themilanway:
Not just Dasuki,Sule Lamido.What's the name of the former pension wanted boss?

Even Kwarans haven't shout to high heavens the way some shout"witch hunting"of Saraki.

They are all disgruntled jonathanians.

The pension boss is Maina. You are right that most of those making noise are Jonathan/PDP fans and members. They are the only ones speaking up for crooks rather than for ordinary Nigerians who are the real victim and not over privileged likely looters like Dasuki.

Ordinary Northerners have no time to be playing politics with the Dasuki situation. It is mainly their people and land being destroyed by Boko Haram because of the sort of corruption charges Dasuki is facing . FFK, Fayose and other charlatans can rant all they want but Dasuki must be punished and as much stolen funds as possible recovered.

Buhari has learnt his Umaru Dikko lesson

OBAGADAFFI:


Don't mind these people, even PDP Olisa Metu is ignorantly accusing APC of Remita scam.

They are all crooks who supported the looting of Nigeria by their President (GEJ) and members. The Buhari government will make mistakes but its sincerity and political will cannot be doubted. Nigerians never focus on the right things. The question to ask is why the GEJ and his Party failed to activate or use the TSA nearly 2 years after signing the final agreement for its implementation in Dec 2013 yet Buhari has put the account into use within 5 months of being in power.

To discerning Nigerians, it is obvious PDP is loathe to do anything that will prevent it looting Nigeria whereas Buhari is in a hurry to block all Avenues being used to loot Nigeria and deprive ordinary Nigerians the tools of development they need. Everything that can make Nigeria better and improve the lot of the average Nigerian, the PDP and its President are always hesitant and totally unwilling to do yet Metuh will open his dishonest gob to be maligning a government that has shown a readiness to put practices and policies in place that will help Nigeria develop. Abeg Nigerians, who is fooling who?

teepain:


At the bolded, what is illegal in a contract that was won through a competitive bidding process and payment made on the basis of that contractual agreement? Was it that the service was not rendered and payment was made to the vendor or that the vendor deducted beyond the 1% agreed?




I would not blame Dino Melaye or any other person for raising questions over this issue. However, the unfounded allegations that he made while at it suggests a not so noble objective. For a Senator who has access to information more than an average citizen to public state that "a Company stole $25 billion in a single day for doing nothing was alarming". At least, if CBN had queries they could have invited CBN,System Specs and other parties for clarification and at the end of the day, they can make available their findings to the public instead of making mockery of themselves

That is my point too. I conceded earlier that the Senate must rise to its 'oversight' role but this should never be done via making incendiary statements that then turn out to be totally false. To begin with, why would Melaye indicate "one" company is stealing N25 billion a day when it is easy for him to access information that shows the 1% fee is shared between SystemSpecs, commercial banks and the CBN? Also, where did Melaye get his own highly discordant N25 billion figures from?

modath:




There is no problem with the contract in my own book, it is the uproar the government should have anticipated & put the terms the previous govt agreed to in the public domain...


All these drama would have been avoided.... The opposition is deliberately misinforming the people & there is an urgent need to correct that..

That Dino & Saraki, i don't know how or when, but they will surely get served... Disgruntled & greedy mofos they both are....

This is true. Some naivete on the path of the APC yet I feel the Party and Buhari will learn as long as Saraki, Melaye et al continue to show their hand too early and in time for the government to make amends and still retain the trust and support of Nigerians. The eagerness was to make TSA active asap so that the wholesale misappropriation of the past stopped. Yet the Government needs to start anticipating potential avenues of mischief from corrupt elements.

jomoh:








No single company is pocketing 1%.

1% of N1tr = N10b

10b divided by 3 = N3.33bn


That is about $15million for a software company is a very fair deal if you know the amount software companies around the world charge.


There is absolutely nothing wrong with the deal.

We shouldn't let our hatred for a particular party or person blind us to the truth that Saraki and his cohorts are real enemy of Nigerian citizens.

Thank you. How many times must it be repeated that the 1% fee is shared by SystemSpecs (0.5%), the commercial banks (0.4%) and our CBN (0.1%)? Why, in the first place, did Melaye , a cohort of the embattled Saraki, claim that one company is making N25 billion daily when this is entirely fictitious?

SystemSpecs, the owner company of Remita, the e-payment and e-collection software deployed by the Federal Government to drive the Treasury Single Account (TSA), has said only N7.62 billion was taken as fees by the three implementers of the project as against N25 billion claimed by its accusers.

philips70:


You guys baffle me. Where has a case of graft been alleged in the signing of the contract? Do you even know what graft is? Keep allowing political thieves to manipulate your minds.

It is really tiring. if you go to a shop and pay N50.00 for an item it is reasonable to assume you were happy to pay N50.00 for the item. You do not go to another shop and see the same item for N30.00 and then claim the original shop committed "graft" against you. The 1% figure is the total fee government negotiated with SystemSpecs (0.5%) , the banks (0.4%) and the CNB (0.1%). This is why Nigerian politicians make wild claim all the time. They know many will not inspect their utterances before working themselves into a frenzy.

obailala:
But the moment the info on the huge commissions was brought to PMB's knowledge, he instantly called for the payments to be paused and the monies paid refunded. As we speak, the FG and the parties involved are re-negotiating. Isn't that what anyone should expect from a responsible government?.... There are bound to be oversights and errors, no one is above that; but a responsible government quickly responds when issues of this nature are raised. That is the difference between the present and the past.

