₦airaland Forum

By JOSEPH MAURICE OGU

Ghana has taken over from South Africa as Africa’s leader in the gold mining industry, data from both Ghana Chamber of Mines and Minerals Council South Africa, show.

The data which cover a period of 2014 to 2018 show that, though Ghana’s output has not increased fantastically since 2014, South Africa’s productions have, however, dropped drastically over the same period.

The reason for the shrinking of South Africa’s output has been attributed to the regular strikes, high cost of production and the difficulty of having to mine from the deep site mines in the country, which has been described as having the world’s deepest mines.

Meanwhile, the biggest economy in Africa, Nigeria, is still struggling to get its house together in the mining industry.

Characterised with artisanal miners, unregulated mining activities and banditry, Nigeria is yet to make significant returns from its deposits of gold across over 15 states.

With the current insecurity in the country, especially in Zamfara and other mining sites, Adamu Adamu, CEO, Adamu Resource, said that cumulatively, Nigeria loses several billions of naira on daily basis as a result of the loss in revenue, expenditure on security, displacement of miners and equipment, and loss of lives and properties.

According to Adamu, if Nigeria had taken mining seriously like Ghana and South Africa, mining would have contributed significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, probably ranking high in the mining index in Africa.

“But presently, Nigeria is not known as a mining country,” he said by telephone to BusinessDay.

Due to the challenges of mining in South African, some big players in the industry such as AngloGold Ashanti and Gold Fields are considering moving their interest to other countries, including Ghana.

Hilary Nwagwu, a retired university don, said such companies are not looking towards Nigeria because Nigeria has not put in place what investors in the mining industry are looking for.

Insecurity, geological mapping, modern laboratories, consistent government policy are some of the things investors in the industry look out for before going to invest their money in any country.

According to him, if Nigeria had invested in mining industry over the years, the country would have been a choice destination for the miners leaving South Africa.

“They may not consider coming to Nigeria now because we do not even have infrastructure on ground,” said Nwagwu.

Ghana has been able to organise its illegal miners (known as galamsey) into a manageable associations, thereby giving the country more revenue from its gold resource.

Illegal miners remain one of the biggest challenges Nigeria faces in its mining industry.

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi has accused politicians, royal fathers and influential indigenes of Osun state of sponsoring illegal gold mining activities in the state.

In an interview with Punch, Oba Akanbi alleged that some prominent politicians and royal fathers are hiring labourers who are predominantly youths of northern extraction to engage them in illegal mining activities in the state.

He however, urged the Federal Government to stop individuals from mining gold, saying it is a solution to the security challenge created by the large presence of northern youths in the Ife/Ijesa axis of Osun State, Punch reports.

The royal father also advised Osun State government to take over the mining business in the state.


He said, “Those Hausa Fulani are looking for jobs, and they have jobs on mining sites in the state. The Fulani labourers don’t need visas to enter Osun State because Nigeria is one. People go to where they can find jobs.

“Big men, politicians, traditional rulers in the state are behind illegal mining in Osun and the solution to the security challenges the large presence of the labourers from the North has created is that government should take over that business.

“There is no legal framework for their activities there. There is no law; and where laws are not applied, people will just be acting as they like. Government should take over the business and manage it.”

You’ll recall that the Federal Government recently stopped illegal gold mining in Zamfara state following a spate of crises over gold mining in the state.

The urgent role and responsibility of state and federal administrators is to carefully dismantle the system, supporting families' welfare and re-uniting kids with their parents while placing those who cannot be reunited into proper orphanages and up for adoption.

Dr. Issa Perry Brimah

There is no dressing that can turn a pig into something else. It will remain a pig. The Nigerian Almajiri tutorship system is illegal. It is unconstitutional and a violation of Nigeria's laws, the universal Child's Right Act and God's laws.

In this regard, previous and current administrators who have attempted to use the infusion of money to address Nigeria's abhorrent Almajiri child-abandonment program which has set Nigeria as the world leader in out-of-school children, are violating the law.

The urgent role and responsibility of state and federal administrators is to carefully dismantle the system, supporting families' welfare and re-uniting kids with their parents while placing those who cannot be reunited into proper orphanages and up for adoption.

Among other rights listed below under the Child's Right Act which Nigeria adopted in 2003, every Nigerian child has a right to dignity, to free Universal Basic education, to a family, to protection from forceful displacement against his or her will, from child labor, from exploitative labor and any other form of exploitation. The beginning part of this list can be read below and more in the appended source link.

The Holy books are not less explicit in protecting children from abandonment, exploitation, forced labor, begging to survive and all forms of abuse. These are the very customs Prophets came to disrupt.

'...and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them.' Quran 6:151

"Fear Allah and treat your children with equal justice." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, as narrated by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar, “… and your child has rights over you.” Muslim, 1159.

It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Beware. every one of you is a shepherd and every one is answerable with regard to his flock. The Caliph is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects (as to how he conducted their affairs). A man is a guardian over the members of his family and shall be questioned about them (as to how he looked after their physical and moral well-being). A woman is a guardian over the household of her husband and his children and shall be questioned about them (as to how she managed the household and brought up the children). A slave is a guardian over the property of his master and shall be questioned about it (as to how he safeguarded his trust). Beware, every one of you is a guardian and every one of you shall be questioned with regard to his trust.” al-Bukhari, 2416; Muslim, 1829.

Parents must take up their responsibility to shepherd their house and Nigerian government must immediately rise to its responsibilities and sworn obligations to uphold the constitution and outlaw the Almaijiri system for prosperity and God's favor to return to our land.

