I DON’T like Lions. Their hunt bores me stiff. On sighting a prey, they go too swiftly, too brutal and aim for the thyroid. In seconds they break the wind pipe of their prey and pronto, dinner is served. No real drama, no teasing, all sheer speed and downright efficient killing. One of my favorite hunters is the Hyena. They are pretty much more patient than the vulture. They can chase a prey for days on end, at the end the prey is worn out and more or less surrenders itself as dinner.

There is a sense of drama in their hunt. The prey at the beginning of the hunt is quite agile.   The pack of Hyenas knows that it is a matter of time before the prey starts losing strength. Like marathon runners from Kenya they keep up the pace behind the prey.

Their superior will and strength will ultimately prevail. My all time favourite hunter is the domestic cat. The first bust of speed is to knock the rat silly. Thereafter the cat starts a strange game. It pretends to lose interest and allows the rat to attempt an escape. The attempt by the rat is then thwarted by the agile cat. This routine is repeated serially until the cat makes up its mind to have dinner. The joy of the cat is really not in the killing, but enjoying the torture of the mind of the rat.

President Muhammadu Buhari has proven himself an avid hunter. His persistence in repeatedly contesting the Nigerian Presidency has all the markings of the skill of the Hyena. He kept at it even against all possible odds. To the amazement of many of us, he has finally succeeded.

But now, the hunt for the crown of Presidency has been won and a new hunt must start. The new hunt must be the hunt for immortality. His team has since realised that the  easiest way for the President to attain immortality in the minds of his avid supporters is to continuously mock, humiliate and ultimately destroy ex- President  Goodluck  Jonathan. For this hunt to excite his teaming fans, it must not be the Lions hunt.

If he hobbles Jonathan swift and fast, even if it leads to Jonathan receiving a life imprisonment, he would have made a gross political mistake; he would have made a martyr out of Jonathan.  The sight of a Jonathan in chains, whilst it will no doubt excite the minds of most Jonathan haters, will immediately win a lot of sympathy from the neutrals for the genial Jonathan.

The angst of the keen Jonathan supporters will also be kindled; invariably a bit of violence may sprout in the creeks. Worse still, the immediate hobbling of Jonathan will lead to calls for more blood from ferocious Nigerians. The thirst can only be satiated if other big fishes such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Lagos State Governor Sen. Bola Tinubu are also crushed in the process. That will be a massive cull fest that may prove too big for the appetite of moderate Nigerians.

So the plan has to be obvious: make the probing of Jonathan the center piece of the policy of this government and do it very slowly. This government really does not need to tar roads, construct railways, work on the power situation or indeed carry out any other form of governance to be hugely successful. Just keep on probing Jonathan and the place of this administration is guaranteed in history. Already, it appears as if the President has gotten the hang of it. Prior to his inauguration he made it clear that he will probe Jonathan.

When he went to United States he announced to the whole world in an article that under Jonathan, one million barrels of oil was stolen daily, he made the unnecessary error of reducing this figure in an NTA interview to Two Hundred and fifty thousand barrels of oil per day when he came back from United States. Since then the reiteration of plans to probe Jonathan has become a weekly affair. The press statement is usually released after the President has met with one group or the other. He will of course reiterate his commitment to recovering all the Jonathan loot.  As of the last count this mysterious loot was said to be $150Billion. This figure was arrived at before any audit or investigation. Surely it may reach a Trillion Dollars when the real investigation is done.

The logical next step is to up the ante. More “cronies” of the Ex-President must on weekly basis be invited by EFCC for “grilling”. Since the ex-President has more than a hundred “cronies”, this process can easily take two years. Nigerians will focus on these invitations and grilling of the ex-President’s aides and marvel at the ultimate spectacle that they will behold when eventually Jona and Mama Peace will face their comeuppance. But this evil day must be delayed and be made to remain the ultimate piece of showmanship.

The time for their arrest must be very close to the next election. By then his supporters will be defined as the supporters of corruption, whilst the supporters of the President will have the higher moral high ground. By hobbling Jonathan, PDP is invariably reduced in the minds of “right thinking Nigerians”, who know that corruption is the exclusive preserve of the PDP. By slowly bamboozling and teasing Jonathan, the President will walk straight into the Nigerian hall of fame as the man who crushed corruption. After all once Jonathan finally goes to prison a week to the next general election, all the corruption in Nigerian Police, Customs and Excise and other Federal and State Government agencies would have been vanquished.

Mr. Emeka Odikpo, a public affairs commentator,  wrote from Abuja.

The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu, said on Thursday that more purges were on the way as part of activities aimed at restructuring the company for better performance and accountability.

He said the restructuring would affect all levels of the corporation with the new group executive directors and group managing directors taking the exercise to the lower cadres.

Kachikwu spoke with State House correspondents shortly after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Things have been done wrongly and things need to be done differently. We are doing a lot of work in terms of repositioning, restructuring, getting the right personnel in key places and setting a culture of accountability and service delivery so that the new NNPC that you are going to see will be a different institution altogether,” he said.

Kachikwu also said after the personnel aspect must have been done with, he would order for a proper forensic audit covering 2014 and 2015.

The exercise, he added, would show the true state of the company.

He expressed the conviction that the whole process would lead to a new look NNPC within five to six months.

He said, “The restructuring will be complete. I have done the first three layers, from the GEDs to the GGMs and general managers. You are going to have a lot more now. The GEDs and the GGMs will take it to the next layer, which is the lower layer.

“The whole idea is to go back to being able to look at your appraisals; and how well have you done in the job? If you have done very well, how do we elevate you to a position where you can offer more service? If you have not done well enough, we can retrain you and if you have not done well enough and there is no possibility of retraining you, we will let you go.

“The NNPC is not a public service. It is a corporation and we run like a company generating money for the people of Nigeria. And so, that whole concept of ‘anything goes’ should stop. And this is the first stage of that whole process.”

