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 Politics › Parliamentary Forgery? by LocalChamp(op): 2:10pm On Jul 28, 2015 |
Parliamentary forgery? Posted By: Hardball on: July 28, 2015 Parliamentary forgery — geez, isn’t that a violent contradiction in terms? Parliamentary language is the best of language. Parliamentary conduct is the best of conduct. So, parliamentary immunity is fair exchange for parliamentary language and refined conduct, just as ex-cathedral sermons are concessions to the clergy as presumed moral avatar; and judicial immunity, as just concession to the judge, presumed fair and above board, in his court? So, where does parliamentary forgery fit into all of these? If you pardon the virtual stream of consciousness of a troubled soul, that was how Hardball’s mind started working, at the break of the latest scandal in Nigeria’s legislative horizon. Alleged parliamentary forgery, often rigged elections: are these the fundaments of Nigerian democracy? Awful! News claim the police have established a prima facie case of alleged forgery, in the controversial election that delivered Bukola Saraki as president of the Senate and Ike Ekweremadu, as his deputy. The news claimed that the Senate Standing Order 2011, the extant one before the inauguration of the present 8th Senate, was illegally tinkered with. That altered document, it further alleged, provided the legal platform for the June 9 inauguration and election of principal officers. In the often dramatic partisan world, if indeed the forgery is proved, a side would rejoice and a side would mourn. To the partisans, it is yet another victory — or defeat — in a chain of battles in the often fierce war for partisan control. So, life goes on — after all if you lose today, you could win tomorrow! But sorry, Hardball does not share such a sanguine viewpoint! Indeed, in his view, both sides are losers — for why would anyone: a parliamentarian worth his or her name, senators, the highest ranking symbols of Nigeria’s electoral democracy, and the National Assembly bureaucracy, peopled by bureaucrats of the best crust, why would anyone, in that exalted circle, even think of, not to talk of actually indulging in, rule forgery? And he who brazenly forges parliamentary rules, would he blink a second from forging actual laws for self benefits? Sheer horror! Just as well, the Buhari presidency has sworn it would not shield anyone, no matter how highly or lowly placed, from prosecution for the alleged forgery. Just as well, because it is good the presidency is showing good leadership in the matter. But the legal front appears set for the notorious, permissive Nigerian debate, that most often ruins the country; and permits felons to get away with murder. While some silks have thundered prosecution of whoever were involved, a very senior silk has invoked parliamentary sovereignty, claiming parliament is so sovereign the police cannot investigate a basic breach of the law that even operates its conduct! Is parliament then above the law? If it is, is the executive too — and the judiciary? If so, why do citizens drag the government (the executive) to court? And why do judicial officers drag one another to court for alleged breach of their own rules? Whoever was involved in that alleged forgery should face the law — and there must be no prevarication! Also, any talk of “political solution” should be regarded as what it is: crap! Only prompt and speedy judicial resolution of the matter would wipe the putative reproach from the National Assembly. Parliamentary forgery? Perish the thought! And on this campaign, every patriot worth his or her name must clamber on board. https://www.nairaland.com/newtopic?board=20 1 Like |
| Politics › US Officials Say Jonathan’s Minister Stole $6bn – Oshiomhole by LocalChamp(op): 6:42pm On Jul 27, 2015 |
US officials say Jonathan’s minister stole $6bn – Oshiomhole JULY 27, 2015 : OLALEKAN ADETAYO Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Monday took a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, saying the party destroyed Nigeria. Oshiomhole, who was a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s delegation to the United States, expressed delight that Nigeria now has a President who talks with confidence unlike “a President that is blabbing and is not sure of what the issues are.” The governor spoke with State House correspondents shortly after meeting Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said he had decided not to bother about anything the PDP says about the present administration because he did not expect the party to be praising a government that is doing better than it did while in charge. He claimed that so bad was the situation under Jonathan that members of Buhari’s delegation were told in US how a minister under the President stole $6billion. He said the PDP succeeded in supervising Nigeria’s liquidation. He said, “The PDP destroyed the country. I mean from the lips of American officials; senior officials of the State Department said one minister under PDP cornered as much as $6billion. “The man said even by Washington standard, that is earth-quaking. “So, PDP is a party that presided over the liquidation of our nation, destroyed all our institutions, converted the Armed Forces commanders to use them as if they were political thugs, converted NTA to a party megaphone, destroyed the SSS, went after opposition as if we were rabbits to be pursued into our holes, compromised even student unions and destroyed everything that you can think of and elevated religion to a state affair. “Under the party, Israel became a place you visit every week; they placed pastors against mallams, placed North against South, East against West just to retain power; elevate Obas and Obis with dollars. “You guys were reporting dollars that were changing hands; when NNPC was spending much more money than is available to the Federation Account. “We are a very patient people. If we were not a patient people, anybody wearing the tag of PDP ought to feel very unsafe because you are all victims – all of us here.” Oshiomhole claimed that under the PDP, there was no law as the party members were law to themselves. He claimed that Jonathan did not know what the issues were and everybody was frustrated. [b]He added, “Mr. Carson, who was the Assistant Secretary of State, when we visited him in company of Senator Saraki, then as chairman of the Governors’ Forum – that was at the eve of President Obama’s first visit to Africa – and we went to complain, ‘why is Nigeria not on the list?’ “What he said for me was quite instructive compared to what he said last week. Then I was present when he said ‘you know, we who see ourselves not just as friends of Nigeria, each time we think there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is time to encourage Nigeria to build on it, you would wake up the following day under President Jonathan to find out that even the tunnel had been removed. “Those were the words of Mr. Carson. Now last week, this same Carson chaired the President’s address at the Institute of Peace and he said ‘we now have a man of enormous integrity; one that has shown so much faith in the democratic process; one that refused to be frustrated even in the face of massively rigged elections. He submitted to the judicial process and even when that was compromised he never gave up.[/b] “‘America has done its check and we are convinced that this President is the one that Nigeria needs at this time to regain its leadership of the African continent. “‘America now has a partner worthy of relations because they believe that every dollar that America provides to support Nigeria whether in the area of security, in the area of education, or encouraging American investors to invest in Nigeria, there is an enabling environment because what had been destroying the country is corruption. Oshiomhole added that “If PDP doesn’t condemn it then they are no longer PDP. Don’t forget, people deceiving people has been a way of life for 16 years.” http://www.punchng.com/news/us-officials-say-jonathans-minister-stole-6bn-oshiomhole/ 3 Likes |
| Politics › Senate Crisis: NASS Clerk Faces Trial As Police Establish Forgery by LocalChamp(op): 12:50am On Jul 26, 2015 |
Posted By: Yusuf Allion: July 26, 2015http://thenationonlineng.net/senate-crisis-nass-clerk-faces-trial-as-police-establish-forgery/ 15 Likes 6 Shares |
| Politics › EFCC Invites Kingsley Kuku, Jonathan’s Adviser On Amnesty by LocalChamp(op): 4:33pm On Jul 24, 2015 |
EFCC moves against Jonathan’s adviser on amnesty, Kingsley Kuku July 24, 2015Premium Times The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has summoned Kingsley Kuku, a former special adviser on Niger Delta Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, for questioning.http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/187203-breaking-efcc-moves-against-jonathans-adviser-on-amnesty-kingsley-kuku.html |
| Politics › Money Laundering: EFCC Invites Thisdday Publisher, Nduka Obaigbena by LocalChamp(op): 5:25pm On Jul 22, 2015 |
BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKJUL 22, 2015 SaharaReporters has exclusively learned that the publisher of ThisDay Newspapers, and Chairman of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigerian (NPAN), Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, was on June 26 invited to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over what our source at the agency described as alleged money laundering. A copy of the invitation letter obtained by SaharaReporters shows that Mr. Obaigbena was scheduled to report at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on July 7. It is unclear if Mr. Obaigbena honoured the invitation. He is currently visiting the United States. The kernel of the infraction remains unclear but sources disclosed that it may be connected with suspicious transactions running into several millions of dollars. Link to EFCC letter https://www.scribd.com/doc/272288456/Untitled http://saharareporters.com/2015/07/22/money-laundering-efcc-invites-thisdday-publisher-nduka-obaigbena |
| Politics › Buhari Receives Indicting Documents On Ex-ministers, Others by LocalChamp(op): 2:01pm On Jul 22, 2015 |
Buhari receives indicting documents on ex-ministers, others JULY 22, 2015 : OLALEKAN ADETAYO, ABUJA President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday confirmed that he had started receiving some documents which indicted some former ministers and other top government officials of massive fraud, including oil theft.http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-receives-indicting-documents-on-ex-ministers-others/ 40 Likes 1 Share |
| Politics › Chief Justice Of Nigeria Refused Meeting With Gov. Wike - Aide by LocalChamp(op): 9:43pm On Jul 20, 2015 |
BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKJUL 20, 2015 The Office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) has dismissed suggestions in some newspapers that the Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed, met with Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike during one of the governor’s visits to the office of the CJN earlier this month. Chief Justice of Nigeria “We wish to state with all emphasis that the CJN at no time had an audience with Governor Wike,” Ahuraka Yusuf Isah, Media Aide To the Chief Justice, said in a statement on Monday. “This includes before, on and after the said date.” He noted that during the week of the purported first visit by the Governor Wike on 06 July, the CJN was away in Saudi Arabia performing Umrah. Similarly, on 8 July, the date of the alleged second visit, the CJN was in court observing the interview of shortlisted applicants for the award of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he said. “A senior official in the CJN chamber intercepted Governor Wike and advised that it is a policy of the CJN not to entertain visits of politicians especially those with cases in the courts,” Isah said. “Consequently, Governor Wike left at that point, even though he tried to state reasons for his visit which included the issue of the appointment of substantive Chief Judge for his state and to thank the CJN for sending the Bayelsa state Chief Judge to swear him into the office.” He added that the CJN was not even aware of the governor’s visit until the next morning. “I wish to assure the good people of Rivers State and Nigeria that the CJN and indeed the entire Office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria is veritably committed to upholding the integrity, neutrality and independence of our Judiciary,” Isah said. “This is a responsibility, which we hold dear and will not shirk.” http://saharareporters.com/2015/07/20/chief-justice-nigeria-refused-meeting-gov-wike-aide 1 Like |
