Justice Dije Abdu Aboki of the Kano State High Court, Kano has sentenced two fraudsters, Emmanuel Akabueze Obiora (alias Temple Nnaemeka ) and Aliru Ibrahim to 21 months imprisonment respectively with an option of N500,000.00 (five hundred thousand naira) fines.
Emmanuel Akabueze Obiora and Aliru Ibrahim were arraigned on a 4-count criminal charge of conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
One of the charge reads: ”that you Emmanuel Akabueze (alias Temple Nnaemeka ) and Aliru Ibrahim on or about 13th October 2011, in Kano within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice of Kano state with intention to defraud, obtained the sum of two hundred fifty thousand naira (N250,000.00) from Adamu Abdullahi through Oceanic Bank Account number 0059164345 of Temple Nnaemeka by false pretence that the said money is for purchase of a purported solar electric ring model 10A, which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 321 and punishable under section 322 of the penal code”.
They pleaded guilty to the all the charges and were convicted accordingly.
The convicts were arrested following a petition from the victim, Adamu Abdullahi alleging that the duo, at different times, obtained various sum from him under the pretext that the money would be used to purchase solar electric ring.
Emeka, my profoundly gifted younger brother travelled to one of the upwardly mobile Asian Countries for his masters degree in Information Technology after he rounded up his University education in one of the Federal Universities based in the South East Nigeria. He excelled in his Degree examinations whereby he read Philosophy as his first course after much encouragement from me who inspired him to embrace the study of Philosophy because of its inherent intellectual benefits of broadening the thinking faculty of the scholar and readily put the person in the right frame of mind to interrogate issues around his/her environment with a view to finding meaningful and relevant conclusions to such probing questions of exisentialism.
In our many conversations in the recent past just before he rounded up his post-graduate studies, Emeka appeared very worried that the crop of political leaders that Nigerians have entrusted our future with are really not committed to transform Nigeria from our current bakward status as one of the most dangerous places to live on earth and also one of the most corrupt countries of the World. On several occasions, my sibling has sounded very worried for my safety because of what he called my consistent advocacy campaign to compel the Nigerian political class to respect the basic rule of Law and the fundamental human rights of the citizenry. He, it was who rightly branded the unfortunate scenario going on in Nigeria as “the Nigeran ongoing tragicomedy.” I think there is no other appropriate way to describe the Nigerian current situation than to use the word tragicomedy.
In Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, the writers defined tragicomedy as ” a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic liteature, the term can variously describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or, often, a serious play with a happy ending”.
An interesting dimension in all of these sad scenarios playing up themselves in our contemporary times in Nigeria is that there are still many people with good and courageous hearts in Nigeria like my younger brother- Emeka who are truly worried about the fate of Nigeria if at the end of the day, our own kind of tragicomedy does not end up in a happy mood as contemplated by those who propounded the leterary theory of tragicomedy.
These set of persons in Nigeria who wish that things turn out differently for the good of all Nigerians are sometimes branded as ‘rebels’ by the powers- that- be who are so unperturbed by the worries expressed by genuinely committed Nigerians regarding the existential consequences of their corrupt practices on the body polity called Nigeria.
But Mr. Albert Camus, one of the World’s best known but departed Philosophers took his time to author a beautiful book he titled “The Rebel” in which he graphically painted a glorious picture of what it takes to consistently preach against these kinds of corruption, economic crimes and perfidy that the Nigeria’s current Political elite are busy perpetrating and perpetuating thereby exposing Nigeria to one of the worst cases of political instability, insecurity and the near- total state of anarchy and impunity that have enveloped the present day Nigeria.
Albert Camus, who was born in Algeria in 1913 and killed after a glorious intellectual life in a car accident in January 1960 had written thus; ” There are crimes of passion and crimes of logic. The line that divides them is not clear. But the penal code distinguishes between them by the useful concept of premeditation. We are living in the era of premeditation and perfect crimes. Our criminals are no longer those helpless children who pleaded love as their excuse. On the contrary, they are adults, and they have perfect alibi; philosophy, which can be used for anything, even for transforming murderers into judges”.
Put more appropriately, this great philosopher of all times, Mr. Albert Camus seem to have the present day Nigeria in mind while writing the book entitled “The Rebel” when he also stated with regret that; “…On the day when crime puts on the apparel of innocence, through a curious reversal peculiar to our age, it is innocence that is called on to justify itself….”
