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Aregbesola’s Government Deserves No Tax From Osun Indigenes, Says Civil Group

Mohammed Useni
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Aregbesola’s Government Deserves No Tax From Osun Indigenes, Says Civil Group

A group in Osun State under the auspices of Civil Society Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO) has declared that the present administration in the State under the watch of Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola did not deserve to collect any tax from indigenes of the state because the governor failed to adhere strictly with the provision of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) that stipulated the condition for collection of taxes.

It also stated that Mr. Rauf Aregbesola led- present administration in the State did not provide any dividend of democracy to the people of
the State since November 27th, 2010 that would encourage the citizens to do their obligation to the State government, insisting that the
economy situation of the State has been paralyzed due to the anti-people policies of this administration.

In a Statement issued and signed by the CSCEO’s Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, while appraising the five (5) years of Mr.
Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola’s government in the State and a copy was made available to newsmen in Osogbo, the State capital on Sunday, he
declared that it was Constitutional provision for the government to collect tax from the citizens in accordance with the section 24(f) of
the 1999 Constitution as amended.

But contrary, Comrade Sulaiman however supported his argument with the provisions of the sections 14, 15, 16, 17,18,33,34 & fourth schedule of the amended 1999 Constitution where it enumerated the responsibilities of the State and local government areas to the citizenry in their areas, saying that until the State government under Aregbesola watches met these provisions of the Constitution that citizens would perform the obligation of payment of taxes.

According to him, “The last five years of administration of Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola government is full of disaster, corruption and
kleptomania. The government is nothing to write home about and people of the State are yet to come to the term with the tax regime
introduced by the State government when the economy of the State has been collapsed totally as a result of Rauf Aregbesola anti-masses
policies. Introduction of exorbitant tax regime by the State government when the State government failed to perform its responsibilities as stipulated by the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is against the principle of justice, equity and egalitarian society”.

CSCEO boss who alleged that Mr. Aregbesola was ignorant of law and has been working in contrary to the Constitutional seventh schedule Oath of allegiance/office of the Governor of a State which says that government should be for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our Country on the principles of Freedom, Equality and Justice and for the purpose of Consolidating the Unity of our people.

Speaking further, rights activist disclosed that Mr. Aregbesola embarked on white elephant projects which did not have any direct
impact on the people of the State, adding that most of the acclaimed projects in the last five years were conduit pipe which Mr. Aregbesola
and his cronies were using to siphon the meager resources of the State into private purse of few individuals.

Sulaiman therefore enjoined the State government to provide social amenities as promised by Mr. Aregbesola during his second term
electioneering campaign bid before Aregbesola could embark on vigorous collection of tax from the citizens of the State.

Signed:

COMRADE ADENIYI, ALIMI SULAIMAN
CHAIRMAN, CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION FOR THE EMANCIPATION OF OSUN STATE (CSCEO)
+2348038591504/+2348022697573

“I Won The Poll, Audu’s Votes Died With Him” – Says Governor Idris Wada

Mohammed Useni
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“I Won The Poll, Audu’s Votes Died With Him” – Says Governor Idris Wada

Idris Wada, governor of Kogi state and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 21 election, says the votes of Abubakar Audu, his main rival in the poll, “died with him”.

Audu passed on shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the election inconclusive.

The electoral commission explained that a winner could not be declared because the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin between the two leading contenders.

Audu, who was ahead, polled 240,861 votes, while Wada got 199,514 votes, leaving a margin of 41,353, which was less than the 49,953 votes that were voided.

INEC subsequently scheduled a supplementary election for December 5 and asked APC to replace its late candidate.

But in a statement on Sunday, Wada, who had earlier expressed reservation over INEC’s directive, accused the commission of doing “a hatchet job”.

He said being the only surviving candidate with the “majority of lawful votes cast”, INEC ought to issue him a certificate of return.

“Whatever votes Audu scored in the election died with him,” read the statement signed on his behalf by Phrank Shaibu, his chief communications manager.

Wada described as “specious” INEC’s argument that APC’s right to substitution was sustained by the electoral act, saying the electoral body should know that it is for the court, not the commission, to determine which course of action is effective or not.

“In arriving at a decision, INEC merely carried out the directives of the attorney-general of the federation… the AGF is not competent to issue directives to INEC to allow APC to substitute its candidate for the Kogi guber poll and that such directives are null and void for its inconsistency with the provisions of the constitution,” the statement read.

