Category: Lead

•APC, PDP, Akinyemi, Bugaje knock ex-President

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo came under fire last night for stucking his neck for Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi in next month’s election.

The two leading political parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – knocked the former President.

One-time External Affairs Minister Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi and a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Usman Bugaje, expressed displeasure at the position of the ex-president, which he made known through an open letter released yesterday.

The letter was the unveiling of his support for the LP standard bearer, which he had surreptitiously done in the last few months.

Obasanjo’s letter was titled: “My appeal to all Nigerians, particularly young Nigerians”.

The former president, who praised himself for offering a responsible leadership, urged the youth to shun prejudices.

However, Bugaje expressed reservations about Obasanjo’s advice, saying he was not impressed by his past record.

He said: “First, President Obasanjo is entitled to his opinion. He can make his choice and he can decide to make his choices public as he has done in this case. I don’t know the objective criteria for his decision.

“Before you take what somebody says, check the person’s record.  For me, Obasanjo’s record doesn’t encourage me to take whatever he says.

“I was at the National Assembly when he attempted to extend his tenure by changing the constitution.  We had to stand up to him in that respect.  So, for me, I can’t find his endorsement trustworthy.”

Bugaje added: “What I think we should be doing now, is to set agenda on issues that should guide the voters. We are almost at the precipice.

“We need a leadership that can pull this country back from the precipice that can actually strengthen the institutions and can give the direction this country should go.  We need a leader that can unite this country.”

Also faulting Obasanjo, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi described him as a leader responsible for Nigeria’s woes.

He said Obasanjo should emulate former military rulers – Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar – who are in retirement.

Akinyemi stressed: “Some of us believe that President Obasanjo was one of the foundational problems that this country had.  One of the things I said is that once you have occupied the post of the president and you have served your term, leave, and be like Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar.  Just be quiet.  You have had your term and let others get on.

“But for you to create problems for us and then come back and present yourself as a problem solver, I find that difficult to swallow.”

‘A worthless endorsement’

The Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) dismissed Obi’s endorsement by Obasanjo, describing it as worthless and of no political value.

The APC-PCC, in a preliminary response through its Director, Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, said neither the party nor its candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move.

“Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993.”

The council described the former president as a political paperweight, who lacked the political goodwill or leverage anywhere in the country to make anyone win a councillorship election, let alone win a presidential election.

The statement reads: “We read with amusement the endorsement of Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his New Year message on Sunday.

“Following calls by journalists from various media houses who asked for our reaction we decided to make this preliminary statement, though we didn’t consider the so-called endorsement to be of any value.

“We respect the democratic right of former President Obasanjo to support and endorse any candidate of his choice in any election.

“Except that he made it known formally in his New Year message, any discerning political watcher in Nigeria knows that Chief Obasanjo’s preference for Peter Obi is expected. He had earlier stated his position at various public events, the last being at the 70th birthday anniversary of Chief John Nwodo, former President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Enugu.

“We make bold to say that our party and candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move, as Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993.

“The endorsement is worthless because the former President does not possess any political goodwill or leverage anywhere in Nigeria to make anyone win a councillorship election let alone win a Presidential election.  He is a political paperweight.

“He is also not a democrat anyone should be proud to be associated with.”

Onanuga further recalled “that in 2003 and 2007 general elections when he was a sitting President, Obasanjo used all the coercive instruments of state at his disposal to railroad people into elective offices against the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls. In 2007, he declared the polls a do-or-die affair after he failed in his bid to amend our constitution to have a third term.

“From our records, President Obasanjo has not successfully made anyone win an election in Nigeria since then. Not even in Ogun State can anyone rely on his support or endorsement to become a governor or councillor.

“We pity Peter Gregory Obi as we are confident that Chief Obasanjo can not win his polling unit and ward in Abeokuta for Obi in the coming presidential election on 25 February 2023.”

Tracing the political antecedent of the former President, the APC-PCC recalled that Obasanjo similarly endorsed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in 2019 against President Muhammadu Buhari. Atiku was walloped by Buhari with a wide margin in the election.

“History will repeat itself in February as our candidate Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will equally beat Obi by a large margin.

“We take particular notice of the part of the endorsement statement where Chief Obasanjo said none of the presidential candidates is a Saint.

“We want to state here that Chief Obasanjo is not a good judge of character. He is a man who considers only himself as the all-knowing Saint in Nigeria.

“Over the years, Chief Obasanjo has also convinced himself that integrity, honesty and all good virtues begin and end with him.”

