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2015 Campaign To Get The Christians? Jonathan To Attend Church Service Outside Aso Rock

Mohammed Useni
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2015 Campaign To Get The Christians? Jonathan To Attend Church Service Outside Aso Rock

President Goodluck Jonathan said on Sunday that he would henceforth worship outside the Aso Rock Villa Chapel every last Sunday of the month, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The President announced the decision at the headquarters of Dunamis Gospel Church, Garki, Abuja, where he attended a Sunday service.

He said he decided to be going from one church to another every last Sunday of the month to show appreciation to Christians for their prayers.

Jonathan said, “Traditionally, we have the State House Chapel where I worship every Sunday. If we do not have the chapel, probably I would have been here one or two times before this time.

“It is only during the Christmas period, maybe two Sundays before Christmas and the Sunday before and after New Year that we sometimes close the chapel, and allow people to participate in their church services and that time I do go round.

“This year, we have decided that from now onward, until I leave the State House, every last Sunday of the month I will go to different churches.

“The reasons are very obvious, not because if I worship in the State House I am not worshiping God.

“Yes, that is the State House Chapel presided over by a chaplain and from time to time other men and women of God come to preach to us.

“But I feel that it is good for me to go round and continue to appreciate what our brothers and sisters have been doing.”

The President said Nigeria had been having its own share of negative occurrences but pointed out that the challenges of the country would have been more without prayers and spiritual support from Christians.

He said with the prayers and support from the Church, Nigeria would overcome its present challenges and achieve its potential.

“If you watch television, both local and foreign, we always have negative news as breaking news. We have our unfair share of those negative news but your prayers have been helping. If not for your prayers, it would have been worse,” he said.

Piers Morgan Kicked Out Of CNN

Mohammed Useni
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Piers Morgan Kicked Out Of CNN

CNN is pulling the plug on “Piers Morgan Live” after just three years in a key primetime slot.

The program, hosted by former newspaper editor Piers Morgan, had struggled to gain traction at the 9 p.m. hour, and was routinely beaten in the ratings by cable competitors.

“CNN confirms that “Piers Morgan Live” is ending,” the network said in a statement. “The date of the final program is still to be determined.”

Piers Morgan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Piers Morgan Live” replaced the CNN show hosted by iconic TV interviewer Larry King in early 2011, a tall order for any presenter.

While the two programs had a similar format and a focus on newsmaker interviews, the U.K.-born Morgan was never able to attract an audience that could rival that of Fox News during the key primetime hour.

“It’s been a painful period and lately we have taken a bath in the ratings,” Morgan told the New York Times on Sunday.

In his interview with the Times, Morgan said he thought the audience may have grown weary of his focus on gun control — a major topic of conversation on the show in the wake of several mass shootings in the United States.

“Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing,” he said. “There is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it.”

Morgan has also been under pressure as a result of an inquiry into phone hacking by U.K. papers.

The former Daily Mirror editor was interviewed late last year while in Britain by officers involved in the investigation into claims that journalists illegally hacked people’s voice mail to get stories.

Content Credit: CNN

Anglican Archbishop Equates Gay Discrimination To Apartheid

Mohammed Useni
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Anglican Archbishop Equates Gay Discrimination To Apartheid

Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa on Monday in Cape Town equating discrimination against gay people to the horrors of Nazi Germany and apartheid era in South Africa

He was critisising the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni over his plan to approve controversial anti-homosexuality laws.

“We must be entirely clear about this, the history of people is littered with attempts to legislate against love or marriage across class, caste, and race.”

He said there was no scientific basis or genetic rationale for love as, there was only the grace of God.

“There is no scientific justification for prejudice and discrimination, ever, nor is there any moral justification. Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa, among others, attest to these facts,”he said.

Tutu urged Museveni to use the debate to strengthen the culture of human rights and justice in Uganda, and clamp down on sexual exploitation rather than orientation.

Two weeks ago, Museveni told members of his governing party he would sign the bill, passed by parliament late last year, prescribing life imprisonment for homosexuality.

