President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a visually impaired man, Dr. Samuel Ankeli, as his Senior Special Assistant.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President has saddled Ankeli with the responsibility of dealing with persons living with disability on his behalf.
Shehu said Ankeli headed the Directorate of Persons with Disability at the Buhari/Osinbajo All Progressives Congress presidential campaign headquarters, the first of any such department in a political party in Nigeria.
He added that the new presidential aide led a team that successfully mobilised a large number of the more than 24 million disabled persons in the country to support the All Progressives Congress candidate and his running mate in the 2015 presidential election campaign.
Ankeli, who hails from Benue State, studied veterinary medicine at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
He worked with the Benue State government before quitting and focusing on his activist role in the promotion of the wellbeing of the blind and people with all kinds of disability.
Ankeli is married with children.
http://www.punchng.com/35813-2/

The People Democratic Party, PDP, Osun State chapter has alleged that the state Governor, Rauf Aregbesola intends to sack striking doctors and replace them with traditional healers and witch doctors.
A statement by the spokesman of the state chapter of the party, Diran Odeyemi on Sunday, said the technical sacking of the doctors was a blackmail and a wrong move by the state government.
Odeyemi said, “Now that all the ill-conceived measures to cow the doctors have failed and the Plan “B” of replacing them with new intakes had been frustrated by the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Governor Aregbesola, wants to experiment with the use of native doctors,”
“Governor Aregbesola has a rich history of odd actions all in a bid to be unique. If a governor could unilaterally change the education system in Osun from the 6-3-3-4 operating across the country to 4-6-3 by recategorising primary and secondary schools in the state to Elementary, Middle and High Schools, then his plans to replace orthodox medical doctors with native doctors in this modern age cannot be dismissed with a wave of hand.”
The state chapter of the opposition party also charged stakeholders to caution Aregbesola against acts that projected the state in bad light.
“It is truly depressing that a once shining light among states of the federation could be reduced to the least in every aspect that is noble in the space of five years,”
“Despite the fact that this and many actions of the present administration left sour taste in the mouth, all stakeholders in the affairs of Osun must not give up.
“They should rise up against the continued misdemeanor being dressed as governance in Osun state,” Odeyemi said

Nigeria, as at yesterday, is currently saving N647.2 million daily from the suspension of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol.
Particularly, at the current price of N86.50 per litre in petrol stations across the country, the country is making an extra N16.18 per litre.
A motorist refueling his car at a black market
The Federal Government had stated that this extra savings is kept in an escrow account to serve as a cushion in case of eventuality, such as if the price of crude oil rebounds, leading to an increase in the selling price of PMS.
The saving is partly due to the continuous decline in the price of crude oil in the international market, which dragged the open market price of petrol to N70.32 per litre.
The amount the country is saving is based on a 40 million litres average daily consumption of PMS by Nigerians as declared by the Federal Government.
Since the announcement and commencement of the price modulation regime by the Federal Government, the open market of PMS had fluctuated between N4 and N12 per litre before rising to its current level.
Data obtained, yesterday, from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, in its pricing template for PMS for February 9, 2016, revealed that at a retail price of N86.50 per litre as approved by the Federal Government, the country is saving N16.18 per litre of the product.
The PPPRA put the landing cost of the product at N56.02 per litre, composed of Cost plus Freight — N51.19 per litre; Lightering Expenses — N2.02; NPA Financing — N0.15, Jetty Throughput Charge — N0.60 and Storage Charge — N2.00 per litre.
In addition, total margins stood at N14.30 per litre, composed of Retailers, Transporters and Dealers margins of N5, N3.05 and N1.95 per litre respectively, while Bridging Fund, Marine Transport Average and Admin Charge stood at N4, N0.15, and N0.15 per litre respectively.
The PPPRA put the total cost of the product, which is the expected open market price at N70.32 per litre and the Ex-depot price, which is the price at which petrol stations owners buy from depot, at N76.50 per litre.
Meanwhile, PPPRA is yet to resume the publication of the pricing template for kerosene, almost a month after reports that the Federal Government had discontinued subsidy on kerosene, as it hiked the price of the product to N83 per litre.
The PPPRA had on January 24, 2016, published the revised pricing template for kerosene, where it hiked the price of the product to N83 per litre. Two days later, the PPPRA yanked off the kerosene pricing template from its website and has failed to restore the template ever since

Hajiya Belli, the mother of the Taraba state deputy governor who was kidnapped on Tuesday in Mutum Biyu has appealed to her children to meet the demands of her captors to secure her freedom.
The elderly woman made the appeal through a phone call to a member of her family, Daily Trust learnt.
A member of the deputy governor’s family Mallam Bala told Daily Trust in Mutum Biyu that they have spoken with their mother severally and she was hale and hearty.
Bala also said they spoke with the kidnappers through the phones they stole from the house when they abducted their mother. He said the abductors were demanding for N300 million as ransom.
Speaking on the incident, chairman of Gassol local government area, Alhaji Tukura Bashiru said the kidnapping of the deputy governor's mother was the fifth of such cases recorded in the area in recent times