Atiku campaign: Obasanjo’s endorsement personal

The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) described the endorsement as a personal decision.

The campaign organisation, in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the former President’s choice did not reflect the position of overwhelming majority of Nigerians.

Stressing that Obasanjo was entitled to his opinion, Ologbondiyan said the choice cannot influence the determination of Nigerian voters to

rally with “the more experienced, more proficient and more accepted” candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar “to rescue and rebuild our nation.”

The statement reads: “What is surprising to majority of Nigerians is that in the face of the alarming challenges facing the nation, which requires a tried and tested hand, former President Obasanjo is suggesting a candidate that has not had any experience in governance at the national level.

“It will be extremely difficult for Nigerians, particularly the youth demography, to accept Chief Obasanjo’s opinion as the solution to the myriad of challenges facing the nation today because the last candidate he introduced, by his own estimation, failed Nigerians.

“Atiku remains the most widely accepted candidate, whose choice is not predicated by sectional, tribal, ethnic or religious sentiments or the endorsement of any individual, high or low, but by record of ability and performance, authentic vision, honesty and character; physical and mental capacity; the very indices set by the former President.

“It is instructive to state that every claim by former President Obasanjo on the success of his administration is a reflection of the performance of Atiku Abubakar as his Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council during which our nation achieved unprecedented economic growth to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

“It therefore amounts to a disservice for the former President to make subjective suggestion even when it is clear that if a hand like Atiku Abubakar with their shared experience is brought to the forefront of governance, our nation will be rescued from this current sullen state

“Our Campaign therefore urges Nigerians not to be distracted by subjective opinions but to remain focused on the resolve to salvage our dear nation by electing Atiku Abubakar as the next President of Nigeria, come February 25, 2023.”

The groundswell of support for All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has continued to gain traction. The ruling party and three of its governors enjoined the electorate to cast their votes for him.

While the  APC said that Tinubu’s presidency would usher in a better future for Nigerians, the governors–Abdullahi Umar Ganduje(Kano State), Rotimi Akeredolu(Ondo State), Plateau State Governor   Simon  Lalong(Plateau)– said Tinubu’s records were  enough to earn him victory in the February 25 presidential poll.

They spoke yesterday in Abuja, Kano, and Akure.

Also, Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa,   Youth and Sports Development Minister, Sunday Dare;  the Director of Contact Mobilisation for Tinubu/Shettima in Gombe State, Inuwa Kari, advised Nigerians to vote for the APC for a better tomorrow.

The APC, in its new year message, assured Nigerians that a vote for  Tinubu was a guarantee for a better tomorrow.

The party said in the message by its  National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka,  in Abuja that it would spare no efforts to justify the support given to it by Nigerians in the last general election.

 The message reads: “The best is yet ahead as we urge Nigerians to stand fast in support of our visionary Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and all other candidates of our great Party in the upcoming general election.

“We will continue to spare no effort to justify the highly valued support of our Party in the last two electoral cycles.

“In the spirit of the season, the party rejoices with Nigerians and wished them a   happy and prosperous New Year.

“The year 2023 is of momentous significance. It is not only the last lap of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, it is the year of renewed hope  for all Nigerians when we exercise our sovereign civic duties to elect new leaders for our country.”

In Jos, Lalong, who is the director-general of the APC Presidential Campaign Council,  told his kinsmen that   Tinubu has concrete plans to address the nation’s challenges.

He spoke at the annual cultural festival of the Gamai people tagged “Bit Gamai 2022”  in Shendam.

While thanking Gamai people for standing by him and other sons and daughters of the Chiefdom, Lalong recalled that without their support, he would not have been recognised for the positions he occupies today. 

“I have started talking to my principal, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate Senator Kashim Shettima for federal Interventions to our land,” the governor said.

Ganduje, at an event organised by the  Patriotic Volunteers for Democracy, said the North had no reason not to support  Tinubu for his role in President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence as President.

Ganduje described the APC presidential candidate as the most competent for the job because of his unbeatable track record.

His words: “As of today, among the politicians in Nigeria, I have not seen who loves Northerners more than Tinubu. When PDP refused to give Atiku a ticket, he (Tinubu) gave him the presidential flag bearer of his party. After that, he (Tinubu) also gave Nuhu Ribadu his party’s presidential flagbearer although he didn’t win the election. But even at that, he helped him.

“What about that of Buhari? Buhari contested the presidential election three times without succeeding. It was Tinubu who offered a merger and helped Buhari to become President. After he (Buhari) became President, he (Tinubu) was not given any position and he never asked for it.

