₦airaland Forum

Profligacy Unlimited

https://cdn.pmnewsnigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/%E2%80%A2From-Left...-Obasanjo-Yar%E2%80%99Adua-and-Jonathan.-The-wasteful-spending-of-public-funds-from-special-accounts-have-continued-since-2002.jpg

A report of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts reveals how the Federal Government has since 2002 doled out over N1 trillion from its three special accounts in dodgy circumstances for purposes other than for which they were created


A Nigerian Head of State was reported to have boasted sometime in the 1970s that the country’s problem was not money, but what to do with the billions of petro-dollars accruing to the country’s treasury at the time. With this mindset, officials of that administration and those that came after it embarked on wanton looting of public funds and wasteful spending on gargantuan projects to the utter neglect of investments that would have accelerated the country’s socio-economic development. Almost four decades after, with the country saddled with decrepit infrastructure and having one of the lowest human development indexes in Africa, the culture of waste has continued.

This fact was vividly brought to life in the report of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts’ probe into the special funds accounts of the Federal Government submitted to the National Assembly last Tuesday. In the main, the findings of the Committee indicated that, not unlike their predecessors, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, late President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan continued the tradition of wasteful spending public funds.

The Senator Ahmad Lawan-led Committee was mandated last year to conduct a status inquiry into the special funds accounts made up of the Development of Natural Resources Account, Derivation and Ecology Account and Stabilisation Account. The three accounts, owned by the Federal Government, are directly funded with 3, 1.46 and 0.72 per cent deductions from the budget. The Natural Resources Account is meant to provide funds for the development of alternative mineral resources to oil and gas, while the Derivation and Ecology Account is meant for intervention in ecological problems in the country. The Stabilisation fund is jointly owned by the three tiers of government and is meant to provide a buffer for the country in case of unforeseen contingencies such as unfavourable developments in the economy.

•Lawan: His committee made startling discoveries
Despite the defined purposes for their establishment, the Senate Committee report indicated that officials of the Federal Government have since 2002 treated the three accounts like a source of slush funds available to spend on projects and initiatives that catch their fancy. [b]The report observed that there are no operational guidelines for the administration, regulation, approval and procedures for the release of money as the “funds are practically being operated as loan granting pools. Several beneficiaries of the funds utilise them for purposes that are not contemplated by the intendment of the funds”. Thus, the bulk of the disbursements from the accounts since 2002 have been in form of loans to states, government agencies and private organisations.
The report indicated, for instance, that out of the N1.5 trillion which accrued to the accounts between 2002 and June 2012, N1.04 trillion was diverted to irrelevant purposes such as loans to foreign countries, companies and organisations. A further breakdown of the amount diverted from the intended purpose revealed that a total of N580 billion was paid out to various organisations and individuals as loans contrary to the objectives of the funds. A total of N348bn of the borrowed fund had yet to be refunded. Ironically, while the government has been talking about its determination to develop other natural resources outside oil as a way of enhancing national revenue, the funds that it could have used to do it are being diverted to other, totally unrelated purposes.

The Lawan Committee report indicated that the Development of Natural Resources Account was the most abused as 100 per cent of the disbursements were for unintended purposes. Hence, though Nigeria’s vast solid mineral resources are crying for development, not a kobo of the N701.5bn, which accrued to the account from 2002 to June 2012, was disbursed to the sector. Instead, as was stated in the report, funds were rampantly disbursed from the account as loans to government agencies and projects and for financing deficits and shortfalls.[/b]


Also, the report indicated that N2bn was granted as loan to enable payment to Gitto Costruzioni General Limited on 19 September 2005 while, in November and December 2004, N3.745bn from the Natural Resources Development Account was granted as loan to the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to buy a chancery in Tokyo, Japan. Another loan of N10.11bn was drawn from the account for the payment of arrears of monetised fringe benefits to workers in Federal Government establishments. Also, the Federal Ministry of Works drew a N15bn loan against the 2007 appropriation for the dualisation of the East-West road on 18 January 2007. The sum of N612, 276,016.65 was paid as JVC contribution deducted from Akwa Ibom grant between March and May, 2002. In the same vein, the Federal Government took another N1.3bn loan for the Derivation Escrow Account on 24 July 2003. On 18 April 2005, N864,725,036 loan was given to the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, for ID cards production, while N452,218,449.70 loan was granted the Federal Government on 9 September 2005 as payment to ADB for purchase of shares. The committee findings revealed that the Ministry of Water Resources got N14,988,625,000.02 as loan from the Natural Resources Account for the Gurara Water Project, while N100 billion was released for financing of second quarter capital on 15 May 2007, two weeks to the end of the Obasanjo administration. On 1 September 2010, the last tranche of N70bn in the account was released as loan to accelerate capital budget releases. The Stabilisation Account has not received a better treatment.