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, on Tuesday, decried the recent hike in electricity tariff by the Federal Government.
According to CACOL, the increase would amount to a corrupt practice to force the tariff increase on people.
“We note that in spite of public outcry against any hike, the Ministry of Works, Power and Housing superintended upon by Mr Babatunde Fashola, former governor of Lagos State, has gone ahead to illegally impose a tariff hike on electricity on Nigerians for services not rendered to them. This is flagrant and audacious corruption in a situation where the Federal Government claims to be fighting against corruption and illegality.
“Mr Babatunde Fashola should be told that the ministry he superintends over is not meant for the kind of antics that he got away with in Lagos State when he was governor,” the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr Debo Adeniran, said.
According to him, it was the nation’s electricity firms and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that owed Nigerians money and apologies for not rendering adequate services that they received money for and continued to receive money for.
“Therefore, we reject this hike in electricity tariff in totality. We demand that power supply should be made available and accessible to all and a billing system that will be transparent, reasonable and commensurate with consumption should be provided.
“The DISCOs and NERC can take a cue from the telecommunications sector by providing meters; fixing the cobweb-like cables that dangle over the heads of people,” the CACOL boss said.
Adeniran stated further that the demand by the electricity distribution companies for cost reflective tariff so as to remain in business should be placed side by side with effective service delivery, after which the issue of tariff increase can be discussed.
“Until we fix our power sector, all the talk about the industrial revolution plans and creating jobs and wealth for Nigerians, will just be mere talks and a waste of time. All hands must be on deck to make sure Nigerians have stable electricity supply.
“We, therefore, urge the activist community, the masses, the labour movement and all that abhors exploitation and oppression to rise and resist the demonic and unjustifiable hike in electricity tariffs. We must move against the ‘change’ we did not vote for, to protect our being, and the struggle for a humane society,” the statement said

THOSE found guilty of the N2.1 billion arms deal fraud and other corrupt practices should be made to face firing squad, the Director-General (DG), National Taskforce (NATFORCE), Dr Emmanuel Osita, stated on Tuesday.
He said the former National Security Adviser (NSA) to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and his allies committed an unforgivable offence, thus should be severely punished.
The DG stated this in Abuja, at a briefing, insisting that the nation should no longer tolerate corrupt practices, even as he urged Nigerians to wholly support the anti-corruption crusade of the present administration.
He blamed the incessant loss of lives and property of civilians and military in the North-Eastern part of the country as a result of insurgency to corruption.
He said: “Corrupt officials should face firing squad. So, we are of the opinion that Nigerians should support Buhari. If Buhari fails, that means Nigeria has failed.
“This is our only opportunity. Corruption saga is our main problem in Nigeria. If we do not fight it now to a standstill, we are in trouble.”
Dasuki is being tried with a former Director, Finance and Administration, Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, a former General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Babakusa and two companies Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Holdings Limited - on a 19-count charge on money laundering and criminal breach of trust.
According to him, Nigerians are comfortable with the present prosecution of the former NSA, among other corrupt officials.
Osita added that other looters of the treasury should also face same punishment.
The DG, who appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to call former President Olusegun Obasanjo to order, said as an elder statesman, he should play an advisory role rather than heat up the system.
“His eight years rule never created jobs, but rather promoted crime and corruption.”
On the Chibok girls, he said the former Education Minister, Obi Ezekwesili, could proceed to Chibok to find the missing girls.
“There are people who sit in Abuja here singing bring back our girls, it should not be a music that people dance to on the streets. Anybody can go to Chibok and bring back our girls. You can go to Sambisa or Chibok and bring back our girls. It is not using it to make money as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and you are sitting here.
“Buhari was not in power when our girls were adopted. It was an inherited problem and he is telling everybody to keep calm that he is going to do his best. It is not something somebody can do over night, if they can do it overnight, Ezekwesili can go to Sambisa and tell Bokoh Haram, ‘give us our girls’. So, I am calling on Obasanjo to call Ezekwesili to order. They should stop causing problems in Nigeria,” he said.
In arelated development, a witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC), Junaid Sa’id, on Tuesday, told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja, how a total sum of $47 million was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and disbursed to members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, for the purpose of the party’s presidential campaign.
Sa’id, an investigative officer with the anti-graft agency, led in evidence by the prosecution’s counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, told the court that the commission, in the course of investigation, discovered how the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) under Colonel Sambo Dasuki’s leadership withdrew $47 million for PDP’s campaign activities.
He said “it was at that period that Dasuki withdrew the $47 million from the CBN, which was shared to members of the party for the presidential convention. The commission traced the $2 million paid to Destra Investment Limited belonging to Metuh.
“It was four days after the disbursements that Chief Metuh gave the money to his then wealth manager, Nneka Nicole Ararume”, the witness told the court

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau may have been replaced by another commander.
Speaking during an interview with British publication The Telegraph, Buhari said that he had received conflicting information on the militant leader's whereabouts, saying that he may have been replaced by a less charismatic leader.
Buhari's remarks comes at a time when it is widely believed that Shekau may have been wounded or killed in one of the Nigerian military's many raids on Boko Haram territory.
According to Nigerian website Naij, Shekau's voice was last heard in an audio message dated March 7 2015, pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS).
Shekau has also failed to appear in the latest video released by the Nigerian militant group, prompting many to believe that he may be dead.
Meanwhile, Buhari also expressed concern over the looming threat of Islamic militants taking over parts of the continent.
He said he had since reached out to Western countries for military assistance, but refused to reveal any further details

Former Minister for Finance and Coordinator of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has dismissed reports that she is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Iweala in a Press Statement signed by her media Aide, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu said headlines in some sections of the media suggesting she is under investigation by the anti-graft agency are misleading. The former Minister said from eye witness accounts at the Budget 2016
presentation of the EFCC, the Chairman of the anti-graft agency never said her activities as Minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration are under scrutiny. But Hon. Razak Atunwa, a member of the House of Representatives Committee who inquired about the probe into the petroleum sector, said: “I said EFCC has recovered a lot of money for Nigeria and he (Magu) mentioned that, in that regard, more sectors of the economy is likely to come under Investigative activity.

“I said it includes petroleum sector? He said yes. And I said would it include investigating the following people: Diezani Allison-Madueke,
Okonjo-Iweala and Kola Aluko, and he said yes. Those people are already under their investigative radar.”