“To us as a party, the most egregious of the faux pas committed by INEC is asking the APC to lawfully nominate a candidate for the supplementary governorship election without a valid and legally cognizable primary election of the party conducted within the mandatory timeliness specified by the electoral act.

“It is our considered opinion that, INEC, more than any other body, ought to know that having regards to the provisions of section 141 of the electoral act, 2010, votes scored by a candidate who died during an election cannot be inherited by or transferred to a person who was not a candidate at the said election and who did not participate in all stages of such election, for the purpose of concluding such election.”

He said it was on the strength of the position of the electoral act on the developments in the state that he has asked the court to compel INEC to issue him with a certificate of return.

The statement added that the party was hopeful that the court will issue an order of injunction restraining APC from organising or holding a fresh primary election for the purpose of “any supplementary election”.

‘I Have No Case Against You, You Didn’t Have To Hurriedly Deny’, – David Mark Replies Governor Ortom

Mohammed Useni
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‘I Have No Case Against You, You Didn’t Have To Hurriedly Deny’, – David Mark Replies Governor Ortom

Former Senate President, David Mark, Sunday said that he did not accuse the Benue State Government of interference in the Court of Appeal decision which voided the Benue South Senatorial election result.

Mark however noted that he found it curious that the state governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, promptly came up with a frantic denial of playing any role in the judicial decision as if he sat on the panel of judges who voided the election.

The former Senate President spoke through his media assistant Paul Mumeh in a statement made available to reporters in Abuja.

The Court of Appeal on Saturday voided the March 28 Senatorial election in Benue South which returned Mark as the winner of the election.

Mark noted that it is even more strange that Ortom, claimed “neither to have interfered nor influenced the judgement” when nobody accused or mentioned the governor’s name in any blame sharing.
The statement read in part, “We do not intend to join issues with anyone over the decision of the Court of Appeal in Makurdi, Benue State, that voided the election of the former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, as Senator representing Benue South

“But we found it curious that the state governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, can come up with a frantic denial of playing any role in the judicial decision as if he sat on the panel.

“It is even more strange that Ortom, through his media adviser, Terve Akase, said his boss neither interfered nor influenced the judgement whereas nobody had accused or mentioned the governor’s name in any blame sharing.

“It is trite saying in African tradition that if an owl cried in the night and a child dies the morning, we do not need to ask who killed the child.

“Would it be wrong to conclude therefore that Ortom, through his media adviser, has personally or vicariously, taken responsibility for the panel decision to rule against Senator Mark?

“On our part, we believe in the independence of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man but the governor’s quick denial of any role in the judgement, even when he had not been accused, is a subtle narrative of the role the state government played in this bizarre decision of the Appeal panel.

“In Benue South, hate him or love him, Senator Mark adorns a garment washed by God which no man can stain.

“If for whatever reason, the justices of Appeal Tribunal found merit in awarding victory to a man who neither participated nor contested the election in the real sense of the word, we hail their ingenuity.

“For us, it is more revealing that the Appeal panel did not question or disapproved the results of the election but found comfort in conflict in dates signed by the INEC returning officer for no fault of Sen. Mark as if that was more relevant than the votes that count and were counted.

“Nothing can be farther from the truth. Our people voted overwhelmingly for Sen. Mark on march 28th 2015 and are prepared to do same even now. No amount of external forces or harassment can undermine the resolve of our people .

“It is no longer a surprise that people forget their yesterday with ease but we wish Ortom well.”

 

Just In: Buhari Cancels Weekly Federal Executive Council Meetings

Mohammed Useni
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Just In: Buhari Cancels Weekly Federal Executive Council Meetings

The federal executive council (FEC) meeting, which used to hold weekly since 1999, will now take place once in two weeks, TheCable report.

President Muhammadu Buhari has decided that meeting every Wednesday is surplus to requirement, a senior government official said.

“And FEC will no longer be all about awarding contracts but a serious discussion of policy issues and appraisal of ministerial performance,” the official said.

FEC has been held just once since the appointment of ministers, with the only meeting taking place on November 11 — the day they were inaugurated.

There was no meeting on November 18, and Buhari was in Ikenne, Ogun state, for the burial of HID Awolowo on November 25.