*CHILD’S RIGHT ACT*
PART I
Best Interest of a Child to be of Paramount Consideration in all Actions.

SECTION
1. Best interest of a Child to be of paramount consideration in all actions.

2. A child to be given protection and care necessary for his well‐being.

PART II
Rights and Responsibilities of a Child
Rights of a Child
3. Application of Chapter IV of 1999 Constitution, etc.

4. Right to survival and development.
5. Right to name.
6. Freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
7. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
8. Right to private and family life.
9. Right to freedom of movement.
10. Right to freedom from discrimination.
11. Right to dignity of the child.
12. Right to leisure, recreation and cultural activities.

13. Right to health and health services.
14. Right to parental care, protection and maintenance.

15. Right of a child to free, compulsory and universal primary education, etc.

16. Right of a child in need of special protection measure.

17. Right of the unborn child to protection against harm, etc.

18. Contractual rights of a child.
19. Responsibilities of a child and parent.
20.. Parent, etc. to provide guidance with respect to child’s responsibilities.

PART III
Protection of the Rights of a Child
21. Prohibition of child marriage.
22. Prohibition of child betrothal.
23. Punishment for child marriage and betrothal.
24. Tattoos and skin marks.
25. Exposure to use, production and trafficking of narcotic drugs, etc.

Use of Children in Other Criminal Activities
26. Use of children in other criminal activities.
27. Abduction, removal and transfer from lawful custody.

Child Labour
28. Prohibition of exploitative labour.
29. Application of Labour Act.
Buying, Selling, etc., for the Purpose of Begging and Prostitution, etc.

30. Prohibition of buying, selling, hiring or otherwise dealing in children for the purpose of hawking

or begging for alms or prostitution, etc.
Unlawful Sexual Intercourse, etc.
31. Unlawful sexual intercourse with a child, etc.
Other Forms of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
32. Forms of sexual abuse and exploitation.
Other Forms of Exploitation
33. Other forms of exploitation.
Read more from the Child's Right Act: https://placng.org/new/laws/C50.pdf

ENDS Invites You To Feed An Almajiri In Annual Eid Party Event: http://ends.ng/ends-invites-you-to-feed-an-almajiri-in-annual-eid-party-event/

phelonrays:
[/s]......

Perhabs this poll was done majorly on Fulani Herdsmen who knew nothing about the current situation of the country

*spits*

Council chairmen starved of funds by the governor suddenly received a multi-million naira car each procured with a fraction of their statutory allocation.

Koko Robson and Michael Etok, went to Governor Emmanuel’s hometown of Onna, where the council boss had allegedly sent thugs to maim councilors for demanding to know how much allocation was sent by the state government.

By Rilwan 

Sir: I have come to the pathetic realization that Akwa Ibom State has retrogressed beyond immediate salvation. Contemporary goings-on even indicate that we have speedily retrogressed to depths unimaginable. Akwa Ibom has become an absurd theatre where the powers that be boldly perform stunts to the chagrin of the exploited masses.

Well, for anyone in the dark on the essence of this piece, I hereby reference the fact that Governor Udom Emmanuel and the 31 Local Government Council Chairmen in the state have beaten their chests, vowing to make heavens fall now that the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has decided to activate financial autonomy for Local Government.

Nigeria’s bicameral National Assembly, at some point needed at least 24 Houses of Assembly in Nigeria to ratify its proposal for amendment of clauses in the constitution to grant autonomy to local government.

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly under the Onofiok Luke infamously aborted the proposal, hence justifying his description of the Assembly as an Iron Seal of Udom Emmanuel’s Executive Arm. In December 2017, the Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State, Uwemedimo Nwoko, at a stakeholders meeting on the proposed alteration of some sections of the 1999 Constitution convened by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, divulged thus: “The Akwa Ibom State government is against it (financial autonomy for Local government). There is nothing wrong with the joint account. What we should look at is not to abrogate the joint account, but to fine-tune it. Any attempt to create financial autonomy for the local government will collapse.”

To worsen matters, full-blown crises have broken out between council chairmen and councillors. Tales of fisticuffs in councils are rife.

Weeks ago, yours truly alongside his colleagues: Koko Robson and Michael Etok, went to Governor Emmanuel’s hometown of Onna, where the council boss had allegedly sent thugs to maim councilors for demanding to know how much allocation was sent by the state government. The Onna Legislative Council and the maimed councillors were in pitiable condition. Similar scenarios are replicated in other Local Government Areas of the state.

As far the LG financial autonomy is concerned, one would have expected the powers that be to at least sound sensible while opposing it. The State Attorney General, who, a couple of years earlier had revealed that the state was against the autonomy, recently came out to say that the state is only opposing certain clauses in the NFIU guidelines. Sir, opposing “certain clauses” means that you are faulting the autonomy.

I listened with trepidation the other day as two council chairmen went on air to say that absence of banks in some local government areas is why they are in court, challenging implementation of the autonomy. But these are people who have given no excuse for having personal bank accounts.

Council chairmen starved of funds by the governor suddenly received a multi-million naira car each procured with a fraction of their statutory allocation. That’s how slavery manifests in my state. Of course, lackeys were installed by the governor as council chairmen. The governor’s wife biological brother, Mr. Ubong Idiong, holds sway as the council boss in Oruk Anam. In Etinan LGA, Mr. Cletus Ekpo, who is the biological brother to Mr. Paul Ekpo, PDP State Chairman, is the council chairman. Yes-men were also installed in other LGA. As the antics of the Udom administration continues, one may wish to preview what posterity has in the offing for the dramatis personae.

