₦airaland Forum

LastMumu:
I went through all the replies by the so called 'patriotic' Africans and all I could see was low self-esteem and emotional cry babies. The guy is right all through.

Is 100m pounds not too much for just one player when a lot of countries are going hungry in this generation?

Are there not many poverty-stricken African nations this money could have helped?

Is Pogba truly worth 100m fucking pounds?

beautyoftheLord:
My goodness! Nigerians before you start abusing try and get your spellings and tenses right. Abeg! This is too embarrassing please. Horrible English both written and spoken.

Taiyescott:
laffin at ur siggy, u nid Jesus bro!

An ongoing investigation by SaharaReporters into properties acquired in Dubai by Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Tukur Buratai, has revealed more details about the officer’s real estate acquisitions estimated at N160 million at the minimum. Our investigators found out that, when not occupied by General Buratai or members of his family, the units he acquired in Dubai are rented out to guests for as much as $500 a night.

Earlier investigative reports by SaharaReporters found that, as the Director of Procurement at the Defense Headquarters, General Buratai diverted funds meant for the purchase of vehicles and motorcycles for Nigerian troops involved in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists. Our reliable sources in the military revealed that the COAS  colluded with a front, a businessman, to procure used vehicles that were in such bad shape that they needed to be significantly refurbished before they could be used.

Documents obtained by our investigators showed that, on January 13th, 2013, General Buratai reached an agreement to purchase unit “2711” at the TGF Marina Hotel. Our investigative team found that the purchase, which the COAS claimed was an investment through the “Project TFG Marina Hotel,” was completely paid for in one transaction. Eventually, the TGF Marina changed its name to “The Wyndham Dubai Marina.”

Our latest investigations reveal that General Buratai paid The First Group Real Estate for his first real estate acquisition through a Skye Bank account in Nigeria.

General Buratai purchased the second apartment days after becoming the Chief of Army Staff through a Skye Bank account as well. However, this time, he used an army officer, Major Emmanuel G. Adegbola of the Nigerian Army Finance Corps (N/10808), to make several deposits for the second Dubai real estate purchase.

Military sources told SaharaReporters that the COAS stole the funds from Nigerian Army Accounts. One source said it was a well-known practice for senior army officers to use their subordinate officers to pilfer defense funds, adding that the practice took root during the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. Numerous military chiefs who served under Mr. Jonathan have been indicted for corruption and are facing trial. 

Major Adegbola’s payments into the TFG Sigma 111 account in Nigeria (Skye Bank 1770380452) show that, between July 24 and August 17, 2015, General Buratai paid a total sum of N42.2 million to the company.

https://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Buratai-Procurement.jpg?itok=Nx6OG640
Buratai as Director of Procurement at the DHQ in 2014

https://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Doc%204_108000.jpg?itok=gY_Yt3du
Buratai agreement with Sigma III Limited, the nigerian subsidiary of First group
Sahara Reporters Media

https://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Doc%201_108000.jpg?itok=j0tz8TS8
Lodgement voucher used by an Army Major Adegbola to deposit army funds used in buying second Dubai property
Sahara Reporters Media

Documents obtained exclusively by SaharaReporters reveal that, through Major Adegbola, General Buratai paid N10 million on July 24 and N10 million on August 7, 2015. Three later, the COAS paid another N10 million for the property, with the telephone number on the Skye Bank teller reading as 08033349740. The phone number belongs to Major Adegbola. Again on August 17, 2015, the Chief of Army Staff paid N3.2 million into the account.

The First Group, which sold the Dubai properties to General Buratai, is a UK real estate development company, but with many international offices, including ones in Abuja, Lagos, and Ghana. On its website, TFG offers potential clients the opportunity to be part of the company’s “exclusive investment property owners’ club” where TFG will “provide you with much more than amazing real estate and lucrative returns.” The site adds that “ownership with us gives you instant membership to our prestigious club and access to a world of exciting rewards and privileges, from fast cash returns and investment property credit to fully paid Dubai holidays.”