Still talking about the Nigerian ongoing story which my younger sibling [Emeka] who now resides permanently abroad has rightly branded as ‘tragicomedy’, there are instances of political and economic developemnt in the polity that calls to question the integrity, credibility and commitment of those who currently presides over our affair as Nigerians and whether they are aware that their collective crime of political crimes have consistently pushed Nigeria to the pricipice of destruction.. Few years back, when the current Economic Affairs Minister Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the Finance Minister under the then Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, she was credited with leading the international advocacy to successfully negotiate Nigeria’s exit from the foreign debts trap whereby she was said to have led a team of negotiators that got Nigeria big reprieve so much so that the Country paid off $12 billion in place of the over $35 billion or so foreign debts that past federal and state Governments administrations accumulated dubiously for the corporate entity.
But only on December 6th 2012, the local media are awash with stories that in the year 2013, the Federal Government has completed plans with the 36 states to also approach some creditor agencies and nations such as China, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to attract a foreign loan of over $9 billion USD payable in forty years time to immediatelly finance the building of some infrastructure and also facilitate the building of some mass housing projects for the benefits of poor Nigerians. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who briefed the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the desirability of this huge foreign loan sounded as if it is being done to satisfy the greatest happiness of the greatest number of Nigerians.
This is a tragicomedy because Nigeria is now being gradually enslaved into another foreign debts trap similar to the situation that we found ourselves when the past federal administrations collected huge but dubuious foreign loans which only took the ingenuity of Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her economic management team under President Obasanjo to exit Nigeria. But the Finance Minister who was the person that actively and vigourously campaigned for the international community and precisely for Nigeria’s foreign creditors like Paris Club and other multinationals to forgive part of our total foreign debts overhang, has also begun another campaign but this time around to also drag Nigeria into another foreign debts. Oh what an unfortunate irony of fate?
Only recently, the FinancMinister asked the National Assembly to quickly approve the Federal Government’s external borrowing plan of N1.8Trillion. Nigeria is seeking the loan facility from World Bank , Africa Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, Exim Bank of China and India’s lines of Credit. Okonjo-Iweala said the loans were required to complete some ongoing projects captured in the year 2012 budget. This line of reasoning is absurd because what immediatelly comes to mind is to ask the Finance minister why Nigeria had to use the scarce fund to finance the last line of foreign debts which were mostly dubiously obtained and only to return few years now to seek another huge foreign loans. Where are the huge revenue accruable to Nigeria from the crude oil exports in the last twelve months? Have they all being stolen by Government officials?
Again, some of the Nigerian States that would benefit from these loans are also some of those unfortunate states in the federation in which their state Governors who behave like emperors have acquired for themselves state- of- the art private jets using the scarce fund available in the treasury of their state Governments to finance their high taste and profligate lifestyle.
In River state for instance, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is in the news for the wrong reason of seeking to justify the fact hat he diverted $30 million USD to buy private jet [chopper]. This is River State whereby basic infrastructure are lacking in much of the rural areas and even in the state capital there are evidence of abandoned and uncompleted projects that are littered all over tha place. Taraba state has had the singular misfortune of producing a state Governor who not only bought private jets but flew himself into mishap with the same private jet that he allegedly diverted public money to purchase and worst still, the poor rural state of Taraba is being compelled to shoulder the financial burden of bearing the huge cost of foreign hospital treatment of the ill-fated Governor Danfulani Suntai who flew himself into this misfortune using the state scarce fund to fund his extraordniary high lifestyle of flying in private jets of different variety, shapes and sizes. Reports have emerged to show that the accidented Governor Danfulani Suntai for two weeks running is still in a life support machine in an expensive German hospital at the cost payable from Taraba state public fund.
At the last count, over five serving Governors are said to have pruchased private jets. The other day, I read in the press that the Niger State Governor Aliyu Babangida who branded himself as the ‘Chief Servant’ was said to have celebrated his birthday anniversary inside exotic private jet. What a tragicomedy in Niger state whereby students of public schools practically take lectures under trees and much of the primary and secondary schools have leaking roofs even as teachers are paid like modern day slaves.
