₦airaland Forum

The incoming administration of the President-
elect, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is
set to revisit the reports of panels set up by the
National Assembly to investigate various
financial scandals in Federal Government’s
agencies and ministries.
Saturday PUNCH gathered in Abuja, on Friday,
that top among reports that the administration
would examine include the fuel subsidy and
N255m bulletproof cars scam probes by the
House of Representatives as well as the pension
scandal investigation by the Senate.
It was gathered that Buhari’s pronouncement
that he would take another look at the missing
$20bn was a precursor to the administration’s
desire to retrieve illegally held public funds.
A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,
now Emir of Kano, Mohammed Sanusi II, had
alleged that the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation did not account for $20bn due to be
remitted to the Federation Account.
A competent source close to Buhari, who pleaded
for anonymity because he was not authorised to
speak to the media, said the general knew that
he had limited time within which to turn around
the nation, as such, he had no intention of
wasting public funds on endless probes.
This, it was gathered, informed a tentative
decision by the incoming administration, not to
embark on fresh probes, but review reports and
recommendations of “compelling” cases handled
by the National Assembly.
Also, a top member of the All Progressives
Congress, who confided in Saturday PUNCH ,
said, with the current fuel scarcity, it had
become necessary for the administration to
examine the fuel subsidy regime.
The APC chieftain said that the administration
would find the report of the House of
Representatives’ investigation into fuel subsidy in
2012 useful.
He said, “For now, we have decided not to
comment on the issues of probes so as not to
heat up the transition, but what I can tell you is
that we will not encourage the culture of
impunity.
“With the fuel scarcity in many parts of the
country, the report of the House of
Representatives investigation will be among
those to be examined. We suspect that there is
massive fraud in the fuel subsidy.”
According to him, the incoming administration
will not dissipate energy embarking on fresh
probes.
He explained that the administration would look
at ways of implementing recommendations of
panels set up by the National Assembly.
The APC top member stated, “If you recall, during
the campaigns, any time he (Buhari) accused the
outgoing administration of corrupt tendencies, he
made reference to recommendations contained in
reports which he said, the Jonathan
administration, has shown a lack of political will
to implement.
“What you are likely to see happening is a revisit
of investigations into scandals such as the
missing $20bn, the pension funds and the fuel
subsidy. Where reports recommend that
individuals refund public funds, these funds must
be refunded.
“Where they recommend that individuals or
institutions be prosecuted, that will be done.
“The anti-graft agencies will be repositioned to
perform the functions for which they were
established. It is certainly not going to be
business as usual.”
The insider also referred Saturday PUNCH to
what the President-elect said about his approach
to fighting the scourge of corruption, during his
presentation at Chatham House, London, shortly
before the elections.
Buhari had during the lecture said, “On
corruption, there will be no confusion as to
where I stand. Corruption will have no place and
the corrupt people will not be appointed into my
administration.
“First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the
budgetary process. Revenue producing entities
such as NNPC and Customs and Excise will have
one set of books only.
“Their revenues will be publicly disclosed and
regularly audited. The institutions of state
dedicated to fighting corruption will be given
independence and prosecutorial authority without
political interference.”
When contacted, the Director of Media and
Publicity of the All Progressives Congress
Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Garba
Shehu, said, he was not in a position to
comment on policy issues.
He said, “…Even on the issue of the missing
$20bn which he (Buhari) was reported to have
said he would take a look at, I was not at the
event. Our concern now is to ensure a seamless
transfer of power.”
Following the nationwide protests that greeted
the move by the Jonathan administration to
remove fuel subsidy in January 2012, the House
of Representatives set up an ad hoc committee
which investigated the management of the
subsidy regime.
The House in April 2012 approved
recommendations of its Ad Hoc Committee on
Monitoring of the Subsidy Regime.
Among others, the panel recommended that the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the
Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory
Agency and 72 other firms refund N1.07tn said
to have been fraudulently paid to oil marketers.
To be part of the refund is also the Office of the
Accountant–General, which allegedly paid
N127.8bn within 24 hours to unknown
beneficiaries. The AGF paid N999m 28 times in
one day to the “unknown entities.”
All members of staff of the NNPC, PPPRA and
DPR involved in the processing of applications for
fuel imports were recommended for investigation
for “negligence, collusion and fraud.”
Another report, which Saturday PUNCH gathered
would attract the attention of the incoming
administration, is the N255m car scam that led
to the removal of the Minister of Aviation, Ms.
Stella Oduah.
Although the President removed Oduah as
recommended by the House, it was gathered that
the APC leaders believed that there were other
aspects of the report that should be
implemented.
Oduah was accused of approving expenditure of
over N643m for the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority to procure 54 vehicles.
The House noted that the approval exceeded her
limit as approval limit as a minister which was
N100m.
The NCAA purchased two bulletproof BMW cars
at the cost of N255m without the approval of the
National Assembly.
The House further recommended the ministry and
the NCAA to terminate all the transactions
relating to the bulletproof cars because they
“were neither provided for in the Appropriation
Act, 2013, nor was due process followed in their
procurement.”
In addition to terminating the transactions, the
House ordered that “all money so far spent on
the entire transactions should be recovered by
the Ministry of Finance and paid back into the
Consolidated Fund of the Federation.”
The House faulted the diversion of waivers meant
for other purposes to import the bulletproof cars
and asked the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission to “investigate the chassis number
(DW68032) of one of the vehicles on the one
reported to have been delivered and the one
inspected by the committee members.
It also asked the EYCK to “investigate and if
found wanting, prosecute all persons/institutions
involved in the transactions.”
Coscharis Nigeria Limited, which supplied the
controversial cars, was not left out.
The House directed that the company should be
investigated on the “issue of waiver” and also to
determine the “exact cost of the two BMW
vehicles.”
It also ordered the company to pay the value of
the waiver to the Federal Government.
Attempts to get an official reaction from the APC
were unsuccessful.
Phone calls to the mobile telephone number of
the party’s national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, were neither picked nor replied. A
response to a text message sent to him was still
being awaited as of the time of filing this report
8:05pm. www.punchng.com/news/buhari-to-revisit-past-probe-panel-reports/

