The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has warned mobile telephone operators to desist from bombarding subscribers with unsolicited text messages.
The commission said it would not relent in protecting subscribers from the nuisance and irritations of unsolicited text messages and calls from mobile network operators.
Director of Public Affairs in the NCC, Tony Ojobo, made this known in a statement on Monday.
He stated that in spite of earlier warnings to telecommunication service providers to activate their Do-Not-Disturb facility which gives subscribers the freedom to choose the messages they receive, the Commission is still inundated with complaints by subscribers of continuing text harassment by operators.
The statement read: “The Direction issued to industry operators to activate the 2442 Do Not Disturb Short Code took effect from July 1, 2016.”
Ojobo pointed out that the directive mandates telecom service providers to take immediate action which will allow the subscribers to make informed, but independent decisions on what messages to receive.
He observed the service providers have not fully complied with the directive, adding that the NCC was issuing them a final warning.
Ojobo noted that the Direction takes into cognizance a broad range of services, which include: Banking/Insurance/Financial products, Real estate, Education, Health, Consumer Goods and Automobiles, Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, Tourism and /Leisure, Sports, Religion (Christianity, Islam, others).
He said service providers were directed to give necessary instructions and clarifications that will enable subscribers choose a particular service/services or none at all.
The NCC spokesman said: “In fact, a Full DND which is SMS ‘STOP” to 2442 does not allow the subscriber to receive any unsolicited messages from the operators at all.
“Below are the various options:
“SMS 1” for receiving SMS relating to Banking/Insurance/ Financial Products to 2442
“SMS 2” for receiving SMS relating to Real estate to 2442
SMS 3” for receiving SMS relating to Education to 2442
“SMS 4” for receiving SMS relating to Health to 2442
“SMS 5” for receiving SMS relating to Consumer Goods and Automobiles, to 2442
“SMS 6” for receiving SMS relating to Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, to 2442
“SMS 7” for receiving SMS relating to Tourism and Leisure to 2442
“SMS 8” for receiving SMS relating to Sports to 2442
“SMS 9” for receiving SMS relating to Religion to 2442
Ojobo called on the service providers to immediately comply fully with the directive, adding that further complaints from subscribers would be taken as “serious infractions to a major regulatory intervention by the Commission.”
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, its subsidiary, NNPC Retail, along with 22 major and independent petroleum products marketing firms owed the federal government at least N86.4 billion by July 21, 2016, PREMIUM TIMES has reported.
The debts are in respect of products allocated to the companies by the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company,PPMC, for distribution over the last 10 years, details seen by this newspaper show.
The documents were filed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria,MOMAN, and the NNPC Retail (mega filling stations) account for about 85 per cent of the debt, while the independent marketers owe the balance.
The major marketers include NNPC Retail (N22.56 billion), Oando (N25.05 billion), Forte Oil (N10.09 billion), Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company (NIPCO) N5.5 billion, Total Oil (N1.42 billion), Conoil (N1.3 billion) and Mobil Oil (N276.95 million).
The independent marketers include Master Energy (N5.5 billion), MRS Oil & Gas (N3.997 billion), Heyden Petroleum (N2.7 billion), Danium Petroleum (N2.35 billion), A&E Petroleum (N1.89 billion), Rahamaniyya Petroleum N1.65 billion), Càpital Oil (N1.3 billion), and Amicable Petroleum (N495.35 million).
Femi Otedola’s Forte Oil allegedly owes FG N10.06 billion
The most indebted companies are owned by some of Nigeria’s and Africa’s richest billionaires.
Oando PLC, which owes the largest chunk of N25.05 billion, is owned by Wale Tinubu.
Femi Otedola, another billionaire, owns Forte Oil, which is responsible for N10.09 billion. Conoil is owned by Mike Adenuga, who is also the chairman of the telecoms company, Globacom. The company owes N1.3 billion.
The allocation of products to the firms was under the intervention bulk allocation arrangement and intervention truck distribution to marketers by the NNPC marketing and distribution subsidiary from its Suleja, and other products depots across the country.