When faced with the legendary submissions of John F. Kennedy: “When at some future date the high court of history sits in judgement on each one of us, recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state, our success or failure in whatever office we may hold will be measured by the answers to four questions: Were we truly men of courage? Were we truly men of judgment? Were we truly men of integrity? Were we truly men of dedication?”

In this regard, history will judge Governor Emmanuel and the 31 LG Chairmen harshly. Decades into the future, Akwa Ibom people will suffer the consequences of this act. bookmark their names and engrave their faces, as men who have been inducted into the hall of infamy.

Therefore, it is important for the government and other stakeholders to ensure that adequate job creation policies and social safety nets are mapped out and properly implemented to tackle unemployment and poverty in the country.

Abuja, Nigeria. June 5th, 2019 –NOIPOlls presents its compilation of public opinion polls on a monthly series of presidential approval rating to appraise the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari in his first term as President. NOIPolls has been conducting these polls on a monthly series to evaluate the performance of Nigeria’s sitting president since January 2013. This has continued through the assumption of office of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Following the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari for another term of four years on the 29th of May, 2019, we release figures from our monthly approval rating for the 4-year period (June 2015 to May 2019). The results revealed that the President’s scorecard was highest in his first year in office with an average of 63.9 percent. This could be influenced by his high rating in September and October 2015 with 78 and 80 percent respectively. On the other hand, the President’s performance was rated lowest in his fourth year in office with an average of 41.3 percent. Generally, the average approval rating of the president in his first term in office stands at 49.3 percent; with his latest rating of 36 percent in May 2019.

https://www.noi-polls.com/images//header313.jpg

Similarly, Nigerians also appraised the performance of President Buhari on specific indicators using a Likert scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents ‘Very Poor’ and 5 represents ‘Excellent’. Starting off with his 3 cardinal policy thrusts: the president was rated 36 percent on Security; 27 percent on Corruption; and 16 percent on the Economy. Correspondingly, he scored 37 percent on Agriculture and Food Security, 26 percent on Power, 25 percent on Healthcare, 24 percent on Education, 22 percent on Infrastructure, 15 percent on Job Creation, and 13 percent on Poverty Alleviation. Averagely, the President was rated poorly on all indicators analysed in his first term in office.

https://www.noi-polls.com/images//header411.jpg

In conclusion, the President recorded an average performance of 49.3 percent in his first term in office. Similarly, the President was rated poorly on some specific indicators in his first four years in office. This is no surprise to us considering our constant interactions with the public and our numerous field visits across the country. For instance, job creation recorded a poor average of 15 percent in his first term in office and this may suggest that some Nigerians are unemployed. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased from 18.8 percent in the third quarter of 2017 to 23.1 percent in the third quarter of 2018.[1] Therefore, it is important for the government and other stakeholders to ensure that adequate job creation policies and social safety nets are mapped out and properly implemented to tackle unemployment and poverty in the country.

METHODOLOGY & SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICS

NOIPolls – Nigeria’s premier public opinion polling firm, has been conducting a monthly series of approval ratings to gauge the opinions of Nigerians and measure the performance of the president since January 2013. The poll series for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration commenced in June 2015; and is typically conducted on the last few days of every month to appraise the president’s job performance for the month. So far, 48 polls have been conducted in this series (June 2015 through May 2019). During this period, pollsters from NOIPolls have spoken to over 250,000 Nigerians, with 48,000 completed interviews across the country.

The polls involved telephone interviews of a proportionate nationwide sample of 48,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above (1,000 completed interviews per month), representing the six geopolitical regions and 36 states and the FCT of the country. Interviews were conducted in 5 languages – Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Pidgin English and English. Although we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained were statistically precise (on a monthly basis) - within a margin of error of plus or minus 4.65%; we recognize that the exclusive use of telephone polling has its limitation of excluding non-phone-owning Nigerians. Nonetheless, with the country’s tele density put over 100 percent by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), we consider our telephone polling approach appropriate. Also, given the rigorous scientific process of randomization and stratification applied, we can confidently stand by the validity of our methodology and approach.

stchinedu:
Can you remind me how much the FG claims to spend on Zakky daily on food?

What happened to the Governor's case of corruption brought before the same house of assembly?

It's a general thing, just that some are still striving under 'immunity clause.'


Let's begin from the head... If the head is rotten, the whole body will suffer.

But, what do I know...after all, it's politics.

Gandollar:
Next time please summarize stuff like this. Of what benefit is it to my business if I read the whole sanusi poo?

One day, buhari's poo would be opened too.

mclorenzo:
Didn't read, too long.

StrikeBack:
They are ALL thieves so there is nothing to analyze.

Pot calling kettle Black

babakb:
Will you keep quiet, even GEJ investigated SLS as a CBN governor but could not find anything, the FG then ended up paying damages of 50 Million naira to SLS.

Gandollar will fail too.

The suspicious transactions are as follows:-

1. MASPHAL ASSOCIATE:

The company was paid the sum of W100,000,000.00 in 2014 and W39,565,475.00 in 2015.

2. PROJECT PLANNER AND DEVELOPER COMP. LTD The company was paid the total sum of W24, 163,776.17 in 2014.

3. MODERN SOCIETY CONST. COMPANY

The company received the sum of WB,749,107.00 in 2014 as payment for work.

4. WAVES STUDIO:

The sum of W9,484,500.00 was paid to the company in 2014, the sum of N 1,977,900.00 in 2015, the sum of N4,678,500.00 in 2016 and the sum of W616, 730.00 in 2017.

