its time we decentralize government that way everyone will spend according to the capability of its state

I see you point.
It s very unfair that people are expected to pay huge fines when minimum wage is low.
this is why things are not workign so well because the Governement is trying to use shortcut to generate revenues and ill gotten wealth scatters.
what i mean by shortcut?
increasing cost of living without improving the lives of those doing the living.

what do we do now the money has been spent?
what happens to Sanusi?

The controversy surrounding the allegedly missing $10.8bn meant to be remitted to the Federation Account by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation took another turn on Friday as the NNPC claimed that it spent $8.49bn of the sum on petroleum products subsidy.

Prior to NNPC’s claim, the Federal Ministry of Finance is known to be the agency of government saddled with the task of offsetting subsidy claims on petroleum products to oil marketers.

But the NNPC, during a press conference at its headquarters in Abuja, argued that all relevant government agencies were aware that the corporation had been subsiding petroleum products without getting back these funds from the Federal Government.

The Group Executive Director, Finance and Accounts Directorate, Mr. Bernard Otti, stated that the sum in question was the expenditure incurred as part of the statutory responsibilities which the NNPC executes on behalf of the Federal Government.

He said, “The $10.8bn is made up of the following: subsidy claim, $8.49bn; pipeline management and repair cost, $1.22bn; product/crude oil loses, $0.72bn; and cost of holding the strategic stock reserves, $0.37bn.”

The Federal Government, in September last year, said it would spend a total of N971bn to subsidise petroleum product consumption in 2013. It, however, did not state whether subsidy payment to the NNPC was part of the N971bn.

The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria had late last year alleged that the corporation failed to remit a whopping $49.8bn to the Federation Account between January 2012 and July 2013.

Of this sum, $30bn had been reconciled by the government agencies involved, while $10.8bn was still outstanding.

While buttressing Otti’s statement, the Director of Transformation and Corporate Services, NNPC, Dr. Timothy Okon, explained that there was a process by which revenues accrued into the Federation Account and argued that the corporation was mindful of this.

http://www.punchng.com/news/missing-funds-nnpc-claims-spending-8-49bn-on-subsidy/

Italiano1: Everything in Nigeria is handled unprofessionally, no wonder we are yet to achieve our potential as a nation. In a sane clime, when an allegation of this magnitude is made against a public official, it becomes imperative that the accused comes forward to provide explanations regardless of the source. So far, we have not heard anything from the office of Stella Oduah apart from a press release that they would not be commenting on the issue.

This is not only an affront to the sensibilities of Nigerians but it goes to show the level of moral decadence that has enveloped the nation, especially when you consider that some illiterates on this forum are still justifying what is an obvious case of falsification of educational qualifications.

Thank God you said Nigeria because it is one place where the offenders get away with crime and the offended sit back and fold their arms.

I wonder who they are waiting for.

Martini101: Sanusi does not need anybody to ask him to resign because he has made a mistake that does not conform with the CBN govenor office ! 50 - 10 billion dollars. A difference of 40billion. That is so gross from a central bank governor!! He should have resigned since without being told. APC members should go and sit down. always waiting for any reason to attack the presidency whether reasonable or not.

rati ken: APC remains an opposition made up of disgruntled elements. They can only rant while GEJ continue to pilot the affairs of this great nation.

From 48M to 12M for a man who should have more details than anyone in this country. Sheer incompetence masked under eloquence. How has he been balancing his books with those wrong data? He should not have spent an extra day in office after those findings. No foreign partner will trust the leadership of the Apex bank under SLS with that false alarm.

Its unfortunate you speak like this. Whats the mistak their. If he had not said it, would Okonjo have gone ahead to say its only 10.8 billion dollars (unfortunately i do not want to convert it to naira) through the avaenue of trying to reconcile accounts. See open your eyes and stopmaking statements that make you look like a joke

MR BENZENE: Sahara reporters have already accepted
misleading Nigerians and still refuse to
apologize for their malicious allegations and
frivolous claims.


simply ban this SR and PM they just specialise in giving out wrong information.

And what happens to your govenrment that lies to you. The same government that has done nothing with results of the probe in oil sector, or the government that has not in anyway done anything regarding corruption.

