A former judge of the Osun State High
Court, who was recently retired by the
National Judicial Council, Justice Olamide
Oloyede, has said she has no regrets
writing the petition against Governor Rauf
Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-
Tomori.
The retired judge said this while featuring
on a radio programme, Frank Talk, aired by
Rave FM and monitored by our
correspondent in Osogbo on Monday.
Oloyede, however, apologised to the
governor and the deputy for using certain
words which she ought not to have used in
the petition but stressed that she was
convinced beyond doubt that she did no
wrong by writing the petition where she
asked the members of the House of
Assembly to impeach Aregbesola and
Laoye-Tomori.
She explained that she had no animosity
against the governor, adding that she did
not violate any section of the constitution
for talking about the issues affecting the
people of the state.
Oloyede said, ” I have no regrets writing
that petition, but I think in retrospect I have
come to realise that perhaps, I did employ
some words or language in respect of Mr.
Governor and his deputy, which I ought not
to have and so, today I am tendering an
unreserved apology, public apology for the
choice of certain words which I would not
repeat.
“However, as far as the substance of that
petition is concerned, I remain resolute and
I am convinced that my actions were done
in fidelity to my office and to the
constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigerian , which I swore to uphold and out
of love for my country.
“As we say in law, the fact speaks for itself
and as I said earlier, the petition speaks for
itself. I would rather not go over the
content of the petition, which I believe is in
the public’s possession. My reason for
writing is clearly stated there. I am a
person known for my own conviction and
the only regret I have, I have said it, every
other thing I said I meant it word for word.”
She stated that some believed that the
judiciary should only be seen and not heard
even if the country was collapsing, but
Oloyode said she did not belong to this
class of people.
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Monday, 10 October 2016
Sunday, 9 October 2016
Good News! Nigerian Customs Lifts Ban on Importation of Rice…See Fresh Details
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col.
Hameed Ali (rtd), has ordered the removal of
rice from the import restriction list, and also
re-introduced the payment of import duty on
all land borders across the federation.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in
Abuja, the Public Relations Officer of Nigeria
Customs Service, Wale Adeniyi, disclosed that
the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col.
Hameed Ali (rtd), has ordered the immediate
lifting of the ban on rice importation from
import restriction list and the re-introduction
of import duty payment at land borders.
According to Vanguard, he said the restriction
was only applied at land border stations before
now, adding that the customs boss had lifted
restriction on rice at border stations.
Adeniyi said that all rice imports through land
borders by rice traders would attract the
prevailing import duty of 10 per cent with 60
per cent levy, adding that rice millers
(preferential levy) with valid quota allocation
would also attract duty rate of 10 per cent
with 20 per cent levy on rice importation.
“Over the years importation has been restricted
to the seaports because border authorities
have found it difficult to effectively monitor
and control importation of rice.
“When the decision to ban it (rice) was taken
it was not an effective measure because
smuggling of the product thrives with people
using different means of conveyance including
small trucks, bicycles and even animals –
putting them on donkeys and some actually
carry it on their heads.
“These new measures will be for customs to
re-organize their anti-smuggling operations in
the border areas and ensure that all those
importers through the borders bring their rice
through approved routes and pay their extant
duty,” he said.
Monday, 5 September 2016
B’Haram members plan to join army, says DSS
The Department of State Services has said
some members of the dreaded Boko Haram
sect were making plans to join the army.
It, however, added that two members of the
sect, who were specialists in the making of
Improvised Explosive Devise, were arrested
before their desire to join the army was
fulfilled.
The spokesperson for the DSS, Mr. Tony
Opuiyo, who stated this in a statement in
Abuja on Sunday, said the suspects were
arrested in Kano.
He said, “In response to the regrouping of
Boko Haram elements in Kano State, the
DSS in concert with the military, carried out
coordinated operations in the state which
led to the apprehension of two high profile
members of the sect.
“They are Ibrahim Abubakar and Idris Audu
(a.k.a. AYA). Audu is an IED specialist who
was being groomed to penetrate security
agencies in the country.
“Audu had already perfected plans to seek
for recruitment into the next recruitment
scheme of the Nigeria Army, before his
arrest.”
He attributed the success recorded in the
arrest of these two suspects to the
service’s sustained tactical and counter-
terrorism operations.
Opuiyo also said the service on August 22,
arrested one Samuel Asuquo, who was
described as a kidnap kingpin, at Nasarawa
Bakoko village in Cross River State.
He said the suspect was the mastermind of
the kidnap of three Australian staff of
Lafarge Cement Company, for which his
gang received a ransom of N150m.
On the economic front, Opuiyo said the
service was currently intensifying action
against high level fraudsters whose
unwholesome activities were negatively
affecting investors’ confidence with
multiplier risk to genuine businesses
nationwide.
He said, “Accordingly, one Izuagie
Mohammed was arrested in Benin City, Edo
State on August 24, for impersonating the
Accountant General of the Federation.
“Mohammed had allegedly defrauded
unsuspecting members of the public posing
as the Nigerian AGF on Facebook and
promising them facilitation of the Central
Bank of Nigeria empowerment loan, before
he was apprehended by the Service.
He assured all law abiding citizens and
residents that the DSS would not rest on
its oars in its determination to ensure a
safe environment for all to carry out their
legitimate business
Ekiti to decentralise state, LG workers’ payments
Ekiti State Government has hinted that it
may stop the central payment of state and
local government workers’ salaries, saying
local governments will be encouraged to
pay their workers.