Thank you. All these folks saying the 1% fee is too high and that the FG should cancel the agreement are the same who would accuse Buhari of dictatorial tendencies if such happens only for SystemSpecs and others to sue the government for breach of contract. Where there is an agreement in place it is obvious to all law abiding citizens that the FG has to try and renegotiate terms amicably, if there is no breach from other signatories to the agreement, or face being sued which could then be very costly.

The source said the banks were holding talks with their lawyers and will sue the Federal Government for breach of contract.

A copy of the service agreement between SystemSpecs Limited and CBN dated December 2013, reads in part: “SystemSpecs and CBN are entering into a mutually beneficial relationship for the purpose of deploying and integrating Remita e-Payment platform and T24 Banking application to facilitate and support electronic payments and revenue collection of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through seamless interface with Government Integrated Financial Management Information System application in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in this agreement”.

The agreement also mandates the CBN to ensure that whenever payment is made through Remita, it requests an electronic transfer from her account or account of its customers . Upon such request, Remita will transfer from the funding account the amount specified to the accounts of the beneficiary banks. The CBN agreed that such requests constitute authorization for the transfers.

The agreement also indicated that either of the party shall have the right to terminate the pact where the other party commits a substantial breach of any of its obligations under the agreement which remains unresolved after 30 days written notice of the breach and intent to terminate the agreement by the other party.

Part of the agreement also said either party shall have an immediate right to terminate the agreement if the other party becomes or is declared insolvent or bankrupt, becomes subject of any proceedings relating to liquidation, insolvency or for the appointment of a receiver or similar officer or in respect of its assets.

Also, any monies due and payable to either party at the time of termination shall remain payable and become due immediately upon termination.

Ephiezy4real:


Do your calculation, whats the 1% of 2tr? and am sure Liar Mohammed would reduced it to 2tr. Dont you think we might av up to 2.5tr there? Do ur calculation and tell me what 1% of 2.5tr is

Did you read the original article at all? If your information Minsters says the 1% is based on less than N2 trillion then why try to forcefully input it is N2.5 trillion just to justify Melaye's wild claim of N25 billion fee which has now been totally discredited? SystemSpecs too has validated the utterances of mohammed by stating that it is N7.62 billion taken as fees and not N25 billion as claimed by Melaye so what is your point?

- Even if the agreement on the charges is one per cent, it could not have amounted to 25 billion Naira because the total amount of money that has accrued to the TSA is less than 2 trillion Naira.

SystemSpecs, the owner company of Remita, the e-payment and e-collection software deployed by the Federal Government to drive the Treasury Single Account (TSA), has said only N7.62 billion was taken as fees by the three implementers of the project as against N25 billion claimed by its accusers.

We can see corruption is certainly fighting back through lies and wild fabrications to discredit the government. What is sure is that there will be more accountability under Buhari whether vested interests like it or not. One has to ask where Melaye got his own wild figures from and how at all he was comfortable going public with what we now know is pure fabrication. There is almost an N18 billion naira difference between N25 billion as alleged by Melaye and the actual amount of N7.62 billion. Melaye even claimed the N25 billion was being made daily by a single company. Wholesale and deliberate misinformation of Nigerians.

http://thenationonlineng.net/n7-62b-taken-as-fees-for-tsa-says-systemspecs/

N7.62b taken as fees for TSA, says SystemSpecs
Posted By: Collins Nweze



SystemSpecs, the owner company of Remita, the e-payment and e-collection software deployed by the Federal Government to drive the Treasury Single Account (TSA), has said only N7.62 billion was taken as fees by the three implementers of the project as against N25 billion claimed by its accusers.

In a document obtained by The Nation, the firm also described the N2.5 trillion transaction volume as false, saying only N1.36 trillion passed through 20 participating banks from the inception of the project to date.

Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) last week alleged on the floor of the Senate that the firm was making about N25 billion per day for facilitating compliance by the MDGs with the TSA directive.

Melaye accused those he described as “financial scavengers and economic cankerworms” of trying to sabotage the anti-corruption war of the Buhari administration by mismanaging the TSA.

Debunking Melaye’s claims in a chat with our correspondent, a senior executive at SystemSpecs, who asked not to be named, said the e-collection company was never paid the said sum.



The top executive said that at the commencement of the project in May 2012, [size=14pt]it was agreed that one per cent of the sums collected from MDAs would be deducted and shared between SystemSpecs, the banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria in ratios of .5 per cent, .4 per cent and .1 per cent.[/size]

A breakdown of the transaction inflow via the TSA showed that SystemSpecs is to refund N3.8 billion; 20 banks to refund N3.05 billion and the CBN is to refund N760.96 million, being total fees received by the institutions.

Further analysis of the TSA transaction volume showed that N241.3 billion passed through Zenith Bank; United Bank for Africa, N150.08 billion; FirstBank, N122.01 billion; Skye Bank, N39.62 billion and First City Monument Bank, N39.15 billion among others.

Others are Access Bank, N39.33 billion; Diamond Bank, N27.28 billion; Ecobank Nigeria, N15.51 billion; GTBank, N8.78 billion; Union Bank, N14.93 billion; Wema Bank, N26.68 billion among others.

The SystemSpecs executive also said the over N200 billion, which passed through the banks from October 27 to date, was also part of the N1.36 trillion grand total figure.

The source said the banks were holding talks with their lawyers and will sue the Federal Government for breach of contract.

A copy of the service agreement between SystemSpecs Limited and CBN dated December 2013, reads in part: “SystemSpecs and CBN are entering into a mutually beneficial relationship for the purpose of deploying and integrating Remita e-Payment platform and T24 Banking application to facilitate and support electronic payments and revenue collection of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through seamless interface with Government Integrated Financial Management Information System application in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in this agreement”.