In addition to these enticing offers, TFG also offers clients a copy of their Hotel Investment Guide for Dubai. According to the investment guide “one of the major advantages Dubai offers investors is a tax-free environment” with “zero local corporate or personal tax.” The investment guide also directly focuses on the financial returns from owning units in the Wyndham Dubai Marina, stating that the properties were “ideally positioned to generate the strongest possible returns for investors.”

According to a digital news source, Emerites 24/7, in 2015 the “gross and rental returns in Dubai Marina were 8.1 percent and 7.16 percent.” Subsequent investigations by SaharaReporters have found that General Buratai’s unit, when not occupied by him or his family, is rented out to hotel patrons for around $500 per night.

https://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Buratai-Dubai-Hotel.jpg?itok=GY13zAgm
Buratai Dubai Hotel
Skyscrapercity.com

According to a hotel employee with knowledge of ownership and unit rentals, a room on the 27th floor of the Wyndham Dubai Marina could range from $463 to around $500 per night. The hotel employee told SaharaReporters that the cost would depend on public demand and availability of rooms in the hotel.

SaharaReporters also found that the hotel has varying degrees of luxury for units ranging from junior suites, grand rooms, superior rooms, and club rooms. One hotel employee explained to SaharaReporters that, often, the higher the floor the more expensive the unit with “the most luxury being in the club rooms.” This same employee said that many of the units on the 27th floor are considered “superior rooms” which are just below club room in terms of luxury.

[img]http://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/wyndham-dubai-marina-01.jpg?itok=Ln9d1-C8[/img]
Opening of Wyndham Dubai Marina in 2015

ozoigbondu:
When Amaechi the human ATM machine was doling out dollars he did not invite any pdp members

greatness22:
If the north can feed the nation as the blind bat claimed, then they should start feeding themselves properly because i have never see a yoruba, igbo or niger delta Almajiri before.

Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku would easily be remembered for calling for a coup against the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the controversial politician who represented Benue Northwest Senatorial District in the Senate between 1999-2003 on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), speaks on topical national issues.

Excerpts:

There have been agitations from Niger Delta groups, threatening the unity of Nigeria. What do you think is responsible, and how can the situation be tackled?

Agitations are allowed in a corporate existence of a nation but such agitations must have a human face of what the demands are, and not going into criminalities by vandalising state apparatus that at the end of the day, they too will benefit from. That’s the argument.

If you are dissatisfied, you can come out with what would make you satisfied and come out with suggestions that would make you feel part of the system rather than taking the law into your hands. I totally disassociate myself from that kind of moves.

And those moves, to my mind, are highly criminalised and that kind person, if apprehended should be treated as a criminal. It is only when you come out with your agitation target, and if it is ignore, that is when you resort into whatever mechanism to attract the government’s attention but not to hold the government and authority into ransom. That is my quarrel with the agitations.

Fulani herdsmen are also on the rampage, are they also aggrieved?

On the herdsmen issue, it is also a criminal act. Yes, I believe that the government would have also come out with a policy to tackle the menace by now. I am been told that some states have adopted the policy of grazing areas.

For instance, in Benue, we are totally against the grazing, we are for ranches because, if you go to Brazil, Britain, America, you don’t see one single life cow walking on the streets, and Argentina has the major cow raiser in this world, you don’t see it. They are in ranches and their cows look better and healthier and also the milk that can be produced from them will also be healthier.

On a daily basis, Nigerian cows are moving about randomly, not properly fed, they don’t know the kind of water they are drinking or the grass being eaten. So it would be better for this country to create or make a law that ranching would be much better, it would create more job opportunities, it will make the cows that are moving at random healthier, more stabilised and somebody will know that I am going to pick a cow from this area. Therefore, at any occasion, you know that you are going to buy a quality and healthier cow.

That is my recommendation. I support the Benue State Government’s policy on that and I will continue supporting any other states for that. We are in the 21st Century now and grazing can no longer be fashionable because locations have been over grown, people have taken farmlands and established ministries, towns and villages.

