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Enugu State Govt, Pragmatic Palms Ltd, seal N100bn deal to revive United Palm Products Ltd

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In continuation of the bid by Governor Peter Mbah Administration to revive and convert Enugu State’s dormant assets to productive assets, the government has signed a N100bn deal with Pragmatic Palms Limited, a subsidiary of Diamond Stripes Limited, to resuscitate the moribund Enugu State United Palm Products Limited, UPPL.

The partnership will see Pragmatic Palms transform UPPL, one of the agricultural and agro-industrialisation initiatives of the late premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Dr. M. I. Okpara, which had laid fallow for many years.

Speaking during the signing of agreement at Government House Enugu, Governor Peter Mbah said the move was in line with his administration’s determination to grow the state’s economy exponentially from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, assuring the investors that his government would play its own part.

“This is a moment we must all be very proud of because it represents a major leap in our quest towards the revival of our dormant assets in line with our vision and the promises we made to our people.

“This investment outlay of over N100bn is very significant because we also see agriculture beyond food security. We see agriculture as business.

“I want to assure you that the government you are dealing with is business-facing, and given my background as an entrepreneur, we understand what it means to have the ease of doing business. So, we are going to ensure that this is going to be an experience that you will use as a reference point. We will be very responsive, and we are going to make sure that this partnership works for the benefit of the company and also that of Enugu State. So, what we are doing here today will mark the beginning of great things ahead,” Mbah stated.

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Fielding questions from newsmen, the Enugu State Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, Adaora Chukwu, described the deal as a milestone, listing its many socio-economic benefits to the state.

“Today, we witnessed a remarkable milestone. Recall that before His Excellency came on board, one of the first promises he had made to the people of Enugu State was to revive our non-operational assets and United Palm Products Ltd is one significant asset that has been dormant for years. And what we did today was the partial handover and the contract signing of UPPL to a company called Pragmatic Palm Ltd, which is a subsidiary of Diamond Stripes Ltd.

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“The economic significance of what we did today is huge: The number of jobs it will create, the multiplier effects in terms of increasing production in the oil palm industry. You know that oil palm is an export commodity. We are not talking about the forex earnings into the state and also the building of capacity in-house, technology transfer, as well as skills and knowledge transfer to the people of Enugu State,” she said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director/CEO of Pragmatic Palms, George Nwangwu, said that palm products were in high demand, noting that United Palm Products Limited was capable of kick-starting the economic transformation of Enugu State.

“We have to realise that agriculture is a business. We are going to bring in a lot of equipment, and we are going to process the palm. Not just the palm, the palm kernel is an export commodity. If you go back and look at the biggest import over the years, palm is actually number five on the list. So, it is a significant product, and we tend to make sure we optimise its potentials here.

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“The idea is to kick-start the economic transformation of the state. For instance, if we produce enough, people will come and set up their soap factories and then employ more people. It has a multiplier effect.

“Also, just to give you an example, to get the one at Oji River running, you are talking about close to 500 people because we need people to weed, to operate the plants and process it. So, you are also creating direct employment. If you put all these together, you can see that it runs into thousands of jobs,” he explained.

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Court denies Nnamdi Kanu bail again, orders him to enter his trial

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Doctor visits, examines Nnamdi Kanu in DSS custody – Ejimakor
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday dismissed the application filed by leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, seeking an order setting aside the 2017 order revoking his bail for alleged abscondment from trial.


Justice Binta Nyako, in a ruling, also rejected Kanu’s request to be transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre in the event that his application for an order vacating the revocation order of his bail was overruled.

Justice Nyako, who said that the court had severally decided on the issue of the IPOB leader’s bail plea, said the only option left for him was to appeal the ruling.

The judge held that any further application on this ground would be regarded as an abuse of court process.

“I have found and held that the present place of applicant’s detention is is a proper place.

“Any further application will be regarded as an abuse of court proces,” she said.

Justice Nyako then ordered Kanu to enter his trial.

The court adjourned the matter until June 19 and June 20 for trial commencement.

The Need Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the judge had, on April 17, fixed today for ruling on the defendant’s application to either vacate the bail revocation, be put in a house arrest or transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre.

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Governor Mbah tours Enugu Ceramics Industry, assures of sustained ease of doing business

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Governor of Enugu of State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Monday toured the Sapphire Ceramics Company at Obinofia Ndiuno, Ezeagu LGA, Enugu State, where he pledged to sustain the improved ease of doing business in the state under his leadership.

Mbah said the successes recorded by the company were testimonies to the state’s improved business environment and a further assurance that his administration’s vision to grow the state’s economy from $4.4 to $30 was realisable, calling on both local and foreign investors to take advantage of this and the abundance of mineral resources in the state.

“Frankly, this is exactly what we had in mind when we made the announcement that we were going to grow our economy exponentially. What we have planned is to see how we will have a government-enabled platform, but private sector-driven growth; and that is essentially what we have come here today to witness.

“So, having such a humongous industry, a factory that is producing 75,000 square meters of tiles everyday and also has over 800 employees is good for our economy. And essentially, stories like this assure us of the fact that our projection of growing this economy to $30 billion is realisable.