| Politics › Nigeria Bars 113 Vessels From Lifting Its Crude Oil by LocalChamp(op): 11:50pm On Jul 19, 2015 |
Nigeria Bars 113 Vessels From Lifting Its Crude Oil BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKJUL 19, 2015 A memo that originated from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the country’s oil corporation to bar 113 vessels from lifting Nigeria crude oil from 27 designated terminals. The memo, which was signed by the NNPC’s group managing director, G.O Komolafe, directed affected terminals to prevent the vessels from lifting crude oil within Nigeria’s territorial waters until further notice. The memo listed 27 terminals from which the vessels are prohibited to lift Nigerian crude. The terminals are Forcados, Bonny, Bonga, Sea Eagle, Qua lboe, Erha, Yoho, Usan, Bonny River Terminal, Escravos, Agbami, Pennington, Escravos LPG FSO, Escravos Gas Terminal, Antan, Okwori, Odudu, Akpo, Brass, Abo, Okono, Oyo, lma, Okoro, Ukpokiti, Tulja, and Ebok. A source at the Presidency told SaharaReporters that the blacklisted vessels (see full list below) were implicated in a pattern of fraud that resulted in the shortchanging of Nigerians. “Many of the vessels had documents in Chinese, Russian or French names, and used these different languages to hide their illicit lifting of Nigerian crude,” said the source. He added that numerous officials of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the NNPC as well as the Ministry of Petroleum were involved in facilitating the illegal lifting of Nigerian crude. Mr. Komolafe’s memo also announced that the blacklisted vessels would be prohibited from operating within Nigeria’s territorial waters. Sahara reporters learnt that the vessels were mostly linked with oil bunkering and sophisticated theft of crude from numerous NNPC loading facilities. Last week, President Buhari sacked Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi, the director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), for undisclosed reasons. However, an investigation by SaharaReporters revealed that Mr. Akpobolokemi was linked to billionaire Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo). We could not establish whether the banning of the 113 vessels was connected to the firing of Mr. Akpobolokemi. http://saharareporters.com/2015/07/19/nigeria-bars-113-vessels-lifting-its-crude-oil 14 Likes 1 Share |
| Politics › NAFDAC In Rotting State, Petitioners Say, Alleging Fraud And Waste by LocalChamp(op): 5:00pm On Jul 18, 2015 |
NAFDAC In Rotting State, Petitioners Say, Alleging Fraud And Wastehttp://saharareporters.com/2015/07/17/nafdac-rotting-state-petitioners-say-alleging-fraud-and-waste 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Politics › My 24-hour SSS Ordeal, By Sambo Dasuki by LocalChamp(op): 1:33am On Jul 18, 2015 |
My 24-hour SSS ordeal, by Sambo Dasukihttp://thenationonlineng.net/my-24-hour-sss-ordeal-by-sambo-dasuki/ 15 Likes 2 Shares |
| Politics › Tompolo’s Contract by LocalChamp(op): 3:39pm On Jul 17, 2015*. Modified: 4:14pm On Jul 17, 2015 |
Tompolo’s contract Posted By: Editorialon: July 17, 2015In: No Comments Print Email • Another good riddance to bad rubbish! Expectedly, the Federal Government has terminated the $103m (about N21billion) maritime security contract awarded by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to Global West Vessel Specialists Nigeria Limited (GWVSNL) believed to be owned by former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpomupolo a.k.a. Tompolo. The Presidency, according to report, had ordered the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to discontinue payment for the provision of platforms for security of the nation’s waterways and this had stopped since last month. The contract was awarded by NIMASA in 2011. This is the second such unconscionable contract awarded by the Jonathan administration to be terminated by the Muhammadu Buhari government. The first was the pipeline protection contracts awarded to the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and Niger Delta militia group which was also stopped last month, with the Federal Government giving a marching order to the Nigerian Army and Navy to take over protection of the pipeline. Nigerians had always opposed the outsourcing of the security of these vital national assets to the militants and ethnic militias. Unfortunately, for reasons best known to it, the Jonathan administration which seemed bent on professionalising militancy, insisted on going ahead with the contracts. Thus, as those given the contracts were smiling to the banks, the security agencies that have the constitutional mandate to secure these assets were starved of funds. This was evident in the several setbacks the military suffered in the fight against Boko Haram fighters, as the country had to look for help from outside to fight the insurgents. Although the former president did not hide his proclivity for pandering to parochial interests in his actions and utterances, not a few persons wondered how this could be taken to such ridiculous lows, whereby the president would surrender the security of the country’s maritime domain to his kinsman when there are government security agencies that have the constitutional role to perform such functions? If it was a public-private partnership (PPP) as the Jonathan government called it, it must have been a warped one at that. Apart from being a serious indictment of our security agencies, the contract awards were also a national disgrace; they exposed the nation to ridicule because there is no such paradigm anywhere in the civilised world. To worsen matters, the country did not get value for the money it paid to secure the national assets as over 400,000 barrels of crude oil were being stolen daily from our shores under President Jonathan. That this persisted for years made many people to suspect that it was the same people who were given the job of maritime security that were colluding with the international shipping companies to steal the country’s oil. It is against this background that we commend the Buhari administration for terminating these so-called contracts which represented nothing but “job for the boys” and a veritable avenue to siphon public funds. Any rational Nigerian knew that such contracts could only have been awarded by an administration like Dr Jonathan’s, and that the moment the government was voted out, it was a matter of time for the contract to be terminated. However, with the maritime security contract now terminated, the government should channel the money paid to the private firm to strengthen the Navy and marine police whose responsibility it is to secure the nation’s waterways. Where more resources are required for these agencies to perform, the government should not hesitate to provide them. If after getting the necessary requirements the security agencies still cannot perform, then it becomes a matter to be handled administratively. The solution does not lie in funding rag-tag militants and ethnic militias to handle such sensitive duties. http://thenationonlineng.net/tompolos-contract/ |
| Politics › NNPC Moving $1.2b From Banks To Cover NLNG Fraud – APC by LocalChamp(op): 6:43pm On Jul 15, 2015 |
NNPC moving $1.2b from banks to cover NLNG fraud – APC July 15, 2015Press Release The All Progressives Congress, APC, has renewed its call on the Federal Government to probe the whereabouts of the dividends paid to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, as well as the taxes paid to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS Federation Account prior to the latest payment in June 2015. In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the call has become more urgent against the backdrop of published reports that the NNPC has withdrawn $1.2 billion from banks so it could place the money with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. It said the move by the NNPC is a panic reaction to the expose by the party (APC) that over $4 billion dollars are missing in past dividends paid to the NNPC by the NLNG. ”Whereas NLNG’s dividends are paid to NNPC’s account with JP Morgan, from where they are supposed to be paid into the Federation Account in accordance with the law, some unscrupulous officials of the corporation have apparently been moving such funds to local banks so they can collect huge commissions on them. ”Now that the cat has been let out of the bag, they have started moving the funds from the banks to the CBN. We believe what we are seeing now is just a tip of the iceberg, hence the need for the authorities to call the NNPC officials to give accounts of the paid NLNG dividends to date,” APC said. The party said any delay in calling the officials to account for the dividends may give them enough time to cover their tracks, in addition to the dangers posed to the banks – and by extension the economy – by the sudden withdrawal of such a huge fund from the NNPC accounts with them. ”The top officials of the NNPC and others who met on Monday and decided to withdraw the $1.2 billion from the corporation’s account to the CBN must be asked a number of questions, including their motive for the decision and the whereabouts of the commissions paid on such funds,” it said. APC insisted that despite the attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians, the Nigerian government must remain undaunted in unravelling what happened to the dividends as well as previous taxes paid by the NLNG, as part of ongoing efforts to plug all financial leakages, ensure the payment into the Federation Account of all relevant funds and stop the looting of the treasury by unscrupulous public officials who have opted to abuse their office. ”It is not by accident that until the advent of the Buhari Administration that has decided to enthrone transparency in governance, no one has heard anything about NLNG dividends and taxes, while the funds therefrom have not been shared, as they should have been. This is not right. ”A situation in which funds meant for all Nigerians are eaten up by a few will no longer be tolerated. Those who are opposed to the efforts by the Buhari Administration to clear the rot left behind by the past government and restore transparency to the system are enemies of Nigeria,” the party said. http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/186741-nnpc-moving-1-2b-from-banks-to-cover-nlng-fraud-apc.html |
| Politics › Police Summon Ondo PDP Lawmakers To Abuja by LocalChamp(op): 6:19pm On Jul 15, 2015 |
