ASA Reporters

The Federal Government on Monday arraigned four civil servants and a former banker on charges of perpetrating a fraud involving over N140m through the manipulation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System to input details of ghost workers in 2017. The five defendants were arraigned on 11 counts of cybercrime and advance fee fraud before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja. They are Anthony Ogar, Olarenwaju Ladipo, Samuel Enwerem, Joshua Omachonu, and Joy Wright, who all pleaded not guilty to the charges. Ogar was said to be of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Wright, the IPPS Desk Officer in the ministry, the duo of Ladipo and Omachonu, were said to be of the Nigeria Space Research and Development Agency, and Enwerem, an ex-banker, when the alleged fraud was said to have been perpetrated in 2017. The Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, alleged in the charges filed...

People can mourn me the way they like when I die —Obasanjo Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has responded to the criticisms that have trailed his controversial condolence message on the passing of Buruji Kashamu, a former senator and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State. Mr Obasanjo, in the condolence message, said late Mr Kashamu, who was wanted in the U.S for alleged drug offences, was able to escape justice but could not evade death. “Senator Esho Jinadu (Buruji Kashmu) in his lifetime used the manoeuvre of law and politics to escape from facing justice on alleged criminal offence in Nigeria and outside Nigeria,” Mr Obasanjo said. “But no legal, political, cultural, social or even medical manoeuvre could stop the cold hands of death when the Creator of all of us decides that the time is up. “May Allah forgive his sin and accept his soul into Aljanah, and may God grant his family and friends fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,”...

The Three Friends Once the Prophet of God,  Muhammad (S) was sitting amidst his Sahaba (Companions) in the mosque when all of a sudden he said: “Today I shall narrate a story to you all which will reveal three riddles for all of you to solve.” This hushed the crowd and they all listened to what the Holy Prophet had to say.  Muhammad (S) continued by saying that once a man got to know that the days in his life was numbered and very soon he would be confronted with death. With this knowledge he feared his loneliness in the grave and went searching for true friends who would help and accompany him. He knocked on the door of his first friend and asked whether he would help. To this the friend said, “of course, what are we here for.” But then the man went on to say that he had very few days to live after which he required help. As soon as he uttered this statement, the friend said: “I am sorry but when death does us apart, there is nothing we can do for you but buy you...

*Seven Truths of Life* *1st* Don’t let someone become a priority in your life, when you are just an option in their life. Relationships work best when they are balanced… *2nd* Never explain yourself to anyone. Because the person who likes you doesn’t need it and the person who doesn’t like you won’t believe it… *3rd* When you keep saying you are busy, then you are never free. When you keep saying you have no time, then you will never have time. When you keep saying that you will do it tomorrow, then your tomorrow will never come… *4th* When we wake up in the morning, we have two simple choices. Go back to sleep and dream, or wake up and chase those dreams. Choice is yours… *5th* We make them cry who care for us.    We cry for those who never care for us. And we care for those who will never cry for us. This is the truth of life, it’s strange but true. Once you realize this, it’s never too late to change… *6th* Don’t make promises when you ar...

The HARD FACTS!!! 1. Ahmadu Bello was born on June 12, 1909 in Rabbah, present day, Sokoto State. 2. He was the son of a concubine. 3. His father died when he was 6 years old. 4. He was the only surviving son of his father and mother, Mariyamu. 5. He was a great grand-son of Shehu Uthman dan Fodio, the great Fulani jihadist. 6. He got his Islamic and Arabic education as a teenager from Mallam Garba who was the Imam of Rabbah village. 7. He finished at the age of 16 top of his class. 8. He attended the Teacher's Training College, Katsina (later Barewa College) where he was a School Prefect and Class Captain. 9. Thereafter, he graduated as a Teacher in 1931 with a credit equivalent Grade III result. 10. He was appointed by the Sultan of Sokoto to work as a teacher at the Sokoto Middle School, where he was once a student and taught from 1931-1934. 11. He was appointed a rural administrator (District Head) at the age 25 in 1934. 12. He gave birth to a daughter after his dea...

OPERATION DAMISA: ASSASSINATION OF SIR AHMADU BELLO, THE SARDAUNA OF SOKOTO ''Ina Sardauna? Where is the Sardauna?” Nzeogwu shouted, pointing his gun at him but the man kept shaking his head asserting no knowledge of the Sardauna’s location. “If you won’t tell me where your master is, I’ll kill you,” Nzeogwu screamed at him in Hausa. “Okay, okay,” the man replied fearfully and led Nzeogwu to the annex of the building. Three other soldiers followed Nzeogwu while Waribor and the rest returned to the staging area where the guns were manned. As Nzeogwu approached the adjoining rooms the man was leading them to, he heard screams and cries of women and children. “We will not allow you out there,” the Sardauna’s eldest wife, Hafsatu, daughter of Mallam Abbas, the Waziri of Sokoto, spoke defiantly. “But I have to go. They are here for me not for you. You have to be strong. I have to go out there,” the Sardauna pleaded. The other wives, with their children, were rattling the...

A poor man always think the rich man made his wealth out of luck. And the rich man believes the poor is poor because he is lazy. A young lady who got married very early thinks ladies who are finding it hard to get married have bad character. A man who just graduated and gets a job immediately thinks he is smarter than others. While a woman who just got married and start giving birth sees "barren" women as people who lived a wayward life and probably have "occultic" husbands who sacrifices their babies. If only the poor knew the price the rich paid to get to the top and if only the rich knows the battles, challenges that the poor is going through, none will ever form a theory about each other. If the poor can't appreciate the rich man's success let him mind his business if it is easy to be rich he wouldn't have been poor. And if the rich won't help the poor grow at least he should not kill the spirit of a struggling man. If only you know w...