•Ekweremadu: Laments the use of money meant for ecological fund to build malls and abattoir
The Committee said disbursements from the account were for purposes wide apart from what the fund was established for. It noted for instance that a total of N191,780,136,241, about 75 per cent of the funds drawn since its inception, were given out as loans by government. They include N16.2mn to the Directorate of Pilgrim Affairs in 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively, while another N1.4bn was released to the Nigeria Customs Service as cost of revenue collection in 2005. The committee noted that N87.7bn was given to the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2010 to commence fresh voters’ registration even though the exercise was provided for in the budget. Also, N1.084bn was released to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, in the same year. Another N12bn was given to Ghana and Sao Tome & Principe as loan between 2004 and 2005. In May 2007, the Federal Government also dipped its hands into the account to grant itself a loan of N2.8bn, which it used as its contribution to the first phase of the pioneer car finance scheme for public servants in paramilitary agencies. Another N142.6mn was released to Gong Publishing Company as loan in lieu of of repayment of debt owed by local government councils on 26 September 2005. In the same vein, various loans totalling N309. 2mn were granted the Inspector-General of Police for the “purchase of vehicles for the UN Peace-keeping operations in Haiti.” In 2010, N34.9bn loan was released to Akwa Ibom and Delta states while Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Finance, according to the Senate report, also approved the release of N5bn to the Federal Ministry of Aviation, National Identity Management Commission and National Judicial Council in September 2011.
For the Derivation and Ecology Account, out of the total N329.9bn paid out, N149.9bn was allegedly diverted to other uses outsides its mandate. The beneficiaries of funds in the account are supposed to be state governments and the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA. But the Lawan Committee findings revealed that, like in the case of the other two accounts, the federal government treated the account as its piggybank where it regularly dipped its hands to dole out funds to its favoured agencies in form of loans. In 2002 for instance, the Federal Government withdrew N200mn for its Presidential Research and Communications Unit, another N800mn for resurfacing the runway of Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in 2003, and N10mn for building of abattoir in Bida, Niger State. The sum of N200mn was released to the Federal Ministry of Works for the upgrading of the Lagos-Shagamu expressway to six lanes in 2004 while a year earlier, the Nigeria Railway Corporation was a beneficiary of N150mn for the Iju-Ijoko rail dualisation project.

•Mark: National Assembly not doing enough to monitor use of funds from special accounts
Also, N750mn was released for development of Abuja Downtown Mall in 2007 and in 2009, the Federal Government drew N10.9bn to the Consolidated Revenue Fund for funding of the 2008 Appropriation Act. Also, a total of N6bn was released to the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, for the provision of engineering infrastructure at Kubwa Karshi Satellite Town in 2007 while another N1bn was released to Ogun State government for the construction of a section of Badagry-Igboho road in the same year. The abuse of the Ecological Fund was in spite of the fact that various parts of the country were facing serious environmental problems. “Section 8(82) of the Constitution states that no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation except to meet expenditure. In this situation, we have seen where money meant for the Ecological Fund is being used to develop airports, to build malls and to build abattoir,” noted Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate President. President of the Senate, David Mark, said it was the failure of the National Assembly to perform its oversight functions that led to the profligacy discovered during the probe: “The problem we have with these funds is that, apart from not having guidelines for them or any Act guiding the disbursements and the utilisation, we also, at the various committees or the committee responsible, are not taking enough pain, we just take it for granted that these funds exist and we can use them in any way and manner that whoever is operating it decides.”
Most senators who spoke on the issue last Tuesday agreed that they had not done enough in monitoring the management of the accounts. Another issue they agreed on was the need for the Committee to go back and look at those who have paid back and those who have not paid back their loans. The Committee recommended that all outstanding loans from the Special Funds Accounts should be recovered within six months, while the practice of approving loans from the accounts should be stopped. It also recommended that clear guidelines, regulations and procedures should be established to guide the use of money from the account. A bill to guide the administration of funds from the Special Fund Accounts has passed first reading in the Senate.
Those who spoke to this magazine last week said the lawmakers should go beyond what is in the document handed to them to unravel what the billions of naira withdrawn across the three accounts were actually used for. This, they insisted, should include a probe of the projects that funds withdrawn from the accounts were used to fund. An example is the N750mn granted as loan for the building of a mall, which is reportedly still at the foundation level. Many also wondered why the Federal Government took upon itself the payment of N146mn debt owed by local government councils to Gong Publishing Company, and why the IGP should take upon himself the task of purchasing vehicles for peace-keeping operations in Haiti.
The operation of the three accounts created in 2002 under the administration of Chief Obasanjo has been controversial and perhaps, scrapping the accounts might just be the best option.
—Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Security votes

Section 14(b) of the 1999 Constitution states that: “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” Although this vested the security of lives and properties in the hands of government, it did not state that there shall be a pool of funds called “security vote.” Every year, billions of naira are squandered under the guise of security votes in Nigeria. The funds earmarked to provide security for the president, governors and their domains, end up being transferred into personal bank accounts. With security challenges such as armed robbery, kidnapping and bombing campaigns on the increase across the country, many Nigerians wonder what the security vote is being used for.