The Nigerian story of tragicomedy came to an international climax with the recent scorecard released by Transparency International [TI of Germany]and the Economist Intelligence Magazine [of the United Kingdom] with varying degrees of international opprobium for Nigeria. Transparency International, a non-governmental organization with global repute, said Nigeria ranked the thirty fifth most corrupt country in the World. Economist Magazine released a report saying that in the year 2013, Nigeria will rank as the Worst place for ‘newborns’ meaning that infant mortality will be at its worst peak due to collapse of health infrastructure across Nigeria.
These are basic facts that so notorious so much so that even Preidential spokesman on public affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe never dismissed the bad record in the area of transparency achieved for Nigeria by the current crop of political elite. He was reported to have stated that the Transparency International report on Nigeria is a wake up call. The federal minister of Health Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu, a gentleman of the finest dimension is helpless because Nigeria operates a system whereby budgets are not adequate and the components so approved by the National Assembly and awarded financial backups by the federal ministry of Finance end up not being completely financed and the oversight agencies in the National legislature is also heavily compromised to monitor to ensure that projects to consolidate public health infrastructure are implemented transparently. Most of our Federal and state legislators are commercial contractors who fight with other contractors for government patronage. So can a kettle call pot black?
On the issue of corruption and economic crimes, the Nigeria’s ongoing story is indeed a huge tragicomedy because several tons of public fund have disappeared into private pockets of some influential individuals with close ties to the Federal Government officials and especially the Federal Ministry of Petroleum under the President Jonathan administration. At the last count over N5 trillion was reportedly missing from the public treasury since the current Federal administration emerged, according to report in one of Nigeria’s respected print media. The Finance Minsitry said over N400 billion was stolen by thieves who presented fake companies as fuel importers to collect fuel import subsidy from the Federal Government in the last twelve months.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is currently prosecuting some of these subsidy fund thieves who are connected to some powerful government officials. It is uncertain how successful the anti-graft commission will achieve in the ongoing prosecution given that these fuel subsidy thieves have stolen enough cash that they have gone to town to hire Senior Advocates of Nigeria who charge big andling charges including slush funds to allegedly compromise the judicial proceedings.
The Labour Minister Cief Emeka Wogu was alleged to have links to one of the indicted companies that allegedly stole N2 billion of the fuel subsidy money but he vowed publicly with document to show that he indeed sold out the said company long before he assumed public office. I personally led my team of private investigators to interact with him and some other officials at the corporate affairs commission and we came up with some findngs to justify his defence based on available material evidence within our reach so far. But by and large, corruption is indeed threatening the fabrics of our body polity and if nothing revolutionary is done to check this evil trend then sooner rather than later we may be forced to sing nunct dimitis for Nigeria as a sovereign entity because no sovereign nation can survive with the scale of massive fraud and corruption that have enveloped our nation. There is a general climate of fear and instability becuase the resources meant to develope security infrastructure and architecture have all been stolen and no genuine effort is ongoing to retrieve these funds and prosecute the thieves who presided over the various security outfits at the highest levels including the Nigeria Police Force and the office of the National Security Adviser in the past few years. The Presidency has recently earmarked N16 Billion to complete an edifice being built for the holder of the office of Vice President of Nigeria just as N2 billion has also being voted to build new Presidential banquet hall only few years after the huge edifice was erected by the then General Ibrahim Babangida military junta. President Jonathan’s Government is so insensitive that it is going about borrowing money to finance high lifestyle even when all he basic public infrastructure have collapsed. We must reverse this tragicomedy immediatelly.
+ Emmanuel Onwubiko, Head, Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, blogs @www.huriwa.blogspot.com.
A non-profit organization under the auspices of Network for Good Governance (NGG) has called on traditional rulers all over the country to advise their subjects to desist from acts capable of jeopardising the free flow of petroleum products via the pipeline networks throughout Nigeria.
Speaking to airport correspondents on Friday in Lagos, the Coordinator of the group, Mazi. Tony Udenta, advised traditional rulers to ensure that government’s installations in their communities are properly protected and should not to hesitate in identifying individuals in their domain who perpetrated pipeline vandalism for appropriate sanctions, as such acts are sabotage to the national economy.
“A role of traditional rulers in ensuring that sensitive government’s installations in their respective communities are protected cannot be over emphasised. They know that if the integrity of the installations such as pipelines is guided jealously, it will create employment and boost the economy of their area. Doing so would make petroleum products available everywhere in the country,” he said.
Udenta further stated that as the season sets in, some youths could easily be lured into such nefarious acts in their bid to get rich over night but insisted that government should take drastic steps to punish offenders to serve as a deterrent to others.