5. CHOSEN ONE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED:

The sum of N4,666,950.00 was paid to Chosen One Global Technologies Limited in 2015

6. FLOORS ARCHO CONSULTANTS:

The sum of W22,691,280.00 was paid to the company in 2014, N32,586,333.00 in 2015 and the sum of W1,343,903.00 in 2017.

7. ICX SOLUTION LTD:

The company was paid the sum of W 10,445,820.00 in 2015 and another N6,298,680.00 in 2016

8. HIKIMA VENTURES/S. HIKIMA & SON:

The sum of N4,041, 165.76 was paid to this unregistered company in 2014, W27,947,201 .90 was also paid in 2015, W19,162,163.50 in 2016 and lastly W5,759,825.75 was paid in 2017.

9. ABUSAIBA INVESTMENT:

The sum ofN24,184,151.75 was paid to the company in 2014 despite been not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

10. PHILKO LIMITED

In 2014 the sum of WS0,000,000.00 was paid to the PHILKO Limited.

11. CEM NIG. LTD.

The sum of W3,880,000.00 was paid to the company in 2014 and W372, 141 .00 in 2015 was paid to the company.

12. MOFHAN ENTERPRISES LTD

The sum of W1,312,500.00 was paid to MOFHAN Enterprises Ltd. in 2014 by the Kano Emirate Council.

13. MODI INVESTMENT LTD.

The sum of W38,953,552.00 was paid to the company by the Emirate Council in 2014.

14. DABO GATE IDEAL RESOURCES:

The payment of W 175,175,560.00 was effected to Dabo Gate Ideal Resources in 2014.

15. LUGO SUPPLIERS:

The sum of W14,854,500.00 was paid to the Company in 2014 by the Emirate Council.

16. JUBAILI BROS ENGE. NIG. LTD:

The payment of W3,230,829.00 was made to Jubaili Bros Eng. Nig. Ltd. in 2016.

17. CARDINAL ARCHITECTURE:

In 2015 the sum W30,000,000.00 were paid by Emirate Council to the company.

18. SHUNT ENGINEERING CO.

The sum of W-48,057,747.50 was paid to Shunt Engineering Co. in 2014 and also the sum of W22,478,491 .27 was paid in 2015 and another W29,261 ,949.93 was paid in 2016.

19. OCHOR MECHPLANT ENGR. LTD:

The sum of W 1,570,000.00 was paid to the company in 2014 by the Emirate Council.

20. CONTINENTAL OFFSHOW LTD.:

The sum of W38,750,000.00 was paid by Emirate Council to the company in 2014.

21. MAWUD Nig. Ltd.:

The sum of W583,000.00 was paid to MAWUD Nig. Ltd. in 2014 by the Emirate Council.

❖ All the purported companies listed above allegedly carried out contracts with the Emirate Council. These companies are not in existence, as search for their corporate status came out negative and virtually all the purposes for the expenditures, the amount involved and the legal status of the companies revealed prima facie case of fraud in the management of the Emirate Council funds as there were no budgetary provisions to justify the expenditure.

❖ In 2014 the sum of Fourty Three Million, Two Hundred and Sixty Eighty Thousand Five Hundred Naira (W43,268,500.00) were expended in the fueling of Generator. Thirty Nine Million Six Hundred and Ninety Thousand (N39,690,000.00) only were expended on fueling in 2015, Twenty Two Million Three Hundred and Seventeen Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Four Naira (N22,317, 174.00) only in 2016 and Twelve Million Four Hundred and Ninety Six Thousand Eight Hundred Naira (N12,496,800.00) only were expended in 2017 all in fueling. To sum it all One hundred and Seventeen Million Seven Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand Four Hundred and Seventy Four Naira (N117,772,474.00) only were expended on fueling from 2014- 2017 by the Emirate Council, the disparity in the amount so involved, the ratio at which the fuel was consumed from 43 to 22 Million called for suspicion and indicated acts of misappropriation and fraud.

❖ Also in the cause of investigation an observation was made on a transfer of One Hundred and Five Million, Five Hundred and Ninety Five Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Five Thousand (N105,595,755.00) from the Emirate Council's account to an individual account bearing the name of one Engr. Sunusi Ti]ani who happened to be the Technical Officer to the Emirate Council at United Bank for Africa (UBA) during the period of 2014-2017 at different occasions. The largest which is Twenty Two Million Seven Hundred and Seventy Eight Thousand Two Hundred and Thirty Three Naira Ninety Two Kobo (N22,778,233.92) only was transferred on 22nd September, 2015 . It was observed going by the record of expenditures from the said account that virtually all the money were withdrawn personally (self-withdrawal). This is a red flag for corruption and there is no way an individual not a corporate entity will attract such payments from Government at different interval in a legitimate transaction. This is also another trace of alleged corrupt practices and final investigation will reveal all the facts of the case.

❖ The sum of Fifty Four Million One Hundred and Eleven Thousand Fifty Five Naira (N54, 111,055.00) were expended by the Emirate Council from 2014 to 2017 on payment of airtime/data to Airtel Network Ltd. mostly on personal phone numbers. In his statement, Isah Bayero denied using his line to incur expenditure worth 25.6 Million while the remaining 29M was incurred by the Emir, his wives and Mannir Sanusi. Failure of the appearance of the invited suspects made it impossible for the Commission to conclude on this matter.

❖ Another area of concern which revealed a prima facie case of criminal bre~ch of trust by servant is where the sum of One Hundred and Fourty Four Million Three Hundred and Sixty Two Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty One Naira (N144,362,381 .00) only was spent on Hotel Accommodation, payment of chartered Aircraft and payment of Air ticket by the Kano State Emirate Council from 2014 - 2017. Out of this sum Thirty Million Seven Hundred and Sixty Two Thousand Naira (N30, 762,000.00) only was spent on Chartered flights while the sum of One Hundred and Thirteen Million Six Hundred Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty One Naira (N113,600,381 .00) only was spent for hotel accommodation and air ticket for the Emir's travels. Investigation revealed that the purpose of the expenditure which was never budgeted for is unknown and all efforts by the Commission in requesting the Council to provide evidence to justify the travels as being official proved abortive.