The governor of Imo State, Mr. Rochas Okorocha, disclosed after he came into office that his predecessor, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, received a whopping N6.5 billion annually as security vote.

During the four years that he was governor, Ohakim could then have collected N26 billion as security vote if Okorocha is to be believed. But the security challenges in Imo State only grew worse during Ohakim’s stewardship.

Over 400 parastatals



The federal government, apart from its 42 ministries, reportedly runs about 400 parastatals. The ministries with the highest numbers are Health, 77; Science and Technology, 40; Education, 41; Agriculture, 44; Power and Steel, 27 agencies. Most of the parastatals, investigations revealed, are unable to provide prompt and efficient services, for which they were established. This has led to the erosion of public confidence in the ability and sincerity of public administrators who manage them.

Granting of special waivers:

The waiver granting policy of the government has been identified as another source of wastage in governance. And it has started generating concern from various quarters. For example, the House of Representatives not long ago, described the policy as a conduit pipe draining the nation’s economy.

Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, weeks after assuming office, criticised the government over the waiver policy. He particularly expressed worry over alleged indiscriminate waivers granted to companies offering diverse services, describing this as inimical to the growth of the nation’s economy.

In a bid to check the alleged arbitrary waiver granting policy, the House reportedly mandated its Joint Committees on Finance and Customs and Excise to investigate over N276.9 billion in waivers and exemptions granted by the government.

Multiple ministers/Special advisers



Whereas the 1999 constitution mandated the President to appoint at least one minister from each state of the federation including the FCT, currently, there are about 42 ministers. This does not include agencies, embassies, commissions and parastatals. In a lecture titled “Perspectives on the cost of governance in a democracy”,Mallam Nasir El Rufai lamented that, up until December 2006, there were 31 cabinet level Ministries including the FCT Administration and about 42 Ministers.

According to him [b]“The reforms of 2006 led to the merger of the ministries of petroleum and power into a single Energy Ministry, water resources and agriculture into a single agriculture ministry, commerce with industry, the addition to Steel Development to the mandate of the Solid Minerals ministry, the abolition of the ministries of police affairs, communication, and Cooperation and integration into larger ministries, works into transportation.”

He noted that the reforms reduced the number of cabinet level MDAs to 21 but without a significant reduction in the number of ministers but that the Yar‘Adua and Jonathan administrations reversed these reforms leading to the increase in the ministries to 30 and accommodating between 42 and 48 ministers. Also, the present administration has also been criticized for accommodating a record number of Special Advisers who by some estimates are now more than 16. Special Advisers are almost of cabinet rank. El Rufai is not alone in this claim of government profligacy, as many believe that a larger part of the country’s income goes to political office holders.[/b]

Presidential aircraft and cost of maintenance:

To a lot of Nigerians, the size of jets in the country’s presidential fleet amounts to waste, considering what it costs to maintain the fleet.

[size=14pt]In the proposed 2012 budget, the presidency reportedly budgeted N18 billion for its presidential fleet. It was gathered that Nigeria has no fewer that ten aircraft in the presidential air fleet. Only Russia and Mexico are known to have higher number of aircraft in a presidential air fleet while several other countries maintain none.[/size]


Following, the whopping amount dedicated for the maintenance of the presidential fleet, analysts have argued that the amount is only N1 billion higher than what could provide decent accommodation for the 17 million Nigerians estimated by UN Habitat to be homeless. In contrast, the Egyptian government operates an Airbus A340 200 (Registered SU GGG) as a VIP transport.

Similarly, the Pope flies on a chartered Alitalia fixed wing aircraft when travelling to or from more distant destinations. The tradition is for the Pope to fly to the country he is visiting on a chartered Alitalia jet and to return on a jet belonging to a flag carrier from the visited nation. The Queen of England flies on commercial aircraft.

N280m for two presidential bullet proof cars:

Under the “replacement of aged vehicles of the presidential ground fleet (PGF)”, in the 2012 budget proposal, N280 million is set aside for two bullet proof vehicles for the President and the Vice President.

The 2012 budget also proposes for the “procurement of two treated (bullet proof) Mercedes Benz saloon 600 E Guard for use by the President and Vice President at N140,000,000 each”.