However, Iweala’s press statement reads:
ALLEGED EFCC INVESTIGATION OF OKONJO-IWEALA: MEDIA HEADLINES ARE MISLEADING AND UNTRUE
We want to clarify that some of the media reports alleging that the EFCC is investigating former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, are
misleading and untrue. This is clear from eye witness accounts of the Budget 2016 presentation by the EFCC at the House of Representatives and gaps in the reported stories. The headlines are a misrepresentation of what the EFCC Chairman actually said during the event.
While the headlines claimed that the EFCC Chairman, in response to a question by an APC, member Hon Razak Atunwa, stated that Dr Okonjo-Iweala is under investigation, the actual words quoted in the same reports told a very different story.
His words:
“Very soon we will go into the petroleum industry. Such investigation requires that we have to build capacity, we have to bring in experts to
enable us tackle what we are doing properly and the investigation must be conducted properly. We have internal lawyers and external lawyers. We have to pay insurance…”
The words said to have been spoken by the EFCC Chairman cannot support the lurid headlines that Dr Okonjo-Iweala is under investigation by the EFCC. The Nigerian media plays an important role in our democracy and we urge them to be fair, balanced and factual in their reports.
Paul C Nwabuikwu
Media Adviser to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

In line with the need for urgency in reforming the nation’s oil and gas
sector, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu
Dogara, has disclosed that the National Assembly will soon begin work on
its own version of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
A press statement signed by the Speaker’s special adviser on Media and
Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan, stated that the decision of the National
Assembly to draw up its own version of the bill was reached because of the
urgent need to reform the oil and gas sector.
The Speaker, who made this known while receiving the international board
of Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the Nigerian
Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) at the National
Assembly on Monday, also said the bill, which has gone into its final
stages, will be given expeditious consideration on the floor of the two
chambers of the National Assembly.
Dogara also informed the delegation that in line with the resolve of the
House of Representatives to fully work with President Muhammadu Buhari to
implement reforms in the oil, gas and mining sectors, the House is giving
them priority attention in legislative business.
“We have repeatedly – especially my humble self – have repeatedly called
on the Executive to present reform proposals in the petroleum sector.
However, we may not continue to wait for an Executive bill on this subject
matter as we are prepared to introduce the National Assembly’s version;
what we believe should be the legal framework for the oil and gas sector
in Nigeria.”
“We cannot continue to take the blame for non-passage of the petroleum
reform legislation in Nigeria. As I speak with you, work on our own
version has reached advanced stage and hopefully, we hope to introduce it
in both chambers of the National Assembly. If it happens that the
Executive transmits its own version of its own vision of the oil sector,
we have ample provision in the House Rules for us to merge the two. We
will not continue to wait.”
Going further, he said the legislature is determined to ensure that
resource curse syndrome is reversed in the country as a situation where
there is so much poverty in the midst of abundant resources is
unacceptable.
Expressing the desire of the House to partner with EITI, he said it will,
starting from the first quarter of this year, begin the consideration and
debate of the NEITI’s extractive industry audit report on the floor of the
House as this will help to actualise the Eighth Assembly’s desire to be
more thorough with its oversight functions, especially in the oil and gas
sectors.
He further directed the committees on Petroleum (Upstream) and Rules and
Business to introduce and schedule the report for debate before the end of
this quarter.
Earlier, the acting executive secretary of NEITI, Mr Orji Ogbannaya Orji,
who accompanied the incoming chairman of EITI and former prime minister of
Sweden, Mr Fedrick Reinfeldt, stressed the need to fight the resource
curse the country is presently faced with, which is the sole purpose for
which the agency was created.
In his remarks, Reinfeldt commended Nigeria for being one of the first
African nations to key into EITI, while harping on the need for
transparency and prudent use of natural resources.
Deputy head of EITI’s secretariat, Eddie Rich, said while making his
remarks that in order to get more timely data, there is need to publish
online, the account information of relevant agencies such as the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC), oil processing licenses and
contracts to help provide accurate and timely data for oversight and
similar functions rather than relying on NEITI to collate all data from
the sector

Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau has inaugurated an 11-member ad-hoc committee to examine the Public Private Partnership (PPP) and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered into by the ministry since 1999.
His Press Secretary, Osaigbovo Ehisienmen disclosed this in a statement in Abuja yesterday.
He quoted Dambazau as saying that the move was in furtherance to his determination at promoting the “change” agenda of the current administration with a view to ensuring good governance, transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business.
Dambazau reminded members of the committee of its core objectives, which include- to guide federal government and indeed the Interior ministry on the appropriate ways of actualising the objectives for which PPP was set up.
The Committee has six weeks to complete its assignment.
Mrs. Morayo Alimi (Director, Planning, Research and Statistics) will act as its chairperson while Mr. Bola Odugbesan, (Legal Adviser in the Ministry) will serve as secretary

The Nigerian Navy has foiled an attempt by suspected sea pirates to hijack and abduct 25 foreign nationals aboard a Maersk merchant ship carrying general cargo to Nigeria.
Briefing journalists on Sunday at Onne Sea Port, Rivers, Capt. Olusegun Soyemi, the Executive Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, said that the vessel berth safely with the rescued crew members unharmed.
Soyemi said the crew members, including the ship’s captain, were of mixed nationalities consisting of eight Philippines, eight South Africans, five Indians, two Britons and two from Thailand.
According to him, Safmarine Kuramo, a Maersk merchant ship registered in Singapore, was transporting general cargo from Port-Noire, Congo, to Onne Sea Port in Rivers.
“On Jan. 5 at about 08:00 hours; Sufmarine Kuramo was attacked by sea pirates about 60 nautical miles off the coast of Bonny Island (in Rivers) Fairway Bouy.
“We got may-day distress call that the ship was boarded by unconfirmed number of sea pirates after entering the nation’s territorial waters.
“We immediately dispatched a warship (NNS Centenary) and attack gunboats led by Navy Capt. Chiedozie Okehie of the Eastern Naval Command to rescue the situation.
“The sea pirates apparently on sighting advancing naval troops fled the scene for fear of being arrested by our operatives.
“The operation was largely successful as all 25 foreign crew members, including the captain, are safe and unhurt, while cargo onboard the ship is intact,” he said.
Soyemi said the pirates had fired several gunshots at the ships control room apparently to scare and subdue any resistance from the captain and crew members.
Also, the Commanding Officer of NNS Centenary, Capt. Chiedozie Okehie, who led the operation, said the crew members locked and hid themselves in the ship’s citadel (engine room).
He said the rescue was successful partly due to the courage and bravery exhibited by the ship’s captain – a woman.
According to him, in spite all odds, she covertly gave navy operatives briefs while pirates on board the ship made several attempt to break into the citadel.
“Immediately we got to the ship, we carried out thorough searches of the compartments and cabins to check if any pirate had remained onboard.
“Investigations are ongoing to ascertain what happened and who carried out the attack,” he assured.
Okehie said the navy under the command of Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas remained fully committed to safety of the nation’s waterways and maritime environment.
Speaking, the Captain of Safamarine Kuramo, Ms Zetta Gous-Conradie, a South African, described the experience as horrific.
Gous-Conradie hailed the Nigerian Navy for its prompt response to her distress call.
“We are very grateful when the navy came onboard because at some point we had thought the pirates would take us hostage.
“The heat was stifling because the temperature was very hot at the citadel, and at some point my crew members and I had thought we would suffocate and die,” she said (NAN)