Governor Ayodele Fayose spoke in Ado Ekiti,
the state capital, during a meeting with
directors of finance and accounts, directors
of administration, chief internal auditors
and others from across ministries,
departments and agencies in the state.
Fayose, in a statement by his Chief Press
Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, in Ado Ekiti on
Sunday, also warned public servants
against signing documents without
thoroughly going through them.
According to him, any negative fallout from
a signed document would be blamed on any
officer that signed it.
The meeting was convened to find solutions
to the problems associated with generating
wholesome nominal and pay rolls by MDAs
in the state, the statement added.
The governor frowned on a situation where
people, who had left the service or died,
still had their names on the nominal roll.
“Why should we be spending our scarce
resources wastefully? We are no longer
going to tolerate the issue of buck passing,
where someone will claim he is not the one
that generates the nominal roll and so does
not properly go through it before preparing
the pay roll.
“Henceforth, the nominal and pay rolls must
be properly scrutinised by the internal
auditors before being signed. The system
has adequate checks and balances already
in place and if not for collusion by
concerned public servants, no sharp
practices could take place.
“It is advisable that every officer properly
goes through any document before signing
such, as the person who endorses any
document is going to be held responsible in
case of any issue,” he said.
The governor, after listening to complaints
by internal auditors that they did not have
computers to be able to verify the soft
copies of pay rolls sent to them from the
Accountant-General Office, directed that all
the officers should by next week be sent on
computer training and afterwards be
provided with personal computers.
Earlier, the Deputy Governor, Dr Kolapo
Olusola, said in the course of staff
verification conducted last year, a lot of
anomalies were discovered in the system.
He listed the sharp practices to include
over-payment, under-payment, paying dead
or retired officers, over-deductions, illegal
promotion, among others.
Sallah forces Reps to postpone resumption
The House of Representatives has
postponed by one week its anticipated
resumption, naijatonic learnt in Abuja on
Sunday.
This also implies that the expected action
of the 360-member legislature on the
budget padding allegations levelled against
the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, and three
other principal officers, will be delayed by
at least one week.
The other three are the Deputy Speaker, Mr.
Yussuff Lasun; the Chief Whip, Mr.
Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority
Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.
Lawmakers proceeded on their annual
recess on July 20 and were scheduled to
reconvene on September 13.
Findings by The PUNCH showed on Sunday
that the resumption date had been
postponed by one week due to the
forthcoming Eid-el Kabir festivities.
A senior National Assembly official stated
on Sunday, “The Sallah proper will be on
Monday, September 12, just one day to the
original resumption date.
“Taken that the Federal Government will
naturally declare Monday and Tuesday
(September 13) as public holidays to mark
the Sallah, it is no longer feasible for the
House to reconvene on September 13.
“We are now looking at a date from
Tuesday, September 20.”
Meanwhile, a former Deputy Minority Whip
of the House, Mr. Garba Dhatti, confirmed
to naijatonic on Sunday that the
resumption would be delayed by “three
weeks.”
Dhatti, who is still a serving member,
stated, “The end of recess will now be up to
three weeks (September 20).
“It has to be after Sallah, which you know
is Monday (September 12).”
The development came as the Chief Whip of
the 7th House (2011-2015), Mr. Ishaka
Bawa, told naijatonic that there was
“nothing abnormal” for Dogara and other
principal officers to receive higher
allocations for intervention or constituency
projects in the 2016 budget.
Bawa said in every budget year, principal
officers were allocated higher votes for
projects in line with a “parliamentary
tradition in practice over the years.”
Citing the instance of the 7th Assembly,
where he was the fourth highest-ranked
principal officer, Bawa disclosed that each
of the 10 principal officers received higher
project allocations according to their ranks.
He also confirmed that all the principal
officers had higher project votes than those
he called “floor members.”
Bawa added, “As a principal officer in the
7th Assembly, the funds allocated for my
projects were higher than that of Dogara,
who was a ‘floor member’ at the time.
“Dogara was a floor member. Even as the
Chairman, Committee on House Services,
the funds for his projects were nothing
compared to that of the least-ranked
principal officer.
“Principal officers got their allocations pro-
rata. They then identified the projects which
were domiciled in the relevant Ministries,
Departments and Agencies for execution.
“Every member knows that this has been
the practice and the 8th Assembly principal
officers have done nothing new.”
According to Bawa, the allocations of
Dogara and the other three principal officers
in the 2016 budget are not padding “so
long as they were contained in the budget
that was considered, passed by the
National Assembly and signed into the law
by Mr. President.”
Bawa, a lawyer, argued that the padding
allegations could “only be sustained if there
is proof that the money (N40bn) was added
to the budget after the National Assembly
passed it and on its way to the President’s
office.”
A former Chairman, Committee on
Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, had
alleged that the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu
Dogara, and three other principal officers
requested the inclusion of N40bn projects in
the 2016 budget, besides sundry projects in
sums ranging from N20bn to N30bn.
He claimed that his refusal to oblige the
four principal officers and his opposition to
several alleged financial infractions were
responsible for his sacking by Dogara on
July 20.
The leadership of the House denied the
alleged padding, saying all insertions into
the budget followed the “due process of
legislation and budgeting.”
However, it said Jibrin’s allegations would
be investigated internally by the Committee
on Ethics and Privileges after the House
would have reconvened on the initially fixed
September 13.