Next year, the Presidency plans to spend N356,724,300 to replace aged vehicles belonging to the presidential ground fleet. Besides, there are plans to acquire “five Mercedes benz saloon 350 (semi plain/partial bullet proof) at N25,000,000 each, 10 jeeps (assorted Range Rover, Prado and Land Cruiser) at N10,000,000 each and procurement of accessories and maintenance equipment for guard vehicles at N25,000,000.”

Afam4evaIsASlut: Youre obviously an id*iot. The Opposition should play the role of the President and direct the National Assembly on the road which the country is expected to go? Lmaoo Abeg go back to drinking wateva ogogoro it is u were guzzling before coming on here sounding crazy.

Whose brains been militarized: Me thats lived under a Democracy all my life, or you who has lived under a sham for 14 yrs? Abeg go somewhere else jo.

Jonathan, other PDP governments encourage corruption in Nigeria’s oil industry- government report
Bassey Udo
Published: May 20,2013

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative says government hardly implements its recommendations on accountability in the extractive industry.


The deliberate inactions of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and those of other Peoples Democratic Party governments since 1999 have encouraged corruption and obfuscation in the Nigerian oil industry, an agency has stated.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, on Monday, expressed frustration in its efforts to boost the level of transparency and accountability in the oil and gas industry.

The agency blamed the federal government for Nigeria’s recent poor ranking in the global Resource Governance Index, RGI, report of the Revenue Watch Institute, RWI.
RWI, in the report, which measured the quality of the extractive industries governance in 58 resource-rich countries across the world, ranked Nigeria 40th, with a score that showed the country’s extractive industries governance as ‘very weak’.

The assessment conducted on the quality of four key governance components, namely Institutional and Legal Setting; Reporting Practices; Safeguards and Quality Controls, and Enabling Environment, showed that Nigeria fared better in institutional and legal setting, as a result of the existence of several legislation on openness and transparency, including NEITI Act, 2007 and Freedom of Information Act, while being rated poorly on the enabling environment.
Failure since 1999
Frowning at the rating, NEITI said, as an agency set up with a mandate to enthrone transparency, accountability and good governance in the country’s extractive sector, it is concerned that its efforts are not yielding desired results as a result of “the slow pace of implementation of findings and recommendations contained in series of its audit reports since 1999.”
“Although an Inter-Ministerial Task Team was set up to address the findings and recommendations of NEITI audit reports under a remediation plan developed by the team, implementation by affected government agencies have recorded little progress,” the agency lamented in a statement by its Director of Communications, Ogbonnaya Orji.
“For instance, NEITI audit reports have consistently recommended inter-agency collaboration to recover an outstanding sum of $9.6 billion from companies (indicted in the audit reports, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for refusing to pay to government various revenues). This fund was uncovered by NEITI as underpayment, under-assessment and variance in royalties, signature bonuses, levies and taxes owed to the Federation.”
According to Mr. Orji, NEITI audit reports also highlighted the need for openness and competition in the conduct of bids round for allocation of oil blocks, review of existing contracts with companies, efficient and reliable metering regime for measurement of crude.
President Jonathan and the petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, have been accused in previous investigations by journalists including the now rested NEXT Newspapers of serial violations of Nigerian laws in the allocation of oil blocks and oil export licenses.
Other recommendations that NEITI has made but which have been ignored by the successive federal governments include automation of data gathering and records keeping process, and transparency and accountability in management of revenue flows from companies to the Federation account. Mr. Orji pointed out that Nigeria could have fared better if these identified remedial issues were promptly addressed by government.

FG must commence implementation
While welcoming global assessment like that of the RWI, NEITI said it “strongly believes that for Nigeria to record significant improvement in such global ranking in future, there is need for prompt implementation of findings and recommendations contained in its audit reports.”
It reiterated the demand for swift passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, now before the National Assembly for approval, adding that when passed into law, the Bill would address substantial issues raised in its reports.

Eko Ile: Good one. lol @ highlighted...

Sincere 9gerian: Where are the moderators? Sleeping on duty? The OP should be sanctioned for violating rule 8 (don't post false information on Nairaland)

raeez: so radio has has turned to an expensive stuff just because u won beef even ordinary aboki dey afford to buy one

Pataki: Where was Jonathan to suspend Gbenga Daniel when he was engaged in anti-party activities whilst still serving as Governor of Ogun State, and yet the same Daniel was appointed as GEJ's campaign manager for the SW.

Jonathan will surely not be the president come May 2015!

oddy4real: If Governor Amosun of Oyo State all of a sudden becomes a rebel in the ACN, would Tinubu not remove him from the party? And did Tinubu not stylishly remove Femi Pedro and Akere Bucknor because they expressed 'contrary opinions'?
Gbawe, Symphony, Delafruita, Ilugun Boy and co should stay away from it. It is a PURELY PDP affair. If you discipline your child, should your neighbour interfere?

Okija juju: How many of these children papa get radio for house?!

