₦airaland Forum

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President Muham-madu Buhari’s anti-corruption
crusade appears to have taken off in earnest
barely a week after assuming office with a stern
warning to ministers not to dabble into approving
payments for contractors.
The government came boldly yesterday with a
clear policy directive asking only the heads of
Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs not
to abdicate their core functions to ministers who
are political appointees but to do their jobs in
strict compliance with the policy guidelines of the
administration. The Head of Service of Civil Service of the
Federation, Mr Danladi Kifasi, made the new
position of the government known at a media
briefing in Abuja.
According to the Head of Service of the
Federation, the government wants to keep the
political class away from issues of finance so that
development of our country can be sustained.
He said: “If a minister travels out and payment is
due, we cannot afford to wait for the ministers to
come back before we pay.”
Findings by Saturday Vanguard revealed that the
HoSF was compelled to make the clarifications
following a clash between permanent secretaries
of major Federal Government ministries and
former ministers in the Jonathan government over
the payment of contractors.
Saturday Vanguard learnt that most permanent
secretaries and directors of accounts in the
ministries and MDAs fell out with many of the
immediate past ministers following their refusal to
pay contractors favoured by them for jobs
approved and awarded through the backdoor by
the ministers in their last effort to make quick
money out of the system.
The clash between a former minister and a
serving permanent secretary is said to have
degenerated into a near major scandal in one of
the major Federal Government ministries in Abuja
which deals with land and development of
infrastructure.
The minister was reported to have hurriedly
approved the award of many contracts for
companies said to be close to him and later
ordered the permanent secretary to pay the
affected contractors, an order, which the civil
servant bluntly turned down, thereby entering into
the bad books of the former minister.
To reverse the trend as the Buhari government
takes off, the HoSF, warned that henceforth, no
permanent secretary should allow themselves to
be misdirected by any minister in the award and
payment for contracts.
Kifasi who cleared what he described as a
misconception of political appointees to approve
payment for contracts, made it clear that
approval of payments for contracts are strictly
the jurisdiction of accounting officers or directors
of the various ministries.
The Head of Service, who was apparently in
support of the refusal of permanent secretaries to
pay contractors approved for payment by out-
gone ministers, explained that both the
Procurement Act and extant government circulars
clearly define the roles of the civil servants
relating to contract awards and payment.
Kifasi said, “The President has said that his
administration will concentrate on policy issues
and so we civil servants are re-directing our
efforts and minds towards achieving or aligning
with the president’s directive.
“Payments are normally approved by the
accounting officers. In a parastatal, it is either the
managing director or the director-general. In the
ministry it is the permanent secretary and not the
minster.
“In the procurement process, ministers do not
approve either. It is the Ministerial Tenders Board
that sits to consider and approve contracts within
their approval threshold. If it is beyond the Board,
it goes to the Federal Executive Council.
“The only thing a minister does is that he signs
the council memo for the procurement that goes
to the Federal Executive Council. For the
Ministerial Tenders Board which is usually chaired
by the Permanent Secretary; the Permanent
Secretary sends his report and the minutes of the
tenders board to the minister for his concurrence
and endorsement. That is their role
“For instance, if ministers were asked to be
approving payments, now that there are no
ministers will work then stop? So it is actually a
misinformation.”
Beyond finance, the HoSF warned civil servants
that the warning by President Buhari for them to
change their attitude to work should be taken
seriously as lateness to work and other acts
inimical to the service would not be tolerated any
longer.
“Consequently, permanent secretaries, Directors,
Chief executives of parastatals and agencies are
to take appropriate steps to address this
situation. All public servants are to note that
measures as enshrined in the Public Service Rules
will be enforced on erring officers,” Kifasi warned. www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/buharis-anti-corruption-war-takes-off/

Buhari will die before the Election
- Ayo Fayose
Buhari is brain dead - Mama
Peace
If APC survives till October 2014,
call me a bastard.- Doyin Okupe
Mark my words, It will not
happen for Buhari to rule Nigeria. - Doyin Okupe.
If APC wins, I will go on exile. - Bode George.
Buhari can never win in Yorubaland. - Gani
Adams.
Jonathan will shock APC with
defeat. - FFK
If Jonathan loses, we would set Nigeria on fire. -
Asari Dokubo.
We instigated the 6 weeks
postponement so that
Jonathan can win. - Fasehun
I will deliver 1 million votes to
Jonathan in Ondo state. - Mimiko
We shall deliver the South West
votes to Jonathan. - Afenifere Tinubu is no longer
a force in the
South West. -Yinka Odumakin.
Buhari at 70 wears diapers like
my mother. - Fayose
Jonathan already has Lagos votes.- Obanikoro...
NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK
OR SAY ABOUT
YOU FOR EVIL,
GOD WILL CHANGE IT TO JOY. Type
a big AMEN...?