Kachikwu said he was pursuing what he called a three-pronged process in the restructuring of the corporation.

He said, “It is three-pronged process that I am pursuing. There is a people aspect, which we are dealing with now. There is a process aspect. And after placing the people at the right places, you are going to get a forensic audit done, that will be able to say to you, ‘this is the state of the company.’

“We are going to put processes and control in place. We are going to do retraining and repositioning and then, we are going to re-engage our majors and minors, all those who are active in the sector, for us to work as a team to take Nigeria forward. It is going to be the process stage.

“The final stage will be the business stage, which will be looking at all the existing contracts. Are they good? Are they okay? Do they need to be re-kitted and redone?

“We will look at the PSCs. What should we do, going forward? We will look at the challenges posed by reduced balance sheet as a result of $40 or $50 per barrel oil. What do we do to energise recovery and income growth so that government will have money to work with?

“It is a very intensive work; very calibrated work. A lot of us are not spending time sleeping but over the next five to six months, you will begin to see a new NNPC. A new process of oil administration in the country and obviously, giving fillip to Mr. President’s dream of taking the oil industry back to where it should be.”

When asked about his position on the President’s directive on the Treasury Single Account, Kachikwu said the directive was being considered.

He said he was looking at how to merge accountability with the need to ensure the survival of the industry.

“The reality is that to run an oil company, you’ve got to have funds. If you don’t, you will close down the corporation and the production system will close down. So, we are looking at how to merge the need for accountability and openness with the need to make sure that the industry itself survives. We cannot throw away the baby with the bathwater,” he said.

The National Economic Council’s ad-hoc committee on the management of the Excess Crude Account proceeds and accruals into the Federation Account on Thursday said it had hired two firms, the KPMG and the Price Water House Cooper, to audit the accounts of all Federal Government’s revenue-earning agencies.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, who chairs the committee, disclosed this to State House correspondents after a meeting of the committee at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Oshiomhole was joined at the briefing by other members of the committee such as Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State; and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State.

Read also: NDDC Probe: Over N600M Allegedly Paid By Akpabio, IMC For Media Cover-up, Coalition Reveals

He named the agencies whose accounts would be audited as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Securities Exchange Commission, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Department of Petroleum Resources, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, Federal Ministry of Finance and Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, among others.

He said before the decision was taken, the committee had earlier in the day listened to presentations from government agencies expected to be remitting revenue into the Federation Account in line with the Constitution and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation on the investigation currently being carried out.

He said while the committee had taken the presentation of some of the agencies, it would still take more on a later date.

Read also: Updated: Governor Diri Heads To Appeal Court As Tribunal Annuls His Election

He said, “We have decided to hire two audit firms, KPMG and PwC, to carry out the audit of all the agencies and government will decide what to do. We are doing this because we are sitting governors.

“The interaction has been quite interesting. We have heard from the agencies and they understand what the issues are. Many of them are new by virtue of the recent changes. We are convinced that the audit firms will do a professional job and help the government. The job is going on quietly.”

Oshiomhole said while the committee did not give the audit firms a timeline to carry out the exercise, he expressed the hope that they would do their job as quickly as possible without compromising their integrity.

He said the committee expected a more thorough job because the PwC had admitted that the audit it carried out on the NNPC, under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, was done under a political environment that was not favourable.

He added that the audit firm confirmed that some organisations did not open their books to them for the audit.

He also noted that the KPMG confirmed to the committee that it declined to carry out the exercise under Jonathan because of the political environment at that time.

The governor said there was room for the audit firms to do more this time because the current President had demonstrated enormous political will to ensure that the federal agencies are run on the basis of international best practices.

Oshiomhole said the exercise was more serious now because the government would not run if agencies failed to remit taxes.

“This is about making Nigeria work for the benefit of other Nigerians and we have to bear in mind that governments are not run on the basis of collection of crude oil, but government regardless of colour or political affiliation is run on taxes and so. If you have tax-generating agencies that are not remitting taxes, government cannot run like that. So, in the long run, Nigeria has to live on taxes,” he added.

When asked if there would be sanctions for those who might be indicted by the audit firms, the governor said the exercise was not for fun.

He said the government would ensure that it would not be “business as usual” under the current dispensation.

When asked if the development meant that the government would jettison the PwC report of the audit carried out on the NNPC under the last administration, Oshiomhole said that exercise was limited to the NNPC while the fresh audit would involve all revenue-earning agencies.

He added that the PwC itself confirmed that the scope of the work they did in the first audit was limited.

The Senate, yesterday, constituted an ad-hoc Committee to carry out a holistic investigation into the management of funds appropriated to the power sector from the Olusegun Obasanjo civilian administration to date.

Announcing the 13-man ad-hoc committee, yesterday, Senate President, Bukola Saraki urged members of the committee to consider their reputation and integrity and come up with a report that would be acceptable to Nigerians. He lamented that a lot of money had been spent on the power sector with no results, while Nigeria is still faced with the challenge of power supply.

The committee which has Senator Abubakar Kyari, APC, Borno North, as chairman, was also saddled with the responsibility of looking into irregularities in the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN.

Read also: Buhari Reappoints Joseph Ugbo As NDPHC MD For Another 4 Years

Yesterday’s action of the Senate would inadvertently probe how the Obasanjo, Umaru Yar‘adua and Jonathan administrations managed funds allocated to the power sector.

A similar probe ordered by the House of Representatives into the sector in 2007 under the stewardship of Ndudi Elumelu quickly degenerated into controversy as it was alleged to be a witch-hunt. Another probe ordered by the Senate in that era under the stewardship of Senator Nicholas Ugbane also ended in controversy. Both Ugbane and Elumelu were in 2010 indicted by the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of involvement in an alleged N5.2 billion contract scam in the Rural Electrification Project of the Federal Government.

