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How I Collected $600,000 Alleged Bribes For Emefiele: Ex-CBN Director
The man to deliver the second transaction came to our office in Lagos, and I informed the governor, but he said he did not want to see a third party and that I should bring the envelope myself.

A former Director of Information Technology of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, John Ayoh, has explained how he collected $600,000 allegedly for contract gratification for the embattled ex-apex bank governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Ayoh, while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), on Monday, told an Ikeja Special Offences Court that he spent eight years in the apex bank.
He told the court that he received a letter from the agency concerning two transactions he facilitated through Emefiele.
Ayoh, Head of Procurement and Support Services, PSS Department, told the court that the first envelope containing $400,000 was brought to his house in Lekki.
In contrast, he received the second envelope containing $200,000 at the Tinubu Head Office of the CBN.
Ayoh said he was vested with powers to receive applications for the award of contracts to select successful bidders.
According to him, the first leg of the transaction was at his residence in Lekki Phase One, while the second envelope money he received occurred at the Tinubu Head Office of the CBN.
“The man to deliver the second transaction came to our office in Lagos, and I informed the governor, but he said he did not want to see a third party and that I should bring the envelope myself.
“I complied with the instruction and delivered it to his office. Mr John Adeola was the one I sent my address to, and he came to my house. He is the governor’s assistant, and the total money I received on his behalf was $400,000 and $200,000,” he alleged.
The witness informed the court that the vendors who allegedly brought the envelopes with money were in charge of implementing Netapp Storage Architectural and Infrastructural Services.
While under cross-examination by the first defence counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN), he told the court that his schedule of duties did not include running errands for Emefiele, but he directly worked under him.
Ayoh confirmed to the court that Emefiele was not a member of the PSS but a member of the Major Contract Tender Committee (MCTC).
He added that he had never facilitated the commission of any crime.
Ojo asked if the witness wrote in his statement that he was forced to aid or abet the commission of accepting gratification.
“I do not remember the exact word that I used, and I did not write in my statement that I opened the two envelopes on the two occasions to check the total sum of money.
“I wrote a statement, which implied that the money in the envelopes was given to me to influence the contract award. I did not take part in the decision of the MCTC, but I recommended that the prize be given, and I was not bribed.
“The EFCC invited me on February 17. I was not arrested, but I returned home on administrative bail”, the witness said.
The witness told the court that he operated under duress while he received the two envelopes from the contractors.
“On your honour, did you indicate in your statement that you were acting under duress while running errands for the first defendant,” the learned silk asked.
The prosecution, however, objected to the question and argued that the witness’s statement was not before the court.
The first defence counsel sought to admit the defendant’s statement into evidence.
After that, Justice Rahman Oshodi admitted the witness’s statement (three pages) into evidence, following the arguments and counterarguments of the counsel.
The witness told the court that the instructions from Emefiele indicated that he bent the rules.
The judge, after that, adjourned the case until May 3 for continuation of cross-examination.
Emefiele’s counsel also pleaded with the court to release the defendant to him on self-recognition because he had not met with his bail application.
The learned silk, however, prayed to the court that the defendant would meet up before May 17.
There were no objections from the second defence counsel, and the prosecution left the decision at the court’s discretion.
Recall that a dispatch rider had allegedly collected $3 million in cash for the embattled ex-CBN governor.
Emefiele has been under investigation since his removal as CBN boss last June by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
News
Abandoned Roads: Lagos Assembly Sends Fresh Message

