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Reps Grill NIS Over Stamp Duty, Financial Errors

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The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, grilled the Nigerian Immigration Service, urging the Service to recover the N15 million stamp duty paid to Julius Berger and remit it to the Federal Inland Revenue Service within seven days.

The committee also instructed the service to provide evidence of the remittance.

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The committee, chaired by the member representing Ede South/Ede North/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency, Osun State, Bamidele Salam, took action following the failure of NIS to appear before the committee to answer queries arising from audit queries contained in 2020, 2021 reports, utilisation of Service-wide vote and operating surplus.

At the hearing on Tuesday, Salam stated that the Fiscal Responsibility Commission informed the Committee that NIS failed to submit its audited accounts from 2014 to 2023.

READ ALSO: [BREAKING] FULL LIST: Reps Committee Proposes 31 New States

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Consequently, the commission was unable to determine the service’s liability regarding the remittance of operating surplus.

The lawmaker, “NIS’s failure to submit its accounts for this period violated both financial regulations and the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“The Committee also observed that NIS awarded a contract valued at N2.01bn to Julius Berger Nigeria Limited for the furnishing of the NIS Technology Building, located at its headquarters in Abuja.

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“This contract was awarded above the service’s approved threshold without obtaining the necessary approvals from the Federal Executive Council and the Parastatal Tender Board.

READ ALSO: Uproar As Reps Uncover Federal Poly With Only 142 Students, 154 Staff, School Spends N600m On Personnel

“The document received by the Committee revealed that the NIS received a total of N6.1bn from the federal government, consisting of N2bn for capital expenditure and N4.1bn for recurrent expenditure between 2021-2023.”

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The committee’s investigation also revealed that a payment of N1.7bn was made to Julius Berger Nigeria Limited for the furnishing of the technology building, but the required stamp duty was not deducted from the payment.

The Controller General of Immigration, Mr Kemi Nandap, was represented by Deputy Controller General, Mrs Ada James at the hearing.

Clarifying some of the issues, Mrs James stated that the N4.1bn was transferred into the service’s account on December 30, 2022, and was subsequently mopped on December 31, 2022, adding that the sum of N2bn was used to settle outstanding debts with domestic contractors.

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She also admitted that NIS had failed to deduct the stamp duty on the N1.7bn payment made to Julius Berger.

The Public Accounts Committee also gave the NIS seven days to submit proof of the rendition of its audited accounts from 2014 to 2023.

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It also directed the Service to provide proof of the Federal Executive Council’s approval for the over N2bn contract awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria Limited.

Salam further reminded the Service that it is required in law to submit a response to the eight queries raised by the Auditor General for the Federation in 2020 and 2021 concerning financial infractions totalling N19.2bn.

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JAMB Releases Results Of Mop-up Examination

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of the mop-up Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) held on Saturday, June 28, 2025.
According to a statement issued on Sunday evening by JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, results have been released for 11,161 candidates who sat for the exam out of the 96,838 candidates scheduled for the mop-up exercise.

The board, however, noted that some candidates who are unable to access their results failed to comply with the prescribed instructions.

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READ ALSO:2025 UTME Mop-Up: 85,790 Candidates Haven’t Printed Exam Slips – JAMB

Candidates who are not able to access their results have been found not to have fully complied with the instruction to send ‘UTMERESULT’ (as one word text) to 55019 or 66019 using the same phone number (SIM) used during registration for the UTME,” the statement read.

JAMB urged all affected candidates to follow the correct procedure in order to access their results.

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FG Lists Two Presidential Jet For Sale In Switzerland

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The Federal Government has place on sale about two-decade-old Boeing 737‑700 Business Jet (BBJ) with the listing hosted by AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Switzerland.

The Presidency source said with over 19 years in service, the BBJ has become increasingly expensive to maintain and subject to safety scrutiny, particularly after a mechanical incident during an official trip to Saudi Arabia in April 2024.

