Men of the Department of the State Service have uncovered arms and ammunition from the Akwa Ibom State Government House in Uyo.

It was learnt that the discovery was made during a surprise raid. The operation was jointly carried out by operatives from the SSS headquarters in Abuja and the state command, according to Premium Times.The SSS reportedly stormed the Hilltop Mansion based on security reports.

After ransacking the entire residence of the governor, which is yet to be occupied by the serving Governor, Udom Emmanuel, the operatives moved to guest houses and the presidential lodge, said to be currently in use by ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio.

Security sources said on Friday that the arms were found in one of the guest houses while searching for documents and Improvised Explosive Devices.

When contacted, the state government declined to comment on the report.

Fayose said the manner the DSS ransacked, intimidated and harassed the occupants, claiming they were searching for bomb and documents, was “strange and anti-democracy.”

The governor, however, accused the DSS of acting a sinister motive to run down the Peoples Democratic Party-controlled states, instead of going after the Independent National Electoral Commission suspected to have been involved in graft.

He said, “Interestingly, the DSS under Alhaji Lawal Daura that has turned Akwa Ibom State and other states into centre of its draconian operations has not deemed it necessary to invite for questioning, the Yobe State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Abu Zarma, in whose bank account N15m alleged to be a bribe was found.

“From the barbaric act of the DSS and other actions under Alhaji Lawal Daura in the last few weeks, one can conclude that Daura is taking Nigeria back to the 1984 era of Gen. Mohammadu Buhari and this is unfortunate.

“No doubt, the DSS Director-General is acting out a sinister script of taking over the PDP-controlled states in the South-South and South East by whatever means.

“Daura’s actions as the DG DSS are regrettable, unfortunate, condemnable and unacceptable because he has come to symbolise dictatorship, which democracy abhors.”

Fayose, who addressed journalists on Friday in Ado-Ekiti through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call Daura to order or sack him if he was uncontrollable.”

“As for me, I will continue to talk because Nigeria belongs to all of us. Nigeria is not a banana republic that can be ruled anyhow by anyone and Daura should know that this reign of brute force over constitutional democracy will fail.”

Calabar – The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Nigerian Navy in Calabar, Cross River, on Friday received a new warship, the NNS Centenary.

The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, who was on ground to receive it at the NNS Victory jetty, said the ship was the newest in the navy’s fleet.

Ibas said that the ship would further reinforce the presence of the navy in the eastern flank of the country’s maritime domain.

He said that the ship was acquired to patrol the maritime domain of the Eastern Naval Command in order to keep the water safe from oil thieves and sea pirates.

“When we talk about maritime security, you have to know that it goes with development.

“Maritime security has a nexus with development. Nobody wants to do business in an insecure environment.

“The bulk of resources that bring development come from the sea; the essence of the new ship is to reinforce our presence in the Eastern flank of the nation’s maritime space,’’ he said.

According to the chief of naval staff, the ship has the capacity to carry helicopters and other vital instruments.

“The new ship is capable of staying at sea for two weeks. It is no longer going to be business as usual for the bad guys at sea.
“Those doing their businesses at sea would have confidence to go about their business at ease,’’ he said.

He warned criminals operating on Nigeria’s water ways to stay off, adding that the navy was not friendly to such categories of persons.

Ibas in company with the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Henry Babalola, later paid a visit to Gov. Ben Ayade.

Ibas also inspected the Navy Reference Hospital in Calabar.

By Thursday, he not only had lost that job, but was in custody.

Guatemala’s Attorney General issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Pérez Molina in connection with acorruption investigation that has shaken the governmentand sparked protests. The 64-year-old former military commander responded by submitting his resignation — an offer that the Central American country’s Congress, by a 118-0 vote, accepted.

A short time later, Alejandro Maldonado — who had been vice president — was sworn in as successor.

Judge Miguel Angel Gálvez ordered Pérez Molina be held in the Matamoros jail in Guatemala City.

The investigation

According to the Attorney General’s Office and a U.N. investigating commission, Pérez Molina and a group of close aides within his administration received bribes in exchange for lowering taxes for companies seeking to import products into Guatemala.

In a message broadcast on Guatemalan national TV and radio last month, the then-President denied the charges and suggested he’s the target of a plot by his political enemies aided by foreign interests.

“I categorically deny and reject the accusation that I was involved (in a corruption scheme) and having received any money from that customs fraud scheme,” he said.

On Tuesday, Pérez Molina’s lawyer told CNN en Español that the President was prepared to appear in front of a judge in Guatemala and face the accusations against him.

“The President has not run away, has not hidden, will not flee and will not seek asylum,” attorney César Calderón said.

At least 105 votes were needed to strip the then-President’s immunity — a number opposition leaders have struggled to amass in the past. But on Tuesday, the vote was unanimous, with all 132 representatives who were present voting in favor of the move. An additional 26 lawmakers were absent and did not participate in the vote.

