Today saw sadness in the quiet community of Ndiowu in Anambra State – as an entire family was buried in one grave. The Anyaene family lost their live in the Dana Air crash of June 2, 2012. They were buried today amidst tears and grief.
–
–
–
The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garba El-Kanemi and the Deputy Governor of the State, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha escaped an attack by a suicide bomber suspected to be a member of the Boko Haram sect. The incident happened around 2:15pm, immediately after Friday Jumat prayers at the Mosque in front of the Shehu’s palace.
Eye witness account claim a teenager of about 15 years old was noticed walking towards the two dignitaries outside the Shehu’s mosque where they just had the Jumat prayers.
However, the suspicious manner in which the boy was approaching the Shehu and deputy governor, drew the attention of the security men guarding the Shehu who quickly tried to shield him.
The bomb went off in the process, killing at least 10 other people in the vicinity, wounding two of the soldiers according to eye witness.
Men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and other security operatives immediately rushed the traditional ruler and the deputy governor to the Government House while the mosque and the palace were condoned off by soldiers and policemen to prevent further attacks.
Spokesman for the Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Col. Sagir Musa confirmed to Channels Television correspondent, Jonathan Gopep that five People were killed in the attack.
The area around the Shehu’s palace has been cordoned off and more soldiers have been deployed to the scene.
Source(Channels Tv)
The idea behind the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB Bill) originated about four years ago under former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he set up an Oil and Gas Reform Implementation Committee (OGIC) to assess modality for the reformation of the oil industry. The committee was saddled with the responsibility to carry out a comprehensive reform of the oil Industry with a view to bring Nigerian system under the international best practices and to replace the opaqueness haunting our oil industry with transparency. TheAct is to establish legal and regulatory framework, institutions and regulatory authorities for the Nigerian petroleum industry and to establish guidelines for the operation of the upstream and downstream sectors..
The Act which was generally applauded by Nigerians was some how prevented from not seeing the light of the day hence it was fraught with myriad of problems militating against it. This includes multiplicity of oil reform Bills at the National Assembly and lack of political will by the Federal Governmentto push through the PIB Bill. In addition, are the activities of multinational companies who wantedthe status quo to be maintained in respect of Pre-PIB Joint Venture Agreements with the NNPC/Federal Government.. They are afraid that tampering with the Joint Venture Agreements will cede too much control to the Federal Government. .The multinational oil companies are not comfortable with the fiscal regime and increased Royalty Payments in the PIB. Some provisions of the “PIB” were poorly drafted and not well articulated and some salient important issues not addressed at all and/or included in past draft versions of “the PIB” .For instance:
• Fiscal regime for gas not touched and/or addressed at all;
• Fiscal regime for offshore drilling is poorly drafted and omitted ultra deep offshore drilling;
• Blueprint for NNPC privatisation is completely superficial –need to include strong provisions for commercialising and privatising NNPC in line with international best practices;
• The role of Minister of Petroleum Resources in the post PIB regime is not properly defined – for instance:
• Who oversees the reform implementation process?
• Should the minister’s discretionary power to award and revoke licenses be retained?
• Should the minister’s role be restricted to policy making and setting directives for the industry only?
Despite the aforementioned obstacles on the way of the Bill, Nigerians breathed a sigh of relief when President Goodluck Jonathan in his national broadcast in commemoration of Nigeria’s democracy day on 29th May 2012 promised that a new PIB would be ready in June 2012 for onward transmission to the National Assembly.
Subsequently. Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke inaugurated a task force chaired by former senator and chairman of the Board of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Udo Udoma Udo, was also expected to work alongside a technical sub-committee headed by the Director-General of Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Osten Olurunsola, which was charged with reviewing all former versions of the bill and come out with a draft within the next 30 days. They were saddled with the responsibility of drafting a new PIB Bill.
Thus, the new PIB Bill presented by Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Allison-Madueke to the President recently is meant to change everything from fiscal terms to overhauling the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), promote Nigerian content and significantly increase domestic gas supplies, especially for power generation and industrial development. The ultimate aim of the PIB was to refine the Petroleum laws, after more than 50 years of oil and gas operations in Nigeria. This was taking good care off by consolidating the 16 existing laws into a single set of provisions, leading to an overhaul of the legal, fiscal, commercial and governance frameworks.