The agreement also mandates the CBN to ensure that whenever payment is made through Remita, it requests an electronic transfer from her account or account of its customers . Upon such request, Remita will transfer from the funding account the amount specified to the accounts of the beneficiary banks. The CBN agreed that such requests constitute authorization for the transfers.

The agreement also indicated that either of the party shall have the right to terminate the pact where the other party commits a substantial breach of any of its obligations under the agreement which remains unresolved after 30 days written notice of the breach and intent to terminate the agreement by the other party.

Part of the agreement also said either party shall have an immediate right to terminate the agreement if the other party becomes or is declared insolvent or bankrupt, becomes subject of any proceedings relating to liquidation, insolvency or for the appointment of a receiver or similar officer or in respect of its assets.

Also, any monies due and payable to either party at the time of termination shall remain payable and become due immediately upon termination.

System Specs was engaged to provide the Payment Gateway for TSA in 2011. While the payment leg of TSA commenced in January 2012, the collection component did not start as scheduled due to the resistance from some quarters and the absence of the political will to push this through.

RevDesmondJuju:


Why blame Jonathan for a program that you guys initiated?

I thought you fools where celebrating the TSA as one of Buhari's fake achievements?

You are confusing yourself over an issue that is simple enough. The Remita collection platform has been approved for use since 2013. Why did the GEJ government not proceed to use it for almost two years yet Buhari has put it to use within 6 months in office? Is it not like how Ribadu, through his petroleum task force recommendation, directed in 2012 that Nigeria stop selling her crude through traders only for GEJ to do nothing for three years whereas Ibe Kachickwu has announce that Nigeria, under Buhari, will stop selling crude and buying refined derivatives of crude through traders? Who is fooling who? One (the GEJ government) is clearly crooked and thieving while the other (the Buhari government) is sincere, pro-people and trying to be accountable even if it will make mistakes going forward.

Our investigation revealed that the TSA protocol was first mooted in December 2011. In January 2012, the Jonathan Presidency signed an agreement with SystemSpecs, owners of the software used for TSA deposits. The implementation phase of the agreement was then signed in December 2013 authorizing the use of TSA as a payment platform.

otil1:


I also thank for the clarification.... but my own question is, why would the current administration go forward with such a defective agreement, if you now want to blame it on previous administration. Did you not study it before pushing to go ahead with it?

Why should it be someone in far away legislative arm pointing out such an important matter to the leaders of the nation in the executive arm?

There is a big difference with what you are saying and what is happening in reality. The FG is not blaming the previous government but rather defending itself because agents of corruption have decided to hijack the TSA issue, confuse Nigerians over it and try to damage the image of the Buhari government. Why is Fayose, a PDP governor, asking the FG to reveal the owner of Remita when he most likely knows that the GEJ government signed the original agreement with SystemSpecs i.e the owner of Remita? Has a pal of Buhari gained control of SystemSpecs recently otherwise of what relevance is Fayose's demand?

Also, an agreement was in place already with SystemSpecs that allows the FG to use the Remita collection platform. The Buhari government may simply feel it can use Remita till able to renegotiate terms of the agreement. The other day I read from a commentator who posited that the Buhari-led FG wants to abrogate so many costly and financially unwieldy deals and agreement the outgoing government signed yet the penalty for doing such would be very heavy and defeat the cost-saving drive of the goverment. This is all corruption fighting back in my opinion.

chudionu58:
Idiots! So una don remember seh na Jonathan started TSA? because breeze don blow for fowl nyash?.... Fools!!!!

Why is it that it is insult alone some of you can contribute when important issues concerning the governance of Nigeria is discussed? What "breeze don blow for foul nyash"? What has happened, for anyone who can read and comprehend what is written, is that the Buhari government has been forced to defend itself from accusations of impropriety by garrulous yet ignorant mischief-makers like Fayose, Melaye et al. It is obviously important to all well-meaning Nigerians that the Buhari government officially clear the air and establish that it did not sign the 1% fee agreement with SystemSpecs.

Should the Buhari government sit around twiddling its thumbs while the likes of Fayose goes around winding Nigerians up by asking the govt to declare who "owns Remita" when that is not even relevant given that it was the outgoing PDP government that drafted in SystemSpecs (the owner of Remita) and signed the 1% fee arrangement with it? Also should Buhari remain silent while the likes of Melaye imply that the 1% fee is too high without acknowledging that the GEJ government agreed to that amount with the only options open to the Buhari Govt probably being a renegotiation of the fee at expiration of agreement term or outright cancellation if such is possible? Finally, why is Melaye going around stating that one company made N25 billion from TSA Remita deal when that is not true?

Jonathan signed the agreement and the Buhari government can only review or cancel such when/if able to do so. It is not everything we should be partial over. Sometimes things are crystal clear enough for us to see/defend what is right or wrong.

Our source revealed that, following the testy meeting, CBN officials decided to discontinue the 1% fee that was deducted from the federation account and paid to Systemspecs Limited for managing the TSA protocol. Officials of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had arranged for the 1% fee.

Our investigation revealed that the TSA protocol was first mooted in December 2011. In January 2012, the Jonathan Presidency signed an agreement with SystemSpecs, owners of the software used for TSA deposits. The implementation phase of the agreement was then signed in December 2013 authorizing the use of TSA as a payment platform.

modath:


TSA is not in the best interest of the lawmakers, they will fight it with every breath inside of them...

Indeed. I personally think Buhari will have problems with this Senate because it is full of pro-corruption scoundrels led by Saraki. Why should Melaye rush to publicly declare that one single company is made N25 billion from TSA remittance when the total amount that has gone into the TSA is not enough to yeild a 1% fee of N25 billion? What is behind this sort of mischief when the Senate, even agreeing it has oversight function, should be a partner to the executive arm instead of the peddler of erroneous and false information?