To the polls

The intensifying corruption scandal comes at a delicate time in Guatemalan politics. The country is scheduled to hold presidential elections on Sunday.

There have been weekly protests demanding Molina’s immediate resignation since April in the country’s capital. Pérez Molina had said he won’t step down, only to reverse course Wednesday.

The judge in charge of her case has said she’ll be tried for customs fraud, illicit association and passive bribery — the same accusations the President is facing.

Baldetti denies the charges and Mario Cano, her attorney, said in court that prosecutors are targeting the wrong person.

New President has experience as ambassador, minister

Guatemala’s 49th President finds himself in the middle of this mess, even though he is no stranger to politics.

The 79-year-old Maldonado has had many roles as Guatemala City council member, congressman, education minister and his country’s ambassador to Mexico and the United Nations.

How well this experience serves him in his new role, and given the tenuous situation, remains to be seen. Maldonado rose to the vice presidency on May 14, six days after predecessor Roxanna Baldetti resigned — after being accused of corruption.

The immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday refused to answer questions on the allegations of corruption levelled against him.

Fashola was alleged to have spent N139m on two boreholes at the Lagos House, Ikeja, and another N78.3m for the upgrade of a personal website.

The former governor, who was the guest speaker at the 16th Bishop Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture, urged Nigerians to ensure that they hold their leaders accountable always.

The event, which was held at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos Island, was titled, ‘The Nigerian political Class and the Citizen’s Quest for Good Governance.’

The governor said most Nigerians failed to hold their political leaders to their campaign promises after elections.

He, therefore, asked Fashola to respond to the allegations of corruption levelled against him which included the N78m the former governor spent on the personal website.

Some personalities at the high table, which included the host, Dr. Mike Okonkwo, who is the presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, did not feel comfortable when Fashola was put on the spot as some signalled to the journalist to keep shut and sit down.

Popular comedian, Tee A, who was the Master of Ceremony, jibed, “Mr. SUN, continue standing in the Sun.”

Fashola, who was taken aback by the journalist’s audacity, responded, “To the man in The SUN, I don’t respond to allegations on the pages of newspapers.”

While delivering his lecture earlier, Fashola listed his various achievements while in government.

Specifically, he mentioned the restriction of commercial motorcycles, among others.

He said good governance did not necessarily imply impressing everyone. He said good leadership entailed improving the general standard of living of the people.

While defending his restriction on commercial motorcycles, he said, “Some people felt that we were anti-poor. But let us look at the result of the policy. The 15 deaths per month dropped first to three per month and later to one per month and later there were no reported deaths in the whole of 2014.

“The over 600 reported accidents dropped to about 100 accidents monthly (83 per cent) and the Commissioner of Police reported an 85 per cent drop in crime over a 10-month period of the enforcement of the law.

“For those who say this is not good governance, I will refer them to Section 14 (2) (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution.”

The former governor defended the expenses on his website, insisting that it helped make him more accessible to the people of the state.

Fashola noted that when he resumed office, only 500,000 people were paying tax across the state. He said by the time he left office, over 4.5 million people had started paying tax.

He, however, revealed that there were still over four million taxable adults in the state not paying tax.

The ex-governor said the state would be better off if people paid their taxes regularly and assist the government.

Also speaking, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Prof. George Obiozor, explained that the event was to commemorate the birthday of Okonkwo who turns 70 on Sunday.

Obiozor defended Fashola who had also come under fire for allegedly spending N139m on two boreholes.

Obiozor said, “He (Fashola) is one of those few people that God answered his prayers. I want to tell him that the game in which he is involved is called politics. Believe me, success is the beginning of threat. Nobody is after anybody who has failed.”

The immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, says no anti-corruption agency in the country can probe him.

The PUNCH had reported that Amaechi along with some other former governors: Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Sullivan Chime (Enugu); Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Shehu Shema (Katsina) and Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State were being probed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission.

However, Chief Tony Okocha, a former aide to Amaechi, told one of our correspondents that the ex-governor was not afraid of ICPC or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as long as the probe was not a witch-hunt.

“I have always said that Amaechi is not afraid of the EFCC or the ICPC as long as such probe is not a witch-hunt. Again, there is a court order that the EFCC or other agency like it cannot probe any government official in the state. Wike is a beneficiary of that court order.

“Until that court order is vacated, the ICPC or the EFCC have no right to investigate Amaechi. Since what they are going to investigate is his (Amaechi’s) activities while in government, the EFCC and the ICPC do not have such right to do so based on the standing court order.”

The Chief Press Secretary to Fashola, Mr. Hakeem Bello, did not respond to the intended probe of his boss by the ICPC.