Abeg make we talk another matter jare.

When you elect old clueless men into office, these are the type of nonsense you will get.

bloggernaija: It should be. In proper functioning countries, there is always healthy competition. This is how people judge/measure their leader.now a tailor in akwaibom should be wondering how a governor in osun can contract directly to local tailors thereby keeping the locl economy active. why is my governor building things that are of no use to the common man while most people are going hungry.why do i have to ride okada in the midst of plenty to make up for lack of patronage?What do you think the premier league rivalry was all about.? It is about "my town is better than your" ," my street is better than your" .there can be no development if human capital is not developed.have you seen the tacky capital of Kazakhstan . Abuja pales in comparison.but it does not have a tenth of the human capital of Poland or even Hungary .those two countries are not exactly rich countries.poland exports ships and other heavy machinery. Hungary builds underground and overground trains.well , Astana has roll roll Royce and dolce and gabbaba dealerships. You get the drift.
On a personal note ,having lived in akwa ibom, the good and gentle people in that state deserve a better leader because what they have now is all noise and presentation but no substance or vision

Govt’s unwieldy size, wasteful expenditure killing Nigeria, says Emeka Anyaoku
Ata Udo
Published: October 30,2012

Struggle for political power fanning the embers of religious and political crisis and disunity.
A former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, wants the Federal Government to take immediate steps to cut down on its structure and size as well as the recurrent expenditure if the country is to achieve any meaningful development.

Mr. Anyaoku was speaking at the public presentation of the book, “Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria,” written by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. He also identified the struggle for the control of political power at the centre as responsible for the spate of political and religious upheavals that have engulfed the country in recent times.
“The country’s chances of realising its rightfully desired development objectives would be greatly enhanced if the country adopts a major restructuring of its present governance architecture,” Mr. Anyaoku said.
According to the former Commonwealth scribe, with the existing unwieldy political structure and bureaucracy, the country cannot significantly reduce the level of its recurrent expenditure, currently averaging 74 per cent, despite indications in the 2013 budget of plans to reduce it to about 68 per cent.

“When one looks around the world, particularly developing countries that started the same way like Nigeria, one would find that their recurrent expenditure budgets have been far less than what we have been spending, which has continued to leave the country with too little for capital development that the country needs.

“As long as the country maintains the existing structure of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with all the paraphernalia of the institutions for administration, we are not likely to achieve the level of reduction in the cost of administration that would enable the country develop as we ought to.
Mr. Anyaoku held that the Nigeria’s existing system of federal governance discourages healthy competition among states in terms productivity and encourages destructive competition.
“It is this destructive competition for the control of power at the centre that exacerbates the primordial instincts in our people, and also fans the flame of religious and ethnic differences. With this result, rather than being a source of strength, our pluralism has become a harbinger for division and disunity.
Mr. Anyaoku said Nigeria made better progress when it ran a federal system of “three initially and subsequently four federating units called regions at the time”.
He blamed the military for eroding true federalism in the country, adding that only true federalism will lead Nigeria to development.

Jonathan, other PDP governments encourage corruption in Nigeria’s oil industry- government report
Bassey Udo
Published: May 20,2013

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative says government hardly implements its recommendations on accountability in the extractive industry.


The deliberate inactions of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and those of other Peoples Democratic Party governments since 1999 have encouraged corruption and obfuscation in the Nigerian oil industry, an agency has stated.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, on Monday, expressed frustration in its efforts to boost the level of transparency and accountability in the oil and gas industry.

The agency blamed the federal government for Nigeria’s recent poor ranking in the global Resource Governance Index, RGI, report of the Revenue Watch Institute, RWI.
RWI, in the report, which measured the quality of the extractive industries governance in 58 resource-rich countries across the world, ranked Nigeria 40th, with a score that showed the country’s extractive industries governance as ‘very weak’.