Museveni has come under fire from UNAIDS which warned that Uganda’s progress in tackling the country’s HIV epidemic could be reversed if the law is passed.

Benjamin Aduba: Suspension Of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi Is Politically Wrong

Mohammed Useni
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Benjamin Aduba: Suspension Of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi Is Politically Wrong

The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria should be like Caesar’s Wife, above all suspicions. Mr. Lamido Sanusi is plastered with suspicions but it is wrong to suspend him now. It is politically not right.

Suspending him might also be legally suspect. .There are many reasons why it would have been very nice if Mr. Sanusi had loved his country enough to step aside on his own accord. But he is not a nice guy. He is also not patriotic. Here are some information in the public domain:

• Mr. Sanusi had used the CBN funds to make donations to the victims of Boko Haram bombing in Kano. People sympathize with victims of all bombings in Nigeria. But is it the role of the Central Bank governor to solve humanitarian needs? There have been more bombings in Maiduguri and other parts of Nigeria some of them more devastating than the Kano bombing, but Mr. Sanusi and his CBN had not come to their aid. Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi if from Kano but his responsibility is national.

• Mr. Sanusi had also used CBN funds as donation to Bayero University in Kano. Like the donation to the BH victims this is an abuse of office. It is the using public funds for a private purpose. Central Banks sponsor research efforts in universities but usually they are for specific research that would help the economy in specific ways. Mr. Sanusi’s donation was to the university’s general funds. A university could use general funds for what ever suits its purposes. Funding for research is in accounting terminology “restricted funds.” It means that it could only be used for a particular purpose.

• Mr. Sanusi has been in open rebellion with the Jonathan Administration. A governor of the central bank ought to be a team player. He has not worked well with the president, with the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and the Petroleum Minister. These three officers have the most impact on Nigeria’s economic health. Ability to work well with others is the most cherished qualification in a senior manager. A lone ranger attitude is OK is some areas but not in any team game. Hunters, researchers, inventors, innovators, etc would be a good calling for a lone ranger. But the fiscal policy (finance minister) and monetary policy (CBN governor) ought to be in sink. Mr. Sanusi has not working towards this goal

The last point above, the fact that Sanusi has been in an open rebellion with Jonathan, is why it is wrong to suspend Mr. Sanusi now. The second reason is the fact that he has a mere four months to go. Mr. Jonathan ought to be able to wait him out. Mr. Jonathan is like a football coach who is two touch downs (goals) ahead and five minutes to the end of the game. It is true that miracles happen (Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary Pass; or Tom Brady’s two touch downs in four minutes) but the general rule is to try to run out the time. This what Mr. Jonathan could have done.

Mr. Sanusi has the sympathy of some political leaders who would welcome anything that hurts Mr. Jonathan’s Administration under the doctrine of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. In escalating the feud with Mr. Sanusi, Mr. Jonathan plays into the hands of these political jobbers. When playing the card of missing funds and corruption Mr. Sanusi is painting a sad picture of the administration. He knows fully well that his position as CBN governor provides him with immense immunity from political interference. His goal now is trying to dirty the administration as much as possible and possibly extract a hero role from his efforts.

Mr. Jonathan even now has the stronger suite of cards. He could start impeachment procedures for Mr. Sanusi during which his misdeeds such as the few mentioned above, among others, could be brought out. A successful effort would result in dismissal without benefits and deny Mr. Sanusi his crave to be a hero.

But the wider question is “Can Nigeria stand this?”

As for Mr. Sanusi it is damn Nigeria. Long Live Kano!

Written By Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba
Boston, Massachusetts
February 20, 2014
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Yoweri Museveni: Those Who Agreed To Become Homosexuals Should Be Harshly Punished

Mohammed Useni
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Yoweri Museveni: Those Who Agreed To Become Homosexuals Should Be Harshly Punished

I HAVE seen the statement President Obama of the USA made in reaction to my statement that I was going to sign the anti-homosexual Bill, which I made at Kyankwanzi.

