The Borno State government has commenced a basic education strategy to cater for the many children who lost their parents to the Boko Haram insurgency.
This was revealed by Governor Kashim Shettima when he announced that the state had awarded a N1.6 billion contract for the construction of nine mega primary schools in the state.
Governor Kashim Shettima said that the project is expected to cater for over 49, 000 children orphaned by the Boko Haram crisis in the state.
He said, “We have awarded contracts for the construction of nine mega primary schools across the state.
“We are also building a mega school in Maiduguri deliberately for the children orphaned by the Boko Haram crisis.”
He explained that as part of its post-insurgency initiatives his administration would work to secure the future of the children of the state through quality education.
“It is gratifying to note that peace has started returning to this part of the world,” Shettima said.
“But as we win the war against Boko Haram insurgents, we are yet to commence the bigger war of trying to meet the aspiration of about 49,000 children orphaned by the crisis in Maiduguri alone.
“Nobody can give the exact number of people affected or women who lost their breadwinners, but there are thousands of them.
“It is in our own self-interest as a people to let these people have hope by educating the orphans and empowering the widows and make them have stake in the 21st Century,” he said.
Authorities of the Nigerian Prisons Service has clarified that Kabiru Dikko, the mastermind of 2011 Christmas Day bombing, is still in custody.
Spokesman of Service, Biyi Jeje, made this known on Tuesday while responding to enquiries from newsmen.
“Please disregard the rumour. He’s still in prisons custody,” he said, adding that there is “no truth in all the reports claiming that Mr. Dikko had been released.”
Kabiru Abubakar Dikko, also known as Kabiru Sokoto, was convicted in December 2013 after being found guilty of plotting the bomb attack at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, near Abuja. The attack left about 40 people dead.
Various publications and blogs had reported that the 32-year-old Sokoto may have been released as part of a purported prisoners swap deal between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram sect.
The Boko Haram terrorist group had demanded the release of its members held by the government in exchange for the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by the group in 2014.
While the Nigerian government has indicated interest in a prisoners swap deal with the group, the modalities have not yet been finalised.
Sokoto, who was a senior Boko Haram operative, was first arrested on January 1, 2012 by the police, but escaped from custody two days later when he was being taken to his residence at Abaji, Federal Capital Territory, for a search.
He was re-arrested in Mutum-Biu in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State in February 2012 and subsequently charged with Terrorism.
The Federal High Court, Abuja found him guilty of terrorism and handed him a life sentence on December 20, 2013.
Nigerians desirous of owning their own houses will be able to do so with just N1.5 million, according to the managing director of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company, NMRC, Charles Inyangate.
He made this known on Monday when he spoke to reporters at a press briefing for the upcoming African Union for Housing Finance, AUHF, 2016 conference, which it is co-hosting with the AUHF in Abuja from September 14 to 16.
The AUHF is an association of 56 mortgage banks, building societies, microfinance institutions, housing corporations and organisations, involved in mobilisation of funds for shelter and housing in Africa.
“We are ready to refinance houses as cheap as N1.5 million, we are not looking at the money market but hope that technology will allow us to actually build houses at that price, Iyangate stated
He said further: “It will first of all drive down the affordability because the prices of houses in Nigeria are particularly very high,’’ the NMRC chief noted, adding that the conference will seek to provide solutions to the serious problem of housing in Africa.”
The outcome of the meeting will be known as “Abuja Declaration”, which the AU’s Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Unit will work with as part of the Africa Delegation’s contribution to Habitat III meeting, in Equador in October 2016.
“The conference will also explore how to grow Africa’s mortgage markets to provide sustainable access to affordable housing finance as well as public-private partnership for affordable housing delivery,” Inyangate said.
With about 170 participants from more than 23 countries, the conference is coming at a right time, especially with the Federal Government finding ways of reducing Nigeria’s 17 million housing deficit.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, is expected to deliver the keynote address, including the blueprint the government is adopting to solve the problem of housing in Nigeria.
