The federal government has posted 99 directors on Salary Grade Level 15-17 to stabilise and provide managerial manpower for the five ministries created in August by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The number, THISDAY learnt, was about 38.5 per cent or more than one-third of the 254 newly promoted and existing directorate level officers in the pool of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, who were redeployed this month to fill vacancies in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The exercise will allow the new ministries overcome the challenges usually associated with running new establishments.
The five ministries that received 99 directors out of the deployed 254 directorate officials were Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development; Aviation, Power, Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs; and Police Affairs.
The senior officers were redeployed on October 4, via a circular, signed by the Director, in the Office of the Permanent Secretary (CMO) Mrs A.I. Attah, on behalf of the Acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan.
The deployment processes were expected to have been completed by October 11.
Mrs Attah addressed the circular : HCSF/CMO/002/S.II/T.3/II/413 to the Chief of Staff to the President; Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Ministers; Secretary; National Judicial Council; Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission; and Accountant General of the Federation, among others.
Although, it could be inferred from the exercise that a few of the officials that were affected were either programme analysts, librarians or statisticians, the vast majority were drawn from the administrative cadre.
From the breakdown sighted by THISDAY, the largest number of senior officers was posted to the Police Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs ministries.
While 32 officers were deployed to Police Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs got 28 officers.
Others were; Aviation Ministry, 19; Special Duties, 16; while Ministry of Power received three.
It would be recalled that in August, the Civil Service Commission promoted 1,780 civil servants during the 2018 Directorate Level promotion exercise.
• Customs arrest 50 suspects, seize 14 trucks Accuse residents of border towns of complicity
Francis Sardauna in Katsina and Eromosele Abiodun in Lagos
Despite the closure of Nigerian land borders by the federal government in the last three months, smuggling still persists at the border between Nigeria and Niger Republic, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
THISDAY gathered that at the border between Jibia in Katsina State and Niger Republic, smugglers have resorted to the use of illegal routes to ferry in bags of foreign rice, bales of second-hand clothing and other contrabands.
However, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dismissed the observation, calling for either a photograph or video evidence to prove the allegation. NCS also said it would be impossible for smugglers to operate at any of the country’s borders.
Investigation revealed that while strict compliance appears to reign at the main border post between the two countries, illegal businesses still thrived at some bush paths and sundry illegal entry points where unscrupulous security operatives, work hand-in-glove with smugglers to smuggle contraband goods into the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on August 20, 2019 ordered a joint border security aimed at securing the country’s land and maritime borders.
But when THISDAY visited the border town of Jibia at the weekend, it was observed that there were some illegal routes that commercial drivers and motorcyclists were using to transport goods and passengers into the country.
It was gathered that rice smugglers were also taking advantage of the lax security to bring their wares into the country but at much higher price than before.
Some of the illegal routes the smugglers used to ferry in the contrabands from Niger Republic to Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State include Sabon Gari, Dan-Harau, Alele, Makada and Maidabaro roads despite heavy security at the borders.
The smugglers, it was learnt, go through the laborious route of offloading the contrabands few meters away from the official border security post and use J-5 buses, Gulf 4 and 5 vehicles and motorcycles to ferry the items from their hideouts into Jibia for onward transportation to their warehouses in Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Jigawa States and some other parts of the country.
Residents of the border town told THISDAY that the smugglers were being aided by security personnel, including soldiers, policemen, Customs and immigration officials, who allegedly collected money from the smugglers to allow them a free passage at the 13 checkpoints between Jibia and Katsina metropolis.
A motorcyclist involved in smuggling, who pleaded anonymity, told THISDAY that those of them engaged in the business understood the risks and dangers involved but affirmed that they would not encounter any problem unless they refused to cooperate with security operatives at the checkpoints.
“Unless one refused to pay the bribe for each category of items or when it is time for the officials to sacrifice you to prove that they are working – that is when they will arrest you in the name of smuggling,” he explained.
A commercial driver simply identified as Sule, who specialised in smuggling, said business had been booming for them because they do convey a bag of rice from Maradi (Niger Republic) to Katsina at the cost of N3,000 each.
“We used to charge rice merchants N3,000 for each bag of rice carried from Maradi to Katsina State. Although, we do follow bush paths and sometimes custom officers do arrest us. But once we give them some monies they allow us to pass even though some of them are very stubborn,” he stated.
He, however, lamented that the border closure has contributed negatively to the socio-economic imbalance of the state and the country in general.
When contacted, the NCS Commander in charge of Sector 4 Command of the National Border Drill Operation, Bashir Abubakar, said about 50 suspected smugglers had so far been apprehended and 14 trucks of contrabands intercepted.
He lamented that Jibia border has always been one of their major flashpoints since the commencement of the operation two months ago because of the “mental behaviour” of the inhabitants of the area.
“We have seen that people of that area are not in good terms with government security agencies and it has been a history,” he added.
On the allegation that his officers were extorting money from smugglers, Abubakar said: “I will not say yes, it is true but at the same time I will not deny because we are all human beings and there is no Nigerian that changes name in terms of issues of integrity and character.
“Think of anywhere in the world, there are bag eggs and good eggs. The same thing applies to various agencies in Nigeria – both government and private agencies but anyone found wanting will be punished.”
He added that lack of adequate operational vehicles and banditry has affected their ability to carry out the operation in all the villages in the state.
The Sector 4 Command of the National Border Drill Operation covers Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States.
Officers on the joint exercise were drawn from the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Army, Nigeria Immigration Service, DSS and Nigerian Air Force.
We Need Video Evidence, Says Customs When contacted, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigeria Customs Service, Joseph Attah said it would be impossible for smugglers to move around easily in any Nigerian border because of the security presence at the borders.
He said officers manning the borders were drawn from security services, which include the police, air force, army, Customs and the Department of State Services (DSS).
“This information is important to me. If you have evidence kindly make it available so I can challenge the Sector 4 Commander. This is something that nationwide, whoever gives that information should give us photographs or video evidence.
“The NCS is very interested in this information. What I can tell you is that this joint border exercise is coordinated by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and there are joint forces, not only Customs officers and they are in all the borders, divided into four sectors. If I have an evidence to back up this information, I will quickly take it up with the Sector Commander and report the matter to the Office of the National Security Adviser.
“This is not Customs alone; the police are there, air force and the army are there; so, if somebody goes to Jibia and is saying that is what is happening in Idi-Iroko is not happening at Jibia, then, I will be interested. This is not Customs affair; it is all security agencies that are there. Your reporter should tell me where he is there so I can connect him with the people on ground to help.
When asked if there is possibility smuggling is still going on in Jibia, he said, “I can tell you that whatever you see happening in Seme, Idi-Iroko and other land borders around the country is what is happening in Jibia, Umfun, Cross Rivers, and Migatiri in Sokoto State.”
° Await FG’s circular on agreement with labour Our Correspondents
Fresh from the conclusion of minimum wage consequential adjustment negotiations with the federal government, the organised labour has begun warming up for a fresh battle with state governors over when they would begin to pay minimum wage to their workers.
While some labour leaders are optimistic that their governors would pay the minimum wage, others are not sure on the amount to be paid and when the payment would take off.
Although the organised labour and the federal government had earlier reached an agreement on October 31 as take-off date for workers to receive the minimum wage and the arrears, THISDAY’s investigation showed that there had been no effective date so far for the implementation of the pay policy in the 36 states of the federation.
It was learnt at the weekend that the labour unions in many states were yet to meet with their state governments to work out modalities on the effective date of implementation.
Rather, some of the labour unions in the states are only relying on pledges by their state governments that they would pay the new wage without concrete agreement on the amount and the take-off date.
In Bayelsa State, there appears to be no concrete negotiation going on as the state government and organised labour have not set a date for commencement of payment.
While Governor Seriake Dickson said he was ready to pay whenever all the statutory processes were completed, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. John Ndiomu, said neither the state government nor the organised labour knew the actual salary each worker would get until a letter to the effect was transmitted from the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.
But Dickson said his state could not operate in isolation, saying that the governors have been meeting to sort out all the grey areas before commencement of payment.
“Before we round off in February, we will have a wonderful message for our workers and we believe they will be very happy with what they will hear. Concerning this minimum wage, as much as the spirit is willing, sometimes the body gets spent,” he said.
But Ndiomu told THISDAY that there was nothing on the ground to indicate when the payment would begin.
“Even though the governor has pronounced that once the minimum wage is approved there will be consequential adjustment, I believe that the issue is being resolved. But for now, what we are having are just radio and newspapers announcements. There has to be a formal letter to all the states, so we can engage the government,” he said.
In Taraba State, the commencement date for the implementation of the new minimum wage is uncertain.
Speaking with THISDAY, the Head of Service (HoS) of the state, Mr. Simon Angyu, said it was premature to talk of implementation in the state.
According to him, “We are yet to receive the circular. And implementation cannot commence in the state without having a copy of the circular. So, I cannot categorically state when the implementation would commence in the state.”
The NLC Chairman in the state, Mr. Peter Gambo, said the state government was prepared for the implementation but would wait to receive the document after which NLC would swing into action.
The Zamfara State government said it would begin the payment of the minimum wage after forming its cabinet.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zailani Zappa, told THISDAY that there were many issues on the ground to be resolved but assured workers that the state government would implement the minimum wage.
But the state Chairman of NLC, Mr. Bashiru Mafara, said the implementation of minimum wage did not need the constitution of cabinet.
He told THISDAY that labour would soon come out with its action plans.
In Borno State, the state Chairman of the NLC, Mr. Bulama Abiso, said though no arrangement had been concluded with the state government, the new salary would be paid in the state.
“Yes, the new salary would be paid because at many fora, Governor Zulum has shown his determination to pay whatever the final agreement and so far we have no reason to doubt his statement,” he said.
When asked if the leadership of labour has already approached the state government, Abiso said: “No, we are putting all the papers together and we will approach the government this week, the implementation is obvious from the day the bill was signed to law.”
In Edo State, the Chairman of NLC, Mr. Sunny Osayande, said he was not sure when the state government would begin the payment of the approved minimum wage as agreed with the federal government.
Osayande told THISDAY that the state congress, which was part of the negotiations with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, just came back from Abuja and was yet to report back to workers and the state Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), who would in turn meet with the Edo State Government.
“So, I can’t tell you exactly when. Not until we meet with government will we know when workers in the state will begin to enjoy the minimum wage,” he added.
In Oyo State, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, said the governor would meet with the leadership of the workers in the state on the way forward on the payment of the new minimum wage.
He added that it is the outcome of the meeting that would determine what the state government would pay and the effective date of payment.
However, the state Chairman of NLC, Mr. Bayo Titilola-Sodo, said the union was waiting for the original salary chart agreed with the federal government so that it would be presented to the state government for implementation.
Also, the Chairman of NLC in Plateau State, Mr. Eugene Manji, told THISDAY that “No specific date yet, but payment will commence as soon as the template and other modalities are finalised. But it will take effect from the date of agreement which is April 18, 2019 when the president gave his consent/assent on the agreement.”