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has assured that the Nigerian Military is doing everything humanly possible to rescue the abducted Chibok Girls as well as every Nigerian that has been held by Boko Haram terrorists.
“What I can tell you is that we are doing everything humanly possible to deal with all the challenges in the current insurgency in the north east. That of course involves trying to locate, not only the Chibok girls, but every Nigerian that is kidnapped by these people.”
“We are doing everything possible day and night through intelligence gathering, surveillance and we are expending a lot of flying hours day and night to make sure that we are able to locate not only the Chibok girls but every Nigerian that is kidnapped.”
The CAS stated this in a chat with newsmen while on a one day facility tour of ongoing projects at the Tactical Air Command of the Nigerian Air Force base in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
He noted that the Nigerian Military was making progress in putting to an end to the reign of terror that has descended on the country, with pockets of bombings here and there in large swathes of the north east.
“If you look at where we are coming from, in May when the present administration came in, to where we are today, it is very clear that we are making very substantial progress. In every insurgency, you will always find isolated cases of explosions where the terrorists take advantage of soft targets to attack and to kill people.”
Abubakar urged Nigerians to cooperate with the Military especially in the area of giving relevant intelligence information that could lead to the arrest of suicide bombers and other members of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamist terror group.
“Every Nigerian has a role to play in this fight by giving us relevant intelligence information about where these suicide bombers are coming from, and where they are being armed. This is information that we can only get from the communities…,” he said

demo4ril97:
rubbish God will not giv me Peace.

LT.Gen Burtai not Maj-Gen and Gen. Abayomi not Maj-Gen.

There is disquiet in the nation’s Army following recent changes in strategies in the battle to flush out the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists.
Consequently, the Boko Haram war in the Northeast, hitherto under the supervision of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, is now being led by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Maj.-Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin.
The finding follows days of investigation by DAILY POST on the seeming resurgence of Boko Haram, after the group’s inability to carry out major attacks towards the end of last year.
It was gathered that the recent shake-up in the Theater Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, was part of moves by the Military to confirm that the Defence Headquarters was now in charge of all operations.
Between the end of December and January, Major General Yushau Abubakar, former Operation Commander, was redeployed. He is now Chief of Training and Operation at the Nigerian Army Headquarters.
Major General Hassan Umaru, his replacement, now heads the Theatre. He was the General Officer Commanding, 3 Division of the Nigerian Army.
Deputy Theatre Commander is Major General Lucky Irabor.
Also, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Major General Lamidi Adeosun, was replaced with Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu.
Adeosun was sent to Multinational Joint TaskForce (MNJTF) with headquarters in Chad.
Similarly, former Air Force spokesman, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, was moved to the Defence Headquarters as Theatre Information Officer.
The Military said his appointment was “part of the recent efforts by the military leadership to restructure the Northeast campaign in order to effectively counter the Boko Haram insurgents and enhance the success of Operation Lafiya Dole.”
While the changes were still being debated, the Boko Haram sect struck at Dalori, 6km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Saturday January 30.
The incident, which led to the killing of over 100 villagers and widely reported in local and international media, has done some damage to the Nigerian government which had claimed partial victory over Boko Haram.
Curious as to why Buratai, in his position as Army Chief, was yet to visit the scene of the carnage in spite of visits by a federal government delegation and the new Theatre head, DAILY POST contacted military sources for insight.
Our correspondent was informed that indeed, the Boko Haram operation has been transferred to the CDS.
“Mr. Buratai usually visits attacked communities. Instances are Geidam, Madagali, among others. He visits within 24 hours with warnings and words of encouragement to troops,” a source said.
But Buratai has stopped such, DAILY POST can authoritatively report.
Investigation shows that Buratai stayed away after recent attacks in Chibok, Wanori and Dalori, while it also appears that the change in command and control of troops has started taking toll on operations.
“Soldiers in battle front believe the development came at a wrong time. We used to have daily raids against Boko Haram,” said another source.
“They are now relaxed because everyone is waiting for the new plan directly from CDS’ office. We hope politics is not coming into play over management of operations.
“The war on Boko Haram should be from Maiduguri, not Abuja. We must not allow room for lapses. Many of the troops are not happy about the restructure and this is the truth.
“Being the ground troops and doing the bulk of the work, they want the COAS, whether Buratai or not, to be in command not CDS.
“In the past, operations directly under Defence were full of issues; go back to history. We only had some relief during the tenure of Ihejirika and now Buratai.
“Honestly, the recent upsurge in Boko Haram attacks is an indication Nigeria is moving back to square one and the fact that the terrorists all escaped after Dalori massacre shows we are in trouble.”
Phone calls to Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, Friday night and Saturday morning were not answered. He also did not reply text message seeking his response

Erstwhile President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday doubted the ability of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Federal Government to rescue the abducted Chibok girls alive.