However, Fashola, while speaking at the 16th annual Bishop Mike Okonkwo Lecture in Lagos, “I will not respond to allegations of corruption on the pages of newspapers.”

Similarly, Shema, Kwankwaso and Lamido did not respond to phone calls on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has challenged the ICPC to explain to Nigerians why it did not include former Governor Kayode Fayemi among those it is currently probing.

According to the party, the anti-graft agencies have been given more than enough petitions and facts to assist them in getting to the root of the financial misconduct allegedly perpetrated by Fayemi while in office.

ABUJA —President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo have made known their assets, with the President declaring less than N30 million and his deputy a cash balance of N94 million and US$900,000 in his bank accounts.

The assets, which were still being verified by the Code of Conduct Bureau, it was learned, also showed the President to have shareholdings in Berger Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank with a total of seven houses including two mud houses.

The President has two houses in Kaduna and one each in Kano, Daura and in Abuja. The two mud houses are in his native Daura. One was inherited from his late elder sister, another from his late father. He reportedly borrowed money from the old Barclays Bank to build two of his homes.

President Buhari, according to the documents, has two undeveloped plots of land, one in Kano and the other in Port Harcourt. He is believed to be still trying to trace the location of the land in Port-Harcourt.

The President also has farms, an orchard and a ranch. The total number of his holdings in the farm, according to sources privy to the declaration, include 270 heads of cattle, 25 sheep, five horses, a variety of birds and a number of economic trees.

The President is also reported to have a number of cars, two of which he bought from his savings and the others supplied to him by the Federal Government in his capacity as a former Head of State. The rest were donated to him by well-wishers after his SUV was damaged in a Boko Haram bomb attack on his convoy in July 2014.

Osinbajo’s assets

Vice-President Osinbajo, according to the assets declaration has a 4-bedroom residence at Victoria Garden City, Lagos;  a 3-bedroom flat at  2 Mosley Road, Ikoyi and a 2-bedroom flat in the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The Vice-president also has a 2-bedroom mortgaged property in Bedford, England.

The Vice-President also has shareholdings in his law firm, SimmonsCooper and in six private companies based in Lagos, including Octogenerium Ltd., Windsor Grant Ltd., Tarapolsa, Vistorion Ltd., Aviva Ltd. and MTN Nigeria.

The Vice-President’s bank balance, at inauguration showed him to have about N94 million, US$900,000 and £19,000 in Nigerian banks. The foreign currencies are in domiciliary accounts in Nigerian banks.

His vehicles, according to the declared assets include one Infinity 4-Wheel Drive SUV, one Mercedes Benz and a Prado SUV.

Sources close to the President said yesterday that the declaration of the President’s assets showed the austere life of General Buhari who before now was a Head of State, Minister of Petroleum, former military governor and member of the Supreme Military Council.

“This is entirely unlike what one  might expect from a former head of state of a country like Nigeria,” a source who was given  the document to handle said. The President, according to the declaration, does not have any oil well or foreign assets.

“As soon as the CCB is through with the process, the documents will be released to the Nigerian public and people can see for themselves,” the source said.

As part of efforts to transit from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Federal Government through the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the MDGs (OSSAP-MDGs), has introduced Nigeria’s First country-wide data portal, the Nigeria Millennium Development Goals Information System (NMIS) for access to data on education, health and water.
MDG tapAccording the an official of the MDGs office, Chioma Itodo, the new portal allows Nigerian states to plan better based on data available on the NMIS.
According to Itodo, the NMIS captures baseline data on over 260, 000 public and private health and education facilities in the 774 Local Government Areas of the country, as well as water facilities constructed within both facilities.
The DFID is a United Kingdom government department responsible for administering overseas aid. The goal of the department is to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty.
She said: ”Using the map feature, a user can locate and view a description of facilities, indicating the services offered, the management structure and the capacity in terms of available human resources. For example users are able to view primary schools and hospitals in their villages including their mother’s primary school.
”The NMIS provides baseline data on areas of health, education and water, which offers an excellent opportunity to a new government to measure the change they plan to bring about as they plan for development. With the current burden on states resulting from the fiscal crunch, there is now an overwhelming need for states to identify and focus on priority areas.
”Also as MDGs transitions to SDGs and the emphasis on a data revolution, the NMIS can be a useful medium to support data requirement for planning the SDGs.
”States can use the baseline data as a basis for developing their state plans and medium term sector strategies (MTSS) which can be monitored to ascertain progress made per time.
”For example, a planning officer in the ministry of health in Enugu state trying to identify projects for inclusion in the sector’s MTSS can download data from the NMIS to run the analysis below. At a glance the officer is able to identify LGAs with the highest need for emergency transport and is able to allocate resources accordingly. This also helps to reduce waste by preventing project duplication.”
She also stated that the data available for download on its site https://nmis.mdgs.gov.ng/download is relevant to undergraduates, graduates and post-graduate students, who need data for their thesis especially those relating to health, education and water facilities in the country.
Itodo added that Civil Society organizations can also use the NMIS as a powerful advocacy tool and citizens can hold their government accountable based on NMIS data.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointments of Mr. Rahman Adeola Ipaye as Deputy Chief of Staff and Mr. Laolu Akande as Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity) in the Presidency.