Another complaint was filed before the Commission by Cardinal Architecture Ltd. against the Emirate Council. Specifically against the Chief of Staff who is the Danburam of Kano on alleged nonpayment of construction work at Babban Daki.

The complainant alleged the diversion of the payment to a company called Tri-c Nigeria Limited. The complaint involved the sum of Eighty Four Million Nine Hundred Thousand and Twenty Three Naira Naira (N84,900,023.00) only alleged to have been diverted for personal use. In order to avoid duplication in the investigation, the Commission decided to erge the complaints together and treat them as one.

it was discovered that, initially the contract was awarded to Tri-c for the renovation of Babban Daki, Kofar Kudu and Gidan Sarki at Dorayi which the company sub-contracted the contract to another company (Cardinal Architecture Limited) for the Babban Daki. A payment was made in respect of the renovation of Babban Daki but Tri-c Nig. Ltd. failed to settle the sub- contractor (Cardinal Architecture Limited).

SUMMARY

It is the opinion of this Commission that Kano Emirate Council under the Chairmanship of the Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II has expended the sum of One Billion Four Hundred and Fifty Million Six Hundred and Fourty One Thousand Fourty Eight Naira Fifty Three Kobo (N1,450,641,048.53) only in various expenditures that is believed to be fraudulent and unappropriated.

In addition to One Billion Nine Hundred and Eighty One Million Four Hundred Fourty Nine Thousand Seven Hundred and Fourty Nine Naira Fourty One Kobo (N1,981,449,749.41) unappropriated but seemingly personal expenditures, making the total sum of questionable expenditures uncovered by this investigation to the tune of Three Billion Four Hundred and Thirty Two Million Ninety Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Seven Naira Ninety Four Kobo (N3,432,090,797.94) only between 2014 to 2017. This expenditures contravene the provisions of Section 120 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), Section 8 of the Kano State Emirate Council Special Fund Law 2004, Section 314 of Penal Code as well as provisions of Section 26 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended).

It is also the opinion of this Commission, based on the available evidence that Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II continued to undermine the investigation through various means which include giving instruction to all officers invited for clarification to shun the Commission's invitation. An act which is seriously affecting the process of our statutory responsibility and offends the provisions of Section 25 of the Commission's enabling Law 2008 (as amended).

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the aforementioned findings and pursuant to the provisions of Section 18 (4) of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Law 2008 (as amended), the Commission hereby recommends as follows:- (a) In view of the prima facie cases of criminal breach of trust by servant, official corruption and other related offences contrary to the Penal Code Law, Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended) and other existing Laws, the Commission recommends that the principal suspect in the person of Muhammad Sunusi II (the Emir of Kano) and all other suspects connected to this case or serving in the Kano State Emirate Council should be suspended pending the final outcome of the investigations. This is a necessary administrative disciplinary action aimed at preventing the suspects from further interfering with the Commission's investigations.

(b) The Commission further recommends that the contract awarded to Tri-C Nigeria Limited for the renovation of Babban Daki, Kofar Kudu and Gidan Sarki Dorayi should be revoked as the company belongs to one of the suspects in person of Alh. Mannir Sanusi (The Chief of Staff in the Emirate). The company failed to settle the sub-contractor (Cardinal Architecture Limited) after been duly paid. Cardinal Architecture Limited should be paid for the work carried out in the contract.

(c) The appropriate authority should be put in place to oversee the affairs of the Kano Emirate Council in line with established statutes

and policies pending the final outcome of the Commission's investigations.

(d) The Commission's further recommends for further legal action to be taken against all the suspects as soon as the final outcome of investigations is concluded and a legal advice accordingly issued out.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the above recommendations are hereby forwarded to your esteem office for further necessary action, please.

Signed.

MUHUYI MAGAJI RIMINGADO

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

News Agency of NNig

Below is the full Interim Report of investigation by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission as obtained exclusively by NAN.

Highlights of the 19-page document includes the indictment of individuals, amounts involved, obstruction of investigation by suspects and recommendations.

PRELIMINARY REPORT OF INVESTIGATION IN RESPECT OF PETITION OF

FINANCIAL MISAPPROPRIATION AGAINST KANO STATE EMIRATE

COUNCIL UNDER THE PRESENT EMIR MUHAMMADU SANUSI II

INTRODUCTION

The Commission is in receipt of a complaint filed by Concern Friends of Kano Emirate dated 28th March, 2017 on allegation of Financial Misappropriation by Kano Emirate Council under the Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II.

The petitioners raised some allegations bordering on spending the funds without due regards to due process. They alleged that, the Emir (Muhammadu Sanusi II) engaged in indiscriminate spending without regards to due process and the rule of law.

In the exercise of its powers under the provisions of Section 9 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended) the Commission launched an investigation into the allegation and in conformity with the provisions of Section 15(2) and (3) of the Commission's enabling law wish to forward the preliminary report of the investigation to the Government. The opinion of the Commission is that disciplinary action be taken before further legal action.