So that again would no longer be feasible, I would still recommend ranching, but on a permanent basis, I do not think that is going to resolve this issue. In addition to that, you look at the kind of sophisticated weapon the Fulani herdsmen carry round. It is not ordinary; it is a highly sophisticated weapon that one begins to have a notion that somebody somewhere is using these people for a gradual land speculation or invasion.

So these are the issues that many people are not happy with them. But I think government should come out definitely and positively to issue a statement that any herdsman that is caught with any dangerous weapon without certification should be prosecuted.

What is your view concerning the agitation by MASSOB to break up?

The issue of MASSOB, like you talk about creation of state, there is a law and a mechanism you follow to qualify you for state creation, it is not different from one wanting to breakup from a nation. It is treason and a treasonable offence. They want to break up from Nigeria.

What are their grievances that Nigeria has not worked on? Let me give you an example, in the USA, there were youth agitators who attempted to break up from the USA. It started from a mechanism that was bothering some people, and the government listened to them and went into negotiation and the matter was resolved. But you don’t hold any nation into ransom.

Among these agitators particularly the so-called Biafra, they have never seen war and if they had heard shots of gun, they wouldn’t be talking about war because there is a price you have to pay. Job seekers and disabled politicians who want such organisations to be heard motivated the agitation. It is unnecessary attention it is creativity without meaning.

But some people have argued that the break up may allow Nigeria take proper shape in terms of economic and human resources. Do you agree with such?

Let me tell you my opinion about this country. You don’t break up from a country on sentiment. You don’t break up a country on tribal sentiments. If the Igbo are talking about Biafra, the South-South, the Calabars and other tribes there may not even want to join them.

If you were talking about creating ‘APA state’ from Benue State, which I supported, but that would have aided marginalisation. Igede perhaps have already opted out that they don’t want to belong and probably you find other small tribes in Idoma like the Ufia Utokon. It is not that that matters, it is how we will live together; bring up our objectivity and differences so that we work together.

If there is disenchantment, lack of corporate existence and marginalisation, there is a court you can go to and exhaust all the avenues for you to create an environment that when you want to talk about agitation, people will say ‘you have done what is to be done, these people have genuine cases, lets address it’ and that may calm down nerves.
But taking one for granted because you have oil, therefore, you want to break-up. Break up to go and drink your oil, we in Benue will go with Nigeria, break up and take our yams and begin to eat alone and let’s see who would survive.

It was the cocoa from the West, groundnut from the North and the palm oil from the East that gave birth to the actualisation of the oil. And in any case, how many countries are there in in the world? We have over 200 countries in the world, but less than 21, including Japan and China that you too much talk about as the most advanced economies in the world, they have no single oil well.

So what is the big deal, what the government of Nigeria will do is to intensity efforts in other mineral resources so that we don’t rely on oil alone because that thing called oil is a perishable commodity and in few years to come, it may no longer be there.

But be that as it may, they should have said ‘our lands have been completely devastated, we don’t have anywhere to farm, our fish are no longer alive and we want the Federal Government to do something’. Of course, government would listen to them, but above all, don’t forget there is 13 per cent derivation, there is Niger Delta Development Commission, there is Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, they have gotten enough, they should hold their people responsible for their inability to look after them.

The Federal Government has done enough, I am not the spokesman for the government but as a citizen of this country who knows what is going on in this country, who participated in many political activities in this country, I think I am old enough to access the situation.

What is your reaction as regards the suggestion by some prominent Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari should convene a national conference?


National conference is the most irresponsible thought of any Nigerian even to think about it. What is national conference? You have National Assembly already in place, with duly elected members by the people to make laws for the country. Look at the national conference which former President Goodluck Jonathan stage-managed and brought people to spent a lots of tax payers money. What is the result of that? If you have a problem, channel it through your legislator and then bring it up. There are private bills and in this country it is allowed, bring your private bills on how you want this country to move, let it be debated upon. If you can lobby and have the majority, it will become law, and it would be implemented. Failure to do that, you can go to court and seek absolute implementation of the law. Let nobody sit down here and begin to brainwash you with some stupid ideas from some fools somewhere.

People are complaining of hardship. Is this the change APC government brought to bear in the country?

