₦airaland Forum

The Head of the Continuous Audit team of the Federal Government, Mohammed Dikwa, on Tuesday said N50 billion was saved so far through the audit of security agencies payroll.

Mr. Dikwa said this in Abuja at a meeting between the Continuous Audit team, Minister of Finance and Heads of Para-Military agencies.

President Mohammadu Buhari had set up the Continuous Audit team to look into the payroll of all Federal Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The team had already embarked on the audit of the Military payroll and enrolling them on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

“Since we started the continuous audit programme, we have saved about N50 billion and over 43,000 ghost workers have been removed from the payroll of the federal government.

“And as we go on, we are very sure that we will continue to reduce the cost of federal government payroll.

“Please note the cost is not related to ghost workers alone but with allowances which we believe have to be trimmed down so that we can manage the cost of governance,’’ he said.

Mr. Dikwa said officers from the account departments of all the para-militray agencies were currently undergoing training on IPPIS and the Government Management Information System (GIFMIS)
He said the plan was to have all the agencies enrolled on the IPPIS and GIFMIS at the end of the month once the training was completed.

Similarly, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said the audit of the para-military payroll would focus mainly on non-regular allowances of security officers.
She said initial investigations had revealed that these allowances had created avenues for unscrupulous persons within the system to steal money.

“The president has given the directive that all ministries and agencies of the Federal Government be enrolled on the IPPIS latest December, 2016.

“This meeting is to discuss the modalities of how this will be achieved; specifically, there are number of allowances described as the non-regular allowances.
“We have to make sure that these non-regular allowances are paid directly to those who are serving. And the best way to do that is through an automated system.

“This system will be linked to BVN so the money is going to specific individuals rather than being diverted elsewhere.

“Whoever is paid irregular allowances for hazard, risk or other extraneous factors, it is important that the money gets to them.

“The people taking the risk should be paid, otherwise the service they are expected to render will be in jeopardy,’’ she said.

Mrs. Adeosun said that one of the advantages of the IPPIS was that delays in payment of salaries and allowances of security personnel would be a thing of the past.

She reassured members that the details gathered through the IPPIS would be kept safe so that identities of security operatives would not be compromised.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Bassey Akpanyung, pledged the ministry’s support to ensure that all the security agencies under its control complied for the success of the process.
NAN reports that heads of Customs, Immigration, Prisons, Police, Fire Service and Civil Defence were present at the meeting.
(NAN)

A former Secretary to the Bauchi State government, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Dandija, ex-chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Gombe State, Nuhu Poloma and the zonal coordinator of the PDP in Gombe, Taraba and Adamawa states, Bunu Mulima, have returned N10m, N2m and N5m respectively to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Daily Trust gathered yesterday.

A top EFCC source said they deposited the money in bank drafts made out in the name of the Commission for the aforementioned sums yesterday.

Dandija paid the said sum through a bank draft of FCMB; Poloma’s bank draft came from Zenith Bank while Mulima issued a Union Bank draft, the source said.

Dandija was said to have admitted in a written statement that N20m passed through him to some other beneficiaries but accepted liability for the refund of the whole sum.

He reportedly promised to bring another bank draft for the balance of N10m today. However, Poloma had N450m passed through him for disbursement.

He admitted that N2m was his personal benefit from the fund while Mulima, according to him, reaped N30m from the campaign fund.

They have pledged to refund the balance, the EFCC source stated.

The source said the commission had been pursuing beneficiaries of the multi-billion naira campaign fund made available by a former minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke, to facilitate the re-election of former president Goodluck Jonathan.

greatgod2012:
Most likely.
I've been thinking about how they will brainwash someone and he/she will agree to kill himself along with others. Now, I know better.
These people are wickedly wicked.

“They now changed my vehicle to another and
the lady that was drugged with me in the first one
was different from the lady that I now saw in the
second vehicle. The first lady was an older
person while the person that was drugged in the
second vehicle was a small girl.

Barring last minute change in plans, the Federal Government plans a 65 per cent reduction in the allowances for refreshment and meals of top officials of government, an investigation has shown.

The move is part of strategies aimed at reducing the recurrent expenditure as well as curb wastages in the management of government resources.