“ But for the love of democracy, Nigeria, Buhari, and the North, he (Tinubu) supported the government. So what about now? It is payback time for Tinubu. It is time to give him that support. Northerners don’t have any reason not to support him? No reason. He (Tinubu) has already won the election in the North by God’s will.

“It is important for you to know. Why do we want to win this election? Nigeria is a country of diversity. Therefore, you need a leader who has the capacity, experience, knowledge, and firmness and understands governance in the country. We assure you, we have the best presidential candidate in the APC.

“We are not voting for him (Tinubu) because he is a Yoruba nor because he is a Muslim but because he has the capacity. He has done it before and will do it again. He is tested and trusted. He transformed Lagos to what it is today. Since 1999 and after leaving office as the governor of Lagos State, he has consistently led his party to victory. No politician in Nigeria for the past 21 years, with that unbeatable track record.” 

Sports Minister Dare, also felicitated Nigerian youths and urged them and others to exercise their franchise in favour of  Tinubu.

“I congratulate our youth and all Nigerians for making it into the year 2023, one which portents immense possibilities for our great country. It is a transition year in which President Muhammadu Buhari – under whose leadership, I’m privileged to serve as Minister of Youth and Sports Development will be winding down, and handing over to a democratically elected President,” Dare said.

The minister said, “We have the opportunity to elect a visionary and thinker – Asiwaju Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential Candidate, as our next President to consolidate on the achievements of the outgoing administration, and bring impetus that will innovatively propel immense possibilities”.

“Amongst those jostling for President, Asiwaju is the best man for the job, and his vision for the country, as encapsulated in the “Renewed Hope” manifesto, is clearly defined and well thought out. I urge us all to make a date with history by putting a visionary on the driver’s seat”, the Minister concluded.

In Minna, Niger State, Governor Abubakar Bello canvassed the reelection of the APC at the federal level because it remained the most viable option for the people.

Bello,  in his New Year message, added that the APC has the best interest of the Nigerian masses.

The governor warned against campaigns of calumny and thuggery.   

Also  Lagos, Speaker of the  House of Assembly Obasa said Nigerians would experience a better 2023 if  Tinubu was voted as president.

Obasa, in his new year message to the people of the state, described Tinubu as the ‘hope Nigerians currently have for a better country judging from the positive result of the foundation the former governor laid in Lagos State between 1999 and 2007,

They hailed Lagosians for ensuring continuity in the government of the state, saying the consistency in electing candidates from the progressives group had produced a Lagos that is today the fifth largest economy in Africa.

The message by Obasa’s  Chief Press Secretary Eromosele Ebhomele,  reads: “Lagos has become a reference point for other states and some African countries because of the structures that had been in place since 1999 to mitigate perceived or projected challenges facing the massively growing city. We have maintained proactiveness as a government.

“This is what Asiwaju Tinubu wants to replicate at the centre, a Nigeria where equity would become the norm. Just as I congratulate Nigerians for witnessing 2023, I urge us all to enter the year with renewed hope that the country will be greater than previous years, and that Tinubu will take over the reins of leadership.

“Here in Lagos, I want to urge Lagos residents to encourage our party, APC, by re-electing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, especially for his positive strides in the governance, growth and development of our State…”

In Akure, Akeredolu urged the people to make conscious efforts to deepen the nation’s democratic gains by voting   Tinubu.

Akeredolu said Tinubu was capable of improving the country’s democracy tremendously.

The governor, in his New Year message, described  Tinubu as a beacon of hope and stability.

He said: “2023 is a very crucial year, especially in the life of our country. We must be deliberate in making the right choices. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is capable of improving our democracy tremendously. He will provide opportunities to the great people of this nation and make the country a shining beacon of hope and stability.”

 Director of the Contact Mobilisation for Tinubu/Shettima, Northeast, Gombe State chapter, Inuwa Kari,  said that APC  governors in the North would not renege on their support for   Tinubu’s aspiration to become president.

Kari stated this after a closed-door meeting with members of the directorate in Gombe State. 

 He said: “The insinuation is being planted by the PDP because their candidate does not have anything to sell himself apart from him being a Northerner.   There is no way power will remain in the North after President Buhari has served for eight years.

“Our governors took a decision that power must shift to the south and the most honourable thing a northern will do is to vote for someone from the south. From the candidates, you have not a basis for comparison Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the man to beat.”

Kari disclosed that the candidate of the PDP has nothing more to market himself other than tribe.