BCISLTD:
thanks for the clarification. ..but my question is why are the software owners entitled to part of the 1%...shouldn't they just be paid royalty and small maintanace fee?

Good question one would have to put to the GEJ government that signed the original deal with SystemSpecs. The TSA itself is a good idea and this is why the Buhari government decided to resurrect and use it.

Officials of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had arranged for the 1% fee.

Now it is clear, according to official statement of the FG through its minister of information, it is members of the GEJ government that negotiated the 1% fee. This clears up the controversy because it shows there is no wrongdoing on the path of the Buhari government who can only continue with the scheme, if it wants to derive the obvious benefit Remita provides, until it can review the terms of the contract or possibly cancel without heavy financial penalty.

It is important to note that Remita is a collection system and those usually attract a transaction fee based on the amount involved. The idea of royalty or maintenance fee would therefore not appeal to SystemSpecs (the owner of Remita) since the amount collected on behalf of clients may vary considerably.

Combining the article above with that below, I think we do not need a rocket scientist to show us what Melaye, Saraki et al are up to.


http://saharareporters.com/2015/11/16/how-saraki-national-assembly-leaders-secretly-opposed-treasury-single-account

How Saraki, National Assembly Leaders Secretly Opposed Treasury Single Account


BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK NOV 16, 2015

SaharaReporters has gathered more details regarding why members of the Nigerian Senate moved to clamp down on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the Treasury Single Account (TSA).


Our investigation revealed that, in October, the leadership of the National Assembly led by Senator Bukola Saraki hatched out a secret arrangement to force Central Bank of Nigeria officials to exclude National Assembly accounts from the Treasury Single Account (TSA). The legislative leaders claimed that the TSA was hampering the National Assembly’s operations.

[b]One source told SaharaReporters that some members of the National Assembly were not pleased that members of the executive branch would know details of their hitherto opaque financial transactions. They consulted CBN officials about ways of quietly opting out of the TSA. Our source stated that CBN officials could not make a commitment to remove legislative accounts from the TSA opting to inform President Buhari instead. However, when Mr. Buhari was informed of the arrangement, he immediately objected to excluding NASS accounts.

On learning of the president’s objection, Mr. Saraki mobilized other National Assembly leaders and invited CBN officials to a meeting in October. At the meeting, the legislators reportedly threatened to deal with the CBN if the regulatory bank’s officials did not exclude them from the TSA. A source familiar with the meeting told SaharaReporters disclosed that the lawmakers told CBN officials they had found out certain officials of the Buhari administration were using a third party, SystemSpecs Limited, to milk Nigeria through the TSA policy.
[/b]
Our source revealed that, following the testy meeting, CBN officials decided to discontinue the 1% fee that was deducted from the federation account and paid to Systemspecs Limited for managing the TSA protocol. Officials of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had arranged for the 1% fee.

Our investigation revealed that the TSA protocol was first mooted in December 2011. In January 2012, the Jonathan Presidency signed an agreement with SystemSpecs, owners of the software used for TSA deposits. The implementation phase of the agreement was then signed in December 2013 authorizing the use of TSA as a payment platform.

Infuriated that they failed to get their accounts out of the TSA, Nigerian senators have raised a motion calling for a probe of the TSA. They claimed that the TSA was President Buhari’s agenda to steal money from the Nigerian treasury. However, CBN officials and the owners of Systemspecs openly declared that Mr. Buhari did not sign the service agreement between the Systemspecs and the Federal Government. In a letter sent to President Buhari, they explained that the service fee paid to SystemSpecs Limited ballooned after the Buhari administration ordered commercial banks to surrender all government funds in their possession, adding that the CBN then stopped the service charges.

A senator told SaharaReporters that Mr. Saraki was also upset about the TSA because of its deep impact on Heritage Bank, a commercial bank in which he and other members of his extended family have significant ownership stake. The source disclosed that Societe Generale Bank, which Mr. Saraki’s family virtually liquidated through reckless banking practices and corruption, had re-emerged as Heritage Bank. The CBN recently approved a merger of Heritage Bank and Enterprise Bank. With the introduction of the TSA policy, “the Senate President cannot just place the Senate’s funds in a bank where he has financial stake.”

As Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Saraki often funneled state funds into banks in which he had significant interests.

Our senatorial source also alleged that Mr. Saraki’s burgeoning legal fees had made the former governor desperate to fight the TSA in order to have unfettered access to the Senate’s budget. According to the senator, Mr. Saraki had hired a score of lawyers to scuttle his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. “His legal expenses are not a joke. That’s another reason he does not like how the TSA policy is standing in the way of his ability to dip his hands into the National Assembly funds to help settle some of his legal bills,” said the legislative source.

I guess we can accept this as the FG official and unambiguous announcement on the TSA. It is clear no single business interest has made N25 billion per transaction as claimed by Melaye. Buhari will have to very careful with Melaye, Saraki et al because it is clear these guys are 'spoilers' eager to frustrate tha fight against corruption and the effort to enshrine transparency in the operations of government.

http://saharareporters.com/2015/11/17/president-goodluck-jonathan-regime-signed-tsa-agreement-1-fee-minister

President Goodluck Jonathan Regime Signed TSA Agreement With 1% Fee - Minister


BY SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORKNOV 17, 2015

The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has declared that the funds that have accrued to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) remain intact, and challenged anyone who has any facts and figure to the contrary to make such information public.