Before I react to Obama’s statement, let me, again, put on record my views on the issue of homosexuals (ebitiingwa, bisiyaga in some of our dialects). Right from the beginning of this debate, my views were as follows:

• I agreed with the MPs and almost all Ugandans that promotion of homosexuality in Uganda must be criminalized or rather should continue to be criminalized because the British had already done that;
• those who agreed to become homosexuals for mercenary reasons (prostitutes) should be harshly punished as should those who paid them to be homosexual prostitutes; and • exhibitionism of homosexual behavior must be punished because, in this part of the world, it is forbidden to publicly exhibit any sexual conduct (kissing, etc) even for heterosexuals; if I kissed my wife of 41 years in public, I would lose elections in Uganda.

The only point I disagreed on with some of the Members of Parliament (MPs)and other Ugandans was on the persons I thought were born homosexual. According to the casual observations, there are rare deviations in nature from the normal. You witness cases like albinos (nyamagoye), barren women or men (enguumba), epa (breastless women) etc.

I, therefore, thought that similarly there were people that were born with the disorientation of being attracted to the same sex. That is why I thought that it was wrong to punish somebody on account of being born abnormal. That is why I refused to sign the Bill and, instead, referred it to our Party (the NRM) to debate it again.

In the meantime, I sought for scientific opinions on this matter. I am grateful to Ms. Kerry Kennedy of the USA who sent me opinions by scientists from the USA saying that there could be some indications that homosexuality could be congenital. In our conference, I put these opinions to our scientists from the Department of Genetics, the School of Medicine and the Ministry of Health.

Their unanimous conclusion was that homosexuality, contrary to my earlier thinking, was behavioural and not genetic. It was learnt and could be unlearnt. I told them to put their signatures to that conclusion which they did. That is why I declared my intention to sign the Bill, which I will do.

I have now received their signed document, which says there is no single gene that has been traced to cause homosexuality. What I want them to clarify is whether a combination of genes can cause anybody to be homosexual. Then my task will be finished and I will sign the Bill.

After my statement to that effect which was quoted widely around the world, I got reactions from some friends from outside Africa. Statements like: “it is a matter of choice” or “whom they love” which President Obama repeated in his statement would be most furiously rejected by almost the entirety of our people.

It cannot be a matter of choice for a man to behave like a woman or vice-versa. The argument I had pushed was that there could be people who are born like that or “who they are”, according to President Obama’s statement. I, therefore, encourage the US government to help us by working with our scientists to study whether, indeed, there are people who are born homosexual. When that is proved, we can review this legislation.

I would be among those who will spearhead that effort. That is why I had refused to sign the Bill until my premise was knocked down by the position of our Scientists. I would like to discourage the USA government from taking the line that passing this law will “complicate our valued relationship” with the USA as President Obama said. Countries and societies should relate with each other on the basis of mutual respect and independence in decision making.

“Valued relationship” cannot be sustainably maintained by one Society being subservient to another society. There are myriad acts the societies in the West do that we frown on or even detest. We, however, never comment on those acts or make them preconditions for working with the West.

Africans do not seek to impose their views on anybody. We do not want anybody to impose their views on us. This very debate was provoked by Western groups who come to our schools and try to recruit children into homosexuality. It is better to limit the damage rather than exacerbate it.
I thank everybody.

Yoweri K. Museveni Gen. (Rtd) is president of Uganda

Disclaimer

It is the policy of Newswirengr not to endorse or oppose any opinion expressed by a User or Content provided by a User, Contributor, or other independent party.
Opinion pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Newswirengr

First Photos From The House of Tara’s Centro Mall Studio Launch: Munachi Abii, Anna Ebiere Banner & Others Step Out

Mohammed Useni
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First Photos From The House of Tara’s Centro Mall Studio Launch: Munachi Abii, Anna Ebiere Banner & Others Step Out

Makeup and Beauty brand, House of Tara launch its 14th Studio at the Centro Mall, Lekki on 24, February 2014 and hosted guests to an exclusive cocktail event at the store location.