He said: “For Bola Tinubu, his achievement is all over; everybody knows what he has done in Lagos. Lagos is already a country on it own, most people who have not been to Lagos when they do feel they are in a different country. When he becomes president he will become the architect of modern Nigeria.”

“We are very optimistic, committed and God willing. By February 25 we will see a new president emerge who is going to be Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he added.

•Clerics call for prayers, piety to surmount challenges

The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Worldwide, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; the presiding pastor of Living Faith Ministry (aka Winners’ Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo; the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya; and the Primate of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba, have admonished Nigerians to move closer to Almighty God in 2023 through prayers.

The eminent clerics noted that it is by the powers of prayers that the nation’s myriads of challenges could become resolved in a peaceful atmosphere.

The clergymen spoke yesterday while delivering their church sermons to usher in the New Year.

Adeboye urged Nigerians to put God first, despite the challenges confronting the nation.

The RCCG general overseer, who presided over the first Sunday thanksgiving service for the new year at the church headquarters (Throne of Grace) in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, spoke on the topic: Thanksgiving.

The cleric spoke through the Special Adviser to the General Overseer on Administration and the Pastor in charge of Region One, Pastor Dele Balogun.

He said: “We have so many things to celebrate about Nigeria, despite the fact that we have not arrived at the Nigeria of our collective dream.

“History will tell us that some African countries did not pass through one-tenth of what Nigeria is passing through before they got divided.

“God has been preventing the country from another war because there is no country that can accommodate Nigerians with the population of more than 200 million.”

Adeboye, who had told the congregation during the New Year crossover night service that the global weather pattern would become more erratic, however, assured believers that it would be good for God-fearing people.

The cleric also said the world would be relatively more peaceful in the new year.

He said for individuals, the biggest challenge of 2022 would lead to their biggest testimonies in 2023, adding: “The Lord will speak peace to some troubled homes.

“For quite a few people, there would be restoration of past glories. Many troublemakers will lose the ability to make trouble.”

For Bishop Oyedepo, the world will experience great spiritual reawakening this year, despite the seeming darkness and gloominess that pervaded the horizon in the past year.

Oyedepo spoke during the Winners’ Chapel’s crossover service at the church headquarters at Canaaland in Ota, Ogun State.

The cleric said 2023 will be a year of wildfire spiritual awakening “where every winner shall be walking in the fear of God as a new way of life, thereby attracting multitudes to Christ and this church”.

He added: “The Year 2023 shall be that of the outbreak of light that will lead to a supernatural change of story for us as individuals.”

Oyedepo prophesied that there would be a new dimension of explosive church growth in the new year, far above what had been witnessed or experienced before.

“There shall be the rise of an army of giants, the kind the world has never known, from our midst in 2023, the darkness and gloominess hovering over the world notwithstanding,” he said.

The renowned cleric also prophesied that there would be a rise in the number of global solution providers in 2023.

“There shall be a rise of globally ranked financiers from this commission from the Year 2023 onwards.

“God shall be turning men and women, boys and girls in this commission into signs and wonders; individuals that shall be operating on the frequency of the supernatural in their various fields of endeavours,” he said

Olukoya called for prayers to forestall violent revolution and overthrow of those he called wicked leaders across the world.

“It is a year of war against lack and famine,” he said.

Painting the 30-Point “Prophetic Picture” of the new year, the cleric said God will humble the proud and fight strange wars for the attention of His people.

He said there would be divine judgment on bad leaders and their collaborators, as “God will deal with evil and wickedness,” quoting from Ecclesiastes 8: 11.

“God will dismantle mighty men, who stand on His way. God will fight for His children,” Olukoya stressed.

The cleric described 2023 as a year for God’s judgment on those who shed the blood of the innocent, adding that 2023 portends regrets and judgment for ritual killers, most of whose activities will backfire.

According to him, the new year has regrets for youths who refuse to exercise restraint in their sexual escapades.

Olukoya warned them not to assume that everyone they see around them are really human beings.

“If you join them, it is finished.

“It is a year that the flesh must be mortified; a year to wage very serious war against the spirit of procrastination, the process of which many have ran into trouble,” he said.

In his sermon with the theme: The Prison of The Flesh, the MFM general overseer noted that there is a prison called the “prison of the flesh” which put people in trouble last year.

“It is up to you to decide to either kill the flesh or allow it to continue to control you,” Olukoya said.

The cleric took his sermon from John 6:63 and Luke 9:23.

“The flesh has the capacity to run things and until we have emptied ourselves, we cannot dwell in Christ. You cannot see him with the eyes, but Mr. Flesh operates within the eyes, heart, soul, etc. The greatest enemy is not the devil, it is Mr. Flesh,” he said, adding that it manifests through pride, bad temper, lustful eyes and as a thief.