“Now that the management of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) said the company is committed to the rehabilitation of the pipeline network and depots across the country, all hands must be on deck to support this initiative. Our people should behave responsibly. We have no other country, other than Nigeria. Therefore, we must protect her jealously, “ he said.
He therefore called on community leaders in host communities with oil and gas pipelines to ensure adequate protection of such facilities from vandals.
Speaking on the heels of a pipeline vandal suspect arrested by the Police in Lagos, who claimed that his gang always bribe community leaders whenever they wanted to break any pipeline, Udenta appealed to community leaders to lead by example and be wary of people whose activities are capable of causing problems for the Nigerian economy.
“You must have read in the newspapers recently of one suspect arrested in Lagos over their nefarious acts in Takwa Bay area of Lagos Island, confessing that they would always bribe the community leaders and most times, it is the leaders that even inform them when the coast is clear so they can perpetrate the act. This is shameful and must be condemned by all well meaning Nigerians,” he said.
DEMAND FOR DUE PROCESS, LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATION OF ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE AIGBOJE AIG-IMOUKHUEDE-LED PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE ON OIL SUBSIDY, ACCESS BANK AND COSCHARIS MOTORS.
The National Leaders of Political Parties (NLPP) are most concerned that at a time when Nigerians are suffering from acute and perennial fuel scarcity, Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, a Company that supplies about 35% of daily consumption of petroleum products in Nigeria has been shut down purportedly on the orders of a Federal High Court in Abuja at the behest of a Federal Government Agency, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
During the last Presidential Media chat, Mr. President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan assured Nigerians, amongst other things, that there will be regular and adequate supply of petroleum products at the filling stations and the fuel queue will be a thing of the past. Contrary to his Presidential assurances, the fuel situation is worsened by the continuing closure of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited.
You will recall that on 1st January 2012, Nigerians were shocked with an astronomical increase in the prices of petroleum products by the Federal Government which led to unprecedented mass protests nation-wide. It seems to us that this closure of a local major supplier of petroleum products is an attempt by the same Government to implement the same increase in the price of fuel through the back door. If this closure is not reversed, the fuel scarcity in the country will
exacerbate, quadruple and cause enormous hardship, suffering, inflation, economic stagnation and aggravation of other debilitating social and economic indicators in the country.
More importantly, the closure of Capital Oil will lead to the dismissal of over 5000 workers of the Company and their dependants, in an economy that is already volatile with over 50 million youths unemployed.
Whereas the youths ofNigeriaare expecting a marshal plan of aggressive job creation, the government that promised a transformative agenda, is implementing policies that are aggravating the unemployment situation in the country by sacking workers even in the private sector.
This House of Representatives have just declared that no place is safe in Nigeria anymore due to activities of terrorists; security formations such as the Military Cantonment at Jaji, Police Headquarters in Abuja, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and numerous Police and Military formations across the country have come under terrorists attacks. In addition, civilian targets such as United Nations Headquarters, places of worship, market places, schools and residential homes have all come under terrorist attacks.
We, the National Leaders of Political Parties, having visited the shut down facilities of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited in Apapa,Lagoswish to draw the attention of the National Assembly that the facilities are totally unsecured and unprotected. We observed the closed down facilities and were amazed that they were completely unsecured.
We noticed that the gates and fence at the water front were vandalized leaving the entire facilities open to pirates and other oil thieves. We also observed quite a number of oil drums scattered around clearly being used to pilfer petroleum products from the facilities.
Most of all, we fear that the unsecured facilities lent itself easy target to terrorists attack from the porous water front that will decapitate the entire Lagos and further cripple the economy of our country through acute, severe and draconic fuel shortage.
We are amazed that one person, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, the Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, a major player in the oil subsidy imbroglio, also an interested party in the debts related to Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, happens to be the person appointed by the President to head the Presidential Committee on Fuel Subsidy. This is a glaring case of conflict of interest that an ordinary person would have expected the Government to know and avoid.
May we respectfully remind this House of Representatives that it has a responsibility to prevail on Mr. President to make public the full and original report of the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede led Presidential Committee on subsidy. In the same vein, we demand, on behalf of the long-suffering Masses of this country, that this House should also ensure that the Federal Ministry of Finance make full disclosure of all waivers granted to the oil marketers and the beneficiaries. We also demand to know who are directly responsible for the disbursement of the subsidy payments to the oil marketers. The Masses of this country has the right to know.