Please look at the mirror before you speak. It helps

i still remain adamant on my opinion that Nigerians got what they deserve.
Maybe we should have such tankers drive through streets were our current leaders live and see if there would be no change.

Instead the path is always throught the poor community where they (politician) believe that waste of life is nothing
.
Today we hear of mass burial for victims of plateau state while Patience mother is buried like mandela
we are watching

This is not news. This business as usual
And Nigerians are comfortable with it.

I have finally seen a sensible Nigerian.
People can be so gullible to think that a word document cannot be edited in minutes.

Buhari all the way. His competence cannot be exaggerated

dr@ss:
I wonder what the desperate people will cook up next againts Mrs Stella. First it was Incompetence and poor state of airports. Then bullet proof cars. Now its fake certificate. Looks like the corrupt private jet owners are bend on getting rid of her.

this all you can say then with people like you in Nigeria there is trouble.

Sloan:

You've got it spot on! This article is as useless and pointless as the people who voted for the retardeen GEJ government! LWKMD What is the reader supposed to do? Did the current government sneak in overnight or was it not with the support of certain people, some of whom are complaining now? Nigerians seem to have been hypnotized that the budget controls the government and not the government actually being in charge and controlling the budget, hence you see less than a 40% budget implementation with even billions more budgeted in the next year! Who do you blame? The budget who created the human beings or the human beings who created the budget?

Nigeria had a chance to challenge the status quo and vote a Buhari / Bakare ticket who are more accessible to most Nigerians and who have a level of high integrity to protect. These are the people you can ask direct questions at every forum and challenge them on why we cannot have a budget that works for the people! These are people who've had lots of chances to take more than legitimately belongs to them for years and keep quiet but they've simply refused. They've stayed pretty much on the same level as most Nigerians and not built N 1 B hotels in less than 3 years! Yet Nigerians do not want people like that but people who would rather spend N 14 M+ on (buying) animals when humans are suffering! What is the responsibility of a government to keep animals in a private zoo when all common sense would have made it to even donate any existing animals (if it inherits from the previous government) to universities and research centers in UI, OAU, Unilag, etc (schools that have zoos for more than 40 years) and with the structure already in place to house the animals and in fact donate the 14 M as an additional to feed all the animals where they can make some money for the government by charging people who visit the zoo a gate fee! In a well kept zoo that is properly financed in a big city like Ibadan or Unilag, if people are charged only N 200 per visit and they get 72,000 visits in one year, they will make N14 M and the cost of that visit at the time they're being showcased is only the staff salaries and other costs that are fixed regardless of whether people come or not. That is how a sensible government should think. By the way, 72 K people in a year between Unilag and UI is a huge underestimation as those two cities boast of at least 30 M people in between them only.

Just enjoy your fresh air and keep quiet stup.id people!

This is what we call revelation but trust the stupid ones will come up with their senseless arguments

Candour: The proposed National Conference is missing an important ingredient and that is sovereignty. If the politicians are sincere, then they should allow the conference to be sovereign with decisions that are binding and only subject to a referendum, not to a partisan National Assembly. Any conference short of this will only be another jamboree like Abacha's and OBJ's conferences.

But are the politicians bold or honest enough to allow it?

I totally agree and would also like to include to your question
How desparate are we willing to demand it be done our way and not the politician ways.

You know, i do not like boko haram but it seems that through miliancy and crime that's when the leaders know we are serious.

When we protested in Ojota over subsidy, a detachment of soldiers setn everyone packing. when will we hold and stand our ground against the lunacy of this present administration.

hmmm

I have asked this before and compelled to ask again.
what are our expectations as a people regarding this national conference coming up
its good we start to speak before another document is signed that maybe worse than the previous

ilugunboy: This woman should just be ease out of the government....

wrong
prosecuted and jailed so her records can be stained. that is how it should be done in modern societies.
it will also deter future actions from similar individuals

Kairoseki77: The minister is currently in Brazil. Relaxing!

See here: https://www.nairaland.com/1585663/breaking-stella-oduahs-shocking-first

This is what i am saying. How does her trip relate to presenting bogus certificates
so if an armed robber steals and can stay far away from the scene of the crime then he is innocent after all he was not caught at the scene of the crime even though investigations by police leads to him being a suspect.

Nigeria you have still not seen the fire

santakris: What do you think about this guys.

