From James
the problem is that BANKOLE is not being
honest,we are currently spending too
much money sustaining the likes of
Bankole,the whole busines apparatus of
nigeria is sucking the country dry.We
need to invest our money properly,we
cannot contiue to act like fools.This
government drained the foreign
reserves,has an ineffective anti
corruption ministry.the budget of the
national assembly alone is larger than
the budget of some states yet bankole
says that democracy is a work in
progress,if that is the case then why is
soo much money expended on these
amateurs.

From Clem Okonkwo

Fellow Nigerians, reading this interview
rejunevates pain of privation, pains
of hunger and thirst, disagreement,
sensations, pains resulting of excessive
heat, pains of disease- acute and uneasy
sensations and insdispositions to which
human nature is liable, and pains of
obnoxious contradictions.
What kind of democracy do Nigerians
actually enjoy, is it the sporadic
kidnappings, armed robberies, political a
extra-judicial assasinations, religious
violence, educational strangulations,
arbitrary arrests and detentions without
trials, intimidations, opinion censorships;
looting the
Treasury, police state, disreagds to
Lawand Order by the ruling elites;etc ?
Nigeria like any other nation in its
wavelenght cannot move forward
because its leaders have rendered the
nation absolutely useless. The scarce
rsources were all looted by members of
the legislature. You cannot
transact business without investment.
The nation cannot grow if it could not
save especially where we have
recklessly spent all what we had and
overborrowed beyond our gross
national product. Lack of accountable
record of accomplishment does not sit
well of any continuity. What happened
to Electricity Power supply and the
disappeared infrustructures that moved
to Ghana in response to Nigerian
product contents ? Why has
the Agreed Minimium Wage program still
not yet implemented and why must it
used as an Election ploy ? In
consideration of Educational impacts
when would the academic staff strikes
stop hindering student dreams ?What is
the Federal injectable interest into our
educational system in terms of funding,
updating, research, productions, awards,
secondments
and youth assisted programs including
loans, bursaries, scholarships and
vocational jobs/sponsorships ?
What is the Federal efforts in terms of
indigineous industrial reformations,
provisional loans and grants for
innovations, new ventures, employment
trainings ? What incentives are available
for industrial project alliance, industrial
retooling and enterpruanuarships? How
could Nigerians survive
on routine abandoned and incomplete
federal assignments and mass lay-offs ?
Nigerians should free themselves from
this shackles of slave vitues and discard
the uselss umbilical cord of leadership
rthey had grossly relied upon as the
lame relied on his crushes. We don't
need anyone less intelegent and less
knowledgeable than us to tell us what to
do. We are all born equal in this world
but fear seems to be the crippling factor
to many. Any Nigerian who expects
someone else to do for him what he/she
could do not accomplish be self is not
worthy of being called a hardwrking
citizen. We are masters of ourselves and
captains of our souls. Nigeria is
now on the move and to Hell with
Treasury Looters. Move on or be moved.

How Mark, Bankole, Others share N500 billion yearly …Fleece Ministries, Agencies, Committees of billions of naira

Senate President, David Mark who faces an uphill task in his reelection bid in Benue, and Chairman, Appropriations Committee, Iyiola Omisore, may have upped the ante of fraud in the Senate as they have reworked the system which enables them, in concert with the leadership of both chambers, to fleece ministries, agencies and even committees of billions of Naira each budget year.

From investigations and reports from whistleblowers, Pointblanknews.com gathered that Mark, Bankole, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada and other principal officers of the National Assembly share a whooping N500 Billion annually from inflated budgets of Ministries and Agencies.  

There are also new revelations as to why the leadership of the senate and some senators killed suggestions by some of their colleagues that their wages and allowances be published for Nigerians to see. This came in the wake of the shot from Central Bank Governor, Sanusi, who alleged that over 25 per cent of the nation’s budget is spent on the National Assembly member recurrent.

But spokesman to Mark, kola Ologbondiyan, in a chat with Pointblanknews.com, described the allegations as baseless, even though he acknowledged that the system could be abused. He tried to justify the huge quarterly allowance tagging it ‘running cost’ and dismissed calls for the emoluments of senators to be published in the newspapers.

Pointblanknews.com learnt that even though there were more qualified hands for the appropriations committee chair, Mark had insisted that it should be Omisore, who has introduced novel means of stealing from the system

According to top sources in the senate all the monies taken illegally from ministries, and committees through what is called ‘first line charge’, are often shared between, Mark, Omisore, Deputy senate President, senate leader, Speaker Deputy speaker, chairmen of Rules and Business, and Appropriation.

This arrangement is not going down well with most committee chairmen. They are not happy that Mark who gets N250 million as quarterly allowance should still jerk up their budget through appropriation, with the spoils not getting to them( committee chairmen). Deputy Senate President gets N170 million, while the ‘floor members’ get N45 Million each quarter. This allowance is different from their monthly wages and allowances.

Some of the aggrieved chairmen who spoke with Pointblanknews.com said after they have tidied up their respective budgets, Omisore with support from Mark jerk up each to the tune of about N2billion.

According to them, the appropriations committee also adds no less than N5 Billion on top of each ministry and agency budget. With over 100 ministries and agencies, the total runs into several billions.

Investigations also revealed that in 2010, Senator Grace Bent, the Senate Committee Chairman on Environment had a running battle with Mr. John Odey, the Minister for Environment over the Minister’s refusal to jerk-up the budget of the ministry. The battle was said to have led to a delay in handling the ministry’s budget by the Senate Committee. It was not clear how the issue was later resolved.

Pointblanknews.com sources hinted those committees also rake in billions from their ministries. They also make some adjustments which are often agreed to by the affected ministers. Said one source” the chairmen make additions so they share the spoils with the ministers. Often times the chairmen make additions and ensure those projects to be executed by the ministries are done by their own men. Unfortunately, most times the contracts are not done”

 

The source continued “ that is why you see the Federal Budget running into trillions with nothing to show for it. The National Assembly adds billions, the chairmen add their own, and the ministers do theirs too. They take out huge chunks through first line charge. The last time it happened some of the chairmen protested at our executive session, but the ( Senate) President dismissed it, saying he will look into it.”

Ologbondiyan said “these things they are alleging are not feasible. The budget is not cash. So how do you agree with a minister to jerk up a budget when you don’t know his disposition? Off course the system could be abused. Every arm of Government has running costs. The senate can’t be different. Those clamoring that the senators should publish what they earn should publish theirs. Let those senators publish what they earn”

Pointblanknews.com also gathered that shortly after the CBN Governor’s allegation, the Senate held a debate. At that debate, some senators, like Uche Chukwumerije and Bode Olajumoke urged their colleagues to publish what they earn. But at the executive session (closed door), Mark and the leadership dismissed it.