The assessment conducted on the quality of four key governance components, namely Institutional and Legal Setting; Reporting Practices; Safeguards and Quality Controls, and Enabling Environment, showed that Nigeria fared better in institutional and legal setting, as a result of the existence of several legislation on openness and transparency, including NEITI Act, 2007 and Freedom of Information Act, while being rated poorly on the enabling environment.
Failure since 1999
Frowning at the rating, NEITI said, as an agency set up with a mandate to enthrone transparency, accountability and good governance in the country’s extractive sector, it is concerned that its efforts are not yielding desired results as a result of “the slow pace of implementation of findings and recommendations contained in series of its audit reports since 1999.”
“Although an Inter-Ministerial Task Team was set up to address the findings and recommendations of NEITI audit reports under a remediation plan developed by the team, implementation by affected government agencies have recorded little progress,” the agency lamented in a statement by its Director of Communications, Ogbonnaya Orji.
“For instance, NEITI audit reports have consistently recommended inter-agency collaboration to recover an outstanding sum of $9.6 billion from companies (indicted in the audit reports, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for refusing to pay to government various revenues). This fund was uncovered by NEITI as underpayment, under-assessment and variance in royalties, signature bonuses, levies and taxes owed to the Federation.”
According to Mr. Orji, NEITI audit reports also highlighted the need for openness and competition in the conduct of bids round for allocation of oil blocks, review of existing contracts with companies, efficient and reliable metering regime for measurement of crude.
President Jonathan and the petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, have been accused in previous investigations by journalists including the now rested NEXT Newspapers of serial violations of Nigerian laws in the allocation of oil blocks and oil export licenses.
Other recommendations that NEITI has made but which have been ignored by the successive federal governments include automation of data gathering and records keeping process, and transparency and accountability in management of revenue flows from companies to the Federation account. Mr. Orji pointed out that Nigeria could have fared better if these identified remedial issues were promptly addressed by government.
FG must commence implementation
While welcoming global assessment like that of the RWI, NEITI said it “strongly believes that for Nigeria to record significant improvement in such global ranking in future, there is need for prompt implementation of findings and recommendations contained in its audit reports.”
It reiterated the demand for swift passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, now before the National Assembly for approval, adding that when passed into law, the Bill would address substantial issues raised in its reports.

VoodooDoll: GEJ has been in the executive office now for six years, three as president. Yet his only success is winning an election. What a pathetic creature!

A creature and performance so bad that even the wretched and corrupted leadership in the North can point their fingers at him and appear blameless!

Fact-Checking GEJ On His Electoral Promises
Posted: May 27, 2013 - 05:51

By Egghead Odewale
Dear President Goodluck Jonathan: It was with rude shock and utter disbelief that I received the news that you had the legally required 25 percent in 28 states plus Federal Capital Territory in the presidential election of April 16, 2011. According to the 1999 constitution, a winner needs the majority of votes and at least 25 percent of votes in 24 states of the 36 states of the federation.

According to Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, you won 25 percent of votes in 28 states, leaving your closest rival, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) with victories in only 12 states. As expected, you and your cronies celebrated and popped the proverbial champagne. Recall sir, that in a widely circulated piece before your swearing in on May 29th 2011 and as one of your worst, albeit gracious, critics, I had issued a note of caution.

Allow me to explain that the presidential victory of April 16th, 2011 was a victory for yourself and not necessarily for the PDP, of which you are a part and parcel. Sadly too, many of those who trusted and blindly voted for you have now regretted that decision cursing the day they thumb-printed their finger against your name. This should reveal without any equivocation that the elections were not driven by issues, but sentiments about personalities, religion and ethnicity – which you irreproachably milked to your ultimate advantage. It is my opinion that as a nation we should grow our democracy to achieve a situation whereby persons win elections on the basis of merit and actual performance not sentiments, and certainly not with the aid of financial inducements, blackmail and violence – tenets which have roundly deepened since your accession to power.

I will not bore you with all the expectations Nigerians (the ones who voted for you, anyway) - I believe you know all of these and intend to meet all of them.

As you commemorate three years of unhindered presidency and two years since your last election, I intend to remind you of all the myriad of promises you made during your political campaigns as you traversed the nooks and crannies of Nigeria circa 2011. I cannot ever allow my extremely busy president, one who has been overwhelmed by his own transformative agenda the laborious task of a long comprehension. In essence, of my own generosity, I have listed only some of them for you below.

1. You promised to rule for only one term (reference http://ow.ly/4KScO). Not that it mattered, as you’re not legally barred from seeking reelection. This reminder is only so a test of your mettle of honour as I see your lackey, Mr Asari Mujahid, making unsolicited pronouncements that have heated the polity.

Mr President, as a man of your words or rather as you want to make us believe (http://ow.ly/4KSda), PLEASE stick to this plan and pledge. I sincerely hope also, you will not come out and openly deny you didn’t make such promise or statements as you did about the zoning saga. Anyway, I have provided links above and you may instruct your Israeli friends to pull these links offline.

2. You promised a constitutional role for Traditional Rulers!!! (http://ow.ly/4KSfI) I am short of words but Nigerians are waiting. But I assure you sir, with a few financial reports in the pockets of the traditional rulers, this is not a major promise to uphold, as like you, Nigerians may not give a ‘damn’ anyway.

3. On March 17th 2011, in Dutse the Jigawa state capital, you promised: “If I win the election, within my four years in office, I will establish domestic airports in all the states without airports,” (http://ow.ly/4KSgt).

4. In Nasarawa, at the flag-off of your campaign you promised at least a university in every state (http://ow.ly/4KShX) including building specialist almajiri schools to shore up education in the North so as to eradicate illiteracy (http://ow.ly/4KSiK). It seems you have started on this one but a good number of the Almajiris are waiting!