A people getting what they deserve. After all would this have happened with Buhari/Bakare ticket.
Let the bitter pill be swallowed thats all.
This reminds of what happed to the isrealites when they asked God for a king and they got what they asked for.

I can bet you that this would increase prostitution,
Young girls and females would be on their way righ now planning how to share from this using their laps then tommorrow ASUU would be blamed for sexual atrocities of students.
I am watching

we are waiting for oga Jonathan to do the needful which i doubt he would do.
Period

Another one. Oh boy
But if it were a common citizen they would be sacked before allegations are investigated. But for politicians it is a different way of operations.


So i am FTC wow
This is really my year of great things

Pataki:

What is the meaning of this arrant nonsense you have typed? Is it too much of a task for you to use your brain when you engage me? Where are the lies I have stated in my posts? You utterly once again failed to point any of them out. If you must throw words at me, back them up logically!

Are SR, Premium Times, APC or whatever you call them, foreigners and no longer Nigerians in general? Are they not Nigerians like you? Was this woman called to serve only PDP as a Minister? Why is it difficult for you to ask her to present her degree openly? Afterall, if it was not that important as you ediotically spewed in your opening discourse, she should not have placed it in any of her autobiography as we have read online.

What is the distraction in proving to her opponents that she truly has a MBA from a college or wherever in the States? I hate addressing your foolishness, but since you love displaying it, you will have to deal with it.

You have tried in your reply but what is so obvious is that Nigerians really deserves the leaders we get.
Nigerians vote based on religion and ethnicity and not character. Well until they satrt cooking their children to feed maybe their eyes will open.
In nigeria a ploiceman can slap you and people find nothing wrong with it. he is not prosecuted instead they kneel down to plead
Lawyers employed by the state just collect salaries witouht defending people can't you see people clogged in prison abi some are not ripe for probational release.
Ihejerika is the IG of police even though we are in civilian regime

Fighter jets carry out air assault within a country less the siz of texas or california as if na godzilla we dey fine.
I find it amusing that criminals like Stella can even run for governorship elections at least it is nigeria

in my opinion and i do not know if anyone would support me. I would like us to have a thread just for this sovereign national conference because they claim we will be represented if though invitation is extended to few. So being that this great forum has been used has led to national debates, i am of the opinion that we open a thread to gather people's opinion.
For example, My take would be
1) removal of immunity from public holders.
2) police reforms
3) prosecution of individuals involved in election rigging with heavy prison sentences, this will largely reduce rigging.
4) removal of Environmental sanitation
5) duplication of duties of FRSC, VIO, NIGERIAN CIVIL DEFENCE, MAN O WAR. Can you imagin they all have commanders with fat salaries yet they cannot fire a single weapon against terror attacks.
6) remove monarchs. i still do not know thier relevance to government

I want Nigerians to be able to charge or sue public office holders to court. So many things have to change. Nigeria is the only place the government will send out police and army as their thugs. In civilized countries its an offence for the police or any service person to strike a civilian because our taxes take care of them. Instead a policeman strikes a person in traffic and people find it hilarious.
Till date FRSC blames accident on commuters and not the nature of the roads. .
Highways aren't built with proper road signs or quality tarr. whne can we sue Fashola's administration for having a drainage open and it led to an accident.
After all the taxes we pay, still we perfomr environmental sanitation. and nigerians are not waking up to see this stupididty.
I was in texas and walked into a mall only to have the governor of Texas walke by me. He had only 3 body guards. i walked outside and saw he had only an entourage of two cars without siren.
Recently the FBI arrested a Mayor involved in money laundering.
House speaker John boehner was in a cafe having breakfast with only 6 body guards. and in front of his apartment (i said apartment not house so he pays rent) a peaceful protest was staged for immigration reform without police brutality.
During government shutdown, i saw protest in front of the whitehouse asking for the impeachmentof the president yet no response. instead our leaders say rubbish lthat we have no respect for elders as if it was respect that put them there and not votes.
I wish not to compare us with other countries but since we want to copy the US in federalism, then we should go ahead and copy the good side.

Please an addition would be appreciated becuase i believe i am still ignorant of certain things and would like tonuse this medium to learn of peopl's opinion
Thanks

i did not know she was a queen. Do we still hold elections in Nigeria or pass down power through blood line?