The state Commissioner of Information, Mr. Dan Majang, agreed with the labour leader that modalities are currently being worked out and that payment would commence as soon as the calculations are completed.
He, however, did not give specific month from when arrears will commence.
In Sokoto State, the state government said it was waiting for the report of the committee set up by Governor Waziri Tambuwal before the implementation of minimum wage.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity Mr. Bello Ahmed, said: “I am confident once the committee submits its report the implementation will commence immediately.”
The state Chairman of NLC, Aminu Ahmad, said he was hopeful that the government would commence the implementation before the end of the year.
He added that labour had been meeting with the committee and the discussions had been fruitful.
In Lagos State, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, told THISDAY that the state government would start payment as soon as the labour unions and the state had reached an agreement on terms of the consequential adjustments.
However, in Kano State, the state Chairman of NLC, Mr. Kabiru Ado Minjibir, said the state had agreed to pay the new minimum wage of N30, 000 and additional N600.
According to him, the negotiation is ongoing in the state with a view to kick-starting the payment.
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has also restated his commitment to pay the new salary package to the civil servants in the state.
According to him, “we are ready to pay N30, 000 monthly salaries because the welfare of our workers is paramount to anything and we will always give it.”
The spokesperson of the Head of the Civil Service Office, Mr. Abbas Maje, told THISDAY that “I can only confirm to you that negotiation is continuing. I do not have additional fact to inform you for now”.
The NLC in Rivers State told THISDAY that it was confident that Governor Nyesom Wike would fulfill his promises on the payment of the minimum wage.
The state Chairman of the NLC, Ms. Beatrice Itubor, said: “We are waiting to receive the template of the minimum wage. As soon as we receive that, we will present it to the governor and see his response. But we are confident that he will pay because we know him as a keeper of his words. Now, we are waiting.”
The Akwa Ibom State chapter of NLC said it would this week extract commitment from the state government on the date for the commencement of the implementation of the new minimum wage.
The state Chairman of the NLC, Mr. Sunny James, told THISDAY that the labour movement in the state was confident that the state government would pay the new wage.
“In Akwa Ibom State we don’t have any problem we needed the federal government to finish whatsoever they did which they finished last week.
“Now that they have finished their own last Thursday, we will now begin our own implementation in earnest. The state government has no alternative than to abide with what the federal government has agreed to pay the workers,” he said.
The Anambra State Government said it would meet with members of the organised labour before knowing when to commence payment.
The state Commissioner of Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C-Don Adinuba, said, “We need to, first, hold a meeting with the NLC and TUC and other stakeholders. It is not a unilateral decision which the state government will take and impose on everyone.”
The Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Anambra State governor, Mr. Emeka Ozumba, also said, “The minimum wage is captured in the 2020 budget. Anambra has shown enough commitment to pay and it shall be so.”
In Osun State, the state Chairman of NLC, Mr. Jacob Adekomi, was of the opinion that the government would agree with the terms the moment the issue is agreed upon.
According to him the state government has made it clear that the moment the matter is signed into law, it would implement it.
Also, the state Chairman of NLC in Enugu State, Mr. Virginus Nwobodo, told THISDAY that the organised labour in the state was looking forward to the implementation of the new minimum wage by the state government without any delay.
He said the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), the Trade Union Congress and the NLC would soon hold a joint meeting to come up with an understanding on how to approach the state government.
The Senior Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Mr. Mike Okeme, also told THISDAY that the state was ready to pay the new minimum wage.
He said: “There is no controversy about it. Once the federal government releases the circular and the chart for the payment of new minimum wage across the different salary cadres, the Delta State Government shall commence payment.”
Kaduna State was the first state to officially commence the implementation of the national minimum wage of N30, 000 in September.
The state Chairman of NLC, Mr. Ayuba Suleiman, who confirmed the payment, told THISDAY that it was a good development.
The spokesman of Governor Nasir el-Rufai, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye, said the gross monthly wage bill of the state has increased from N2.827 billion to N3.759 billion, representing 33 per cent increase.
Convictions in four years (1, 636 ) 2015 (103) 2016 (195) 2017 (190) 2018 (314); 2019 (834) as at September
RECOVERIES IN NAIRA
N33,180,830.790(2015) N170,276,862,880(2016) N473,065,195.970(2017) N216,455,497.764(2018) and N46,534,536.954 (as at August 2019).
RECOVERIES IN USD ($)
$42,917,205(2015); $69,142,551(2016); $142,505,121(2017); $47,290,174(2018); and $13,458,041.
RECOVERIES IN POUNDS (£)
£147,100(2015); £44,785(2016); £294,852(2017); £873, 278 (2018); and £4,644,493(So far in 2019).
RECOVERIES IN EURO €832,237(2015); €56,470(2016); €7,247,364(2017); €298,055(2018); and €53,025(2019)
An intense battle has ensued over Ibrahim Magu’s tenure as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
A group of politicians and others affected by the aggressive anti-graft drive of the acting EFCC Chairman, are working for the termination of his tenure on November 11.
Magu was appointed on November 11, 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari but the eighth Senate declined to clear him. He has been working in acting capacity since then.
Under him, the EFCC has recovered about N939.51billion in four years, according to a document obtained on the activities of the anti-graft agency.
About 1,636 convictions were also secured within the same period.
The development has brought cash recovery by the agency between 2009 and 2019 to N1.28 trillion.
Magu’s four-year acting tenure has been dotted with activities, including high-profile prosecution and convictions of two former governors, Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and Jolly Nyame (Taraba).
The fact-sheet reads in part: “Total cash recovery in naira reached N1.28 trillion between 2009 – 2019 (August), out of which N939.51 billion or 73 per cent was recovered between 2015 and 2019 (August).
“The recoveries (Naira equivalent) in the last four years under Magu are: N33,180,830.790(2015); N170, 276,862,880(2016); N473,065,195.970(2017); N216,455,497.764(2018); and N46,534,536.954 (as at August 2019).
“In terms of the United States dollars, the EFCC made the following recoveries in the last four years: $42,917,205(2015); $69,142,551(2016); $142,505,121(2017); $47,290,174(2018); and $13,458,041.
“Others cash in pounds included £147,100(2015); £44,785 (2016); £294,852 (2017); £873, 278 (2018); and £4,644,493 (So far in 2019). “For the recoveries in Euro since 2015, the breakdown reads, €832,237(2015); €56,470 (2016); €7,247,364 (2017); €298,055(2018); and €53,025 (2019).
“It is instructive to state that the EFCC also recorded landmark achievements between January and September, 2019. For example, the commission recovered N63.73billion, $14.04million, £4.65million, €53,325, 2,800 Yen, 294,950 Riyal, 15,200 CAD$ and 36,000 CFA.”
The document also indicated that the EFCC “secured 1,636 convictions in four years including 2015(103); 2016(195); 2017(190); 2018(314); and 2019(834) as at September. “The EFCC’s recoveries are the highest recorded by any anti-graft agency ever in the history of Nigeria’s war against corruption.
“About 407mansions were seized, out of which 126 have been finally forfeited while 281 are under interim forfeiture. Nine gas stations were seized and placed under interim forfeiture. Parcels of land seized sums up to 98, out of which 56 are under interim forfeiture, while 42 have been forfeited finally to the federal government.
“About 95 per cent of all recoveries in Nigeria is through the EFCC, following court orders, which granted interim or final forfeiture of looted funds and illegally acquired properties.
“The EFCC, in collaboration with agencies of government such as the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in the last three years, is actively helping to recover otherwise toxic assets and tax liabilities. Funds worth over 35billion were recovered on behalf of the FIRS, over 4billion recovered for AMCON and over¦ 328billion recovered for NNPC in Kano State, North- West Nigeria.”
Ahead of November 11, 2019 when Magu ought to statutorily clock four years in office, the battle over his substantive status has become intense. It was learnt that some forces are waiting for the midnight of November 11 to raise issues bordering on EFCC Establishment Act 2004.
Investigation revealed that there are about seven forces or groups against Magu’s confirmation.
They are some former and serving governors across parties; PDP and all its former political office holders either on trial or under investigation; some serving and retired military and security officers; some of those who are already working on 2023 project; those who are desperate to demystify Magu; some elements in EFCC and influential lawyers in the country.
In the last four years, Magu has only enjoyed tremendous confidence and support of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Magu twice survived plots to send him to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS) in order to ease him out of the EFCC. He also escaped another attempt to implicate him in a subversive plot against the government of President Buhari.
It was gathered that Magu’s saving grace was that when the key suspect in the subversion plot was brought out of detention facility, he did not even recognise Magu as he had never met him. The latest move against Magu is to wait for November 11 to ask him to step aside until the President takes a final decision on his nomination.
It was learnt that a former chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and ex-Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum are in the forefront of the latest bid to stop Magu’s fresh nomination by the President.
But, counter groups, APC stalwarts, some legal giants and some highly-placed Nigerians have, however, opted for the retention of Magu, whose performance they rate very high.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Contrary to expectations of a smooth sail, the battle for Magu’s confirmation is still on.
“There is no doubt that Magu has redefined the anti-corruption war with huge recoveries from those who looted the treasury. His spectacular achievements accounted for the success story of Buhari’s war against graft.
“But, he ended up stepping on many toes, especially the bigwigs in the society who are desperate to stop his confirmation. A stern officer, Magu does not bow to political pressure and he treats all suspects with the same yardstick.
“Now that he is about to clock four years in office, these bigwigs who wield political clout are saying this is pay-back time. About seven forces are plotting against the re-nomination of the EFCC chairman.
“The reality is that former and serving governors, ex-ministers, ex- political office holders on trial, especially those in the opposition in PDP, and some elements in APC have drawn the battle line with the EFCC chairman because they detest Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
“Even, some EFCC officials are meeting with politicians against Magu because of his strict anti-corruption stance.
“What is delaying his renomination is sheer politics at the top.
A governor, who spoke in confidence, said: “Many of our colleagues do not want Magu because of his rigidity. He does not listen to anybody and once he begins a case, he does not consider all dimensions or perspectives to allegations.
“He is no doubt good, but he should always give suspects the benefit of the doubt. He needs to realise that he is operating in a political environment.
“Now, he needs to lobby politicians in power and in the National Assembly to be nominated again and get confirmed. His experience with the last 8th Senate will suffice.
“As for me, I have nothing against him and I will do my best to ensure his re-nomination.” Some political office holder, interest groups, lawyers, NGOs are pushing for his retention based on merit.
It was gathered that an influential Northern governor is leading the lobbying group for Magu among power brokers and APC stakeholders.
A chieftain of the APC said: “Magu’s performance is the hallmark of our achievements in office. He needs a second chance in office. Some of us are sticking out our neck for Magu because he has done well.
“It is normal for those in the opposition to plot against Magu because he exposed their 16 years of waste. We know they will jubilate if Magu is dropped by the President.
“We are backing the reappointment of Magu. We appeal to the President to ignore any protest against Magu.”
As at press time, there was no signal on where the President headed on the fate of Magu. “I think in the next few days, the President will take a decision in line with his constitutional responsibility,” a Presidency source added.
