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.
Former First Lady Patience Jonathan has said that she is the owner of the $31.4 million involved in an alleged fraud case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The EFCC had charged former presidential aide, Amajuoyi Azubike-Briggs and former Skye Bank official, Damola Bolodeoku, as well as five other companies for alleged fraud to the tune of $31.4 million.
The anti-graft agency had also frozen the Skye Bank account where the money was allegedly kept.
However, counsel to the first defendant, Gboyega Oduwole, informed the court that the former First Lady has filed a fundamental application against the EFCC, claiming ownership of the money.
According to the application filed on September 6, 2016, Jonathan asked the court to make an order for the enforcement of her fundamental rights, in terms of reliefs she sought, and named the EFCC and Skye Bank Plc as defendants.
The former First Lady asked the court to make a declaration that the fund standing to the credit of four of the companies and an account in her own name in Skye Bank belonged to her.
She also asked the court to declare that the action of the respondents in placing a freezing order on the said accounts without any order of a competent court of law or prior notice to her, to be in breach of her fundamental rights as contained in Nigeria’s constitution.
The military operation in the Niger Delta region, Operation Crocodile Smile has been extended to Imo State, as government troops raided two prominent kidnappers’ camps belonging to rival cultists.
Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, a Colonel, in a statement on Saturday said the operations, carried out in Umoubi and Umudike forests, both in Ohaji Egbema local government area of the state, was conducted on Thursday by troops from 34 Artillery Brigade.
“During the raid, one Chigozie aka “Chi boy”, a notorious kingpin of one of the cult groups lost his life, while another member was later discovered dead in the forest and quite a number of the gang members were believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.”
“The troops recovered quite a number of military uniforms and mobile telephones and other household items before destroying the camps to prevent the cultists regrouping in the area,” the statement read.
Usman said the troops have continued combing the forests with a view to fishing out other members of the gangs.
President Muhammadu Buhari will lead Nigeria’s delegates to the 71st UN General Assembly, UNGA, where he is expected to defend his administration’s human rights record and also sign the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The general assembly is scheduled to begin at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, September 13.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, made this known in Abuja on Friday at a news conference, adding that the president would be discussing series of issues which had direct impact on Nigeria.
The Paris Climate Conference held in December 2015, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal.
The agreement, which will become effective by 2020, sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to 2°C.
Onyeama said China and the US had already signed the agreement and Nigeria signing it would send a signal to the world that the country was serious about dealing with climate change.
He said the UNGA conference will afford President Buhari another opportunity to meet with world leaders and continue to build on the country’s reputation.
Onyeama said: “It is one unique conference where world leaders assemble and address issues pre-occupying their minds, it is a wonderful opportunity for the president to build on his reputation.
“President Buhari is well regarded by the world leaders and it will give him opportunity to reconnect and engage them on various issues.
“He needs world leaders’ support in the areas of economy, security, anti-corruption and governance. He will use the opportunity to push for Nigeria’s interest at the UN,” the minister said.
The minister said that President Buhari would also use the opportunity to look for foreign markets for Nigeria’s products, garner support for the economy, as well as canvass for the repatriation of Nigeria’s stolen money in foreign banks.
“Mr President will use the opportunity to canvass for support for the recharge of Lake Chad,” Onyeama said.
“There will be a discussion on Lake Chad Basin and how to recharge the lake through Central Africa which will cost about 15 billion dollars.
“Mr President will engage and push for investors on the project. He will be looking at Public, Private Partnership to mobilise that kind of funding for Lake Chad.
“Such investment will have direct impact on at least five million people,” he said.
The foreign affairs minister said there will also be a discussion on one vision, one Africa where all African nations can have a voice on issues that have direct impact on the continent.
According to him, the EU would be putting 31 billion euros on the table to address certain issues affecting Middle East and part of Africa.
He said that Nigeria was the only one invited for the meeting to look into how to spend the money, adding that the forum would give Nigeria opportunity to access the fund.
Two committees that will oversee the process to concession the nation’s major airports have been inaugurated by the federal government.
The committees namely: the Project Steering Committee and the Project Delivery Committee, were inaugurated by the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in his office in Abuja, on Friday.
He said the Project Steering Committee, of which he is the chairman, will provide the general direction, and steer the course of Public Private Partnership project concessions in the aviation sector.
Sirika explained that the driving force behind government’s resolve to concession the airports was the over-riding national interest in ensuring the establishment and sustenance of world class standards in both infrastructural development and service delivery.
He said some of the reservations being expressed by people about the exercise were born out of “misconception that concession is synonymous with privatisation”
The aviation minister clarified that the airports remained the properties of the Federal Government and that more jobs will be generated at the end of the day.
Terms of reference for the committees include: “approval of technical, financial and legal framework for the successful preparation and execution of the concession; provision of policy guidelines and general direction on all matters relating to concession of projects and programmes in the aviation sector.
Others are to “consider and facilitate necessary permits, clearances and approve action plans, budgets and financial requests submitted by the Project Delivery Committee.”