OWERRI—A detachment of armed security
personnel from Imo State police command,
Sunday, clashed with loyalists of the Movement
for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of
Biafra, MASSOB, leaving many injured.
This came on a day the group said it had no
regret supporting former President Goodluck
Jonathan in his failed re-election bid.
The MASSOB loyalists came to Owerri in more
than 500 commercial vehicles of varying sizes to
celebrate Biafran Day and remember their fallen
heroes.
Vanguard gathered that members, clad in their
uniforms, sang songs as they marched towards
the city centre of Owerri.
It was further gathered that as the MASSOB
loyalists marched into the ever busy Owerri-Port
Harvourt federal highway, the police personnel
allegedly ordered them to disperse but the order
was disobeyed.
An eyewitness claimed that as the processing
MASSOB loyalists made to continue their march,
the police fired some teargas canisters.
“As soon as MASSOB loyalists marched into
Owerri-Port Harcourt highway, the police ordered
them to disperse, but the order was largely
ignored by the people. The police then fired
teargas canisters,” the witness recounted.
He said that the firing of teargas canisters
generated instant stampede, which occasioned
injuries.
It was not clear at press time if anybody died in
the process or how many people were arrested by
the police, but many sustained varying degrees of
injuries.
Several calls put across to the Police Public
Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, a
deputy superintendent of police, were neither
picked nor returned.
Meanwhile, MASSOB has said it had no regret
backing former President Goodluck Jonathan in
his failed re-election bid.
The MASSOB Leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike,
who made the declaration made in an address
delivered during the ceremony to mark this year’s
Biafra Day in Owerri, yesterday, said: “The
Goodluck Jonathan presidential election followed
the pattern of the Biafra-Nigeria civil war.
‘’It highlighted the war has not ended. It was a
war between the former Eastern Region and
Nigeria.”
While insisting that the outcome of the election
had justified their resolve for self-determination,
Chief Uwazuruike also explained why Ndigbo
voted massively for their brothers from the South-
South.
“This singular gesture has made the struggle for
Biafra stronger again. We remain proud of our
support for Dr. Jonathan and we promise to
continue to support our brothers in their future
endeavour.
“The Biafra project has formed the outlook of our
people over the years,” the MASSOB leader said.
He noted that because of the said project, his
people had suffered many deprivations in Nigeria.
He said: “Because of the project, our people have
been massacred in their millions. Our detractors
brought enmity between Ndigbo and their
brothers in the South-South.
‘’The seed of discord cost us our first attempt at
independence, as well as brought distrust
between us and our brothers.’’
www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/many-injured-in-imo-police-massob-clash/

Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the immediate past
president and stakeholders in Bayelsa have
applauded President Muhammadu Buhari, for
pledging allegiance to all in his inaugural speech.
Reacting to the speech, in Yenagoa on Saturday,
Jonathan said that he was gladdened by the
posture of the president.
“Buhari said that he does not belong to any
clique, and I congratulate him for that statement.
“It shows that we should all rally around him to
work towards the development of the country and
make Nigerians happy,” Jonathan said.
Other opinion leaders in Bayelsa also commended
Buhari for the speech, describing it as `a
roadmap’ to move the country forward.
The Bayelsa Chairman of the Trade Union
Congress of Nigeria (TUCN), Mr Tari Dounana,
told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the
speech indicated that Buhari was ready to bring
change to the country.
Dounana urged the new president to fulfill his
promises to Nigerians irrespective of party,
religious and tribal affiliation.
“The president said that he belonged to everyone
and to nobody. That is the kind of words we want
from a leader.
“Thank God Nigeria’s democracy is advancing
and we have gotten a leader that will take the
issues of workers very seriously,” he said.
Mr Ezekiel Ogbianko, the Chairman of the Rice
Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in
Bayelsa, also commended the president’s
inaugural speech, urging him to also look into rice
farming.
“All Nigerians, especially RIFAN should cooperate
with the new administration to move the country
forward.
“I believe that if president takes actions on all he
said, Nigeria will move forward,” Ogbianko said.
Also Rev. Samuel Ayadi, Niger Delta Coordinator
of Artisanal Fishermen Association of Nigeria
(ARFAN), said that thousands of fishermen across
the region were impressed by the inaugural
speech.
“The speech raises a lot of hope and for the new
president to even mention the Niger Delta issue
shows that he cares.
“We, the fishermen, have showcased our
challenges to him during his electioneering
campaigns.
“We expect him to address pending oil spill
compensations, especially the Bonga Spill incident
and assist the traditional fishing sector to enable
us contribute towards food security,” Ayadi said.
Mr Namso Ekpo, the Leader of Onna Industrial
Youth Cooperative, a Niger Delta based group
urged the new president to industrialise the Niger
Delta region to meaningfully engage the teeming
youths.
“The president mentioning the Niger Delta region
in his inaugural speech means that he has done
research on the problems facing the country and
we await his actions to address the issues.
“We are ready to work with him to meaningfully
engage the youths in productive ventures and be
self reliant,” Ekpo said.
www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/jonathan-hails-buharis-inaugural-speech/