Buhari will not be in the country on December 2 because of his international commitments.

It is still not clear when the next meeting will hold.

“The president believes once he had given you a job, you have to deliver. He was very painstaking in picking the ministers and he is convinced he has picked a very good team, so it is now left for them to deliver the goods with minimal supervision,” the official said.

“FEC meetings will now be for brainstorming on policies and performance review, not just contracts.”

In the past, decisions on such matters as purchase of cooking stoves and waste bins were discussed at FEC and announced to the world by ministers at media briefings after the meetings.

Benue Governor Says He Has Nothing To Do With The Sack Of David Mark In Court

Mohammed Useni
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Benue Governor Says He Has Nothing To Do With The Sack Of David Mark In Court

The Benue State government has refuted reports in some quarters that it interfered in the judgment of the Appeal Court that nullified the election of senator David Mark, the immediate past senate president.

The petitioner, Comrade Daniel Onjeh had approached the Appeal court insisting that the March 28 Benue south senatorial district election was marred by irregularities.

This was after the lower court had ruled in David Mark’s favour.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Benue State Governor on media, Mr Terver Akase, however, said the government was not responsible for the current woes of the former senate president.

“Governor Samuel Ortom upholds the sanctity of the judiciary. He has trust in the judiciary and has nothing to do with the judgement. It is what the judiciary feels that is right that has been done and I think this is deepening our democracy.

“The governor is a man who believes in justice, fair play and fair hearing. So in what sense would you then say there was an interference by the governor? I mean there is none. The governor has nothing to do in this case. It is a national assembly matter and the aggrieved petitioner went to court. The governor has nothing to do with this case and that is it.

“The fact is that Comrade Daniel Onjeh is a party member with the governor. If he wins at the court, the governor, the party will be happy; the entire party in the state will be happy. But to say that the governor had a hand in the judgement is unfortunate,” Mr Terver said.

The Unending Kogi Drama Continues As Late Abubakar Audu’s Camp Rejects Son

Mohammed Useni
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The Unending Kogi Drama Continues As Late Abubakar Audu’s Camp Rejects Son

The drama in the camp of  the All Progressives Congress continues  as another flank has rejected calls for  Mohammed Audu, or the first runner-up in the party’s governorship primaries, Yahaya Bello, to be given the ticket. 

There had been calls by eminent Nigerians, including a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, and APC lawmakers in the state house of assembly for the party to hand the ticket to Audu’s son, Mohammed.

Audu’s followers at a press conference in the Kogi State capital, Lokoja, yesterday said he specifically told them to support his running mate, James Faleke, if he failed to make it. Head of Media, Prince Abubakar Audu/Faleke Campaign Organisation, Dr. Tom Ohikere, said Audu issued the instruction on his death bed. He said Audu believed that Faleke was best suited to carry on with his vision and warned against any attempt to impose a candidate on the state chapter.

Ohikere also accused President Muhammadu Buhari and INEC of planning to foist a Muslim candidate (Bello) on the state chapter. He also alleged that some powerful forces prevailed on INEC to declare the election inconclusive after they learnt of Audu’s death on Sunday morning.

According to Ohikere, the presidency and APC leadership cannot claim to be unaware of the provisions of the law, whereby a running mate to a deceased candidate in an ongoing election steps in as the party’s flag bearer.
“But it has been a grand conspiracy between the party leadership and the Presidency to ensure that a Muslim is used as a replacement to late Prince Abubakar Audu, who died on November 22.

The state will not only catch fire, but the late Prince Audu will rise from the grave and unleash terror on anyone involved in this conspiracy. “Let me open up to you now. Our political mentor and father, late Prince Audu on his death bed, gave instructions to us (his followers), that should he not make it, the baton must be transferred to his running mate, Faleke, whom he (Audu), said is capable of carrying on with his vision. “I want to categorically tell you that the party/executive’s conspiracy started when they heard that Prince Audu was dead.

In an ulterior move to stop a non-Muslim (Faleke), from stepping in, the INEC returning officer was quickly directed to declare the result inconclusive,” he stated.