The launch had in attendance: Toke Makinwa, Omoni Oboli, Bola Balogun, Munachi Abii, Ufuoma Ejenebor, Anna Banner, Lamide Akintobi, Eunice Ofole, Bolanle Olukanni, Ejiro Amos-Tafiri, Kiki Kamanu, Isoke Ogiemwonyi, Arese Ugwu and many others.

See photos below:
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‘Wike Is Speaking The President’s Mind’, Amaechi Reacts To Jail Threat

Mohammed Useni
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‘Wike Is Speaking The President’s Mind’, Amaechi Reacts To Jail Threat

Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike recently said the Governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi will be arrested in 2015 after President Goodluck Jonathan is declared winner of the Presidential election. Amaechi has reacted to Wike’s comments by insisting he would keep contesting President Jonathans anti-Rivers policies and such threats will not prevent him from fighting as he is not a coward or a fan of cowards.

Speaking through his Chief Of Staff, Tony Okocha by phone to reporters, Amaechi said:

“I presume Wike is speaking the president’s mind”

The Governor related the friction with the Presidency to the Soku oil wells ceded to Bayelsa state.

“Nothing will stop me from fighting for the right and interest of the people of Rivers State. The people and residents of Rivers State are my primary constituency, and I have sworn on oath to protect their interests. I have repeatedly said that I will support and vote for President Jonathan if he gives back to Rivers State the five Soku Oil wells that have been ceded to Bayelsa State.”

“The issue of the Soku oil wells is not about Amaechi, it is about the economic interest of our state. So, I cannot be cowed because of some imaginary threat. No! Amaechi is far more than that.”

Amaechi revealed he was not aware of the plans to arrest him in 2015 but he was certain Nyesom Wike was speaking the President’s mind

“It is not surprising that Wike speaks so despicably of a man who threw him up politically. He is one of those who ill- advise the president that opposition is punishable by death.

“Now, see where we are today. One will expect that Wike is scolded for making such gutter statement but, alas, it’s a further meal ticket for him. Nigeria we hail thee!”

Negative Effects Will Arise From Sanusi’s Suspension – Bakare

Mohammed Useni
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Negative Effects Will Arise From Sanusi’s Suspension – Bakare

Pastor Tunde Bakare during a church service on Sunday in a prepared message said the suspension of CBN Governor, Lamido Sanusi would have negative effects on Nigeria and the Nigerian government. He revealed that the suspension was as a result of destructive power game.

The Serving Overseer of The Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos said:

“The suspension of Sanusi is an ego-driven, counter-productive and destructive power game that will have very dangerous consequences for the nation and the government.

“It is important not to demystify the institutions of the country. Personalities and people will go but the institutions must remain; the institutions must remain strong to enhance the growth and peace of the society.
“You can imagine the negative consequences of this suspension on the investing public, on shares and even on government revenue.”

Pastor Bakare’s text was themed, ‘Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the Federal Government of Nigeria: Aitete m’ole, ole m’oloko’.

‘Aitete m’ole, ole m’oloko’, according to the cleric means: “when the owner of the farm fails to apprehend the thief in time, the thief will apprehend the owner and label him the thief.”

He also attributed the recent suspension to Sanusi’s letter to President Jonathan on September 25th 2013 in which the former accused the Nigerian National petroleum Corporation of failure to repatriate $49.8bn (about N8trn) into the Federation Account between January 2012 and July 2013.

He praised Sanusi’s courage even as he said the suspended CBN Governor may have blown the whistle a little too late

“In order words, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, undeniably a crusader of truth and justice, may have blown the whistle indicting the very heads of the crime economy just too late, the opportune time to blow the whistle should have been when the CBN, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the PPPRA, the NNPC and other agencies provided conflicting figures as to actual subsidy payments to the Adhoc Committee on the management of fuel subsidy”.

“Make no mistake about it, few men have the courage of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

“Few men have the aristocratic dignity of a man who time and again, while in public office, raised his voice against profligacy and monetary imprudence especially among the legislators and sometimes among the executive; perhaps, no serving government official has been as outspoken against misgovernace as the suspended CBN Governor.”