The two new appointees, according to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, will work in the Office of the Vice President.

Ipaye, who was the immediate past Attorney General of Lagos State, studied at the University of Lagos where he graduated with B.A. (Hons) Degree (History) in 1984; LL.B. Hons (1988) and LL.M. (1991).

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators respectively.

Before his appointment as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ipaye was employed as a lecturer in the Department of Commercial and Industrial Law, University of Lagos (1992 to 2001), Special Assistant (Legal Matters) to the Governor of Lagos State (2001 to 2007) and Special Adviser (Taxation and Revenue) to the Governor of Lagos State and member of the State Executive Council (2007 to 2011).

Akande graduated from the University of Ibadan in 1990 with an honours degree in History and a Masters degree in Communication & Language Arts in 1992.

He became a Staff Reporter of the Guardian newspaper in 1990, while still serving under the National Youth Service Corps.

He left The Guardian to join the foundation team of The News Magazine in 1993, where he became Senior Writer.

In 1997, he was appointed by Nigerian Tribune as Editor of the Tribune on Saturday, a position he held until he moved to the United States of America in 1998.

In the U.S, he worked as a journalist with the Philadelphia Inquirer and New York Newsday.

He also served at the United Nations as a Press Officer and later as an Advocacy and Communication Consultant.

He was also the Bureau Chief of The Guardian in North America and the Executive Director of the Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans (CANAN).

Akande taught at the State University of New York at Stonybrook and also Suffolk County Community College in Long Island, New York between 2002 and 2015.

“Ipaye and Akande have been working with Vice President Osinbajo since the inception of the present Administratio,” the statement added.

A former spokesperson for the Department of State Security, Marilyn Ogar, has been compulsorily retired from the agency effective from yesterday. Ms. Ogar was told to leave the force yesterday via a retirement letter dispatched to her and several others by the new leadership of the agency. She is being forced out of the agency 7 years before she is due for retirement.Former SSS spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar

A source at the agency told Saharareporters that several high profile officers of the DSS have been sent packing as the new director of the agency, Musa Daura, decided he wants to reorganize the agency.

During her stint as the spokesperson, Ms. Ogar, frequently got involved in political matters, her actions portrayed the agency as a partisan government agency especially as she frequently told lies against opposition parties and individuals during her highly cerebral press conferences.

Early this year Ms. Ogar was also accused of receiving bribes from the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) to supply lorryloads of Dual Purpose Kerosene shortly before gubernatorial elections in Osun state

Ms. Ogar was removed and also demoted as the spokesperson in July shortly after President Muhammad Buhari appointed Mr. Daura to head the organization.

ABUJA—The Nigerian Army said it has uncovered a massive illegal oil bunkering site at the Makoba Beach in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Ironically, the site is just a kilometre away from the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and two kilometres away from the Rivers State Government House.

Commander of 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Brig.-Gen. Stevenson Olabanji, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday, in Port Harcourt that thousands of litres of illegally refined automotive gas oil, AGO, popularly called diesel were discovered at the site.

The discovery came as the Nigerian Navy, yesterday, charged ship owners in the country to fish out economic saboteurs in their midst, and cooperate with security agencies in the fight against oil theft and other heinous crimes in the maritime industry.

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas, gave the charge when he received the chairman and executive members of the Nigerian Ship Owners Association, NSOA, in his office.

Makoba Beach bunkering

While the Makoba Beach operation came as a big surprise considering its closeness to government quarters, Gen. Olabanji disclosed that Army operatives were immediately deployed to the site on getting the information.

He said: “About 16:40 hours on Monday, we got information that some illegal bunkering activities were going on along Makoba Beach.

“On arrival, our personnel discovered illegal activities which involved bunkering of illegally refined petroleum products and lifting of diesel onto local boats.

“At the site, we found more than 5,000 drums loaded with illegally refined diesel; four tanker trucks containing 132,000 litres of diesel combined, and a barge with 165,000 litres of stolen diesel.

“This discovery is unprecedented because since we started our operations 10 days ago, this is about the biggest that we have uncovered.”

Olabanji said that additional 150 drums loaded with about 3,150 litres of diesel, were also discovered in 21 ‘Cotonou boats’.

He said that 13 suspects were arrested at the scene of the illegal activity, adding that the illegal bunkering dump had not yet been set ablaze, in line with the Joint Task Force, JTF, mandate because of its closeness to residential buildings and the NPA.