The arrangements fetched revenues from partnership agreements for products supplied by the PPMC, which the oil marketing firms refused to pay to the government over the years.
Petition for action
A law firm, B. I. Murtala & Co., had petitioned the EFCC, accusing top NNPC and PPMC officials of “abuse of office, economic sabotage, illegal diversion of petroleum products, illicit enrichment and corruption as well as criminal conspiracy”.
The petitioner listed suspected officials it wanted investigated to include the Supervisor and Area Manager, Kaduna Depot of PPMC, Ajabi Hussaini and Rabo Shuaibu respectively, and Manager, Programming & Operations, NNPC, Abuja, Ahmed Tukur Gwarzo.
Others include Executive Directors, Commercial as well as Shared Services, PPMC, Ezecha Justin and Mustapha Muhammad respectively, and Manager, Finance & Accounts, PPMC, Titonenye Kokade.
“There exists a conspiracy between PPMC/NNPC and suspected oil marketers who deliberately withheld huge government revenues in respect of petroleum products received on credit without due payment or remittance into the Federation Account,” the petitioner said.
Mike Adenuga owns Conoil which reportedly owes government N1.3 billion
The law firm alleged the process of allocation and distribution of petroleum products by PPMC/NNPC was fraught with fraud and criminal conspiracies with marketers, leading to massive diversion of government revenues from the federation account.
Following EFCC’s investigations, NNPC Retail paid back over N15.95 billion between July 25 and August 1, 2016, with over N6.62 billion still outstanding. The EFCC also recovered over N5.57 billion from NIPCO, leaving a balance of N1.93 billion.
Other recoveries include N1.2 billion from Master Energy, with N4.31 billion still unpaid; N2.2 billion from MRS Petroleum, which still has N1.75 billion to pay, while Rahamaniyya Oil & Gas repaid N400 million, to leave N1.25 billion unsettled.
The PPMC, through a memo, August 1, 2016, by the NNPC Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Omoluabi Victor, informed the EFCC of the payments.
IPMAN President, Chinedu Okoronkwo, did not respond to phone calls on Sunday. He also did not respond to a text message.
However, a senior official of the MOMAN, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said the relationship between NNPC/PPMC and marketers allowed marketers to owe for a long time without reconciliation and payment.
“Products are supplied and an average of two weeks grace given for payment. Depending on the time of reconciliation, there could be credit and debit here and there. There is no month marketers would not owe NNPC for products supplied.
Capital Oil, owned by Ifeanyi Uba, also owes FG N1.3 billion
“There is always overlapping period before reconciliation. But, no marketer would owe for a long period of 10 years without NNPC taking action to recover monies from them,” he said.
The acting General Manager, NNPC Retail, Ibrahim Jumah, who spoke in the same vein, told PREMIUM TIMES although PPMC was one of the major sources for products by NNPC Retail, there was a regular arrangement for reconciliation for payment.
“NNPC Retail has a credit period of two weeks with PPMC. But, from June, we wrote to PPMC and insisted we want to proceed on cash and carry basis. So, we have been paying for products, and sometimes cannot even lift all,” Mr. Jumah, who is also the GM, Finance & Accounts, NNPC Retail,” he said.
“The PPMC is owing us N1.9 billion for coastal products we paid for about two years ago and have not been able to lift. So, they cannot classify us as indebted to them.”
The spokesperson for Forte Oil, Sam Ogbogoro, asked for time till Monday to respond to PREMIUM TIMES enquiry, as he would need to consult with officials of the company familiar with the facts of the case before responding.
He is yet to respond as at the time of this report.
This report was first published by PREMIUM TIMES. It is republished here with permission.
Five top civil servants in Kogi State have been arrested for allegedly diverting N230 million pension fund to their private uses.
The VANGUARD newspaper reports that Accountant-General of the state, Yusuf Okala, confirmed the development to the media in Lokoja on Sunday.
Okala, who was also the Chairman of the Staff Screening and Verification Committee, was quoted as saying that the alleged fraud was discovered during the just concluded screening exercise in the state’s civil service.
“Yes, it is true. We have been able to recover N20 million from them through the efforts of the police command in the state,” Okala reportedly said.