APC Group Wants Party’s Executive Members Ousted

Mohammed Useni
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APC Group Wants Party’s Executive Members Ousted

All may not be well with Nigeria’s leading opposition party, the the All Progressive Congress (APC) as a group within the party, Conscience Group has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to sack APC’s national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and the executive members of the party.

The group’s request is based on the ground that the party’s constitution only empowers the present executive council members to act for six months as interim members after which a congress will put in place substantive executives

Chief Iheke Solomon and Chief Nnamdi Olebara are the plaintiffs and they sued on behalf of the group and themselves as they cited that the stipulated period of six months expires on the 31st of January, 2013 and they want all the interim executive officers to vacate their posts

On Tuesday, the case will be brought before Justice Abdul Kafarati.

Liverpool Thump Swansea In Thrilling Encounter

Mohammed Useni
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Liverpool Thump Swansea In Thrilling Encounter

Liverpool’s Premier league title bid seems back on track as they defeated Swansea City 4-3 at Anfield on Sunday.

Daniel Sturridge grabbed a brace for his side but it was Jordan Henderson’s late goal that ensured a victory for Liverpool

The match was characterized by a lot of defending and superb attacking play by both sides.

Swansea drew level with Liverpool twice during the encounter. Daniel Sturridge had scored in the 3rd minute. Midway through the first half, Henderson finished beautifully for Liverpool.

Jonjo Shelvley and Wilfried Bony however scored two goals within three minutes with Shelvley netting a beautiful goal against his former club.

Just before the break, Sturridge netted his 18th league goal to make the scores 3-2. Liverpool’s joy will not last for long as Bony leveled scores early in the second half from the penalty spot.

16 minutes from time, Henderson sealed the game for the Reds  with his second goal in the game.

Liverpool are now within four points of league leaders, Chelsea.

Sanusi’s Suspension, Ploy To Sweep Missing Oil Funds Under The Carpet – APC

Mohammed Useni
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Sanusi’s Suspension, Ploy To Sweep Missing Oil Funds Under The Carpet – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the presidency of seeking to use its illegal suspension of Malam Lamido Sanusi Lamido as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to divert attention from the allegation of missing 20 billion dollars in oil funds.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the way the presidency has been campaigning to malign Sanusi, using the report of the obscure Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, shows that it is working hard to sweep the issue of the missing funds under the carpet and punish Sanusi for daring to expose the fraud.

It said if the federal government had used half the energy it has been deploying to discredit Sanusi toward the investigation of the missing oil funds, the monumental corruption case would have been solved by now.

”Irrespective of the tepid and unconvincing denial by the presidency, it is clear that the main reason the presidency moved against Sanusi is because he blew the lid on the 20 billion dollars funds which the NNPC allegedly failed to remit to the Federation Account.

”Fortunately, discerning Nigerians are not hoodwinked by the Presidency’s choreographed mudslinging against a whistle blower, and the sponsored campaign that amounts to shooting the messenger just because his message is not palatable.

”While the presidency has chosen to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians over the missing oil funds, we call on the National Assembly to get to the bottom of Sanusi’s allegation and save Nigerians from a rapacious and a rampaging cabal that is hell bent on bringing Nigeria to its knees through runaway corruption,” APC said.

The party said the questions that are begging for answers include: What happened to the missing 20 billion dollars? If indeed a part of the funds has been used for kerosene subsidy, who authorized the spending of money that was not appropriated, in violation of the nation’s constitution? Who reinstated the subsidy that had been removed by a presidential directive? If $8.76 billion of the missing money was used for kerosene subsidy, who and who are the beneficiaries, since it is clear that Nigerians are not enjoying any subsidy on kerosene for which they are shelling out at least 150 Naira per litre?

It re-stated its earlier stand that Sanusi’s suspension is unlawful and that it is another dangerous turn in the Jonathan administration’s journey of impunity, lawlessness and double standard.