Sections 2 and 3 of the EFCC Act read: “The Chairman and members of the Commission other than ex-officio members shall be appointed by the President subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
“The Commission may make standing orders regulating its proceeding or those of any of its committees.
“The Chairman and members of the Commission other than ex-officio members, shall hold office for a period of four years and may be re-appointed for a further term of four years and no more.
“A member of the Commission may at any time be removed by the President for inability to discharge the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or any other cause) or for misconduct or if the President is satisfied that it is not in the interest of the Commission or the interest of the public that the member should continue in office.”
A Legal Practitioner and Consultant Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN) said: “Ibrahim Magu has performed excellently as Chairman of the EFCC. He is fearless, courageous and patriotic. He has left indelible footprints on the sands of time.
“His enigmatic style of leadership has repositioned the EFCC as a strong institution. He deserves to be reappointed for another term. The new Senate should have no difficulty in confirming his appointment.”
A Constitutional lawyer and a member of Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn, London, Barr. Daniel Bwala said: “He did very well. He has lived up to expectations and recorded landmark achievements that will stand the test of time.”
•May file fresh suit to set aside the arbitral award
Yusuf Alli,
THE federal government is considering lodging a formal complaint with the International Police (INTERPOL) against two top executives of the Irish firm, Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID), over the controversial $9.6billion debt judgment against Nigeria.
Government, The Nation learnt on Saturday, may request INTERPOL to place a co-owner of P&ID, Brendan Cahill and Adam Quinn, the son of the owner of P&ID, Michael Quinn on red alert.
The implication of the red alert is that the two men will be on the watch-list of security agencies across the globe.
Besides, government has decided to proceed with the prosecution of companies and suspects involved in the alleged criminal conspiracy which led to the judgment.
Other options being considered by government include filing a fresh suit to set aside the arbitral award; initiating a tortious liability against P&ID; registering the order of forfeiture of assets of P&ID in London; and invoking the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to extradite some suspects from abroad for trial in Nigeria.
But the most urgent of the options, sources said yesterday, is a likely request to INTERPOL to place Cahill and Quinn on red alert.
A United Kingdom Commercial Court had ordered a stay of execution of the $9.6billion damages secured against Nigeria by P&ID pending the determination of an appeal by the Federal Government.
It however asked the government to make a security payment of $200million to the court within 60 days
The court also granted Nigeria’s leave to file an appeal against the award.
But the court upheld the award and refused to reverse the damages.
It ordered the Federal Government to pay £250,000 to P&ID as ordered by Justice Christopher Butcher of the Commercial Court in London.
Apart from challenging the legality of the $200million security deposit within the 60-day window, the Federal Government and its lawyers are looking at more opportunities of seeking redress.
Sources said the Federal Government was also looking at more legal dimensions to the case against P&ID despite the fact that it has filed a case at the UK Court of Appeal.
One of the sources said: “We are weighing more options on P&ID despite the ongoing appeal against the $9.6billion judgment secured by the company. We want to make it a battle-to-the-finish.
“We know the Irish firm and its backers are also not relenting in legal ambush against Nigeria. We have uncovered their plans which we will frustrate.
“One of the legal windows is the possibility of instructing our lawyers to file a fresh suit to set aside the arbitral award given the fraud unearthed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before a UK Court.
“We might also consider a fresh suit for tortious liability against P&ID.”
Tortious liability is described by Business Dictionary as: “Legal obligation of one party to a victim as a result of a civil wrong or injury. This action requires some form of remedy from a court system.
“A tort liability arises because of a combination of directly violating a person’s rights and the transgression of a public obligation causing damage or a private wrongdoing. Evidence must be evaluated in a court hearing to identify who the tortfeasor/liable party is in the case.”
The source added: “This (tortious liability) is apart from the step we are taking to register the forfeiture of assets of P&ID to the Federal Government as ordered by a Federal High Court. This may well turn out to be the most effective course for the Federal Government.
“We may also take advantage of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between Nigeria and some countries to bring some P&ID officials to justice in Nigeria. I think the EFCC has sent a request on MLAT to the Federal Ministry of Justice on this.”
Another source said: “The Federal Government may ask the International Police (INTERPOL) to place a co-owner of P&ID, Brendan Cahill and Adam Quinn, the son of the owner of P&ID, Michael Quinn on red alert.
“We want these two highly-placed suspects to be extradited to Nigeria for trial. They have a case to answer.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “There is certainly no going back on the trial of some companies and suspects implicated in the criminal conspiracy which led to the arbitral award against Nigeria.
“The government will not stop the ongoing trial of a former Legal Adviser of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Grace Taiga for corruption and procurement fraud.”
“Those to be prosecuted are Goidel Resources Limited, ICIL Limited and all other associated companies of P&ID BVI.”
A female journalist reporting for the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC), Abeokuta, was on Saturday beaten blue and black by angry parents during the 11th convocation ceremony of Crescent University.
Crisis ensued when the journalist, Jumoke Onafowora, struggled with the parents to gain access into the convocation hall to perform her official duty.
Onafowora, who was a member of Ogun Deputy Governor’s Press Crew, was attacked as the unhappy parents tore her clothes; protesting their inability to enter a hall where their children were being convocated.
DAILY POST gathered that the management of Crescent University had denied parents access into the hall where graduands were seated; claiming the hall was mainly for graduating students and invited guests.
Angered by their inability to be with their children in the convocation hall, the parents, it was learnt, stood at the entrance, manned by stern-looking security personnel, to protest what they described as “poor arrangement” on the part of the university; they banged on the door, yelled and rained curses on the university for refusing them access into the convocation hall despite the huge amount of money they had been paying as school fees.
Recounting her ordeal, Onafowora said: “I was in the convoy of the Ogun Deputy Governor, Engr Naimot Salako-Oyedele, who was in Crescent University Abeokuta to represent Gov Dapo Abiodun at its convocation ceremony.
“I had initially entered the hall with the Deputy Governor before I later went out to fetch my recorder from the vehicle.
“When I was trying to go back into the hall, a mammoth crowd of angry parents were at the door. They all wanted to go into the hall by force. But the security men at the door told them to stay away. They were so furious, raining curses on the management of the university.
“Because of the nature of my job, I struggled to go back into the hall. I squeezed myself that I managed to get to the door. That was when they said who am I. They said they would not allow me to enter that hall if they couldn’t do so.
“I told them I was a journalist. I showed them my identity card, but they said ‘how will an ordinary journalist enter the convocation hall when they who paid millions of naira on our children are not allowed to go in?’
“The security men, who already saw my face before, tried to open the door for me. That was when these irate parents dragged my neck. They started beating me. They tore my clothes. I lost my necklace. I was injured with their finger nails. There was nobody to rescue me as my colleagues were all in the hall.
“I suffered. I was just so unfortunate because those people vented their anger on me. I suffered for the sins of Crescent University. Their security men didn’t do anything to assist me. Nobody to protect me. It’s sad.”
Some of the dignitaries at the convocation ceremony include the Proprietor/Founder of Crescent University, Justice Bola Ajibola; the Chancellor and Convocation Chairman, Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; the Pro-chancellor, Emir of Kazaure, Alhaji Najib Hussaini Adamu; the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibraheem Gbajabiamila among others.
A French tourist has admitted impregnating more than 600 women in six African countries within two years. Forty-year old Jean Michel made the revelation on an online news site “Africa24”. The six countries included Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo, Ghana and Guinea.
Why it matters: Many Africans see all westerners as very wealthy people who can change their lives. They easily give in to all their requests and desires and are taken advantage of.
His confession has been translated from French to English by Simon Ateba in Washington, District of Columbia: “Good morning Africa 24, I have a confession to make about the havoc I have wreaked in six African countries, including Cameroon, Togo, Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana and Guinea. I am not proud of what I have done. These were unfortunate experiences.
“In France where I hail from, I did not have money. I was very poor until one day I played and won lottery. I won 550 thousand euros. It was the largest sum of money I had received in life.
“I did not know what to do, and a friend suggested we travel to Africa. We obtained all the documents, entry visa, and the rest, and our first stop was Ivory Coast.
“In Abidjan (the capital of Ivory Coast), we rented a furnished apartment. We had money to spend and met Ivorian people and we became friends. They introduced young Ivorian girls to us, and that’s when it all started.
“I began having sex with girls every day. Sometimes, I would sleep with three girls at the same time. It was a marvelous experience.
“I worried less about my health. All I wanted was to have fun. My friends and I were in a night club in the town every day looking for girls.
“One time, I met a girl and gave her money, and she told me to be engaged to her. She was ready to get pregnant for me. I don’t know whether it was the money they liked or the fact that I was from France that attracted them.
“I spent three months in Ivory Coast, spent 60, 000 euros and slept with more than 80 girls. “After leaving Ivory Coast, I went to Togo where I slept with over 100 girls and spent 40, 000 euros. “I spent three months in Togo and went to Nigeria.
“Nigeria was where I got more girls. I did not speak English, and it seems Nigerian girls love foreigners.
“I rented a furnished apartment in Nigeria and I was in Lagos for six months. I spent 100,000 euros and slept with 230 girls. Nigeria was the place I appreciated the most. Girls were always available and easy to deceive.
“From Nigeria, I went to Ghana, and then Cameroon and ended what I describe as my sex tour in Guinea.
“I was in those three countries for more than a year and spent over 200, 000 euros. If I told you I slept with more than 700 girls in those three countries, you won’t believe me, but it was unbelievable!
“In all, I slept with more than 1,400 girls in six different African countries. I have all their pictures in my photo album, including the dates we met, their names and phone numbers. I opened a Facebook account only for them.
“Since I returned to France, I have had more than 600 of them who told me they got pregnant for me. Some committed abortion, and I do not know exactly how many finally gave birth.
“Africa is a marvelous continent. Girls are beautiful and very sexy. All they want is a man who has money, and the worst is when he’s white.
“I realised that they love having mixed race babies. I do not know why, but many would do anything to get pregnant for you. 100 euros is plenty of money in Africa.
“To summarise, I went on a sex tour in Africa, I slept with 1,400 girls in two years and more than 600 got pregnant.
“I know many of you would judge me, but I do not care about your insults. I know that what I did is not good, but I enjoyed my stay in Africa, and I am planning another trip to Senegal, Mali, Gabon, Benin, Niger and Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The day after I returned to France, I went to the hospital for medical exams, and luckily, I was HIV negative, and I did not have any other infectious disease.
“My friend was also negative and we are planning another trip.
“I did not go to secondary school, so disregard my grammatical errors. Thank you for reading my story”.
° Borrowing not yielding results – Experts, DisCos
° Nigeria’s external debt rises to N25.7trn
By Zakariyya Adaramola, Simon Echewofun & Latifat Opoola
Despite spending N1.5trillion on the country’s power sector in the last two years, the Federal Government yesterday said it is in the process of investing a fresh $3 billion (N915bn) World Bank loan into the sector.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, disclosed this during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings holding in Washington DC, United States.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had in September said the federal government invested about N1.5 trillion in intervention fund in the Nigeria’s power sector in the last two years.
