Category: Lead

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed security agencies to end crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta before May 29.

Buhari, who gave the directive through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, insisted that the Federal Government can no longer tolerate economic sabotage by non-state actors.

He was addressing troops of the Joint Task Force Operation Delta Safe, in Effurun, Delta State and Port Harcourt, Rivers State, respectively.

The President’s directive was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by Sylva’s Senior Adviser (Media & Communications), Mr. Horatius Egua.

The statement reads: “Mr. President has mandated us to eradicate crude oil theft. He has directed that no litre of crude oil should be stolen in the country again, especially in the Southsouth.

“He wants crude oil theft eliminated by May 29, 2023, as one of the legacies of his government.

“Before the government’s renewed efforts in tackling crude oil theft, the nation’s daily crude oil production was about 900, 000 barrels per day. But scaled-up security efforts have jacked up production to about 1.5 million barrels per day.”

He urged security agencies not relent on their combined efforts.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC Limited), Mele Kyari, disclosed that the Federal Government had set up a special court to expedite the trial of oil thieves and pipeline vandals in the oil-rich region.

Kyari expressed confidence in the collaboration between security agencies and the private security company contracted by NNPC Limited in the campaign to restore full confidence in the sector.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Lucky Irabor attested to the improved crude oil production since the intense fight against oil theft and encouraged the officers to do more to achieve the President’s aspirations.

The ban on cash withdrawals from public bank accounts commences March 31 this year, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has announced. 

The restriction also affects accounts operated by political parties, foreign missions, and Nigeria’s development partners.

NFIU, in its guidelines on the measure, warned that any breach by an official of the affected bodies, including governors, would be treated as money laundering.    

  According to the guidelines, any governor, who withdraws even one naira from any of his state’s bank accounts, will be investigated while in office and prosecuted after his tenure. 

Also, any other official of governments and political parties accused of breaching the rules will be probed and, if found guilty, be tried immediately along with his accomplice(s).   

There is, however, a provision for a waiver, which must be granted by the President. 

NFIU Head Modibbo Tukur told reporters in Abuja that the  ban would help to stop the rate at which cash is being taken out of public accounts “without recourse to the money laundering laws and sometimes, for corruption purposes.”

  Tukur also disclosed that “the local government N500,000 cash withdrawal limit with regards to public accounts and instituted funds are hereby discontinued.” 

He said:  ”NFIU noticed in the process of its financial transactions analysis that civil servants are becoming more and more vulnerable to money laundering and its predicate offences due to their exposure to cash withdrawals from public accounts.”

Tukur revealed that between  2015  and 2022,   state governments withdrew N701 billion from their various accounts;  federal agencies, N225 billion; and   Local Governments,   N156 billion.  

The NFIU head added that he  had  ”instructed all financial institutions to stop cash withdrawals from government accounts from March 1, 2023.” 

Tukur stated  that   banks and government agencies at all levels have been directed  to begin  “online transactions  for the purpose of accountability and transparency.” 

He said:  ”Nigeria will become a full non-cash economy by March 1 this year. As a consequence, any government official that withdraws even one naira cash from any public account from March 1 will be investigated and prosecuted in collaboration with relevant agencies like EFCC(Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) and ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission).

“The   guidelines also “include all foreign missions operating in Nigeria and  accounts of all development partner institutions.”

His words:  ”Any individual or corporate body that violates the provisions of these new guidelines will be liable to necessary prosecution and penalties from the said date (March 31).

“Cash withdrawals from public accounts will be treated as a money laundering offence.

“There is nothing in these guidelines to suggest or indicate there is reason to compel or warrant a public official at federal, state, and local government levels to go to a financial institution to withdraw cash.

“Under no circumstance, shall any category of public officers be given a standing or continuous waiver to withdraw cash from any public account in any financial institution or designated non-financial institution.”