It is public knowledge that Access Bank granted an unsecured loan amounting to $164 Million to Dr. Cosmas Maduka / Coscharis Motors, who is also the Chairman of the Credit Committee of Access Bank Plc.
We recall that at the inception of the administration of the current Governor of the Central Bank ofNigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, all banks that were found to have engaged in insider-trading were sanctioned and the affected Directors of the banks were removed. We therefore call upon this honourable House of Representatives to compel the Governor of Central Bank to immediately commence the process leading to the investigation and sanctioning of Access Bank Plc and the above named Directors of the bank who have clearly contravened the extant laws.
Wonders, they say, may never end. It has come to our knowledge that one MAN, Barrister Kemi Balogun, who is the Attorney of Access Bank Plc in this debt debacle with Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, is also the counsel to Coscharis Motors, the primary borrower of the controversial loan. Now, we hear that the same MAN, Barrister Kemi Balogun is the counsel to the Federal Government Agency, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) seeking to take over Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited. This is exactly the same manner in which Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede led Access Bank Plc took over Intercontinental Bank Plc.
We also note that it has been alleged that Dr. Cosmas Maduka has a track record dating back to 1984, of unethical practices of borrowing without collateral which contributed to the collapse of Morgan Savings and Loan Limited and Guardian Express Bank. If these allegations are true, we fear that his continuing involvement in the affairs of Access Bank Plc places the bank in grave danger. In the light of the foregoing, we demand that the National Assembly should carry out an exhaustive investigation of the insider-trading activities of the aforementioned bank and its functionaries in order to safeguard the depositors’ funds in Access Bank Plc.
Finally, we urge this House of Representatives to pass the necessary resolutions to forbid the aforementioned persons from holding public offices in the financial sector inNigeria.
The American military drone that Iran claims it captured is the kind of unmanned spy aircraft manufactured in the Columbia River Gorge.
Officials in Tehran say they’ve captured a ScanEagle drone, a five-foot long craft built by Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary in Bingen, Wash., across the Columbia from Hood River, Oregon.
U.S. military leaders say none of their drones is missing.
The ScanEagle drone is unarmed, flies at 20,000 feet and can track subjects for up to 24 hours.
It was invented in 2002 by Insitu’s founders, Hood River-based aeronautic engineers Tad McGeer and Andy von Flotow, who first designed unmanned aircraft to track schools of tuna for fishing companies.
Insitu began producing ScanEagles for the Defense Department in 2004, and Boeing bought the company in 2008.
WW examined the company—and the boon of military drones to the Gorge economy—in a cover story written by James Pitkin in 2010, “…It Came From the Gorge.”
The story noted that one of the inventors had regrets about selling ScanEagles to the military:
The company McGeer founded— Insitu Inc.—is rapidly eclipsing tourism as a source of jobs in the Gorge. But it’s also drawing fire from peace activists for war profiteering and what they see as a disturbing trend toward remote-controlled, robotic killing.
At odds with the military direction his company was taking, McGeer left Insitu in 2005. Three years later, when Boeing bought the company for $400 million, McGeer made millions—exactly how much he won’t say.
“I made a Faustian bargain,” says McGeer, a lanky 52-year-old Canadian who lives with his wife and daughter in Hood River. “And when you make a Faustian bargain, you can’t complain when the devil shows up at the door.”
Many of his neighbors in the Gorge have no such qualms.
The residents of Hood River and surrounding towns on both banks of the Gorge have built an industry that, according to public statements made by Insitu executives, now generates more than $200 million a year amid this recession. The drones they’ve built have logged hundreds of thousands of flight hours over Iraq and Afghanistan, above disaster zones like earthquake-ravaged Haiti, or patrolling pirate-infested seas off the coast of Somalia.
The Enugu State government has approved the award of contract worth over four hundred and eighty nine million naira only (N489,000,000) for the executive of some MDG projects in three local government council areas in the state.
The state commissioner for Information Mr. Chuks Ugwoke who disclosed this to government house correspondent’s during a press briefing at the end of the state Executive Council Meeting president over by the acting Governor of the state Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi said the three benefiting local government councils are Aninri, Igbo Etiti and Isi-Uzo.