The police, the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission and the Presidential
Advisory Committee Against Corruption are
already investigating the allegations.
Jibrin had petitioned the agencies and the
Independent Corrupt Practices and other
related offences Commission as well as the
Department of State Services.
Also on Sunday, Jibrin suggested how the
budgeting process and other finances of the
House could be reformed to plug alleged
loopholes for “fraud.”
Jibrin said he made the submissions to the
Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption during his visit to the body in
Abuja on Wednesday last week.
He said he told the committee, which is
chaired by Prof. Itse Sagay, that the
legislature was abusing its power of
appropriation and should be stopped.
Jibrin suggested that copies of the budget
should always be circulated to all members
while the highlights and the details must be
considered together by lawmakers.
He added, “The most important reform here
is to ensure that budget estimates and
details are returned to the floor of the
House at the same time for passage.
“This will check the insertions by some
standing committee chairmen and principal
officers in the process of budget passage.
On the internal finances of the House, Jibrin
said such funds should be made public so
that Nigerians could follow the spending
pattern of lawmakers.
Sunday, 4 September 2016
67% Increase In Cement Price Causes Scare For Builders
In the last few weeks, the price of the
product has increased from 1,500 Naira
to as high as 2,500 Naira.
The unexpected increase in price has
been generating reactions from citizens
of the nation that has huge housing
deficit.
In Ilorin, in the South-west Region,
people who need cement for different
purposes are asking the Nigerian
government to set up a cement factory
to check the incessant increase due to
monopoly.
An architect at the site of a shopping
complex construction, Christopher
Okebuko, lamented that the increase
from 1,500 Naira last two weeks to
2,500 Naira has affected the cost of the
project.
“I cannot go back for project variation
now,” he said.
Slid Into Recession
Other people also lamented how the new
price has affected them.
A civil servant, Olanrewaju Ahmed, said
he had borrowed money to buy the
building materials in order to complete
his personal house.
He asked the government to intervene in
the situation triggered by the nation’s
economy that has slid into recession.
Mr Ahmed believes such intervention
would reduce the sufferings of the
masses.
In another part of the nation, Asaba, the
capital of Delta State, sales persons at
Chinedu Oko Building Materials Plaza
along the Asaba-Onitsha expressway,
lamented drastic reduction in sales and
income.
Construction workers, however, believes
that industrialisation and patronage of
made in Nigeria goods would help
reduce the pressure on the Naira which
would in turn revamp the economy.
Figures released by the National Bureau
of Statistics on August 31 showed that
Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
contracted by 2.06% in the second
quarter of 2016
According to the report, the decline has
caused the Naira to get weaker while
lower oil prices dragged the oil sector
down.
Five New Cases of Lassa Fever Discovered In Four States
Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said
that two cases were reported from
Plateau State, one from Rivers, and one
each from Bauchi and Gombe. They all
occurred between August 24 to
September 2.
The individual with the Lassa fever in
Gombe died on August 22 while others
are still alive.
According to the agency, public health
response has commenced in all the
affected states under the leadership of
the respective state’s Ministries of
Health.
“Resources were immediately mobilised
from the Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control and its partner, the Nigerian
Field Epidemiology and Laboratory
Training Programme (NFELTP), to
support the investigation and
management of cases in the affected
states,” the agency said in a statement.
Natal multimammate mouse is the primary
animal host of the Lassa virus
The Chief Executive Officer of the NCDC,
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, stressed the need
for early detection of the disease and
reporting of the cases.
“We commend the early detection and
reporting of the most recent cases, as it
significantly improves the likelihood of
survival for the cases and also reduces
the risk of further transmission. We also
urge all States to report cases
immediately for Lassa fever while
improving on the timeliness of their
reporting generally,” Dr. Ihekweazu
stated.
As a result of increasing number of
cases of Lassa fever, the NCDC also
issued an advisory to all States,
reminding them of the steps they have to
take to prepare and respond to cases of
Lassa fever and other haemorrhagic
fevers, as well as the resources that they
can access for this.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
further reiterated its commitment to
supporting the States to prevent the
spread of Lassa fever in Nigeria.
Virus Spreads To Human
Lassa fever fresh cases resurfaced on
August 22, with Delta State recording the
death of a medical doctor.
After his death, several other persons
have been placed under surveillance in
different states , with
sensitisation campaigns also increasing.
The virus spreads to human from
rodents and it is then shed in their
excreta (urine and feces), which can be
aerosolised.
In fatal cases, Lassa fever is
characterised by impaired or delayed
cellular immunity leading to fulminant
viremia.
Infection in humans typically occurs by
exposure to animal excrement through
the respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts.
Inhalation of tiny particles of infectious
material (aerosol) is believed to be the
most significant means of exposure.
It is possible to acquire the infection
through broken skin or mucous
membranes that are directly exposed to
infectious material.
Transmission from person to person has
also been established, presenting a
disease risk for healthcare workers.
Rivers Kidnap Update: One of 14 Victims Escapes
The CP, who told our correspondent that
the victims are oil workers, wondered
why the driver carried on even after their
security escorts had stopped to fuel their
vehicles.
He, however, said his men have been on
the trail of the kidnappers and are
currently combing the bushes to
apprehend them.
Gunmen kidnapped 14 local oil workers
and their driver, police confirmed on
Friday.
The incident took place on a road
connecting the towns of Omoku and
Elele, around 50 km from the city of Port
Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, in the
early hours of Friday as the employees of
Nigerian energy company, Nestoil,
traveled to work, police said.