Speaking at an event organized by the Staff Club of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State,
Obasanjo affirmed that anyone saying the girls would return was simply lying.

Obasanjo’s reaction follows several promises by the current administration that it would rescue the abducted Chobok girls alive.

Obasanjo blamed the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan for trivialising the distress call to rescue the girls on the day they were abducted.

He said, “The former president heard about the kidnap 8am in the morning of the abduction but failed to act
until 72 hours later and by then it was too late.”

“Anyone saying the Chibok girls will return is telling lies, maybe some of them will return to tell their story.”

He stated that the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 presidential election is a blessing to Nigeria.

“We tried, but with Jonathan, it was best that PDP should fail to save Nigeria,” Obasanjo said.

Obasanjo observed that the Jonathan’s administration trivalised issues of importance as politics, particularly that of Boko Haram.

Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Dino Melaye, said yesterday that former President Goodluck Jonathan, received a plot of land in an area of the FCT reserved as green area.
He said that Jonathan was allocated the plot of land within an area in Maitama District of Abuja that was reserved as green area.
Melaye made the allegation during a budget defence session between his committee and the FCT Minister, Muhammed Bello.
The Kogi West lawmaker said that the area was desinated to provide tourist attraction for foreign visitors to the country.
He noted that his committee had already directed that work should stop immediately on construction and buildings on the area.
Melaye named other beneficiaries of plots land in that area to include former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Muhammed Bello Adoke;ý former Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda; acting National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus and late National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi.
Lalasticlala

The trial of a lawyer, who worked in the Legal Department of the New Cross Petroleum Limited on Victoria Island, Lagos State, commenced on Monday, with a witness, Bolaji Oguntade, testifying against him before a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court.
The witness, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the oil company, told the court that recordings from a Closed-Circuit Television camera in the company revealed how the 25-year-old lawyer, Joshua Olomo, scaled a fence to gain entrance into the office of the firm’s Chief Financial Officer around 9pm on December 9, 2015.
He said the videos showed how Olomo broke a safe in the office and stole some vital documents, and an envelope, containing a sum of $40,000 (about N8m) belonging to the company.
Our correspondent learnt that the company is sister to Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, whose records are also in the custody of the CFO, Oluseyi Oladapo.
The witness told the presiding magistrate, Mrs. M.B. Folami, that Olomo initially denied entering the office, but later owned up.
He said, “The defendant is a contract staff member in the Legal Department of the New Cross Petroleum Limited. On December 11, 2015, the CFO came to my office, informing me that he had been able to track down an individual that broke into his office. He said the safe in the office was broken and that money had been stolen in his office. He presented CCTV recordings that had been documented two days earlier.
“Six recordings showed an individual, scaling the fence and coming into the office around 9pm. We were able to identify the individual in the video as Mr. Joshua Olomo. We asked him to view the recordings and identify the individual therein.
“He said I inferred that the individual in the video was him, which was not true. He later said he was doing research in the office and was trying to get access to documents for his research. We asked him about the missing money, but he said he knew nothing about it.”
Oguntade further told the court that the defendant confessed to have stolen S20,000 after he put it to him that $200,000 was missing from the office.
“He (Olomo) said he did not take anything like that ($200,000), but he saw an envelope which contained $20,000. In his own words, ‘I took it, I put it down, then I took it.’ I asked him where the money was and he said it was gone. $40,000 is missing,” he added.
The director said the case was subsequently reported to the police at the Maroko Police Division, leading to Olomo’s arrest.
He had been arraigned on five counts bordering on stealing by a police prosecutor, Inspector Philip Osijale.
The charges read in part, “That you, Joshua Olomo, between January and December 9, 2015, at Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Limited, Victoria Island, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did enter into the office of the CFO with intent to commit felony therein.
“That you, on the same date, time and place, in the aforesaid magisterial district, did steal documents and the sum of $40,000, property of Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Limited, from the CFO, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 284 and punishable under Section 285 ( of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.”
The presiding magistrate, Folami, adjourned for February 2 and 3 for continuation of the trial

EkitiState Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said the allegation by the former Ekiti State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tope Aluko, that the military was used to influence the outcome of the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the state was another ploy in the fruitless efforts by the All Progressives Congress to rubbish the mandate freely given him by the people of the state.
He also said such a wild allegation could only have come from a questionable character like Aluko who he refused to appoint his Chief of Staff because he could not be entrusted with such sensitive position.
Tope Aluko
He spoke in a broadcast on state television and radio in Ado-Ekiti yesterday.
In a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, the governor said the election that ushered him to office was conducted about 20 months ago and applauded by the election observers and the international communities, wondered when the opposition would stop licking their wounds.
Fayose said; “All these steps are being taken by the APC to silence me because of my criticism of obnoxious policies of Buhari administration, but I cannot be silenced. If I Ayo Fayose remains the last man standing to put Buhari administration on its toes, I will not look back. Strong opposition is ingredient of virile democracy. I don’t have skeleton in my cupboard. If the APC has any concrete evidence against me, it should give it to the EFCC.”
Fayose added that he felt sorry for Aluko because he had allowed those who rented him to do the very dirty job to destroy him totally, thereby bringing shame upon himself and his family.
The Governor continued, “ It is very obvious that those who rented him will keep him at arms length believing that what he did to me, he will do same to them.
“From Aluko’s rantings, one could see that he wants to poison our waters because he did not get the position he expected in our administration.
He complained that he was not made the Chief of Staff, how could somebody with great lust for money and insatiable drive to jump from one camp to the other be trusted with such a sensitive post. I was advised by well-meaning Ekiti people not to trust him with sensitive positions because of his greed.
“As the state secretary of the party, he was going from one aspirant to the other to collect money, using his position. When he was at the state-owned university, he was sacked because of certificate racketeering. Pressure was mounted on me not to appoint him otherwise he would put cerdibility problem on my administration.”