Commissioner Ugwoke said that out of the entire amount, the sum of one hundred and forty seven million, three hundred and thirty one thousand, two hundred and eighty four naira (N147, 331,284) was for the execution of some forty-four water project in the three council areas.
According to him, the project will include construction of rain water harvesters, facilities and storage tanks in various location in the council areas as well as water boreholes and over head tanks.
The commissioner further stated that the remaining sum of three hundred and forty one million, eight hundred and eighty six thousand, one hundred and sixteen naira sixty -eight kobo (341,886,116.68) from the total sum was for the construction of civil works in eighty –one educational institutions and health centres in parts of the three local government areas already mentioned.
The state information boss told the press that the sum of forty eight million, one hundred and ninety five thousand naira (N48,195,000) was also approved by the council for the procurement of water treatment chemicals for the state water cooperation.
The commissioner who was accompanied by his Culture and Tourism Counterpart Ozo Joe Mamel and SPA MDG Mr. Okezi Nwanjoku enumerated items to be procured as 180 tons of alum, 240 tons of lime, 120 drums of H.T.H Mr.
Ugwoke said that the items would be used to purify the raw water from Ajalli water scheme before it is pumped for consumption by the people. He explained that the council also approved the payment of the sum of three hundred million (300,000,000) to the state community and social development project (CSDP) as its counterpart contribution in the world Bank assisted CSDP in partnership with the state and federal government for the 2010-2012 project period.
The commissioner explained that a total of eighty different project under the programme which cut across different sectors in education, water, electricity, health and roads had already been completed and commissioned while 40 projects are ninety five percent completed.
The commissioner noted that with the payment of the said counterpart fund by the state government those additional 300 projects in 120 communities will be executed, in parts of the state.
The commissioner added that the council at the meeting approved a draft bill for a law to establish the state Bureau of statistics for the purpose of collecting, completion, analysis, storage and dissemination of statistical information. He noted that the bill would be forwarded to the Enugu State House of Assembly for consideration and possible passage into law.
The information commissioner said the council used the occasion to invite both residents, friends and the people of the state to the forth coming state cultural and Tourism fiesta which begins next week. He disclosed that the annual event which attracted sponsorship from both public and private bodies as well as Enugu State and 17 local government councils in the State will cost about one hundred million naira (100,000,000).
He added that events involved in the fiesta included food fair, children’s and teen’s party, street carnival masquerade and wrestling among others.
Imo State Governor,Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has presented the 2013 budget proposal of N195,743,,684,031billion to the State House of Assembly. The budget speech was delivered by Governor Okorocha in the Legislative Chamber of Imo Legislature on Monday,3rd November,2012.It was a well attended event in which every available space in the complex was overflowing with humanity from all walks of life who thronged the venue to witness the historic event.Out of the total budget of N195.7billion budget estimate,N63,560,209,564 or 32.7% is allocated to recurrent expenditure while N132,183,474,467 or 67.53% is allocated to Capital Expenditure
The budget details revealed that revenue projection from recurrent sources for 2013 is N93,889,888,530 and capital receipts is N101,853,795,501.The recurrent revenue consists of funds from federation allocatrions,Internally Generally Revenue, Value Added Tax ,Excess Crude Fund,,13% Derivation Fund, Ecological Fund. NDDC Refund and interest on bond transfer.Capital Receipts consists of receipts from internal loans, Development Partners’ intervention, Grants, Direct funding (FG) and miscallaneous.
The Economic Sector: The total allocation to the Economic sector is
N59, 171,065,6OO representing 47.29 per cent of the total budget. The economic sector is made up of Agriculture, Petroleum and environment ,Housing, Lands,commerce and industry, Works, Transport ,Public Utilities and Rural Development.