Police summon Ondo PDP lawmakers to Abuja Posted by: Damisi Ojo in News The lawmakers representing Ilaje I and II in the Ondo State House of Assembly, Malachi Coker and Abayomi Coker, have been summoned to the Force Headquarters, Abuja. This followed their resumption and swearing in without certificates of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The duo escaped arrest last Wednesday when police detectives stormed the premises of the Election Petition Tribunal, Akure. It was gathered that the lawmakers were covered by “immunity” in the court. Sources said the Speaker, Princess Jumoke Akindele, mobilised other lawmakers to intervene in the matter. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates for Ilaje I and II, Gbenga Edema and Leke Adegboye, had petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase. They urged the IG to probe the alleged impersonation and unlawful swearing-in of Akinruntan and Malachi by the Assembly Clerk. It was learnt that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Segun Agbaje, had declared elections in the two Ilaje constituencies as inconclusive due to alleged irregularities. Consequently, INEC did not give certificates of return to the two members-elect on May 5 when it presented certificates to 24 members-elect. A June 8 petition by Charles Titiloye on behalf of the APC candidates noted that the Clerk confirmed the writ of returns and roll call of the 26 members-elect on June 1 with Akinruntan and Malachi as No 6 and 20 on the attendance list. The petition reads: “We are aware that for a member-elect to be sworn-in as a lawmaker, the presentation of certificate of return should be a pre-condition in compliance with the Electoral Act. “Based on this fact, we sought clarification from INEC on whether the certificates of return have been issued to the two lawmakers as at June 4 and INEC replied the second day that no certificates of return were issued in respect of the two members-elect. “It is instructive to note that Section 75 of the Electoral Act 2010 makes issuance of a certificate of return mandatory for any person who has won election in Nigeria before he/she could be sworn in. “Section 99 of the 1999 Constitution states that any person who sits or votes in a House of Assembly knowing or having reasonable grounds for knowing that he is not entitled to do so shall be guilty of an offence and shall upon conviction be liable to a term of imprisonment.” The petitioners urged the IG to probe the fraudulent move and demanded justice to facilitate the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration. Edema yesterday confirmed that he was on his way to Abuja. It was learnt that the Clerk may also be quizzed by the police. http://thenationonlineng.net/new/police-summon-ondo-pdp-lawmakers-to-abuja/ |
| Politics › Akpabio Shuns Tribunal Hearing Petition Against His Election As Senator by LocalChamp(op): 4:03pm On Jul 15, 2015 |
Akpabio shuns tribunal hearing petition against his election as Senator July 15, 2015Sani Tukur The immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday refused to attend the sitting of the election petition tribunal hearing a petition challenging his election as Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West district. The tribunal is sitting in Dutsen Alhaji, Abuja, after it was transferred from Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, due to security concerns. Mr. Akpabio, whose declaration as Senator by the Independent National Electoral Commission is being challenged by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Inibehe Okori, had on June 11, 2015 filed a motion challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal to relocate from Uyo to Abuja. The former governor’s 14-person legal team, made up of four Senior Advocates of Nigeria and 10 other lawyers were all absent from court Tuesday. Mr. Akpabio had earlier argued that the petition against his election cannot be heard until the jurisdiction suit, presently before the Court of Appeal, is disposed of, a position that was unanimously rejected by the tribunal which ruled that pre-hearing must continue while parties await the Appeal Court ruling on the substantive matter. At the resumed hearing, none of the 14 lawyers who signed the pre-hearing documents on July 2 was present. Rather, Paul Usoro, a SAN, filed a letter requesting that the matter be stood down till 1 p.m. because he had engagements at another tribunal. Reacting to the development, the counsel to the petitioner, Assam Assam, SAN, said it was disgusting that Mr. Usoro could on behalf of Mr. Akpabio write to inform the court that he is engaged and would not be in court till 1 p.m, when based on the documents before the tribunal, he is not the lead counsel to the first respondent as claimed. He noted that at least one out of the 14 lawyers ought to have been in court. While not objecting to the 1 p.m. request of Mr. Akpabio’s legal team, Mr. Assam reminded the three-man panel that all tribunals sit concurrently and that it should take notice of the circumstance involving time. He said if the request is granted, the possibility of repeating same request another time is possible. The counsel to both the second and third respondents, INEC and the Peoples Democratic Party raised no objection. Ruling on the request, the chairman of the tribunal, Adedayo Oyebanji, said it must be noted that all tribunal sits simultaneously, therefore, such a request will not be tolerated by the tribunal in the future. He said the tribunal, being time bound, is poised to ensure the speedy disposition of the petition in line with the time allowed by law. He however adjourned the matter to 1p.m. Tuesday. However, as at 2.15 p.m. when the tribunal came back from recess, neither Mr. Usoro, who had written to say he would be around by 1 p.m nor Offiong Offiong, who is said to be recuperating from an illness was in court. This led the tribunal to adjourn to Tuesday, July 21, for continuation of the pre-hearing process http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/186723-akpabio-shuns-tribunal-hearing-petition-against-his-election-as-senator.html |
| Politics › Two Ondo Impostor Lawmakers Threaten Whistleblowers by LocalChamp(op): 3:13pm On Jul 14, 2015 |
BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK JUL 14, 2015 Two embattled contestants for the Ondo State Assembly seats in Ilaje I and 11 constituencies, Abayomi Akinruntan and Coker Malachi, have continued to issue threats, including death ones, to the perceived whistleblower who exposed their illegal swearing in as state legislators. In a statement obtained by our correspondent, one Lawson Akintokun alleged that Mr. Malachi had made several calls to his phone threatening him with death for allegedly alerting the police about the fake legislator’s criminal forgery of an electoral document. Mr. Akintokun, who had earlier written a petition to the Ondo State police commissioner, asserted that his life was in danger from the two men who had reportedly made several threats against him. Part of the petition read: “Mr. Malachi Coker about 11:51 a.m. of 08/07/2015 called me with GSM Number 0806661442 wherein he threatened to kill me no matter where I may be in Ondo State and that I should not venture to come down to Igbokoda otherwise I should consider myself dead. “He even informed me that he has perfected [a] plan to eliminate Hon. Gbenga Edema and I should desist from associating with him otherwise I do so at my own peril.” Mr. Akinrutan and Mr. Malachi, both members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were last week exposed for criminally forging certificates of return as elected lawmakers from their respective constituencies. The certificate of return is an electoral document solely issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to winners of elections. An investigation by SaharaReporters revealed that the two PDP candidates were in possession of certificate of returns that were apparently not issued by INEC. Despite the exposure of their forgery, the two men continue to represent themselves as legislators. At a public function last weekend, the master of ceremony introduced Mr. Malachi as the lawmaker representing Ilaje 11 constituency II. Our correspondent reported that the introduction elicited jeers and boos from the audience. The alleged whistleblower, Mr. Akintokun, urged the police to ensure that only law enforcement officers from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) investigate the alleged forgery by the two politicians, disclosing that the suspects were fond of moving around with a huge complement of thugs. On Monday, INEC officials in Ondo State restated that the commission never issued certificates of return to the two suspects. Segun Agbaje, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), told our correspondent during a brief telephone interview that his office had not given certificates to the two suspects parading themselves as state lawmakers. “As far as I am concerned, INEC has not given them (Mr. Akinrutan and Mr. Malachi) a certificate of return,” Mr. Agbaje said. A police source told SaharaReporters that the two legislative imposters were currently under investigation and may be on a “wanted list”. “If our investigation shows that they actually forged certificates of return, they will be arrested and will face the music,” said the source. http://saharareporters.com/2015/07/14/two-ondo-impostor-lawmakers-threaten-whistleblowers-0 |
| Politics › Buhari To End FG Sponsorship Of Pilgrimage by LocalChamp(op): 11:05pm On Jul 13, 2015 |
Buhari to end FG sponsorship of pilgrimage Published on July 13, 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari is set to pull the plug on federal government sponsorship of pilgrims to Israel and Saudi Arabia, noting that, pilgrims will have to sponsor themselves on the holy trip. Buhari’s decision to end the sponsorship was made known to journalists in Abuja by Mr John-Kennedy Opara, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC). Opara who made this known in Abuja on Monday while briefing State House correspondents shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the activities of the commission said the president will however continue to encourage the Commission as it moves towards self-sustenance. The executive secretary further explained that the President agreed to encourage the two religious bodies to become self-sustaining by making pilgrims to pay their pilgrimage bills and thus remove government’s sponsorship. “I came as invited by the President to brief him on the activities of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission. “You will agree with me earlier my colleague the chairman of the Hajj commission had come to brief him. “So, I had to tell him where we are, how we started the commission and where we are today and our prayers. “And I want to say that the President was very happy with the commission; he said ‘you have done very well, the commission has done very well and as far as we are concerned, we need to support the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission as well as the Hajj commission “You are already aware, he has approved one dollar to N160 for the concessional exchange rate for this year’s pilgrimage operation. “He has also agreed that he will continue to encourage us, especially as we drive to ensure self-sustenance, to make sure that the pilgrims are able to pay for their pilgrimage, removing government’s sponsorship. “This is a journey and we are that we are going to succeed. “So, he was very happy with the entire process, starting from nowhere to get to where we are today and he said, `this is commendable`, praying that God will help us to be a source of strength to Mr President. “So that the Federal and State Governments will spend the necessary resources on other things while the pilgrimage itself will be self-funding as we progress and as time goes on.” He said the commission would continue to encourage self-sponsorship of pilgrimage in view of the dwindling resources across the three tiers of government. Opara called on wealthy and well-meaning individuals and organisations to assist in the sponsorship of pilgrims. He also urged individuals to participate in the commission’s pilgrimage lottery to enable them to perform the pilgrimage. http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/07/13/buhari-to-end-fg-sponsorship-of-pilgrimage/ 1 Like |
| Politics › Okonjo-iweala Withdrew $1bn For Jonathan’s Re-election —oshiomhole by LocalChamp(op): 6:14pm On Jul 13, 2015 |