The core principles of the new PIB, are to imbibe global best practices of openness, transparency, good governance, indigenous participation and sustained revenues for Government. Under the new PIB Bill two new institutions would be formed to replace the NNPC once the draft PIB was passed. These are the National Oil Company (NOC) and National Assets Management Company (NAMC). These institutions and the petroleum industry would be under the supervision of the petroleum minister. The NAMC is expected to be 100 percent government owned, while the government is to adequately capitalise and progressively sell government’s stake in the NOC, down to 49 percent.
PRESS RELEASE
TRAINING OF NDLEA OFFICERS TO COST 780 MILLION NAIRA
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said that basic training for newly employed officers will cost seven hundred and eighty million naira (N780,000,000) only. It also provided reasons why the training has not been conducted. Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Ahmadu Giade who appeared before the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption in Abuja on Wednesday said that though adequate training is crucial, lack of funds has hitherto hindered the training of the new officers.
According to Giade, “when we got approval for the recruitment of the officers we did not anticipate delay in the release of funds for training. The basic training programme will cost 780 million naira. Drug control is sensitive and the training must match the functions of the officers. In the interim, I had to use my discretion to conduct their documentation and deploy them to their States of origin for orientation programme. This was merely introductory and does not suffice for the basic narcotic course. Consequently, I directed the commanders not to engage them in critical operational assignments save for routine administrative duties”.
The NDLEA boss also explained that there is compliance with his directives and that the Makurdi shooting incident was not done by the new officers. He therefore appealed for the release of funds to enable the Agency conduct the training. “I wish to state that the Makurdi shooting incident did not involve the new officers. The case is being handled in line with the Agency’s rules and regulations. I also wish to appeal to the Committee to assist us in providing funds for the training which is long overdue” Giade stated.
The Committee Chairman, senator Victor Lar said that though some persons that sent memorandums are not present, the NDLEA has given explanation to questions asked. “The committee is better informed on the issues of concern. The inadequate funding condition of the NDLEA is noted and appropriate action will be taken by the committee” Lar assured.
Ofoyeju Mitchell
Head, Public Affairs
The Edo state government has declared the day before election of July 14, 2012, a half working day for government workers. Civil servants are expected to show up to work on Friday July 13, 2012 at 8am and close at 12noon.
According to the official letter released to the media, it reads “This is to inform the general public that the state Government has declared a half working day for all workers in state civil serviceon Friday, July 13, 2012. All workers in the state civil service are expected toresume work at 8:00am and close at 12:00pm. This is to enable the workers take the advantage to prepare for the governorship election on Saturday, July 14. The Government urges the people to come out en masse on theelection day and be orderly as they exercise their franchise.”
–
–
–
Justice M. L. Shuaibu of Federal High Court, sitting in Kaduna on Thursday, July 12, 2012, sentenced a bribe taker, Muhammad El Ameen Al Haleel, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to three years imprisonment each on five of the seven count charge bordering on fraudulent dealings and obtaining the sum of N60million under false pretences.
Al Haleel was arraigned on November16, 2011 for defrauding Dr. Shuaibu Sani Teidi, a governorship aspirant in Kogi state of the sum of N60 million with a promise to facilitate a meeting between him and the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammad Namadi Sambo, to ensure that he, Teidi, got nominated as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Kogi state. Al-Haleel also promised to use part of the money to get clearance for Shuaibu from the EFCC to enable him stand for the 2011 election.
Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu is a former Director, Pension Administration in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation who is also being prosecuted by the EFCC alongside 39 others accused persons over a N4.56 billion Pension scam.
In his judgment, Justice Shuaibu said he was lenient on the accused because he was a first time offender.
It would be recalled that the complainant, Dr Sani Teidi, on February 8, 2012, testified before the court that Al Haleel, collected the sum of N60m (sixty million naira) from him to facilitate a meeting between him and the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Vice President Muhammad Namadi Sambo to ensure that Shuaibu got nominated as the governorship flag bearer of the PDP in Kogi state.
The ex-pension boss said sometimes in 2011, he visited the accused and discussed his political issues with him. “I told him I needed ticket i.e. support for the governorship race in Kogi state most especially from the office of the Vice President and also clearance from former EFCC chairman, Farida Waziri, whom he claimed he had contacted”.