Highlights of the Budget:-Economic Sector:
-The Imo State statistical Agency with appropriate Information Technology (ICT) equipment and state of the art office accommodation will be completed;
-Government will embark on the construction of 1000 housing units of various categories for Imo citizens;
– Government will build an ultra modern market along Onitsha Road;
-Government will build a precast concrete factory in the state;
-Centres will be created to harness creativity at Orlu and Okigwe for Artisans;
-The Administration will strive to set up an Airline in partnership with the private sector;
-Government will construct eight ultra modern motor parks at the headquarters of the three senatorial zones of the state
-A drivers’ training school will be established;
–The Oguta Pontoon will be rehabilitated for effective use
WORKS: Procurement of four new Fire Fighting Engines for the three senatorial zones and Government House;
-Installation of micro water schemes to ensure regular supply of water in the three zones;
-Establishment of Fire Service Training School I Owerri;
-Establishment of new Fire Service Station at New Owerri;
Public Utilities:
* Government will rehabilitate the 16 old water schemes in the State and provide ten (10) additional ones;
*Construction of six(6) semi urban water schemes;
*Installation of traffic signal light at 18 critical road junctions in Owerri;
-*Government will extend electricity and drill 27 bore holes for the 27 new General Hospitals in the State
The Social Services Sector:
*Government will implement its free and qualitative education programme at primary, secondary and Tertiary levels;
*Provision of technical equipment for the full accreditation of the four technical colleges in the state;
*Completion of ongoing construction and renovation of projects in primary and secondary schools in the state.
*After reviewing the programmes of the Co-operative College,Ehime Mbano and the Technological Skills Acquisition Institute,Orlu(TESAI),Government has decided to convert these institutions into campuses of the Imo Polytechnic ,Umuagwo.
Within the year,2012,the Administration increased monthly subvention to Imo State University from N57million to N252million, an increase of over200%.
Culture and Tourism:
*Government will embark on full development and commissioning of our notable tourist sites such as Blue Lake of Treasure,Abadaba Lake, and the acqisition of monuments to leverage the state’s Internally Generated Revenue
*Ozuruimo Cultural Festival will be given a boost;
*The Ahiajoku Lecture festival will be taken beyond the confines of our national boundaries.
Health SECTOR:
*The completion and equipping of the ultra modern Diagnostic and Dialysis Centre and the 27 new General Hospitals under construction;
*Government will give a boost to the Health at Your Doorstep Initiative;
*Build cold store for the storage of vaccines;
*Government will intensify efforts towards developing a pharmaceutical warehouse
Youths and Sports:
*Government will complete the Orlu and Okigwe ultra modern stadia;
*Government will build an ultramodern Fire proof Market with pre-fabricated materials in 2013 fiscal year.
LEGISLATURE: Government will embark on the construction of a new House of Assembly complex equipped with e-library, internet facilities and general networking system;
*Landscaping of the House of Assembly complex and also expand and equip its clinic with modern medical equipment.
JUDICIARY: Government will embark on the construction of new magistrates court buildings at Iho,Ubulu and Isu resopectively.
Community Government Councils(CGC):The CGC has come to stay.It’s an idea and pet project of this administration which purpose is to massively develop the state by effectively utilizing existing structures in the communities. It is also aimed at decentralizing governance and enhancing the growth of the agricultural sector
*GOVERNMENT will establish Five (5) Star Hotels at Okigwe and Orlu christened”Princess” and “Prince” Hotels respectively.
*The embargo on employment has been lifted.
2012-2015 Medium Term Development Plan-Imo Rescue Plan: Governor Okorocha recalled that in 2011, the Imo House of Assembly passed the 2012-2015 Imo State Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) known as “The Imo Rescue Development Plan” with a total size of N224billion; He said that the 2013 budget is also anchored on the 2012-2015 MTEF.According to the governor,” the capital allocations and projects in this budget are all part of the entire package”.
Finally, Governor Okorocha assured the populace that his predecessor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, would be probed and the documents to that effect would be released in the next 14 days.
Delta state government is to close down all illegal health facilities in the state while housing units allocated to individuals but not yet occupied would be revoked immediately.
The State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan who announced this while reviewing the conclusions reached at Day One of the State Dashboard Implementation Workshop, directed the Direct Labour Agency (DLA) to complete all repair works on roads in Warri and Asaba before the end of this month.
In particular, he said that all clinics, nursing homes and pharmacies operating illegally or below the minimum required standard would be closed down forthwith.
According to him, the State Government has made appreciable progress in the Health Sector with the State recording above the WHO standard on Doctor/hospital ratio as well as other paramedical staff ratio to the population of the state.
However, he charged the staff in the sector to be more vigilant and diligent in their duties to ensure that the standard was improved upon.
Dr Uduaghan announced other conclusions reached to include embarking on mass housing programme which already has 1.5 billion naira set aside for the project.
He said that the state government would encourage the private sector to invest in the housing sector and resist stoutly any undue negative interference in the housing sector.
On the challenges posed by flooding, the Governor directed the Ministries of Works, Environment and Lands, Urban and Regional Development to jointly review the drainage system in Asaba to check flooding emanating from the Okpanam axis.
