₦airaland Forum

4bobo: hope their hopes will not be dashed by nepa. me I no one hook for middle of the air o.any way, nice development.

NnamdiN: I don't see any crime here. Is it not just the marriage that is outlawed Is the act itself a crime If so they should raid all the female hostels in the country

[size=14pt]Obama, Cameron, G8 Leaders To Discuss Nigeria’s Controversial Oil Wealth Wastage[/size]

Saturday, 02 February 2013 00:00 From Laolu Akande, News York News - National

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NIGERIA’S controversial management of its stupendous oil wealth over the years would form one of the important themes of discussion for G-8 leaders in June, when they meet in Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, according to diplomatic sources.

Already, the presidency of the summit for this year under United Kingdom is currently reaching out to other G-8 leaders and an international consensus is said to be quietly formed to demand transparency from leaders and governments of developing countries, whose huge resources and wealth are being frittered away.

International donors, including private foundations and agencies, are also concerned about the perception of increasing wealth but decreasing living standards of the people.

For instance, US Billionaire, Bill Gates, in an interview during the week, said, “Nigeria really needs to think that, relative to its level of wealth, it is really far behind...”

The G8 Summit, which holds annually, is a gathering of presidents and prime ministers of the top eight advanced economies of the world — the US, UK, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Japan and Russia.

The Summit, which normally holds about the mid-year and focuses on global economy and socio-political issues, is presided over in turns by its eight-member-countries.

For 2013, UK holds the presidency and Prime Minister David Cameron is said to be forming the issues the summit should focus on this year.

Sources said before Prime Minister Cameron’s speech last week in Davos, where he made mention of Nigeria’s oil wealth and its management, he had intimated other G-8 leaders of the need for an agenda that brings such issues of financial accountability and transparency to the fore in a country like Nigeria.

A January 2 letter written by the British Prime Minister to all G-8 leaders, including US President Barack Obama, revealed that this year’s summit would stress trade advancement, tax compliance and transparency.

Nigeria’s example is said to be agitating the minds of the G8 leaders, just as there is controversy over the seeming squandering of past oil windfall.

After Cameroon wrote the other G8 leaders hinting on his intent to pursue the issue of transparency aggressively as president of the summit, he then proceeded early last week in Davos to publicly pin-point Nigeria as a case in point, where transparency issues have made some progress but corruption and mismanagement of huge oil wealth still continues to deny the nation’s people of their prosperity.

In a speech that has been so widely and globally received, Cameron said just last year alone “Nigeria oil exports were worth almost a hundred billion dollars. That is more than the total net aid to the whole of sub Saharan Africa. So put simply: unleashing the natural resources in these countries dwarfs anything aid can achieve, and transparency is absolutely critical to that end.”

He went on to say the G8, under his presidency, would be more aggressive on how governments of such countries like Nigeria spend the money from such huge returns, declaring that the western and Japan’s leaders are “going to push for more transparency on who owns companies; on who’s buying up land and for what purpose; on how governments spend their money; on how gas, oil and mining companies operate; and on who is hiding stolen assets and how we recover and return them.

“Like everything else in this G8, the ambitions are big and I make no apology for that.”

According to Cameron, who said he had no apology for his stance, “I want this G8 to lead a big push for transparency across the developing world, and to illustrate why. Let me give you one example. A few years back a transparency initiative exposed a huge hole in Nigeria’s finances, an $800 million discrepancy between what companies were paying and what the government was receiving for oil - a massive, massive gap.

The discovery of this is leading to new regulation of Nigeria’s oil sector so the richness of the earth can actually help to enrich the people of that country.

In fact, diplomats added that Cameron’s aggressive resolve, and his choice of Nigeria as an example, is making the rounds in western capitals and around the world, highlighting the Nigerian condition.

Sources added that Cameron’s speech was further highlighted by former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili, who, at a recent Convocation at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), gave a hint on how over $67 billion of Nigeria’s huge returns from oil sales might have been wasted.

Ezekwesili, who was until mid last year, the Vice President of the World Bank for Africa, is said to have developed a commanding respect among global and African leaders, many of who are listening intently to her voice on the matter.

A source said: “The expected diplomatic buzz being generated in messages from western diplomats from Nigeria to their capitals now over both speeches centering on Nigeria’s perceived waste of its huge oil wealth over the years is not difficult to imagine.”

For instance, a former president in Africa was said to have described Ezekwesili’s statements on the wasting of Nigeria’s financial fortune as a “bomb.”

Even sources said at global agencies like the United Nations, and the World Bank, the perception of Nigeria wasting its oil wealth is not a new proposition, which explains, according to sources, why Cameron’s voice is attracting considerable welcome and acceptance by other western leaders.

Pointing to Cameron’s words about a huge discrepancy when the British Prime Minister said “a few years back a transparency initiative exposed a huge hole in Nigeria’s finances,” a source noted that such long lasting gaps continue to exist even in official data that governments dole out in Nigeria, making them unreliable.

For instance, sources said while Cameron and Ezekwesili stated some figures of revenues raised from oil sales, government spokespersons have only managed to counter with puerile figures, which are tainted by controversies in the past over the true state of the nation’s accounts, especially between the federal government and the NNPC.