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This disclosure for the sale of the Boeing 737‑700 Business Jet (BBJ) was made via a US-based aircraft listing site, The Controller: https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/244434099/2005-boeing-bbj-jet-aircraft

The aircraft, used during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and acquired for $43m in 2005, is being sold months after President Bola Tinubu transitioned to a refurbished Airbus A330-200 last August amid economic concerns and public scrutiny.

The plane had undergone inspections and maintenance in preparation for sale, according to aviation marketplace Controller.com.

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Nigeria’s presidential air fleet, overseen by the Nigerian Air Force and the Office of the National Security Adviser, has about 10 aircraft.

These include fixed wings such as a 13-year-old Gulfstream Aerospace G550, Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000, and a Challenger 605.

Three of the seven fixed wings are reportedly unserviceable.

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The rotor-wing fleet includes two Agusta 139s and two Agusta 101s, all operated by the Nigerian Air Force but supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Both the Muhammadu Buhari and Tinubu administrations had earlier pledged to streamline the PAF for cost-efficiency.

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Until August 2024, the BBJ-737 with tail number 5N-FGT, ferried the President until the administration acquired the refurbished Airbus A330-200, registered 5N‑FGA.

The aircraft, acquired for roughly $100 million (approx. ₦150bn) from a repossessed German bank asset, arrived in France for initial maintenance and reconfiguration in mid-2024.

However, since February 2025, the President has been using a San Marino-registered BBJ (REG: T7-NAS).

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Sources in early May 2025 confirmed that the new A330-200 had been flown to South Africa to change its livery to reflect the Nigerian colours and the office of the President.

The last I heard is that they took it abroad, I think to South Africa, to change the body design. You know it doesn’t have the green white green,” one source had said, asking to remain anonymous.

READ ALSO:2027: Peter Obi Speaks On Running For President, Deal With Atiku

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It’s not only the body paint. I learned they are doing some refurbishment on it,” a second official stated.

The Swiss private aviation firm which facilitated the acquisition of the Airbus A330, it was gathered is also preparing the BBJ-737 for sale.

With over 19 years in service, the Presidency said the BBJ became increasingly expensive to maintain and subject to safety scrutiny, particularly after a mechanical incident during an official trip to Saudi Arabia in April 2024.

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Despite a partial refurbishment in July 2024, including upgrades to its first-class seating, new carpeting, and completion of C1-C2 inspections, the presidency is retiring the jet and listing it for sale.

Also, the aircraft is not enrolled in any engine maintenance programme, while both of its CFM56-7BE engines remain “on condition” that is, they are not subject to guaranteed performance coverage.

According to the listing, interested buyers may contact AMAC Aerospace for the asking price privately.

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Configured to carry 33 passengers and 8 crew, the listing said the aircraft offers a 5-zone seating layout.

Zone 1 is dedicated to crew rest, including two crew rest seats and two cabin attendant seats. Zone 2 features a VIP stateroom equipped with a bed, a two-place divan, and a private lavatory. Zone 3 includes a VIP lounge configured as a four-seat conference room.

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In Zone 4, passengers will find nine forward-facing first-class seats. Finally, Zone 5 offers eighteen forward-facing business-class seats.

The aircraft underwent a partial interior refurbishment in July 2024, including new carpeting through 90 per cent of the cabin and a full refurbishment of the first-class seating area.

Full-service galleys are located both forward and aft, featuring a steam oven, microwave, chilled compartments, storage areas, and warming drawers.

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Other features include four enclosed lavatories—one for crew use, one within the VIP stateroom, one serving the first-class cabin, and another in the business-class section.

Connectivity is provided via Ka-Band Wi-Fi powered by the Honeywell MCS-7000 system.

Entertainment options include a 32-inch monitor in the master bedroom, another in the VIP lounge, one more in the first-class cabin, and two 21-inch monitors in the business-class cabin.

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The BBJ is equipped with cutting-edge avionics systems. It includes three VHF communication radios by Gables Engineering, two VHF navigation radios by Rockwell Collins, and two HF transceivers. Safety and situational awareness are enhanced by an L3 Comms DFDR, a CVR, and Honeywell’s EGPWS.