In a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister stressed that less than 2trn Naira has accrued to the TSA; as a result of which the one per cent charge on the amount cannot be 25bn Naira.

He said that apart from the resort to personal insults in the most un-dignifying statement ever credited to any state Governor in Nigeria, nowhere in his statement did Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State controvert the facts stated by the federal authorities concerning the TSA.

[b]The Minister continued: ''For the sake of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora who have been following the TSA debate, we hereby restate the facts:

- The TSA deal was initiated by the immediate past administration but only enjoyed a new lease of life under the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari because of his sterling leadership
qualities of accountability, transparency, uprightness and respect for the rule of law.
- Any agreement on the TSA charges was reached long before the present Administration assumed office.
- Even if the agreement on the charges is one per cent, it could not have amounted to 25 billion Naira because the total amount of money that has accrued to the TSA is less than 2 trillion Naira.
- Even if one per cent was agreed as charges, whatever accrues therefrom was meant to be shared among the CBN, Systemspecs (the owner of the Remita software) and the commercial banks, hence no single company could have collected 25 billion Naira as charges
- As at the time the controversy over the TSA broke, the total amount of money in the TSA was less than 800 billion Naira
- The TSA has neither been enveloped in any fraud nor has any money from the account been diverted.[/b]


The Senate's investigation of the TSA issue is within its oversight responsibilities and is never a confirmation that the TSA funds have been diverted or that indeed one single company has made 25 billion Naira as charges.”

He asserted that these being the issues, the federal government stands by them irrespective of any rabble-rousing and demeaning statement from any quarter.

baralatie:

it is practically a Fruitless case.
unless PMB wants to get Mr.Dasuki in jail at all cost.
this report is a very unreliable report in court!

How is it a fruitless case when there is likely paper trail forensic financial investigators have already uncovered? Are you unaware of the fact that many nations have promised to assist Nigeria recover looted cash? Anyway, let us continue to watch.

Toks2008:


I am weeping as i write this.
[size=20pt]
JONATHAN HAS FINISHED THIS COUNTRY AND NOW I BELIEVE IT WAS GOD THAT REMOVED HIM.[/size]

Indeed. I remember saying before the elections that Nigerians will be shocked and dumbfounded when Jonathan is ousted and revelations begin to come in about how much him and his cronies looted. Conservative estimated propose that at least $60 billion was looted under GEJ. I think the real sum is higher than that given the nature of the free-for-all every crook engaged in under GEJ.

austentero:
Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun,
has disclosed that raising the country’s non-oil
revenue is her top priority.
Forget about oil — we don’t control the price
of oil. That’s not where our problems lie,” Ms
Adeosun said according to Financial Times.
“Because of oil, we’ve ignored everything
else,” she said.
With a mindset of “we have oil” Abuja had practically
given up collecting the right amounts from other state
bodies, she explained, rattling off a list of federal
agencies she says had habitually under-reported their
revenues.
She added that she had already begun “drilling down
into the details” with ministry staff to assess how
much “parastatals” — state-run or affiliated agencies —
remit to the government.
She also praised the lack of pomp and circumstance at
the ministerial swearing in ceremony, a sharp contrast
to state ceremonies of past governments. “The
programme was a piece of paper, that’s it,” she said.
This isn’t the first time there’ll be calls for the
diversification of the country’s economy, ex Finance
Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also mentioned it.

http://naijaparrot.com/finance-minister-adeosun-unveils-top-priority-for-nigerias-economy/

I like the sound of this. All Buhari's Ministers are saying similar and this makes me confident they are all well-drilled about what should form the top priorities of this government.

FastShipping:
I said on a thread yesterday this was going to happen but some miscreants were insulting me.

Below were my submissions yesterday.

Well-said bruv. Some people think this is the GEJ government where treacherous looters and sponsors of terror will be openly identified yet still be allowed to carry on with their nefarious activities. Ali Baba (GEJ) and his forty thieves (Allison-Madueke, Dasuki et al) have finished Nigeria. arresting and prosecuting them is not enough. We need the loot they stole and stashed in all corners of the world.

allytinted:
who dasuki don help?

himself apparently.

obum88:
Dasuki wey dey under house arrest you arrest again. I don't understand

I think it was clear to the Buhari government very early that Dasuki stole a lot of money. House arrest was merely to stop him absconding. This is not the GEJ government where serious offenders are granted bail or given a head start only to 'disappear' miraculously. They have Dasuki where they want him. He can now be arraigned with the new findings presented as evidence to secure his conviction.

Simply mind-boggling. When some of us raised alarm over the poor, wretched and ill-equipped state of the Nigerian army, despite the disbursement of $13 billion to fight Boko Haram, supporters of GEj shouted indignantly. With these revelations we are justified. Dasuki should be tried, jailed and made to return as much of the looted funds as possible.

Katsumoto:


First, I never stated that you insulted the said men of honour; I stated that you sully their names. And I posit that you do so because you want to elevate or defend Tinubu. On this thread alone, you have mentioned their names severally. Why is that? Like I stated earlier, Fawehinmi, Soyinka, Solarin PROVIDED a social conscience for the nation at great risks to their lives, health, well being, finances. To reduce them to failed politicians to make a point is what I refer to as 'sully'. See below for one of several posts you made mentioning their names.



Second, you do use Kashamu and other PDP rogues as a benchmark because you continue to remind us that without Tinubu, these would be the men in power. And like I stated earlier, it would be better to use other better indices which show the improvement in the lives of the people as benchmarks. When Obama supporters want to defend Obama's record, they point to GDP today as against when he came to power, they point to inflation, price of gas, teenage pregnancy, unemployment stats, etc. They don't tell us that if Obama didn't win, McCain would be president. It is better to use positives for benchmarking. Why focus on the bad?