Audu’s camp also disagreed with the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on his position in respect of the crisis. The AGF had at a conference in Abuja advised APC to present a fresh candidate to pick up the mantle.Ohikere further advised the Presidency and APC’s national leadership to, for the sake of peace and unity the state is currently enjoying, suspend moves capable of undermining the provisions of the law on “selfish ground.” He also accused Bello of parading himself as the new candidate on the basis of his closeness to Buhari.

Jonathan Handed Over Power To Buhari To Save The Lives Of Many Nigerians Says Former Minister

Mohammed Useni
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Jonathan Handed Over Power To Buhari To Save The Lives Of Many Nigerians Says Former Minister

A former Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, on Sunday said ex-President Goodluck Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari to save the lives of many Nigerians.

He also said Jonathan had sufficient evidence to remove the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, but he exercised restraint.

Delivering a paper on the 2015 power transition in Nigeria at the annual Zik dinner lecture /award in Abuja, Sulaiman said it was not external pressure that forced Jonathan to hand over to President Buhari.

Sulaiman said contrary to general belief, there were cases of compromise by INEC

He said: “Few months to the general elections, there were calls from some quarters for the sack of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attairu Jega.

“There were sufficient grounds for such calls but President Goodluck maintained a position that taking such decision would altercate the process and create an impression which only an insider would understand. There were indeed cases of compromise on the part of the commission, but as the president so wished, let the sleeping dog lies.

“Invariably, the decision to maintain the status quo in the commission by the administration was one decision that further led credence to the peaceful outcome of the electoral process. We must not forget that the president in his exercise of his constitutional power has the authority to fire the chairman and replace him with any of the National Commissioners to preside over the commission.

“Nobody should be on the illusion that the president lacked the gut to exercise such power. After all, Gen. Babangida annulled the June 12 election, thereby depriving Chief M.K.O Abiola of his awaiting victory.

“It is within context of this remarkable gesture and unparallel leadership style of the president that I found it disturbing when the APC led government sometimes grudgingly acknowledged this fact or believed that it was the external pressure that accounted for such political accomplishment.”

The ex- minister said if Jonathan had wanted to scuttle Buhari’s election, he would have used the incumbency factor.

He said: “The extent to which a political transition is peaceful and credible depends largely on variance of factors. We have however demonstrated the import of leadership factor has been consequential to the outcome of any electoral process. Is it the leadership that was out to tame the process or the one that respect the sanctity of the electoral body and other agencies?

“This paper has successfully argued that more than any government in the past, the Jonathan administration has demonstrated penchant for rule of law, freedom and untainted electoral process.

“The power of a president is such that if he had wanted to truncate the process or manipulate it, he could have done it. Contrary to the opinion of many that perhaps he could not have done it or had no option not to do otherwise.”

 

Dele Momodu: Dear Buhari, Nigerians Are Lamenting & The Republic Of Tanzania Has Taken The Lead

Mohammed Useni
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Dele Momodu: Dear Buhari, Nigerians Are Lamenting & The Republic Of Tanzania Has Taken The Lead

Your Excellency, it’s been months since I wrote my desperate memo to you. I wish to thank you once more for reacting promptly and swiftly at that time and for giving me the honour and privilege of meeting you in your office. I remember presenting you a special compilation of my articles, especially the many admonitions to your immediate predecessor, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

After handing over the book to you, Sir, I promised to continue acting in my self-appointed capacity as Special Adviser because of the need to tell you what those very close to you might not be able to say. They might be afraid of you and your reaction.

The truth is you are a plain and simple man imbued with a mission and a passion to save this great country but you cannot do it on your own. You can only do it if people close to you, who should be advising you, tell you as it is so that you can do that which you were elected to do.

Sir, it is on the above basis that I’m back today for reasons some of which you probably know already from your own personal observations and readings. But before I go further, kindly permit me to set some records straight before some conspiracy specialists step forward to ascribe other people’s opinion to me. I shall clearly expose my personal views and state where I belong or stand for any avoidance of doubt. Everywhere I go people refer to me as Buhari’s man and ask “what’s your Baba doing ooo?”.

I seriously have no problem with that. I’m proud that I joined so many other Nigerians as well as foreign friends in supporting a man of impeccable pedigree and solid integrity. No matter your view of President Muhammadu Buhari, one thing his bitterest enemies give to him is the fact that he is way above the level of most mortals in matters of uprightness.