FACTS OF THE CASE

The case was initially filed before the Commission by Concern Friends of Kano Emirate on allegation of Financial Misappropriation by Kano Emirate Council under the Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II. In their petition they raised some allegations bordering on spending the funds without regards to due process. They alleged that, the Emir (Muhammadu Sanusi II) spent over Three Hundred and Sixty Million (N360,000,000.00) only in the provision of CCTV in the Emir's Palace. This is in addition to expenditures on hotels, chartered aircraft and many more which petitioners alleged to be well over Four Billion Naira.

INVESTIGATION

The investigation commenced in 2017 through inviting the officers who are directly connected with the maintenance of the Treasury of the Emirate for information and interview and also requested for relevant documents covering the said period of investigation which the Emirate Council complied.

In the same vein, the Commission received an information from Ministry of Panning and Budget and Office of the Auditor General Local Government

Audit in respect of:-

(a) Approved budget for the Emirate Council from 2013 to 2017

(b) Audited Financial Account of the Emirate Council from 2013 to 2017.

The Commission also got statements from the Financial Controller of the Emirate who is also the Walin Kano Alh. Mahe Bashir Wali, Sarki Waziri thee Deputy Secretary of the Emirate as well as Rufa'I Buhari who is the Treasurer of the Emirate Council.

At the peak of our work during that period an investigation into the activities of Emirate Council was also commenced by State House of Assembly. The Commission then sent a letter to the speaker of Kano State House of Assembly seeking for clarification as to avoid duplicated investigation as enshrined under Section 16(1 )(a) of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Law 2008 (as amended). The letter was duly acknowledged but never replied. (Copy attached). The Commission, as a mark of respect to the House and in fairness to the parties under investigation halted and suspended its investigation.

It was after the closure of the Assembly's investigation that the Commission then decided to re-open and continue with its investigation with a view to ascertain the true position of things.

While the investigation process was going on, another complaint was lodged by Cardinal Architecture Ltd. against the Emirate Council, specifically the Chief of Staff who is the Danburam of Kano. The company alleged that it was awarded a construction work at Baban Daki and the money was paid to Tri-

c Nigeria Ltd. but was never paid to them. The complaint bothered on Eighty Four Million Nine Hundred Thousand and Twenty Three Naira Naira (N84,900,023.00) only which was alleged to have been criminally diverted for personal use. This prompted the Commission to merge the complaint together and treat it as one.

In the cause of investigation an invitation letter was served on four personnel of the Emirate Council for discussion and clarification on some expenditures incurred and the Commission believed they are at the right position to clarify but three persons refused to honour the invitation on the instructions of the Emir. By way of substantiating the assertion, Munnir Sanusi (one of the invitees) honoured the invitation of the Commission barely a week before the subsequent matter on a separate case.

The Commission also got necessary information from the hotels, Airline companies, travelling agencies and telecommunication companies. To expedite action, the investigation officers also travelled to some of the affected companies in Abuja and Lagos in order to receive more information and clarification on some documents in furtherance of the investigation.

FINDINGS

The fund in question is regulated by the provisions of Kano State Emirate Council Special Fund Law 2004. The law provides under Section 4 that:

4.(1) "Every Local Government Council in the State shall in respect of each calendar month contribute three percent (3%) of the amount of its monthly statutory allocation into the fund

(2) The State Government shall in respect of each calendar month contribute an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total contribution of the Local Government Councils in the State made pursuant to sub-section (1) into the Fund

Section 8 Kano State Emirate Council Special Fund Law 2004 which deals with the utilisation of the funds provides that:

8. The Fund shall be utilised:-

(a) For the payment of salaries, remuneration, allowances and other fringe benefits of the persons described in the schedule,·

(b) To defray all expenses of working and managing the affairs of the Council and its properties;

(c) To defray the cost of such works of a capital nature as the Council may deem necessary from time to time,·

(d) To grant loans and make advances to the persons on such terms and conditions as the council may approve,· and

(e) To defray operational expenses that may be incurred in the course of the general administration of the funds.

The schedule to which the above section relates provides inter alia that

1. Emirate Councils and their staff;

2. Other employees of the Emirate Council"

3. Royal Guard (Dogara!),-

4. Palace Staff (Yaran sark!),·

5. Persons employed for the administration of the Fund

The Law also mandates the preparation of the budget by the Emirate Council which is required to be transmitted to the Governor for necessary action apparently in conformity with Section 11 of the Kano State Emirate Council Special Fund Law 2004.

Investigation revealed that the Emirate Council failed to forward their estimate to the appropriate authorities as required by Law establishing the fund for consideration.

❖ From 2013 to 2017 Fifteen Million Naira (N 15,000,000.00) only was approved as budget for the Emirate annually based on the submission of the Ministry of Planning and Budget vide communication No. MPB/PLN/S/309/V.l/62 dated 26th April, 2017. (Copy attached).

This suggest that, in the first place there was no budgetary provision to authorize all the alleged expenditures.

❖ The Commission also got a statement from Financial Controller who confirmed that the Emirate Council approves its budget which indicated a gross violation of Section 120 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), Section 11 of the Kano State Emirate Council Special Fund Law 2004 as well as Section 26 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Law 2008 (as amended).

❖ In the cause of the Commission's investigation some expenditures that were incurred without following due process or appears to be suspicious were uncovered. Huge sums of money were transferred to some banks accounts which were claimed to be companies' accounts.

However, the companies appears to be either unregistered with the Corporate Affairs Commission or dormant that cannot appear in the public search of the companies register. Investigations also shows that those unregistered companies are linked to some of the identified suspects in the emirate council. Investigation will later reveal the beneficial owners of those entities.

laudate:
Advertising revenue in rail stations in Nigeria and even within the coaches, has NOT been explored in Nigeria. So how can you say it is nothing to write home about, when it has not even been tried in Nigeria? Don't use advertising revenue abroad, as a criteria.