Challenges of destroying bunkering site

“Our mandate requires us to destroy the site in situ, but we cannot do this because it will degrade the environment and affect residents since it is situated in the heart of Port Harcourt. Our plan is to move them to a safe location for destruction.”

The commander said that preliminary investigation had already begun to unravel sponsors of the activity, adding that the 13 suspects would be handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation and prosecution.

Olabanji, while urging oil thieves to desist from sabotaging oil and gas installations, assured Nigerians that the JTF would not rest until it rids the state of illegal bunkering activities.

“Let it be known that the Army will not and will never tolerate illegal bunkering in our area of responsibility,” he assured, and called on the public to provide the JTF with timely information which could lead to the arrest of oil thieves and pipeline vandals.

War on illegal bunkering

Admiral Ibas noted that as stakeholders in the nation’s maritime sector, which accounts for 85 per cent of the country’s international trade, ship owners’ cooperation and input will greatly help the war on illegal bunkering and maritime crimes.

His words: “Let me say that the Nigerian Ship Owners Association has contributed immensely to the Nigerian Navy’s operations and successes in the past and are still doing so. During the ECOMOG intervention of the 1990’s, the association assisted the Navy with some logistic support. Any nation that is blessed with the seas must utilise its benefits.

“As a littoral state, we need all stakeholders to come together to achieve a crime free and safe maritime environment because over 85% of our trade takes place in the high seas. If we develop our bulk trade business in line with international best practices, ship owners will not only benefit more, the nation will be better off.

“As major stakeholders in the maritime sector, I want to acknowledge that you have done a lot but we need you to do more because you cover a lot of grounds in the sector since your ships go far and wide. With over 84, 000 nautical miles, the Navy alone with our assets cannot cover everywhere. But your members can give us information.

“We, therefore, are soliciting your support through information from your members such that if we get timely information about oil theft and illegal bunkering activities, it will enable us act fast and save the nation from losing much needed resources.

“In the alternative, we want to warn that activities of saboteurs in your midst and those who commit heinous crimes in the seas will be resisted, and if caught, made to face the consequences. We are also fully ready to collaborate with you because we’re aware of the enormous employment opportunities your association provides for the nation.”

Earlier, President of the Ship Owners Association, Capt. BO Labinjo (rtd), disclosed that they were at the Naval Headquarters to pledge support for the new leadership with a view to checkmating oil theft and other maritime crimes in Nigeria.

Capt. Labinjo said the association has 103 member companies, and 98 non-ship owner companies, adding that there is a need for collaboration between the Navy and the ship owners to ensure the fight against maritime crimes is successful.

“The Navy and ship owners are like two wings of the same bird. Both of us are of the seas. You are the fighting Navy, and we are the merchant Navy. Without the fighting Navy, the seas will be overrun, and without merchant Navy, the nation’s economy will suffer as trading activities will be disrupted. So collaboration is the way forward,” he said.

The independent Corrupt Practices and other offences Commission (ICPC) has commenced investigations of four former governors following petition against them.

The four governors are former governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Ibrahim Shema of Katsina and Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano.

Already four teams have been raised to visit the states to check the books of the states to establish the allegations against the governors.

Sources at the commission told Vanguard that the teams departed Abuja Monday morning to the various states to carry out their investigations.

A source at the commission who does not want his name in print because he is not authorised to speak on the matter told Vanguard that the allegations bother on dubious awards of contracts as well as contracts awarded to cronies and relatives of the former governors‎.

According to the source, the commission is committed to ensuring that all petitions are investigated to the ironical conclusion and those indicted or found to have compromised would be brought to book.

“We will ensure that we thoroughly investigate all allegations brought before us so that no body would be left in doubt about our commitment to fighting corruption. The chairman has dispatched a team to the affected states and they are expected to report back in the next two weeks. No body would be spared if found culpable” the source said.

When contacted the resident media consultant to the commission, Folu Olumiti neither denied nor confirmed the story.

He told Vanguard: “I don’t have any comment. I don’t want to comment on an ongoing investigations” before cutting off the line.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has challenged Governor Ayodele Fayose to explain to Ekiti people the reasons for his application for N9.6b loan as part of the special Federal Government facility for states facing salary payment burden.

It said since Fayose had always insisted that he did not owe workers’ salaries, there was no need to draw from a facility approved for only the states that were indebted to workers.

Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement that the governor’s explanation became pertinent against the background of persistent claims that he did not owe workers in the state civil service.

He added that the governor’s explanation also became pertinent on account of Ekiti people’s experience with the governor with alleged history of lack of accountability and transparency in the running of state affairs.

“It is difficult to trust a one-man government where the House of Assembly doesn’t have any voice and the State Executive Council is not functioning while both the State Accountant General and Auditor-General sign documents without questions on what they are asked to do by the governor,” Olatunbosun explained.