“We have recovered the vehicle they
were traveling in before the incident
occurred. Police are currently combing
bushes around the area in a bid to find
and release the victims,” said, the Police
PRO in the state, Nnamdi Omoni.
“I do not think there was a foreigner
among those kidnapped. Their abductors
have not made any contact and nobody
has been arrested yet,” Nnamdi told
Reuters.
Seven Of Buhari’s Actions That Led Nigeria Into Recession
1) Sudden Implementation of Treasury Single
Account (TSA)- This policy threw the banking
and financial sector into turmoil as huge sums
were swept out of banks and dormantly
stashed into a preferred safe.
2) Tightening of Foreign Exchange
Transactions- This policy made it difficult to
make foreign exchange, and threw thriving
businesses into turmoil which led to massive
sacking of workers and manufacturing
slowdown.
3) Unguarded Utterances During Foreign Trips-
The president made several unguarded
utterances that gave the impression that
Nigeria was headed for the rocks. This made
foreign investors hesitant about coming into
Nigeria, and encouraged those that were
already in Nigeria to speculate and pull out
funds.
4) Halting of Important Projects in the Niger
Delta- Buhari moved to remove majority of the
projects that were created to provide tangible
benefits to Niger-Deltans. For example, the
Maritime University and Pipeline protection
projects. Though, some of these projects were
condemned by Nigerians, they kept the Niger-
Delta at peace and allowed for the
maximization of the benefits from petroleum
exports.
5) Buhari’s Northern Developmental Focus in
Nigeria- The developmental aim of the
president is very much skewed towards
Northern Nigeria than every other part. So, he
is more like kick starting a new economic
focus, while dumping existing economic
strengths. For example, he is devoting billions
of dollars to search for petroleum in the North
when Nigeria does not have functional
refineries to ensure adequate availability of
petroleum products that are already being
produced in the South.
6) Elimination of All the Policies Made by PDP-
it is on record that even though PDP led
governments were corrupt, they made some
major strides in diversifying Nigeria’s
economy. For example, Agricultural export
came to life under PDP. Buhari has focused on
bedeviling and antagonizing every single policy
made by the PDP. In the process, he has
thrown out good policies and progress that
were made in the past. He is almost starting
afresh, and this has rebooted Nigeria and
thrown us years backwards.
7) Preference for Violence over Dialogue-
Buhari prefers to use military force to quell
civil strife. This approach ignites more protests
and civil disobedience. An economy cannot
experience progress in violent conditions. Even
Lagos and Ogun axis has experienced an open
show of military bombardment, which scares a
heck out of investors. The same is true about
the production shut ins in the Niger Delta
region. Some of these issues can be solved
with dialogue and with police actions than full
scale military assaults.
Ogun state permanent secretary dies 24 hours after swearing-in
24 hours after she was sworn into office by the
Ogun state governor, a permanent secretary,
Mrs. Olubunmi Odumusi has died. According to
family sources, she died in her sleep last night
September 2nd. She was aged 57. She is said to
have been battling cancer disease for a while.
May her soul rest in peace, Amen.
Monday, 22 August 2016
We aren’t sure Chibok girls are in Sambisa Forest –Air chief
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal
Sadique Abubakar, says the Nigerian Air Force has no intelligence on
whether the Chibok girls are in Sambisa Forest or not.
Abubakar, who spoke during an
interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Saturday, however, said
the NAF was working round the clock to rescue the girls and other
Nigerians abducted by Boko Haram.
The NAF chief also commented on the operation of the force in the South-South, saying the air force would not bomb Niger Delta.
When Abubakar was asked if the air force
had any intelligence on whether Chibok girls were in the Sambisa Forest
or not, he said, “Honestly we don’t. That is the truth of the matter.
Even if you see women that are dressed in hijab, how are you sure they
are women; that they are not men? It is only when you get there and they
remove the hijab that you now realise that they are men and they have
their rifles.
“There is no credible intelligence that will specifically tell you that these girls are here.”
He said the air force flew its planes
daily with the hope of sighting the Chibok girls, adding that the
military, like other Nigerians, was passionate about them.
He said about 50 per cent of the NAF
flying missions in counter-insurgency operations were devoted to
Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance.
According to him, the ISR is aimed at rescuing the Chibok girls and other Nigerians abducted by the sect.
He said, “There is no day that the sun
rises and sets that we do not go out hoping to see these girls. From
January this year to August 17, we flew 2,600 hours. About 50 per cent
of that was Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance.
“We are hoping that through the
intelligence, we will be able to capture the movement of those girls; we
will be able to locate what we consider legitimate targets.”
He dismissed the latest Boko Haram
video, where the sect displayed some girls, which it claimed were killed
by military bombardment, as cheap propaganda.
Abubakar explained that there was no way bodies of people killed by bombardment could be intact as shown in the video.
He stated, “Even the IED (improvised
explosive device) that they (the sect) developed, have you ever seen a
complete body together after an attack on any location?”
He insisted that what was shown in the video could not have been something that happened after an air strike.
He added, “These guys are just trying to whip up sentiment because they know that every Nigerian is concerned about the girls.”
He said although there was no military
operation without collateral damage, the air force was doing everything
possible to determine legitimate targets.
The air force chief said Sambisa forest,
which is about 60,000 square kilometres, was a difficult terrain,
especially for the land forces.
He explained that equipment could get stuck in the forest during the rainy season.