Third, that some political pigs want the entire political field to be a pigsty doesn't mean the rest of society has to accept it. This is where I disagree with you. I don't care for George, Kashamu, Daniel, OBJ and other PDP goons because they should never be the standards for governance. I may not be on the ground in Nigeria but I know what good governance is and know the drivers for good governance.

Fourth, grass root politics is no more than 'stomach infrastructure' politics. It is a dirty way of controlling politics. It is a feudal type system. The peasants report to an area father who in turn pledges loyalty to godfather. People can't make their own decisions because they have to be subservient and obedient to someone higher in the hierarchy. Is this what learned and reasonable people should be promoting and defending? Shouldn't we be discussing ways to dismantle this archaic, unjust, corrupt, and unproductive system?

Lastly, I am sorry but I have zero energy for negativity. I prefer to focus on what can be achieved and not what is real because our realities in this world is what we choose it to be. In addition, let us do away with name calling just because we have disagreements. I have disagreed many times with Dayo, Shymexx, etc but it is always respectful.

Please ignore any typos.

Katsumoto, I have no time for your pedantism. Either apologise or stay in your lane. That is a simple enough request. The meaning of sully is shown below and no spin can convince fair-minded Nairalanders I did anything to justify you using the word. I also did not make Buruji et al "benchmarks" of leadership as you claim. Anyway, let us leave issues and face the thread. I really don't care for any back and forth.

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=sully%20meaning

sully
ˈsʌli/Submit
verbliterary
damage the purity or integrity of.
"they were outraged that anyone should sully their good name"
synonyms: taint, defile, soil, tarnish, stain, blemish, besmirch, befoul, contaminate, pollute, spoil, mar, spot, make impure, disgrace, dishonour, injure, damage
"he never sullied his lips with swear words"
make dirty.
"she wondered if she dared sully the gleaming sink"

http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sully

sully

To sully is to attack someone's good name and to try to ruin his reputation.

pcicero:
Great discourse from all contributors.

It irks me when simple things are made difficult in Nigeria.
I think one of the areas where this government should focus on is minning of the mineral resources needed for national growth.

Massive exploration of bitumen can speed up the road transformation of the length and breadth of Nigeria.

It will also lead to massive employment.

Most of the agitation bedevilling the country are usually triggered by perceived marginalization in terms of infrastructural development.

correct. I think Nigeria, under the new Ministers, and with Buhari supporting them, will be a massive construction site shortly. I really believe that Buhari chose well in Kachikwu, Fashola, Amaechi, Fayemi and Ogbeh. My worry remains corruption and its ability to "fight back" (Ribadu). The article below shows what Buhari and his 'good guys' are facing and why Nigeria should pray for them. I don't want to taint this lovely thread with politics but the revelation below is disturbing and worrying.

http://saharareporters.com/2015/11/16/how-saraki-national-assembly-leaders-secretly-opposed-treasury-single-account

How Saraki, National Assembly Leaders Secretly Opposed Treasury Single Account

BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKNOV 16, 2015

SaharaReporters has gathered more details regarding why members of the Nigerian Senate moved to clamp down on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the Treasury Single Account (TSA).


Our investigation revealed that, in October, the leadership of the National Assembly led by Senator Bukola Saraki hatched out a secret arrangement to force Central Bank of Nigeria officials to exclude National Assembly accounts from the Treasury Single Account (TSA). The legislative leaders claimed that the TSA was hampering the National Assembly’s operations.

[size=14pt]One source told SaharaReporters that some members of the National Assembly were not pleased that members of the executive branch would know details of their hitherto opaque financial transactions. They consulted CBN officials about ways of quietly opting out of the TSA. Our source stated that CBN officials could not make a commitment to remove legislative accounts from the TSA opting to inform President Buhari instead. However, when Mr. Buhari was informed of the arrangement, he immediately objected to excluding NASS accounts. [/size]

On learning of the president’s objection, Mr. Saraki mobilized other National Assembly leaders and invited CBN officials to a meeting in October. At the meeting, the legislators reportedly threatened to deal with the CBN if the regulatory bank’s officials did not exclude them from the TSA. A source familiar with the meeting told SaharaReporters disclosed that the lawmakers told CBN officials they had found out certain officials of the Buhari administration were using a third party, SystemSpecs Limited, to milk Nigeria through the TSA policy.

Our source revealed that, following the testy meeting, CBN officials decided to discontinue the 1% fee that was deducted from the federation account and paid to Systemspecs Limited for managing the TSA protocol. Officials of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had arranged for the 1% fee.

Our investigation revealed that the TSA protocol was first mooted in December 2011. In January 2012, the Jonathan Presidency signed an agreement with SystemSpecs, owners of the software used for TSA deposits. The implementation phase of the agreement was then signed in December 2013 authorizing the use of TSA as a payment platform.

Infuriated that they failed to get their accounts out of the TSA, Nigerian senators have raised a motion calling for a probe of the TSA. They claimed that the TSA was President Buhari’s agenda to steal money from the Nigerian treasury. However, CBN officials and the owners of Systemspecs openly declared that Mr. Buhari did not sign the service agreement between the Systemspecs and the Federal Government. In a letter sent to President Buhari, they explained that the service fee paid to SystemSpecs Limited ballooned after the Buhari administration ordered commercial banks to surrender all government funds in their possession, adding that the CBN then stopped the service charges.