Other members of the committee as announced, yesterday, were Senators Mohammed Hassan, Ali Wakili, Godswill Akpabio, Mao Ohuabunwa, Aliyu Wammako, Shaaba Lafiagi, Olusola Adeyeye, Babajide Omoworare, Fatima Razaki, Ighoyota Amori, Mustapha Bukar and Dino Melaye.

According to the Senate President, inadequate power supply in the country was a cause for concern as it had affected economic growth, stressing that besides corruption, lack of power supply had plunged the country into further hardship.

Read also: Economic Stress: IBEDC, AEDC, Other Discos Commence Electricity Tariff Hike July 1

State of power  lamentable — Saraki

Speaking on the issue yesterday, Senator Saraki said: “We thought that with the Power Reform Act and unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), we will begin to witness an improvement with regard to power supply, but unfortunately it is not so. The ad-hoc committee we will set up should look at the activities of the DISCOs and what is preventing Nigerians from benefitting from the unbundling of the PHCN.”

Also worried by the security challenge in the North East geo-political zone of the country and the need to assist the military in nipping in the bud, the activities of members of Boko Haram, the Senate, yesterday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, ask the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to reconnect Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to the national grid.

The Senate which also condemned inability of TCN to provide continuous and uninterrupted power supply to all parts of the country, however, expressed concern that Nigeria with a population of over 150 million produces only 4, 600 mega watts, while South Africa with a population of about 45 million people produces more than 40,000 mega watts.

The Senate resolution was upon a motion titled: “Disconnection of Maiduguri from the National Grid and General Power Degeneration in Nigeria” and presented by the Leader of the Senate, Senator Muhammed Ali Ndume.

In his motion, Senator Ndume observed that the disconnection from the national grid and degeneration of power supply across the country had affected economic activities because of the collapse of several industries, even as he expressed concern that with an installed power generation potential of about 5,000 MW, the output distributed today was about 1,950 megawatts of energy.

According to him, it was disheartening to note that Iran with 70 million people generates about 42,000 megawatts, while South Korea with about 35 million people generates about 60,000 mega watts of electricity.

Speaking further, Senator Ndume, who complained that the situation had grounded economic activities in the state, said: “I buy diesel to run my generator and that costs me N10,000 per day. No country can be said to be near development when there is no power. This Senate needs to investigate to give the government support. For years now, a lot of money has been spent but there is nothing to show for it.”

Also, speaking, Senator Danjuma Goje, APC- Gombe Central who noted that the motion was apt in view of the untold suffering the lack of power supply had caused Nigerians, said: “The problem of power was on before 1999 and I am surprised that up till today, the power sector is grappling with insufficient power supply.

Senators condemn  poor power generation, distribution

Senator Goje, who served as Minister of State (power) during the Obasanjo administration added: “This motion is apt because there is a need to find out what happened in spite of the unbundling and huge amount so far spent.”

On his part, Senator Akpabio (PDP- Akwa Ibom North West) who lamented that many companies had shut down due to irregular power supply in the country, stressed that in spite of the financial contribution by some states in the South to improve power supply, Nigerians were still grappling with lack of electricity supply, adding: “In 2015 we are celebrating 4,000 mega watts. For me this is worrisome. We cannot have employment without power and Nigerians are complaining about the high cost and some localities who have not seen light for months are asked to pay high tariff.” Akpabio said the 8th Senate should do all within its power to assist the Federal Government in bringing an end to the problem.

POWER: Nigeria squanders N6.52 trillion on darkness since 1999

If comments of former Nigerian leaders are anything to go by, the country, in the last 16 years spent $29.635 billion or N6.52 trillion on power with little or nothing to show for it.

While the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo reportedly spent $16bn (N3.52 trn), his successor, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, expended $5.375bn or N1.183trn while immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration spent $8.26bn (N1.817 trn).

Piqued by the poor power situation, late President Yar’Adua, on assuming power in 2007  said that “the government under President Olusegun Obasanjo wasted $10bn on the National Independent Power Project, NIPP with little or nothing to show for it.”

Then House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, put his own figure at $16bn  and proceeded to set up a committee headed by Ndudi Elumelu to probe the billions of dollars spent on the independent power projects.

The Ndudi Elumelu-led committee concluded its investigations and submitted its report, but nobody  was ready to account for how the $16bn spent on the power sector failed to yield “commensurate result”.

Then it was discovered that about 2,500 containers of imported power equipment worth about $5bn were abandoned at the Lagos ports with the demurrage generated by the abandoned equipment put at over N4bn.

Investigations revealed that the equipment formed part of the $16bn that was expended within Obasanjo’s eight years.

Following the 2007 change in administration that brought in Yar’Adua as president, the funding arrangements for NIPP were subjected to intensive legal, political and financial scrutiny, resulting in over two-year interruption in funding for the projects.

After a protracted and intensive debate on the way forward, however, the National Economic Council (NEC) under Yar’Adua agreed later in 2008 to set aside an additional $5.375bn from the ECOA as a Power Emergency Fund to complete NIPP subject to the approvals of all the state legislative houses.

By official Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) figures, at the time of the suspension, $2.8bn was already invested in NIPP, including $1.78bn in funded letters of credits which allowed some of the projects to continue despite the funding interruption. Contracted commitments totalled $7.385bn.

While campaigning in 2011, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was then the presidential candidate of of the  Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), said that both President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo have questions to answer, if he was voted into power.

Speaking at a presidential debate organised by NN24, a television outfit, Buhari said he was not satisfied with the effort by the government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since 1999. “We need to know how much has been spent so far. Over $16bn was spent by Obasanjo regime, yet we don’t have power. Also, the government under Jonathan said we now have over 4,000 mega watts, yet our people don’t have the power,” he  said.

Dr. Jonathan last February 21 disclosed that the Federal Government had invested about $8.26bn in the power sector through the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), in the bid to boost the electricity generation capacity in the country by over 4, 700MW.

