Abuja — The Federal Government has ordered a full investigation into how a wanted terrorist was granted Nigerian visa in Lebanon to visit the country.

An official of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday, that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the circumstances surrounding the issuance of Nigerian visa to the wanted terrorist who has been on the wanted list of several governments.

He was said to have been arrested while attempting to travel with a fake Palestinian passport with a valid Nigerian visa at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday, August 15, 2015 in Lebanon.It will be recalled that a radical Muslim cleric, Ahmad al-Assir, was arrested by Lebanese authorities as he attempted to leave Lebanon for Nigeria via Cairo.

According to the official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity, the ministry has been directed to explain how the wanted terrorist was able to get Nigerian visa.

“The reported  arrest of the wanted terrorist is a huge embarrassment to Nigeria and the president has directed that the matter should be investigated.

The embassy in Lebanon has been directed to furnish the ministry with details of how the man got the visa. The National Intelligence Agency Officer has been directed to provide details of what happened,” the official said.

The official added that Nigerian embassies around the world keep a tab on wanted persons in their countries of accreditation and “we are amazed that such a high profile terrorist would evade our radar. This is a major breach that cannot be allowed to go without investigation.

“This is more so that the Boko Haram sect has pledged allegiance to Islamic State terrorists. There is no way our embassy officials will allow such laxity in their areas of operation. The president is justifiably furious about it,” the source added.

It will be recalled that Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported  that Assir, who was travelling with another man, was holding a fake passport in the name of Rami Abdul Rahman Taleb, while his companion was holding a passport in the name of Khaled Sidani.

He was reported to have shaved off his iconic beard and under gone facial surgery to conceal his identity but was identified by eagle eyed Lebanese security operatives.

Sheikh Assir has been on the run for two years, having been declared wanted in Lebanon in 2013 when his followers clashed with the Lebanese army, killing at least 18 soldiers.

He gained notoriety as a “a self-proclaimed defender of Sunni rights” due to his fiery anti-Hezbollah rhetoric and had reportedly been recruiting his followers to join the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS) in Syria fighting against Assad’s government.

Violence broke out in 2013 when one of Assir’s men was caught with unlicensed weapons in his car at a military checkpoint in Sidon, south of Beirut. In reaction, Assir’s followers opened fire on the soldiers manning the checkpoint sparking a two-day battle between his militants and the army.

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, ordered an inquest into processes leading to the sale of moribund national carrier, Nigerian Telecommunications, NITEL, and its mobile arm, Mobile Telecommunications, M-TEL by the government of his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after briefing President Buhari on the activities of the sector,  Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communication & Technology, Dr. Tunji Olaopa said that the President has directed him to raise a memo on the whole transaction to ascertain if there were any underhand dealings.

He also stated that the President was equally concerned about the quality of services rendered by the telecom operators in Nigeria.

Read also: NDDC, EFCC’s Graft: Buhari Says Appointees Abused Trust

“The President was concerned about the liquidation of NITEL. He is not opposed to its privatization but he wants to know and he wants us to bring a memo on how the whole transaction was undertaken so that he would know whether Nigeria was short-changed.

“The President was concerned by the quality of service of telecom operators. The President is very concerned about the whole issue of privatization that is hindering investments in ICT infrastructure and that he will personally champion this. The President talked about the potentials of the ICT sector in generating employment,” Olaopa said.

Buhari, however, said the probe was not an indication he was opposed to the sale of the national carrier but to ensure there were no underhand practices in the process of the deal.

Failed  sell-off bids

In December 2014,  the Bureau of Public Enterprises, PBE, after several failed attempts, announced fresh acquisition of the national carrier by a consortium of investors known as NATCOM.

Director-General of PBE, Benjamin Dikki, explained that NATCOM was a consortium of seven Nigerian companies, which emerged new owners of NITEL and MTEL by offering to pay the sum of $252 million, an amount said to have met the BPE’s bid price .

Read also: NDDC Probe: PDP Recommends Akpabio’s Suspension As Police, Wike Set For Showdown

Dikki explained that the privatization process was a guided liquidation that would help bring back the two entities which had lain prostrate for more than two decades.

According to him, NATCOM emerged the successful bidder in both technical and financial commitment from the array of up to 17 firms that keenly contested for the two companies.

Dikki said: “It is our fervent hope and desire this time around we have succeeded in procuring a technically and financially qualified bidder that will not only meet the deadline for payment of the purchase consideration but more importantly deploy the required resources to rehabilitate and grow these companies to play a significant role in the Nigerian telecoms sector”.

Former Minister of Communications Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson had to confess that: “We faced numerous challenges in packaging this transaction, including outstanding unpaid terminal benefits of ex-staff of NITEL and MTEL; arrears of salaries of the retained staff and outsourced security and huge accumulated unpaid licence and other dues to NCC.”

Corroborating the BPE boss, Johnson said that the consortium beat 14 other bidders at the primary stage and one other bidder at the secondary stage to emerge winner of the bidding process.

She described the privatisation as the last segment in a well-thought out reform of the Nigerian telecommunications sector, which commenced since 2000.

Develop revenue generation potential

Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered reliably that the President also charged the ministry to work harder to fully develop the revenue-generation potential of Nigeria’s information technology sector.

According to the Senior Special Adviser, SSA, Media, to the President, Garba Shehu, after receiving a briefing from Dr. Olaopa, President Buhari also directed the Ministry to bring forward for his consideration and approval, all pending proposals for the development of the country’s ICT sector which require the approval of the Federal Executive Council.