It was learnt on Friday that the proposal for the reduction in meal allowances had been prepared by the Efficiency Unit in the Ministry of Finance and forwarded to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for ratification.

The Efficiency Unit was set up by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, last year to reduce the recurrent expenditure, which has an outlay of N2.65tn in the 2016 budget.

The unit, headed by Mrs. Patience Oniha, was set up to engender transparency and reduce government’s large expenditure through efficiency in procurement in the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.

According to sources familiar with the workings of the unit, a reduction of about N8,500 per meal is being considered by the unit from the current N13,000 to about N4,500.

It was gathered that apart from the reduction in meal allowances, other recurrent expenditure items such as honorarium and sitting allowance as well as advertising and publicity would be drastically reduced.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “You will recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had, as part of measures to cut cost of governance, approved that the Minister of Finance should set up an efficiency unit.

“That unit has in the last few months been working hard to cut the recurrent expenditure. One of the recent recommendations made by the unit is on the need to reduce allowances for meal and refreshment.

“Before now, about N13,000 per meal was being spent on each top official of government whenever they have official meetings and others engagements. But now, there are plans to reduce this to about N4,500 by the template being developed for that purpose.”

While the details of the percentage of reduction in honorarium and sitting allowances as well as advertising and publicity could not be ascertained, it was learnt that the template for the reduction in meal and refreshment allowances was already being worked on by the unit.

It was gathered that once the proposal by the unit was approved, a new directive as well as the template for its implementation would be issued to all the MDAs.

The directive is expected to be captured in a circular to be released by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The unit was concerned that meal and refreshment allowances had featured consistently in the budget of the MDAs.

For instance, it was learnt that in the 2016 budget, the Federal Government approved the sum of N104.74m for refreshments and meals for the Presidency.

Similarly, the sum of N14.45m was allocated for the same purpose in the Ministry of Agriculture, while the ministries of Petroleum, Defence, Transportation and Niger Delta, among others, have the sums of N18.3m, N14.92m, N15.41m and N11.03m allocated to them, respectively.

Attempts to get comments from the head of the unit proved abortive as series of calls made to her telephone number were not answered.

Commenting on the need to reduce recurrent expenditure, the Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, Mr. Eze Onyekpere, said rather than reduce such expenses, it should be discouraged as it appeared wasteful.

He said, “We still have a lot of votes for welfare packages after the salary, remuneration and perks of office of workers had been voted. This is an expenditure head unknown to our law.

“Many agencies still got outrageous sums for refreshment and catering services as if they are running a restaurant chain. It made no sense as it is wasteful.”

The unit had in a statement issued last month barred all top officials of government from flying first class while embarking on officials trips.

It said all top officials of government such as ministers, permanent secretaries, chairmen of Federal Government committees, as well as chairmen and chief executive officers of parastatals and agencies should henceforth travel on business class.

In the past, some government officials who should have been on business class usually travelled on first class, while many others travelled business class instead of economy class.

By Olasunkanmi Akoni And Monsur Olowoooejo

LAGOS State Government, yesterday, said it had procured four single Electric Multiple Unit, EMU car train coaches, expected to operate on the Lagos Urban Rail Network, LURN, especially on the blue and red lines which are under construction in the state.

The state Government under the previous administration had in 2014 approved $14.6 million to Messrs. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC/China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Corporation, CNR (JV (Joint Venture partners) for the purchase of the four EMU trains from the Chinese Government.

Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Morebeola who disclosed these at the 2016 ministerial Press briefing in commemoration of the first year in office of the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in Alausa, Ikeja, however said that 181, 986 of the 1, 023,812 vehicles inspected by the state transport enforcement agencies between May, 2015 and April 2016, were impounded or fined for violating the State Road Traffic Law 2012.

On the light rail, Morebeola said, “The Government has procured a single Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) four car train operations,” adding that the state government was presently discussing with stakeholders on the construction of red line from Agbado to Marina.

His words, “The Right of Way has been approved by the Federal Government as it will run parallel on the existing corridor of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC. Also, the phase 1 is from Mile 2 to the National Theatre where infrastructure works are 95 percent completed. The phase 2 is from the National Theatre to Marina where we have achieved 40 percent completion.