Osinbajo said this at a power sector roundtable hosted by Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited (MESL) at its Kainji Hydropower Plant in Niger State last month.
The Vice President, who was represented by the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, said “the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the third round of intervention funding for the sector, with a total of about N1.5 trillion in the last two years.
But yesterday in Washington DC, the Finance Minister said she would be holding further discussions with the management of the World Bank to explain how the fresh $3.5bn loan it is seeking would be disbursed for the country’s power project.
She said based on the plan of the Federal Government for the power sector, the loan would be used for the development of transmission and distribution networks to enhance the delivery of electricity.
The minister also said the loan would be used in addressing some of the challenges that the country is currently facing in the power sector. She said, “There is a proposed $2.5bn to $3bn facility for the power sector development programme in Nigeria and this will include development of the transmission and distribution networks as well as removing the challenges that we currently have now in the electricity sector.
“We are going to have a full meeting to discuss the power sector recovery programme and back home we have been working a great deal with the World Bank to design how this programme will be implemented.
“So we have an opportunity now to have a direct meeting with the leadership of the bank and to tell them the plan we have and how much we need from one to five years.”
The minister disclosed that the government would be disbursing the $3bn facility in two tranches of $1.5bn each.
When asked to comment on concerns being raised by the IMF about Nigeria’s debt which stands at N25.7tn, the finance minister said, ‘‘Nigeria does not have a debt problem.’’
She said what the government needed to do is to increase its revenue-generating capacity in order to boost the revenue to about 50 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.
She said with Nigeria’s current revenue to GDP ratio standing at just 19 per cent, its underperformance is significantly straining the government’s ability to service its debt obligation.
The minister said, “Nigeria does not have a debt problem. What we have is a revenue problem. “Our revenue to GDP is still one of the lowest among countries that are comparable to us. It’s about 19 per cent of GDP and what the World Bank and IMF recommended is about 50 per cent of GDP for countries that are our size. We are not there yet. What we have is a revenue problem.
“The underperformance of our revenue is causing a significant strain in our ability to service debt and to service government day-to-day recurrent expenditure and that is why all the work we are doing at the ministry of finance is concentrating on driving the increase in revenue.’’
FG got N1.2trn for power sector projects between 2015 and now
An analysis by Daily Trust has shown that the federal government took steps to borrow $3.311 billion (about N900bn) externally since 2015 to finance power sector projects.
The analysis of external funding for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) being the sole public utility in the power sector value chain indicates that the Company sought loans and grants to raise the transmission wheeling capacity from 8,100 megawatts (MW) to 20,000MW.
TCN is obtaining $1.661bn (N601.3bn) multilateral loans from five agencies which it said, it is using for the procurement and installation of projects under its Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP).
The breakdown of the fund obtained by this paper indicates that the World Bank is the highest donor with $486m for a fresh Nigeria Electricity Transmission Project (NETAP), and $27m for transmission project tagged, North Core.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) gave $410m loan for transmission expansion projects; the French Development Agency -AFD and European Union (EU) gave $330m for the northern corridor transmission project.
While the Japanese International Corporation Agency pegged $238m for Lagos/Ogun transmission project, AFD gave another N170m for the Abuja transmission ring scheme.
Between 2017 and 2018, the federal government collected a $1 billion (about N362bn) Performance Based Loan from the World Bank to fix the power sector in what it called the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP). The World Bank is also processing another $350 million (N127bn) loan for the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in May also announced the disbursement of N120.2bn to different electricity distribution companies (DISCOs), power generating companies (GENCOs), service providers and gas companies, in order to address the liquidity and funding challenges facing the power sector.
Power firms express dissatisfaction
But the power Distribution Companies (DisCos) had recently reacted to the borrowing by TCN which it said is not yielding results in the sector.
In a statement by the Executive Director, Research and Advocacy of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Chief Sunday Oduntan said even with the TCN multilateral funding, its poor equipment caused over 100 electricity grid collapses since privatization in 2013, and nine collapses this year.
ANED said TCN analogue system caused 5,311 interface disruptions in a single DisCo within 18 days of September 2019 and that it was despite the $1.6 billion investment TCN said it has made. The DisCos which said they have invested $1.4 billion in their networks, said despite TCN saying it is implementing a Transmission Rehabilitation Expansion Programme (TREP) with the $1.6bn fund, “the reality is otherwise. TCN finds it difficult to move away from analogue-based and informal communications systems and frequent explosions and burnings of transmission sub-stations and transformers.”
Nigeria records rise in public debt to N25.7trn Meanwhile, Nigeria’s total public debt rose to N25.7 trillion as at June 2019, indicating an increase of about N754billion since the Debt Management Office last report in March earlier in the year.
The document also showed that the CBN exchange rate of N306.40/$ was used in converting the figure.
The document further indicated that FG accounted for the biggest external debt stock in the country with about N7.01 trillion while states and the FCT accounted for N1.3 trillion. The Federal Government also accounts for the biggest domestic debt, accounting for N13.4 trillion, out of the N17.3 trillion, while states and FCT accounted for N3.9 trillion.
This indicates that the federal government debt stood at N20.4 trillion out of the N25.7 trillion while the states and the FCT accounted for the remaining N5.3trillion.
The country recorded total debt stock of N24.9 trillion as at March 31 2019 while at December 2018 its debt stock was N24.3 trillion.
Experts react
Experts have expressed concern over the country’s high debt profile, worrying that the accruing loans may cost the country in the long run.
Professor of Development Economics, University of Abuja, Professor Sarah Anyanwu, said the burden of servicing these debts is huge.
She noted that not all borrowings should be considered good and that government should borrow externally only for projects with guaranteed return on investment that will be able to pay back the loans.
“It is not the borrowing that is the problem it is the usage of the money. The problem is not taking loans and incurring debt either internal or external, the problem in Nigeria is diversion of the loans to other purposes. If the loans are used for the purposes that they have been stated for then there won’t be a problem. The important thing is that there must be accountability and it must be used judiciously,” she said.
She also called for revalue orientation for management and usage of the FG loans and not for government officials to believe it is their birth right.
Also speaking from the same department, Professor Mohammed Yelwa expressed worry over the consistent increase in the debt stock, saying the implication is that the country will get to a point that its revenue will no longer be able service its debt.
THE funding positions of seven commercial banks are inadequate, the result of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stress test released on Thursday, has shown.
The financial stability report signed by CBN Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Kelvin Amugo, showed that in the less than 30-day period analysis, seven banks were not adequately funded, while in the 31 to 90-day period, nine banks had funding gaps.
The report, however, said the cumulative position for the industry showed an excess of N4.8 trillion assets over liabilities.
The seven banks were, however, not named by the apex bank. Nigeria has 24 banks. The report, which covered the period ended December 2018, showed that six banks accounted for 82 per cent (N252.00 billion) of total placements and 86 per cent (N 266 billion) of total takings, of which 71 per cent (N190 billion) was provided by the top four placers of funds.
The stress test result revealed that, after a one-day run scenario, the liquidity ratio for the industry declined to 34.69 per cent from the 51.87 per cent pre-shock position and to 17.55 and 13.48 per cent after a five-day and cumulative 30-day scenarios.
The result also revealed that, under five-day and cumulative 30-day run scenarios on the banking industry, liquidity shortfalls declined to N1.58 trillion and N1.98 trillion.
The results of the stress test of default in exposure to the oil and gas sector showed that the banking industry could withstand up to 50.00 per cent default as the post-shock Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained at 10.24 per cent.
The results of the stress tests on the net position of interest sensitive instruments showed that the banking industry would maintain a stable solvency position to interest rate shock of up to 1000 basis points downward shift in yield curve as the post-shock CAR declined marginally from 15.26 to 13.41 per cent.
The industry pre-shock assets and liabilities maturity profile at end-December 2018 revealed that the shorter end of the market less than 90 day buckets were adequately funded.
Contagion risk from the unsecured transactions in the interbank market was moderate at end- December 2018. The results of simulated conditional counter-party default from unsecured interbank loans indicated low risk as the banks, except two, maintained post-shock CAR above 10 per cent.
The Implied Cash Flow Analysis (ICFA) assessed the ability of the banking system to withstand unanticipated substantial withdrawals of deposits, short-term wholesale and long-term funding over five days and cumulative 30 days, with specific assumptions on fire sale of assets.
The test assumed gradual average outflows of 3.8, 5.0 and 1.5 per cent of total deposits, short-term funding and long-term funding respectively, over a 5-day period and a cumulative average outflow of 22.0, 11.0 and 1.5 per cent of total deposits, short-term funding and long-term funding respectively, on a 30-day balance. It also assumed that the assets in Table 3.10 would remain unencumbered after a fire sale.
Also, reported cases of fraud and forgeries by banks increased to 25,029 at end-December 2018 from 20, 774 at end-June 2018. However, the total amount involved decreased to N18.94 billion at end- December 2018 from N19.77 billion at end-June 2018.
Similarly, actual losses declined to N2.21 billion at end-December 2018 from N12.10 billion in the first half of 2018.The total number of reported fraud cases in OFIs stood at 754 at end-December 2018, while the actual loss of N120.98 million was recorded during the same period.
Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and mobile channels recorded the highest incidence of fraud. To tackle this trend, bank customers were continually sensitised on safe banking practices while banks were encouraged to implement strong authentication controls and carry out comprehensive infrastructure risk assessments.
A total of 1,612 complaints from consumers of financial services were received in the period under review, indicating an increase of 173 complaints or 12.02 per cent over the 1,439 received in the first half of 2018. Of this number, 1,602 complaints or 99.38 per cent were against banks, while 10 complaints or 0.62 per cent were against OFIs. The complaints were in various categories, such as Excess/Unauthorised charges, Frauds, Guarantees, Dispense errors, Funds Transfers.
A total of 1,496 complaints were successfully resolved or closed in the period under review, compared with 4,723 in the first half of 2018, indicating a decrease of 3,227 or 215.71 per cent. Total claims made by complainants during the period amounted to N7.995 billion and US$1.767 million, while the sums of N3.093 billion and US$1.724 million were refunded to customers.
Amugo said the banking industry’s outlook is positive, given the expected enhanced capital base for most banks arising from the capitalisation of year 2018 profits in the first half of 2019.
However, banks’ exposure to the oil and gas sector as well as the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS 9) remains a threat to overall profitability. “The CBN will continue to collaborate with the fiscal authority and other financial services regulators to address the observed challenges towards ensuring that the gains made are sustained to reinforce financial system stability,” he said.
During the review period, seven banks were categorised as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs). The banks were selected based on the D-SIB supervisory framework, given their size, interconnectedness, substitutability and complexity. The D-SIBs accounted for 63.80 per cent of the industry total assets of N35.10 trillion and 65.23 per cent of the industry total deposit of N21.73 trillion as well as 66.00 per cent of the industry total loans of N15.34 trillion.
The examination revealed that the D-SIBs were largely in compliance with the regulatory requirements, including capital adequacy and liquidity ratios. The average CAR for the D-SIBs stood at 19.82 per cent, while liquidity ratio stood at 46.29 per cent. There was an improvement in non-performing loans ratio from 11.31 per cent at end-June 2018 to 9.82 per cent at end- December 2018.