Shehu said that Buhari told the ministry: “Where you don’t need exco approval and you are not in breach of the law and will not lose money, you can go ahead. Now that oil costs less and we are contending with its theft, we have to move to areas where we can realize revenue quickly.”.

President Buhari welcomed the plan by the ministry to use post-offices across the country for IT and financial transactions especially in the rural communities, saying that he was happy to hear that the post offices are being recovered from rats and rodents.

“The Ministry’s presentation to the President dwelled heavily on the potential of the IT sector which, Dr. Olaopa said, contributes 10 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, but could grow to 20 per cent if some proposals by the ministry are approved and implemented.”

NITEL: From Pentascope to NATCOM

Meanwhile, the privatisation history of Nitel did not begin with the sale in 2014. It actually began in 2001 when the government through the Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPE, initiated a process once considered as having the powers to transform Nitel to a modern organization, expose its workers to standard global practices and arm them with new and competitive technologies. After a heavily criticised bid process, Pentascope which was partly funded by a consortium of Nigerian banks, acquired 51 percentage of equity in Nitel.

It managed to raise the estimated meager 400 lines which Nitel had before privatisation, to about 440,000 and took the mobile arm of the company, Mtel which also competed and won GSM license same year, to a little over a million connected lines.

Barely three years after, the deal snapped. Government felt Pentascope was too slow for its liking and may have exhausted all its magic, since it was only struggling with just a million mobile lines at a time when other telecom companies like MTN and Zain (then Econet wireless and later Vmobile) which took off same time with Pentascope Nitel and Mtel, were crossing the 5 million mark .

However, Pentascope also blamed the government for being too interested in the running of Nitel, saying that its contributions rather impaired every good moves it (Pentascope) made as a core investor, to reviving Nitel.

Nevertheless, the government was determined to sell Nitel, again. This time, according to it, to a more serious investor. So, in 2006 Transnational Corporation, Transcorp, acquired 51 per cent of Nitel for $500m. But since November 14 of that year when it officially became the core investor in Nitel, Transcorp seemed to be struggling to keep a standing position. It allegedly reduced the workforce by 70%, disengaging about 7,000 staff out of the 11,000 left by Pentascope. The fortunes of the company, further deepened as the 440,000 Nitel lines and above 1 million Mtel lines left by Pentascope, nosedived to miserable 40,000 and 200,000 lines respectively under Transcorp.

While the government through the Ministry of Information and Communications was to quickly point out again that Transcorp has failed, Transcorp says government was responsible for its fate in the whole affair. Such is the blames and counter blames that have kept the true position of things away from Nigerians and left Nitel, Mtel at a grind. But arguments notwithstanding, the Federal government in July voided the sale of Nitel to Transcorp and appointed a technical board to manage the carrier.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has restated his administration’s commitment to implementing the Lagos Development Plan, saying his administration has fashioned out a framework to commence the implementation.

The governor, who spoke when a delegation of the UK Department for International Development, led by the Country Representative, Mr. Ben Mellor, paid him a courtesy visit in Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday, said his administration was setting up a framework which the permanent secretaries were already working on.

Ambode added, “We should be able to put together issues that are germane to our people and the bottom line has always been that we should do things and carry out programmes that will be of tremendous benefit to the people of Lagos State and that’s what DFID also stands for.

“We will like you to also know that whatever it is that we are doing, will open up areas that we believe will be of benefit to Nigerians in general.”

He said the development plan was geared towards achieving the vision of the government in all sectors on a long term.

The governor pointed out that he remained a firm believer in the basic principles of good governance, which according to him, thrives on accountability and an all inclusive governance.

“Lagosians must be able to speak about the kind of government they want. We must also be accountable to them; we should be able to explain to them in every facet of our administration what we are doing and then government should also be participatory,” he said.

Ambode said he had concluded plans to embark on a tour of the 57 local governments in the state, saying it would afford him the opportunity to listen to the challenges of the people first hand and address them accordingly.

“We believe strongly that we should scale up community governance in this state. It is more about communities, its more about our people and what they want,” he added.

He commended the partnership of the state government and the DFID over the years, saying it had not only been a success, but had impacted on the people in no small way.

Mellor, in his remarks, commended Ambode for his strides since he assumed office, just as he noted that his decision to run an all inclusive government was one that conformed to the ideology of the DFID.

He added that the governor’s decision to align ministries and engender public service reforms would not only increase performance-based strategic administration, but would also improve on service delivery to the people.

The much awaited outcome of the investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) on allegation of fraud against the Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Sir Mike Okiro by one Aaron Kasse was finally made public on Wednesday August 12.  But contrary to the expectation of the blackmailers, the ICPC absolved Okiro of the allegations. Today, the elder statesman who has spent all his life diligently serving the nation is in the eye of the public, nevertheless for good reasons.

To the discerning public it is not surprising that the ICPC gave Okiro a clean bill of health by clearing him of the allegations which largely stemmed from downright cheap blackmail, hate and personal vendetta targeted at rubbishing the hard earned high profile of the former Inspector General of Police and Chairman of security committee of ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,GEJ,2011 Presidential Campaign. Without mincing words, the tortuous investigations which took the ICPC about two and a half months to conclude helped to correct the insinuations and negative perception about the person of the former IGP, is also commendable and would unarguably restore Nigerians’ confidence in the Commission much sooner than expected.

Ordinarily, given the current season of petitions and probes (of course, many of which are baseless and misdirected) against serving and past public office holders by disgruntled and mischievous elements purportedly in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption fight, some lost faith in the ICPC and would rather take their case to the gods. By implication, this attitude is growing and consequently left a general mindset that any investigations by the ICPC not only would be fraught with witch-hunt but also lack thorough conduct.