 ”The accounts of all instituted funds in form of independent funds to be operated as mutual funds such as insurance funds, cooperative funds, brokerages funds, political party funds or pressure group/union funds, once the funds are designated to exist as funds or to operate independently for management and/or investment.”

He insisted that “these guidelines supersede and repeal the N500,000 cash withdrawal limit of local government funds and also, since it is for a criminal purpose, supersedes the CBN’s Regulation on cash withdrawal limit with regards to public accounts and instituted funds”. 

The NFIU boss disclosed that “most cash withdrawals from public accounts are in excess of N5 million and N10 million for individuals and corporate bodies respectively which is prohibited and liable to imprisonment upon conviction”. 

The breach of this particular provision he  said  ”became so rampant because there are heavy withdrawals of cash from public accounts necessitated by inflation and changes in the economy, and also due to payment for overseas travels in terms of estacode and other overseas allowances.” 

He noted that “cash withdrawals must be prohibited in order to mitigate the risk of exposure of public servants to these crimes and protect the financial system from continuous abuse”.

 But under the new guidelines, Tukur hinted that offenders may be asked to pay three times the amount they are accused of withdrawing.

 With the new measure, the NFIU believes that N1 trillion will be mopped up from the system,  thus helping the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in its effort to sanitise the liquidity in the system.

 Section 19 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 (MLPPA, 2022), he added “imposes a fine of at least N10 million or imprisonment for a term of at least three years (or both), in the case of individuals; and a fine of N25million in the case of a body corporate”.

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) chairman, Lauretta Onochie, has described the commission as a shame to the Niger Delta and the country.

She said despite the humongous funds allocated to the commission over the years, the region has remained grossly underdeveloped.

Onochie spoke shortly after assuming office at the headquarters of the commission in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

The immediate past acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, formally handed over to the newly inaugurated board.

Onochie lamented that that money earmarked for the development of the Niger Delta was being squandered in Abuja, Lagos and overseas, while the people of the region lived in squalour and abject poverty.

She said: “Today is a historic day, not just for the people of the Niger Delta, but for the women of the Nigeria. And being a historic day, we have a lot of things going on today. Let me remind us why we are here.

“This organisation (NDDC) was commissioned specifically for the people of Niger Delta. 

“It is an interventionist agency that is supposed to bring about prosperity; it is supposed to bring development in our region.  

“This organisation was set up in the year 2000. And, if you go round the Niger Delta till date, there is little or nothing to show for it. NDDC has been a shame of the Niger Delta and a shame of our nation.”

The five aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), otherwise known as the Integrity Group, failed to name their preferred presidential candidate in Oyo State on Thursday.

They were in Ibadan, the state capital, for the campaign flag-off of Governor Seyi Makinde.

The campaign, which held at historic Mapo Hall, attracted a huge crowd of PDP members and supporters from across the state.

The governors again did not announce their preferred presidential candidate despite the heightened expectations of the members.

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike appealed to the members and supporters to vote for all the candidates of the party for the National and State Assembly elections but did not give the same directive on the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

However, Wike assured the party faithful that Makinde, whom he described as the G5 Youth Leader, would announce their preferred presidential candidate to them later.

But as the governors took time to talk and failed to declare their support for the party’s presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, a section of supporters were shouting ‘Atiku’, ‘Atiku,’ voicing their protest against the governors.

Wike, who also vigorously explained why Makinde should be allowed a second, advised all other candidates for the election to step down for him.

He said: “There is no other party in Oyo state. People of Oyo State let me thank you for making your son valuable, a young man who is dependable, a young man who you can trust, a young man who can make you go home and sleep with your two eyes closed. A young man whose yes is yes, whose no is no. And that is why he follows those who say we believes in fairness, we believe in equity, we believe in justice.

“Seyi Makinde is a good product and has done well since he was given mandate in 2019 and therefore the only way we can appreciate him more is for him to go back and complete the good work he has started because that is the only way you will get the best out of him.