Okonjo-Iweala withdrew $1bn for Jonathan’s re-election —Oshiomhole July 13, 2015 Written by Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has accused the former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of illegally taking $1 billion from the federation account to prosecute the re-election bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Speaking at a seminar organized by the Edo State government for Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Directors, the governor said the former minister also needs to tells Nigerians how the Excess Crude Account was drawn down to $4.1 billion from the peak $10 billion when no approval was given by the National Economic Council for any withdrawal. The theme of the workshop was: “Enhancing IGR in Edo, Issues, Prospects and Challenges.” Oshiomhole, who said Okonjo-Iweala would have been declared a pathological liar if she were to be a witness in court due to the inconsistencies in her statements, said a forensic audit would truly determine how much was illegally spent from the federation account under her watch as minister. He said the state government would now hold Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Directors responsible for any fraud detected in their departments, saying the government has trimmed down the cost of running government. He said: “The truth is, many things went wrong even at the federal level. As you might have read in the papers, while the federal government, under Goodluck Jonathan, with the then Coordinating Minister of the Economy liked to blame governors for wasteful spending, for not saving for the rainy day, for not investing properly, the truth is the real weakness in the Nigerian federal chain has been the Federal Government. “Our hope is that with the new President, given his pedigree we will break from the past. “As I’m sure you will soon begin to hear when all the numbers are published, last week, I complained aloud that Edo State lost about N10 billion over a four year period from only one source, the NLNG remittance to the federation account. “How did I arrive at the figure? I used my 4-Figure Table and I asked myself at $2.1 billion remitted by NLNG as taxes and Shell, and by the way, Shell is not the only oil operative, we have Chevron and several others. They shared the $2.1 billion based on the revenue allocation formula, Edo State got about N2.27 billion. So I said, thank God this money came after the departure of Okonjo-Iweala and President Jonathan. If the PDP were still in charge in Abuja, this money would have been taken.” http://thenationonlineng.net/new/okonjo-iweala-took-1bn-for-jonathans-re-election-oshiomhole/ 16 Likes 1 Share |
| Politics › BUHARI - No Longer A Pariah By Sam Omatseye by LocalChamp(op): 3:29pm On Jul 13, 2015*. Modified: 6:45pm On Jul 13, 2015 |
No longer a pariah Posted by: Sam Omatseye President Muhammadu Buhari’s rise to power is a parable of tenacity and the happy pendulum of fate. No one counted on him at one time. His big and mighty foes feared his appeal. They waited for his venom to expire. Before the expiration date, however, he struck. Then those who pooh-poohed him, who sneered that he was no more than a grand and populist irritation, began to see him as the wisdom of the hour. They no longer flaunted their superior airs and credentials. Rather, they flocked to him. They morphed into cheerleaders and wiggled their waists in the same band. But they rehearsed a different genre of music. When it was time to sing, their incongruous tunes collapsed under the throaty sonority of the majority. Now the majority’s symphony fell silent, we started to hear the dissonance of toads and crocodiles. Nothing tells this story more than the ambitions and cynicisms of three men. The first is the Owu chief, Olusegun Obasanjo, the peripatetic harlot of Nigerian politics, Atiku Abubakar, and the Kwara renegade, Bukola Saraki. As for the rise of Buhari, it calls back the lives of Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. All three were outsiders of the vortex of power. In the case of Lincoln, he was too tall, ungainly and ill bred. Churchill was a loud mouth, boor and subversive. In fact, former United States president, Richard Nixon, noted in his memoirs that he drew inspiration from Churchill. His obituary was written off late in his life in the House of Commons. He turned out to be the greatest prime minister in memory. As for de Gaulle, he was an outcast in an age of national treachery when Petain and other French leaders sold the pride and birthright of France to the butchery of Nazi Germany. His contemporaries regarded de Gaulle as rebellious, foolish and puerile. Churchill plotted to fly him out of Paris in the turbulent flush of the blitzkrieg. Churchill remarked that de Gaulle’s soul encased the French pride in that flight of escape. Once these men became their nations’ leaders, they waxed from pariahs to messiahs. All who looked down on them later bowed. Those who did not bow wheeled into subterranean intrigues and acts of subversion. They wanted to torpedo the popular will. The APC crisis is still called crisis in spite of what some of its leaders call reconciliation. It is the act of papering over the cracks. The men who do not wish the party well only wish for the party their ambition. They do not love Buhari. They only sat in the train or rode in the same carriage because he was the only one in whose company they could clutch their selfish dreams. Their schemes are coming home to roast, not roost. [b]Their plan was simple. Let us win in the Senate, make it a fate accompli. Later, we can con the president onboard. They took the president for a simpleton. Atiku formed the dubious coalition with Saraki and Obj because of the ambitions of 2019. The man who won 2015 has not settled down to office, their 2019 ambitions want to unsettle his administration. Yet we know that Obj, Atiku and Saraki are strange bedfellows. They are too ambitious for their own good. An Obj will not endorse an Atiku ambition. Atiku knows this. Saraki, for whatever egoistic delusion, thinks he can be Nigeria’s president. But in all these, they want to throw cats in the pigeons of the president. After causing confusion, they want to present themselves as angels of peace. That is the so-called reconciliation move. It is capital self-delusion and hypocrisy. They want reconciliation without truth. They say the Lawan and Gbajabiamila groups should accept the fait accompli of Dogarra and Saraki leaderships in the National Assembly. Now, how do they want to explain two irrationalities. One, the party arrived at one candidate. Saraki defied it, plotted with the enemy, waylaid the party and disgraced the majority vote. They forget that Lawan was Buhari’s candidate. After the fact, the governors of the party tried to save face. How do you live with the fact that a party decides something, some members flout it, and no penalties are imposed. Does that not turn the party into an impunity machine? Was that not one of the capital reasons the PDP was flushed out on March 28? Is the APC not going back to its vomit by starting off embracing the enemy’s mistake?[/b] All those behind Atiku, Saraki and Obj want to wield their influence to let the matter slide. Well, they won but it does not feel like victory. That is why they keep calling for peace. In spite of that, they show their true colours. Saraki said recently that inability of some state governments to pay salaries could be traced to corruption. Saraki has no right to talk on corruption until the charges hanging over his head are cleared. He cannot vault himself into sainthood overnight. He became Senate president on a corrupt lie, overthrowing the party convention. His is a victory without honour. That is why he remains the Kwara renegade. That leads to the second point. If they wanted reconciliation, why did Saraki and Dogarra spurn the party letter? The argument that the law is more important than the party is a self-serving line. The law towers above all, but law is itself based on honour. When we manipulate the law and defrock it of honour, we work against the very spirit of law. That was what the Saraki group did. It is haunting them, and it will haunt them forever. Reconciliation without truth is going to the future without memory. It is like pursuing an end without a beginning. If we reach where we are going without knowledge of where we are coming from, we will not know why we started the journey. Last weekend featured the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. The speakers, including former President Clinton, stressed the need for reconciliation but it must be based on truth. We cannot wish truth over unresolved issues. It is like prospering on a lie. In South Africa, truth was sought before reconciliation. Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee’s novel Disgrace tapped into the theme of truth and reconciliation by looking into the story of a professor who takes advantage of a female student and thinks he can get away with it by merely leaving his job. He spends the rest of his life grappling with the consequences. Booker Prize novelist Kazuo Ishiguro’s new novel, The Buried Giant, looks at the unresolved crisis of the birth of Britain to show how a past of division cannot be glossed over by mere prosperity. The author referred to Bosnia, Kosovo, the second World War, etc, as some of the inspiration for the work, a fantasy of gnomes, elves, dragons, etc. Part of Nigeria’s problem is that we have not resolved many issues and we move on. But we never move on, and unresolved issues haunt us always, so woes pile on woes in our national life. Obj, Saraki and Atiku have a choice. They have to decide whether they belong to APC or they want to form an alliance to form another party. Atiku has PDM that never wins anything, and he cannot stand on his own. He has to play LovePeddler with others to get something. In his present style and content, he has not, and he never will, be Nigeria’s president. The choice still dangles before this group and their men. It will determine whether they want to work with Buhari or stalemate him. http://thenationonlineng.net/new/no-longer-a-pariah/ |
| Politics › Lying As Political Art: Fayose, Saraki And Melaye by LocalChamp(op): 3:46pm On Jul 11, 2015 |
Lying as political art: Fayose, Saraki and Melaye Posted by: Aykube in News 13 hours ago UNTIL the March 28 and April 11 polls, Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State was the most accomplished liar in Nigerian politics. He lied without compulsion; he lied eagerly; he reveled in lying; and he breathed and ate lies. Indeed, for some dizzying moments in the past one year and a little more, it was thought that for this man of no scruples whatsoever, and one who had no private or public reputation, no one could hold a candle to him in the practiced art of lying. It is no longer clear whether his notoriety can be guaranteed for all time, for as events in the past few weeks have shown, this fecund hatchery of lies from Ekiti has spawned a brood of enthusiastic and ambitious liars at the national level, men and politicians who suffer no religious or cultural barriers against lying. Here are a few past and recent Fayose lies for the public’s consideration. While campaigning for the June 2014 Ekiti governorship poll, he told the world through campaign posters, text messages, and other media that his opponent in the race, Kayode Fayemi, owned a university in Ghana, operated fat overseas bank accounts, and built a palatial mansion in his hometown in Ekiti. None was true, even though nearly everyone believed, for few trusted Nigerian politicians. A few weeks ago, at the peak of his battle with 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) Ekiti lawmakers intent on impeaching him, he showed the press what he described as evidence of the payment of the lawmakers’ withheld salaries and allowances. But according to the former Speaker, Adewale Omirin, no payment of any kind was made. No lie was too low for Mr Fayose to embrace. Once this obsessively combative governor sets his mendacious mind on anything, he knows how to obtain it by fraud, subtlety, and outright lies. Watch his ongoing battle with Iyaloja (leader of Ado Ekiti market women), Waye Oso. But Mr Fayose was often successful with his lies, a fact that may be spurring other desperate and guileful politicians to borrow from his rulebook. First to consult, alas, is the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Responding to what his opponents described as his perfidious manipulation of the senate leadership elections of June 9, Senator Saraki spun an elaborate yarn