In evaluating the ICPC’s report, it is important to emphasise that the investigation that cleared Okiro is particularly significant because not only does it serve as ample proof that President Buhari is not with-hunting anybody with a clean record, nor selective, but is also a concrete testimony that the ICPC conducted its investigations without interference.

It would be recalled that Okiro recently declared to his blackmailers and detractors that: ‘Those who have no skeleton in their cupboard have nothing to fear; President Buhari has not come to with-hunt anybody or punish innocent people’.  Okiro cannot be farther from the truth with the above wise counsel. Put in another expression, probably a popular expression: ‘Clear conscience fears no accusation. Or only the guilty is afraid.’ This should be the positive mind frame of any public office holder who has not involved himself/ herself in corruption.

The truth however is that the country can boast of only a few people like Okiro. Many who had the opportunity to serve the country like Okiro compromised their positions with impunity, because they got into public office with the intention to plunder the treasuryrather than render service. But for such people, they are in for a tough time under thei administration that has from the onset declared zero tolerance for corruption and related sharp practices.

From the look of emerging events there is no hiding place for corrupt officials and the determination of Buhari to wipe out corruption is not in disguise judging from the decisive steps he has taken since assumption of office in May 29. Therefore, it is expected that patriotic Nigerians like  Okiro would declare maximum support for war against corruption.

An interesting dimension to it is that it will go a long way in arresting the present barrage of unwarranted persecution on the media fronts particularly, the social media before investigations by the relevant anti-graft agency or authority. The condemnation by a section of the media before trial of innocent Nigerians who are diligently discharging their responsibilities should be checked. If proper investigations are conducted, many would be shocked to find that not every petition is without egocentric motive or should be treated for lack of merits.

Be that as it may, the ICPC report in a nutshell directed the PSC to remit N133 million to the Federal Treasury through the ICPC recovery account at First City Monument Bank. The money was the balance of the N350 million the PSC received from the Federal Government for staff training and physical monitoring of police personnel during the 2015 general elections.

Similarly, the anti-graft agency directed PSC’s workers who were paid two-way return tickets and airport taxi fares to locations within the Federal Capital Territory and states close to Abuja during the monitoring exercise to refund to the treasury the sum of N11.7 million.

The report signed by the ICPC Chairman, Ekpo Nta on August 6, 2015, reads:  ‘’The investigation has not revealed any act of criminal infraction against the person of Sir (Dr.) Mike Mbama Okiro, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission as all issues outlined above are administrative in nature and within the ambits of career public servants handling.’’

‘’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 to be remitted to the Federal Treasury through the ICPC Recovery Account No. 1012929790 at Zenith Bank Plc.’’

From the foregoing, the facts are clear that Okiro was never indicted by the report and the desperation to impugn his reputation was in vain anyway.

As this is a matter already in public domain, any sane mind and  unprejudiced critic would be convinced that the ongoing corruption and looting of public treasury probes by President Buhari are non- selective and devoid of witch-hunt. The report by this appraisal is a further demonstration that those who have not soiled their hands should not be afraid of probes while the ICPC can leverage on the template.

Nwokocha, is former Honourable Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Abia state, and public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja.

Mr. John Nwokocha, is a former commissioner for  Culture, & Tourism in Abia State.

LAGOS— Apprehension yesterday gripped political stakeholders in Lagos State ahead of today’s launch of three books chronicling the stewardship of Mr. Babatunde Fashola as governor of Lagos State between 2007 and 2015.

The apprehension follows the perceived political rivalry between the camp of Fashola and his erstwhile political godfather, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, himself, also a former governor of the state. The political unease was compounded upon last week’s assertion b

y Fashola that he would not allow himself to be dragged into the mud by those who want to fight like pigs.

However, a third force within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC it was gathered yesterday has pushed the leadership of the party to convene an emergency state caucus meeting tomorrow where the unfolding issue between the camps of the two former governors is expected to be discussed.

Ahead of today’s book launch it was learnt that activists in the two camps were working to use the occasion to score political points. While some were working to frustrate the book launch as a way of projecting what they claim as Fashola’s political incapacity in the state, the former governor’s loyalists were working to counter the move.

“They are planning but they will not succeed,” an associate of the immediate past governor told Vanguard on telephone yesterday.
Associates of Tinubu were, however, indignant yesterday that they would not honour the book launch, alleging that the immediate past governor had not shown enough respect to his erstwhile political benefactor.

“A man that has not seen it as wise to visit or thank his master since he stepped down from office, why should we be there,” a close associate of Tinubu said yesterday.

His assertion was, however, countered by a Fashola associate who disclosed yesterday that Fashola’s repeated efforts to speak with Tinubu since the handover had been impossible.

“Tinubu is not picking his calls, so those people saying that Fashola has not visited Tinubu simply do not know what they are talking about, they just don’t know,” the Fashola associate said.

Meanwhile, the frosty relationship between the two camps is set to worsen upon assertions of imminent plans by the new authorities in Lagos to prosecute those involved in alleged hike of contract figures during the immediate past administration.

Normally dependable sources told Vanguard yesterday that officials involved in the award of the contract of the N78 million upgrade of the website of the former governor are among those to be prosecuted.

The three books to be launched today include The Great Leap, a book written by Mr. Hakeem Bello, who served as Special Adviser on Media to Fashola and two others co-authored by Dapo Adeniyi.

The other two are: In Bold Prints: Thoughts of Babatunde Fashola and Lagos Blow Down: West Africa’s First Controlled Demolition.