“Besides, why will a governor who does not owe salaries and has not shown Ekiti people his development blue print be taking loan? Why does he need N9.6b after he has declared he was not owing Ekiti workers, more so that the loan is meant for defaulting states to clear their backlog of salaries?” he queried.

Stressing that the governor was yet to explain how he spent the N2.1b bailout he received from the Federation account in June over which he abused the President to no end, the APC spokesman said the governor had not explained what he did with N8. 5b received also in June, which included the regular statutory allocation.

Expressing worry over aberrations in the running of government where other moderating units of government had no voice, Olatunbosun regretted that the House of Assembly had gone dumb over inability to ask the governor to explain why he was still owing September 2014 salary arrears after collecting allocation for same.

“What has he done with July Federation Account allocation which was shared in August?

“He is yet to explain how he spent the N22b he received as refunds on Federal roads, N2 billion ecological fund, N2 billion micro-credit loan, which he is about to misappropriate, and regular allocations he had received in the last ten months despite the moratorium he enjoyed over debts he claimed Fayemi owed?

“Why did he lie to Ekiti people about the debt portfolio of the state by always quoting N86 billion while in actual fact the state’s debt is 18.8billion and what does he want to achieve with this bare-faced lie if not for sinister motives to short-change Ekiti people?” he queried.

Wondering why Fayose allegedly made deceits and lies as state policy in his governance style, he also tasked the governor to explain what he did with the money saved from the cancellation of life-lifting programmes introduced by Fayemi, such as the social security for the elderly, youth volunteers, road traffic management, youths in commercial agricultural development (YCAD), Peace Corps and Oodua Skills Acquisition Scheme, among others.

Dismissing Fayose’s government as a waste and a drain-pipe in the administration of the state, Olatunbosun noted that 10 months after inauguration, the governor could not point to any development project that he had commissioned while his sing-song had always been over-exaggerated debts to abdicate his responsibilities to Ekiti people.

Also slamming the governor for owing arrears of pensions and traditional rulers salaries for five months, including subventions to higher institutions, leave bonus to teachers and civil servants after collecting up-to-date federal allocations, heavy savings from job cuts and cancellations of poverty reduction schemes, he urged the EFCC to beam its searchlight on the activities of the governor “who has remained unaccountable to Ekiti people in his financial dealings after collecting heavy allocations from the Federal Government”.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday warned that with the fall in oil prices, Nigeria risked economic decline, if it failed to manage its resources prudently.

Buhari gave the warning during a meeting with members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Buhari urged accountants to take their audit reports seriously.

He urged them to support his administration’s efforts to restore probity, prudence and transparency.

“The annual audits of government ministries, agencies and departments, which your members undertake must be taken more seriously. People must be made to properly account for whatever government funds are entrusted to their supervision.

“Let your audit reports on our MDAs be thoroughly, professionally and dispassionately done to ensure greater probity in the management of our national resources.”

The ICAN President, Olufemi Deru, in his speech, hailed the renaissance of the nation’s value system and the reinvigoration of the war against corruption by Buhari.

He stated, “The values you hold dear – those of integrity, transparency and accountability – are the foundation of the accountancy profession.

“It is therefore heartening and commendable that you are engaging our members and their firms in the anti-corruption crusade.”

After the meeting, the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibukunle Amosun, and his Lagos State counterpart, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, spoke with journalists.

Amosun said to fight corruption, there was a need for accountants to collaborate with government in planning, budgeting and management.

He noted that accountants were being involved in the investigations being conducted by anti-corruption agencies.

On his part, Ambode said that Buhari had succeeded in bringing integrity and credibility into public office and commended the President’s 100 days in office.

When asked whether he was probing Fashola, he said, “I have said it is continuity with improvement.”

Commending Buhari, Ambode said that the President had shown strong leadership.

He stated, “What President Muhammadu Buhari has come up with in the last 100 days is about credibility and integrity for those of us who are in public office. Buhari has come up with moral leadership in the last 100 days and that is what is needed to fight corruption in the country.

“Nobody is judging anyone. What we have seen since May 29 is about strong leadership that has shown direction to all Nigerians. The mantra of such leadership that is being reflected by the President is what we are seeing in other states.”

According to him, everybody is beginning to feel that the law must be obeyed.

He noted that all revenue agencies had started paying to a single account, which had made everyone to be accountable.

Deru, who also spoke with journalists, said, “Accountability is our business and we uphold the tenets of transparency and we must be transparent in what we do. We also have the whistle-blowing fund so that anybody who misbehaves and they want to penalise our member, we have N50m set aside to fight such course.”

ABUJA—Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr Emmanuel Kachikwu has disclosed that oil theft would be  eradicated in the next eight months as the corporation has put in place measures to check the menace and bring perpetrators to book.