…to face-out Danfos, other rickety buses
Worried by the rate of rickety buses plying the state roads, the commissioner said that plans have been concluded to professionalize and re-brand public transport system with the aim of phasing -out the 14-seaters Yellow buses popularly known as Danfo and replace them with 30-seater vehicles with air conditioners.

He stated that the re-branding would also include introduction of new number plates, colour uniformity and Body tags for all public transportation to ensure a more secured, safe and comfortable system that suits a megacity.

Mobereola explained that the transformation was to encourage people leave their private cars and use public transportation.

lalasticlala

Jonathan Nda-Isaiah

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will never cease to amaze me. There are better odds for finding virgins in the maternity ward or Nigeria to be corruption free than for the PDP to shed its spots of hypocrisy and self-delusion.

Last week, leaders of PDP, and governors of the south-east rose from a meeting in Enugu Government House and warned against awarding road contracts in the south-east to incompetent contractors.

Speaking on behalf of the leaders, deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu said that they have vowed to ensure full implementation of the 2016 budget as signed, to enable south-east people benefit in the area of roads especially for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Enugu-Onitsha and Aba-Ikot Ekpena express roads that are death traps to motorists.

His words. “We equally reviewed the 2016 budget that has been signed to ensure that it will be implemented to the fullest. Our concern is on the area of roads especially the Enugu-Onitsha, Aba-Ikot Ekpena express roads among others that are death traps.”

He noted that the Federal Government had in the past, awarded contracts for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of these roads to incompetent contractors adding that “This time, we will ensure that competent contractors will handle the road projects to give our people a sense of belonging”.

I think Ekweremadu and the leaders of the south-east have temporary amnesia. They want to make sure that APC implements their budget to the fullest while for 16 years, the PDP which they belong to never implemented the budget more than 40 percent. Their PDP- led federal government gave road contracts to incompetent contractors, wow! If that’s not an admission of failure on the part of the PDP leaders, then I don’t know it is. If they can’t hold the PDP accountable for the bad roads in the region, in which Ekweremadu was a major player in the last eight years, then they should keep quiet. After all, they voted 100 percent for the PDP so that they will giving road contracts to incompetent contractors.

Grandstanding and promising to hold the APC accountable is the height of hypocrisy.

Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun yesterday told the National Economic Council that the balance in the Excess Crude Account stood at $2.259 billion as of April 30, 2016.

The minister put the interest accrued on the account at $429,903.55 “for the month of April 2016 experiencing a little drop in interest”.

She also presented to the council, the Fiscal Sustainability Plan and Fiscal Framework for Sub-National Governments in Nigeria which include strategic objectives and recommended action points.

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole told the council that the ad-hoc committee on the management of the Excess Crude Account and payment into the federation account endorsed the forensic auditors firms as earlier proposed by the finance minister to audit the ECA.

Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello said the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor told the council that 30 states had so far received bail-out funds as of May 18 2016; while 35 had applied for the Excess Crude Account-backed loans.

By Bimbola Oyesola and Magnus Eze, Abuja

The National President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Kiagama Bobboi, yesterday gave reasons why his trade centre disagreed with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) shortly before the commencement of the planned strike, saying that the latter was dogmatic in pressing its demands.

The TUC President said that the NLC came to the negotiation table with only one item, which was that the price of fuel be reverted to N86 per litre, even though the meeting with government afforded labour opportunity to address the contending issues once and for all.

“At this meeting, we drew attention of our NLC colleagues that there was no reason we should be persistent about one position…lets proffer alternative positions but they insisted there is not alternative position except the government brings back the price to N86. “Then we asked, is that your only position and you are not changing to any other alternative? And they said yes. And the TUC said we were given a first and alternative mandate by our executive, and this is our alternative. Then we asked them to see reason with our own alternative but they said no. That was where disagreement entered. “So I want Nigerians to use their sense of judgement and reason if you were in our shoes, the position you would have taken? It is important that in terms of taking decision that will affect the masses, one does not take a fanatical position and eventually mislead people.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has stated that posterity and Nigerians would judge the positions of the two labour centres, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the ongoing battle for the reversal of the pump price increased by the Federal Government last week.

The National Trustee of the NLC, who is also the National President of the National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather and Non Metallic Product Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), Boniface Isok, said rather the TUC has been inconsistent and proved unreliable since the inception of the unification of the two labour centres in the planning of the proposed strike.