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, has canvassed for improved financial intelligence gathering by the commission and other agencies in the country to check flow of illicit funds, if the war on terror must be won.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a five-day inter-agency training programme on Cross Border Financial Investigation organised by the United States Department of Homeland Security, for officers of the Nigeria Police Force, (NPF);

Other agencies involved in the programme include Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS); Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS); National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA).

Lamorde stressed that it was of great concern that “up till now, the major concern in the fight against insurgency is on how the insurgents fund their operations within the sub-region.”

“A reputable strategy to fight insurgency is to deprive the insurgents of funds, because there is no dispute that illicit funds movement across borders fuels organized crimes, including terror attacks and insurgency in Nigeria,” Lamorde said.

According to him, “There is an urgent need to strengthen our financial intelligence architecture to enable us effectively monitor cash trails and check illicit cash flow to organised criminal gangs.”

“While tremendous progress has been recorded in strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations and the Compliance Regime in Nigeria, monitoring the movement of cash outside the financial sector, remains a major challenge, because of Nigeria’s predominantly cash-based economy,” he said.

The EFCC boss Chairman, also applauded the commitment of the United States government in assisting Nigeria surmount its contemporary challenges through institutional development.

Lamorde who said he had always considered the United States as a dependable ally in the fight against economic crimes and corruption in Nigeria, explained that the record of partnership between the EFCC and major US institutions, such as the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, among others, bears testimony to this.

Deputy Chief of Mission, United State Embassy, Maria Brewer said that the training programme will expose participants to new trends and techniques in combating economic and financial crimes.

“Since economic and financial crimes is a global phenomenon, the training will focus among others, on taking away proceed of crime, because when you take away the money, you take away why people do crime”, she said.

Other dignitaries at the opening ceremony included, Benjamin Bryan, acting director, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement US Mission Abuja; Steve Robinson, Attaché, Department of Homeland Security Investigation, DHSI; T. A. Hundeyin, Deputy Comptroller General of Immigration, who represented the NIS boss, and Alhaji Hamisa Lawal, Commander of Narcotics, who represented the NDLEA boss.

President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the resignation of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.

With the acceptance, Abdullahi is expected to proceed on his voluntary retirement from Tuesday, August 18.

He had earlier written a letter dated August 3 to the President in which he notified Buhari of his desire to proceed on voluntary retirement from Tuesday.

Buhari’s approval of Abdullahi’s request was dated August 14 and personally signed by the President.

He thanked the NCS boss for his services to the county in the last six years.

The President’s letter was titled “Voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service.”

The approval read, “Dear, Alhaji D.I. Abdullahi. I write to acknowledge the receipt of your letter Ref. No. NCS/ADM/HQ/P. 35802 of 3rd August, 2015 conveying your decision to voluntarily retire from the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from Tuesday, 18th August, 2015.

“I note with appreciation your services to this nation, especially as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service in the last six (6) years.

“Accordingly, I hereby approve your voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from 18th August 2015.

“I wish you the very best in your future endeavours.

“Yours sincerely, Muhammadu Buhari.”

Abdullahi had, in his letter to the President, thanked him for the confidence and trust reposed on him since he (Buhari) was inaugurated on May 29.

He said by August 18, he would be six years in office as the Comptroller-General of the NCS.

He recalled that on assumption of office, he articulated six-point agenda which he vigorously pursued.

He said the agenda had positively impacted on the efficiency and performance of officers of the service and had drastically changed the negative perception of the service.

He listed the six-point agenda to include capacity building, introduction of e-Customs, enhancing productivity through improved welfare package, moral rebirth for discipline and integrity in service, collaboration and partnering with stakeholders and international organisations, as well as  fostering understanding of the Service in the eye of the general public  using an intensified and a well-coordinated public relations platform.

The NCS boss said under his watch, the revenue collection into various coffers of government increased drastically.

He said the Service’s average monthly collection in 2009 when he took over was about N29billion, adding that the average monthly collection is currently between N90billion and N100billion.

He hinged his decision to embark on voluntary resignation on the need to allow young bloods to takeover the mantle of leadership of the Service in order to sustain and improve on his legacy.

Abdullahi concluded, “While thanking Your Excellency and indeed Nigerians for the opportunity to serve and contribute my quota to the development of our fatherland, I wish to seek approval of Your Excellency to be allowed to retire voluntarily on 18th August 2015.

“This decision is taken with a view to allowing young bloods takeover the mantle of leadership of the Service in order to sustain and improve on my legacy.”

The President has yet to name Abdullahi’s successor at the time of filing this report.

PORT HARCOURT – Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC has dismissed as untrue allegations that N183.7  billion of the commission was missing 

Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the commission, Mr Henry Ogiri who spoke at Abua, Ahoada West local government area , Rivers state said the allegation of missing fund contained in the report of the Auditor General of the Federation , Mr Samuel Ukura to the National Assembly was allegedly premature and misinforming.

He said: “I find the report very misleading and untrue. It tended to portray the current management as being responsible for the missing money when in fact the period covered by the report is 2008-2012. I will say without fear of contradiction that the Auditor-General’s report is premature. I say this because we are already putting together the responses to the queries which were directed to a period we were not in the commission.”

“I completely disagree with the Auditor-General on this issue. Some of the claims he made in his report are things that do not hold water as at today. However, we are at an advanced stage of writing our own report. But from our preliminary findings, I do not believe that there is any money missing. The current management is quite capable of giving a proper account of the Commission’s finances based on available records. It does not matter that we were not there for the period under review.”

He further  alleged that some of the monies the Auditor General raised in his report were in a suspense account while the audit was on. 