He added that with what the air force
had seen from its reconnaissance, it was difficult to say that the place
was still occupied.
Abubakar said with the logistics base
of the sect destroyed by the air force, it would be easier for land
forces to move into the forest during the dry season.
He also disclosed that the air force would soon commence its operations in the South-South.
He stated that the air force would not bomb the Niger Delta, but would protect the people and facilities.
“We are not going to bomb the Niger Delta; we are going to protect the people and oil and gas infrastructure,” he stated.
He added that NAF had entered into
partnership with 15 Nigerian universities and polytechnics, through
which it had been producing spare parts to service grounded aircraft.
He said, “Our aircraft require spare
parts from time to time. Since most of these spare parts are not
available here, we need to look inward.”
BBOG marches to Aso Rock
The #BringBackOurGirls spokesman,
Abdullahi Abdullahi, declined to comment on the air force statement that
it had no intelligence on the Chibok girls.
“We don’t have any comment for now,” Abdullahi said on Sunday.
The group and parents of the abducted girls will, however, march to the Presidential Villa today (Monday).
The #BringBackOurGirls movement had, in a
statement on Thursday, said it would commence street marches to the
Presidential Villa from Monday (today), as part of measures to compel
the Federal Government and the global community to take action to
‘‘rescue the 219 Chibok schoolgirls.’’
The group stated that it would also
engage the media and other critical stakeholders, including
international organisations and statesmen.
The BBOG, in a reminder to journalists
on Sunday, explained that the planned march followed the lukewarm
response from the government to the video of the girls that was released
last week by Boko Haram.
“Areas to be covered during the period
of engagement include the #ChibokGirls, the humanitarian crisis in the
North-East, corruption in the disbursement of relief materials to
Internally Displaced Persons camps and the arms deal saga,” the group
stated.
Meanwhile, a civil rights movement,
Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism, has demanded that Ahmed
Salkida, Aisha Wakil and Ahmed Bolori, who were recently declared wanted
by the military authorities, should assist in securing the release of
the Chibok girls.
The organisation also appealed to the #Bring Back Our Girls team to direct its protests against Salkida, Wakil and Bolori.
Speaking in Abuja on Sunday, the
National Coordinator of CATE, Gabriel Onoja, said the three
personalities named by the military possibly knew more about Boko Haram
than the security agencies.
Onoja said, “We are appealing to the
trio of Salkida, Wakil and Bolori and other persons with links with Boko
Haram to prevail on the abductors of these girls to release them
unconditionally.’’
IBB must face probe over $12.4bn oil windfall, says SERAP
A rights advocacy group, the
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has called on the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar
Malami (SAN), to reopen the unresolved case of the “missing $12.4bn oil
windfall.”
According to the group, the money was
spent between 1988 and 1993 by the government of a former military
dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
SERAP urged Malami to use his office and
power under Section 174(1) of the Constitution and sections 104-106 of
the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to establish the truth about
what happened to the money and to prosecute anyone found culpable.
The group made the call in an open letter by its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, to the AGF on Sunday.
The letter read, “SERAP, has for many
years, sought explanation and official release of the Pius Okigbo panel
report, which the government voluntarily established. But successive
administration blocked every chance to officially release the Okigbo
Report with some even claiming that the report could not be found.
“SERAP’s request is entirely consistent
with the established legal principle that in matters relating to crimes,
including corruption, time does not run against the state.
“Reopening the case would also send a
clear message that cases of high-level official corruption would not go
unpunished no matter how long it takes and that suspected perpetrators
would be held to account, no matter who is involved.
“SERAP also believes that reopening the
unresolved case of missing $12.4bn oil windfall would serve as a litmus
test for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari often repeated
commitments to transparency, accountability and the fight against
corruption in the country.
“Full accountability for the missing
public funds would contribute to ending impunity of high-ranking public
officials for large-scale corruption and provide effective remedies to
victims of corruption.”
Boko Haram sacks Borno village
Boko Haram insurgents have sacked a
village, Shawa, in Askira Local Government Area of Borno State, the
leader of the youth vigilance group in the area, Istifanus Apagu told
our correspondent on phone.
Apagu said on Monday that the insurgents who rode on bicycles attacked the village on Sunday.
He said they burnt down the entire village and injured many residents.
Apagu, who is the leader of the Civilian JTF in Mussa district, said he visited the scene moments after the attack.
He said nothing was left in Shawa village.
He said: “They (insurgents) came on
bicycle around 4am on Sunday morning while people were sleeping and
started opening fire on the helpless civilian as the villagers fled into
bushes but many were critical injured.”
“No lives were lost but the whole
village was set ablaze and nothing was left standing. In fact, they went
away with the six bicycles.”
Sunday, 7 August 2016
PDP chairmanship: Mimiko, Fayose, S’West leaders to decide Monday
Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State,
his Ekiti State counterpart, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, and other leaders of
the Peoples Democratic Party from the South-West, will meet in Akure,
the Ondo State capital on Monday, to pick a consensus candidate among
those running for the office of the national chairman of the party.
The national convention of the party
will hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on August 17 where national
officers of the main opposition party are expected to be elected.
Ahead of the convention, the Expanded
National Caucus of the party had zoned the office of the national
chairman to the southern part of the country.
Leaders of the party from the entire
southern region met at Port Harcourt on Thursday where they said the
office should go to the South-West, which is the only zone out of the
three zones in the region, that had yet to produce the national chairman
of the party.