“I don’t know what is the problem of Kaigama. Initially the two centres were directed to meet their separate bodies and later come together for harmonisation of thoughts, but with the mandate that none should divulge their respective decisions to the press.

“But TUC, after its meeting, went ahead to give the Federal Government ultimatum before the harmonisation meeting on Saturday,” he said.

He stated that NLC was not a party to the two agenda that the TUC President was talking about because after harmonisation on Saturday, the common agenda by the two centres was for the government to reverse or the commencement of the strike on Wednesday.

On Joe Ajaero, Isok said the factional leader was only out to sabotage the NLC not because he does not support the NLC strike but to show that he exists.

“When we met, there was nothing like Federal Government talking to Ajaero. Everybody was working for the same purpose, including Ajaero. He cannot say he was in support of the new increase but he just saw this as an opportunity to sabotage the efforts of the NLC,” he said.

He maintained that all what the NLC was doing was to provide leadership for Nigerians, which they have been able to do within these two days that the strike has commenced.

“Nigerians already know the truth and the future will tell whether we are fighting for ego or not. At the end we shall all know the truth,” he stressed.

Meanwhile the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it could only react to TUC after reading the text purported to have emanated from its President.
The NLC Deputy Presient, Peter Adeyemi, said the congress would not want to be quoted of context neither would it like to join issue with TUC.

The TUC also decried the reaction of NLC to the government involving the Comrade Joe Ajaero-led faction of the Congress in the negotiation. According to Kiagama, the NLC was on an ego war to the detriment of the Nigerian masses. “NLC took the strategy of government negotiating with Joe Ajaero’s faction as a slap on their face. Then I told them; let’s see this beyond personal or group interest but in the interest of Nigerians. So I didn’t see their insistence on N86 as based on patriotism but on the basis that government decided to bypass them and go into discussion with Ajaeo group which is normal for any human being.

Considering that we have been working behind to end the factionalism within NLC and, I had expected that this negotiation would have been a genuine starting point. I believe if factionalism was not there, we would have easily solved our problem on this issue because the issue of dialogue would have continued. But the problem started with the Ajaero’s group and this is the long and short of the story,” he stated.

Members of the National Association of Nigerian Prostitutes (NANP), have intimated that they are mobilizing their members all over the country to embark on what they call the mother of all protests » to register their anger over the high cost of living in the country occasioned by the increase in the pump price of petrol.

The body in a statement signed by its new leader, Tamar Tion who took over after the demise of former President, Jessica Elvis , and Secretary, Sandra Efosa, their decision to embark on the strike, stems from the fact that their business » has been dwindling as their customers do not have have the money to patronize them and as such, they have been suffering untold hardship.

Part of the communique released by the body after its national executive meeting reads:
"The members of the National Association of Nigerian Prostitutes (NANP), has concluded plans to embark on a mother of all protest to show our anger on the current economic hardship the citizens of Nigeria are passing through.

The hardship has affected every facet of the society including our business as our customer base has diminished and the few men that seek our services do not have the money to pay, even after many of our members have reduced their prices drastically.

Some of our members charge as low as N500 and yet, the customers complain because they do not have the money. We supported President Muhammadu Buhari when he was campaigning, believing he was going to bring about the desired change.

But now things have gone from bad to worse. We are bread winners in our families and some of us have lots of responsibilities. Since this government came into power, things have sky rocketed. And to add to our woes, they have increased the fuel price, making the ordinary Nigerians the worse off.

We are mobilizing our members all over the country to embark on the protest on a date to be announced soon. We will occupy the National Assembly, the various state secretariats and picket the PHCN, NNPC and other parastatals. We are Nigerians and we pay taxes, so we also feel the pains."

THE House of Representatives on Wednesday alerted Nigerians on the alleged existence of cancer-causing tomato pastes imported into the country by some unscrupulous people with a promised to unmask those behind the dastardly act.

It has therefore mandated its Committee on Health Services and Drug and Narcotics to investigate the alleged importation of the said fake, substandard and cancerous products into the country with a view to identifying them, their importers as well as promoters and distributors said to have circulated the nation's market with the products at very cheap prices.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion under matters of urgent public importance moved on the floor of the House yesterday by Hon Ossai Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta State).