By Hamisu Kabir Matazu & Zahraddeen Yakubu Shuaibu
Senate President Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North) was said to have secured 26 job slots for his constituents, from the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Daily Trust exclusively gathered.
This is just as the job scandal rocking the upper chamber gets messier with senators threatening showdown over the sharing formula of the employment slots given to them by the federal agency.
Employment letters were said to have since been distributed to the beneficiaries by the Senate president.
A senator, who spoke to Daily Trust yesterday, accused Lawan of “hijacking the 26 slots without considering other senators, not even from his state.”
A youth association from Lawan’s constituency, Unity for Collective Progress Forum, yesterday said all the beneficiaries had received employment letters and were expected “to commence work in earnest”.
The association gave the breakdown of the beneficiaries’ local government areas, from Lawan’s constituency as Nguru, 5; Karasuwa, 3; Machina, 4; Bade, 7; Yusufari, 4 and Jakusko 3. The Socio-Economic Right and Accountability yesterday asked Lawan to clarify the allegations that 100 employment slots for federal agencies were allocated to 10 principal officers of the Senate.
The spokesman of the Senate president, Ola Awoniyi, neither answered several phone calls nor replied a text message sent to him last night. The spokesmen of the Federal Character Commission and the FIRS also did not answer phone calls on the issue. Speaking to Daily Trust, Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Danjuma La’ah, said the committee had commenced an investigation into the alleged lopsided recruitment by some federal agencies. “I am making my investigation underneath to avoid disgracing people, “ he said.
Ahead of the Kogi West senatorial rerun ordered by the Court of Appeal last week , the two actors in the race , Smart Adeyemi and Dino Melaye , have been trading words .
Adeyemi, who is a two- term former senator of Kogi West , said Melaye never won any election in his political career .
The former lawmaker, in an interview with our correspondent, accused the incumbent senator of allegedly manipulating his way into office using political thuggery and rigging .
He said, “ This position has been proved right by last week ’s decision of the Court of Appeal affirming the decision of the lower court , ordering a rerun of the Kogi West senatorial election . ”
Adeyemi stated that no one could deliberately cast his vote for Melaye because the senator did not fit into the category of those that could earn the respect of any Yoruba man who valued morals more than money.
He added , “ Besides , the Senate is meant for those who have proved their mettle in other areas before bringing his experience to bear at the Senate . Where has Dino ever worked to gather any experience?”
However, Melaye described Adeyemi as an expired product in Kogi West .
The lawmaker said his predecessor ’s eight years in office was a curse rather than blessing to the district .
Melaye , speaking through his media aide , Gideon Ayodele , said, “ The judgments in the tribunal and appeal court have not said that Senator Dino Melaye did not defeat him . Senator Dino Melaye defeated Smart in six out of the seven local government areas of Kogi West . ”
According to him , the mandate is the people ’ s and cannot be stolen or taken away . He added , “ If we go to the election again and again, Dino Melaye will still defeat Smart Adeyemi. ”
• Says national response ongoing in partnership with states
• Edo, Bauchi, Ondo record fresh Lassa fever outbreak, fatality
By Chukwuma Muanya
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday confirmed five news cases of Monkeypox in Lagos, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.
The resurgence comes two years after the index case was reported in the country. While Lagos, in the current reappearance, recorded three cases, Rivers and Akwa Ibom have one each.
According to the latest situation report on monkeypox and Lassa fever published by the NCDC yesterday, “In the reporting month (September 2019), 15 new suspected monkeypox cases were reported from five states – Lagos (five), Rivers (two), Akwa Ibom (three), Zamfara (one), Delta (one), Imo (two) and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT (one).
“Five of the 15 suspected cases were confirmed positive for monkeypox in three states. Five of the suspected cases tested positive for chickenpox, while others are for further evaluation. No death was recorded in the reporting month.”
The NCDC said a total of 81 suspected cases have been reported so far in 2019, of which 39 confirmed cases were recorded in nine states (Bayelsa, Lagos, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Anambra, Cross River, and Oyo), with one death.
The centre noted that of the confirmed cases, 59 per cent was from two states, Delta (28 per cent) and Lagos (26 per cent); the most affected age group was 21-40 years; and 84.6 per cent of confirmed cases had a male-to-female ratio of 2.6:1.
According to the NCDC, since the beginning of the outbreak in September 2017, 176 confirmed cases and nine deaths have been recorded in 18 states (Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Delta, Bauchi, FCT, Abia, Oyo, Enugu, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, Edo, and Anambra).
To address the problem, the chief executive officer of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the centre, through the Monkeypox Technical Working Group, is coordinating the national response and control in collaboration with states and partners. He said outbreak response support is provided to states amid ongoing surveillance for Monkeypox in all states, especially high-risk ones.
Ihekweazu said the World Health Organisation African Region (WHO-Afro) regional office listed Monkeypox for immediate reporting in the 2018 Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response guidelines.
The epidemiologist said Nigeria also listed Monkeypox as a priority disease for routine reporting. This will be covered in the 2019 edition of the Nigeria Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) guidelines. He said surveillance and case management regional training in the southeast and southwest regions has been rescheduled to November 2019, and a response team has been deployed to support enhanced surveillance in Akwa Ibom.
Ihekweazu said animal surveillance is currently being conducted in Lagos, while the result of similar surveillance in four states (Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo) is being awaited.
According to the NCDC, from January 1 to October 6, 2019, a total of 4019 suspected cases have been reported from 23 states. Of these, 721 were confirmed positive, 18 probable, and 3256 negatives. Also, since the onset of the 2019 outbreak, there have been 154 deaths in confirmed cases with a fatality ratio of 21.4 per cent.
The NCDC said 23 states (Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Kwara, Benue, Rivers, Kogi, Enugu, Imo, Delta, Oyo, Kebbi, Cross River, Zamfara, Lagos and Abia) have recorded at least one confirmed case across 86 local government areas.
The centre said 93 per cent of all confirmed cases are from Edo (38 per cent), Ondo (30 per cent), Ebonyi (7 per cent), Bauchi (7 per cent), Taraba (6 per cent), and Plateau (5 per cent).
According to the NCDC, in reporting week 40, no new healthcare worker was affected and a total of 19 healthcare personnel have been infected since the onset of the outbreak in 10 states – Edo (six), Ondo (four), Ebonyi (two), Enugu (one), Rivers (one), Bauchi (one), Benue (one), Delta (one), Plateau (one) and Kebbi (one), with two deaths in Enugu and Edo.
The NCDC said 12 patients are currently being managed at various treatment centres across the country: 11 at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) treatment Centre, Edo State; and one patient at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State.
The Nigerian Air Force has decorated Kafayat Sanni and Tolulope Arotile as the first female fighter pilot and first female helicopter pilot, respectively.
The two flying officers who just completed their training courses in the US and South Africa, were among the 13 officers decorated at a ceremony on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, Sadique Abubakar, chief of air staff said the development marked “another milestone” in the 55-year history of the force.
“I am particularly happy because out of the 13 pilots to be winged are two female regular combatant officers,” he said.
“They are not only female officers but outstanding aviators. While one of the two pilots is the first female fighter pilot in the 55 years history of the NAF, the second one is the first female combat helicopter pilot.
“The first female fighter pilot trained at the United States Air Force following an excellent performance during her initial flying training course at 401 Flying Training School in Kaduna.
“While the second graduated from Starlite International Training Academy. They both performed excellently well during their training.” He said by their records, they have trained a total of 67 instructor pilots since 2015.
He also said with the winging of the new pilots, the air force would have winged a total of 101 pilots within the same period.
“Currently, we have 61 pilots undergoing basic flying training, while 50 are undergoing various forms of advanced flying training courses both locally and abroad,” he said.
“As such we are highly delighted to see the rewards of our collective efforts.
“I am confident that the NAF and indeed Nigeria will soon be reaping the benefits that these pilots would undoubtedly add to our operations.”
At the ceremony, Grace Garba, who became the first female air warrant officer (AWO), was also decorated with her new rank.
‘Buhari’s marriage’: Ask the rumour mongers, says Aisha
FIRST Lady Aisha Buhari on Sunday said it was not her duty to confirm or deny the rumour that her husband President Muhammadu Buhari wanted a second wife.
She told BBC Hausa that the responsibility to confirm or deny the rumour was that of those involved in the matter.
She said: “He (Buhari) is the person rumoured to be planning a marriage, not Aisha Buhari. They (those concerned) are supposed to come out and clear the air.”
The first lady denied a rumour that she left her husband because she did not agree with his plan take a second wife.
She called for urgent action against the menace of fake news.
The social media was abuzz last Thursday with news that President Buhari was to get married to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq.
President Muhammadu Buhari says that Nigerians are happy with the decision of the government to close all Nigeria’s land borders, insisting that the decision has helped in rewarding the efforts of domestic industries and producers.
He explained that the decision was part of measures to protect indigenous production and that Nigerians were very happy with it because “we have been relieved of infectious goods that were being imported into our country.”
The President spoke through the governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, at the second edition of the National Unity Food Fair organised by the National Council for Women Society (NCWS) in Abuja.
He maintained that the closure does not stop international trade, saying tha it will in fact enhance dignified trade.
“Nigeria has hard-working men and women across the 36 state, with a committed government to support them earn more value for what they produce,” he said.
“So we are not ending trade with countries or organisations with genuine intentions but taking steps to ensure that it is done in accordance with global best practices and trade laws.”
Minister of Women Affairs Pauline Tallen, who spoke at the event, explained that the food fair was Nigeria’s way of joining other countries of the world to celebrate the International Day of Rural Women.
She was confident that the food fair will give more credence to the idea that women are at the core of the Federal Government’s plans for agriculture and rural development.
In her contribution, the President, National Council of Women Society (NCWS), Laraba Shoda, said the national food fair underscores the importance of food in the lives of mankind.
She added that the event had become a rallying point for all stakeholders to take stock of the progress in the food production chain.
The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has handed over the six mine-resistant and multi-purpose military vehicles intercepted en route Niger Republic to American government.
While performing the handing-over ceremony in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, the Customs Comptroller in charge of Adamawa and Taraba States, Kamardeen Olumoh, said the handing-over was a directive from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA.
Mr Olumoh said: “I am directed from the National Security Adviser to comply, release and hand over the vehicles to the American government.”
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the vehicles were received by Kathleen FitzGibbon, the Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of United States of America in Nigeria, alongside security Attaché of the American Embassy including Major Peter Shayborn of the US Air Force.
In her reaction, Mrs FitzGibbon thanked the Nigerian government for the understanding, adding that the vehicles were en route to The Niger Republic for a security mission.
“Nigeria and America have good relation and understanding and the vehicles were en route to the Niger Republic for security mission,” Mrs FitzGibbon said.
She, therefore, commended the Nigerian government for the well-keeping of the vehicles, saying that the American Air force Carrier would transport the vehicles to Niger Republic.