“Let me use the opportunity and tell anyone of you, if there’s anyone from another party planning to vote now, withdraw now for Seyi Makinde. There is no need to worry yourself, the people of Oyo have spoken that they are voting for Makinde.

“Vote for Seyi, vote for the Senators, vote for the House of Representatives, vote for the House of Assembly.

“The other one, Seyi will talk to you. The other one, Seyi will talk to you. The other one, Seyi will talk to you. When it is time, Seyi will talk to you.”

The G5 governors – Wike, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Makinde – are demanding the resignation of PDP National Chairman Senator Iyiorcha Ayu.

They said it was unfair to the South for Ayu and Atiku to come from the same region.

They insisted that Ayu promised but failed to step aside if a northerner is elected the PDP presidential candidate.

Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu (rtd), on Thursday said the scholarship scheme for ex-militants was suspended because it was unsustainable.

He also said less than one per cent of the trained ex-Niger Delta agitators were gainfully employed.

According to Ndiomu, efforts are on to set up a cooperative, which will enable trained former agitators to establish their businesses.

The Interim Administrator, who spoke in Abuja, said the government had no choice but to halt the scholarship programme.He said the N7 billion initiative cannot be sustained.

Details soon…

A huge crowd of party faithful and supporters converged yesterday on the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano for the presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The rally was organised by the Northwest zone of the ruling party.

The stadium was filled to the brim. Many party members and supporters who stayed outside and struggled to force themselves inside were intermittently advised to return home.

Tinubu was accompanied in a caravan from the Kano State Government House to the stadium by officials and players of 5,000 registered and unregistered football clubs from the region.

The procession, which lasted over two hours, resulted in gridlock and shutdown of business activities along the routes leading to the stadium located at Kofar Mata in the ancient city.   

When the APC presidential candidate mounted the podium and sighted the sea of heads, he retorted: “I am your own. I am overwhelmed.”

Also, when a song composed in his name was played, an excited Tinubu danced briefly and thanked the people for the rousing welcome accorded to him.

He promised to serve and protect Nigerians at home and abroad if elected as President.

Tinubu said: “I will serve you; I will serve Nigerians and protect all. I will keep my promise. I am overwhelmed; I am here just to dance. Nothing to add. Nagode (thank you), nagode, nagode. So sai.”

The former Lagos State governor said Nigerians should not be cajoled into allowing the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return to power during the February 25 election.

Tinubu, who also said the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has nothing to offer, warned that a PDP government at the centre would be a return to maladministration.

Aligning with Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s claim that Atiku had no integrity, he accused Atiku of establishing a university that is too expensive for Nigerians to attend.

According to statement by his media office, Tinubu said: “We can make Nigeria better, safer, and more prosperous. We can educate our youth, feed our people and put an end to fear. We can do these things. We can move you forward.

“But the others cannot. They want to hold you back so that they are the only people that can move forward. They offer nothing but fake promises and easy answers that hold no water. All they can show you is how to hate your fellow Nigerian and reject your neighbour.

“But they cannot show you how to protect our society, feed our people, provide jobs and care for those in true need of help.

“Let me say this clearly and plainly. This campaign is about our collective march to a better Nigeria. Do we march forward? Or do we lose sight of the road?

“We must march forward. But we cannot forget how they frittered away our Commonwealth. For 16 years they toyed with our lives and the future of this country. They spent $16 billion on electricity, but they procured darkness instead. They didn’t remember the pipelines and processing facilities to give us electricity. They shared the electricity generation money among themselves and their cronies.

“Neither he nor his party can keep their promise. Tell me how will they keep their promise to the nation. No wonder, their party is in tatters! Governor Wike was right when he talked about a lack of integrity, saying “look at the man and his history.”

“Their contribution to institutional-building is to create an electoral commission to rig elections, not to conduct transparent polls, and to establish EFCC to witch-hunt political opponents, not to fight corruption.