Already, two formidable candidates from the zone have openly indicated their interest in the race.
The candidates are a former Deputy
National Chairman of the party, Chief Bode George and a former Minister
of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran.
But while George had paid the mandatory
N1m nomination fee and picked his nomination form at the party’s
temporary secretariat in Abuja, Adeniran said he would pick his own on
Monday.
There are rumours that other candidates are still consulting and could pick their nomination forms from this week.
Those who were believed to be nursing
the ambition are, a former governorship candidate of the party in Lagos
State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje and a former Minister of Youths and Sports, Prof.
Taoheed Adedoja.
George and Agbaje are from Lagos State while Adeniran and Adedoja are from Ekiti and Oyo States respetitively.
The Akure meeting is believed to be
crucial as other offices apart from that of the national chairman which
had also been zoned to the region, would be shared.
The two offices are that of the National Treasurer and Deputy National Publicity Secretary.
The meeting, it was gathered, would also allocate the state or states that should produce the zonal vice chairman.
A former Minister of Transportation,
Chief Ebenezer Babatope, who confirmed that invitations had been sent to
those expected to be at the meeting, described it as crucial.
Babatope said that the meeting would
afford the members of the party to critically peruse the credentials of
those interested in the offices, especially that of the national
chairman.
He said, “All of us are going to Akure
on Monday where we are going to discuss on those that will represent us
at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja.
“Now that we have the opportunity to
present the national chairman, we must present someone that is
acceptable to the generality of members of the party and also, such a
person must represent us well.”
Meanwhile, a group within the Peoples
Democratic Party, Concerned Stakeholders, has kicked against the recent
zoning arrangement of the party which ceded the national chairmanship
position to the South-West.
It asked the party’s delegates to boycott the convention of the party scheduled to hold on August 17.
The group, in a statement issued by its
patron, Prof. Tayo Adeyemi, on Saturday, said the zoning arrangement was
illegal and was tantamount to moving the goalposts.
It said the PDP’s constitution did not specify the extent of the power of the caretaker committee.
According to the group, the ambiguity in
the provisions of the constitution is a good reason for the party’s
leadership to be careful.
The statement partly read, “What are the
criteria for candidates vying for the post of the national chairman?
This is the problem of the PDP. A national post must have laid down
criteria. Candidates vying for such a position must have spent a
reasonable number of years in the party, must never have been indicted
by the anti-graft agencies and must have never served any jail term
“It is, therefore, unfortunate that
after the chairmanship race commenced and it was obvious that some
candidates were getting unpopular , the usual manoeuvring which cost
the PDP the woeful loss at the 2015 election has commenced again. Any
attempt to suppress the common will of the people would result in a
total disintegration of the party.”
I’ve not returned to PDP — Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on
Saturday denied the news making the rounds that he had returned to the
Peoples Democratic Party.
Obasanjo in a press statement issued on
his behalf at Abeokuta, a copy of which was made available to our
correspondent, said the misconception that he had returned to the PDP,
was fuelled by his photograph taken at the Shehu Yar’adua Centre, Abuja
on Friday.
The Centre, he explained, was incidentally, the venue of the inauguration of the PDP national convention committee.
Clearing the air on his presence at the
Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Obasanjo said he had gone there to attend an
event ‘Zero Hunger Nigeria’ organised by the Commodities Association
Stakeholders.
The statement added that a few minutes
into the session, the attention of Obasanjo was drawn to the presence of
some politicians, who later walked up to him and exchanged
pleasantries.
It explained that among those who came
to pay homage to Obasanjo, included Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Senator Ben
Obi and a former Deputy President the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu.
The statement added that whoever took
the picture of the former president when he was leaving the venue of
the event, planned to annoy and embarrass him.
Obasanjo in the statement, said some
hours after he arrived Lagos on the same day, he began to receive calls,
concerning the photograph.
The former President re-affirmed that he
had quit partisan politics for good, and that anybody hoping to drag
him back would fail.
He said whoever believed the story of
his going back to the PDP, would also believe a charade that his or her
mother was not a woman.
It will be recalled that Obasanjo had on
February 16, 2015 ordered that his PDP membership card be torn,
indicating that he had left the party.
The statement read, “The attention of
the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has been brought to the
photonews story, which has gone viral on the social media on Friday,
August 5, 2016 of his purported being ‘spotted’ at a Peoples Democratic
Party event at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja.
“While ordinarily his first reaction to
the news was that those behind it targeted to get him annoyed and
embarrassed him, his conclusion was that he had told the world that he
has quit partisan politics and that is final.
“Anybody hoping to drag him back will fail like any man feeding mice to a dead cat.”
Rio 2016: Shame as Team Nigeria march in tracksuits
It was another show of shame for Team
Nigeria on Friday in Rio — after the late arrival of the U-23 football
team on Thursday — as the country’s contingent, led by table tennis star
Funke Oshonaike, filed out for the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic
Games on Friday dressed in tracksuits.
The opening ceremony of the Olympics is
usually used by participating teams to display their country’s
traditional wears and culture before over one billion viewers globally
but Team Nigeria marched with tracksuits in Rio after the official kits
earmarked for the outing did not arrive in Rio on time, according to
reports.
Alexander Wolff, a sports writer
covering the Games tweeted, “Nigeria, marching in sweats because
official outfits didn’t make it to Rio. Can we agree that they’re a
country to pull for these two weeks?”