Abdullahi, the exuberant, unbelievably wealthy 25 year old billionaire son of a former Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed, is in the news again.
Abdullahi Ibrahim, a man with no clear means of livelihood, has cars in his fleet worth over N2 Billion, was recently busted by the Nigeria Customs Service for evasion of duties worth about N124million.
The two children of Bala Mohammed, all under 30 years old, are alleged to have stashed about N35billion in Unity Bank, UBA and an offshore account in Dubai.
The two sons who are said to be notorious for harassing and getting contracts from various agencies and staffers of the FCTA using fronts and proxies.
The first son, Shamsudeen was reported to have crushed a 22 year-old citizen of the FCT, Mark Musa, to death along the Shehu Musa YAr’Adua expressway opposite the National Health Insurance Scheme headquarters. He is fond of sponsoring a ring of his nouveau riche friends in car racing competitions on Abuja streets.
As soon as the death of Mark Musa was reported, the minister was alleged to have moved in prompting the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police to cover up the matter. In return, the parents of Mark Musa were threatened that they would be locked up because their deceased son was the one who almost caused the death of the minister’s son.
Abdullahi’s fleet has Porshe, G Wagons of different grades, Lamborgini, Ferraris, and the N800 million MaClaren 650S Coupe, which his friends told Pointblanknews.com, was bought for car racing, not pleasure driving.
Abdullahi Ibrahim, the minister’s second son is the sponsor of car racing in Abuja. At the last count, we were told by those who know that about 28 people have so far been victims of their car racing activities.
The vehicle’s duty ought to be N124 million but upon investigations, it was discovered a mere N300,000 was paid, thus defrauding the government of about N123,7000,000. Uche Ejesieme, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja Lagos Spokesman said the man has been released on bail, while investigation into the matter was ongoing.
“The man claims to be former minister’s son. He was arrested on Friday but has been released on bail since it’s a bailable offence. Investigation is ongoing at least to know how he was able to get away with paying just over N300,000. Our officer in charge of the Legal department says the duty should be about N124 million”, the spokesman told Sunday Sun on phone.
Findings show the vehicle costs about $287,000 (over N80 million) in the US.The MaClaren 650S Coupe starts at USD $265,500 and USD $280,225 for the 650S Spider in the US, whIle in CAD $305,500 respectively. It is a sport car in the range of the Ferari and other luxurious coupes.
The ex FCT minister’s sons run a land racketeering cartel. Some of their friends join in the operations. If contractors are owed and are not paid, all they need do is get to anyone of the cartel members, negotiate the terms with them and pay upfront to their account and in matters of days their monies are settled into their account.
Directors who work in the ministry dare them at their own risk. The orders of the two boys have the power of a ministerial order. They ask for funds transfer, land allocation in any part of the FCT from Asokoro, Maitama, Lokogoma etc.
Bank accounts used for these businesses are already in our possession.
Checks revealed that some of the accounts have their pictures, names and signatures, while some have a different picture, different name but their signatures. Their business folks also run some of these accounts including some offshore accounts.
In the Unity Bank and UBA accounts, the boys are worth more than N10billion while the Dubai account is reported to be worth in excess of N15billion

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to respect the democratic principles of separation of powers by allowing the judiciary to do its job in proper prosecution of people accused of corruption
Fayose urged the President to stop castigating the judiciary and making the arm of government to appear as the stumbling block in his fight against corruption.

In a statement on Monday, by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose also urged the President to tell Nigerians the truth about the Boko Haram insurgency, saying, “They keep telling us that they have defeated Boko Haram technically while Nigerians are still being killed daily by Boko Haram, with over 100 people killed in Dalori, less than 12km to Maiduguri, Borno State capital.
“Isn’t it now necessary for the President to fulfill his promise of leading from the front and getting his Information Minister, Lai Mohammed to go and hold a press briefing in Sambisa forest unguarded by military men so as to show to Nigerians that indeed, they have defeated Boko Haram technically?”

Fayose said President Buhari should have simply told the whole world that he hated the Nigeria Judiciary because he lost the petitions that he filed against his electoral defeats in 2003, 2007 and 2011, instead of hiding under the fight against corruption to ventilate his anger.
The governor, who said there was nothing wrong with the legal system in Nigeria, added that “in recent times, politicians like President Buhari are the ones responsible for the rot in the judiciary because of their desperation to use the courts to foist one party state on Nigerians with conflicting judgments from election tribunals.”

He said making noise in the media about discovery of fraud was different from being able to prove allegations of fraud in the court, adding that “The President and his men should stop the media trial and playing with bogus figures. This is because as it is today, President Buhari is not fighting any corruption. Rather, he is engaging in political persecution in his bid to weaken opposition both in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and within his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

“Even the president’s party men are beginning to condemn openly the trial of people accused of corruption in the media, with newspapers quoting Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) on Saturday as describing it as convicting the suspects without giving them fair hearing.

“When your own men are corrupting an institution like the judiciary just because they needed to win back states like Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Taraba and others that they lost at the polls, thereby causing the courts to give conflicting judgments, it is morally wrong for you to go outside the country and complain about such a judiciary.

“When your party men are encouraging people to commit perjury and confess to rigging elections just to discredit electoral victories of PDP and those made to confess to committing these crimes are allowed to walk the streets free just because they are serving the interest of APC, such a president lacks moral rights to complain about any institution stalling his fight against corruption because his own party men are number one promoters of corruption.

“The President must therefore act like a democratically elected president that he is by respecting the judiciary, which is a separate arm of government before his complain about the role of the judiciary in his fight against corruption can be taking seriously,” the statement read.