Speaking at a one-day seminar on Security in the Gulf of Guinea, organised by the Gusau Institute in Abuja, Dr Kachikwu said the fight to stop oil theft was not only for the NNPC but also all Nigerians, as the effect of  crude oil theft was on all Nigerians.

Ibe kachikwu
According to the NNPC boss, some of these measures include the introduction of drones to monitor the pipelines as well as patrol the country’s coastal waters; equipping and increasing the capabilities of the security services to carry out their responsibilities and the engagement of communities to police pipelines in their areas.

While promising to introduce transparency in  running the NNPC, Dr Kachikwu revealed that the PPMC would be broken up into several companies with one solely in charge of pipelines while another would be in charge of products at the depots

He said: “The job of keeping our country afloat and making sure that the revenues from oil are transparently received and spent is the main purpose of my work. When I was first asked by the President to come and take over this job, my first reaction was trepidation and fear, largely because over the last two decades, we have gone topsy-turvy with our oil industry. We, as a country, have lost so much both in terms of revenue and  international  perception. I carry a responsibility that is not just making sure that the oil industry generates so much revenue, but also a responsibility of bringing back high level of transparency in terms of perception. What is happening is that a few people do bad things but it rubs off on Nigeria. Many Nigerians are doing the right thing.

“Nigeria is the eighth largest producer of oil in the world but you probably would not see that as you traverse our country because a large volume of oil produced lands in the pockets of very few people and many of us remain extremely poor. That is because over the years, we have been unable to transparently deal with our oil.

“Oil theft is a major issue for us. We lose on average of about 50,000 barrels of oil. We lose about $3-$4 billion of revenue and that is just in terms of crude oil itself. When you get to pipelines, most of our pipelines are ruptured and attacked fairly frequently. Last year alone, between June 2014 and June 2015, we recorded between 3,400 to 4,000 attacks on the various pipelines in the country. The effect is a shut-in of about 250,000 barrels a day and when you calculate that, you have a net loss of over $7 billion.

8 months deadline

“A lot is happening. More challenges are going to be there but we are going to be able to solve the problems. We have given ourselves eight months within which we will hopefully completely eradicate the issue of oil theft in Nigeria. It is a focus that is very firm, very determined and in the process, you are going to find individuals who constitute some of the highest level of personnel in this economy. Oil theft is not just about the poor in the society. It is about the very rich and it takes a rich man to be able to get the market for the crude and enter into the carriage contract. It is the rich in the country that are actually the problem of NNPC and not the poor. We will address that very solidly, and we will achieve result for Nigeria. If we don’t do that we would have lost the essence of our appointment into this position. Working with security agencies, and using lots of technology we will ensure that this business stops. It is critical that the Nigerian face is not seen as a face of theft but a face of decency.”

He noted that because of the constant vandalism of the country’s pipelines, the refineries may not be able to function effectively except the issue of pipeline vandalism was resolved, adding that in order to check the menace, the security architecture around the pipelines was being re-engineered.

“The pipelines that traverse our country which are supposed to carry crude into our refineries are perpetually harassed and the net effect is that we resorted to using marines to carry cargoes into our refineries. What it meant is that no matter what you do with our refineries today, unless that is solved, we cannot operate the refineries. Every month, I sit and try to decide whether I should move crude to the refineries or sell the crude and be able to fund the other accounts. The marine services are too expensive for me.

“In the last one year, we have lost about 350 lives — NNPC staff, policemen, community members —  as a result of attempts to breach these pipelines.

“Let me get to the export aspect of it. You get calls from all parts of the world — China, America, alleging that cargoes of Nigerian crude are lying in those countries’ territories, most of them sold. We are dealing with a case currently of over 14 cargoes in China, where all the documentation appears to be from the NNPC. It might as well be that by the time we finish with the documentation of these cargoes, we will get to find out that they are cargoes probably out of Iran or Iraq who may be trying to sell their goods as a result of the embargo. But for whatever it is worth, Nigeria has become known, unfortunately as the country with the highest level of crude theft and sophisticated movement of funds.

Use of drones

“It is a major concern for the President and a major concern for all of us in the industry and we are focused on trying to find solutions. We have marshaled out an armada of approaches to this which include incorporating drones to check movement within our territorial waters towards the ship; we are looking at logistical ways of changing something at our crude oil loading bays; we are trying to equip the Navy sufficiently, in terms of skills and not in terms of arsenal. We are trying to take the bull by the horns to ensure that they patrol within the maritime zone.

“But more fundamentally, the pipelines that carry oil and crude will have to be policed. The present attempt at policing them has not worked, so we are thinking of changing the personnel, using more of the military but also getting into dealing with the community which ultimately is the best security in dealing with these pipelines, as we try to create more incentives for them to own the pipelines,” he said.