When this government took over, were salaries paid in many states? When the present government took over, there were 27 states of the federation that did not pay salaries, true or false? The government inherited a burden but it was unbelievable. That time, I accused you journalists; my biggest problem in this country is you journalists, the labour and students’ union.

Many years back, when students’ union speaks, the nation shakes, when labour talks, the world echoes, when journalists talk about holding a conference, the nation sit down to negotiate. All these are no longer there. There is corruption and sensationalism and also polarisation in partisan politics.

If this government did not come to power, would you have known that this country took your money, N2.6 billion of your tax payment and gave it to an individual to go and pray for Jonathan and for some people to remain in power? If for no other reason, this exposure of corrupt officials, trying to sanitise the system alone is an achievement? I agreed with you completely that there is hardship but that is the change. The change brings many difficulties until things stabilise.

Construction is difficult but destruction is very easy, and more so, for 16 years, the damaged had been done. And that is why I quarrel with Buhari, one thing Buhari should do is to start the probe from Obasanjo regime. Obasanjo should be probed because all these corruptions that we are witnessing today began then, privatisation was the mechanism of giving out property to individuals. Buhari should revoke all properties that were sold to individuals and take them back. You cannot privatise state apparatus to individuals.

Atiku Abubakar was vice president, he helped to bastardise this country through privatisation. If that government was in power up to date, they would have privatised the National Assembly and probably they would have privatised the Aso Villa and many government houses would have been privatised to individuals by now.

It is not right. So what this government is trying to do is to sanitise the system so that at the end of the day, the younger generations coming may be able to have a solid foundation to build upon rather than living on the strength of corrupt practices that have been entrenched in offices.

That is what this government is doing and is doing it legitimately without any bias and I challenge anybody, if you can’t reach the authority when you need to send information about people in APC government that are corrupt and you can’t reach them, get to me, report that person to me, your views will be heard and government of Nigeria will do something about it because if you are running away from PDP to take refuge in APC in order to be protected, you are in the wrong place because your sins cannot be shielded because you lied and you come here, we do not want you to come and polarised the system.

Is it fair that even state governments are not paying?

I just came to Benue State and I watched people complained about poverty, non-payment of salaries but I do ask; when did this salary stop? Did it start from this government? Did this government inherit no zero salary payment or did it inherit salary arrears from the past government?

Then what is it doing because I feel bad, I have a small organisation and in my organisation, I have 15-20 staff and I do pay them every month on the 25th. When the month begins to roll to the 20th, I get worried; I have sleepless nights because that is their only livelihood, their salary.

Even in the scriptures, it is said people lived by their labour. So if you have laboured and it is not paid for, then it is not the right thing. But on May 15, when the governor called us for expanded EXCO, he tried to explain the challenges he is facing that make some of us to have something to take home, to begin to proffer solution that this thing should have been like this rather than keeping to yourself. Government is about the people for the people, they should be able to know what are the difficulties that you are facing in order for them too, if they have any solution, to offer advise and resolve this issue.

So it is not the right thing for somebody who has laboured and his labour is not being paid for, I will not encourage that. So, the government is doing everything possible in order to pay off these arrears because that is the only way you can instill discipline in the system, if there is no salary you cannot instill discipline and I think the government is worried just like you and I are worried and this is not only government.

I am worried too because if I am in Makurdi with N10, 000, I’m not sure whether I will be leaving with N1000 which means I am also affected, it is not only the people in government that are affected, therefore, it is our responsibility to ensure that the government is all about welfare, looking after the people. I don’t think the government is deliberately not paying salary to workers.

The Federal Government has just proposed N90billion loan to state governments despite allegations that some states misappropriated the earlier bailout fund. Do you support this move?
That is where the problem is and that is why the government should intensify effort in other economic sectors not only relying on oil producing earnings because the oil producing earnings have gone down and it is no longer fashionable for the government and the people of Nigeria to have their eggs in one basket.

In Benue, we have no business talking about federal allocation because of the natural land endowment that we have, and I am happy that the current administration is targeting its own internal income generating areas to be self reliant by inviting investors on farm agricultural product.