President Muhamadu Buhari has approved new group general managers to manage some of the divisions of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

This is coming as the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu, explained that the task of restructuring the national oil firm into a lean, efficient, and business-focused organisation warranted the management’s approval to retire 38 senior managers in the company.

Kachikwu explained that the downsizing which saw the exit of all senior managers who were billed to retire between now and December 2016, was also a cost-saving measure.

On Tuesday evening, Buhari fired the senior managers, approved four directorates for the corporation and allowed the NNPC to recruit 12 private sector personnel into the top management cadre to jump-start a new business outlook that would enhance the operational environment as a profit-driven business in contrast to its current civil service orientation.

The GMD stated that the trimming down exercise, apart from gearing the corporation in the direction of a leaner and more efficient organisation, had enormous cost-saving benefits.

Kachikwu outlined some of the new GGMs to include Mr. Mele Kyari, Crude Oil Marketing Division; Mr. Ahmadu Sambo, NNPC Oilfield Services; Dr. Surajdeen Afolabi, Information Technology Division/SAP; Mr. Zubair Aliyu, NNPC Capital; and Mr. Dafe Sejebor, Nigerian Petroleum Investment Management Services.

They also include Mrs. Kemi Akitoye, Human Resources Division; Mr. Godwin Okonkwo, Finance; Mr. Bello Rabiu, Corporate Planning Division; Mr. Anibo Kragha, Treasury; and Mr. Dalhatu Makama, Shipping (Nidas & Nikorma).

The restructuring at the NNPC started last week Tuesday after President Buhari fired the former GMD, Dr. Joseph Dawha, and replaced him with Kachikwu.

A day later, the President sacked the firm’s eight group executive directors but announced no replacement, although our correspondent reported that the eight departments were trimmed to four.

The restructuring continued on Friday as Kachikwu redeployed the Group General Manager, Crude Oil and Marketing Division, Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, and replaced him with Mr. Musa Usman, who served briefly in acting capacity.

About two weeks ago, President Buhari declared a strong stance to fix Nigeria’s oil sector, rid the industry of rot and probe monies stolen by operators in the sector.

The President had in late June dissolved the NNPC board.

ABUJA-President Muhammadu Buhari has terminated the appointment of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero.

The termination of Alhaji Bayero’s appointment is with immediate effect.

A statement by the presidential spokesperson, Mr. Femi Adesina directed Bayero to hand over the management of the NPA and all government property in his possession to Mr. Habibu Abdullahi who has been reinstated as Managing Director of the NPA by President Buhari.

The President also wished Bayero well in his future endeavours.

PAYMENT of subsidy on fuel importation and Foreign Exchange (FOREX) differentials on bank loans granted to marketers by the Federal Government are to end soon.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said the government was doing everything to ensure that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) become sole importer of petroleum products.

Members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) have been on a running battle with the Federal Government over subsidy claims running into several millions of dollars.

Read also: Windfall: How NNPC Recorded ₦211.62billion from Petroleum Products Sales in February

But Emefiele said President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the NNPC to cut down on importation by reactivating the four refineries and ensuring they function at installed capacities.

Speaking in an interview with Financial Times of London, the CBN chief said: “The President came on board and said that we will work very hard to reduce importation of petroleum products by ensuring that our refineries work. Our refin­eries are working now.

“The Warri and Port Harcourt refineries have started producing. They have not obtained the optimal capacity but they will. The Kaduna refinery will start working this month.

“Now, there are other actions that the Presidency is putting in place to ensure that we reduce importation of petroleum products where the NNPC will solely, almost solely be responsible for procuring refined petroleum.

”Those who are importing petroleum products will only just need to go to the NNPC and pick up petroleum products.

“So, in that area, I would say that we are already moving in the direction of reducing the import of pe­troleum products. And we will achieve it.”

Read also: Sell Petrol At old Rate Until PPPRA Gives Directive, IPMAN Tells members

On the efforts being made by the President to recoup stolen oil revenues believed to have been deposited in foreign banks, Emefiele said the issue was still being looked at, assuring that “as the Central Bank, we will also assist in drilling them once we get to that stage, and we will be happy to have that money back because it will improve our reserves”.

The Senate on Thursday approved a 75 million World Bank loan for Edo state’s Development Policy Operation (DPO) as requested by President Muhammadu Buhari. The approval followed the consideration of a single-prayer report of the ad hoc Committee on Local and Foreign Debt presented by Sen. Kabiru Gaya (APC Kano South). The committee in its report urged the Senate to approve the loan, stating that the World Bank had already considered the state ready for it.

Sen. Adamu Aliero (APC Kebbi Central), in his contributions, said that Edo State had qualified for this loan, because the state had met the conditions set by the World Bank. Aliero said that the loan would help increase the internally generated revenue of the state and, therefore, urged the Senate to approve it. He also called on other states that have the capacity to borrow, to go ahead and take such loans, as long as they could utilize such judiciously.

The Leader of the Senate, Ali Ndume, while supporting the motion for the approval of the loan, encouraged other states with genuine needs to take advantage of such low interest loans, rather than the patronising commercial banks. “The first tranche of this borrowing plan had already been approved by the senate and the World Bank has strict borrowing conditions– which the state has met.

“I therefore move that we approve this loan,” he said. However, Sen. Matthew Urhoghide (PDP Edo South) while supporting the approval of the loan, expressed the misgivings of the people of the State about it. He said that on the day the Senate received the letter from Mr President, he got over 2000 text messages and emails; “out rightly, the people have said that they do not want the loan.’’

Urhoghide, argued that although the loans would bring about more gains for the people of the state, there was need to accede to the yearnings of the Edo people and verify the misgivings expressed by the people of the state. The senator said that the first tranche of the loan was used for projects that were not visible, and urged that the second tranche should be judiciously utilized to clear the doubts of the people.

“This loan was premised on certain things that the state government said it was going to do, it was meant to enhance good governance, it was not meant to be used on things that were tangible or visible. “It was to enhance private sector development, improve facilities for increased IGR in the state and increase private investment and employment opportunities.