A senator told SaharaReporters that Mr. Saraki was also upset about the TSA because of its deep impact on Heritage Bank, a commercial bank in which he and other members of his extended family have significant ownership stake. The source disclosed that Societe Generale Bank, which Mr. Saraki’s family virtually liquidated through reckless banking practices and corruption, had re-emerged as Heritage Bank. The CBN recently approved a merger of Heritage Bank and Enterprise Bank. With the introduction of the TSA policy, “the Senate President cannot just place the Senate’s funds in a bank where he has financial stake.”

As Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Saraki often funneled state funds into banks in which he had significant interests.

Our senatorial source also alleged that Mr. Saraki’s burgeoning legal fees had made the former governor desperate to fight the TSA in order to have unfettered access to the Senate’s budget. According to the senator, Mr. Saraki had hired a score of lawyers to scuttle his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. “His legal expenses are not a joke. That’s another reason he does not like how the TSA policy is standing in the way of his ability to dip his hands into the National Assembly funds to help settle some of his legal bills,” said the legislative source.

raumdeuter:


I know how all these work. All of us would be here saying things Idealistically. How it should work, How no one should be unemployed, How the roads should all be good etc blast whoever is in Power whereas in the real world, None of these can work because of the peculiarity of the politics

That is why in my post yesterday I stated that Solarin, Soyinka, Gani, Babatope, Fayemi, Fashola etc these are the best any society can wish for, They have all at some time been in public office or tried to

All of them either failed or got booted out by inferior people

There is a difference between idealism and realism

Watching the Republican debate some weeks ago I saw Governor John Kasich said. Its easy to come on these stage and promise heaven go in public and say anything but when you have to deal with the vagaries on ground the reality is different

Suggest realistic options that would cut salaries without an electoral backlash. Using examples of people that have done it in the past but we dont have that

Quick question: Assuming Tinubu dies today, Is it the likes of Solarin or Soyinka that would assume power in the SWest?

thank you Dayo. It is your question at the end I similarly asked before some mischievously claimed I make Kashamu a "SW leadership benchmark" and "sully" the name of Soyinka et al.

Why see the truth, especially when very intelligent, and deny it or try spin it? Has history not shown us that SW grassroot politics, because of the peculiarity of Nigeria, favour the Kashamus of the world and rarely ever the Fayemi, Amosun and Ajimobi type till Tinubu came along?

I will tell the forum a real story that vividly illustrates my point. When Amosun became governor the first to come calling were Osoba et al. They reminded Amosun of the montly 'settlement' of awon boyz Amosun is obligated to pay. If I remember correctly, this sum was around N5- N9 million back then. Amosun insisted it was too much and that he would not pay it because he wanted as much money as possible available for the development of Ogun State. It was that day Osoba and others decided Amosun had to go and this is why they tried to use the SDP Party revival to throw Amosun out and once again control the purse string of Ogun State. Luckily for Amosun, Tinubu backed him privately after the former Lagos governor tried to resolve the impasse only to note Osoba and co were not reasonable and only wanted to run Amosun out of office. In the end Amosun overcame them and gained a second term. Imagine running a State and fighting such powerful forces of sabotage? how many of us, especialy those calling these leaders "failures", can do it?

Now the whole forum should consider whether Kashamu, OGD, Alao-Akala et al would ever hesitate to pay this 'Chicken change' amount and even much more to the detriment of the people. Will Soyinka, Fawenhinmi et al agree to pay? Is it then not obvious why the likes of Kashamu would always enjoy grassroot 'strongmen' support and why Soyinka et al never will? If Tinubu was not around today then it will simply be business-as-usual and we would never see 'aje butter' technocrats like Osinbajo, Kemi Adeosun, Fayemi, Amosun and Ajimobi controlling huge political office. That would be the preserve of the acolytes of Adedibu and co who will help you into office to then insist you bring a significant amount to them monthly.

I honestly don't and will never like idealism. It is very dangerous and can render even the brightest men and women totally ineffective. As Akanbi Edu observed, the SW is now allied to the centre and able to make of our future what we have not had the chance to even dream of since 1999. That is what we should focus on now because the degree of Dubai-style success we all want to see is not achievable without the assistance of the centre. This is a fact however anyone wants to simplistically insult SW governors and label them "failures". Even as I am unsure of Aregbe today, I am fairly sure the likes of Amosun and Ajimobi are some of the best administrators we parade and still able to move their SW States forward once Nigeria is thriving because the centre is delivering what only the centre is able to deliver. With Ambode, it is simply too early to judge him.

superstar1:


You cannot stay off the thread Gbawe. You want the best for the yoruba nation, likewise majority of us ventilating here.

You have your opinion and others have theirs, whether based on prejudice or not. We all respect each others views. All of us cannot sleep and face the same side and likewise there is nobody that bears ''We''. Collective reasoning brings out the best out of a society.

Superstar, I respect the opinion of others but that should not be at the expense of wholesale lies being told against my person and utterances. You go and read the particular post to see if I ever made Kashamu a a SW leadership "benchmark" or "sullied" the name of men I have singularly always defended here.

If you agree I never implied that then do the right thing and speak to the person in the wrong and not me. I won't tolerate lies against me or anyone spinning what I wrote for their own need to play to the gallery. It is plain wrong and nairaland ERS should show the readiness to call a spade a spade here. No one is above criticism here or above the implied rules of our association which is that wrong against others is wrong . Anyway let us move on. I have made my point.

Shymm3x:


I so much love this submission, Sir/Lord/King Katsumoto.

Even Messr Putin the emperor had to clap for you.

Shymmex I know you rate Katsumoto but it is better to be principled and honest always. I never inferred anything he claims I did and you should have the innaye devotion to honesty to call wrong as wrong instead of cheer for it.