“PDP and its candidate do not have your interests at heart. They do not mean well for you; they do not mean well for the country. They mouthed Green Revolution, but their regime only worked to increase the food importation bill for 16 years. What they understand is a ‘consumption economy’ not a ‘production-based economy.”

 Tinubu listed some of President Muhammadu Buhari’s achievements and promised to build on them. 

He cited the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, particularly in rice production, the Lagos-Ibadan highway, which he said, the PDP failed to fix, and the Second Niger Bridge, among other infrastructure projects.

Tinubu said he would rework the public finance system to unlock the avenues for more revenues for the country as he did in Lagos as governor.

On his plan for the people of Kano State, he promised to consolidate the gains recorded in the agriculture sector and revive the state’s industrial estates.

His words: “For this important Kano city, we shall work with the state government to make it a first-class economic mega city. Also, famous dams such as Tiga, Chalawa Gorge, Thomas, and Kusalla, will get special attention.

“We shall increase irrigated land, create water catchments and implement other measures that will allow you to cultivate these lands all year round – improving productivity, creating jobs, and increasing food supply while ending hunger.

“Through Commodity Exchange boards and better credit access, we will guarantee incomes for farmers while also allowing them to get affordable loans to improve their output and incomes.

 ”My industrial policy shall revive the respected but now idle industrial estates in Sharada, Bompai, Panshekara, Jogana, etc. We have the policies and tools to make them competitive and to create thousands and thousands of new jobs for you.”

Tinubu also promised to speedily complete the Kano – Lagos rail project for easy movement of goods and services, while the Kano-Maiduguri and Kano-Kaduna-Abuja roads will be improved.

He said: “Kano and Lagos are the twin cities of North and South. Let us further cement that relationship, not only to improve the two cities, but to move the entire nation forward. Let us join together for a better tomorrow. Let us renew hope.”

Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, said the Tinubu administration would complete projects started by Buhari that may not be ready before May 29.

National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, urged the people of the zone to vote for Tinubu and other candidates of the party for peace, unity, progress, and development of the country.

He commended the people for the warm reception and hospitality accorded to the APC candidate and his team.

He added that the crowd that gathered at the launch had signaled victory for the party.  

Adamu presented the APC flag to the Kano State governorship candidate, Dr. Nasiru Gawauna. 

Also, the Director-General of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council, Simon Lalong, said no other political party can penetrate Kano State because “all the borders have been closed” to other political parties and their candidates.

Host Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who on Tuesday declared that the rally yesterday would be “historic”, said Tinubu met all the variables required for the nation’s number one job.

He said: “We have put into consideration the credentials of our presidential candidate and his running mate. Tinubu is a tested and trusted person.”

The governor, who thanked the people for their support, reassured Tinubu of Kano votes. 

He said: “The success of the rally is a clear statement and demonstration of the preference of Kano people as regards the choices before them.”

Ganduje said Tinubu had the character, capacity, and competence to provide a leadership worthy of pride.

Progressive governors will deliver Tinubu, says Bagudu

At the rally, Kebbi State Governor   Abubakar  Bagudu boasted that members of the Progressives Governors’ Forum would ensure Tinubu’s victory at the poll.

Bagudu, who chairs the forum, urged Nigerians to vote for Tinubu and Shettima for massive development.

He said: “All the APC governors are united and have promised to deliver Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu at the election.

“We know that Tinubu will replicate what he did in Lagos nationwide when he is elected president of this country.”

Director of the Northwest Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council Support Group, Baffa Dan-Agundi, in a statement, said youths jubilated and chanted “Jagaban for Nigeria, during a football match between Kano Pillars FC and Super Eagles legends ahead of the rally.

Dan-Agundi added that “after the match, the Super Eagles legends urged their fans to vote for Tinubu.

He said: “The result can be vividly seen by the massive turnout of over 5,000 registered and unregistered football clubs who came out to receive Tinubu.”

Also at the rally were Senate President Ahmed Lawan; Governors Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Masari (Katsina), and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), among others.