In the past, Team Nigeria were known for
their colourful outfits, which showcased the country’s rich culture, at
such international sporting events.
The original attire for the Games was
actually made by Nigerian designer, David Bowler, and was showcased to
President Muhammadu Buhari in July, when Team Nigeria paid him a visit.
Our correspondent learnt that with
Bowler’s design the male athletes would have appeared in typical South
South dressing spotting hats with the women’s uniform the contrasting
wear of a Nigerian woman with modern attitude in her long cape dress,
tying a turban.
Sydney 2000 Olympics gold medallist
Enefiong Udo-Obong was confounded that Bowler’s design was abandoned for
the tracksuits in Brazil, suggesting it might not be unconnected with
corrupt practices by officials.
“The style (of Bowler’s design) may have
left questions in the lips of many but they were gorgeous and proper.
It would have showcased our ladies as beautiful people and our men as
gentlemen. It would have sold our local designer to the world as our
version or answer to Gucci and Calvin Klein and the rest. Instead we did
not. Despite months of sleepless nights to design the attire and lots
of money to make samples; despite the fashion parade the (sports)
minister did to showcase the uniform with athletes to model it to the
President, we did not use the smartly made dresses,” Udo-Obong wrote in talkwithenee.blogspot.com.ng.
“The reason why? Someone decided that
instead of paying the designer money for mass production, he could get
kickbacks if he just gave a contract to his stooge. So, we neglected the
designs which we did not appreciate because it was given free to us by
the designer and hurriedly assembled the carpenter-type tracksuits. We
did not even deem it fit, if we wanted tracksuits to get from Yali-Yali,
our own brand made by former sprint queen, Mary Onyali. At least we
would have promoted something Nigerian.”
Meanwhile, Oshonaike and Edem Offiong
crashed out of Round 1 of the table tennis women’s singles event on
Saturday. Oshonaike, Team Nigeria’s assistant captain, was beaten 4-2 by
Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico while Offiong lost 4-1 to Belarusian
Viktoria Pavlovich.
The national U-23 football team will
play Sweden in their second Group B game today in Manaus. The Nigerians
lead the group with three points after Thursday’s 5-4 defeat of Japan
despite arriving late to the match venue.Appointments: Don’t marginalise any region, Mbaka tells Buhari
Enugu Catholic priest and Spiritual Director, Adoration Ministry, Enugu State, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, on Saturday, advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to marginalise any part of the country in the appointments made by his government.
Mbaka was quoted in a statement made available to journalists by his media aide, Maximus Ugwuoke.
In the statement, which was apparently
released to counter a media report that the cleric attacked the
President in a recent message, Mbaka said that he only advised Buhari.
While refuting the report that he
attacked President Buhari, the cleric said he only offered suggestions
to the President on how to tackle the current challenges in the country,
which he said were caused by the actions and inactions of previous
administrations in the country.
The appointments made by President
Buhari, so far, are believed to be lopsided and in the favour of the
northern part of the country.
Mbaka advised President Buhari to empower those that worked for him during the 2015 presidential election.
The statement partly read, “Fr. Mbaka
advised the President to be careful about how he appoints people to
prominent positions so that no region would appear marginalised, as it
happened in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation board and
charged the President to make sure that those around him do not mislead
him.”
He advised the President on human
empowerment and asked him to ensure that those who worked for him
(Buhari) during the election ought to be empowered.
“Fr. Mbaka merely reinstated the obvious
suffering that Nigerians are facing (which even the President himself
had acknowledged and sued for patience and perseverance) and advised the
President on the ways to tackle it, that is, by engaging economic gurus
and by listening to good advisers.
“For the purpose of clarity, granted
that Fr. Mbaka stated the obvious — that there is hunger in the land —
he never attributed the cause of the hunger and economic hardship
bedevilling the nation to Buhari. Rather, he attributed it to the
actions and inactions of the past administrations of this country.”
Mbaka’s aide, in a move that suggested
an attempt to mend fences between the cleric and the Presidency, added
that the message in which Mbaka reportedly attacked Buhari was followed
by another one where he blamed former President Goodluck Jonathan and
the Peoples Democratic Party for mismanaging the economy.
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
Court remands Fayose’s ally, Agbele, in prison
A Federal High Court in Abuja has
remanded an associate of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Mr.
Abiodun Agbele, in Kuje Prison, Abuja,till Thursday when it will rule on
his application for bail.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba made the order of
remand afterAgbele was arraigned on 11 counts of money laundering
involving the sum of N1,219,000,000 said to be part of N4,685,723,000
allegedly transferred unlawfully from the account of the Office of the
National Security Adviser.
Arraigned along with Agbele were three companies, Sylvan Mcnamara Limited, De Privateer Limited and Spotless Investment Limited.
Agbele pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The prosecution, alleged that others
involved in the alleged crimes, including former Minister of State for
Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, were on the run.
Other suspects said to be at large were
Lt. A. O Adewale and Olalekan Ogunseye, who was said to be the sole
signatory to the account of Sylvan Mcnamara Limited.
The charges preferred against the
accused were said to be contrary to section 15(2) (d) of the Money
Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011(as amended in 2012).
The offences were said to be punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.
After the arraignment on Wednesday,
Agbele’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), moved his client’s bail
application, urging the judge to grant it in liberal terms.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Johnson Ojogbane, urged the court to dismiss the application.
Ojogbane urged the court to remand the
accused in prison throughout the period of the trial and instead of
granting him bail, the judge should rather grant an order of accelerated
hearing.