Shuaibu further told the court that to facilitate his ticket from the Vice President, el Ameen told him that the vice president would need ten million naira, (N10m), for his clearance and fifty million naira for Mrs. Waziri. Shuaibu said he gave the ten million naira to the accused personally at his house while $320,000 was delivered to him at home by his driver. “He then called me to say that I should change the $320,000 to naira equivalent as he claimed that Mrs. Waziri said she needed it in naira equivalent”.
According to Shuaibu, he had to change the dollar to naira which amounted to N50 million, which he handed to his driver to deliver to Al Ameen. Immediately he collected the sixty million naira from his driver, Al Ameen stopped picking his calls, a development that prompted Shuaibu to call Mr. Smith, the link between them and reported Al amen to him.
“After he collected the money, he stopped picking my calls which prompted my calling Mr. Smith and he told me to try him again of which I did. He, Al Ameen then sent me a text message saying he will not take it likely with Mrs. Farida Waziri. He said he was going to hold her responsible for that money and that he will not take it easy with her at all”.
When asked by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Austin Emumejakpor what the money was meant for, Shuaibu said the N60 million given to Al Ameen was purportedly for the duo of the Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo and former EFCC chairman, Mrs. Waziri but was never delivered. In response to a question as to how he knew that the money was not delivered, Shuaibu said he knew because he never got a clearance from Mrs. Waziri and nothing also came from the Vice President too.
Justice A. S. Dahiru of Sokoto State High Court has sentenced a former Director of Sokoto South Local Government, Mr. Kassimu Jibo, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a three-count charge bordering on Advance Fee Fraud, to twenty-one years in prison.
Jibo’s conviction followed a petition to the Commission in December 2008 by one Mr. Bulus, who alleged that the convict, as director in the Sokoto South Local Government, told him that he had some tractors to sell under the state government agric scheme, and in the process defrauded him to the tune of Three million, Two hundred Thousand Naira, (N3.2 million).
Unknown to Bulus that it was fraud, he then contacted another Alhaji Tijjani, an agric inputs supplier in Kano and the latter made available the initial sum of two million naira for two tractors through Bulus to the convict. After a while, he deceived the complainant by demanding and receiving additional one million two hundred thousand, which he said his Permanent Secretary demanded.
In her judgment, Dahiru who is the Chief Judge of the state said that the fact that the convict had refunded the sum of N1.5m of the money is an admission of culpability. She averred that the accused knew he had no tractors to sell but canvassed for buyers and deceitfully showed Bulus a compound along Koko road in Sokoto where tractors were stocked in order to convince his victim he had tractors to sell.
She therefore found the accused guilty of the three count charge and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on each count. But the sentence is to run concurrently. The court also directed that the convict should refund the sum of N1.7m to Alhaji Tijjani as restitution.
12 July 2012
PRESS STATEMENT
SYLVA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
2010 INDEPENDENCE DAY BOMBING
We have read in utter shock reports about a statement in court by a state witness in the October 1, 2010 Independence Day bombing in Abuja, claiming that Chief Timipre Sylva had foreknowledge of the blast.
For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that the so-called testimony is completely false, mischievous, and misleading. Sylva knows nothing about the independence-day bombing. He has nothing to do with it.
It is public knowledge that the alleged mastermind of the October 1, 2010 Abuja bombing, Mr. Henry Okah, who is currently standing trial in a South African court, has deposed to an affidavit in which he did not mention Sylva as having any links to the blast.
Sylva, therefore, wonders what the State Security Services (SSS) wants to achieve with the falsehood by the so-called independent witness.
Besides, the testimony by the unnamed witness smells of obvious desperation to drag Sylva into what he knows nothing about, perhaps, in continuation of the deliberate political victimisation that has been meted out to him in recent times. It is sad that after all they have done against Sylva, the forces of reaction appear not yet satisfied. Now, they want to rope him into a treasonable offence he did not commit. That way, it would be easy to silence him forever since under our laws the punishment for treason is death.
Nigerians have in recent history been witnesses to the fates of innocent citizens who were sent to their early graves or incarcerated unjustly on phantom charges of concealment. Having emerged from that ugly past, the security agencies and the political class must be careful to avoid things that may re-enact the bad political times.
Sylva dissociates himself completely from the Independence Day bombing issue and advises the security agencies to strive to do their job professionally and not taint it with politics.
DOIFIE OLA
Media Adviser to Chief Timipre Sylva
2023 © 247Ureports
247Ureports Protects its' news articles from plagiarism as an important part of maintaining the integrity of our website.
