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NSITF goes into pact with ICPC to fight official sleaze in Nigeria

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Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), has gone int collaborative arrangement with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), to strengthen its internal capacity to fight corruption and win public trust.

The move is not only geared towards ensuring accountability of subscribers’ funds, but also geared towards detection of corruption within the Fund, and promotion of good governance, upholding accountability and integrity while maintaining commitment to ethical principles.

Oluwaseun Faleye, Managing Director of the company, who led a management delegation Musa Adamu Aliyu, Chairman of the ICPC, said the collaboration, which he described as critical to the effort to eradicate the menace of corruption could actually redefine the fight against menace not only in the NSITF, but the country at large.

The engagement by the two chief executives, who emphasised the need for a symbiotic relationship to tackle official sleaze in the country, was captured by Alexandra Mede, Deputy General Manager, Corporate Affairs, in a statement.

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Stressing that the move underscored a shared vision by merging time-honoured values with bold, forward-thinking reforms, the NSITF boss, was quoted to have said: “NSITF has long prided itself on upholding the highest ethical standards. We are fully dedicated to fostering a culture of transparency and integrity.

“This meeting wasn’t just a routine protocol, it was a decisive step toward a collaborative future with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, an agency that stands as a bulwark against corrupt practices.

“The commitment is clear, by empowering its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU, and launching a comprehensive, Fund-wide campaign on corruption prevention. With about 120 staff earmarked to serve as ACTU liaison officers, the institution is reinforcing its traditional values of accountability and public trust.

“The fewer the scandals, the greater the trust our people have in us. This isn’t merely a regulatory exercise, it’s a strategic move to reclaim the public’s confidence. By embracing established practices of rigorous audit, internal compliance, and capacity building, NSITF and ICPC are set to create a robust, corruption-resistant framework.

“The message is unambiguous, ethical governance isn’t just good practice; it’s the only way to honor the legacy of our institutions and safeguard the future. At a time when public scrutiny is at its peak, this meeting signals a turning point. By aligning traditional accountability with modern anti-corruption strategies, NSITF is not only preserving the trusted values of the past but also charting a sustainable course for the future. In the battle against corruption, collaboration and steadfast integrity remain the ultimate game changers.”

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Welcoming the visitors, Aliyu, while echoing the same sentiments, stressed the need for the Fund to be above board in terms of integrity given that its main business was dealing with funds contributed by workers.

His words: “For any MDA that is dealing with funds, there are a lot of risks and challenges, especially in dealing with employees, and the funds contributed by workers. That is why your job is very sensitive.

“I quite agree with you that your most valuable asset is trust, and confidence. If people have confidence in you, they will be willing to make their contributions, but once they don’t have that confidence, you will be facing a lot of challenges.

“So, as an agency, the ICPC has a preventive mandate, which in my view, is more important because we shouldn’t allow issues to happen that will lead to investigation. This wastes a lot of time and it is causing a lot of problems that will be difficult for us to manage.

“That is why there is the need for the two agencies to come together to see how we can work so that both of us can work effectively to prevent corruption.”

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Nafiu Gombe: Yes, I have sponsors! *I can’t fight ADC big men alone!

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Nafiu Bala Gombe, the man on whose behalf the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is currently in a prostrate state, has admitted to getting outside help in prosecuting his legal matters against the David Mark camp.

Recall that Mark, former Senate President and Rauf Aregbesola were, last week, derecognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and had their names struck out based on the case filed by Gombe on September 2, 2025.

The commission had relied on the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered parties in the case to maintain status quo ante bellum, which it interpreted to mean that it should not deal with either side.

Against the backdrop of the dust the matter had raised across the country, the embattled ADC leadership, had accused the former Deputy Chairman of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to play the spoiler role to enable President Bola Tinubu have no challenge in the 2027 presidential election.

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Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the Mark camp, had last week, stated this much when he wondered how Gombe, who on his own could not afford an ordinary lawyer, going by his financial status, would now be hiring more than three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to represent him, which would probably run into tens of millions of naira.

Reacting on Tuesday, Gombe admitted getting outside help, but added that such assistance was not coming from government quarters or the APC, but from public-spirited individuals and Nigerians averse to the injustice being meted out to him.

Abimuku Monday, spokesman to Gombe, who spoke during an appearance on Morning Briefs, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday, told his host: “Before now, they were saying these people are big weights and we’re light weights. Now, we’re suddenly being seen as human beings. Earlier, we were seen as nobodies – as boys who don’t have capacity to challenge this in court.

“They say Nafiu Bala does not even have money to pursue his case. You see, that’s how they reduce people by their own estimation. They don’t find out who people. They have forgotten that for you to seek legal actions, there are so many ways to go about it.

“It is either you use your own money or your personal relationship with people. Does it mean that somebody in politics cannot have his own friends or cannot have lawyers as his friend or cannot have other members of the society as his friends.

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“These are not members of the APC. They don’t belong to any party. They’re citizens of this country, who mean well for Nigeria. Nobody is scuttling the coalition. The fact remains that if you have a challenge, people will rally around you knowing it’s a good cause you’re fighting. People will rally around you to give you the necessary support that you need. They even called my principal a small boy.”

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Woman returns N1million discovered in purchased items to owner  

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Serah Luca, a Christian woman, has returned N1 million she unknowingly took along with goods purchased from a trader at Terminus market in Jos, Plateau state capital.

Luca, a petty trader, reportedly said she made the purchase on Friday and only discovered the hidden cash after getting home.

She said her decision to return the money was driven by fear of God and her belief that she could not keep what did not belong to her, especially knowing the hardship that comes with losing money in business.

“I am a petty businesswoman. I know what it means to suffer loss. If I put that kind of money into my business, I believe God would punish me,” Daily Trust quoted her as saying.

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The trader, Abubakar Dola, who deals in polythene bags at Terminus market, expressed surprise at the woman’s honesty, noting that he had no idea where the money went after mistakenly placing it inside the bag she bought.

Dola said he had planned to transfer the cash through a point of sales (POS) operator but became worried when he could not see the polythene bag where the money was kept.

“I mistakenly included it in what she bought. I didn’t realise until days later, and I had already given up hope. For her to return it after three days is remarkable. I pray Allah rewards her and gives us more people like her.”

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Strait of Hormuz: Comply now or you’ll be history – Trump warns Iran

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“The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” were the words with which US President Donald Trump, flashed the redlight signal over what could be the fate of Iran in the coming hours, after a month-old war, which saw leaders of the Islamic nation, all but totally obliterated.

The POTUS, who on Saturday, gave Iran 48 hours to to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic approaches, or comply or risk facing “hell,” later threatened that the US would blow up Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran failed to adhere to his warning.

However, in his latest threat on Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran had until Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET (1 am WAT) to make a deal, adding: “We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business – burning, exploding and never to be used again, I mean complete demolition – by 12 o’clock. And it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to. We don’t want that to happen.”

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