Details of what the embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh wrote in the statement he was alleged to have torn while in custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on January 5, has surfaced.
This was contained in the statements of five operatives of the anti-graft agency who were alleged to have witnessed the incident on January 5, 2016, the day Metuh was arrested, Punch reports.
According to the report, the statement was part of the documents EFCC filed alongside the charges of destruction of evidence against Metuh at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
The statement signed by an EFCC detective, Junaid Sa’id reads, “Destruction OF Written Statement: I have booked the incident of tearing into pieces of statement by Mr. Olisa Metuh, who was given his statement to endorse after volunteering his statement and he decided to tear into pieces the third page of his four-page statement.
“The torn statement has, however, been registered with the Exhibit Keeper. Entry made by Det. Junaid Sa’id.”
The EFCC alleged that Metuh had in the torn statement said former President, Goodluck Jonathan requested for the account in which the said N400m was paid into, adding that the money was paid to enable him settle some debts owed by the PDP.
The statement further reads, “12.30 hours: Mr. Metuh Olisa began to volunteer his statement under words of caution.
“15.30 hours: Mr. Metuh Olisa concluded his statement which was of four pages. I passed the statements to the team leader, CSP Ibrahim Musa, to read over and endorse accordingly but in the process of reading and after endorsing pages one and two, he swiftly tore into pieces page three of his statement which read that former President Jonathan had asked him to make available, account details owed by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the debts owed him personally and some media houses.
“He further stated that he gave the account details of Destra Investments Ltd. to the President and thereafter he received the payment of N400m into his company’s accounts which he used for specific assignments given to him by the President of which he was not willing to disclose for what purpose.
“I thereafter refused to give him page four of his statement for endorsement because I did not want him to tear it as well. This incidence (sic) happened in the presence of the following officers: Mr. Ibrahim Musa, Mr. Wetkas Michael, Mr. Bello Umar, Ms. Ibrahim, who were all carrying out their various assignments.
“16.30 hours: The torn page of the statement which is in pieces was registered with the exhibit keeper and the incident recorded in the incidence record book of the commission.”
The EFCC had claimed that Metuh tore his statement on January 5, 2016 while being investigated for allegedly collecting the sum of N400m from the Office of the National Security Adviser

Governors are to spend billions of naira on foodstuffs, vehicles, entertainment, maintenance and others in the 2016 fiscal year,Saturday PUNCHinvestigation has revealed.
The information is contained in the 2016 budget proposals as presented by many of the state governors.
Deliberations on the proposals are ongoing at the various state Houses of Assembly but some of the copies of the proposed budgets exclusively obtained by our correspondents showed that the governments had budgeted billions of naira for feeding, travels, vehicles, maintenance, allowances and others.
For instance, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State had presented the 2016 budget proposal of N350bn to the state House of Assembly.
A copy of the proposed budget obtained bySaturday PUNCHshowed that the government budgeted N13.9bn as overhead cost for the office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor.
A breakdown of the overhead cost showed that N1.4bn was proposed for entertainment and hospitality in 2016 for the governor under the office of the Chief of Staff.
A further breakdown under the sub-head showed that entertainment at meetings would gulp N500m while financial assistance was put at N900m.
Under travel and transportation, a total of N844m has been budgeted with local travel and transport gulping N832m while foreign trips were put at N12m.
The governor’s office is expected to spend N560m on maintenance repairs and services with plant and generator gulping N100m.
In the aspect of other services, the governor’s security vote was pegged at N4bn, while contingency and press/public relations were proposed to gulp N2.1bn and N610m respectively.
For the office of the deputy governor, overhead cost was put at N225m.
In Delta State, findings showed that the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa budgeted N25bn for the running of the Government House.
Meanwhile, the government has been criticised by some residents over some of its appointments and its pace, which has been described as slow.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour Matters, Mr. Mike Okeme, said the N25bn budgeted for the Government House would take care of “repairs, maintenance, logistics, and others.”
Sources said the governor would not likely execute any project because of cash crunch.
A source said, “The man will not execute any project rather; he will keep receiving visitors on courtesy calls as nothing is going on in the state.”
The Plateau State budgeted N8.98bn for the administration of the Government House.
Apart from that, there are some projects the state governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, plans to execute this year, which include the completion of a new Government House, renovation and expansion of the state House of Assembly complex and the renovation and furnishing of the state secretariat.
The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Media, Mr. Mark Longyen, identified other projects to be executed under the budget to include the building and furnishing of a protocol lounge at the Yakubu Gowon Airport, Heipang.
The appropriation bill submitted to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly by the state governor apportioned N66.86bn to administration, N9.89bn to education and N7.419bn to health.
Information about the amount budgeted for the State House, governor’s aides and others could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Aniekan Umana, said, “We need to look at the budget when the House finishes deliberation on it. As of now, we do not have a budget, what we have now is a proposal; until the House of Assembly passes it into law and the governor gives his assent to it; it is only then we can look at International Statement of Accounting Standard, which breaks down everything.
The Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation and Finance, Mr. Usoro Akpanuso, said work was not yet concluded on the appropriation bill.
The Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akan Okon, promised to get back to our correspondent as he said he was on board a flight to Abuja.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has described the state’s 2016 budget as a budget of misappropriation, saying that the state governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, appropriated N10.65bn, representing 9.6 per cent of the total budget to his office.
http://www.punchng.com/2016-govs-budget-billions-of-naira-for-feeding-maintenance-others/
lalasticlala

Dr Dakuku Peterside, All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers in the April 2015 election, has restated his acceptance of the Supreme Court judgment which upheld Gov. Nyesom Wike`s election.
Peterside disclosed this on Friday in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“I thank God for giving me the opportunity to go this far.
“The learned Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria have arrived at a decision, which was a clear departure from the earlier findings of the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and Court of Appeal.
“We accept the verdict. We magnify God for giving us the will to go thus far,“ he said.
Peterside, a former member of the House of Representatives (APC-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency), thanked the people of the state for their support during and after the election.
According to him, the party fought for the good and interest of the state and not a selfish fight.
“They know that we were not fighting for ourselves. We were fighting for the good and interest of all Rivers people and those who live in the state.
“We urge all of them to take a cue from us and accept the verdict, same way we did and remain peaceful and keep trusting the Almighty God,“ he said.
Peterside said the party would work for peace and development of the state by being a vibrant opposition.
He urged the state government not to take it personal, any time the party criticises its policies and decisions.
“Whenever he (Wike) needs our suggestions on issues, we will be readily available to offer it,“ he said. (NAN)