Criminal Ibos: [size=25pt]AFAM4EVER AND OAM4J...WHO BANNED MY ACCOUNT BEFORE THUNDER STRIKE BOTH OF YOU NOW[/size]

judging by your name, i guess someone was scared

In a press statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kunle Famoriyo, the group said that making the report a public document is the only way President Jonathan’s wish to convoke the conference can continue to enjoy the support of Nigerians.

“Nigerians have supported the call for the conference and participated fully in the public sessions. Many travelled far distances to participate in the conference. One of them was the late Babarinde Omojola, who never returned home but died after making his presentation in Akure,” the statement said.

It also said “The only way to respect and honour the sacrifices Nigerians made towards the successful completion of the committee’s task is to publicise the report.”

“If President Jonathan truly has no personal interest, as he claimed, in the conference and he is prepared to allow the will of Nigerians to prevail, the first thing to do is to release the report to the public as a feedback process.” It noted.

The statement further insisted that the “Afenifere Renewal Group will not be railroaded into a national conference, whose modalities and terms are skewed against the interest of our people. Certainly, we will only support the proposed conference for as long as it is transparently planned.”

“Our demand is to see Nigeria restructured into a truly federalist country with viable and autonomous federating units. We are convinced this is what majority of Nigerians want, as our wide consultations have shown. We also believe that the conference, when finally convoked, will succeed and produce desired outcome only if it is a conference of Nigerian ethnic nationalities.” It said.

The group “therefore pleads with President Jonathan not to put the cart before the horse as he announced that he has instructed the Minister of Finance to make budgetary preparation for the conference.”

Concluding that “It is good to make financial preparation for the conference but we insist that the first thing to do after the submission of the report is to make its content public. We wish to reiterate our earlier advice to President Jonathan that the outcome of this proposed conference will either make or mar his tenure.”


http://www.channelstv.com/home/2013/12/19/national-dialogue-afenifere-demands-publication-of-committee-report/

Man of the year for me is Tunde Bakare. He is clean, no corruption charge has ever been levelled againts him. the only crime he committed was running as vice president to a muslim but we have leadership in CAN who's wealth are so suspicious as we speak. Imagine if we were to ask EFCC to investigate, i could only imagine the curses they would call down from heaven.

A man that rejected 50000 (7 million + naira) dollars bribe from Jonathan. Tunde Bakare would be my candidate if we were asked to vote.

Have we solved the problem of power and security. Come to think of it, if you manufacture cars in nigeria what about the tyres. would they be imported?

Nigeria should build properly and stop taking short cuts just to score political points

To those going the path of sentiments becuase GEJ is from niger delta would you prefer this

DARREG: Blogger Peter Okali has a post up detailing the salary of a Nigerian Senator. I’m going to quote most of it, so large hat-tip is due him. (1m Naira is about US$6,100)

Basic Salary (BS) – N2,484,245.50

Hardship Allowance @ 50% of Basic Salary – N1,242,122.70 (I love this kind of hardship)

Constituency allowance @ 200% of BS - N4,968,509.00

Furniture Allowance @ 300% of BS – N7,452,736.50

Newspaper allowance @ 50% – N1,242,122.70 (Which kind newspaper be this, abi na online or hard copy?)

Wardrobe allowance @ 25% – N621,061.37

Recess Allowance @ 10% – N248,424.55

Accommodation @ 200% – N4,968,509.00

Utilities @ 30% – N828,081.83

Domestic Staff @ 35% – N863,184.12

Entertainment @ 30% – N828,081.83

Personal Assistance @ 25% – N621,061.37

Vehicle Maintenance Allowance @ 75% – N1,863,184.12

Leave Allowance @ 10% – N248,424.55

One off payments (Severance gratuity) @ 300% – N7,452,736.50 (Once they get fired.)

Motor Vehicle Allowance @ 400% of BS – N9,936,982.00 – Every Four Years

Senator’s Salary per month – N2,456,647.70
Total = N29,479,749.00 Per Year
Allowance of Nigerian Senator: $1,500,000/year

To clarify, Nigerian senators get paid about $180,000 per year as a salary. On top of this, they get about $1.5m in allowances, as detailed above. And that’s what they receive officially. You can multiply that by a factor of 3-5 to account for the graft, backhanders, and additional income streams they enjoy whilst in office (and often thereafter). According to Peter, the senators – of which there are 109 – have been asking for an increase in their allowances to $183,000 per month, or $2.2m per year. By contrast, the US president gets paid $400,000 per year.

