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How I paid $30,000 into Onnoghen’s domiciliary account, Agi opens up
AS controversies continue to trail the inability of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, in declaring his complete bank account in his assets declaration form he submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau upon his appointment as CJN, a lawyer and former Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Cross River State, Joe Agi, SAN has said he particularly deposited the sum of $30,000 for Onnoghen.
Onnoghen Justice Onnoghen This was even as he alleged that the Attorney General of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami, and those he described as a cabal were after him because he (Agi) did not only expose them but also secured the refund of the fraudulent deduction of $3,18 billion from local governments account by the Federal Government in the Paris Club fund.
His explanation came amidst his recent arraignment by the federal government for allegedly bribing the suspended CJN with the amount for a favourable judgment. The legal luminary, explained the role he played in the suspended CJN’s domiciliary account in a statement he sent to Vanguard, Wednesday, following accusation of bribing Onnoghen with the money for a favourable judgement. Agi said he deposited the money in the suspended CJN’s domiciliary account having collected the money for such purpose from Onnoghen, whom he said, was not aware such account existed nor knew how to open and operate it.
He said in the statement: “In the year 2009, I brought to his knowledge that he can open a domiciliary account instead of travelling with cash from Nigeria to abroad on seminars, holidays, conferences or medical trips. “My Lord Justice Onnoghen said he had no idea since the opening of foreign account was forbidden for Public Officers.
I informed him that domiciliary account is not a foreign bank account as it is opened and operated within the local banks in Nigeria. “It was on this note that I went to my banker and obtained Account Opening Forms for him as a friend and senior brother. “He completed the forms and I refereed him. He gave me $30,000, being left over of his allowances for overseas seminars, holidays, conferences or medical trips to deposit for him as the first deposit.
“This, I did in 2009, that is 10 years ago. After that, he operated the account himself without me paying even a cent into that account till date.” “Now, 10 years after, I am again being vilified and accused of giving Justice Onnoghen bribe.
“If I may ask, a bribe for what case? In the Supreme Court panel, they sit in five or seven persons, was the $30,000 for the five or seven justices? And for what case? This is another huge joke aimed at vilifying my person by the same cabal who are hell bent on tarnishing my image as an aftermath of the exposure of the Paris Club fraud.
” The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, challenged the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami, who instituted the case against him to come up with evidence to support his claim that the $30 ,000 traced to the account of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Onnoghen, was a bribe to compromise the trial on the exposed $ 3.18 billion paris club fruad.
He explained that though he convinced the suspended CJN to open the said domiciliary account with the Standard Chartered Bank 10 years ago with an initial deposit of $30,000, the deposit was never a bribe to the CJN or the trial judge in the Paris Club’s fraud case, Justice Adeniyi Ademola.
According to him, rather than the government to pay him his legal fee of over N 70 million for exposing and winning the case in court, Mallami and the same cabal had framed him up with trump up charges including bribing the suspended CJN. Mr Agi said it was a huge joke to have said he bribed the respected Justice of supreme Court justice Ademola with N30 million and a jeep to secure the ruling on the Paris Club refund . “Is it a crime for judges to have friends or acquaintances?
I challenge the Attorney General Malami, SAN and the EFCC to come forward with their proof that the $30,000 Onnoghen sent me to deposit for him 10 years ago was as a result of bribery.
“I challenge them to come out openly on the real reason why they are out to tarnish my image. They should be bold enough to open up rather than hiding under the guise of fight against corruption as a smokescreen to launch a smear campaign against my person.
“The government should be sincere and serious about fighting corruption and not be engaged in the deliberate destruction of the names of its citizens whom they perceive as enemies.
“Which Nigerian alive today can say he has not benefited from the Paris Club Refund? Yet, Joe Agi, SAN who is the face of Paris Club refund is being hounded and haunted instead of being celebrated. God save us! “Let it be known that very prominent people in the present government have corruptly and fraudulently taken the legal fees due to me from the Paris Club Refund and the EFCC has seen nothing wrong with it,” he further said.
As Nigerians celebrate Christmas amidst festivities and reflections, the Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency of Oyo state, Engr. Aderemi Oseni has sent a heartfelt message to Nigerians, emphasising the importance of unity, compassion, and selflessness in nation-building.