about his opponents’ attempt to abduct him on the day of the senate election. Though he was unsure whether his enemies planned to bar or abduct him, and used both terms interchangeably, he painted not just a story of aggravated ruse but one of extreme incompetence by his supposed abductors. Hear Senator Saraki at length: “As regards the meeting, on the morning of the inauguration, I didn’t finish meeting until 4am of that day and I had got information that efforts would likely be made to make sure that I didn’t get access into the chambers. So, as early as 4:00am and 5:00am, I had made contingency plans that I must get into the National Assembly because the plan before was that Senators-elect should go to the Transcorp Hilton Hotel around 8:00clock and 9:00am to proceed to the National Assembly. But I was advised that it would not be safe or secure for me to do that because some people made sure that if I didn’t get into the chambers, it would not be possible for me to be nominated for the nomination to be seconded and for me to accept the nomination. I can tell you (today) that I was in the National Assembly Complex as early as 6:00 in the morning and I stayed in a car in the park from 6:00 in the morning till quarter to 10:00am.” Senator Saraki is certainly not so unrecognisable as to elude his supposed captors, nor his enemies so incompetent as not to make any contingency plans against him close to the National Assembly grounds had they been as malevolent as he believed or painted them. Even common kidnappers have proved more adept at hauling their quarries into forest dens. It seemed, however, that Senator Saraki obviously imagined what schemes his opponents might concoct, and then proceeded to embody those fictional plans, and breathed life into them via a colourful and adventurous Dickensian story of guns and robbers, victims and kidnappers. Lies, like common aphrodisiacs, enable men to soar to unimaginable heights. And, Senator Saraki soared. “Never in our wildest imagination did we envisage that some Senators would not be present on the day of the inauguration,” he feigned. Neither he nor anyone present on the Senate floor on June 9 believes this egregious lie and appalling dissimulation. If in their ‘wildest imagination’ they never expected their colleagues to be absent, they would have waited and made enquiries as to what befell their comrades. But not only did they proceed into the election with indecent haste, they rounded up the sordid affair very quickly and have stuck to the rebellion they hatched on the Senate floor ever since. Senator Saraki knew where his colleagues went, and for what reasons. Though he argued he could still have won the election with his absent colleagues present, and the public, including this column, tempted to believe him, there was nothing he did on June 9 that indicated or underscored that confidence, not even his unimaginative but florid account of what transpired on that day. Bringing up the rear of the lying troika, at least for now, is the feisty, loquacious and irreverent Dino Melaye, the senator from Kogi West. When it comes to telling lies and exhibiting atrocious behaviour, there is no settling the precedence between Governor Fayose and Senator Melaye. They are two sides of a bad coin. Early in the week, Senator Melaye, perhaps jittery over the case between him and Senator Smart Adeyemi at the Kogi election tribunal, a case now before the Appeal Court, spun a story of an attempt by APC national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to influence the court. Said Senator Melaye: “I have no regret supporting Senator Saraki, and my electoral victory was ordained by God and not by man. Therefore, no mortal can reverse it. In God I trust, no matter how desperate they might be. I am privy to an electronic mail sent to Adoke by an Abuja-based senior editor who is close to Tinubu in which he forwarded the court papers filed by Smart Adeyemi at the tribunal to Adoke. In the said e-mail, Adoke was told to look for a trusted justice in the Court of Appeal who would be useful for Smart Adeyemi.” Apart from the fact that Asiwaju Tinubu’s aides have debunked Senator Melaye’s innuendoes, which the public can choose to believe or disbelieve, it is remarkable that the senator, who by his behaviour is an atheist, now takes refuge in God, and even trusts Him. The fact is that the case is so loaded against Senator Melaye that it is inconceivable he can win it jurisprudentially. Hence the red herrings he is throwing everywhere. Importantly too, it is clear that by his antecedents, the senator is only a tad better in thuggish behaviour than Governor Fayose. Otherwise, as everyone in Abuja and Kogi West knows, Senator Melaye is as fiendish and revolting as Governor Fayose. The public should expect that the senator will spare no lie, excuse no scruple, and respect no morality in bruising his way into remaining a senator for the next four years. He is not in politics to project any value; he is there to nurse his ego and sate his gluttonous appetite for ephemeral things. The electorate may be gullible and trusting of their politicians, and may even be eager to be led by the nose. But it is a matter of time before they recognise these gentlemen for whom they are. Governor Fayose did not contribute anything of value to Ekiti in his first tragic term in office; he will lie and pervert his way to worse behaviour in his second term. Senator Saraki has portrayed himself as a bulwark against imposition and a defender of legislative independence. Soon, he will show his true colour as probably the most ambitious and tyrannical politician whose narcissism knows no bounds. And the beefy, immoderate Senator Melaye, with his abridged perspective and little insight, will fry in the Homeric stewpan his legendary lies, winged imagination and little accomplishments have consigned him. http://thenationonlineng.net/new/lying-as-political-art-fayose-saraki-and-melaye/ |
| Politics › Police Detail How Bukola Saraki Used Credit Card To Launder Stolen Funds - S.R by LocalChamp(op): 2:08pm On Jul 10, 2015*. Modified: 3:52pm On Jul 10, 2015 |
Police Investigators Detail How Senate President Saraki Used Credit Card To Launder Funds Stolen From Banks And Kwara Statehttp://saharareporters.com/2015/07/10/police-investigators-detail-how-senate-president-saraki-used-credit-card-launder-funds 14 Likes 5 Shares |
| Politics › Bayelsa Governor Hires World’s Most Ruthless Hackers For N100M To Hack Computers by LocalChamp(op): 7:25pm On Jul 09, 2015 |
Bayelsa Governor hires world’s most ruthless hackers for N100M to hack computers, phones in Nigeria July 9, 2015 Ogala Emmanuel The Bayelsa state government paid close to one hundred million naira to an Italian firm, Hacking Team, to hack computers and phones in Nigeria, new information emerging from the firm’s leaked internal data has shown. Hacking Team, notorious for equipping governments with tools to hack citizens’ computers and phones, was itself hacked Sunday night and 415 gigabyte of internal data leaked to the public. Researchers have been pouring through the leaked documents since it was first leaked Sunday night, throwing up many shocking details of the firm’s secret dealings with Bayelsa state and other repressive governments, including Sudan, Russia, and Bahrain. Documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES show that the Bayelsa government, a small state in Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta, paid Hacking Team N98 million to carry out internet attacks, in what appears to be the most ambitious hacking project by a Nigerian state government. The contract was signed in late 2013, Hacking Team’s internal documents, leaked after the Sunday night hack attack on the company, show. Details of the extent of the attacks Hacking Team carried out on behalf of the state is not clear at the moment. The contract with the Bayelsa government is classed “intelligence ” – the same class with contracts the firm unlawfully held with Russia and Sudan. The cost of Bayelsa government’s contract with the firm is equivalent to what the Russian government recently paid the firm for maintenance of its Remote Control System. And worth more than what Turkey, Columbia and Bahrain paid to the firm. Hacking Team, now learning how it feels to have one’s privacy breached, is notorious for developing intrusive softwares for state clients who use them to hack citizen’s computers and smartphones. Hacking Team’s twitter account was hacked and used to announce the hack. The firm claims its intrusion softwares – Remote Control Systems – are the most invasive and ruthless, with ability to compromise most operating systems, except iOS – but including jail-broken iOS. In one video commercial, it boasted that its software could hack offline and encrypted computers and smartphones, even if the target was outside the government’s “monitoring domain”. Hacking Team’s Remote Control Systems are more dangerous and intrusive than the WISE technology the Nigerian government bought from Israeli company, Elbit in 2013. While WISE depended on transmitted data such as voice calls, social media postings, and number plates, Hacking Team specialized in software that had full capabilities to hack, compromise your gadget and silently steal stored data like SMS, Whatsapp messages, call records, and photos. Galileo, one of the company’s most evil softwares, is also able to secretly take snapshots and record conversations of its victims. Hacking Team is loathed by digital activists and freedom of expression advocates all over the world for helping oppressive regimes abuses citizens’ right to privacy and freedom of speech. Reporters Without Borders listed the firm on its Enemies of the Internet index due to its primary surveillance tool, Da Vinci. Few weeks ago, co-founder David Vincenzetti joked in emails about how bad a leak would be for Hacking Team. In one of the leaked internal emails, he described the firm’s product as the “evilest” technology ever developed on earth. The hacking software is originally designed as a country-wide attack tool. The intentions of the Bayelsa state government in purchasing the software is unclear at this time. As at the time the Bayelsa state government acquired the software, the state was not known to be under any external cyber aggression. But it’s governor, Seriake Dickson, was persecuting a citizen over critical Facebook comments. It was also in the run-up to the 2015 general elections. During the same period, PREMIUM TIMES and few other Nigerian news organisations believed to be critical of the former regime, led by Goodluck Jonathan, suffered several cyber attacks. Mr. Jonathan is from Bayelsa state and enjoyed absolute loyalty from Mr. Dickson at the time. Hacking Team did not sell its software directly to the Bayelsa state government. The transaction was channeled through an Israeli company, NICE, and then V&V Nigeria. V&V, also Israeli-owned, is known to have close relationship with former Bayelsa state governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. V&V is responsible for the supply of many government hacking tools in Nigeria. PREMIUM TIMES had earlier this year exclusively reported how V&V won a N6 billion contract, back in 2010, for a N6 billion strategic GSM Tracking System for the Nigeria Police Force and expansion/upgrade of the existing system with Nigeria’s secret police, the State Security Service. The Bayelsa Governor could not be reached to comment for this story. His spokesperson, Daniel Iworiso-Markson did not answer or return calls seeking comment. He is also yet to respond to a text message sent to him. And so also is Dan Kikile, the state commissioner for information. http://www.premiumtimesng.com/investigationspecial-reports/186391-bayelsa-governor-hires-worlds-most-ruthless-hackers-for-n100m-to-hack-computers-phones-in-nigeriainvestigation-bayelsa-governor-hires-worlds-most-ruthless-hackers-for-n100m-to-hack-c.html 10 Likes 2 Shares |
| Politics › EFCC Grills Ex-head Of Service, Oronsaye. Invites Aliero & Senator Ahmed Yerima by LocalChamp(op): 1:09am On Jul 09, 2015 |