Hon Osai while referring to a publication in a national newspaper of May 9, 2016, alleged that there was a cabal who had boasted that nothing could stop them from importing the fake and substandard tomato paste into the country.

According to him, "this ugly development of importation of cancer infested tomato paste is killing a lot of Nigerians and it is reported that this mafia group is collaborating with few indigenous manufacturers in Nigeria who are being used as a cover up to distribute the killer products."

Hon Ossai expressed worries that the "fake, substandard and cancer-causing tomato paste" has flooded the Nigerian markets with low prices, which had compelled the closing down of ingenious tomato companies in Nigeria and had led to the laying off of over 50 per cent of their workforce.

The motion was unanimously passed with the committees given three weeks to report back to the House for further legislative input.

Nbote:
Some of U are jus quick to point fingers and make silly claims. Wetin concern d chairman concern Saraki's case or d war on corruption? It's jus anoda case of random kidnap jare and I can bet dey had no idea he was a top govt official wit a sensitive portfolio.

A 27-year-old man, Mfom John, who reportedly stabbed his twin brother, Israel John, 70 times at Somolu area of Lagos State, yesterday confessed that he was ordered by a spirit to commit the crime.

Homicide detectives attached to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, picked Mfom after he allegedly killed Israel on Monday morning.

The suspect stabbed Israel in the neck, head, armpit and stomach. Speaking with our correspondent, Mfom said that an unknown spirit ordered him to attack Israel.

Mfom, however, said that he was going to do everything possible to find out what or who ‘controlled’ him to kill his brother. He said: “Israel is my warlord. I cannot stay alone.

I want to go and meet him wherever he is. “We went to buy a generator, along with one of our friends at Bariga Market on Sunday. When we came back, we went to a beer joint to drink.

Later, we all went back home, ate and slept together.
“The next morning, our friend, Friday, went outside. I decided to go and join him outside. My brother was sleeping.

As I was about opening the door, I felt someone attempted to blindfold me from behind. In the process of defending myself, I grabbed hold of a kitchen knife.

The knife was on top of the table. I headed straight to where my twin brother was sleeping and stabbed him several times. It was after the incident that I realised what had happened.”

Mfom said he regretted killing his brother because it was not his intention to kill him.

He added: “I had not been myself since his death. Both of us have been helping our elder brother to run his canteen.

My twin brother was about to learn how to repair shoes before the unfortunate incident.” The suspect also confessed that he used to smoke Indian hemp, but stopped three years ago when he was about to come to Lagos.

Mfom said that he started smoking Indian hemp when he was 15 years old.

He said: “When I got to Lagos, instead of smoking, I started eating Indian hemp. I would pour the leaf into my palm and chew it.” The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmos, said the police were still investigating the matter.

•Police: he’s a drug addict

A 28-year-old man, Adamu Mai Bisco, on Monday night allegedly killed his parents and two sisters in Potiskum, Yobe State.

Police confirmed the incident.

Spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said the suspect used a shovel to kill the victims while they were asleep.
“He was not provoked before carrying out the dastardly act.”

The police attributed the suspect’s action to hard drugs.

Gbadegesin said: “Bisco acted under the influence of hard drugs.”

A source, however, alleged that the suspect killed his parents and siblings because they (parents) threatened to report him to security agents for allegedly being a member of the Boko Haram.

In an SMS to our correspondent, the police spokesman said the offence was committed under Section 221 of the Penal Code.

The message reads: “Culpable homicide contrary to Penal Code Section 221. Offence committed by Adamu Mai Bisco, 28, of Bataiya, Potiskum in Yobe State.

“Apparently under the influence of hard drugs (Marijuana and Tramol capsules), the suspect, without any provocation, as the victims were fast asleep, picked up a shovel and killed his father, mother and two sisters. The incident occurred about 1am.

“Upon receipt of a distress call, police moved in and arrested the suspect. They recovered the exhibits and the suspect is still being interrogated.

“Investigation shows that the suspect is a drug addict, as he confessed to have consumed illicit drugs.
“The bodies were taken to hospital for medical examination. Suspect to be arraigned.”

He said they were yet to find motive behind the
killing, though the suspect confessed to the police
that he had taken 'Tramadol and Indian hemp'
before carrying out the killings.