Also, the state Auditor-General, Ahmed Ododo, said that the state government would ensure that money was recovered in full and that the suspects would be made to face the law.
He commended the state government for setting up the screening and verification committee which, apart from identifying ghost workers and pensioners, had also helped to plug loopholes through which public funds were being siphoned.
Ododo promised that all genuine workers and pensioners would soon be cleared for the payment of salaries and pensions.
He said, “The screening of workers and pensioners is going to be a continuous exercise.
“No authentic staff or pensioner will have any cause to fear. Gov. Yahaya Bello-led administration in the state has high regard for both workers and pensioners.
“The on-going verification is not aimed at victimising anybody but an effort targeted at saving money for the state to take adequate care of its responsibilities.”
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has called on the people of Kwoi community in Jaba local government area to remain calm, as the state was investigating the cause of tremors that occurred on Sunday.
Residents reported several vibrations in Kwoi, with the latest occurring late in the evening, leading to fears and speculations that there was going to be an earthquake.
But the state government has moved to douse the tension and called on people to stop peddling wrong information.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening by spokesperson to the governor, Samuel Aruwan, the government said it had reported the incident to the relevant Federal Government agencies for further investigations and guidance.
“The Kaduna State Government has appealed for calm, following reports of earth tremors in Kwoi, Jaba local government area of the state on Sunday.
“The government says it has made a formal report to the appropriate authorities.
“Such agencies are expected to investigate the development, report the event precisely and issue appropriate guidance,” the statement read, adding, “In the meantime, the Kaduna State Government wants people to desist from spreading unverified information, which is only likely to create panic.”
President Buhari arrived his hometown, Daura, Katsina State on Saturday evening for the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations
The president Muhammadu Buhari has saluted the steadfastness of Nigerians in the face of the difficult economic times the country was going through.
He acknowledged that the citizens had exhibited in equal measure, piety and sacrifice which, according to him, are lessons of the Eid.
Buhari , in a Sallah message on Sunday, assured Nigerians that his administration will get the economy right by the grace of God.
He said the present recession was as a result of cumulative effects of worldwide economic downturn and failure in the past to plan and save for difficult times.
According to Buhari, “It is impossible to separate the present from the past, to appreciate the extent to which mistakes of the past are affecting everyday life today.”
The president also assures that his administration was working round the clock to remove the hardships the country was going through.
“Rail and road constructions, projects in the housing sector, support for farmers and for small and medium scale industries, youth and women’s empowerment programmes, support for revival of industries are all designed to reinvigorate the economy and enhance living standards of ordinary people.
“We are getting security right. We are stopping corruption in its tracks and we will get the economy right by the Grace of God,” President Buhari stated.
He enjoined Muslims to live by the dictates of Islam as well as to keep good relationships with their Christian brothers and sisters and as patriots in order to maintain the spirit of the Nigerian nation.
Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso and incumbent Governor Umar Ganduje
Kano state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has paid over N8 billion outstanding debts owed contractors by the immediate past administration of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Chairman of the Nigerian Indigenous Contractors, Kano State chapter, Auduwa Maitagaran, said the contractors were now convinced that governor Ganduje is a leader that could be trusted by anyone.
According to him, the N8 billion was paid to settle the debt of about 500 contractors who executed several projects under the administration of Kwankwaso.
Although he expressed gratitude to Ganduje for paying the debt, he revealed that many of the indigenous contractor had gone to prison for failing to settle their debts, adding that many of them have had to lay off their workers.
He stated that governor Ganduje had been compassionate by promising to settled the debts despite the paltry grant Kano was currently receiving from the federation account, stressing that the payment had clearly demonstrated his firm resolve and commitment to reward the excellent jobs they had executed for the state.
He pointed out that no serious-minded government could successfully operate without carrying along the indigenous contractors.
He lamented that previous administrations had failed to carry indigenous contractors along, preferring foreign contractors who smiled to the banks.