“I am not standing to oppose what has been granted by Mr President or the desire of the state government, I am here to look at some
of the views expressed by the people on the things that have been done with first tranche. “We need to verify some of the claims that has been made, we need to look at the report that has been given by the World Bank– if they are satisfactory,” he said.

The senate, however, approved the loan though with a tangible number of dissenting voices. The 75 million dollars loan is the second tranche of a 225 million dollar Development Policy Operation loan approved for the state by the World Bank.

A Federal High Court in Lagos has struck out a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by a  former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, to challenge his impeachment.

Justice Mohammed Idris, in a judgment on Thursday, held that Olanusi’s suit was an abuse of court processes, noting that the reliefs being sought were same as those in an earlier suit marked Ak/51/2015 still pending before an Ondo State High Court in Akure.

“The issues of the fundamental rights of the applicant were raised in that suit as in this suit. This cannot be allowed.

“The institution of the first action between the main parties or even similar parties on same subject matter simultaneously when the previous suit has not been disposed off constitutes an abuse of court processes.

“I therefore hold that this suit is filed in abuse of court processes in the light of suit numbered AK/51/2015,” Idris held.

The judge also held that he had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit and went on to fault the joining of the Inspector General of Police as a defendant, who, he said, played no role in Olanusi’s impeachment.

Idris upheld the submission by the Attorney General of Ondo State, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), who represented the first respondent in the suit, that “it is clear that the applicant merely joined the Inspector General of Police as a subterfuge to justify bringing this application before this court in an obvious situation of lack of jurisdiction.

Idris, however, rejected Jegede’s argument that Olanusi filed his suit in breach of Order X Rule 1 of the fundamental rights enforcement procedure 2009.

Olanusi, who was impeached on April 27, 2015, had sued the IG and the chairman of the  seven-man investigative panel which found him guilty of impeachable offences, Mr. Olatunji Adeniyan.

In his suit, which was transferred from the Akure Division of the Federal High Court to the Lagos Division, so that it could be urgently heard, Olanusi contended that the Adeniyan-led panel breached his fundamental right to fair hearing.

His lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, claimed that “the sitting, conclusion of proceedings and submission of report by the panel within one day” denied Olanusi his right to fair hearing as enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.

Olanusi claimed that the impeachment panel did not give him adequate time and facility to defend himself against the allegations of misconduct which he was found guilty of.

He also alleged that the Adeniyan-led panel failed to personally serve him with the notice of the allegation of misconduct before proceeding into hearing and  reaching its verdict.

He therefore sought an order quashing the proceedings and the report of the Adeniyan-led seven-man impeachment panel which recommended him for impeachment.

He also sought an order nullifying his removal as the Ondo State Deputy Governor by the state House of Assembly on April 27, 2015.

But Adeniyan, through the Attorney General of Ondo State, Jegede,  filed a notice of preliminary objection, urging the court to discountenance Olanusi and strike out his suit.

Jegede, who described Olanusi’s suit as an abuse of court processes, said the ex-deputy governor goofed by approaching the court through a fundamental right enforcement application to challenge his impeachment.

Ikeja – Bristow Helicopter Limited on Thursday promised to assist survivors and families of the dead victims of its ill-fated chopper that plunged into the lagoonon Wednesday in Lagos. Bristow Regional Director for Africa Duncan Moore made the pledge in a statement in Lagos. “Our thoughts are with those affected by the unfortunate accident. We regret the loss of lives in the air crash and we are ready to assist them with our full resources. “Our highest priority is to take care of our crew and clients and their family members and provide them with any assistance needed. “Our personnel are currently working to confirm the number of people on board, their identities and the extent of any injury,” he said. Moore said the company was fully co-operating with appropriate authorities that were investigating the incident. “The company is fully cooperating with Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Nigeria Police “Preliminary information indicates that the aircraft carried 10 passengers and a crew of two, subject to confirmation. “The company is in the process of collecting pertinent information and we will release more details as soon as it is available. “At this time, the full resources of Bristow Helicopter’s incident response team are being mobilised,” he said. AIB had earlier said in a statement on Wednesday said it had commenced investigation into the Bristow helicopter that crashed into the lagoon in Lagos. The bureau’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Tunji Oketunbi, said the investigation had commenced with the AIB Commissioner, Dr Felix Abali, leading the team. The statement said 12 persons were believed to be on board. The helicopter, with tail number 5N-BGD, was involved in an accident at about 3:30 p.m on approach to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The aircraft, a Sikorsky S-76C+, was returning from a drilling rig. The Public Relation Officer, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West had earlier confirmed four dead while six survivors have been taken to the hospital and two were still missing. (NAN)

A 35-year-old Nigerian, who once wrote rap lyrics for Al-Qaeda in Yemen, was sentenced to 22 years in a US prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to terror charges.

Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, who was extradited to New York from Nigeria, was jailed by Judge John Gleeson in a US federal court in Brooklyn, prosecutors announced.

He was originally indicted in the United States on four counts but pleaded guilty in April 2014 to providing and conspiring to provide support to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

He traveled to Yemen after “underwear bomber” and fellow Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day 2009 with explosives stuffed down his pants.

Babafemi made two trips to Yemen from Nigeria between January 2010 and August 2011 to train with leaders of AQAP in the use of weapons and inspiring “lone-wolf” style attacks overseas.

He helped with their English-language media operations, including online magazine Inspire, in which he was photographed holding an AK-47, according to court documents.

He wrote rap lyrics on behalf of AQAP, hoping to extend its appeal to young Westerners, and was given nearly $9,000 in cash to recruit other English speakers from Nigeria before he was arrested, then extradited to the United States.

Underwear bomber Abdulmutallab, who also traveled to Yemen to meet AQAP leaders, is serving a life sentence in America.

Washington considers Al-Qaeda’s franchise in Yemen as one of the network’s most dangerous.