5. On February 8th in Ibadan, the day you called some people "rascals", you promised to create jobs and improve the power sector (http://ow.ly/4KSlU). The Oyo people and indeed all Nigerians were all left in darkness last weekend!

6. On Feb 9th, you were in Bauchi and you promised to intensify oil and gas exploration in the North-East as part of efforts to harness resources for economic development. Also you pledged to boost agriculture, power and water supply for wealth creation and revenue generation. Then you assured that projects such as the Mambilla hydro-electricity, Jada irrigation project and Kafin Zaki dam in Taraba, Adamawa and Bauchi would be pursued to boost agriculture and industrial development (http://ow.ly/4KSnF). Then you promised that your administration would establish two universities in the region. The NORTH EAST PEOPLE ARE STILL WAITING.

7. You landed in Port Harcourt on Feb 12 where you made a lot of promises, maybe to woo your Niger Delta people. Be that as it may, you announced that the NNPC, in partnership with the private sector, would establish a petrochemical plant in the Niger Delta (you didn’t state where exactly). You promised the plant would create job opportunities for Niger Delta youth. Then you went ahead to promise the implementation of Local Content Law and Petroleum Industry Bill (http://ow.ly/4KSpu). In case you can’t remember when you made all these, cast your mind back to the stampede that claimed some lives (where your wife called them martyrs!).

8. In Kaduna, you promised massive transformation of the agricultural sector through construction of large dams and distribution of one million metric tons of fertilizers for the 2011 farming season (http://ow.ly/4KSqE). The rains are here again, so fulfill your promises o.

9. In Benue, you promised to revolutionize agriculture and establish industries in the country through a five-year plan (We need that Plan now so we can keep track. Of the five years two years is already gone). You also promised to complete the irrigation project in Otukpo (http://ow.ly/4KSsh). Then you promised that the second Niger Bridge and the Benue Bridge projects will be worked on in the next four years (http://ow.ly/4KStl).

10. February 17th, you were in Plateau where you shocked the entire country with amazing promises. First of all, you pledged to refocus on the solid mineral development of the state and make it one of the key revenue sources in Nigeria. Two years hence, the Plateau people are still banking on you. Mr President, You promised to build more dams and complete ongoing ones, so as to boost agricultural growth. In addition you promised to complete the Vom-Manchok-Jos road to boost economic links between Plateau and Kaduna states (http://ow.ly/4KSuz). You left the state and the Plateau people have been happy ever since and now that you have been president for two years, a progress report on that promise is in order.

11. Mr President on Feb 21, you were in Kogi. You promised among other things that the dredging of the River Niger and Lokoja-Abuja road dualisation would be completed very soon. (http://ow.ly/4KSvB) THE KOGI PEOPLE AND INDEED NIGERIANS ARE HOPING AND WAITING

12. In Kwara State on February 22, you pledged that the irrigation project in Shonga would be completed soon to boost the commercial farming activities of the New Nigeria Farmers in the area (http://ow.ly/4KSwn). Mr president, remember you also said the Jebba-Mokwa road and Jebba bridge would be given adequate attention to ease transportation in the area. Kwarans are await a report!

13. On February 24, Mr. President, you pledged to rehabilitate all ailing industries in Aba (http://ow.ly/4KSxd). I believe all Abians are hoping on you to provide the enabling environment to do their businesses, you must keep your promises.

14. Mr. President, on Feb 25th in Anambra you said there is a plan to build a power station in the state, assuring that within the next four years your administration would construct and rehabilitate ALL federal roads leading to Anambra as well as the South East. You equally promised to provide potable water to the densely populated Onitsha and Nnewi cities (http://ow.ly/4KSyf) and tackle erosion in the South-East. To tell you the truth, Mr. President, Anambrans banked on you!

15. In Ebonyi state, you promised to dualize the Enugu-Abakaliki federal highway in addition (http://ow.ly/4KSza) to establishing a secretariat for ALL Federal government's agencies and parastatals in Ebonyi. Mr. President, the people of Ebonyi have never had it so good since the creation of their state. Now, you have promised them the good life. Please keep to your words!

16. In Niger state, you promised more power generation. Perhaps the most important aspect of your promises is that your government would map out a five-year strategic plan for road projects (http://ow.ly/4KSzL).

17. On Feb 27, you were in Asaba, the Delta state capital. On that fateful Sunday, you revealed that “The NNPC is developing a new programme that will absorb about 5,000 youths,” (http://ow.ly/4KSAO). Mr. President, Deltans were delighted at that REVELATION. While that number is a far cry from the number of unemployed youths in the state, at all at all na winch (as we say in Warri), so Deltans are waiting.