I think when this is done, then, to hell with oil. It is when this is done and salary is not being paid that I will have questions to ask because as soon as the government takes up this agricultural and natural endowment, people will go to farm.

I have seen some policies from the government inviting foreign investors and what the government needs to do, is to provide land, which Benue has in abundance and within the shortest possible time, Benue would be exporting foodstuffs and become the nation’s food basket. Whatever support the Federal Government is giving to the state for now, I am in support of that. But let that support strictly go for the purpose to which it is meant for.

There was a call from Atiku that Buhari should restructure the nation’s economy if he wants to succeed. Is that necessary?

That man was the vice president for eight years, what did he do? Rather he helped to bastardise this country through privatisation. Is that the kind of restructuring he wants to do? I have never seen a memo from Atiku to the president kicking against privatisation. If I were the president, I will also probe that regime.

Blizzy9ja:
Another political jobber on the rampage... As usual south west media will give him the required publicity

ABUJA—Contrary to the impression that the leaders and militants in the Niger Delta were against the administration of Muhammadu Buhari, some elders in the region have risen in defence of the President, saying that only persons and groups with ulterior motives were opposed to him and his government.


The elders under the platform of, Concerned Niger Delta Elders, were reacting to the renewed bombing of oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta, pointing out that the bombers were working for their selfish interest and not that of the collective wellbeing of the region and its people.

National Coordinator of CNDE, Chief Ekayama Loyibo, who spoke with Vanguard in Abuja, pointed out that those who were still working against Buhari in the region were yet to wake up to the reality that he is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Loyibo, who is the Arepamowei of Kabowei Kingdom in Delta State, and National Coordinator of Nigerian Leaders for Peace, explained that there was no justification for any genuine Niger Delta person to work against the administration of Buhari, given the clear fact that he has done more for the region in one year than what their son, former President Goodluck Jonathan, did in eight years.

“Our position is that Buhari means well for the Niger Delta region going by the steps he has so far taken. From what he has so far done, it is clear to us and other well-meaning Niger Delta people that Buhari is genuinely interested in the development of the area and should be encouraged by all to achieve his set agenda for the region.

“If you compare what Buhari has done for the Niger Delta region with what our son and brother, Goodluck Jonathan, did for six and a half years, you will agree that Buhari has done better in one year.

“What we therefore, owe Mr. President is to cooperate with him and encourage him and his administration to turn the Niger Delta into another Lagos and Abuja so that the crime rate would reduce.”

The Federal Government has set up 20 teams of prosecutors, comprising 80 lawyers, who will handle a number of high profile criminal cases investigated by law enforcement agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The PUNCH learnt that each of the teams had four lawyers with a Senior Advocate of Nigeria as the leader.

The identities of the lawyers, who were said to have been specially trained for the tasks ahead, have not been made known.

It was learnt that the Prof. Itse Sagay-led Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption was involved in the training of the special prosecutors.

Our correspondent gathered that the training, which ended in June, lasted for over one month.

Sources in the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja confirmed to our correspondent on Thursday that one of the teams of prosecutors had been assigned the forgery case recently instituted against Senate President Bukola Saraki; his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, and two others.

The new prosecuting team will fully take over the forgery case from the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Diri, when the trial resumes on Monday, a source confirmed to The PUNCH.

The Federal Government, through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minster of Justice, had, on June 10, preferred against Saraki, Ekweremadu and others, two counts of criminal conspiracy and forgery of Senate Standing Rules used for the leadership election of the presiding officers of the 8th Senate on June 4, 2015.

The two other co-accused persons are a former Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and his then deputy, Benedict Efeturi.

The Federal Government stated that the offence of conspiracy is punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Act and offence of forgery with “fraudulent intent” punishable under Section 364 of the same law.

On June 27, the four accused persons were arraigned and they pleaded not guilty to the charges before Justice Yusuf Halilu of a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jabi, Abuja.

Shortly after their arraignment on June 27, they were granted bail on the conditions that each of them should produce two sureties, who must have property either in Asokoro, Maitama, Wuse 2 or Garki (all in Abuja).