In his Christmas message on Wednesday, contained in a statement by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker described the season as a time to reflect on the love and sacrifice demonstrated by the birth of Jesus Christ.
He urged citizens to embrace the spirit of giving, kindness, and shared humanity that Christmas symbolises.
“Christmas is a season of hope, joy, and renewal,” Oseni said. “It reminds us of our shared duty to show love to one another, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political affiliations. Let us work together to foster unity and peace in our country, especially as we navigate through challenging times.”
The lawmaker also highlighted the significance of collective responsibility in nation-building.
“As we celebrate, we must remember the less privileged in our communities. Acts of charity and kindness, no matter how small, can make a significant impact on someone’s life,” he added.
The APC chieftain expressed gratitude to his constituents in Ibarapa East/Ido for their unwavering support, assuring them of his commitment to delivering more impactful governance.
He also called for patience and cooperation as the government works towards addressing issues affecting the nation, including infrastructure development, economic stability, and security.
“Let this Christmas inspire us to continue building bridges of hope and fostering the true Nigerian spirit of togetherness,” he stated.
As the year draws to a close, Oseni encouraged Nigerians to remain optimistic about the nation’s future, assuring them that better days lie ahead with collective effort and unwavering faith.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated enforcement action against five airlines—two international and three domestic operators—for various violations of its regulations under Part 19.
The offenses include non-payment of passenger refunds within the stipulated timeframe, non-responsiveness to NCAA directives, mishandling of luggage, short-landed baggage, delayed and canceled flights, among other infractions.
Addressing journalists at the NCAA’s corporate headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Michael Achimugu, the Authority’s spokesman, stated that airlines must adhere to regulations regarding flight disruptions. He emphasized that failure to comply attracts sanctions.
“Although airlines are not always responsible for flight disruptions, NCAA regulations stipulate actions that airlines must take during such incidents. Failure to comply attracts various levels of sanctions,” Achimugu said.
He reminded airlines of the NCAA’s recent directive mandating refunds to passengers within 14 days for online ticket purchases and immediate cash refunds for tickets bought with cash.
The yuletide season has seen a rise in passenger complaints about delays and cancellations, largely attributed to harmattan-induced poor visibility. Achimugu clarified that airlines are not liable for cancellations due to force majeure but stressed that the enforcement actions are for cases where airlines are found at fault.
“This is harmattan season, so there is poor visibility. Flights must get canceled. This is force majeure, and the airlines do not owe passengers anything in those instances. The enforcement we are initiating today is on cases where the airline is deemed to have been at fault. More will come,” he explained.
Achimugu further disclosed that the NCAA would summon the chief executives of all airlines this week to address flight disruptions and regulatory breaches.
While the names of the sanctioned airlines were not officially revealed, sources close to the Authority identified them as Ethiopian Airways, Royal Maroc Airways, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, and Air Peace.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, has announced the Federal Government’s plan to reach 15 million households, representing 75 million people, through its conditional cash transfer scheme.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Yilwatda explained that the initiative is part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to mitigating the economic hardships faced by vulnerable Nigerians.
“The president was so specific,” Yilwatda noted.
“There are policies that he brought in to see if that can ease those challenges for people at the lower end of the pyramid. One of those policies is to reach out to 15 million beneficiaries under the conditional cash transfer, targeting households rather than individuals. Each household will receive ₦25,000 monthly, paid three times a year.”
Yilwatda further clarified that the 15 million households being targeted translate to 75 million Nigerians, assuming an average of five persons per household.
So far, the Federal Government has reached five million individuals but is facing challenges in fully sanitizing the social register, particularly with the implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) policy mandating digital identities for transparency and traceability of payments.
“Currently, only 1.4 million people on the social register have digital identities. Many of those we are targeting are outside the formal banking system,” the minister disclosed.
Yilwatda emphasized that women are specifically targeted as household leaders under the program to ensure the funds are used effectively for the benefit of children and other vulnerable members of society.
The conditional cash transfer programme, which is administered under the National Social Investment Programme, had earlier been suspended by President Tinubu in January due to allegations of corruption. However, the scheme was reinstated in February, with plans to extend the initiative to an additional 12 million households.
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