be recalled that those in the Tertiary Education and Health Sectors had already received their increases which involved Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS)
for Universities.

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For Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, it involved the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS).

The Health Sector also benefitted through the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure (CONHESS).

A statement signed by the Head of Press, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Emmanuel Njoku said the increases take effect from 1st January 2024.

The Federal Government has also approved increases In pension between 20% and 28% for pensioners on the Defined Benefits Scheme in respect of the above-mentioned six consolidated salary structures with effect from 1st January 2024