EFCC grills ex-HoS, Oronsaye, invites Aliero, Yerima JULY 9, 2015 : FIDELIS SORIWEI The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has interrogated a former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, in relation with the ongoing investigation into the alleged multi billion naira pension scam in the country. Investigations on Wednesday revealed that the former Head of Service honoured an invitation by the commission when he appeared at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja about 9am. An operative of the commission, who confided in our correspondent, said that operatives were still interrogating him in relation with the pension scam as of the time of filing this report by 6.30pm. “He was not picked up; he was invited and he came on his own. He came very early; I cannot be specific but it was as early as 9am. “The commission invited him because he was the Head of Service of the Federation when the pension scam occurred.” The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the interrogation of the former Head of Service on the telephone to our correspondent. He said, “Yes he is with us; I can confirm to you that the former Head of Service is with us.” It will be recalled that the former Head of Service had some months ago faulted allegations against him. He had said, “Through my years of practice, I have been guided by my firm belief in due process and accountability. “By normal federal auditing procedure, where an audit has been carried out, audit observations made are forwarded to the auditee/entity for a comment/response. Ideally, those in office are expected to comment on audit observations regarding an entity. However, if they are unable to comment/respond then the proper procedure is for the observations to be passed on to those that were in the office covered by the audit, provided the persons are alive. I can confirm that no one has reached out to me in that regard.” Investigations also revealed that a former Governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero, had been invited to appear before the EFCC on Thursday. It was further gathered that another ex-Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Yerima, had also been invited by the commission to respond to corruption-related issues next week. The EFCC operative could not give the exact date that Yerima would be a guest of the commission. http://www.punchng.com/news/efcc-grills-ex-hos-oronsaye-invites-aliero-yerima/ |
| Politics › "We Did Not Attend Bukola Saraki's Briefing With Anti-corruption Agencies"- EFCC by LocalChamp(op): 4:28pm On Jul 08, 2015*. Modified: 4:50pm On Jul 08, 2015 |
"EFCC Did Not Attend Senator Bukola Saraki's Briefing With Anti-Corruption Agencies" - Spokesman SaharaReporters initially reported that EFCC representatives had attended the Saraki briefing. BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKJUL 08, 2015 SaharaReporters initially reported that EFCC representatives had attended the Saraki briefing. But our impression was later corrected by a press release signed by Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC’s head of media and publicity. Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told SaharaReporters that the agency has not honored the invitation by Senate President Bukola Saraki to brief him on ongoing anti-corruption efforts. One senior official of the EFCC stated that the agency saw very little use in taking up Mr. Saraki’s invitation, hence the decision to distance the agency from the so-called briefing. Another official of the agency defended the EFCC’s decision. “We would ordinarily welcome an invitation to inform lawmakers about our work,” he said. “But we felt that this particular briefing has a political undertone,” he added. “We believe the senator was calling us so that he could claim that he is supporting the ongoing anti-corruption efforts,” he explained. At the briefing, Mr. Saraki declared that he was committed to “zero tolerance” for corruption in the National Assembly. Mr. Saraki’s July 6, 2015 meeting featured Senator Saraki, some members of the National Assembly, and the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC). Officials of the EFCC, who first tipped off SaharaReporters that Senate President Saraki had invited them to the briefing, stated that the senator has no right to summon the anti-corruption agencies, in part because the current National Assembly has not made committee appointments. Mr. Saraki has a long dossier of alleged corrupt acts, both as a director in the moribund Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, and as a two-term governor of Kwara State. He and associates, including his sister, Gbemi Saraki, were accused of defrauding Societe Generale Bank of various sums of money. EFCC agents also have allegations that former Governor Saraki plundered billions of naira during his term as governor. http://saharareporters.com/2015/07/08/efcc-did-not-attend-senator-bukola-sarakis-briefing-anti-corruption-agencies-spokesman |
| Politics › Selling Hope In A Time Of Hopelessness, By Pius Adesanmi by LocalChamp(op): 5:31pm On Jul 05, 2015 |
Selling Hope in a Time of Hopelessness, By Pius AdesanmiPremium Times July 4, 2015 A few days back, I was finally able to pay an official visit to the DAWN Commission in Ibadan. When your name is Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, we must assess the quality of the cloth you are promising to sew for Western Nigeria by the quality of the cloth you are wearing. Dipo Famakinwa, the Director General of the Commission, is a man of culture, exceptional taste, and great intellect. He is into minimalist aesthetics in terms of space decor and furnishing. When a Nigerian is into minimalism, respect him or her because s/he is at the apex of culture and taste. Because of the absence of culture and taste among the rich and privileged in Nigeria, you enter billion-naira homes in Lekki, Ikoyi, and Maitama and you are introduced to ostentatious spaces of crudeness and unculture where too much is happening aesthetically and chaotically. You spend half a billion naira on furniture to achieve crudeness and tastelessness. But when you encounter the minimalist homes of Bamidele Ademola-Olateju in Lekki and Muhtar Bakare in Ikoyi, you heave a sigh of relief in contemplation of taste and high culture. The office spaces of DAWN is a breathtaking ode to minimalism. I was taken on a tour of the office spaces. The team that put together such a space is wearing the proper cloth to envision the development of the South-West. After the tour, I made a short slide presentation to the team on a project I am leading for them. Wherever you find me, you find my partner in crime, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju. She and her intellect were there. After my presentation to the DAWN team, we moved to a second conference room where Bamidele and I had an interactive session with social media youth assembled by the energetic Paul Adepoju. That was the toughest part of the day for Bamidele and I. Patriotic Nigerians in their twenties. You look into their eyes and see so much passion for Nigeria. They ask questions about hope. They want you to give them hope. To give hope to this restless and brilliant Nigerian demographic, you have to be able to look at the public and political spheres and point out the symbolism of example. Yet, I looked outside of the expansive windows of DAWN on the 20 somethingth floor of Cocoa House and I see Bukola Saraki, Ahmed Yerima, Ali Ndume, Lamborghini-Champagne Melaye and so many scatological characters crowding the public space of example and making laws. How do you look into the eyes of the youth demographic and sell hope when a bank robber, a paedophile, a Boko Haram indictee, and an ostentatious materialist have happened all at the same time to the democracy running their lives? That was the tough situation that Bamidele and I had to handle in Ibadan on that day. So we talked about the dangers of resignation and fatalism. We talked about the resourcefulness and energy of their generation. A generation which took koboko and whipped the blights that were GEJ and his yams of corruption out of our lives must not book an appointment with hopelessness now. With tenacity, that generation will eventually take care of Saraki, Ndume, Yerima, David Mark, and other infestations threatening to abort a new dawn in the National Assembly. Nigeria will rise again. http://blogs.premiumtimesng.com/?p=168036 1 Like |
| Politics › Step Down, Sagay Advises Saraki, Ndume by LocalChamp(op): 3:50am On Jul 01, 2015 |
Step down, Sagay advises Saraki, Ndume JULY 1, 2015 : ENIOLA AKINKUOTU Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, has advised the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, to step down in the interest of the nation. Sagay, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, noted that Ndume was in court following allegations of sponsoring Boko Haram while Saraki might still be under investigation. The legal luminary said in advanced countries, people with questionable integrity were never allowed to hold sensitive positions. Specifically, Sagay said Ndume was not the majority leader but was picked by Saraki which was against the spirit of the Senate. He said, “I cannot say Ndume is the majority leader because he was picked by Saraki. Normally, the majority leader is meant to be picked by the party with the highest number of senators in the Senate and not by the Senate President. “However, Ndume is still in court for allegedly sponsoring Boko Haram and that is a very serious issue. Saraki himself has not been cleared of allegations of fraud. Under normal circumstances, both Saraki and Ndume should not hold such sensitive positions.” Also speaking on the issue of ministerial appointments, Sagay disagreed with Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, that the constitution did not mandate the President to appoint 37 ministers at once. Keyamo had said although the constitution states that every state must produce a minister, President Muhammadu Buhari did not need to appoint all the ministers at once, suggesting that Buhari could appoint based on rotation in order to reduce the cost of governance. However, Sagay said the constitution intends for every state to have a minister at the same time. He, however, said in order to reduce the cost of governance, Buhari could reduce the number of ministries and then appoint various ministers of state. He said, “The constitution implies that every state must have a minister at the same time. Also, the rotation of ministers would not be politically wise. Does it mean that if a minister is doing well, you will remove him because you want to satisfy another state? “I think if the President wants to reduce cost, he can reduce the number of ministries and then appoint two ministers in each of the ministries. There will be a senior minister and then a junior one which is a minister of state. “By so doing, he will obey the constitution and also cut costs.” http://www.punchng.com/politics/step-down-sagay-advises-saraki-ndume/ |
| Politics › PDP Thugs Batter APC Witnesses At Ekiti Tribunal by LocalChamp(op): 2:32am On Jul 01, 2015 |