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He urged the Federal Government to consider Kano as an indispensable centre of business and commerce stressing if indigenous contractors are fully recognized and assisted, the country would be a better place to live.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said it has traced an additional $5m to the Skye Bank account of Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Punch newspaper reported that the EFCC had traced four company accounts to a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, Waripamowei Dudafa, as part of investigations into a money laundering case.
The four bank accounts, according to the anti-graft agency, had a balance of $15m.
The EFCC is currently prosecuting Dudafa and the four companies on money laundering charges and froze the bank accounts.
The four companies involved in the case are Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Globus Integrated Service Limited.
The Punch reported a source at the EFCC as saying: “While we were investigating Dudafa, we traced the four companies to him. The companies have domiciliary accounts at Skye Bank with a balance of about $15m. So, we obtained a court order and froze the accounts.
“We then traced the directors of the companies who then denied ownership of the accounts. It was later that we were informed that the accounts belonged to Patience Jonathan and that she is the sole signatory to the accounts. She was given a special card which she used in making withdrawals across the world.
“We, therefore, wondered why the accounts were not opened in her name if she had nothing to hide. In fact, we later found out that her personal account, which bears her name, has a balance of $5m. One wonders where a person, who has never held a government position, got the money from. She was not our initial target but she certainly has questions to answer.”
Jonathan’s wife has, however, sued Skye Bank for freezing her bank accounts and giving the EFCC vital information about her finances.
In the fundamental rights suit, Patience is urging the court to compel the EFCC to immediately remove the No Debit Order placed on her accounts.
She is also asking the court to order Skye Bank to pay her the sum of N200m in damages for what she described as a violation of her right to own personal property as provided for under Section 44 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Meanwhile, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Itse Sagay, SAN, has said that the EFCC has the right to probe Mrs Jonathan since she has admitted ownership of the accounts.
Sagay said that the EFCC Act gave the anti-graft agency the power to investigate anybody who is seen to have more wealth than he ought to have.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, said it was puzzling how the former First Lady, who was a civil servant and never held any government position, could have billions in her bank accounts.
“If you are living a lavish lifestyle and it appears you don’t have the means to have acquired the property and the wealth you have, the EFCC is free to probe you.
“If she is claiming the money belongs to her, she has put herself in a position where she must explain how she earned it.”
The Punch said that attempts to get the comments of the wife of the former President were not successful, and calls and a text message sent to Ikechukwu Eze, Media aide to former President Jonathan, were also not responded to as of 8:45pm on Saturday.
The National Assembly management failed to account for a total expenditure of over N9.4 billion in 2014, the latest audit report has revealed, PREMIUM TIMES has reported.
The money included N9.39 billion for which no “documentary evidence” was provided and a N47 million to be returned to government coffers out of which only N360,000 was returned; giving a total of N9,440,844,572 (nine billion, four hundred and forty million, eight hundred and four thousand, five hundred and seventy two Naira).
The audit report of government bodies (2009-2014) was submitted to the Clerk to the National Assembly in March 2016 as statutorily provided. The full contents were recently publicly disclosed by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation on its website.
The report indicted several government bodies of illegal and profligate spending, and failing to remit over N3 trillion into government’s treasury.
Apart from the National Assembly, other key bodies indicted include the state oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Ministry of Interior, the Presidency, Central Bank of Nigeria and some foreign missions.
Former Senate President, David Mark and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal
According to the report, between January and December, 2014 under the leadership of David Mark as Senate President and Salisu Maikasuwa as the Clerk, the Management Department of the National Assembly Commission transferred N9,392,995,515.00 (Nine billion, three hundred and ninety-two million, nine hundred and ninety-five thousand, five hundred and fifteen naira) from the general services account to other accounts in different banks.
The purposes stated for the transfer include Senate General Services, Appropriation, Constitutional Review, House of Representatives Services, UNDP Projects and Research Office Services.
However, “no expenditure returns or documentary evidence were rendered to account for how these sums were expended,” the report said, raising question of accountability and legality.
In another case, the report disclosed that the National Assembly management remitted only N360,000, out of a N47 million balance of total personnel vote release and actual expenditure for 2014.