Between January 2010 and September 2015, the country spent a total sum of N15.97tn on the importation of petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.
The figures were released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday in Abuja.
Of the N15.97tn, the NBS, in its Petroleum Products Import Statistics Report covering 2010 to 2015, stated that N12.53tn was spent importing 102.37 billion litres of petrol.
In the report, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, the bureau said the nation spent N1.51tn to import 15.21 billion litres of fuel in 2010, while N2.71tn was used to import 20.77 billlion litres of fuel in 2011.
For the 2012, 2013 and 2014 fiscal years, the report claimed that the country spent N2.18tn, N2.33tn and N2.35tn importing 15.78 billion, 17.56 billion and 18.99 billion litres of petrol respectively.
It added that within the first nine months of 2015, N1.45tn had been spent to import 14.05 billion litres of petrol.
Details of the last three months of 2015 have yet to be compiled by the bureau.
For Automotive Gas and Oil otherwise known as diesel, the NBS report said the country spent a total of N2.17tn importing 16.67 billion litres within the six-year period.
A breakdown of the diesel imports within the six-year period showed that N290.49bn was spent to import 2.9 billion litres of diesel in 2010, while N475.2bn and N318.2bn was spent importing 3.1 billion and 2.18 billion in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
For 2013, 2014 and the first nine months of 2015, the NBS report stated that N328.6bn, N452.6bn and N305.29bn was spent to import 2.34 billion, 3.18 billion and N2.96 billion litres of diesel respectively.
For importation of kerosene, the report claimed that the country spent N1.27tn on importation of 9.45 billion litres of the product between January 2012 and the first nine months of 2015.
A breakdown of the kerosene imports within the period showed that 2.57 billion litres were imported for N376.8bn in 2012 while N375.8bn and N400.04bn was spent on the importation of 2.65 billion and 3.06 billion litres of kerosene in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
For the first nine months of 2015, the report added that the nation imported 1.16 billion litres of kerosene at a cost of N118.74bn
http://www.punchng.com/nigeria-spent-n15-97tn-importing-petroleum-products-in-six-years-nbs/
lalasticlala,Mynd44

The Federal Government has said it will neither be distracted nor intimidated into abandoning or weakening the fight against corruption, which it called a war of survival for the nation.
”No amount of media or other attacks will stop the fight. The pseudo-analysts and hack writers will labour in vain in their quest to stop the train of this anti-corruption fight,” the Minister of information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said at a meeting with Abuja Bureau Chiefs on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by his special adviser, Segun Adeyemi.
”When I met with the News and Political Editors in Lagos on Sunday, I said, among other things, that the government is aware that in fighting corruption, corruption will also fight back. I also said that those who stole us dry are powerful. They have newspapers, radio and television stations as well as online platforms, and an army of supporters to continuously deride the government’s war against corruption.
”Well, I can tell you today that corruption is already fighting back, and it is fighting hard and dirty. Sponsored articles have started appearing in the newspapers and in the Social Media, while ‘Talking Heads’ have started making the rounds in the electronic media, all deriding the fight against corruption as well as this Administration.
”Not stopping there, they have been creating distractions by sponsoring articles in both local and international media to deride the Administration’s policies generally, tag the President a budding dictator and even write off his 2016 budget. We know that the sole purpose of these attacks is to distract attention from the war on corruption,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said ”it is saddening that some otherwise credible voices have unwittingly allowed themselves to be railroaded into the bandwagon of pro-corruption orchestra”, while noting that some ”hack writers” are struggling to whittle down the impact of the anti-corruption campaign.
”One hack writer even said the disclosure that 55 Nigerians allegedly stole 1.34 trillion Naira between 2006 and 2013 did not trigger any anger among Nigerians! A disclosure that made the front page in over a dozen Nigerian newspapers, played widely in the international media and attracted the attention of the world’s most powerful country and global financial institutions cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand,” the minister said.
The Minister said even one of those who benefitted from the ‘Dasukigate’ had the temerity to deride the anti-corruption war as ‘selective’, ”when in saner climes, he should have been so ashamed of himself that he would have apologized to the nation and hunkered down for good”.
He said the sponsored attacks are not about to stop, and that they will become more intense and more coordinated in the days ahead, adding: ”But the good news is that we are winning the war. Nigerians are now talking more about corruption. Nigerians are now counting the cost of corruption to their lives.”
He called on Nigerians not to be swayed by the antics of the sponsored denunciation of the anti-graft war, saying ”the treasury looters, who have so much resources in their kitty, and their cohorts will throw everything but the kitchen sink at this Administration. But we have no doubt that Nigerians are discerning enough to know the truth which, in the words of President Muhammadu Buhari, is that unless Nigeria kills corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria.”

The Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami has disclosed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government may soon initiate probe into the Siemens and Halliburton bribery scandals.
The scandal involves a number of prominent Nigerians, including former military Heads of State, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Senator Jubril Aminu, who were accused of collecting bribes to award multi-million dollar contracts to the two foreign companies.
Speaking with Vanguard in Abuja, Malami revealed, that the current government had not closed any criminal case being investigated in the country.

He also refuted claims that Buhari was afraid of taking up the Halliburton and Siemens cases because the key suspects were top military leaders.

Malami stated that the President was not afraid to do what is right in the interest of Nigerians.
The AGF while noting that the President had zero tolerance for corruption, stressed that the current administration would not close any corruption case.

According to Malami, the government would observe the rule of law in its pursuit of corruption cases in the country.
“No extraneous influence can influence our actions as we move to fight corruption in all its ramifications. To be noted also is the clear fact that no criminal case can be closed once the facts are handy regardless of who is involved,” Malami said