It has orchestrated several plots on Western targets and claimed the January killings at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Four passengers died yesterday when a Bristow Helicopters chopper plunged into the Lagos Lagoon.

On board were 12 people, including two crew members.

Six others, who were injured, were rescued from the scene of the crash, which was  still  being combed late yesterday for the two missing persons.

Read also: Just In: President Trump Loses Younger Brother

The chopper, marked 5N – BDG – 760540, was flying from an oil rig between Ondo and Lagos states, with contractors of  a dredging company, Indigo, who were returning to base.

The incident occurred at about 3:10pm at Oworonsoki.

Eyewitnesses said they saw the chopper spinning before nose-diving 900 metres from the shore.

The victims, The Nation gathered, had spent two weeks on the rig and were coming back for their two-week break, as it is the practice.

One person walked out of the crash without assistance. He was taken to the hospital on a motorcycle. The others had fractured limbs.

According to dredgers on Alonge Street, where the chopper nose-dived, the six persons rescued alive included a man who allegedly walked out of the crashed chopper, had serious injuries and was in pains.

They alleged that the co-pilot, who was among those rescued, had broken limbs and held his back, gasping for air.

Read also: Trump Whisked Out Of Press Briefing After Shooting Incident At White House

The dredgers told The Nation of their efforts at rescuing the passengers before emergency agencies arrived at the scene about 45 minutes later.

Ihindu, who alleged that his divers and equipment were deployed immediately the incident occurred, said one of the rescued passengers told them there were 14 people on board, including a woman.

He said all those rescued were male, identifying them as Solomon Ude, Joshua Emekanma, Chukwudi Onah, Dolu Ebiejuara, Iniala Paimi and Onoriode Ojiete.

Recounting how the chopper came down, Ihindu said it was very fast, adding that they had noticed it flying very low.

According to him, the chopper nose-dived into the lagoon.

He said local divers recovered eight persons-seven injured and one dead- who were handed over to the police for further action.

Corroborating his story, a woman who identified herself as Ibirounke said: “We were here working when it happened. The Bristow Helicopters was flying towards this direction at low height. But, suddenly it started spinning and turned on the opposite direction before going underwater.

“Our men saved all those who were alive. We rescued eight people from this side and of the eight, one died. Seven others survived though they had serious injuries and some have drunk water.

“On the other side, three other bodies were recovered, making four dead. Some of the victims who could talk told us that they work for Indigo Dredging.”

When The Nation visited the scene, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Michael Akindele; Southwest Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Onimode Bamdele, Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasaq Fadipe, personnel from the Nigerian Navy, NSCDC, NAMA, AIB, among others were on ground.

Shoes, bags, life-jackets and other personal effects of the victims recovered from the wrecked aircraft were seen  within the premises of a neearby police station.

A crowd gathered last night outside the Oworonsoki police station.

In a joint situation report by LASEMA, NEMA and Fire Service, Akindele said two of the injured persons were at Afolabi Hospital. Four others were receiving treatment at the Gbagada General Hospital.

He said the bodies of the dead had been deposited at the Mainland General Hospital mortuary, adding that the rescuers could neither state the airline, nor the exact number of those onboard.

He said: “We were told that there were 12 people on board. But unless we see the manifest, we cannot confirm for sure. Right now, we are working with the alleged figure and so, are looking for two more people allegedly missing.

“At the moment, we cannot give you names of victims or the details of the aircraft because our primary concern is to save lives.

“We are deploying equipment at the moment to enable us work here all through the night until the missing persons are recovered.

“Those injured are responding to treatment at the various hospitals and we cannot be asking them questions now because they are in pains,” Akindele said.

Giving details of the crash, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said in statement through its Commissioner, Dr Felix Abali “Twelve persons were believed to be on board. There were casualties and survivors. It was a Bristow Helicopters’ chopper on approach to landing in Lagos.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) also confirmed the helicopter crash.

A statement signed by NCAA’s spokesman Fan Ndubuoke reads : “A Bristow Helicopter, with registration number 5N – BDG – 760540 en route from one of the nation’s oil rigs has crashed at Oworonshoki in Lagos (yesterday).

“The Helicopter scheduled to arrive Lagos 15.35pm had 12 (twelve) souls on board, including the crew.However,the number of casualties is yet to be determined.

“At present, officials of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigeria Police are at the site providing rescue operation for the victims.

“While this is ongoing, further details will be communicated as appropriate.”

Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, commiserated with the victims of the crash last night.

Speaking through his deputy, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, Ambode said the government dispatched its emergency team to the site upon hearing of the accident, adding that top officials of the government were at the site on the directive of the governor for first-hand information.

The deputy governor was also at the Gbagada General Hospital, where four of the survivors were being treated. She sympathised with the the injured passengers and assured them that they would have the best of medical care.

She told reporters after the visit that two survivors were taken to a private hospital around the site of the crash for first aid attention, noting that they would be moved to the government hospital once their condition stabilises.

“We have four of the survivors at the Gbagada General Hospital while two others are at a private hospital, Afolabi Medical Centre, where they are being attended to as a sort of first aid, pending when their condition improves and they will be transferred to the General Hospital also,” the deputy governor said.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has called for the establishment of special anti-terrorism courts to strengthen the war against terrorism and insurgency in Africa.

This is contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Uche Anichukwu, on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ekweremadu, according to the statement, made the call at the ongoing 46th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association African Region Conference holding in Nairobi, Kenya.

Read also: Nigeria, Ghana, S/Africa Set To Benefit From Facebook’s Massive $57bn Investment

He warned that terrorism in Africa was more widespread than was generally recognised.
According to him, terrorist groups can easily mobilise, train, establish and maintain cells and links without the physical obstacles of borders because of information technology penetration in Africa.