PDP thugs batter APC witnesses at Ekiti tribunal JULY 1, 2015 : KAMARUDEEN OGUNDELE Thugs suspected to be loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State on Tuesday beat up witnesses who testified for the All Progressives Congress before the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal. The tribunal is hearing a petition filed by the APC senatorial candidate for Ekiti Central, Gbenga Olofin, against the return of Senator Fatimat Rasaki of the PDP. Olofin on Tuesday closed his case at the tribunal after calling eight witnesses while his opponent, Rasaki, opened her defence by being the first witness to testify in support of her election. The Tribunal Chairman, Justice A. N. Erabor, admitted the voter register in evidence after listening to a counter-argument between the petitioner’s counsel, Yemi George; and respondent’s lawyer, Jude Ogodi. But the hoodlums, who had waited outside the courtroom during proceedings, unleashed terror on the petitioner’s witnesses and supporters as they came out of the courtroom. The thugs also laid ambush at the gate of the court complex for the APC members and supporters, most of whom fled in different directions immediately they spotted the hoodlums. The riot policemen attached to the tribunal had to smuggle the witnesses out of the premises in a Golf car to an unknown location. Justice Erabor expressed shock at the violence and warned parties to the case before the tribunal that he would no longer tolerate such in the future. Olofin however said he was happy about the admissibility of the voter register and other documents, saying that would serve the cause of justice but described the attack on his witnesses and supporters as “barbaric.” He said the violence could scare other witnesses from giving evidence at the tribunal. The spokesperson for Olofin, Akogun Tai Oguntayo, said the victims of the attack had been receiving treatment in a private hospital in Ado Ekiti, the state capital. One of the victims, one Lateef Subairu, received a deep cut in the eye. An independent broadcaster from Lagos (name witheld) was also beaten to a pulp. Another APC supporter, Igbalajobi Olaiya, was beaten and rendered naked by the thugs who tore his clothes. “It is becoming worrisome. If they have nothing to hide, they should allow justice to take its natural cause. We believe it was because of the admissibility of the documents tendered on Tuesday by the tribunal that made them to be jittery,” Oguntayo said. But the PDP denied that the attackers were known to the party. It advised the APC to check for enemies within its fold for the attack on its members. The PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Jackson Adebayo, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, denied that the PDP members carried out the attack. Adebayo described the allegation that the party was behind the attack as “malicious.” He said, “It is laughable and malicious for the APC to allege that members of our party beat up their members. It is known to everybody within and outside Ekiti that the APC’s house is divided. “They should check within and trace the attack to one of the splinter groups in their party. For them to blame the PDP for their woe is an attempt to promote falsehood and malicious agenda of the party.” The three-man panel headed by Justice A.N. Erabor, with Justices A.T. Lamina and P.A. Obayi as members, had on May 11 appealed to security agencies to provide security for the judges, lawyers, politicians and other members of the public. In his opening remarks, Justice Erabor had described the panel’s assignment as critical and crucial and that it must be diligently prosecuted. He said the tribunal would handle all matters dispassionately within 180 days, in line with Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution. He said, “If you notice any infraction in the course of the proceedings, just call our attention to it. We don’t want any frivolous allegation against any of the members of this tribunal. “Nobody has monopoly of knowledge. I expect everybody to play his role professionally so that all the issues can be handled firmly and fairly. “The Supreme Court has set a time frame of 180 days in line with Section 285 subsections 6 and 7 of the 1999 Constitution. This law is sacrosanct because of the sui generic nature of the Election Petitions Tribunal and it is on this basis that we have to avoid unnecessary distraction. “We are appealing to the security agencies to provide security for the judges, lawyers, politicians and other members of the public.” The APC candidate for the Ekiti South Senatorial District, Senator Tony Adeniji is also challenging the victory of Mrs. Biodun Olujimi of the PDP before the tribunal. The APC is equally challenging the victories recorded by the candidates of the PDP in Ado I, Ise Orun, Ekiti South West I and Oye I State constituencies in the election. http://www.punchng.com/news/pdp-thugs-batter-apc-witnesses-at-ekiti-tribunal/ |
| Politics › NIMASA, NPA, NCC not paying monies generated to FG account by LocalChamp(op): 4:01pm On Jun 30, 2015 |
NIMASA, NPA, NCC not paying monies generated to FG account print Published on June 30, 2015 by The Chairman of the Governors Forum and Zamfara governor, Abdulaziz Yari has stated that revenue generating agencies like NIMASA, NPA and the NCC have not been paying monies generated from their agencies to the federation account as required by the constitution. Yari made this declaration on Monday after a four-man committee was constituted to to examine the accruals into and withdrawals from the Federation Account and the Excess Crude Account from 2012 to May 2015. Yari alongside Governor Adams Oshimhole of Edo, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna and Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom make up the committee. Speaking to State House Correspondents Yari said President Muhammadu Buhari had insisted that the provisions of the constitution be implemented with regard to remittance of all federal money into the federation account be followed. “He insisted on putting in section 80 and section 162 of the constitution which says that all monies should go into the federation account. “Some revenue generating agencies are not paying, he mentioned some: NPA, NIMASA, NCC and many others. “So all these revenue generating agencies the council expects that their funds should go into the Consolidated Federation Revenue Account as directed by the President,” he said. http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/06/30/nimasa-npa-ncc-not-paying-monies-generated-to-fg-account/ |
| Politics › Lawan Group Faults Saraki Over Principal Officers by LocalChamp(op): 3:48pm On Jun 30, 2015 |
Lawan group faults Saraki over principal officers June 30, 2015 Written by Yusuf Alli, Unity Forum senators write APC Chairman Oyegun For the second time in three weeks, the Unity Forum backing Sen. Ahmed Lawan yesterday wrote All Progressives Congress( APC) National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, faulting Senate President Bukola Saraki’s excuse for appointing the principal officers of the Senate. The Forum said Saraki was incorrect in claiming that Zonal Caucuses had taken decisions on the choice of principal officers before the President of the Senate received the list of candidates favoured by APC from Odigie-Oyegun. The group also said the APC’s letter got to the Office of the Senate President a day before the zonal meeting was said to have been arranged It also stated that the Zonal Caucuses do not exist in the Standing Orders of the Senate. The Forum, which made its position known in a June 29 letter to the APC National Chairman, said” “Our attention has been drawn to the letter written by the President of the Senate to our party, the APC, which was published in some newspapers on Saturday the 27th of June 2015 in response to the nomination of principal officers earlier forwarded by the party to the Senate President and we wish to state the facts of the matter as follows: ” In the said letter the Senate President alleged that: “The said letter was received after various APC zonal caucuses had taken their decisions to nominate candidates as principal officers of the Senate - in line with parliamentary convention and extant provisions of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 as amended (Chapter VI: Rules 28,29 & 31 refers). This was a follow-up of the prior APC Senate caucus meeting held on 23rd June 2015.” ”We wish to state that it is not true that the so-called zonal caucuses, which do not exist in the Standing Orders of the Senate, acted before the letter from the party was received by Senator Bukola Saraki . “This is so, as Senator Suleiman Nazif announced during a meeting of all APC senators on Tuesday 23rd of June 2015 that the party had already forwarded the names of those who are to lead the APC caucus to the Office of the Senate President. “Thus, the letter got to the Office of the Senate President a day before the so-called zonal meeting was said to have been arranged. To the best of our knowledge no such meetings of the zonal caucuses ever took place but probably a meeting of a clique of the supporters of the Senate President.” The Forum explained that attempts by Sen. Gbenga Ashafa to draw the attention of the President of the Senate to the procedural error was overruled. ”It is to be noted that Senator Gbenga Ashafa on Wednesday the 24th of June 2015 raised a point of order in the Senate Chamber, asking the Senate President to announce the names of the APC Principal Officers of the Senate as submitted by the party. Senator Bukola Saraki overruled,” the Forum added. The Forum alleged abuse and misinterpretation of the Standing Orders of the Senate by the President of the Senate. [b]It insisted that it was the prerogative of the APC, not zonal caucuses, to nominate the principal officers in line with Rules 28, 29 and 31 of the Senate. It added: “It is a fact that Democratic Convention conferred on the party to appoint those who are to lead its Caucus in any parliament, as they are those that shall lead and galvanise members of such party in the parliament towards the actualisation of the manifesto of the party. “Hence, Chapter VI: Rules 28,29 and 31 of the Senate Standing Orders referred to by the Senate President do not confer on the so-called zonal caucuses the right to appoint the APC principal officers as they state as follows: *Order 28: There shall be a Majority Leader of the Senate. The Majority Leader shall be a Senator nominated from the party with the highest number of Senators. *Order 29: There shall be a Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate. The Majority Leader shall be a Senator nominated from the party with the highest number of seats in the Senate. *Order 31: There shall be a Chief Whip of the Senate. The Chief Whip shall be a Senator nominated from the party with the highest number of seats in the Senate.[/b] The Forum also said the nomination of Sen. Ali Ndume and others as principal officers contravened Order 3 Rule 2 of the Senate because ranking was not followed. [b]The aggrieved senators added: “We want to draw the attention of the party that the names of those announced by the Senate President to lead the APC Caucus in the Senate is in contravention of Order 3 Rule 2 of the Senate Standing Rules which stipulates as follows : “Nomination of senators to serve as presiding officers and appointment of principal officers and other officers of the Senate or on any parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of senators. “In determining ranking, the following order shall apply: (i) Senators returning based on number of times re-elected; (ii) Senators who have been members of House of Representatives; and (iii) Senators elected as Senators for the first time. ”It is important to note that those nominated by the party are not only the highest ranked in their respective zones but the entire APC caucus:- 1. Majority Leader: Senator Ahmed Lawan (Two- term member of the House of Representatives and serving third term in the Senate) North-East; against Senator Ali Ndume who was announced by the Senate President that did two terms in the House of Representatives and is currently a second term senator. 2. Chief Whip: Senator Adesola Adeyeye (One-term member of the House of Representatives and second term Senator) South-West. 3. Deputy Majority Leader: Senator George Akume (3rd term in the Senate) North-Central 4. Deputy Chief Whip: Senator Abu Ibrahim (3rd term in the Senate) North-West, as against Senator Bala Ibn Na Allah, who was announced by the Senate President who did two terms in the House of Representatives and is a first term senator. ”We strongly believe that the nominees of the party were arrived at in accordance with the provisions of the Senate standing orders.”[/b] http://thenationonlineng.net/new/lawan-group-faults-saraki-over-principal-officers/ |
| Politics › The Nigerian Stereotype And The Nigerian Senate By Abimbola Lagunju by LocalChamp(op): 2:50pm On Jun 27, 2015 |