Sources confirmed to our correspondent on Thursday that the AGF and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, deliberately assigned the case to the special prosecution team for “efficient prosecution and management of the case”.

It was learnt that the team was given the liberty by the AGF to review the case file “and make necessary adjustments or amendments” where necessary to enhance the prospect of a successful prosecution of the case.

When contacted, the AGF’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Salihu Isah, confirmed to our correspondent that the forgery case was one of the high-profile criminal cases that had been assigned to one of the special teams of prosecutors.

“The prosecutors, 80 in all, are constituted into 20 teams. After they were trained, cases have been assigned to the first six and one of the cases is the Saraki’s case that you mentioned,” Isah said.

Though he declined to mention the names of the lawyers in the team, Isah said the matters assigned to the various teams varied from terrorism to corruption cases, among others.

According to him, the National Prosecution Coordination Committee, inaugurated by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, would review some of the cases either being prosecuted or still being investigated by the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission and others agencies.

The committee, he added, would also recommend the re-assignment of suitable cases among them to the teams of prosecutors.

“The teams will take up cases investigated by the various law enforcement agencies – ICPC, EFCC, DSS – and even some being handled by the ministry,” he said.

A source explained that some of the cases that would be assigned to the teams of prosecutors were the over 1,500 terrorism cases said to have been filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja since last year while the accused persons had yet to be arraigned.

WaleTheECONOMIST:
what's the title of the film? ...me self go like watch am.

andresia:
It is time the FG rise up and settle this issue once and forever.

We can't have a band of hoodlums destroying facilities with such reckless abandon without any response from the government

There is tension and frantic scheming among former army chiefs and other top officers of the Nigerian Army as the Presidential Committee on Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces concludes its task and is set submit its report of President Muhammadu Buhari in the coming days, PREMIUM TIMES has learned.

A reliable source close to the committee, which was set up by Mr. Buhari to probe the procurement of arms, ammunition and equipment in the military from 2007 to 2015, told this newspaper that several top retired army officers were indicted and some were already scheming to suppress the content of the report.

Our source, who described the report as “damning” and “explosive”, said retired top army officers indicted include present minister of interior, Abdurrahman Bello Dambazau, the immediate past chief of army staff, Kenneth Minimah, and his predecessor, Azubuike Ihejirika.

Mr. Dambazau was particularly mentioned as trying to suppress the content of the report. He was appointed the chief of army staff by late President Umaru Yar’Adua, and served between 2008 and 2010.

“The committee members are putting things together and will present its findings to the president in the next week or so,” our source said.

Our source explained that the committee uncovered a whole lot of things including the outright stealing of money meant for equipment for the army, inflation of contract, diversion of money for soldiers’ welfare, money for the rehabilitation of barracks and military facilities and many other corrupt practices.

In March 2016, the committee, predominantly made up of retired military officers, had summoned 292 retired and serving top army officers including Messrs. Dambazau, Ihejirika and Minimah.
Last August, Mr. Buhari directed the national security adviser, Mohammed Mongonu, to set up a 13-member investigative committee on the procurement of hardware and munitions in the Armed Forces from 2007.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, stated that the investigative committee’s mandate is to identify irregularities and make recommendations for streamlining the procurement process in the armed forces.

The establishment of the investigative committee was in keeping with President Buhari’s determination to stamp out corruption and irregularities in Nigeria’s public service, Mr. Adesina said.

“It comes against the background of the myriad of challenges that the Nigerian Armed Forces have faced in the course of ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast, including the apparent deficit in military platforms with its attendant negative effects of troops’ morale.

“The committee will specifically investigate allegations of non-adherence to correct equipment procurement procedures and the exclusion of relevant logistics branches from arms procurement under past administrations, which, very often resulted in the acquisition of sub-standard and unserviceable equipment,” the statement said.

In January, Mr. Buhari ordered the arrest of the former chief of air force, Adesola Amosu, and other top officers of the Nigerian Air Force after an interim report of an inquiry into the procurement of equipment uncovered widespread diversion of funds and fraud.