The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has declared that any elected governor in the country who steals public funds needs deliverance from God.
The need for deliverance of such a governor, as according to him, was because governors are well provided for such that only a diabolical person would resort to stealing.
He stated this at weekend during the closing ceremony of the 23rd National Quranic Recitation Competition organised by the Jamaatul Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) in Lafia, the state capital.
According to him, “Any person elected as governor of a state has no justification to steal public funds. So anyone elected as governor and is found stealing public funds requires deliverance from God.
“When I assumed office as governor, I realised that only those who have no true knowledge about God or those whose major preoccupation is to steal public funds, could steal. Any person who is a governor and still steals public funds, such a person is in need of deliverance from God.”
Sule used the occasion to call on scholars and educated elites to join politics as a way of bringing sanity to the system.
He, therefore, dismissed insinuations that one must be wealthy before joining politics, stressing that as long as religious scholars avoid politics, then they should be prepared to elect leaders who will betray their trust.
The governor equally called on Islamic scholars not to relent in telling the people the truth, even at the risk of rejection, urging them to aspire for leadership positions.
Speaking also, the National Chairman of the council of Ulamau of JIBWIS, Sheik Sani Yahaya Jingir, charged Muslim faithful on the need to be law-abiding, stressing the importance of seeking both Islamic and Western education.
The Muslim cleric also decried the level of moral decadence in the country’s educational system, especially with recent reports of sexual harassment of female students in some universities.
Jingir, therefore, called on university lecturers to put the fear of God in their work, and henceforth desist from molesting their students.
Fayemi restates opposition to NFIU’s directive to banks on joint accounts
Francis Ndubuisi in Abuja and Ojo Maduekwe in Lagos
Worried by the intractable problem of fuel subsidy, which has affected the amount of money available for distribution among the three tiers of government, governors of the 36 states of the federation are mulling presenting to the federal government a demand for their shares and those of the local governments from the Federation Account to be given to them in dollars.
One of the governors confided in THISDAY at the weekend in Abuja that their efforts to resolve the issue so far has failed to yield any positive result due to pushback from some federal government officials, who believed a full deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry, which would lead to uncapping petrol price would be injurious to the poor, whom President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to protect from the vulnerabilities of the nation’s economy.
The governors upcoming push came just as Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, criticised the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for writing to banks to restrict transactions from joint accounts between states and local governments.
Expressing concern on the deleterious effects of fuel subsidy on states’ finances, the source said given the negative reactions so far from the federal government on their advocacy for fuel subsidy removal, states have no choice but to think out a new strategy to deal with the knotty issue.
According to him, states would get better value for their shares from the Federation Account if federally-collected revenue, such as oil is distributed in the currency they are collected.
Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that in 2018, Nigeria netted a total of N5.54 trillion from oil revenue. That is about $18.1 billion when converted at the official exchange rate of N305 to $1.
A breakdown of the figure showed that the N5.54 trillion revenue was earned through three major oil revenue sources, which were crude oil/gas sales, petroleum profit tax/royalties and others.
Also, the immediate past Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ms. Christine Lagarde, while calling on the federal government to remove fuel subsidy during the joint annual spring meetings with the World Bank in Washington DC last April, had said that Nigeria had spent $5. 2 trillion from 2015 till then on fuel subsidies and the consequences thereof.
Between January and November 2018, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in a document presented to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) in December 2018, said it incurred N623.16 billion in 11 months under its under recovery programme, the new name it gave fuel subsidy to beat the lack of legislative approval for the expenditure as demanded by law.
On how feasible the idea of states and local governments being paid their shares of revenue from the Federation Account in dollars is, given the fact that not all in the money that come to the central basket is earned in the United States’ currency, the governor said the idea was at an infant stage but they would get around to working out the modalities to make it achievable. He added that many states are in financial straits due to the fluctuation in earnings from the Federation Account, occasioned by oil price volatility and fuel subsidy as well as challenges of boosting internally-generated revenue.
The poor financial states of the second tier of government, he said, had impaired the ability of governors to deliver on their electoral promises and to providing other services to improve the welfare of the people.
Fayemi Restates Opposition to NFIU’s Directive to Banks on Joint Accounts
Meanwhile, Fayemi yesterday asked the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to steer clear from the State Joint Local Government Accounts (SJLGAs) operated by states and local governments.
Fayemi, while fielding questions from journalists in Lagos, faulted the directive by NFIU barring banks from allowing transactions from the SJLGAs without monies first reaching the LGAs account.
The governor said the directive was not backed by the 1999 Constitution. He described Nigeria’s federalism as a two-tier system and not the widely held and generally accepted view of a three-tier federation, comprising federal, state and local governments. He said there was no law in Nigeria to give local governments autonomy from the states. The NFIU in a directive in May, had barred banks, governors, financial institutions, public officers and other stakeholders from tampering with local governments’ statutory allocations from the Federation Account.
It also threatened to deal with individuals and companies abetting the diversion of local government funds with local and international sanctions.
In a new guidelines it released, which became effective from June 1, NFIU said it would restore the financial autonomy for the third tier of government, adding that each local government is now free to spend its funds judiciously without taking directives from governors, “who have hijacked the monthly allocations of the third tier of government under the guise of State Joint Local Government Accounts.”
But Fayemi described the NFIU’s position as illegal, saying the NGF’s position on the directive to banks was informed by the understanding of the position of the constitution on the issue of local government autonomy.
Describing the process needed to give local governments autonomy, Fayemi said though attempts had been made to amend the constitution, none has ever got the consent of 24 out of 36 Houses of Assembly to make it legal, in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Fayemi said: “Nigeria is a two-tier federation. It’s not a three-tier federation. I read in the media all the time of people talking about three-tier. It’s a distortion. It’s an aberration that we (states) even need to go to Abuja for approval to create local governments.
“If you want to have 200 local governments, it is your business; you and your people in your states should figure it out. It should not be the business of Abuja. That for me is a surreptitious unitarism.”
Also citing Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution, Fayemi queried the business of the NFIU with states and local governments’ joint accounts. He cautioned the agency to comply with those standards on combating money laundering and not dabble into matters that are both constitutional and beyond its purview.
The governor added that local governments are not reporting entities and are therefore not under the NFIU in the manner contemplated by the agency’s so-called guidelines.
“You cannot go behind to do what the constitution does not allow you to do and that was what informed our position at the NGF over the ridiculous instruction to banks. You know that you cannot confront us; you are now going to bankers. What is the business of the banks with the accounts maintained by local government as long as the accounts are funded and the proper persons run the accounts?”
“When you read the NFIU law, the NFIU monitors what is going on in the banking system, internationally and locally. If you have a specific case of money laundering, by all means bring it up; but you can’t have a general rule to address a unique problem. Because you say you want to fight money laundering, you’ll now say that states cannot run joint accounts. Joint account is in the constitution; Section 162 is very clear,” the governor said.
If tempers and tensions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) household are anything to go by, the days of Adams Oshiomhole as party boss might be numbered.
A high party official told Daily Sun in confidence that, judging by the magnitude of a fresh plot against a beleaguered Oshiomhole, he might not last into January 2020 as the party’s national chairman.
The party source disclosed that the plot came to a head a few months ago with the involvement of many APC governors, but that the Presidency had moved to curb further escalation pending the outcome of the ruling on the Presidential Election Appeal Tribunal.
“I am sure you know why all the plots to remove him were put on hold,” the APC source said to Daily Sun, “and I am also sure you are not among those wondering why the hostilities and antagonisms from many quarters against him died down. The Presidency had intervened, pleading with every aggrieved person against Oshiomhole to temporarily pipe low and sheathe their swords until after the Presidential Election Appeal Tribunal rules on the outcome of the 2019 presidential election.”
The source explained that “the Presidency had said that it will not be good for the party to be divided ahead of the ruling because it will not only certainly send a negative signal but also portray the party in a light capable of affecting the outcome of the judgement. The Presidency, again, claimed that his services and approach was needed before the judgement.”
Speaking further, the party chieftain noted that now that the Tribunal has ruled, the clandestine plot to remove Oshiomhole as chairman has restarted, with mostly the aggrieved state governors leading the charge.
“There is overwhelming evidence to nail and remove him, and I can confirm to you that Oshiomhole cannot last as the national chairman of APC beyond January next year, that is if he survives the plot by December this year. We have had enough and he must leave before he kills the party. If he fails to take the diplomatic option of resigning honourably, be sure he will be booted out on or before the deadline I gave you,” the source boasted.
Only recently, a forum of the party’s Non-National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) members accused the NWC of usurping the powers of the NEC, of failing to constitute a Board of Trustees (BoT)/National Elders Council and to fill up the vacant positions existing in the party, warning that it will soon result in a major crack in the crisis-ridden ruling party.
The Forum chairman, Nelson Alapa, noted in the communiqué that:
“The fundamental basis of this communiqué is to create appropriate awareness necessary in the minds and souls of the founding fathers and leaders of this great party on the urgent and critical need to salvage the party from possible imminent fractures/cracks, if things are left in the present ways the party as being currently run/managed by the incumbent leadership.
“As provided in the 2014 APC constitution as amended, Article 11 (Party Organs) National Executive Committee (NEC) members of which this Forum falls, is the third highest organ after the National Convention and Board of Trustees and takes precedent before the National Working Committee (NWC).
“It is disheartening that NWC has usurped completely powers of the NEC the negative effects of which are currently hitting back to all levels of the Party signalling serious dangers to the stability, coherency, unity, loyalty, commitment and preparedness for continuity in governance.
“We use this time to call on all the key stakeholders to ensure that BoT/NEC, as the case maybe, is constituted within a reasonable time frame majorly to enhance our party Status and operation.
“All vacant positions in the party should be filled appropriately to guarantee equity and fairness. Such vacant positions include the following: Departmental Directors, National Secretary, National Auditor, Deputy National Chairman South and National vice Chairman North-West.”
This trailed the earlier personal letters to Oshiomhole from both APC Deputy National Chairman Senator Lawal Shuaibu and the Director-General, Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, levelling a number of allegations against the chairman, not least of which were insensitivity and ineptitude, and calling for his immediate resignation.
Added to this was the recently issued ultimatum by the party’s chapter chairmen in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), addressed to the national party leadership and the Presidency oved what they described as a poor reward system in the party.
It had warned in the communiqué signed by the chairman and secretary of the forum, Ali Bukar Bolari and Ben Nwoye, respectively, “the party and the government to take all necessary corrective measures on the issues highlighted within 10 working days from the date of this publication or await an unpleasant reaction from all levels of our great party from the polling units, wards, local government areas, states and nationwide.”
Beyond all these, the APC’s secretariat staff have been angry with the chairman for relocating most activities of the party to his personal office at Asokoro, complaining the move has turned the headquarters into a ghost town lacking serious activity.
“We are feeling the effects of his decision to abandon this secretariat because there is no activity going on here. Stakeholders and party chieftains hardly come here again. We sit idle from morning till evening and return home empty handed. In fact, I cannot remember when last I saw the drummers permanently stationed at the entrance to entertain visitors. They have deserted this secretariat because of lack of activities here,” a staff complained.