Specifically, he directed the Ministry of Environment to demolish all illegal structures on natural waterways irrespective of the ownership of such structures.
Besides, the Ministry of Transport was asked to have a database which could serve as reservoir of information for private sector investment in the transport sector.
Similarly, the ministry is expected to embark on marine transportation to enable those in the riverine areas move around easily and at affordable cost.
Also, it was resolved that the State Government would pay promptly all certificates raised for jobs completed by contractors to encourage them to do more.
The Dashboard Implementation Workshop, which is a self evaluation programme, was designed to review the activities of Ministries and parastatals and prepare a road map that would improve the policies and programmes of the various ministries and parastatals in the state.
The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) , Abia state chapter, has described as misguided the attacks on Gov. Owelle Rochas Okorocha by the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Chief Reagan Ufomba.
The party’s state publicity secretary, Senior Apostle Kingsley Maduakor stated this in a statement made available to newsmen. He maintained that Ufomba’s allegations against the Imo state chief executive are baseless and an attempt to rubbish the party and advance the goals of his paymasters after his dismal performance in the last general elections.
“While it is obvious that Chief Ufomba, a co fusionist par excellence is at again as was the case with his sojourn in the Peoples Democratic Party and has been recruited and is on a mission to create tension and friction in the party by his unfounded allegation against Owelle Rochas Okorocha of meddling in
the affairs of APGA Abia state.
“His resort to his time worn antics of employing pseudo names in launching attacks and his choice of an amorphous “Pastor Philips” in advancing this self mocking mischief of his in the guise of a press release is both stale and un-amusing,” the statement read in part.
The party says it views the continuous hosting of what it termed illegal meetings by Ufomba in his private house and office as an act of drowning man abandoned by close associates, who after seeing his anti democratic antecedents had since returned to the PDP form where they came from with him.
“We are amused at Chief Ufomba’s resort to fabrication and issuance of false press release in the name of APGA Abia state with the intention of misleading and confusing members of the public.”
The party further urged Okorocha not to allow the enemies of progress to distract him from focusing on his developmental strides in Imo state, adding that the public should ignore Ufomba whom it describes as an agent of destabilization in the party.
No less than 40,000 youths are being targeted to be empowered in Delta state annually under the Skills Acquisition Programme of the State Government.
The State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan who disclosed this while briefing participants at the Economic Dashboard Implementation workshop in Asaba, yesterday, said that currently, 7,000 youths were being empowered yearly at the different Skill Acquisition centres across the state.
According to him, the Government would intensify efforts to ensure that the target of 40,000 was met by establishing more skills acquisition centres and completing works on those under construction.
“We have agreed that boarding facilities be provided in the already established skill acquisition centres to make it easy for the youths to attend lectures”, he hinted.
Besides, the Governor announced that henceforth Masters Degree would be the minimum qualification for lecturers in Higher Institutions of learning in the state including Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
He said that it was not acceptable that in the present situation where there are many holders of Masters Degree looking for jobs, tertiary institutions in the state were employing First Degree holders as Lecturers.
Dr Uduaghan said his administration places great emphasis on education stressing that to achieve academic excellence in Higher Institutions of learning, a lecturer with First degree should not teach in tertiary institutions in the state.
He explained that the success of development programme in the state was anchored on education saying “Education is the key to the success of any program we are planning’’.
The Governor who harped on the importance of monitoring in the education sector directed that all Inspectors of Education in the state should have a minimum of two years practical experience in teaching, and that anyone without such experience should no longer be allowed to serve as an Inspector.
He said that for Inspectors of Education to diligently perform their duties, they must acquire the requisite knowledge and experience in the field.
Also, he directed that a comprehensive list of uncompleted projects in Higher Institutions of learning in the state be compiled saying that steps would be taken to ensure that they were completed.
“We noted that our children are doing well in internal exams (JSS 3 exams) but are not performing very well in external exams (SSS 3 exams). We have therefore adopted a strategy to encourage hard work and academic excellence in schools’’, he added.
The Governor noted that there were more teachers in the urban areas than rural areas and enjoined the education ministry to redistribute teachers from the urban areas to the rural areas to balance teachers in schools.
He said the Ministry of Basic & Secondary Education was developing a partnership programme with DELSU to have a continuous program for the training and re-training of teachers for improved productivity.