This is why many of us volunteered to scream your name to high heavens and we were ready to follow you to Golgotha. Many of your opponents have not gotten over the thrashing you gave them and would forever seek everything and anything to smear you with. It is therefore not surprising that there has been so much noise about what you’ve done or left undone. Whether they are right or wrong in their assessment, I feel it is right and proper to let you know what people are saying about you including your most ardent fans and supporters. Sir, please, let’s not dismiss them as mere rabble-rousers.

A groundswell of public opinion can easily metamorphose into an ocean of disenchantment and cataclysmic confusion. In short, I believe your enemies are skilfully setting you up for failure in order to be able to taunt your supporters later by saying we “we told you so!” In this regard it is pertinent to always bear in mind the Yoruba saying ‘ehin kunle l’ota wa, ile ni a se ni ngbe’! Loosely translated it means “the enemy lurk outside in the backyard but your foe resides inside your house.”

What is the matter this time? Many Nigerians are lamenting that the change you promised them is fast becoming a mirage. It is certainly not what they are seeing right now. They insist that your style and methodology appear too slow for a nation in dire straits and in need of urgent and miraculous deliverance.

They are not happy that you are no longer the prudent man they used to know. They think you’ve already capitulated by frolicking with members of the bourgeois class and junketing around the world while Nigeria burns like Dante’s inferno.

They are miffed that you are still keeping the Presidential fleet when you are supposed to have sold most of them off, if not all. They are worried that the mandate of four years they gave you is being unwittingly frittered away and before you know it all the goodwill you garnered would have evaporated and vamoosed. Time, they say, waits for no man!

The economy and the free fall of the Naira have become worrisome. There are all manner of rumours that may make matters worse, if true, about the current state and status of our banks. Though the Central Bank of Nigeria has come out forcefully to dispel the dangerous rumours, they want you to unleash your economic master-plan as soon as possible, so that what was once a baseless rumour does not somehow become harsh reality.

They are expecting a blue-print that would guarantee a farewell to poverty. On this I agree with the opinion that something drastic has to be conjured up to arrest this drift to perdition. Nothing amplifies this monumental tragedy than the debit card fiasco which stipulates that Nigerians cannot live in a civilised world by walking into any international hotel or shop of their choice and paying with their cards. This is terribly depressing.

What this means in plain terms is that Nigerians must patronise the black market and run the risk of carrying cash recklessly whenever they travel abroad. It makes a mockery of the cashless society that the CBN has fought so hard to put in place and jeopardises your fight against corruption because government officials who travel abroad must of necessity carry large sums of cash if they are not to be embarrassed or even disgraced. Sir, the most important thing is that this is not healthy at all.

The last thing your Government should be telling the world is that we are so broke that we are on our knees. The world laughs at us and treats us with derision because we have resources other than crude oil which should make us one of the richest in the world if we properly harness them. We must stop giving the impression that we are so impoverished when it is leadership, brigandage and a lack of focus that has failed us.

The other matter that continues to embarrass Nigerians is the issue of Boko Haram. The matter is made worse by the fact that you are a retired army General who should know and have what it takes to drastically reduce if not exterminate the cankerworm. But rather the menace has exacerbated.

It has snowballed into a seemingly unquenchable conflagration. I had argued repeatedly that the military alone cannot achieve this result. Intelligence seems to be the key word here. Also identifying and locating some of the cells and prominent sympathisers is crucial. Those who arrogantly and naively say that no form of negotiation should take place are very far from the theatre of war.

They have probably not heard of a group called IRA, the Irish Republican Army, that terrorised Great Britain for God knows how many years. I and my directors at Ovation International were lucky to escape a massive explosion that shattered the peace and tranquillity of London Docklands when a bomb went off inside the South Quay light rail station which was next to our office at Beaufort Court.

The battle of wits and the war of attrition had to be fought using the carrot and the stick approach. It was the carrot approach that eventually succeeded and the United Kingdom has now been rid of that hitherto interminable scourge for many years!

The Boko Haram issue has defied every effort made so far and it is time to expand the options for the sake of our fellow citizens in the heart of this conundrum. When over 200 girls vanished into thin air, we were so sure they would return very soon but that has remained an illusion. This should tell us that this issue is not a joke and that we need to keep all windows open.

Sir, Nigerians want to see government show a different approach and better compassion than what we had in the past. They are waiting to see how you will do this with minimum collateral damage.