“You can count the number of times the members of the NWC visit this secretariat and it is going to be worse now that the National Auditor, Dr George Moghalu, has left due to his new appointment by the Federal Government. We were happy when he replaced Oyegun without knowing that our situation would be worse under Oshiomhole.”
However, in a chat with Daily Sun , Simon Ebegbulem, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Oshiomhole, dismissed the removal plot as mere speculation and fake rumour, saying that nothing of such would happen.
“I don’t understand why people are always interested in fake stories about plots against the national chairman. It is not today the speculation started and the rumour that intervention by the Presidency saved him before the Presidential Election Appeal Tribunal ruling were part of wrong information they are feeding the media.
We will see how events unfold when the time they gave comes and now that the Tribunal has ruled,” he stated.
The chairmen of the All Progressives Congress across the country are warming up for a storming session on Sunday over their grievances with the national leadership of the party.
The meeting , which our correspondent gathered would hold in Abuja , is to review developments after the expiration of the 10 -day ultimatum issued to the National Working Committee under the APC National Chairman , Adams Oshiomhole .
Recall that the Forum of APC state chairmen had on September 23 issued the ultimatum to the NWC to address their perceived concerns .
Among their concerns are failure to secure appointments for party loyalists and vacant leadership seats in the party.
The position of the National Secretary has become vacant following the swearing -in of the last occupant, Mai Mala Buni , as Governor of Yobe State .
Also, the Deputy National Chairman ( South ) , Niyi Adebayo, was recently appointed as the Minister of Industries, Trade and Investment.
The National Auditor of the party , George Moghalu , has also been appointed as the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority .
The ultimatum has expired without the chairmen getting any concrete response from the party national leadership .
The chairmen had in their letter to the NWC alleged that they were being treated as outsiders in the party they worked to secure victories for in the last general elections while those who worked against the party were being rewarded .
The secretary of the forum and Enugu state APC chairman , Dr Ben Nwoye , confirmed the meeting to our correspondent on Friday .
He said, “ Yes, it is true that we are meeting on Sunday and the notice of the meeting has been sent to members of the forum .
“ We have our periodic meeting where we analyse developments in the party , so it is a routine meeting . ”
When prodded further , he added , “ Certainly , the issue surrounding our letter to the NWC will be discussed. We will discuss the way forward . But it is a meeting for all ; decisions will be made collectively, and not in isolation.”
The PUNCH had reported the growing disenchantment of the state chairmen and their frustration to get appointments for loyal members .
One of them had complained about how their efforts had not been rewarded by the party.
President Buhari is also proposing to spend N 1 . 492 bn on the upgrading of some of the aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet in 2020 . The sum is apart of the N 200 . 994m the President will be spending on the overhaul of engines of some of the aircraft in the fleet next year .
The figures are contained in the details of the 2020 Appropriation Bill that Buhari presented to a joint session of the National Assembly on Tuesday .
Details of PAF ’s budget are captured under the budget of the Office of the National Security Adviser .
According to the details, N 792 m will be spent on what is termed “ mandatory upgrade and installation of live TV and Internet service on BBJ ( 5 N -FGT ) .”
Also, N 50 m will be spent on “ compliance with mandatory upgrade and installation of Internet service on G 550 ( 5 N -FGW ) .”
Apart from these , another N 650 m is being proposed to be spent on “ compliance with mandatory upgrades on PAF aircraft .” All the expenses are to be spent on ongoing projects.
Further details of the budget showed that PAF will spend N 250 m on aviation fuel during the year .
The sum is part of the N 467 .86 m budgeted for fuel and lubricants ( general ) for 2020 . Other expenses in that category include the N 115 . 86 m budgeted for motor vehicle fuel ; N 70 m for plant /generator fuel ; N 30 .2 m for other transport equipment fuel ; and N 1 .8 m for cooking gas/ fuel .
The PAF will also refund N 1 .22 bn to Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria for asset acquisition.
The asset acquired is not stated in the budget details.
The PAF will also be spending N 120 m on the construction of armoury while N 178. 273 m will be spent on the renovation of the HQ 011 PAF complex and aircraft hangar .
Fire fighting vehicle will cost PAF N 90 m during the year while N 89 .413 m will be spent on the purchase of six pieces of FIDO X 3 Military Grade Scanners.
Meanwhile, the suspended national carrier , Nigeria Air , will gulp a whopping N 4 .998 bn in the 2020 fiscal year .
According to the details of the Ministry of Aviation ’s budget, “ working capital for establishment of national carrier ” will cost N 4 . 694bn while “ consultancy for establishment of national carrier ” will gulp N 304 m .
Under the budget of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, national events ( Independence Day and Democracy Day ) will cost N 255 m ; utility vehicles for former Heads of State ( replacement ) will cost N 100 m while purchase of office equipment and furniture for political aides and Shehu Shagari Complex will cost N 355 . 475m.
The Senate yesterday justified the N125 billion proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the National Assembly budget for the 2020 fiscal year.
“The National Assembly has a lot of staff to take care of in both chambers. The number of committees is large too because of the volume of work. So, there is no way we can operate with a small budget,” said spokesman of the Senate, Adedayo Adeyeye, in an interview with The Guardian.
His comment came as Italy’s parliament voted to cut down the number of legislators in both houses. While the Senate will now have 200 lawmakers from 315, the chamber of deputies will have 400 as against 630.
“The bulk of this money is spent on issues that promote legislative operations. Unfortunately, many people believe that legislators take the largest chunk of the money. Our salaries are open for public scrutiny,” Adeyeye said.
“The truth is: it is either we want to have a working and effective National Assembly that is properly funded or we do not. Running the system in the National Assembly is very expensive.”
The spokesman, however, failed to provide details on how the N125 billion would be spent, declaring that he was yet to get the specifics.
The National Assembly has in the past come under intense criticism over its failure to release the details of its budget.
Also, the Senate has reintroduced a bill seeking to establish the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO).
The Eighth Senate passed the bill on May 3, 2019. Buhari, however, did not assent to it. The proposed office, among other functions, will report yearly to the Senate and House of Representatives all items funded in the preceding financial year for which no appropriation was made by the National Assembly, and all items contained in the Appropriation Act in the preceding financial year but which were not funded by the Federal Government.
Lawmakers, meanwhile, continued debate on the 2020 budget yesterday with Senator Emmanuel Bwacha saying the document does not reflect Nigeria’s readiness to diversify its economy. He also accused his colleagues of being insincere in their handling of the budget.
I’m saying this because, since 1999, budget implementation has not reached 70 per cent. This is very worrisome. We are discussing the 2020 budget estimates. Is it fair to say that we have a 2019 budget, which has not been implemented? As we speak now, nothing has been done. We have the 2019 Appropriation Act and we are discussing the 2020 budget proposal.
“Oversight functions have become a ritual. We have to take it seriously as a parliament. We refused to address this aspect of our shortcomings. We are only prepared to speak from both sides of our mouths. We need to walk the talk if we really want to achieve significant growth in our economy,” he said.
Senator Christopher Ekpeyong said the planned increase in VAT was incompatible with the budget. He explained: “If you increase the VAT to 7.5 per cent today for an investor or a contractor, he will pay educational tax of one per cent, he will pay ITF of one per cent, he will pay NITTF of one per cent, and some times, he goes behind to pay some percentage to the ruling party.
“These taxes are not mentioned. What is the result of the product the man will sell? For that reason, I am not in support of the VAT increase because already the VAT not mentioned is over 9 per cent and if you now add this to this, you will be having 10.5 per cent as VAT in the country.”
Similarly, the vice-chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Ojang Sandy Onor, described Buhari’s attribution of low receipts in VAT to the general election as a cover-up. According to him, the real reason is that the economy is not performing well.
He said: ‘If yesterday when VAT was five per cent we experienced lower levels of economic activities, today that VAT is 7.5 per cent, we risk not having economic activities at all, and the consequences are dangerous.”
But Senator Ajibola Basiru who seemed to support the proposal gave the reason for the lack of full implementation of the 2019 budget. “The budget was not fully implemented because it was passed and signed into law towards the end of the Eighth National Assembly. What struck me is that the revenue projections and infrastructure show a 70 per cent deficit in the 2019 budget, and in 2020, it has already been highlighted that N2.18 trillion will be the proposed deficit,’’ he stated.
“People are looking at the allocation to key sectors and the revenue to fund the projects. For instance, when you talk of the N256 billion being allocated to Works, I have it on good authority that what is even required to take care of the outstanding in the Ministry of Works and Housing is in excess of N500 billion. Yet, many people are hailing the N256 billion allocated for Works, describing it as huge. We should also be looking at the aspect of progressive taxation.”
Nigerian-born professor resigns after spending $243k research grant on strip clubs, iTunes in US
Chikaodinaka Nwankpa, a professor of Nigerian origin, has resigned after it was discovered that he spent $242,390 research funds in strip clubs and iTunes purchases.
According to a statement released by the eastern district of Pennsylvania attorney’s office, Nwankpa repaid $53,328 and resigned in place of termination after he was discovered.
The professor was also said to have paid for goods and services offered by Cheerleaders, Club Risque, and Tacony Club.
Nwankpa, who was head of the electrical and computer engineering department at Drexel University, made the purchases between 2007 and 2017.
He has also been debarred from federal government contracting for a period of six months.
William M. McSwain, a US attorney, announced that the university has agreed to pay the United States $189,062 to resolve potential liability under the False Claims act.
“This is an example of flagrant and audacious fraud and a shameful misuse of public funds,” McSwain said.
“The agencies providing these grant funds expect them to be used towards advancements in energy and naval technology for public benefit, not for personal entertainment.
“We appreciate Drexel’s self-disclosure and cooperation in this matter. At the same time, we are disappointed that Dr Nwankpa’s conduct went unnoticed for so long, but Drexel’s strengthening of its charge approval process is certainly a step in the right direction.”
Am investigation into Nwankpa’s activities began in 2017 after the university voluntarily disclosed improper charges to eight federal grants for energy and naval technology-related research that it received from the Navy, the department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation.
Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti state, says Nigeria can scrap the senate as all the country really needs is a unicameral legislature.
Speaking at the just concluded 25th edition of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group conference, the governor said Nigeria has to look into the size of government.
“We do need to look at the size of government in Nigeria and I am an advocate of a unicameral legislature. What we really need is the house of representatives because that is what represents,” he said at a session monitored by TheCable.
“You have three senators from little Ekiti and you have three senators from Lagos state. It’s a no-brainer that it’s unequal, I guess the principle is not proportionality but that if you are a state, you get it automatically but I think that we can do away with that. There are several things that we can do away within the government.
“The Oronsaye report that proposed mergers of several MDAs that are doing the same thing is something that the government should pay serious attention to and reduce the resources being expended on them.”
Nigeria’s national assembly consists of a senate with 109 members and a 360-member house of representatives.
HOW GOVERNORS SPEND SECURITY VOTE
Defending the security vote spent by governors, Fayemi, who was also a former minister of mines and steel, said: “Security vote exists in various forms and not just in Nigeria. They may not call it security vote, they may call it contingency vote.