APC said the drop in the value of the Naira and the fact that the banking sector and other stocks spiralled into the negative, in the aftermath of the ego-driven and illegal suspension of Sanusi, have shown the dangers inherent in politicizing an office that should be insulated from political pressure

”There are just short-term repercussions. The long-term fallout may be the scaring off of foreign investors by the perception of instability in the financial sector and the erosion of the CBN’s autonomy. If and when that happens, a President who has so far failed to uplift his nation’s economy would have succeeded in sabotaging it,” the party said.

On the allegations against Sanusi, it said the federal government should charge him to court, if indeed it is convinced of the veracity of the allegations, instead of convicting him on the pages of newspapers and mob-lynching him through paid hatchet men.

Removal Of CBN Governor – Keeping Focus On The Issues – N-Katalyst

Mohammed Useni
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Removal Of CBN Governor – Keeping Focus On The Issues – N-Katalyst

Press Release

REMOVAL OF CBN GOVERNOR – KEEPING FOCUS ON THE ISSUES – N-KATALYST – 23 February, 2014

N-Katalyst, a non-partisan network of individuals with a deep commitment to the promotion of Nigerian unity and progressive change is seriously concerned about the removal of the CBN Governor on 20th February 2014 by the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration.

ILLEGALITY OF THE REMOVAL OF THE CBN GOVERNOR
The purported suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, by the President is a patent violation of the rule of law and the principle of legality. The decision is symptomatic of the apparent desperation that has gripped the presidency and its allies in the wake of the troubling allegations made by the Governor of the Bank that public officials in the NNPC are looting the country blind in the name of subsidy payments.

In law, the purported suspension of the Governor is unwarranted. Section 11 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 clearly lists the instances when the Governor or any of his Deputies can cease to remain in office. None of such instances include suspension by the President. The only mention of the word ‘suspension’ is in section 11(1)(d) and that relates to the removal of the Governor when he or she is disqualified or suspended from practicing his or her profession in Nigeria. Of course, the illegal suspension of the Governor is not from a professional body and is not at all contemplated by the law.

The only occasion the President can recommend the removal of the Governor or exercise any disciplinary control over him or her is under section 11(1)(f) and that recommendation must be supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate before he or she can be removed. Now the law is clear that the express mention of one thing is the exclusion of the other. In other words, if the law had intended that the President should exercise the power of suspension over the Governor of the Central Bank, it would have expressly stated so, particularly as the same law provides for the removal of the Governor based on his or her suspension from professional practice.

THE ISSUE OF MEGA CORRUPTION
N-Katalyst is aware that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has been consistent in exposing the exponential growth of mega corruption in Nigeria and it is clear that his removal is intended to put a stop to his revelations and sustain the regime of impunity that exists today. We recall the following facts:

At a Public Hearing in the House of Representatves in late 2010, the CBN Governor raised an alarm over fraud in the fuel subsidy regime. This was corroborated by subsequent investigations, such as those by the House of Representatives Committee and the Aig-Imokhuede Committee.

He revealed in his memo to the Senate Committee on 12 February 2014 that NNPC sells our petroleum for a fixed price of $10 a barrel and that they do not sell it at the market price. This revelation demonstrated that a cabal is selling our petroleum for a paltry percentage of its market price.

The Governor insisted that we should get full value for our resources – an act that should be commended for its patriotism.

iii. He also pointed out that NNPC enters into agreements with private agencies to swap crude oil for processed petroleum products. Such SWAP agreements are normally set up when the crude oil is of low grade. Nigeria’s crude oil is one of very high quality. The SWAP agreements result in serious leakages because they are not properly structured, monitored or audited. Moreover, they allow documents to be destroyed after one year, which allows monumental fraud to be covered up.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has also exposed the failure of NNPC to remit foreign exchange to the Federation Account at a time of rising oil prices.

Similar concerns have been also raised by NEITI, the KPMG audit carried out under Minister Aganga when in the Finance Ministry and the Nuhu Ribadu Committee.