18. On March 2nd, you were in Ondo where you promised that roads and other basic infrastructure across the states will be developed in four years. In addition you also promised the exploitation of the vast bitumen deposits in the state for national economic development and employment generation (http://ow.ly/4KSFj). The Ondo people are waiting. Your Four years have started already. You must start now.

19. On the same day, March 2nd, your campaign train was in Ekiti state. While there, you promised that more than N50 billion federal intervention projects were ongoing in the state (http://ow.ly/4KSGb). You can rest assured that Fayemi and indeed the entire Ekiti kete are waiting for you.

20. On March 9th, in Sokoto, you promised to rehabilitate the abandoned Shagari irrigation project as well as reviving the nation's rail system and fight the menace of desertification in the country. (http://ow.ly/4KSGX) Sokoto people have suffered for too long. This is your time to redeem your pledge, Mr President. The clock is ticking!!!

21. The date was March 12th 2011 and you were in Ogun State, my home state. Remember, the day you rode to Abeokuta through rail? Yes, that was the day you promised an improved power supply before the end of the year through the Integrated Power Project (IPP) initiative. You also pledged to build more refineries, encourage downstream activities, resuscitate rail transportation and create jobs. In case you have forgotten, that was the day that Gbenga Daniel your South West campaign coordinator was booed by the Ogun people (http://ow.ly/4KSHM).

22. On March 14th, your campaign trained moved to Kebbi where you promised to establish a federal university next year (2012). You also promised to create jobs through science and technology, tackle environmental challenges and boost health care delivery. (http://ow.ly/4KSIX)

23. Katsina, was your port of call on March 15 where you promised to enhance the living standard of Nigerians through implementation of people-oriented programmes that would provide citizens the necessary opportunities to realize their potentials. In my opinion, this was just mere rhetoric, as you did not make any concrete promise. Or did you have the premonition, you will lose in Katsina? Seems I was right.

24. In Kano, you pledged to resuscitate the nation’s power sector and encourage the development of small and medium scale enterprises in the country while ensuring justice, equity and fair play in the polity (http://ow.ly/4KSKJ).

Mr. President, space will not allow me to list the deluge of promises in Lagos, Osun, Borno, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo, Taraba, Jigawa, Edo, Bayelsa and Zamfara states, and Abuja (http://ow.ly/4KSLf). If you can accomplish all your promises in the next four years, then you will go down memory lane as the best President ever.

Thanks to Yahoo, Gmail and Facebook (and now Twitter and Google Plus), we can all save this message in our Inbox/Wall/Timelines for the next four years and check out how much you achieve on your promises.

Your fellow Nigerian,

Egghead Odewale

Gamji007: For all of you above: May God treat your lives the way GEJ is treating Nigerians.



AMEN!

bloggernaija: Can you see the difference when compared with akpabio and his Lagos size budget.
Most of the investment are people oriented .the payback is in the future.it is also good politics because aneducated mind with good critical thinking ability is almost always a liberal and a progressive While akpabio is building one vanity project after the other for outrageous amount of money. 10yrs down the line, people will start saying that the yorubas are dominating this or that

Northern Elders To President: Your Administration Is The Worst In Nigeria History


The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), yesterday, described President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration as the worst regime in the history of Nigeria.
The Elders Forum emphatically declared that the“administration is a disaster to the country.”
The spokesman of the Forum and former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Ango Abdullahi who spoke to our correspondent also condemned the 13 years of PDP administration, describing it as total failure.
He said that the PDP administration was a failure and “has nothing to offer apart from the bloodbath Nigerians have experienced as a result of bad leadership.

“There is nothing to celebrate on May 29. There should be commiseration rather than celebration.
“The only solution to these years of misrule and bloodbath is to ensure that President Jonathan and his PDP are not re-elected in 2015,” he said.

According to him, Jonathan will not win re-election based on his poor record of performance and stressed that “We in the North are not going to support Jonathan in 2015 because he has done nothing for this country since he became president.”
He justified his stance by saying that “things have gone worse than they have ever been during the Jonathan administration.
“I don’t see how he can stand and win an election if you judge him in terms of the social, economic and political indices in the Nigerian environment where we are now. Things have gone from bad to worse since his coming,” he argued.
Source: Leadership

Tolexander: yes o!
There is time for everything. But since the swearing in of our president in 2010 as the acting president, all he has been concerned with has been future elections. Nothing about governance.

AnanseK: GEJ is not a president elected on merit. He has no history of merit. He was elected based on ethnic and religious sentiments. These two sentiments are being used to support his stay in office. The endorsement of AU for Nigerias permanent seat in UN is good diplomatic work for many years and by many previous governments and GEJ will certainly share in the glory - no problem. But angry Nigerians must complain if their president sleeps through his slot/ Nigerias slot at the historical occasion of he 50th year of the organization. We have the right to call a sloppy president to order.