“The important thing is the government utilises a wide range of mechanism to guarantee security in a state and it is not just ammunition and weapons that I am talking about. Even keeping the touts in check is a security challenge in many states and managing that process may cost you money that you cannot necessarily show the auditors.
“The other element which states don’t get credit for is what we do for the federal police. Nigeria is the only federation in the world that I know runs a centralised police force. You have federal police that is not being funded properly by the federal government so the responsibility for funding those guys that are posted to your state is on the state. You buy uniforms, ammunition, pay allowances, do life insurance, buy vehicles; that is not provided for and that is security vote because we are expected to protect the citizens.
“Let me also say this, you will not hear it out there from anybody. When people are kidnapped and their relatives are harassing the governor or security institutions to track down the victims.
“We track them down, we know where they are. What you hear us say outside is that we don’t pay ransom and we stick by that. We don’t pay ransom, we don’t bribe kidnappers but we get those people released.
“I will not go into the ugly details but we spend money in ensuring that we get abductees and victims out of harm’s way because ultimately that is what the victim wants us to do. The parents don’t want to hear the story that we don’t pay a ransom. You just have to whatever you have to do to ensure that we get our citizens out of danger.”
Fayemi was on the panel alongside Babatunde Fowler, executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Jordi Borrut Bel, Nigerian Breweries MD, and Eme Essien, country manager of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
He told the court that the offence committed by the defendant was contrary to section 383 and punishable under section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap. 37 Volume 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.
Abe Oluwatimileyin, a driver, has been arraigned before an Oke Eda Magistrate's Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State for stealing his boss' money which he used to gamble.
Oluwatimileyin, 25, a former driver of Prof Olu Aderounmu, committed the offence on October 2.
The court's charge sheet showed that the defendant is facing one-count charge of fraud.
It said, “That you, Abe Oluwatimileyin, ‘m’ on October 2, 2019 at about 8:30 at Polaris Bank, Akure in the Akure Magisterial District did receive the cheque of N100,000, given to you to withdraw from Polaris Bank Akure by Prof. Olu Aderounmu and after receiving the money from the bank, but you converted the money to your own use."
Police prosecutor, Soji Ogemade, informed the court that Oluwatimileyin had absconded after withdrawing the money and a car belonging to his boss . He told the court that the offence committed by the defendant was contrary to section 383 and punishable under section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap. 37 Volume 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.
Oluwatimilehin pleaded not guilty but begged the court for mercy.
He said, “I was told by a man that if I played BetNaija with the money, I would win more money in return.”
The prosecutor then asked for an adjournment on the case to enable him study the case file and await the legal advice from the office of the director of public prosecution.
Earlier, Ogundele Adedire, the defendant's counsel had urged the court to grant the client a bail in liberal terms.
In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Charity Adeyanju, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N200,000 with one surety in like sum and later adjourned the case until October 29
On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2020 appropriation bill of N10.33 trillion to the national assembly.
The appropriation bill also comprises statutory transfers of N556.7 billion, non-debt recurrent expenditure of N4.88 trillion and N2.14 trillion of capital expenditure.
We bring you key other highlights of the budget below:
WORKS GETS LION SHARE, NIGER DELTA MINISTRY GETS LEAST
The ministry of works and housing got the highest allocation among the ministries with N262 billion, followed by ministry of power which has N127 billion, and transportation with N123 billion.
The social investment programmes including the N-Power scheme and the school-feeding initiative among others got N30 billion while the ministry of Niger Delta affairs got least allocation with N24 billion (this is, however, aside the N62 billion budgeted for the amnesty programme). You can check out other MDAs allocations here .
CAPITAL PROJECTS GET N2.46TRN
Buhari said the federal government hopes to spend a total of N2.46trn on capital projects during the 2020 fiscal year, inclusive of N318.06 billion in statutory transfers.
“Although the 2020 capital budget is N721.33 billion (or 23 percent) lower than the 2019 budget provision of N3.18 trillion, it is still higher than the actual and projected capital expenditure outturns for both the 2018 and 2019 fiscal years, respectively,” he said.
PRIORITY FOR ONGOING PROJECTS
The president said the emphasis of the 2020 budget will be the completion of “as many ongoing projects as possible”, rather than commencing new ones.
“MDAs have not been allowed to admit new projects into their capital budget for 2020, unless adequate provision has been made for the completion of ALL ongoing projects,” he said. “Accordingly, we have rolled over capital projects that are not likely to be fully funded by the end of 2019 into the 2020 Budget. We are aware that the National Assembly shares our view that these projects should be prioritised and given adequate funding in the 2020 Appropriation Act.”
ESTIMATES BASED ON VAT INCREASE, OVERHEAD COSTS AT N426.6BN
The 2020 appropriation bill is proposed based on the planned increase of the VAT rate from 5% to 7.5%, while the overhead costs are projected at N426.6 billion.
Buhari said the additional revenues will be used to fund health, education and infrastructure programmes, with 85 percent going to states and local governments.
“Additionally, our proposals also raise the threshold for VAT registration to N25 million in turnover per annum, such that the revenue authorities can focus their compliance efforts on larger businesses,” Buhari said, adding that this is to enable proper growth of MSMEs.”
FISH, YAM AND BREAD AMONG ITEMS EXEMPTED FROM VAT
Buhari said some of the items which will be exempted from the VAT, in addition to the pharmaceuticals, educational items, and basic commodities already excluded by the VAT act, include brown and white bread, cereals, fish of all kinds, flour and starch meals.
Others are fruits, vegetables, roots (yams etc), herbs. salt, milk, meat and water.
BUDGET DEFICIT OF N2.18TRN, GDP GROWTH RATE AT 2.93% AND N2.45TRN FOR DEBT SERVICE
The appropriation bill further proposes a budget deficit of N2.18 trillion in 2020, including drawdowns on project-tied loans and the related capital expenditure.
“This represents 1.52 percent of estimated GDP, well below the 3 percent threshold set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007, and in line with the ERGP target of 1.96 percent,” the president said.
The president also said the federal government is setting aside N2.45 trillion for debt service during the 2020 fiscal year, out of which 71 percent is to service domestic debt which accounts for about 68 percent of the total debt.
He said there is an expected GDP growth of 2.93% in 2020, “driven largely by non-oil output, as economic diversification accelerates” with inflation expected to remain slightly above single digits in 2020.
MDAS PROHIBITED FROM SETTING UP NEW LIASON OFFICES
Buhari said he has directed the stoppage of the salary of any federal government staff that is not captured on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform by the end of October 2019.
The current administration had introduced the platform to help manage personnel costs among other reasons.
He added that the proliferation of zonal, state and liaison offices by MDAs will no longer be tolerated as part of efforts to “sustain our efforts in managing personnel costs.”
“All agencies must obtain the necessary approvals before embarking on any fresh recruitment and any contraventions of these directives shall attract severe sanctions,” he added.
The biggest goal of this work was to be louder than the aggressor because sexual harassment is very loud. I wanted it to be silenced.
BBC journalist, Kiki Mordi, has told SaharaReportersthat she had received subtle threats since her widely applauded undercover investigation into sexual harassment of female students by male lecturers at the University of Lagos and the University of Ghana respectively was published.
The investigation, which took almost a year, saw Mordi and other undercover female journalists secretly filming randy lecturers in both universities trying to use their positions to demand sex from young ladies in order to favour them academically.
According to Mordi, who said on Monday that the project was inspired by her personal story, she is not bothered by those threats because the BBC takes the security of employees very seriously.
She said, “I have received subtle threats since this work was completed but I am not bothered because the BBC takes the security of employees seriously.
“Before embarking on this project, the team prayed a lot and also sang because it helped to calm the nerves.
“But I had to go through the trainings I received over and over again because I wanted to get it right.
“The bulk of the ritual I performed were reading, research and preparation.
“The biggest goal of this work was to be louder than the aggressor because sexual harassment is very loud. I wanted it to be silenced.
“I am happy that a lot is changing already since the documentary was release and I can confirm to you that one of the lecturers at the University of Lagos caught sexually harassing a prospective student has been dismissed by the institution.
“I believe it doesn’t stop there until there is a conviction. We have to break that culture of impunity.”
In the undercover documentary now making the rounds on the Internet, one of the lecturers at the University of Lagos, Dr Boniface Igbeneghu, a former sub-dean of Faculty of Arts, who is also a pastor of a local branch of the Foursquare Gospel Church, was seen making amorous advances at the ‘prospective student’, who claimed to be 17 years old.
At a point in the video, he offered her a wine, asked her to switch off the light in the room so that he could kiss her.
After the young lady didn’t do as he had said, Igbeneghu soon stood up to switch off the light himself before going back on the sofa they both seated to pull her close to himself for what he described as a “cold room” experience.
According to the lecturer, the “cold room” is a place within the school’s senior staff club where he and his colleagues take female students to for sexual pleasure.
Since the video went public, there have been reactions from all across the country with many prominent voices calling for a quick action by the government to arrest sexual harassment in higher institutions in the country.
Apart from being axed by Unilag, the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria also announced the suspension of Igbeneghu on Monday.
Workers in Lagos State, yesterday, said they would receive nothing less than N50,000, even as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) demanded payment of N30,000 national wage by October end.
Addressing workers who gathered in front of the Lagos State House of Assembly after a peaceful march from Ikeja under bridge, NLC Lagos State Chairman, Funmi Sessi, said the special nature of Lagos called for the new demand.
She explained that the fresh demand was coming as part of the workers request to mark the World Day for Decent Work which is celebrated every October 7 worldwide.
The workers had marched through Obafemi Awolowo way to the Alausa Secretariat brandishing placards with inscriptions such as, ‘Employers: Respect workers rights to join union’; ‘We have the right to good wage, decent work’; ‘No to wage poverty, yes to living wage’; ‘Invest in care economy, promote universal health care for children and elderly.’
The NLC chairman insisted that Lagos State workers presently faced more hardship to get to work, hence the reason why N30,000 could no more be acceptable.
“For a simple reason, Lagos is a special state, transportation and house rent are higher and so many hazards on the roads. When you go to work, market, it’s not the same as Ogun State. Rent in Lagos has been increased by 400 percent, transport, 200 percent.
“Our demand is that no junior worker besides the N50,000 minimum wage should go home with less than N15,000 hazard allowance.”
She claimed workers were not well remunerated, noting that things have continued to deteriorate. “The leaders are only enriching themselves.
When Senate and House of Representatives members collected their N30 million and N25 million welcome packages respectively, do you hear any news? But to pay N30,000 minimum wage which took two years to negotiate has become a problem.”
The NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba, represented by the Congress Deputy General Secretary, Ismail Bello Deputy Majority Leader, Olumuyiwa Jimoh and Special Assistant to Lagos State on Civic Engagement, Adebowale Aderemi both assured the workers that their messages would be delivered to the governor.
Politics › FG Redeploys 99 Directors To Five New Ministries by Islie(op): 8:02am On Oct 22, 2019