For the first time in several years, the Eid-el-Kabir was celebrated without any major security breach in Yobe State this year, although many residents had to trek long distance to the prayer grounds.
The state government had announced a restriction on vehicular movement in the state following threats of terror attacks in some states of the federation during the celebration.
After the Prayers, Deputy Governor of the state, Abubakar Aliyu paid a visit to the IDPs camp in Damaturu where he presented the people with clothes, food and other non-food items.
Aliyu who is also the chairman of the committee on rehabilitation and relocation of IDPs in the state disclosed that the items were contraband goods confiscated from smugglers by the Nigerian Customs Service.
He said president Buhari had directed that instead of destroying the items, they should be distributed to the IDPs in the Northeast states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
He added that some of the items were also donations by philanthropies and donor organisations.
The deputy governor commended the donors for coming to the aid of victims of insurgency in the state.
He expressed happiness that some of the IDPs who had relocated to their ancestral homes are already engaging in farming activities and can now feed themselves.
Governor Kashim Shettima greets one of the elders in Konduga
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State joined thousands of other Muslim faithful to pray in Konduga, a town recently reclaimed from Boko Haram terrorists. Konduga is 40 kilometres southeast of Maiduguri.
The governor was accompanied by two senators from the state, Abubakar Kyari and Baba Garbai to pray with over 3, 500 Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, who were resettled last week in the town.
Shettima said his decision to perform his Eid el- Kabir prayers in Konduga town is to prove that peace has returned to the area once occupied by terrorists, as well as to identify with the good people of Konduga who just returned home.
He said: “As you are all aware that in the last two years, this town, Konduga and of course over 20 communities in Borno state were not safe for our people.
“I want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari, our gallant troops of the Nigerian Army, members of the Civilian JTF and other security agencies in degrading the remnants of Boko Haram insurgents from Sambisa Forest and other hideouts.
“With relative peace; government in its determination, passion and commitment has started rebuilding, rehabilitating and resettling all our communities hitherto destroyed by these miscreants.”
“I urge the people of Konduga and the entire people of the state to remain prayerful and supportive to our troops and the present administration to ensure that peace, unity and progress are achieved to fully rebuild and rehabilitate the destroyed communities.”
Eid-el-Kabir prayers were held in many parts of Borno State for the first time in four years, an indication that peace is gradually return to the insurgency-torn state.
In recent years, eid prayers had been restricted to the state capital Maiduguri and few local governments due to the activities of Boko Haram terrorists in the state.
On Monday, however, prayers were conducted in some local governments including Konduga, Gwoza, Mafa and Ngala which had been reclaimed by troops, and people are gradually returning to their homelands.
Also residents of Maiduguri were allowed to move freely during the celebration as against what obtained in the last four years when movements were restricted due to security concerns.
Former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, waves goodbye to parliamentarian duties
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron says he will stand down as a member of parliament, triggering a by-election in his Oxfordshire seat of Witney.
Cameron, who resigned as prime minister after June’s EU referendum, said he did not want to be a “distraction” for new Prime Minister, Theresa May.
He, however said he would continue as a lawmaker until the next general election.
The 49-year-old, who has represented Witney since 2001, became Conservative leader in 2005 and Prime Minister in 2010.
Speaking in his constituency, he said it had been a “great honour” to be a representative for the area, but said it would be difficult for him to remain on the backbench without becoming “a big distraction and a big diversion” from the work of the new government.
He denied his announcement was related to the government’s moves towards allowing new grammar schools, a policy he rejected when he was at the helm of affairs as prime minister.
Cameron said that the timing – which came after a period of reflection over the summer – was coincidental, adding that there were “many good things” in the proposed education reforms.
He added that Theresa May had “got off to a cracking start” as prime minister and had been “very understanding” when he told her of his decision.
When he was asked about his legacy, and whether he would be remembered as the prime minister that took the UK out of the European Union, he said he hoped his tenure would be recalled for a strong economy and “important social reforms” and that he had transformed a Conservative Party that was “in the doldrums” into a “modernising force”.
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.”