“We no longer pay mobilization for contract jobs. Our contractors are now expected to demonstrate their competence and capability before payments are made. In addition, we now insist on proper scoping for our jobs, as well as holding pre-award meetings to tie all loose ends,” he said.

Ogiri also inspected the 23. 5 kilometer Otuasega-Obedum-Emelego roadproject being constructed by the commission. The road links Bayelsa and Rivers 

As the Presidency beams its searchlight on how the Niger Delta Development Commission allowed individuals and companies to make away with N183.7 billion as advanced payments for contracts not yet executed, two top politicians in the National Assembly are being fingered as the arrowheads of the huge loss of public fund.

Top officials of the commission, who tried to explain what led to how the money was lost, blamed the two influential politicians in the NASS of using their positions to corner more than 50 percent of the contracts in the controversial commission.

A director in the commission, who spoke to Vanguard in confidence on Sunday, regretted that the two ‘powerful politicians’ used their membership of the National Assembly committee on the NDDC to influence the award of multi-million Naira contracts to themselves and their cronies.

The director pointed out that the two men-a Senator and a House of Representatives member, used the name of a former president and his wife to intimidate the management and board of the NDDC to award mouth-watering jobs to their companies, claiming to be acting on the instruction of the first family.

The official explained to Vanguard in an interview that the two men virtually relocated to the commission prior to the last election and dictated to the management which contract should be awarded to their cronies and what amount should be paid to them as mobilisation fees.

“The events in the commission in recent months were beyond the control of the Management and board of the NDDC. They were virtually forced to award huge contracts and pay for such even before they were carried put. That is the truth,” a top management staff of NDDC confessed.

“These men actively used their positions in the NASS and their claimed closeness to a former president and his wife to corner most of the jobs and we could not do much to resist them.

“The problem now is that it is the management and the board that have to bear responsibility for the activity of the politicians who have since gone under and pretending as if they know nothing about what they did concerning contract awards in the commission,” the source said.

Although it was not clear last night what President Muhammadu Buhari would do about the Auditor-General’s  Report accusing NDDC of not accounting for the N184 billion it collected from the treasury, sources hinted that the Presidency was furious about the loss of huge loss of public funds to a few individuals.

A source close to the Presidency said last night that the President had been fully briefed by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF, which supervises the NDDC even before the AGF came up with the huge amount being mismanaged at the commission and would soon react to the development in the interest of the people of the Niger Delta and Nigeria.

The source did not however give the nature of the action to be taken by the Federal Government about the development in the commission.

It was also learnt that the NDDC had begun some spirited moves to explain how the amount was ‘lost’ to contractors and what it was doing to recover the amount, since it was covered under an Advanced Payment Guaranty by banks.

The total contractual liability of the NDDC stands at N800 billion as at June this year.

The Managing Director of the NDDC, Mr. Dan Abia, could not be reached for comments on the issue as he was said to have travelled to Abuja for some meetings.

The spokesman for the NDDC, Mr. Ibitoye Abosede had distanced himself from the issue of contract-splitting in the commission running into billions of Naira, and declined to comment on it when contacted by Vanguard.

The Army will today in Jaji, Kaduna State begin the review of the cases of about 4,000 officers and men dismissed from Operation “Zaman Lafia” in Northeast.

The exercise, which was earlier slated for 311 Artillery Regiment Kontagora in Niger State, will now hold at the Nigerian Army Peace Keeping Centre (NAPKC), Jaji.

The cases of officers and men who are  in detention in Jos, Plateau State and those already convicted for various offences under “Operation Zaman Lafiya” will be reviewed.

A signal dated August 13 and signed by Lt. Colonel P. Y Haruna from the headquarters of the 31 Artillery Brigrade to all its formations across the country directed all affected to appear before a panel at the NAPKC Jaji.

According to the signal, the review exercise will also look into the cases of officers and men “under detention, trail or convicted by GCM in respect of disciplinary cases emanating from erstwhile Operation Zaman Lafiya to NAPKC Jaji”.

The development supersedes the August signal by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Army headquarters, Colonel D. C Onyemulu directing all affected to proceed to Kontagora.

Majority of the affected soldiers were dismissed following the fall of the home town of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh to Boko Haram early this year.

The development led to mass summary dismissal of men and trial of some officers under the Operation Zaman Lafiya for neglegence without strict adherence to military guidelines for dismissal of officers and men.

Affected officers and men had appealed against their summary dismissal, alleging that they were not tried but were only dismissed.

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has approved the operation of a single account in the state effective from September 1.

The development, it was learnt, was part of efforts to efficiently improve on the processes of revenue generation and collection as well as ensure proper accountability and transparency in all government accrued revenues.

A statement by the Permanent Secretary/Accountant General, Mrs. Abimbola Umar, said the government took the decision to address the challenges previously faced with the operation of the multiple account system.

Ambode said the operation of a Treasury Single Account (TSA), aside providing transparency and accountability, would also encourage tax payers to request for a single account before making their payments.

Mrs. Umar added that the development was in line with the objective of the move by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that all government revenue accrues to one consolidated account.

“All the affected revenue collecting banks have been mandated to immediately close all the existing multiple revenue accounts domiciled in their banks to give room for a single revenue accounting system in line with the Accountability and Transparency Policy of the current administration.

“With this development, it is expected that all parastatals, local governments and establishments will commence the operation of the TSA on September 1, 2015,” the governor was quoted as saying in the statement.

The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, yesterday, promised to assist Federal Government recover the over $7 billion owed the country by oil and gas companies.