“It was further observed that the total Personnel Vote release for the year 2014 was N1,856,510,517.00 (One billion, eight hundred and fifty-six million, five hundred and ten thousand, five hundred and seventeen naira), and the Actual Expenditure for the same period was N1,808,661,460.18 (One billion, eight hundred and eight million, six hundred and sixty-one thousand, four hundred and sixty naira, eighteen kobo), resulting in a balance of N47,849,057.00 (Forty-seven million, eight hundred and forty-nine thousand, fifty-seven naira).
“However, only an amount of N360,115.08 (Three hundred and sixty thousand, one hundred and fifteen naira, eight kobo) was paid back to treasury at the end of the year.”
No Denial
In May – after the audit report had been submitted to the National Assembly, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts led by Andy Uba (PDP-Anambra) held a public hearing during which a number of government bodies refuted certain findings of the audit report, particularly the disclosure that they didn’t submit their internal audit reports between 2009 and 2014.
Some of the bodies that challenged aspects of the report were CBN, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Nigeria Pension Commission.
However, the National Assembly has not denied the findings of the audit report as they related to the lawmaking body – though its committee castigated the then Auditor-General of the Federation, Samuel Ukara, for an “unsatisfactory report”, cashing in on complaints by other government bodies.
The law says the National Assembly should refer the audit report to its committee on Public Accounts for consideration.
After considering the report, the committee is empowered to pass a resolution to either publish the report in the National Assembly journal or government’s official gazette.
Since the committee considered the report, it has not passed the resolution for its publication in either channel.
Efforts to reach Mr. Uba for comments were not fruitful. He did not pick calls to his phone or reply to text message.
This report was first published by PREMIUM TIMES and is republished here with permission.
The protesters fear that El-Zakzaky’s health has deteriorated
Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, on Saturday embarked on a protest in Kaduna over the continued detention of the group’s leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, his wife and other members.
The protesters, comprising women, youths and children, converged on a popular roundabout in the state capital, demanding for the unconditional release of their leader and other members.
They chanted solidarity songs and blocked major roads, saying that they fear that the health condition of Zakzaky is deteriorating due to gunshot wounds he sustained.
The protest led to serious traffic gridlock along the Ahmadu Bello Way and other surrounding streets, as motorists had to divert to other routes.
A team of policemen were seen accompanying the protesters in order to avoid any breakdown of law and order
Reports say protests such as this have become a regular activity among members of the Islamic group in Kaduna and other states in the north. The members also observed their prayers at the venue.
Sheikh El-Zakzaky, his wife and several members of the movement have been detained since December 2015 when they clashed with soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The Islamic cleric, through his lawyer, Femi Falana, had sued the federal government and the Nigerian Army for violating the fundamental human rights of his client and keeping him in custody without charge for too long.
The army argued that El-Zakzaky was being kept in protective custody as some people who are opposed to his movement are seeking to kill him.
Army authorities told the court that El-Zakzaky was being well taken care of where he was and being cared for by the best of doctors.
A judicial commission of enquiry which was set-up by the state government had blamed El-Zakazaky, on the one hand, for not calling his followers to order, leading to the clash; and the Nigerian army on the order hand for applying excessive force on unarmed protesters.
Men of the 33 Brigade of the Nigerian Army have killed seven suspected kidnappers at Lame Burra Forest in Bauchi State.
According to a statement by the army spokesman, Sani Usman, a Colonel, the troops also recovered two AK-47 rifles and three Dane guns at the kidnappers’ camp.
Usman said troops were still combing the area to further track down other fleeing members of the criminal gang.
The army spokesman also stated that the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has directed thet troops to maintain continued presence in the forest and its environs to prevent criminal elements from returning to the area.
“Subsequently, 2 Forward Operation Bases (FOBs) were established at Lame and Jimi to cover the Lame and Burra axis of the forest respectively,” Usman stated.
The Nigerian army recently began what it called “Operation Forest Kunama”, aimed at clearing cattle rustlers and armed bandits from their camps in the forests of Bauchi and Gombe states.
Usman said that troops usually carry out periodic fighting patrols into the forest from the FOBs.