Katsumoto may be able to do no wrong in the eyes of some but I would hope there are still some here able to upbraid him when he is wrong as I have never shied away from doing. It is very injurious for him to claim falsely that I "sully" the name of Fawehinmi, Soyinka et al.

Dayokanu/Ramdeuter and Akanbi Edu are some of the fews who always stand up to Katsumoto while others give him a free pass to say what he wants whether true or, in this case, totally false. The fact is that Soyinka, Fawehinmi et al neve got far despite their involvement, at one time or the other, in politics while Kashamu and others like him are elected political leaders. When I make this point, which is a statement of fact, how is that to be interpreted as me insulting Soyinka et al when they are Yorubas I respect immensely?

raumdeuter:


When I said there is a difference between idealism and reality this puts it clearly.

Reality is that Buruji, Daniels and Bode George are present and ready to pounce on power if Tinubu is off the stage. PDP, Buruju are no bogeymen they are the reality of our time. They exist. Oyo State was ruled by Akala, and Teslim Folarin, Lagos state was going to be ruled by Obanikoro, Kashamu rules Ogun, Fayose rules Ekiti

Fawehinmi actually went into politics, How did he fare there? Did he win a single LGA out of over 700 in Nigeria

Tai Solarin was given People's Bank to handle how did that experiment end?

Wole Soyinka was put in charge of FRSC, How did that end?

And about the Saraki swipe, I dont think that takes anything away from Tinubu. Awolowo had people who didnt buy into his ideology and actually sent Awo to jail without being able to achieve his goal

Thank you Dayo !!! The point I make about Kashumu et al is what you correctly interpreted because I wrote without any ambiguity that would lead anyone to believe I am "like a parent scaring children with bogeyman names". For this who truly know SW politics and are willing to say the truth regardless of whose Ox is gored, when has politics on the ground ever favoured the So Yinka type ahead if the Kashumu until Tinubu came along? This was my simple point till Katsumoto, for whatever reason, decided to lend wholesale misinterpretation to what I wrote.

This is why I sometimes stay off threads like this because they become an arena for for some to attempt to shine at the ezpense of others rather than an honest platform to use in seeing and saying the truth for the betterment of Yoruba land and indeed Nigeria.

Katsumoto:
Gbawe

Your argument is simple - you have made PDP in the SW a benchmark. You aren't providing any widely accepted indices as benchmark; instead your benchmark is Buruji, Bode George, Gbenga Daniel and other persons of low stock. Has the Yoruba stock fallen to bad that these persons are now the benchmark. Your strategy is similar to that used by parents in scaring kids with the bogeyman; in this case OBJ & George are the bogeymen.

Katsumoto, your argument is by far the more simple and populists, for the sake of it alone, because you don't seem to understand the rudiments of SW politics and simply postulate that its current crop of leaders are "failures". For example you claimed earlier that Amosun, Ambode et al are failures. How can Ambode who has been a governor for around 6 months be deemed a failure by any reasonable person? How is Amosun a failure for anyone who is truly conversant with the many achievement that has seen him praised universally? You then claim I use George, burji Kashamu as a benchmark. This is highly dishonest and I resent it. in fact this is why I avoided your posts earlier even when I saw the huge flaw in thinking and interpretation behind them. For the avoidance of doubt, and for those who read my posta nd understand it, it is 100% I stated that but for Tinubu, it is George, kashamu et al who will hold sway because everyone truly conversant with SW politics know that grassroot issues heavily favour the emergence of those sort as Yoruba leaders.

[b]To mark matters worse, you sully the name of great men - Soyinka, Fawehinmi, Solarin, etc to make a point. Are those men politicians? [/b]They simply provide a social conscience for the nation. Why don't Indians compare their politicians to Gandhi?

Yoruba are capable of much more and these scaremongering tactics are for the middle ages and not this age. Most of the posters here are well educated and intelligent folk. We know why Obama is better than bush visavis employment, GDP, Inflation, education, etc stats. To espouse the qualities of Tinubu, that is where you should start from. Leave pigs and thugs out of benchmarks.

What really is the political ideology of Tinubu and the APC? Don't make him into a demagogue

katsumoto, this is more shameless dishonesty and another entirely false interpretation that is simply incongruous with what I wrote. It is crystal clear to everyone I never insulted Soyinka, Fawenhinmi et al. Imerely sought to show that even as these men of integrity never hid they simply did not have the political or grassroot skills/connection that would have propelled them into influential political positions. My posts are still here and I really don't know why, how and for what reasons you have come to these grossly erroneous conclusions. I can only assume gbawe is the bad guy on this threas and opposing/twisting anything he says pays dividends with the likes of Shymmex.

forumers help me judge and speak up for what is right and fair. Where and how did I sully the name of Soyinka, fawenhinmi below? i really don't like this brand of open dishonesty and playing to the gallery. It should not be coming from you Katsumoto.

Nature abhors a vacuum. If Tinubu is absent, thus creating a vacuum, history has show the pragmatic and practical Yoruba that it is not Solarin, Soyinka, Fawehinmi et al who can plug that vacuum. It is the likes of OBJ, Adedibu, Fayose, OGD et al who emerge to control SW politics and direction. Tinubu has the right balance of good and bad to help the SW on its march towards progress. He has the goodness to empower the Fashola, Fayemis, Ajimobi et al and the readiness to do the bad/dirty work, that Soyinka et al are incapable of, in the effort to defeat the OBJs, Faseuns, Adams, Adedibus et al a their own game. Minus Tinubu then Soyinka and Fawehinmi, as we have seen first hand, will not/cannot stop OBJ et al getting away with enslaving the SW and miring us in gangster politics.