NEITI, in a statement by its Director, Communications, Mr. Ogbonnaya Orji, also commen-ded the recent appointments and restructuring in Nigerian National Petroleum Corpora-tion, NNPC, and the decision of Federal Government to set up the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption.

He said they were important steps in bringing about the much-needed reforms in the country’s extractive industry.
Orji said the ongoing restructuring of NNPC was encouraging, as it inspires hope and confidence.

He added that NEITI was poised to assist the Professor Itse Sagay-led committee to recover the indebtedness of oil companies to the country, as contained in its audit reports.
He said: “One important issue that NEITI will be bringing to the table, if given the opportunity, is how the committee can assist the government to recover over $7 billion owned by oil companies.

“These disclosures are contained in NEITI audit reports as cases of under-payments and under-assessment, arising from subjective interpretation of Memoranda of Understanding, MoU, and tax laws.

“We have no doubt that our contributions will add value to the work of the committee.”

Orji further called on President Muhammadu Buhari to extend reforms in the oil and gas sector to the mining and solid minerals sector, especially in view of the huge potentials of the sector.

According to him, from NEITI’s study and independent audit reports, this sector has the potential to yield more revenues for the country than oil, if given the attention it deserves.

He said: “One urgent step required is to immediately check the activities of illegal miners many of whom are foreigners that have taken over the solid minerals sector without authorisation.”

Following allegations that a substantial part of the loan of $1billion from the Chinese Exim Bank, meant for the construction of a standard gauge rail line linking Lagos and Kano States was diverted under the watch of former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former minister on Sunday, described the allegations as untrue.
Okonjo-Iweala and Buhari
Okonjo-Iweala and Buhari
In a statement posted on her facebook page and signed by her Media Adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu, the ex-minister stated that the Kano-Lagos rail project was not funded by the China-EximBank, pointing that the China-EximBank keeps and disburses funds for approved projects to contractors based on milestones.
Okonjo-Iweala, who argued that the said funds were not domiciled with the Finance Ministry under her watch, described the allegation as yet another example of the kind of whispering campaign of calumny, innuendo, misinformation, and outright distortions being perpetrated by certain political elements against her in a bid to damage her reputation.
Recall that last Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari had asked the Ministry of Finance to provide explanations on the whereabouts of the foreign loans obtained for rail projects but diverted to other purposes under Okonjo-Iweala’s watch.
The President’s directive followed a revelation made by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Alhaji Mohammed Bashar, who informed the President during a presentation of his ministry’s activities at the presidential villa, that only $400 million is left of the loan.
Bashar had also briefed the President on some challenges facing the transport and maritime sectors such as encroachment on railway land, lack of security on inland waterways and some vague agreements between the Nigeria Ports Authority and ports concessionaires.
Reacting, Buhari had said that it was disappointing to find that foreign loans obtained in line with signed agreements were moved from one project to another.
“I hope that due process was followed before such diversions were carried out. Taking money from one project to another has to be one properly,” he warned.
The President regretted that government had, over the years, failed to meet its counterpart funding obligation on some projects, leading to such projects being left uncompleted or abandoned, adding that there was a clear need to streamline, harmonize, and prioritize on-going projects in the transportation sector.
Meanwhile, in her reaction, Okonjo-Iweala said: “Since this story was first reported, we have continued to receive media inquiries regarding an allegation reportedly made by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Alhaji Mohammed Bashar, that a substantial part of a $1bn loan obtained from the China-EximBank by the Jonathan administration for a Kano-Lagos rail project was diverted to other projects.
“I want to state categorically that there is no truth in the reported allegation. Anyone who is interested can cross-check with the China-EximBank or the Chinese Embassy. It is noteworthy that even though President Buhari, in his reported comments on the allegation, made no reference to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala but rightly stressed the need for due process and transparency in the execution of public projects, a sponsored media campaign has once again been launched by political elements to make the former Minister the culprit in a non-existent scandal.
“The alleged diversion has no substance for the simple reason that the Kano-Lagos project was not even among the projects presented for funding by the China Exim Bank for several strategic infrastructural projects across the country. In fact, it was the Lagos–Ibadan rail project, not Lagos-Kano rail project that was proposed in the original application to the China-EximBank. But in the end, no funds were assigned for the Lagos-Ibadan rail project by the China-EximBank.
“The fact which can be confirmed is that the following projects which are at various stages of progress are being funded from facilities obtained from the China-EximBank: $500m for the expansion of four International Airport Terminals in Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt; $500m for the Abuja Light Rail project; $984m for the Zungeru Hydro-electric power project; $100m for the Galaxy Backbone project.
“It is also important to note that even if the alleged project was on the list of China-EximBank funded projects, diversion of any Chinese funds would have been extremely difficult because the terms of the contract and the processes would simply not have permitted such action.
“The procedure is that funds for approved loans remain in the China-EximBank and are released directly to the Chinese firm executing the contract only after the presentation of duly certified proof of work by the responsible Ministry, in this case it would have been the Federal Ministry of Transport, based on the agreed milestones.
“For the sake of emphasis, the China-EximBank does not disburse money directly to government and therefore the issue of diversion does not arise. This is yet another example of the kind of whispering campaign of calumny, innuendo, misinformation, and outright distortions being perpetrated by certain political elements against Dr. Okonjo-Iweala in a bid to try to damage her reputation.
“We are confident that those behind this campaign will continue to fail. We respectfully request the media to refrain from attaching Dr. Okonjo Iweala’s name and photographs to spurious and unfounded allegations. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as a Nigerian citizen in a democracy, a citizen who has served her country with honesty and integrity, also has some fundamental rights to justice and fair play,” she said.