Sir, you have a herculean task ahead but it is not a mission impossible. Other nations are experiencing almost similar challenges and they are forging ahead. The first indicator to exhibit our seriousness is when we stop the business as usual syndrome and tighten the belts of government officials and politicians. If the idea is to continue along the path of profligacy then Nigeria is contagiously jinxed.

The Republic of Tanzania has already taken the lead. I will publish a report that has already gone viral below this letter as a veritable example of what is possible.

I wish you well as always Sir.

________________________________

By Dele Momodu

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Buhari Ready To Partner With Ex-militants On Security In The Niger Delta Says Presidency

Mohammed Useni
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Buhari Ready To Partner With Ex-militants On Security In The Niger Delta Says Presidency

The Federal Government weekend restated its readiness to collaborate with ex-militants in the oil rich Niger Delta region to ensure protection of lives and properties in the region.

The Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for former Niger Delta militants, Brig-Gen. Paul Boro (rtd) said President Muhammadu Buhari desires peace in the region, hence, his administration was willing to engage relevant stakeholders to address all forms of illegality in the region.

Boro was speaking as a special guest in a forum organised by Riverine Security, (Coast-Guard of the Federation), a group of all ex-militants in the Niger Delta region, in Abuja.

Represented by Major Matti Abdul (rtd), Boro maintained that all hands must be on deck to ensure safety of water ways and communities in order to promote economic development in the region.

“We have come to say a big no to militancy, oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism and all other familiar vices that have impeded the rapid development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large,” the Commandant General of the Coast-Guard of the Federation, Oduku Bibi had said in his remarks.

World Bank Says Funds Stolen By Abacha Was Spent On Roads, Electricity, Education, Health And Water

Mohammed Useni
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World Bank Says Funds Stolen By Abacha Was Spent On Roads, Electricity, Education, Health And Water

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has “received several documents from the World Bank totalling over 700 pages on information on the spending of recovered assets stolen by the late General Abacha, with some of the documents suggesting that Abacha loot was spent on roads, electricity, education, health and water.

This information was disclosed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni in a statement dated 29 November 2015.

The organisation said, “SERAP can confirm that last week we received several documents from Ann May of the Access to Information Team of the World Bank following our Access to Information Request to the Bank.

We also received a letter dated 24 November 2015 from Mr Rachid Benmessaoud, Director of the World Bank in Africa.”

“In total, SERAP has received over 700 pages of documents, which we are now closely studying and scrutinising with a view to discovering whether the documents contain details that Nigerians would like to see and whether the information correspond to the facts on the ground. After this analysis, we will respond to the Bank and consider our options, including filing an appeal before the Bank’s Access to Information Appeals Board and taking other appropriate legal actions nationally and internationally to discover what exactly happened to Abacha recovered loot,” the organisation said.

The organisation said that “In the meantime our preliminary review of some of the documents and the letter from Mr Rachid Benmessaoud have revealed certain facts which raise more questions about what exactly happened to Abacha loot: First, that Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Minister of Finance in a letter dated 9 January 2005 explained to the Bank that around $500m (N65bn) of Abacha loot received from Switzerland was programmed into and spent in the 2004 and 2005 budgets on roads, electricity, education, water and health across all 6 geo-political zones of Nigeria.”

“Second, Mrs Iweala explained to the Bank that N18.60bn was spent on roads; N10.83bn spent on health; N7bn spent on education; N6.20bn spent on water; and N21.70bn spent on electricity. She also said that part of the funds were spent on new and ongoing investment projects. Mrs Iweala said that relevant federal ministries have the full details on the spending of repatriated Abacha loot. The Bank noted that there was no funds monitoring and tracking mechanism in place to trace the spending of Abacha loot,” the organisation also disclosed.

“Third, Mr Rachid Benmessaoud confirmed that the World Bank played a monitoring role in a return of assets by Switzerland but that the Bank is not currently involved in the monitoring of spending of Abacha loot that have been returned to Nigeria in recent years. He said that the Bank would be prepared to set up a mechanism to monitor the use of Abacha loot if the Nigerian government request the Bank’s assistance in this respect.”

“Given Mrs Okonjo-Iweala’s involvement in the spending of Abacha loot, SERAP calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently probe the role of the Ministry of Finance and relevant federal ministries at the time in the spending of Abacha loot particularly given the strong allegations of mismanagement that characterised the use of the funds,” the organisation said.