Those indicted by the report were former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, former chief of defence staff, Alex Badeh, and another former chief of air staff, Mohammed Umar. All of them and other top officers are facing corruption charges in court.

“The procurement processes were arbitrarily carried out and generally characterized by irregularities and fraud,” the panel said. “In many cases, the procured items failed to meet the purposes they were procured for, especially the counter insurgency efforts in the North East.”

“A major procurement activity undertaken by ONSA for NAF was that concerning the contracts awarded to Societe D’ Equipment Internationaux (SEI) Nig Ltd.

“Between January 2014 and February 2015, NAF awarded 10 contracts totalling Nine Hundred and Thirty Million, Five Hundred Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety US Dollars ($930,500,690.00) to SEI Nig Ltd.

“Letters of award and End User Certificates for all the contracts issued by NAF and ONSA respectively did not reflect the contract sums. Rather, these were only found in the vendor’s invoices, all dated 19 March 2015,” it said.

The panel said some of the award letters contained misleading delivery dates suggesting fraudulent intent in the award process. The observed discrepancies are in clear contravention of extant procurement regulations.

“The SEI contracts included procurement of two used Mi-24V Helicopters instead of the recommended Mi-35M series at the cost of One Hundred and Thirty Six Million, Nine Hundred and Forty Four Thousand US Dollars ($136,944,000.00).

“However, it was confirmed that the helicopters were excessively priced and not operationally air worthy at the time of delivery. A brand new unit of such helicopters goes for about Thirty Million US Dollars ($30m),” it noted.

Furthermore, the helicopters were delivered without rotor blades and upgrade accessories.

“Additionally, the helicopters were undergoing upgrade while being deployed for operation in the North East without proper documentation. It was further established that as at date, only one of the helicopters is in service while the other crashed and claimed the lives of two NAF personnel.

“The Committee established that ONSA also funded the procurement of 4 used Alpha-Jets for the NAF at the cost of Seven Million, One Hundred and Eighty Thousand US Dollars ($7,180,000.00). However, it was confirmed that only 2 of the Alpha-Jet aircraft were ferried to Nigeria after cannibalization of engines from NAF fleet.

“This is contrary to the written assertion of the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal AN Amosu to the former NSA that all the 4 procured Alpha-Jets aircraft were delivered to the NAF.

“The non-militarisation of the Alpha-Jets made them unsuitable for deployment to the North East and they are currently deployed only for training at NAF Kainji.

“Furthermore, the procurement of the Alpha-Jets was contrary to the recommendation of the assessment team. The Committee found that the conduct of Air Marshal Amosu was deliberately misleading and unpatriotic,” the panel said.

EnigmaticEnigma:
Omo, the scrabble board no be part of the cake ooo

At a time when the whole country was afraid and being attacked, both Muslims and Christians were being attacked by Boko Haram, even the money that was voted by the National Assembly to secure muslims, to secure Christians, to secure our
country, against these hooligans (insurgents), this
money was stolen and shared by the PDP leaders

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday said the leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was caused by “hand of God.”

Oshiomhole also advised the opposition party to stop blaming the All Progressives Congress (APC) for its woes.

Addressing some Muslims at an event to mark the Eid el Fitri celebration at the Government House in Benin, he said: “Today, you can see confusion inside the party that brought Nigeria to its knees. Can you not see the hand of God? They said they would rule for 60 years. Now 16 years later, they are out.

“At a time when the whole country was afraid and being attacked, both Muslims and Christians were being attacked by Boko Haram, even the money that was voted by the National Assembly to secure muslims, to secure Christians, to secure our country, against these hooligans (insurgents), this money was stolen and shared by the PDP leaders.

“If that situation had continued, by today, there would have been no Nigeria. So, if President Buhari had not come now to ask everybody to give account, you and I would not know why the Nigerian government was not able to tame Boko Haram.

“So, we should just pray and encourage ourselves to play our part. Nigeria will become great. I believe that over the next two months with the President squeezing out all the things that had stolen and blocking all the loopholes, things will change.”

Spybradd:
see as u use style de curse de dullard,na wao..