The Nigerian Air Force has commenced intensified aerial offensive against Boko Haram insurgents in the dreaded Sambisa Forest.

The Director of Information and Public Relations of the NAF, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, said in an electronic mail on Saturday that the Air Force commenced the raids after weeks of reconnaissance by surveillance aircraft in the mission area.

According to him, the NAF deployed F-7NI and Alpha jets as well as attack helicopters for the operation intended to degrade the fighting capacity of the insurgents.

Read also: Atikiu Reacts To Buhari’s Comment on Boko Haram

Alonge said the operation resulted not only in degrading the capacity of the insurgents but also culminated in the destruction of some of their strongholds.

He stated also that the aerials raids had also reduced the terrorists to the execution of small scale attacks in the area.

“The Nigerian Military in its resolution to incapacitate and further degrade the fighting spirit of Boko Haram Terrorist Group has carried out several bombings and air strike missions in Sambisa Forest.

“Intelligence report revealed that as aftermath of the strike missions, the terrorists have been confined and their capabilities greatly reduced, thereby restricting their nefarious activities to small scale attacks and suicide bombings,” the statement read.

Read also: We Share Information on Boko Haram With Nigeria – US

Alonge quoted the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiqur Abubakar, as giving assurance that the current air raids would be sustained until the insurgency was brought to an end.

…as Buhari halts test for new ones

Sack panic has gripped permanent secretaries following plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to trim ministries, departments and agencies(MDAs) to manageable size.

There were indications that some permanent secretaries, especially weak and corrupt ones,  might be retired.

Based on the pending change, the presidency yesterday halted plans to conduct a test for about 20 directors seeking to fill vacancies for the Director-General of the Budget Office and permanent secretary slots for Abia, Borno, Jigawa and Kwara states.

It was also gathered that the alleged abuse of the selection process also accounted for the postponement of the test.

A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The fear of a likely reduction of permanent secretaries by 50 per cent has gripped the civil service. Already, we have 42 permanent secretaries and if the MDAs are merged, some permanent secretaries may have to proceed on retirement.

“The government may be forced to look at the records of the permanent secretaries. The weak and corrupt ones who fiddled with SURE-P funds, mismanaged resources and presided over phony contracts might be dropped.

“Although the permanent secretaries are managing the government machinery with President Buhari, it will soon be their turn to be sacked or retired.”

It was gathered that the pending change accounted for the abrupt stoppage of the examination for about 30 directors seeking to fill vacancies for the Director-General of the Budget Office and permanent secretary slots for Abia, Borno, Jigawa and Kwara states.

A top source in the civil service said: “All the short-listed directors were yesterday abruptly told that the examination has been postponed indefinitely based on the directive of the presidency.

“They said the shift was as a result of plans by the presidency to review the size of the permanent secretary cadre in the Federal Civil Service.

“The presidency felt there might be no need yet to appoint new permanent secretaries when it has not decided the fate of those in charge now.”

A circular by the Permanent Secretary (CMO), Amb. Danjuma N. Sheni, which was exclusively obtained by our correspondent, had invited the directors for the examination.

The circular said: “I write to inform you that the timetable for the selection of candidates to fill vacancies for the appointment of Permanent Secretaries for Abia, Borno, Jigawa, and Kwara as well as the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation has been scheduled to hold from Monday, August 17 to Saturday 22, 2015 as indicated below:

“ICT Refresher Course Self-Assessment Questionnaire Administration (August 17, 2015; Written Examination for selection of Permanent Secretaries(August 18, 2015); and Written Examination for selection of Director-General Budget Office of the Federation (August 19, 2015).

“Permanent Secretaries are hereby requested to ensure that all candidates attend the activities as scheduled, please.”

The Ahmed Joda Transition Committee had recommended drastic reforms in the civil service.

The panel said: “There is no direct relationship between the number of ministries and efficacy of service delivery. The US with a population of 316million and with GDP of $17, 328 trillion (30 times Nigeria’s GDP) has 15 ministries. India has 24 ministries, while the UK has 17.

“The current structure of the Federal Government of Nigeria with 28 ministries and 542 agencies (50 of which have no enabling laws) results in very high cost of governance. The portfolios of ministries are not responsive to all the major critical national challenges such as family and child affairs; religious affairs; vulnerable and elderly group affairs as well as the North-Eastern crisis.

“There is an apparent conflict between the desire of reducing the cost of governance through cabinet downsize and the constitutional requirement of a cabinet-level ministerial appointment from each of the 36 states of the federation.”

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj-Gen (rtd) Babagana Monguno and four other Service Chiefs for Defence, Nigerian Army, Air Force and Police have declared to end Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed many lives and property in the North East sub-region of the country.

Monguno made the “declarations and pledges” yesterday in Maiduguri, when five Service Chiefs paid an official courtesy visit to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state at the Government House.

The four other Service Chiefs include the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj-Gen. Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Maj-Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Baba Sadiq Abubakar; and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, led by Monguno.

He said the most pressing issue in the country, was the Boko Haram insurgency; and that was why President Muhammadu Buhari has replaced all the Service Chiefs to end these terror attacks and bombings in the affected North East sub-region of Nigeria.

“There was a tendency of replacing the service chiefs with a mandate from the President to end Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed a lot of lives and property in the North East. In less than 24 hours after we were sworn in and decorated by the President, we are here in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital for the reassessment of military operations end insurgency in three months,” said Monguno; noting that the President has picked the right service chiefs end terrorism.

He assured the governor and the people of Borno state that the service chiefs, will not be found wanting fight and end Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed many lives and property.