“Although Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said that Abacha loot was spent in the 2004 and 2005 budgets on roads, electricity, education, water and health across all 6 geo-political zones of Nigeria, there is no evidence of such projects as millions of Nigerians continue to travel on dead roads, while they continue to lack access to adequate electricity supply, water, health and quality education.Therefore, President Buhari can no longer continue to remain silent on this issue of public interest if Nigerians are to continue to trust him in his fight against corruption,” the organisation also said.

It would be recalled that in a letter dated 15 October 2015 and signed by Ann May of the Access to Information Team, the Bank said that “In response to your request under AI3982, we would like to inform you that we are still considering your request and need additional time to provide you with a more comprehensive response.”

The letter reads in part “In most cases, we will be able to respond within twenty (20) working days from receipt of a request for information. However, we may need additional time in special circumstances, for example, if the request is complex or voluminous or if it requires further review by or consultation with internal World Bank units, external parties, the Access to Information Committee, or the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors.”

Earlier, SERAP had on 21 September 2015 sent an access to information request to Jim Yong Kim, President, World Bank Group urging him to “exercise the Bank’s prerogative to release documents relating to spending of recovered assets stolen by Late General Sani Abacha”.

The group also asked Mr Yong Kim to “disclose information about the Bank’s role in the implementation of any projects funded by the recovered assets and any other on-going repatriation initiatives on Nigeria with which the Bank is engaged.”

The request was “pursuant to the World Bank’s Access to Information Policy (The Policy), approved by the Board on June 30 205. SERAP notes that one of the Policy’s guiding principles is to maximize access to information. There is also clear public interest in Nigerians knowing about the Bank’s supervisory role and specifically its involvement in the implementation of projects on which repatriated funds were spent.”

Just In: Lagos Government To Arraign TB Joshua And 2 Engineers Over Building Collapse That Killed 116

Mohammed Useni
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Just In: Lagos Government To Arraign TB Joshua And 2 Engineers Over Building Collapse That Killed 116

Press Releases

The trustees of ?Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) will on Monday (November 30, 2015) be arraigned before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over the collapse of a six-story building in the church on September 12, 2014, which led to the death of 116 persons.
Senior Pastor of the church, Prophet T.B Joshua is one of the trustees.

The trustees will be arraigned before Justice Lawal Akapo alongside the engineers who constructed the collapsed building.

A statement by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Bola Akingbade, confirmed the scheduled arraignment.

It would be recalled that Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos had dismissed the fundamental human rights enforcement suits filed by the engineers who constructed the collapsed six-storey building to stop their planned trial.

The engineers, Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun, had filed two separate suits before Justice Buba seeking an order restraining the police from inviting, arresting or prosecuting them over the victims’ death.

The Lagos State Government had set up a Coroner Inquest to unravel what went wrong, and in a verdict delivered on August 7, 2015, Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, the Coroner, indicted the engineers and recommended them for investigation and prosecution for criminal negligence.

The church building, a guest house, collapsed in September 2014, killing 116 people, many of them South Africans who travelled to Nigeria for the church’s service in Lagos.

The inquiry sat for months and set July 8 for its ruling.

Northern Nigerian Governors Resolve To End Poverty In Their Region

Mohammed Useni
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Northern Nigerian Governors Resolve To End Poverty In Their Region

Governors of the Northern States have vowed to join forces to defeat Boko Haram insurgents and the attendant poverty unleashed on that part of the country.

The Governors also pledged to deepen the relationship between the people of different sections of the region in order to foster greater unity among the people.

Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, made this known Sunday in Wannune, when he led two other Governors of the forum to pay a condolence visit on Senator George Akume who recently lost his elder brother and paramount ruler of Tarka, the late Chief Gabriel Indyer Akume.

Governor Shettima said “the leaders of the North would not relent until peace is fully restored in the troubled spots of the north just like our joint resolve to overcome poverty in the north will continue to enjoy top priority”

The Governor who sue for patience and understanding among the populace said everything was being done by the governments of the northern region to ensure sustainable economic growth in the area.

He said their visit to commiserate with the people of Benue state and the Akeme family in particular was a further demonstration of the oneness and unity of purpose of the people of the region.

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