BY ABIOLA LAGUNJU JUN 27, 2015 Abiola Lagunju Of Nigeria’s many faces to the world, the one that evokes an immediate sense of alert and distrust across global borders is its perceived citizens’ disdain for legality. The presentation of Nigerian passport at any border even within the ECOWAS sub-region raises red alert. Host countries expect the worst from the Nigerian community. That is what we have been reduced to! Nigeria and Nigerians have been stereotyped. The world tends to live and see each other through simplified representation. The stereotyping of the Nigerian as someone that readily breaks laws and norms inside and outside his own country is an albatross that millions of travelling and the Nigerian diaspora have to carry. The transgressions of a few miscreants have placed an extra burden on the others to go to great lengths to prove that they are law-abiding citizens. Stereotyping is like permanent ink on a garment. The Nigerian fabric is stained with criminality in the eyes of the world. Can anyone blame the world for this representation of the Nigerian? Nigeria is the world headquarters of internet-based crimes; it ranks high as a drug-courier and human trafficking country and does not get unmentioned in the list of nations with extreme levels of fraud. In the world of crime, those that represent Nigeria actively compete with those that represent themselves. Corruption, theft of the commonwealth, electoral fraud and mindless immorality has become tools of governance. It appears that despite its rabid religiosity, the country, as represented by its leaders has lost its moral compass. There are simply no limits to moral and legal transgressions. The crime cabal, probably less than a million individuals and representing less than one percent of our population has put the rest of us on the world’s red-alert list. They have corrupted and are decimating our existential values. They are the reason for the Nigerian stereotyping in the eyes of the world. The government lamely waves a faded flag of anti-corruption. The rhetoric does not match the actions. The immediate past president in one of his discourses proudly told the world that stealing our commonwealth is not corruption. It is simply a case of a goat grazing where it is tethered. The goat has finally denuded the national pasture. All our money has gone into private pockets as we watched impotently. And our potential for outrage has been reduced to mere beer-parlor discussions. If we thought we could redeem our image and change the stereotype stamped on us by the world going by the results of our last elections, we are wrong. Events in the past few weeks in the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives have shown that the moral fabric of our nation is being shredded by a few of supposed law-makers and by extension moral guides of our society. The process of destruction of our values started under the previous administration. It was during this regime that five law-makers in a state out-voted 16 law-makers. Democracy as a practice of numbers was reinvented. Violent gangster-like minority held the majority to hostage. And nothing happened! The gangster-lawmakers got away with it. The moral decadence among the political class reached its peak during the recent election of the senate president when deceit became the adopted tool by the senators for a simple process. How can the number three citizen of over 180 million people be elected through a process that is very similar to those described under Article 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code? Obtainment by false pretence! This is no politics. It is moral indecency. A despicable act. In our traditional societies, it is called an abomination. This is akin to putting our National stamp on the stereotype that the world has ascribed to the Nigerian as he who has no qualms about breaking any moral or legal code inside and outside his country. Mr. Bukola Saraki may have gone beyond the limits of morally acceptable behavior. While he may be seeing himself only within the confines of the Senate chambers, riding on his high horse among his co-senators and exulting in his treachery, millions of other nationalities around the world are feeling vindicated in their conviction that the Nigerian is an irredeemable fraud. How will the world look at this senate president when he travels out? What will other world senate presidents think of him if he gets to meet them? In today’s world, respect is not a right but earned. If Mr. Saraki thinks that he will get any genuine respect as a senate president within and outside our shores, he is very wrong. The world simply doesn’t function that way anymore. The national stage is quite different from his provincial political abracadabra in Kwara where for him and his father, the end justifies the means. If the ultimate goal of Mr. Saraki is the presidency of the Federal Republic, then he has really bungled his chance forever. Nigeria has never elected and will never elect anyone with a moral burden to the presidency. It is not clear what options are open to Mr. Saraki now, but he has the moral responsibility to undo this quagmire he has thrown Nigeria into. Maybe he should simply pass a law to scrap the expensive senate like Senegal did. By going that way, Mr. Saraki will be making history and may still make the presidency someday. Abimbola Lagunju is a writer and author of several books. abimbola.lagunju@gmail.com http://afropointofview..com/ http://saharareporters.com/2015/06/27/nigerian-stereotype-and-nigerian-senate-abimbola-lagunju |
| Investment › BGL Group Loses N48bn Shareholders’ Fund – Forensic Report by LocalChamp(op): 2:37pm On Jun 26, 2015 |
BGL Group loses N48bn shareholders’ fund – Forensic Report print Published on June 26, 2015 by The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday said that preliminary report of forensic auditors on BGL Group Plc revealed that the company eroded its shareholders’ funds to the tune of N48 billion. The commission in a statement posted on its website said that the company”s management progressively eroded its shareholders’ funds through losses sustained over a five-year period totalling about N48 billion as of Dec. 31, 2014. “From the preliminary report of the forensic auditors, it was revealed, among other facts, that indeed BGL Group was in a critical financial state,” said the statement. It also stated that the commission received over 40 letters of investors’ complaints against BGL Group Plc alleging indebtedness to the tune of about N5.8 billion. The statement said that investors’ funds were put at extreme risk through questionable investments by the BGL management in some illiquid and unlisted companies’ securities, one of which had been declared bankrupt. It further stated said the group had significant liquidity challenges which made it unable to meet its responsibilities towards clients and investors as evidenced by over N11 billion in unpaid matured funds to investors. The statement said that investigations were conducted and all-parties meetings were arranged by SEC during which repayment agreements were struck between BGL and some of the affected investors. It said that BGL failed despite promises to restitute the affected investors leading to its suspension from all capital market activities. “Backed by a court order from the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST), SEC set up a seven-man Interim Management Team (IMT) for BGL Group. “While the IMT in conjunction with the forensic auditors were conducting formal investigations, BGL obtained a Federal High Court order asking the IMT to vacate BGL premises,” said the statement. It said that the commission complied with the ruling in spite an exiting order from the Investment and Securities Tribunal (IST) in obedience of the court order. “In view of the fact that the interim order has lapsed, we wish to reiterate to the general public that BGL Securities Ltd., BGL Capital, BGL Asset Management and all BGL Group sponsored individuals and Mr Albert Okumagba remain suspended from all capital market activities. “Additionally, they have all been invited to appear before the SEC Administrative Proceedings Committee (APC) sitting slated for Aug 4 and 5 2015 to explain the allegations of capital market infractions against them,” added the statement. http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/06/26/bgl-group-loses-n48bn-shareholders-fund-forensic-report/ |
| Politics › PDP Chief Kashamu Flees From Abuja Flight by LocalChamp(op): 2:10pm On Jun 25, 2015 |
Published on June 24, 2015 Prince Buruji Kashamu, the Ogun east senator, wanted in the United States, may appear to be a tough guy, mounting a labyrinth of legal obstacles, to stall the moves by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to ship him out to Chicago. But we can report today that Kashamu is also a faint-hearted person, not willing to take any risk about his life. Kashamu was billed to travel to Abuja from Lagos today, after he failed to commit the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the NDLEA for criminal contempt over extradition moves to the USA. He had sat in the Business class of Aero Flight 127, Abuja-bound, along with his lawyers when the captain announced a minor problem with the plane. The captain said the light of an indicator had not come on brightly enough and that the Aero engineers are fixing the problem. To keep the passengers at ease, the captain gave the assurance that the problem was nothing to worry about. And that the resolution of the problem will not take three minutes. No sooner the captain finished talking, than Kashamu signalled to his lawyers, asking them to alight from the plane. Other passengers who had calmly listened to Captain Kunle’s explanation remained glued to their seats and burst out laughing when Buruji and his lawyers scampered away. Aero Flight 127, which left Lagos at 14.45 landed in Abuja without incidents. http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/06/24/kashamu-flees-from-abuja-flight/ 8 Likes 3 Shares |
| Politics › El-rufai Goes After Ghost Workers, Begins Biometric Verification by LocalChamp(op): 12:43am On Jun 22, 2015 |
El-Rufai goes after ghost workers, begins biometric verification of civil servants June 21, 2015Abdullahi Garba The Kaduna State Government has announced the commencement of biometric verification of all civil servants in its employment from Wednesday. A statement by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity said the exercise is designed to provide the government an accurate and reliable record of its personnel numbers, and clean-up its payroll. He said data collected from the exercise will enable the government determine if the billions of naira expended monthly on staff salary are being paid to identifiable and verifiable civil servants, and make savings from an updated personnel record. “A circular signed by the Head of Service, Alisabatu Dada Onazi, said that the biometric registration exercise will be conducted simultaneously in the three zones, from locations in Kaduna, Kafanchan and Zaria. “The circular also specified the order in which the personnel from each ministry are expected to appear for the exercise, and advised that civil servants must bring their letter of appointment, letter of last promotion and means of identification, which should be any of the following: national identity card, driver’s license, permanent voter’s card or international passport. “The Head of Service directed that civil servants should physically appear before the verification team for screening and collection of their salary cheques for the month of June 2015,” the statement noted. The Kaduna State Government last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with United Bank for Africa and Zenith Bank to partner in updating the civil service payroll. The biometric verification exercise is scheduled to end on July 8. http://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/nwest/185447-el-rufai-goes-after-ghost-workers-begins-biometric-verification-of-civil-servants.html |
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