In his letter to other G8 leaders, Cameron disclosed even before he specifically listed the Nigerian example, that “we must put a new and practical emphasis on transparency, accountability and open government.

“Too many developing countries are held back by corruption-and this can be reinforced or even encouraged by poor business practice and a lack of transparency from those that trade with them.”

The G8 meeting will be coming up on June 17 and 18 at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland. A statement from the UK Cabinet office said:  “the venue of Lough Erne 2013 was also chosen because it creates the right conditions to encourage open and frank discussions between the G-8 leaders.”

Later on, the G8 presidency would issue invitations to other world leaders, especially from developing countries and it is expected that Nigeria would be invited to this year’s G8 summit, according to sources.

firestar: You're watching this on what site please?

Ishilove: They are the GEJ's grown up children.

lekkie073: on d contrary, am lekkie Orlando. r u a learner?

lekkie073: dats my wife, Oluchi onweagba

Ishilove: Oooookay, I am now convinced. Mr Edun is DEFINITELY gay!

Asides that, the photoshoot is quite. . .'interesting' and colourful. Love Goldie's outfit

nubian22: Christian stands for love and peace and there is no time that christ said we should fight for him. What CAN did was wrong because if we start reacting about everything said against christ we will no longer have peace and lovE which christ stand for.

Yazmin: Whatever a mission house means. The question here is that are there no other very pressing economic,financial or health issues to deal with? For God sake is the 'mission house' a priority,when the healthcare is comatose $ roads are dilapidated $ battalions of unemployed youth churn out into the streets daily?

[size=14pt]Turai vs Patience: FG opts for out-of-court settlement of land dispute[/size]


July 24, 2012 | 10:51 pm

News

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA — In a bid to save Nigeria from further embarrassment, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, Tuesday, urged an Abuja High Court sitting at Bwari to discontinue further hearing on the lingering land dispute between Dame Patience Jonathan and wife of late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, Turai.

The two women had plunged into cold war after the Certificate of Occupancy for a parcel of land originally allocated to a Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, “The Registered Trustee of Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation, WYEF”, a pet project initiated by Turai Yar’Adua, was revoked by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, and re-awarded to Patience Jonathan for the construction of a secretariat of the “First Ladies Peace Mission.”

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Specifically, the Registered Trustees of WYEF had applied and was granted an allocation of Plot 1347at the Cadastral Zone A00, Abuja, after paying N184,529,438 as statutory Right of Occupancy and was duly issued with the C of O by the FCT Minister.

Meanwhile, under the terms of grant, the plaintiff was given three years to develop the property based on approved building plans.

After the payments of the various levies, the plaintiff paid additional N76, 936,210.00 as building plan fees after which the grant and approval of the building plans were made and given in line with the master plan for Abuja.

The plaintiff told the court that shortly after it engaged a building company, Al-Cooks Nigeria Limited, to develop the property for N13, 516,013,797.58, the FCT Administration led by Bala Mohammed, on November 1, 2011, asked it to pay additional N18,529,438, which it said was also paid.

It, however, lamented that after the various payments were made, the FCT Minister, without reason, issued a notice of revocation of the said property which it allocated to the plaintiff for the purpose of building public institution (Training/Vocational Centre). It noted that the said letter of revocation was backdated with effect from October 27, 2011.

Meanwhile, Turai’s NGO stressed that it decided to seek redress in court upon discovering that the same piece of land was re-allocated to another organisation sponsored by Jonathan’s wife.

Also joined as defendants in the suit with No. FCT/HC/CV/2591/2010 included the AGF, FCT Minister and the Abuja Geographic Information System, AGIS.

Sequel to the suit, the court presided by Justice Peter Affen, issued an order barring the FCT Administration,  AGIS and the AGF from carrying out further activities at the site.

However, while the order of the court was still subsisting, the defendants in defiance of the said order mobilised people to the site to commence construction work.

The action prompted counsel to WAYE, Innocent Lagi, to initiate contempt proceedings against the respective defendants.

Nevertheless, before hearing could commence on the contempt charge, the AGF, last Friday, approached the court, asking it to vacate the restraining order.

Though Justice Affen ordered that all the necessary parties must be put on notice, the AGF, yesterday, re-approached the court, begging it to allow the matter to be settled-out-of court.

Counsel to the AGF, Mr Baba Sa’idu further told the court that his client had already reached out to the aggrieved party for an amicable settlement of the dispute.

After listening to his submissions, Justice Affen adjourned till September 24 to receive the report of settlement.

Meanwhile, the case been adjourned till September 24, 2012 for report of settlement.

Adducing reasons why the case should be discontinued, Adoke earlier told the court “the previous allocations were duly revoked and a fresh allocation made out to the African Peace Mission in overriding interest.”

“The invitations to the members of the African Union’s First Ladies Peace Mission had already gone out and it would be most humiliating for Nigeria in the diplomatic circle to make an about-turn at this time, given, the time constraint to effect any other changes in venue,” he added.

berem: how has the African nonsense first lady mission bullshit affected the lives of Nigerians? this stewpid woman feels she can just use nigeria's money to building whatever nonsense she plans to build. I only pray they won't milk us dry! arrant nonsense!!