Justice Dimgba fixed Thursday for ruling on the bail applicationPHOTOS: Buhari at FEC meeting today
President Muhammadu Buhari presides over the Federal Executive Council meeting today at the State House
See photos below:
Budget padding: APC moves to save Dogara, meets Speaker, Jubrin
The All Progressives Congress has
intervened in the crisis rocking the House of Representatives over
alleged padding of the 2016 budget.
The APC was said to have made the move to prevent the party from being “brought to dishonour.”
The APC National Working Committee, at
the party’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, separately met with the
Speaker, Yakubu Dogara; and a former Chairman of the House Committee on
Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jubrin.
It was gathered that the meetings were aimed at addressing the crisis and preventing the removal of Dogara.
A leader of the party, who confided in The PUNCH, said, “We are making moves to resolve the crisis. Dogara is a loyal party man.”
The national executive of the APC had,
through a letter, summoned Jubrin to appear before leaders of the party
at 2pm on Tuesday.
The party leadership had earlier on Tuesday met with Dogara.
In the letter by its Deputy National
Chairman (North), Lawal Shuaibu, the party decried the media war between
the two APC lawmakers without consulting the party for resolution.
The letter read in part, “As a
disciplined party, the constitution of our party has made adequate
provisions on ways of resolving any issue among members. It behoves the
party to take all necessary steps to ensure that no member of our family
brings dishonour on the party.
“You are, therefore, by this invitation,
expected to appear before the undersigned at the APC national
secretariat on Tuesday, August 2, at 2pm.
“Kindly note that failure to and/or
refusal to honour this invitation will amount to a decision you have
made not to submit to the party.”
Jibrin arrived at the APC headquarters
in Abuja in a Toyota Land Cruiser with number plate, BWR 768 AM, around
2.10pm and immediately went into a closed-door meeting with Shuaibu.
It was observed that the meeting was attended by the northern caucus in the party’s executive.
Other officers who attended the meeting
are the National Secretary, Mai Bala Buni; and the National Vice
Chairman (North-West), Inuwa Abdulkadir.
Both Jibrin and Dogara, who are at the centre of the budget-padding scandal, are from the North.
The Deputy National Chairman of the APC, Segun Oni, who was sighted around the party’s headquarters, did not attend the meeting.
The meeting, which was held in Shuaibu’s office, lasted till around 5pm.
Shuaibu, who later addressed journalists, said the meeting was a consultation among party members.
He said, “This is strictly a
consultation between a very great member of the party and party
officials in respect of what is going on in the House of
Representatives.
“There is nothing like passing any
judgment against any member of the party; we will play our role as an
umpire in this matter to see how we can restore peace and unity among
our members.”
Shuaibu said there was no truth in the information that the meeting was called to discipline Jibrin.
“But when certain things go off course,
the party needs to call its members to know how best to reunite them.
That is exactly what we did. We heard his side of the story. We earlier
heard from the Speaker,” he added.
The APC chieftain further said the
meeting with Jibrin was to get “a better briefing” because the party had
to be carried along as the Speaker and Jibrin were members of the APC.
“We should know directly from them what is really going on,” he added.
When he was asked if the crisis had been
resolved at the meeting, Shuaibu said, “I said we are discussing with
them and the discussions are not concluded.
“We will continue to consult. We are not
done with them. We sat with the Speaker earlier. We just finished
talking with Jibrin. If the need arises, we will have a round-table
discussion with both of them.’’
Jibrin also told journalists that he and the party leaders discussed “extensively” at the meeting on the crisis in the House.
He said, “We will continue to discuss. I
will continue to honour the invitation of the party, respect the party,
and I am sure that whatever it is, you will know in due course.”
When our correspondent asked Jibrin why
it took him so long before coming out on the alleged padding of the 2016
budget, he said, “I want to restrict my discussion to the party’s
invitation.”
Jibrin, from Kano State, had on Monday
submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission
and the Nigeria Police Force against Dogara and some leaders of the
House.
A party source, who spoke to our
correspondent after the meeting, lamented that the crisis in the House
was embarrassing the party.
The source, who was privy to the details
of the Tuesday meeting, said Jibrin was warned against seeking
out-of-party ways to air his grievances with Dogara and other leaders of
the House.
The source said, “Although the issue is a
legislative matter, what is going on in the House of Representatives is
denting the image of the APC. The party should have been invited to
mediate between the warring sides rather than involving the police, the
ICPC and the EFCC.”
Dogara’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, could not be reached as his telephone rang out.
A text message sent to his mobile phone at 6.01pm on Tuesday was not replied to.
Also, a National Assembly source said
the two lawmakers were invited to give their individual accounts on the
“budget padding” allegations.
“I believe that the next thing is for a competent party organ to look into the matter,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Jibrin earlier twitted that
he had received the party’s invitation, but repeated his demand that
Dogara and the three principal officers he accused of “padding” the
budget should step down.
He twitted, “I am confident that the
party will do the right thing by supporting our resolve to wipe out
corruption in the House and direct the Speaker, Dogara; the Deputy
Speaker, Lasun; the Whip, Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Ogor, to
reconvene the House immediately and step aside to face their imminent
prosecution and save the House and our country from further
embarrassment.”
Jibrin also attacked the Chairman, House
Committee on Interior, Mr. Jagaba Adams-Jagaba, calling on the EFCC to
investigate him for his past activities in the House