“We are very happy that we are able to provide this platform for Sapphire Ceramics to grow. Our job is to ensure that we continue to put policies in place to expand their operations to a scale where they will employ more people and reduce our burden as a state government.

“We know that private sector investment won’t happen by a chance occurrence, but through painstaking and well-crafted policies to attract investors. So, we are mindful of all the key indicators of the ease of doing business – infrastructure, security, efficient legal and regulatory framework, among others.

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“Again, I want to let investors know that the slogan ‘Enugu is open for business’ or ‘Enugu is ready for business’ is not just mere posturing. We mean it. We are determined. We are not just going to provide the environment to do business, we are also going to help you de-risk your investment so that, indeed, Enugu will be that premier destination for investment,” the governor stated.

Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the Sapphire Ceramics, Mr. Wang Chengfang, commended the Governor Mbah Administration for rolling out policies, programmes, and development projects that support business growth and guarantee return on investment.

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He said, “We are honoured to choose to invest and set up a factory in Enugu State. In today’s complex global economic environment, we have been working with the state government to contribute to the state’s economic development.

“Despite the current situation of unstable Naira exchange rate and increasing competitive pressure, we have always adhered to our original intention and worked hard to improve the quality of our products so that the company can gain greater development advantages in a difficult environment.

“At present, our company has increased from the initial 300 local workers to nearly 800 workers. In the future, we will try our best to develop and broaden investment directions to create more jobs for Enugu State.”

Mr. Chengfang urged potential investors to look in the direction of Enugu State for their investments.

“As we all know, Enugu State is rich in mineral resources. Our company has chosen to invest and base itself in Enugu State. It also has a huge demand for mineral resources in terms of production.

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“We have always hoped to fully cooperate with the state government to strive to develop and make good use of the state’s rich mineral resources, and contribute to the state’s economic development.

“At the same time, the development of our enterprise cannot be separated from the full support of the state government. The state government has provided a very good business environment for our development.”

He said Sapphire Ceramics would be joining the Mbah Administration in its investment promotion effort and called on “more Chinese companies to invest in Enugu State and contribute to the ‘New Enugu City’ development plan.”

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Alleged N6bn laundering: Fidelity bank staff testifies against Mompha

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A Fidelity Bank compliance officer, Mr Ezekoli Ozoemenam, on Monday testified against a social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha (alias Mompha) charged with six billion Naira money laundering.

Ozoemenam, the fourth prosecution witness, was led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Suleiman Suleiman.

The witness testified about the package of an account of the bank allegedly linked to Mompha.

The witness said that EFCC requested the account’s opening package and he responded to it.

“This is the Fidelity Bank opening package of the account that I sent to EFCC.

“It was printed from a perfectly working computer,” he said.

The prosecution, thereafter, tendered the document and prayed the court to admit it in evidence.

Defence counsel, Mr Kolawole Salami, told the court that he reserved his objection to the tendering of the document in evidence.

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During cross-examination of the witness, Salami asked the witness whether he knew the branch of the bank in which the account was opened.

Salami also asked the witness if he was working at the bank’s headquarters at the time the account was opened in 2016.

The witness replied in the negative, adding that he was not at the headquarters.

“As at the time the account was opened, I was not at the headquarters.

“I was part of the internal control, and I moved from branch to branch, but I cannot remember which branch I was at, when the account was opened.

“Anomalies in bank accounts are reported to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and not EFCC but I do not know if the account was ever reported to NFIU.

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“I cannot speak to the nature of the transactions conducted through the account as I am not the relationship manager,” the witness said.

Counsel to EFCC, thereafter, appealed to the court for a witness summons to compel appearance of EFCC’s next witness.

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The counsel said that he needed the witness summons because the witness complained of feeling unsafe and receiving threats to his life.

Justice Mojisola Dada, however, said that it was the duty of prosecution to ensure appearance of its witnesses in court.

Dada said: “There is no special cause placed before the court to warrant a witness summons.

“I do not know what position he is occupying that will make him feel threatened.

“If EFCC cannot secure his protection, how does a witness summons guarantee his protection?” the judge asked.

Mompha is currently at large. His trial in absentia started on June 3, 2023 when a compliance officer with Access Bank testified against him.

The court, on Sept. 21 2022, ordered commencement of Mompha’s trial in absentia after he failed to appear before it severally.

EFCC had, on Jan. 22, 2022, arraigned Mustapha alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd., on eight counts bordering on six billion Naira laundering.

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The court, on June 22, 2022, issued a bench warrant for his arrest following his absence in court.

The court also revoked bail it granted the defendant.

The social media celebrity was equally absent in court on June 26, 2022.

On July 10, EFCC accused him of flouting the court’s order by travelling to Dubai with a new international passport.

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The charges against Mompha include conspiracy to launder money obtained through unlawful activities and laundering of money obtained through unlawful activities.

The others are retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, use of property derived from an unlawful act, possession of a document containing false pretences, and failure to disclose assets.

The judge adjourned the case until July 1 for continuation of trial.

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