He urged African nations to pay attention to judicial reforms as they embarked on reform of legal frameworks and institutions to fight terrorism.
“Our courts and judges are overwhelmed by lawsuits and the wheels of justice grind very slowly in most African countries.
“ There is also the issue of the suitability of our conventional courts in terms of security for the trial of such high profile crimes.

“We should consider amending our laws to set up special Anti-terrorism courts to try terrorism suspects.
“ If punishments were to be swiftly meted out to offenders, it would deter prospective terrorists and their sponsors,’’ the statement quoted Ekweremadu aas saying.

He expressed strong belief that besides lawmaking, African parliaments could contribute immensely to the war against terrorism by effectively utilising the powers of oversight, appropriation, approval of certain appointments, and ratification of international treaties.

Read also: Oil Crisis: Nigeria, Other African Oil Exporters To Lose $34bn – IMF

He added that steps included approval of special measures like State of Emergency and public enlightenment to counter radicalisation and manipulation of religious, political, and ethnic sentiments by terrorists to promote their agenda.

He also called for attention to laws and policies that effectively addressed known factors that helped in breeding and escalating the blight of terrorism.

A helicopter belonging to Bristow Helicopters with 12 people on board Wednesday, crashed into the Lagoon near the Oworonshoki end of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

According to an eyewitness,  the aircraft marked 5NBGD was said to be coming from one of the oil rigs in Escravos area of the Niger Delta and was said to be heading for Lagos Island when it went down around 3.p.m.

According to reports, three of those on board were confirmed dead while four wounded ones were moved to the nearby Gbagada General Hospital.

The crash was said to have occurred at the back of Oworonsoki Police station after a loud bang was heard from the helicopter.

First respondents, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, its Lagos state counterparts, LASEMA, and policemen are said to have embarked on rescue operations.

According to the Divisional Police Office, DPO, Oworonshoki, Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Chijioke Nduka, who led officers to the scene to rescue victims, there was a loud sound from the aircraft before the crash. He said more officers including the Area Commander Ikeja Command, were at the scene assisting operatives of NEMA in the rescue operations.

To make rescue operations easier, routes to the site of the crash had been cordoned off hence gridlock on the Third Mainland.

…Momoh, Muoneke, others axed over corrupt dealings

Indications have emerged suggesting that the Federal Government might have ordered the sack of former managing directors of subsidiaries of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) owing to the perceived fraud that has marred the crude oil swap deal entered into by government.

The deal entails concessions to oil multi-nationals who are allotted crude quota from daily production to the tune of 445,000 barrels per day to refine in overseas facilities and repatriate derivable products such kerosene and premium motor sprit (petrol) and diesel back into the country.

Sources told THE NEW DIPLOMAT that dissatisfied with the deep seated corruption and corrupt practices in the scheme as well as accusations and counter-accusations flying around regarding how the deal has been handled by the affected companies.

Apparently piqued by the sordid revelations emanating from the series of discrete probes both criminal and administrative that had been instituted to unearth the happenings in the deal with respect to the roles played by the affected companies, the Federal Government had to wield the big stick.

That came in a statement issued by the spokesman for the NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe who announced the sack of the managing directors of the subsidiary units in the corporation last Tuesday however failed to state the reasons for the decision.

Those in the know however believe that the action might be due to the decision of the Muhammadu Buhari-led government to clean up the corruption laden organisation.

According to Alegbe, those affected in the gale of tsunami hitting the sector include Haruna Momoh of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Anthony U. Muoneke, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and Group General Manager, of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) Engr. Jonathan Kwame Okehs, among other MDs.

Though the oil swap arrangement commenced in the early 1980s as measure to bridge the gap that existed in the supply and demand chain when it became apparent that the existing refining capacity of the country could not cope with demand of Nigerians for petroleum products.

The scandal began in 2009 when the NNPC through the Pipelines Products Marketing Company (PPMC) advertised proposals for Offshore Processing Arrangement and other proposals to guarantee fuel supply.

It was learnt that a $2billion debt on importation of petroleum products made NNPC to embrace this option, which has been grossly abused by foreign players in collaboration with officials of the affected companies.

When ceaseless agitations and calls for probe rented the media, a visibly frightened former minister for petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke had caused a letter to be written the anti-graft agency, the EFCC.

The decision to write her boss, former President Goodluck Jonathan to institute a probe into the arrangement might be due in part to the loss of Jonathan to the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari at the last presidential poll.

Dated May 18, the letter reads in part, “In view of the negativities and various issues raised in the media on the oil swaps/OPAs, I had written to EFCC, with the former president’s approval about four weeks ago, to look into the swap/OPAs in order to clarify the actual situation.

The Federal Government yesterday clarified that the agencies of government not funded through the federal government budget are expected to remit only 25 percent of their gross earnings to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, CRF.

The 25 percent gross earnings of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) among others, are to be deposited in a sub-account linked to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to be maintained at the CBN.

Also affected, according to Vanguard findings are Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and National Sports Commission (NSC).

According to the circular obtained by Vanguard in Abuja, the system will be configured to allow access to funds by these agencies, based on approved budget.

The situation before the presidential directive was such that it was difficult to know how much the agencies were generating which made it easy for the funds to be misppropriated by heads of the agencies who had unfettered access to the accounts.

AS lobby for who becomes the substantive Director General/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, hots up, maritime stakeholders are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to look inwards in picking a candidate rather than going for an outsider, who would spend months and years learning the rope.

The call was amplified recently when it was rumoured that the Federal Government is planing to use the office of NIMASA DG as compensation for top politicians who worked assiduously for the installment of the incumbent administration. The worry is that the politician that is being touted may be a greenhorn who could spend a long time to get acclimatised to the operations in a very sensitive regulatory agency saddled with weighty responsibilities.

According to a seasoned maritime analyst and member of the Presidential Committee on Port Reforms, Lucky Aimiwero, “it is imperative that any NIMASA boss must have the requisite maritime qualifications, as spelt out in the NIMASA Act. In addition, he/she must also have cognate industry experience because the task of repositioning the agency is daunting.”