– invites works commissioner, contractors
– lawmakers to submit list of abandoned roads to govt
The Lagos State House of Assembly has called on the Government to urgently address the pain of residents in relation to some roads.
The lawmakers at a sitting presided over by Speaker Mojisola Lasbat Meranda particularly mentioned the abandoned Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road in Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) urging Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to direct the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to ensure that HITECH Construction Company resumes work on it.
They also urged all relevant agencies to develop a concrete plan for completing the project while ensuring adequate security measures for residents in the affected community.
Contained in the House resolution was that the contractors should receive an upfront payment of 60 to 70 percent to facilitate the prompt completion of projects.
Rt. Hon. Meranda directed all the lawmakers to compile lists of abandoned roads in their constituencies for submission to the appropriate ministry for immediate action.
The resolution followed a ‘matter of urgent public importance’ raised by Hon. Aro Moshood, who decried the hardship faced by Ikorodu residents due to the abandoned road.
“This road has been left in a deplorable state since 2017. What was meant to bring relief to the people has now become a source of distress, posing serious security and socio-economic challenges,” Moshood said.
The lawmaker highlighted the alarming rate of criminal activities including kidnappings, accidents and sexual assaults, all linked to the poor condition of the road in the area.
Contributing to the debate, Hon. Abiodun Ogunleye stressed the strategic importance of the road to the state adding that its completion would significantly boost economic activities in the area.
On his part, Hon. Lukmon Sa’ad Olumoh criticized the prolonged delay in the completion of the road, noting that the House had approved funds for the project in the previous year.
“It is disappointing that a road construction project has been abandoned for over seven years. I was part of a committee that inspected ongoing road projects across the state last year and contractors cited the fluctuating exchange rate as a major challenge.
“This House should invite the contractor handling the project to clarify whether they received the funds approved by this Assembly,” Hon. Olumoh said.
Deputy Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Sanni Ganiyu Okanlawon, insisted on a decisive action by the government. He also called on the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure as well as contractors to explain why the project remains uncompleted.
“This issue of abandoned road projects should not be treated with levity. I urge this House to summon the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, alongside the contractors, to explain why these projects have stalled,” he stated.
Hon. Tobun Abiodun proposed enacting a law to mandate all administrations to complete projects initiated by their predecessors so as to prevent cases of uncompleted projects.
Speaking about the challenge, Deputy Majority Leader Adedamola Richard Kasunmu stressed that the issue extended beyond Ikorodu.
“This is not just an Ikorodu problem. It is happening across the state. We need to summon all relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to provide explanations for these abandoned roads,” he said.
Following extensive deliberations, the Assembly unanimously resolved to summon the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure and the contractors to provide a detailed report on the status of abandoned road projects in Lagos State.
News
Blackout As National Grid Suffers Disturbance

Nigeria experienced another nationwide blackout on Wednesday following the collapse of the national grid, the second such incident this year.
The incident occurred around 11:30 am on Wednesday, making it the second time the national grid will be suffering setback this year.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has yet to disclose the cause.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) confirmed the incident, stating:
“We regret to inform you that a system disturbance occurred on the national grid at 11:34 a.m., causing power outages across our coverage areas. While gradual restoration has begun, we are working with stakeholders to fully stabilize supply.”
A popular Nigeria National Grid account on X also reported the collapse, noting that parts of the country were affected.
When contacted, TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah said she was in transit and would respond later.
This latest failure follows a similar collapse on January 11, 2025. In 2024, the national grid suffered at least 12 collapses, highlighting ongoing instability in Nigeria’s power sector.
News
IBEDC Restores Power Supply To UCH After 3 Months Of Darkness

The blackout at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, has now ended as the management of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company yesterday restored power to the teaching hospital.
The restoration of power to the hospital was confirmed to newsmen by the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Jesse Abiodun Otegbayo.
Recall that the hospital had been thrown into darkness after the distribution company cut off their power following a huge debt running into millions of Naira.
The strained customer-vendor relationship prompted the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu to pay a working visit to the hospital during which he brokered peace between the two managements. IBEDC then promised to restore power within 24–48 hours.
Initially, when Vanguard asked him if energy had been restored to the hospital, he answered in affirmative but added that a fault had been discovered outside the hospital which the IBEDC team were trying to fix.
Prof Otegbayo said in a terse message, “Yes, but they have reported fault outside the hospital which they are attending to“.
Some moments later, the CMD confirmed it that the power had been restored.
He said, “IBEDC power is now on in University College Hospital, Ibadan.”
Prior to the reconnection, the CMD explained that when the power was cut, the management tried to reduce the effects by solarizing some emergency areas in the hospital.
Professor Otegbayo said, “The management applied some temporary measures to cushion the effects of the power outage.
“We have installed solar inverters to major areas in the hospital such as Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Emergency Ward, Endoscopic Unit, Cardiac unit and others.
“All these wards have solar inverters to provide energy so that the wards and patients will not be in darkness. Our short term measures will continue to stabilize the emergency areas. Some of our underground cables have been there for more than 50 years. That’s not within the budget of the hospital.
But, the public doesn’t know what we are passing through.”
The hospital had dismissed a report that some patients brought in their generators as an alternative.
The management clarified further that anyone who came to the hospital at night would see that some departments had lights.
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