Speaking on the new measures being introduced, the NNPC boss said: “It is one of many efforts that we have put in place. But most importantly, we are trying to improve on the psyche of the people who work in the NNPC. We are trying to make them understand that there is a difference between a corporation and a civil service because ultimately we begin to realize that we are here to run a business for Nigeria, we have no need being there,” he said.

Earlier in his keynote address, the Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe, Mr Patrice Emery Trovoada said Nigeria should place less emphasis on oil production and should instead consider the option of exploring other resources like fish in the Gulf of Guinea in order to diversify its revenue base.

He called for greater cooperation amongst countries of the Gulf of Guinea to check the incidence of piracy and oil theft, adding that his country would continue to cooperate with Nigeria to check the menace.

Navy to complement drones

Meanwhile, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas said, yesterday, that the Nigerian Navy will collaborate with other security agencies to ensure that any measure that will result to checkmating illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalization is nipped in the bud.

Speaking against the background of disclosure by Dr. Kachikwu that drones will be deployed to ensure that oil theft is checkmated in the country, Vice Admiral Ibas said: “First, we are deploying electronic surveillance equipment to ensure that this menace is brought to an end.

“Secondly, the Navy has standby response teams ready to move at the quickest deployment because even if the drones are deployed as disclosed by the NNPC GMD, it is the Navy that will be required to implement the response aspect”.

The CNS who spoke to Vanguard last night further insisted “we are all working in collaboration with NNPC and other security agencies to end this menace which has impacted negatively on our nations’ economy and revenue base. I am assuring you that we will give all the support necessary to achieve the goal as enunciated by the NNPC GMD.”

What drones do

Drones are automated (pilotless) micro aircraft used for security monitoring and surveillance purposes, often described as “eyes in the sky.”

According to the Social Science Research Network, SSRN, drones are “less expensive and more efficient than conventional aircraft at tracking the movements of large numbers of people without their knowledge. The capabilities of onboard instruments like high-resolution cameras, infrared devices, facial recognition systems, and other sensory enhancing technologies will make it virtually impossible to shield oneself from government watch.”

Former Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio yesterday spent hours at the National Hospital in Abuja after a car accident . He was discharged at about 5.10pm, accompanied out of the hospital by Governor Udom Emmanuel and Senator Theodore Orji.
They left in the governor’s official car.
Akpabio, who is also Senate Minority Leader, was said to be on his way to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, to catch a flight when the accident occurred.
He was rushed to the National Hospital in the city, where doctors described his condition as stable.
Akpabio’s car ran into a convoy of a U.S. diplomat.
A Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) personnel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Akpabio may have suffered some injuries in the chest region “due to the way he held his chest after the incident”.
The FRSC operatives also said “from the look of things other occupants of the vehicles in the convoy and Akpabio’s driver did not seem to have sustained any injury”.
The officer said he was at the scene of the accident around 7.30 am near Bolingo Hotels on the Abuja Airport Road in the Central Business District of the Federal Capital territory (FCT).
It was learnt that Akpabio was on his way overseas to visit his family when the accident happened.
One of the early callers at the National Hospital was the Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi.
Mrs. Olujimi said she was told by an official at the hospital that the Akwa Ibom North West lawmaker was in a stable condition.
Akwa Ibom State Governor  Udom Emmanuel, who was at the hospital, declined comments.
The hospital’s Chief Information Officer Hajia Rabiah Labaran, said Akpabio was brought to the hospital by some FRSC officers.
Labaran said: “He (Akpabio) was brought in this morning after he had a car crash as I learnt. He was brought in from the Bolingo Hotels junction where a vehicle crashed into his own vehicle from behind.
“Luckily enough when they brought him after the preliminary check –up, it was found that he did not have any serious injury.
”He was talking when he was brought in and the medical team that attended to him gave him necessary attention at the trauma unit.
“I learnt that as at this afternoon, (12:30pm), he had been taken to the private wing of the hospital for proper care but there was no serious injury.
“It is something he can get over in a few days. He is recuperating. He was with his driver but the driver did not sustain any injury.”
Last year, Akpabio’s convoy was arrested in Abuja by security operatives for driving against traffic. At the time, Akpabio was governor. The convoy was en route to the Three Arms Zone, the area of Abuja where the administrative offices of the executive, legislative and judicial arms of the federal government are located. The drivers encountered a mild traffic jam close to the Nigeria Police Headquarters and chose the one way.
Reports show that at the time of the incident, the then President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was leaving Aso Rock Villa for the National Executive Council meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Wadata House national secretariat of the party. Security operatives blocked the road as the presidential convoy moved towards Shehu Shagari Way. Other road users halted movement to make way for the presidential convoy, Akpabio’s convoy was unwilling to queue. They made a detour and speed against traffic at a high, blaring siren and swerving from side-to-side.
Heavily armed soldiers and police officers arrested the convoy. The convoy was released with a warning, after the intervention of security operatives attached to the then governor.