Read also: Buhari Orders NDDC To Pay Scholars Abroad As Ijaw Youths Boil

Interestingly, there are three executive directors in NIMASA, who by ranking, are the most senior officials of the agency. They are: Capt Ezekiel Bala Agaba, a Master Mariner from Benue State, who was appointed executive director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development; Barr. Callistus Nwabueze Obi, a lawyer from Anambra State, who is NIMASA’s executive director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services and Baba Haruna Jauro, an accountant from Yobe State as executive director, Finance and Administration. They were appointed at the same time in 2012 by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

After the sack of the former director general, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi in July, Obi was announced as the acting CEO. His stay on the “hot seat” was for only 72 hours, as the Federal Government replaced him with Jauro in what stakeholders described as a hot political intrigue.

A clinical analysis of the appointment of heads of agencies under the transport ministry shows it is often tilted in favour of the North, a frightening abuse of the federal character rules. Out of eight parastatals, five are currently occupied by the North. They are, the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, NITT, Zaria, Kaduna State, The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Lagos, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC, Lagos and the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Read also: COVID-19: NDDC Tells Staff To Submit To Testing, Admits Having Positive Cases

The three remaining agencies headed by the South but with the exclusion of the South East are, the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Lagos, the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarders, CRFFN, Abuja and the Maritime Academy of Nigerian, MAN, Oron Akwa Ibom State. All the geo-political zones are accommodated, except the South East that constitutes the bulk of importers and freight forwarders in the shipping business.

With this lopsidedness, industry watchers felt the appointment of Callistus Obi as the acting director general of NIMASA was in order, when viewed from the prism of equity because it seemed like an attempt to obey the federal character rules.
Perpetual stagnation Civil servants in various government ministries, departments and agencies have repeatedly clamoured for abolishment of politically motivated appointments, especially when the appointees are less qualified than those inside. The reason is that employment of outsiders leaves most career civil servants stagnated in a position for a very long time, a development that demoralises those affected by it.

According to a senior director, “when you bring in outsiders, those of us inside are perpetually stagnated. Among us civil servants, you have those of us with three master’s degrees and some Ph.Ds, who are still on level 13 or even 12. Some of us have close to 22 years experience. Then, someone comes from nowhere, claims he schooled overseas and becomes your boss, even with no cognate industry experience at all. That is manpower mismatch, to say the least.

How will people function under such a circumstance? Can you ever be happy if you are a victim of that abuse?”
According to the President, League of Maritime Editors, Ovie Edomi, bringing in people from outside leaves the core civil servants stranded in a position for years without promotion. “We call for the appointment of a NIMASA-groomed DG, who is a maritime trained professional that understands the policy direction of the agency”, he said.

Those who could be DG

•Haruna Baba Jauro: The current acting director general of The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency was, until his appointment, the executive director Finance and Administration in the Agency. Born on May 6, 1956, he is an accountant by profession with a HND Accounting from Kaduna Polytechnic, PGD in Finance and Material Management and an MBA both from the University of Maiduguri.

Calistus Obi Nwabueze: Born on May 1, 1964, Callistus Nwabueze Obi is a graduate of law from the University of Nsukka. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1991. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
Ezekiel Bala Agaba: An indigene of Benue State, Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba is a Master mariner with Class 1 Certificate of Competency (Foreign Going Unlimited) from John Moore University, Liverpool in 1986. He also holds an M.Sc in Transport Planning.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission has directed the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, to remit N133m to the Federal Treasury through the ICPC recovery account at First City Monument Bank.

This was the balance of the N350m he received from the Federal Government for staff training and physical monitoring of police personnel during the last general elections.

The ICPC also ordered the workers of the commission who were paid two-way return tickets and airport taxi fares to location within the Federal Capital Territory and states close to Abuja during the monitoring exercise to refund to the treasury N11.75m.

Read also: How Nigerian Law School Paid N32m Into Account Of Cleaner In 12 Months

“Consequently, this Commission hereby directs as follows that the total balance of N133,413,845.99 from the N350,000,000 2015 election monitoring exercise domiciled within FCMB be remitted to the Federal Treasury through the ICPC Recovery Account No. 1012929790 at Zenith Bank Plc,” it directed.

The anti-graft agency said this in its report of investigations into allegations of graft levelled against Okiro by a PSC worker, Solomon Kaase, who petitioned the ICPC in May, 2015 over alleged moves by Okiro to swindle the PSC to the tune of N275m.

He alleged that the retired Inspector-General of Police claimed that the money would be used to train 900 PSC workers when the total number of the workers of the commission was 391.

The ICPC confirmed that the PSC had only 391 workers contrary to 900 claimed by Okiro.

It said, “Investigation findings revealed that the commission budgeted for training of 900 (members of) staff and to conduct training in Abuja, Lagos and Kano.

“However, the entire staff force was not more that 391 and that is the figure actually trained in a programme held in Abuja only. The commission accepted the explanation that due process could not be adhered to strictly because of time constraint.”

Read also: Edo 2020: INEC Launches Portal For Live Broadcast From Polling Units

The report signed by the ICPC Chairman, Ekpo Nta, and dated August 6, 2015, said investigation revealed that the commission paid daily travelling allowances to all members of staff including those based in Abuja that participated in the training programme held within Abuja.

“Air tickets and DTA were paid to management staff and others who monitored elections within Abuja and its environs; even at locations where airports do not exist such as Lokoja and Minna,” the report, which was addressed to the commission’s Permanent Secretary, stated.

The ICPC observed that the PSC chairman collected money for two conferences that ran simultaneously in Dublin and Orlando, Florida, noting that he did expend the ticket fare for the Dublin trip.

The agency, however, said Okiro had written to the Presidency to expend the ticket fare for Abuja-Orlando-Abuja on another trip coming up in October, 2015, stressing that it (ICPC) should be informed if the request was turned down.