As Peter says:

Little wonder why everyone in Nigeria has political ambitions and will do whatever it takes to get there.

Indeed. And little wonder why most Nigerians are hopelessly poor and there is a General Strike kicking off tomorrow.
SOURCE:
http://www.desertsun.co.uk/blog/?p=1144

biafranqueen: Like we didn't know that already this is the same IBB that said corruption is too much and endorses APC. The same elite for the past decades are continuing to suck Nigeria dry. We the people are living in 3rd world conditions because a handful of Cabals are so greedy they want everything. I just don't understand this type of mentality that millions will suffer so a few can live it up! Why not go down in history as the person that changed the Giant of Africa. Thank God the truth is now being said openly, we need to change the game, we are too smart as a people to keep dividing ourselves with political parties and tribalistic mentality. While we fight these stupid battles they are laughing at us and sharing the money that is suppose to go to our infrastructure, medical facilities, schools. Because some of them start a business and hire a few Nigerians we give them a pass. Violence is not the answer look at Egypt they are even worst off. All I can say is is we need a political action committee, that is grassroots by nature. This PAC will be supported by the people's donation to fight against corruption and to hold leaders accountable. It has to be funded by the people completely, as to not take political sides. It can not be religious or political party affiliated. We put the right people in office by merit, and fight to incarcerate those found guilty of looting. The only problem is the courts are screwed up, so we have to start there. Only the citizens can change this country around if we work together, our power will be in the numbers!

I agree. I personally endorse Pastor Tunde Bakare, Oshiomole. If others are there they could be name. Its high time we start recognizing those who can work things.

This President isn't taking care of this country at all. Too much bloodshed, loss of jobs, hop and freedom. It is so sad at this time of the year that people would be slain and left like animals. I am very sad about this becuase i lived in Plateau state for 15 years. A place of peace and tourism.

ABUJA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 people were killed in fresh attacks by gunmen in Nigeria's middle-belt state of Plateau, where ethno-religious crises have claimed hundreds of residents in the past, local sources said on Tuesday.

Local police spokesperson Felicia Anselm confirmed the attacks in Barkin Ladi local government area of the Nigerian state. Although many people have been confirmed dead and several others were injured, the total number of casualties were yet to be ascertained.

She said the overnight attacks were carried out concurrently at four different locations including Foron, Gurabok, Rawuru and Tasu, all in the restive local government area also known as battle field for Fulani herdsmen and the native Berom people.

"We cannot give the exact number of the casualties yet because our men are collating the figures," she told reporters in Jos, capital of the state.

According to her, the casualties figure would be publicized after collation.

Spokesperson of the Special Task Force (STF) in the state Capital Salisu Mustapha told Xinhua on phone that the coordinated attacks were carried out around 2 a.m, local time on Tuesday morning by unknown gunmen.

Mustapha said the attacked communities were Katu Kapang, Daron, Tul and Rawuru villages in Barkin Ladi and Mangu Local Government Areas.

According to him, the attackers killed about 13 persons in Katu Kapang, eight in Daron, nine in Tul and seven others in Rawuru.

Local residents said more than 40 lifeless bodies, including those of pregnant women and children, were deposited at a nearby morgue on Tuesday and that scores of people had been taken to hospital for treatment.

A mass burial was held for at least 15 victims of the overnight attacks in Tatu, one of the places that were attacked.

Five days ago, two earlier attacks in Barkin Ladi and Shendam local government areas had claimed five lives, according to the police.

In Jos, because the settlers are almost entirely Muslim and the indigenous people are predominantly Christian. Struggle over land ownership, economic resources and political control tends to be expressed not just in ethnic but also religious terms.

Thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced internally, just as billions of dollars of property have been destroyed due to the crises.

Since the end of 2010, security has further deteriorated in the state because of terror attacks and suicide bombings against churches and security targets by Boko Haram, a group mostly responsible for wave of terrorist attacks in the northern part of Nigeria.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2013-11/27/c_132920428.htm