Advertising on billboards along our major highways, costs millions already. Why can't NRC go after some of that revenue, by opening up their stations to relevant advertisers?

laudate:
NRC does NOT need to increase the cost of their train tickets, nor do they need to hike the fare. All they need is to increase the frequency of their passenger service.

In other countries, the trains depart every hour and arrive on time. In Nigeria, most rail passenger services only run twice or thrice a day. Is that how to make money?

Not only that, they should explore better sources of fuel. Using diesel to power trains is expensive. The option of using natural gas turbines, or using mini IPP plants providing dedicated electricity to power the trains, could also be explored.

Finally, railway advertising is a money spinner in many places. But in Nigeria, NRC has failed woefully to monetise their rail stations and open spaces for advertising purposes.

obailala:
Nigeria claims to be a capitalist society yet we run a welfarist state amidst the almost non-existent govt income. Trains which should give revenue to govt and payback govt loans spent in building them have now become government liabilities and conduit pipe of which funds have to be budgeted by govt from oil revenue to maintain them - Sickening!

By Tope Fasua | Published Date Jun 2, 2019 6:37 AM

This is the final part of my little intervention on the rail renaissance in Nigeria. I wrote this while this column was in hiatus, before the elections. Necessity has caused the Minister of Transport to make a few changes and I haven’t used the train since that time. Things got worse at a point and arrests were made. Chaos probably still ensues. All of Nigeria’s big men now use the train, as the Chairman of UBEC and his daughter were once kidnapped on the road and his driver shot dead. I am sad that we are abandoning a very important road to bandits. Not even the novelty of having trains should cause us to do that. Here are my suggestions on improvements:

The issues for improvement

1. It is evident that there is leadership failure right from the Minister of Transport. With the level of exposure he and his executive colleagues have to how things are done abroad, he should not leave our train stations in such a disorganized state

2. Using the broken-windows theory analogy, those stations can only descend into further chaos until our rail system becomes crime and filth-ridden and any self-respecting Nigerian will avoid them like the plague, and the entire system will collapse

3. Price – Passengers will not like this, but the service is damn too cheap. A First Class ticket with full air-conditioning and the promise of a very smooth ride for two hours flat from Abuja to Kaduna, is N2,500. N1,500 is the price for an economy ticket. This is unnecessary subsidy at this age and time. A bus ride over very bumpy road, without air-conditioning and no respect for passengers’ comfort is also N1,500.  The other day, Minister Rotimi Amaechi stated that they cannot increase prices because they don’t want people to complain. He said they spend N56m monthly on each train, but only recover N16million. Invariably our politicians see train services as another avenue for pleasing constituencies? I saw at least two billionaires in the first class cabin, men who could buy the entire train network. I believe it is also not okay for people to take advantage of the cheapness of the service because that is how we kill everything in Nigeria. We must be fair to our country. We must also know that anywhere there is undue advantage like that, something bigger and more sinister is going down in high places. For now, the train service is almost becoming a ‘man-knows-man’ affair

4. Loans – Meanwhile the entire rail system is built on Chinese loans which will have to be paid back someday, whether we like it or not. Perhaps we are setting up the entire rail system to be bought over on the cheap by the Chinese, otherwise we would be struggling to rev up the cash flow so that we can begin to put something aside for payback day. The financial management of the rail sector in Nigeria is a sham, from a mile away.

5. Security – The security of the train system – from what I observed – is non-existent. The boys that we saw arrested by the police, adamantly sat on the rail tracks and forced the driver to stop. Curiously they waited and were accosted by the police. The train could have crushed them and that will be a huge scandal. There was also another news item where Minister Amaechi said that the trains could not go faster because they will crush cows. Now, with the defiance those boys showed to the train, it may be a matter of time before criminals get daring. Thankfully there are a handful of policemen on each train but we don’t have to experiment with our own era of train robberies – especially now that we are going national with the service. Also, what about terrorism? Anyone can bring in any explosives into Nigerian trains presently. The people who set up the systems seem to have become disinterested in the entire system. No system is perfect, but we should have tried to replicate what we see abroad – especially in view of our security challenges.

6. Private sector – Nigeria Railway Commission is the best example that government has no business doing business. Train service is business. Government can see the opening up of rail network as a national integration strategy but this does not justify running a moribund, decadent, and fraudulent system. This thing should be turned over to the private sector. We know that the government does not trust itself around money, but a sensible government should be concessioning the entire system for the next ten years under firm agreements and collecting its proceeds upfront at a good price. This way, even the customers will get a better experience.

7. Uptake – The uptake of the service is a clear indication of the business potentials. It is as if the government did not expect that people will show up in these numbers. If this is the case, three things can happen. One, fares should go up. Two, more train frequencies is a necessity. Three, with the number of people trying to get black market train tickets, we should be having departures every half an hour, with capacity for more frequency. This will mean investment in more trains or addition of more carriages/cabins on existing trains.

8. Nationwide potential – Train services seem to be the next thing Nigerians are waiting for. It’s a shame that Fashola and Amaechi couldn’t complete what they started in their states. These projects can transform the outlook of those states. More effort needs to be added, and more collaboration with private sector too. However, good care is needed. A few days ago, a train derailed at Ashade Market, Agege, killing one person and injuring several. From that incidence, it was evident that no one checks the fidelity of the tracks. This is another way jobs are created abroad. Every inch of a train track must be inspected every other day. Yet we say there are no jobs in Nigeria – because of blind corruption and greed which prevents our leaders from giving jobs out to those who need them. We cannot mess around with train tracks.