“For us here in Maiduguri to end this insurgency, we are to assess all the military operational details that will facilitate various ‘aerial and ground troops’ fight Boko Haram to the finish. This could be completed before we can launch a consistent and rapid campaign against terror and terrorists activities in the North East and the country at large,” pledges Monguno yesterday.

He however noted that the military alone cannot end insurgency that has already destroyed many people’s lives and property.

He said the victory over Boko Haram cannot be won, without involving the larger society.

“We are not going to work against your interest of restoring peace and unity in the North East. We are here to all of your affected by this terrorism that claimed the lives of many of your sons, daughters, parents, guardians, including your traditional and religious leaders sacked from towns and villages for over six years. We want you also to help us with credible information end this insurgency,” warning that the people should come out from their closets and assist the military end insurgency.

Responding, Governor Shettima said that the people had been cooperating with the military and other security agencies end Boko Haram insurgency; that has caused a lot of havoc on people’s lives and property for the five or six years.

“We are giving you our unalloyed support and cooperation to all the Service Chiefs committed in fighting to end this Boko Haram madness that killed over 300, 000 people and the destruction of towns and villages in 20 Local Government Areas of our state, Borno,” said Shettima to Monguno, who led the delegation of service chiefs.

On victims of insurgency, Shettima said: “We will continue to work for the people by investing in education, so that our children and future generations do not become another new set of insurgents.

“We are saying that we are against Boko Haram, because of the establishment of our Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to end this madness of incessant killings and destruction of people’s property in not only in Borno state, but the neighbouring states of Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba and Bauchi in the North East.

“If this Boko Haram madness comes to an end; your names will be written in gold; and the country and its citizenry be proud of all of you here in Maiduguri”. End

Borno state Deputy Governor, Zannah Umar Mustapha, has died of cardia arrest in Yola, Adamawa state. The deputy governor died in his sleep at a Government House guest room in the state capital early this morning.

He had gone to Yola represent state government at a convocation ceremony at Moddibo Adama University in Yola.

The state governor, Kashim Shettima, confimed Mr. Mustafa’s death to Saharareporters.

ABUJA – Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, has accused General Abdulsalam Abubakar, retd, led National Peace Committee, NPC, of plotting to dampen the raging momentum of war against corruption being waged by President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.

The CNPP stated this while reacting to a statement credited to the spokesman of the Peace Committee, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, on the style of the administration’s war against graft, which it described “scary blackmail”.

National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, Mr. osita Okechukwu, said the umbrella body of registered political parties was outraged over the subtle and scary blackmail by the body to wittingly or unwittingly dampen the raging momentum of anti-graft war of this regime.

Okechukwu insisted that, “For us, the war against corruption is being waged in accordance with the spirit and letters of the law; therefore let the momentum of war against corruption continue.”

According to him, “We sincerely believe with time the War Against Corruption will touch even unintended persons, groups and quarters; with the impeccable antecedent of Mr President. Let the music play on as looters have nowhere to hide.

“CNPP had carefully perused the mandate of the National Peace Committee and could not locate where the issue of stolen fund featured; therefore we are at loss why they skipped their brief.

“We are worried now that the committee has been allowed to continue to do what only God knows, especially with the scary blackmail statement of the spokesman of the Peace Committee, our revered Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, His Grace, Matthew Hassan Kukah,

“Again our commitment is not to intimidate or fight anybody. The former president’s commitment and I think what he did still remains spectacular and I think that President Buhari appreciates that’

“It is our candid view that why more Nigerian voters voted for President Buhari than for our dear ex-president, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR; is simply the confidence the voters had in the integrity and transparency quotient of Mr President.

“In other words, the Social Contract between President Buhari and Nigerians is to wage strident war against corruption, and return stolen funds for the development of our dilapidated social and physical infrastructure.

“More so this is the backbone of the change mantra, as stipulated in the All Progressives Congress’s Manifesto and commitment President Buhari made in the course of the presidential campaign. It is a debt and a bond.

“On the spectacular performance of our former president, we agree with Bishop Kukah that conceding defeat in primitive climes like ours is noble; however the crass, pervasive and unbridled corruption which took place under Dr Jonathan’s watch is more heinous. To protect him smacks of intimidation.

“The Jonathan regime like the previous ones since our return to civil rule in 1999 defied the timeless African tradition, which admonishes leaders not to steal and if they are tempted to do so, that they should steal in such a manner that the owners will not know.

“They looted as if there is no tomorrow, and as if Nigerians are fools; that today we are impoverished, despondent and hapless in the midst of unprecedented oil revenue.

“Accordingly, for any group as highly placed as the National Peace Committee to resort to subtle and scary blackmail to subvert and dampen this momentum of war against corruption is to say the least – unkind cut if not ungodly cut”.

The Accident Investigation Bureau  has announced  that the flight recorder, popularly known as black box, of the Sikosky 76 helicopter that crashed into the lagoon in the Oworonshoki area of Lagos on Wednesday, 12 August has been recovered.

The Sikosky 76 helicopter marked 5N-BGD and operated by Bristow Helicopters was believed to have departed SEDCO oil platform offshore and crashed shortly.

The search party led by Julius Berger with the assistance of a hired diver located the Black box recorder, which is expected to assist the investigators in unraveling the cause of the accident.

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The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) contains data generated from different parts of the aircraft, including the engines and the avionics while the Cockpit Voice Recorder will unveil conversations within the cockpit and between the pilots and the Control Tower.

According to the AIB, investigation has extended to retrieving documents and other materials from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the airline operator.

Other information will be released to the public as they unfold and according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annexe 13.