The aircraft is fitted with two ATC transponders, a pair of DME units, and Rockwell Collins radio altimeters.

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Additional avionics include three Thales ADC/ADM units, two Honeywell ADIRUs, and Rockwell Collins weather radar and TCAS systems.

Emergency equipment includes an Artex ELT with interface unit. The flight control and guidance systems comprise two Rockwell Collins FCCs, a Flight Dynamics HGS computer, and two Smith Industries FMS units.

Navigation aids include two ADFs and two Rockwell Collins MMR(GLU) units. Cabin pressurisation is managed by two Nord-Micro CPCs.

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The aircraft also carries integrated flight and engine monitoring systems, with components by BAE Systems, Hamilton Sundstrand, Oeco, Honeywell, Teledyne Controls, Vibro-Meter, and Avtech.

Controller.com says the aircraft is fully compliant with ADS-B, CPDLC, FANS-1/A, and RVSM requirements.

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The Boeing BBJ is powered by two CFM56-7BE engines, each with 3,821 hours since new and 1,881 cycles.

The engines are on-condition and not enrolled in a maintenance programme.

The auxiliary power unit, a Honeywell 131-9B, has logged 5,982 hours and 3,622 cycles.

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It says the aircraft is capable of intercontinental range, thanks to eight auxiliary fuel tanks that boost total capacity to 70,000 pounds.

This includes standard tanks of 45,000 pounds, plus auxiliary tanks split between the left wing (8,500 lbs), right wing (8,500 lbs), center (28,000 lbs), forward aux (10,000 lbs), and aft aux (15,000 lbs).

Currently, the BBJ is undergoing B1-B2 inspections at AMAC Aerospace in Basel.

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The C1-C2 inspections were completed in July 2024. Maintenance is tracked using the Veyron system.

On the outside, the aircraft retains its original 2005 exterior paint scheme, featuring a white base accented with green highlights to portray the Nigerian colours.
(VANGUARD)

 

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NDPC Fines MultiChoice ₦766m For Data Privacy Violations

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The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has fined MultiChoice Nigeria ₦766,242,500 for breaching the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

NDPC is a public institution that processes data in furtherance of its mandate as Nigeria’s data protection authority and relies on recognised lawful bases for data processing, such as consent, legal obligation, and contract.

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The commission’s Head of Legal, Enforcement and Regulations, Mr Babatunde Bamigboye, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

According to Bamigboye, the fine followed an investigation launched in the second quarter of 2024 into suspected violations of subscribers’ privacy rights and the unlawful cross-border transfer of Nigerians’ data.

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NDPC found, among other things, that MultiChoice violated the data privacy rights of its subscribers and individuals associated with them who are not necessarily subscribers.

“The commission also discovered that MultiChoice engaged in the illegal cross-border transfer of personal data belonging to Nigerian data subjects.

“The depth of data processing by Multichoice is patently intrusive, unfair, unnecessary and disproportionate.

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“This is a grave affront to fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Bamigboye said.

READ ALSO:Court Declines MultiChoice’s Plea To Stop NBC From Auditing Company’s Account

According to him, Nigeria is entitled to protect its citizens and data sovereignty under both international and existing municipal laws, as these have far-reaching implications for the rule of law, national security, and economic growth.

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Bamigboye added that, in the course of the investigation, in line with the NDPA standard remediation procedure, the commission directed Multichoice to undertake appropriate remedial measures.

However, the commission found the measures undertaken by Multichoice in this regard unsatisfactory.

“For want of cooperation, the commission has directed multichoice to pay N766,242,500 for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act.l,” he added.

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The NDPC’s National Commissioner, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, was also quoted as directing that all channels through which Multichoice collects the personal data of Nigerian citizens be investigated for non-compliance.

According to him, any outlet that processes personal data in violation of the NDPA is liable to a penalty under the Act.

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NDPC is a public institution that processes data in furtherance of its mandate as Nigeria’s Data Protection Authority and relies on recognised lawful bases for data processing, such as consent, legal obligation, and contract.
(VANGUARD)

 

 

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