9. Accounting – It is evident that the authorities are not interested at all in the accountability aspect of things. It is possible that most or all of the cash proceeds of the train services are treated as slush funds (after all it does not cover the cost at all). The entire laxity around affairs is palpable. If managers don’t show seriousness around money, they can’t show seriousness around anything else.

10. Ambience – Do we believe we cannot strive towards excellence? Why would we start out in anything, with a view to achieving mediocre results? What stopped us from building train stations of international standards that every Nigerian will look forward to? It can only be because we don’t think our people deserve good things, or that they can’t handle it.

By and large, my experience with our rail system shows we have a serious leadership problem, no less. The people have no fault in this, but we aren’t properly led. Nigerians will do themselves a favour to get new leaders with a more progressive, more respectful vision for all, a sense of urgency, an unbendable resolve to achieve excellence, and attention to details.

The China Railways Construction Corporation (CRCC) has agreed to construct a 560km standard gauge railway line in Ghana at $2 billion, the same contract price as the 156km railway line between Lagos and Ibadan.

In 2016, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), a subsidiary of CRCC, had also signed a $2 billion agreement with the Nigerian government to build a 156 km railway line between Lagos and Ibadan.

A ground-breaking ceremony for the construction held in March 2017.

The railway line construction in Ghana will be funded by a credit facility from the China Development Bank (CDB).

Sinochem, an oil company in China, is also going to provide $3 billion as funding for railway construction projects. The funding is to be backed by crude oil futures.

The agreement was signed by Joe Ghartey, Ghana’s minister of railway development; Dou Yisuo representing CRCC and Henry Djaba Jnr, the managing director of Lakeland Group of Companies, who are the local content partners of CRCC.

When completed, the railway line will run through designated stations, including the terminals at Aflao and Elubo.

In addition to the rehabilitation and construction of the 560km Eastern Region railway line, the Ghanian government plans to establish assembly plants for the building of locomotive coaches and wagons that would constitute the rolling stock for Ghana Railways.

Ghartey, Ghana’s minister of railway development, recently Nigeria on the invitation of Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria’s minister of transportation, inspect and assess the railway construction projects that the Chinese Conglomerate has completed and that are currently being undertaken in Nigeria.

A cleric has given reasons why the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) cannot go after Nigerian pastors who instigate the branding of children as witches.

Many children in Nigeria, mostly in the South-South states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, have been beaten, stigmatised, and sent away into the street where they live as an outcast on the accusation of witchcraft.

Such accusation usually stems from a pastor ‘prophesying’ that a ‘witch’ child was responsible for a family misfortune – be it ill-health, job loss, or a business downturn.

Some parents or guardians sometimes go to the extent of setting their children on fire or beheading them.

Akwa Ibom, for instance, has a child rights law which criminalises the branding of children as witches, but there is nothing to indicate the law is effective.

“For a state that has a (Child Rights) law which is supposed to ensure that the right of the child is respected, you still discover daily that so many children are passing through situations that ordinarily they shouldn’t go through. And so, you wonder what has happened to that law,” Uduak Ekong, the chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Akwa Ibom state, said of the situation in the state.

“I’m worried because, for years, I have been expecting that we would see a reduction in the number of children who hawk on the street, for instance. But every day as I drive along the road, I notice that rather than a reduction, it appears to be a thriving enterprise. We have too many children on the street.”

Mrs Ekong spoke at a roundtable on child development hosted by PREMIUM TIMES in Uyo to mark the 2019 Children’s Day.

“Many of these places are not churches; they are magic houses, they are 419 centres,” Cletus Bassey, an archbishop and past chairman of CAN in Akwa Ibom told PREMIUM TIMES, Friday, when asked in a separate interview what the association was doing to deter pastors from accusing children of being witches.

Mr Bassey said, “all kinds of nonsense things” happening in the “magic centres” cannot happen in the church.

“How can you be in a church where they would bring Coke and Fanta and they will say they are doing anointment, then anoint people with Coke and Fanta?

“How do you have a man who says he is a man of God and he would be putting his legs on a woman and would say he is doing deliverance?”

People who run such “centres” are mostly uneducated, lack theological training, and are not members of CAN, Mr Bassey said.

“There’s nothing CAN can do about it, you cannot go to a family in which you are not a member and say ‘sit down here’ or ‘don’t do that again’.

“You don’t have the instruments of taking charge of those things, you are not empowered by the constitution,” he said.

The archbishop said the witchcraft phenomenon was a nationwide thing, and not peculiar to Akwa Ibom.

PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Bassey if he believes in the existence of witchcraft.

“You’ll find it in the Bible. Yes, it exists,” he responded.

“I grew up in a family where my maternal grandfather was a juju doctor and I practised it as a young man, until when I was 17 years old when Jesus came into my life and changed the whole thing about me. So, I have seen both worlds and I understand how it works.”

PREMIUM TIMES further asked him why children from wealthy families are never branded as witches.

“How can their own children be labelled a witch when they themselves don’t go home (village) with them?

“If they carry those children and keep in the village with their grandparents, go back and hear what would have happened after that.”

The archbishop said the deliverance he does for the congregants in his church – the Destiny Mission International, Uyo – is a different type.

“Deliverance is done when the word of God comes. When you preach the word of God and anything that does not agree with that, when the word of God meet with resistance the word of God takes the upper hand, and at that point in time anything can happen.

“I don’t go about, looking for people to cast demons out, I don’t go about looking for people to call witches. No! That’s not my work.

“My work is to preach the word of God. This word of God, the Bible says, is the power of God unto salvation. So there is no other deliverance than the word we preach, it is what brings deliverance.”