NNPC claimed N310.4 billion as “subsidy” on kerosene from 2009 to 2011, even though it had received and acknowledged, in 2009, the directive under President Yar’Adua to eliminate the kerosene subsidy. This is a violation of a Presidential directive, which should be treated as a serious offence. Statistics from the NBS show that no such subsidy was made on the price of kerosene. So the question is: Where is the missing N310.4 billion supposedly spent on kerosene “subsidy”?

vi. NNPC claims to have paid $8.49 million as fuel subsidy during the period April 2012 and December 2013 when its returns to the Federation Account after March 2012 show that the payment on fuel subsidy was Nil.

So NNPC is either making false returns or making false public statements. How does NNPC explain this contradiction? What happened to the $8.49 million supposedly spent on fuel “subsidy”?

The CBN Governor also questioned NNPC’s role in relation to NPDC. He provided evidence to show that NNPC took oil blocks belonging to the Federation, gave them to itself under the cover of NPDC and then transferred the operation of the blocks to inexperienced private agents lacking the required funds for the exercise. This action is not only unconstitutional but in the process, NNPC effectively transferred income in excess of $2.8 billion from public assets into private hands.

viii. The bulk of oil theft, bunkering and illegal refining has been happening recently, between 2010 and 2013, and is estimated to incur losses of between $6.5 and $12 billion.

The removal of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as CBN Governor has clearly taken place because of these bold acts in exposing and challenging corruption. The other intended purpose of the removal is for the Presidency to establish a firm and direct control over the CBN, which could spell doom for our economy.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CENTRAL BANK AUTONOMY
The CBN Act provides for the autonomy of the Institution so that the desperation of political actors does not affect its effectiveness in protecting the economy. Today it is part of international best practice to ensure that a President cannot wake up one morning and remove the Governor of the Central Bank. If President Jonathan is allowed to get away with this act of illegality, the future of our economy could be very bleak.

We can illustrate the danger by reminding ourselves about the Ugandan case. In 1971, Idi Amin Dada, Uganda’s famous dictator ran out of money to run the Government.

He was furious when he was told he could not just print money through the Central Bank and continue his spendthrift promotion of his megalomania. He reminded everybody that he was the boss and ordered the Central Bank to print more money. This action of course caused massive inflation and led to the collapse of the economy. It is widely believed that Idi Amin subsequently ordered the assassination of the Central Bank Governor, Joseph Mubiru who had told him that it was unwise and dangerous for people with power to toy with the Central Bank. It was easy to kill Mubiru but impossible to address the problems caused by interfering with the Central Bank. The prices of goods soared while essential commodities simply disappeared from the market.

DEMANDS
N-Kalalyst believes that the monumental corruption unveiled by the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, should be turned into an opportunity to create a tipping point for zero tolerance to corruption and for the institutionalization of transparency and accountability in our public life. We therefore make the following demands:

1) Immediate Re-Instatement of the CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
We must challenge the desecration of the laws of our country by its Chief custodian. We call on the Senate to view the so-called suspension of the Governor as a naked usurpation of its powers and privileges. The Senate should immediately reverse the decision and draw the attention of the President to the fact that our Constitution imposes a regime of separation of powers and the President cannot and should not usurp the powers of Senate.

2) Ending Impunity for the NNPC Cabal
Public corruption has run out of control in Nigeria. We are recent witnesses to the police pension scam and the unbelievable spectacle in the House of Representatives on the power probe where it was discovered that over $16bn was spent to provide electric power without commensurate results. We are looking at a pattern of organized looting of our national resources emanating from the Executive Branch.

It continues because Nigerians do not stand up to fight and hold their leaders accountable for their actions. It will not be enough to insist that the culprits be prosecuted and punished.

We must begin this fight by demanding the following:
i. All persons and institutions that have been involved in the fuel and kerosene subsidy scam should be investigated and prosecuted. These include, but are not limited to, the Ministers of Petroleum Resources and of Finance; the Board Members, MD and Management of NNPC; the Board Members and Executive Secretary of PPPRA; the Director of DPR and all public officials indicted in the Report by the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee.

ii. The freezing of the accounts and recovery of all illegal payments made to the Petroleum marketing firms, the NNPC, PPPRA and others, which were earlier revealed by the findings of the House Committee, amounting to N1.2 trillion or $6.8 billion.

iii. The immediate suspension of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, as she awaits prosecution for her crimes against the Nigerian people.