For all Nigerians who asked for and voted for change, change is here and we must patriotically support GMB and his team on their approach.

I am more than happy that APC/Buhari are not too interested in wasting time to begin new probes/investigations into many scams we have witnessed in Nigeria.

Under GEJ, many probes were carried out at the executive and legislative arms of government yet not a single recommendation of all the probes was effected. If they knew there would not be implementation of probe reports, why did they set up committees to conduct the probes? Or the committees were meant to simply provide more money for some people?

By providing incentives to encourage indicted persons to return their loots, trillions of naira can be available to government for developmental projects. So, Diezani, Oduah, Aba Moro and many other public servants should be prepared to comply with the recommendations of the report indicting them or be ready to be prosecuted as per our law.

I pray that almighty God grants Buhari the required strength to do the right things for Nigeria and bring back glory to our land.

Nigeria must be great!!!!

gv

Good. Let them all refund ant let the refunds be used to better lives o. Let it not be like the Abacha refunds o.

This is looking good.
Atiku Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo were indicted by the Senate for fraud and mismanagement of Petroleum Development Trust Fund allocations in 2007

IBB was indicted for squandering $12b oil windfall by Okigbo panel set up by Abacha.

Sanusi Lamido was indicted by Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria for fraud and mismanagement of CBN funds in 2014.

Nasir El Rufai was indicted by the Senate for fraud during his times in Bureau for Public Enterprise and FCT Minister.

Buhari MUST start from these people. I no wan hear say it will not be "necessary"...

barcanista:
This is looking good.
Atiku Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo were indicted by the Senate in the Petroleum Development Trust Fund Proobe.

IBB was indicted for squandering $12b oil windfall by Okigbo panel set up by Abacha.

Sanusi Lamido was indicted by Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria for fraud and mismanagement of CBN funds in 2014.



Buhari MUST start from these people.

Buhari needn't start from the people you mentioned.

It is enough to start with the most recent cases especially those that occurred under the outgoing regime.

PUNCH gathered in Abuja, on Friday,
that top among reports that the administration
would examine include the fuel subsidy and
N255m bulletproof cars scam probes by the
House of Representatives as well as the pension
scandal investigation by the Senate.

Good, these are the scanders hindered by the administration of GEJ from being probed.

But the process shouldn't be selective!

barcanista:
This is looking good.
Atiku Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo were indicted by the Senate for fraud and mismanagement of Petroleum Development Trust Fund allocations in 2007

IBB was indicted for squandering $12b oil windfall by Okigbo panel set up by Abacha.

Sanusi Lamido was indicted by Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria for fraud and mismanagement of CBN funds in 2014.

Nasir El Rufai was indicted by the Senate for fraud during his times in Bureau for Public Enterprise and FCT Minister.

Buhari MUST start from these people. I no wan hear say it will not be "necessary"...

Why didnt GEJ probe them?

#Babanowthatyouarethere let them know that stealing is now corruption
#babanowthatyouarethere let them see that their best candidate is really clueless.

Thats the spirit. Keep it up sir.

Na today?

Buhari and his crew must be foolish! Instead of thinking of how to create a stable economic environment for Nigerians, they are busy talking of probe and witch-hunting! Worst of all, he is surrounded by thieves like Tinubu and Rothmans Amaechi

PassingShot:
Buhari needn't start from the people you mentioned.

It is enough to start with the most recent cases especially those that occurred under the outgoing regime.

He must probe everybody if he wanna probe..No sacred cows..

At least N1-2trillion can be extracted from these criminals through plea bargain. That's the least Baba can do, Jailing may not be necessary this time.