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We Have Done No Wrong, GIC Oil and Gas Services Limited Debunks Alleged Fraud

Published

5 years ago

February 24, 2021

Eric

The GIC Oil and Gas Services Limited has denied claims made by some online publications (not The Boss Newspaper) that the company and its CEO, Godwin Ebolo, defrauded a Nigerian bank.

A statement made available to journalists on by the Group General Manager, GIC Oil and Gas Services Limited, Rotimi Olarewaju, stated as follows:

“Our attention has been drawn to some online publications wherein certain facts about our organisation and Managing Director, Gowin Ebolo, were misstated. Owing to this development, it has become consequent upon us to set the record straight for the general public.

“We are calling on all responsible Nigerians to refrain from making untrue assertions about GIC Oil and Gas Services Limited and its Managing Director, Gowin Ebolo, as the facts of this issue is a matter of public record and any and everyone is welcome to it.

“We have resolved that this press release will be our last action on explaining the matter, but we shall not hesitate to prosecute further libellous statements on this issue as it damages the companys reputation and its good standing with its various partners foreign and local.

“In 2013, GIC Oil and Gas Services Limited approached Heritage Bank Plc for a loan totalling US $13.5 million divided into $3.5 million working capital and $10 million bank guarantee to facilitate a waste management contract for Allied Energy Plc.

“We also approached Enterprise Bank in the same year for a thermal desorption plant and waste management equipment in the amount of UD$8 Million for a Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) contract.

“Both facilities were approved and disbursed with GIC Oil and Gas Services Limited contributing ten per cent (10%) in equity for the equipment purchase. The items were bought and paid for pending the commencement of the SPDC job.”

According to Olanrewaju, “It is worthy of note that Enterprise Bank later merged with Heritage Bank and the loans were consolidated.

“With extended delays in the commencement of the project, the bank grew increasingly anxious and thus the issues on the loan availed began.

“As the commencement date of the SPDC project was not yet ascertained at that time due to circumstances beyond our control, the bank took possession of the equipment purchased with the loan facility.”

The statement further noted that “Once the bank realised that these equipment, being project specific, were of no use to both them and GIC Oil and Gas Services Limited without the project, they immediately recalled their loan facility and requested for immediate full payment.

“On the Allied Energy Project, a change in management led to the cancellation of the project completely. Sadly, an occupational risk in our industry.

“Since our finances are always tied to individual projects, the bank was made aware that repaying the loan facility without project commencement would be extremely difficult, but we were willing to agree to a scheduled repayment structure.

“During this period, GIC Oil and Gas Services sought to negotiate a settlement with the bank and while this was ongoing, Godwin Ebolo left the country because of a medical emergency.

“It was at this point we became aware that the loan facility had been reported to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the bank and Ebolo was immediately declared wanted without invitation or notice.

“On finding out that Ebolo was declared wanted by the EFCC, he immediately returned to the country and presented himself to the EFCC wherein the unfortunate mug-shot was taken.”

“Olanrewaju said that Several court proceedings later, the fraud case was dismissed by the Justice A.I. Iyayi-Lamikanra of the Rivers State High Court (attached is a copy of the judgment Suit No.: PHC2631/2016).

“Ebolo was subsequently cleared by the EFCC vide their letter Ref: CR:3000/EFCC/LS/PFS/C/VOL3/033 dated October 6, 2016 and communicated to the various security agencies accordingly.

“Finally, we would like to state that a repayment structure of the outstanding facilities has been mutually agreed by GIC Oil and Gas Services Limited and Heritage Bank Plc. The repayment which has since commenced is being made from contract proceeds from the SPDC job.”

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Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

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Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

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DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.