N-Katalyst commits itself to push these demands by exerting maximum pressure on the Federal Government to take action.

3) Getting the Judiciary to do its Work
The spectacular failure of recent high profile criminal prosecutions relating to corruption dramatizes the collapse of the system of public prosecution in Nigeria. Public prosecution rests on a tripod – the detection and investigation of crime, the prosecution of offenders and their conviction and punishment. All levels are in crisis due to the appointment of successive Attorney Generals who see themselves as the President’s henchman rather than an independent and impartial officer of the State determined to advance the cause of justice. There is no political will at the very highest echelons of authority to fight corruption in the country.

Already, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), has shown no will to fight corruption. While we are conscious of the fact that government must be guided by the dictates of the rule of law and due process, the message we get from the Presidency is that they are in no hurry to identify and prosecute the culprits of this mega corruption.

The President must come out openly and show commitment to ending impunity by:

i. Immediately terminating the appointment of the Attorney General Mohammed Adoke, SAN and appointing a credible Attorney General who has the skills and the will to combat and prosecute corruption.

ii. Announcing a time frame, not exceeding six months, for implementing the recommendations of the various Committee reports that have demonstrated wide scale fraud in the petroleum industry and commencing the prosecution of all indicted officials and all persons who benefitted, colluded or participated in the corruption scandal.

4) Restructuring of the Petroleum Sector
The structural conditions allowing the continued monumental fraud in the Petroleum sector arise from the fact that the NNPC remains the regulator, main producer and marketer of petroleum and its products, both upstream and downstream. It is a clear conflict of interest that has allowed the organization to become a behemoth with no respect for laws and processes.

There is a need for deregulation so as to stop NNPC from regulating the downstream sector. Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has a conflict of interest in being both on the board of NNPC – a fuel importer – and the supervisor of the subsidy regulator, the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

We demand as follows:
i. A Judicial Commission of Inquiry should be established into the operations of the Petroleum Ministry and NNPC.

ii. The management and board of NNPC should be overhauled and those involved in any infractions should be investigated and prosecuted. The company should be unbundled to make it more transparent and efficient.

iii. The passage, within a maximum of three months, of the original, undiluted Petroleum Industry Bill.

5) Citizen Engagement
N-Katalyst is aware that Government will not act if citizens do not mount sufficient pressure. We Nigerians must learn to act more as citizens and not as subjects. The country belongs to us all and we can no longer leave the political space to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. The fight against corruption must be comprehensive and all encompassing; all sections of the society must stand up and fight until we bring this monster under control.

i. Pressure should be mounted on Government to engage the participation of citizens in the formulation of a plan of action towards ending impunity and corruption in our national life, including the possibility of making corruption a capital offense.

ii. N-Katalyst commits to working with other civil society groups to ensure that these demands are met.

Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, Dr. Otive Igbuzor
Saudatu Mahdi, Dr. Ayesha Imam
Ayisha Osori, Idayat Hassan
Yemi Candide-Johnson SAN, Ayo Obe
Dr. Charmaine Pereira, Saka Azimazi
Maryam Uwais, Yusufu Pam
Prof. Kyari Mohammed, Mustapha S. Hanga
Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, Nasir El Rufai
Auwal Rafsanjani, Hassan Hussaini
Dr. A. S. Mohammed, Prof. Nsongurua Udombana
Asma’u Joda, Nsirimovu Anyakwee
Fatima Balla, Martin Obono
Dr. Hussaini Abdu, Aisha Oyebode
Hubert Shaiyen, Dr. Arabo Ibrahim Bayo
Yusuf Baba Ahmed, Y. Z. Ya’u
Dr. Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, Mohammed Hasheem Abubakar
Mohammed Bello Abdulhameed

N-Katalyst, is a non-partisan network of individuals with deep views on the promotion of Nigerian unity and progress.

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