Olukoya noted that the devil comes to people when they open their doors to him through unmortified flesh.

The cleric explained that for the enemy to come into one, there must be a ladder, which is the flesh.

“The enemy knows the evil, immoral activities people indulge in. The flesh is the landing space for the aircraft of darkness,” he said.

For Reverend Ndukuba, Nigeria needs more political will to address the various challenges in the country.

In his New Year message at the Cathedral Church of the Advent Life Camp in Abuja, Ndukuba said the current challenges were biting hard on citizens.

According to him, the high cost of living, insecurity and huge number of unemployed youths pose a threat to peace and national unity.

He expressed the hope that with the intervention of God, there would be divine solutions.

Ndukuba stressed the need for the Federal Government to prosecute those sponsoring terrorism and other issues threatening national unity.

On this year’s general election, the Anglican Primate urged eligible Nigerians to vote for credible leaders.

He also appealed to political leaders to shun violence and support efforts towards peaceful conduct of the polls.

Spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, has said Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike is working against the party’s quest to zone its presidential ticket to the Southeast.

Aniagwu accused Wike of influencing the party’s zoning committee, headed by Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, of opening up the contest with the hope that he would win.

Speaking on Arise Television programme: “Prime Time”, Aniagwu, who is also the Delta State Commissioner for Information, said the ongoing crisis in the party was caused by Wike’s inordinate ambition to become the President.

According to him, Wike’s anger at the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is misplaced because Ortom was the chairman of PDP’s zoning committee before the primary election was conducted.

The campaign spokesman said it was not Atiku that made it open for people to freely contest for the party’s ticket, but Ortom.

“In our quest for peace, we have allowed the danger of the single story to persist. When the party set up a Zoning Committee, it was headed by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and a member of the G-5 governors.

“The committee threw the ticket open for the best to emerge and Atiku Abubakar was considered the most qualified to lead Nigeria’s rescue and rebuilding mission.

“Let me now give you a hint. When the issue of zoning was discussed, you know that Ortom was the chairman of the zoning committee.

“Atiku Abubakar was interested in micro zoning to the Southeast, but it was the same Nyesom Wike that frustrated it because he wanted to contest.

“It was not Atiku that made the zoning open to people to just go and contest. In this case, there was a contest between the South and the North, and Atiku was considered by members of the party as the man capable of leading Nigerians out of the woods.

“I think often times we undermine the value of our prayers as Nigerians. From the actions of Wike, you will know that the prayers of Nigerians are working.

“Because if in just Rivers State, you are subjecting everybody to the kind of torture we are seeing, which we never saw under military rule, imagine if he was in charge of the military.”

On calls for disciplinary measures against the five “rebel” governors in G-5, Aniagwu said the party was taking its time to ensure that all avenues for peace and compromise were explored.

“I know many people are wondering why the party is keeping quiet and neglecting the actions of Governor Wike and others. This is because the party wants to exhaust all avenues of ensuring that these individuals realise that the party has been able to bring them up to speed.

“Without the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), these individuals that are creating this crisis, where will they be? So, when individuals begin to progress along this line and think that the rest of us don’t matter, you begin to wonder what their calculation is, in any case,” he said.

The PDP campaign chief said the party would continue to appeal to the G-5 governors to return home and join hands in its rescue mission project.

“We do hope that the G-5 governors return home. But while we await their return, we will continue to engage Nigerians because that is where the power resides.

“Our presidential candidate is very busy interfacing with Nigerians and we will continue to plead with Wike and accord him the respect he deserves as a governor and a great leader in our party.

“The very disturbing economic and security situation in the country is enough for any leader to sheathe his sword and help in taking decisions that can help the country to navigate through the very murky waters.

“That a man suffered defeat in a party’s primary that was very creditably organised is one thing to which we don’t understand the extent to which he is taking this fight,” Aniagwu said.

Fresh details of the monumental sleaze in the oil sector show that  over 17.877 million barrels of crude were exported between 2016 and 2020 without proper documentation.

The quantity which is valued at $1,020,969,281.12 is contained in a report by the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF) obtained exclusively by The Nation yesterday.

In the report, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation was indicted for making payments of over N73 billion to “service providers” (Pre-Shipment Agents (PIAs) and Monitoring and Evaluation Agents (MEAs)  for inspection and monitoring of oil and gas exports.

The AuGF stated that the payments without budgetary appropriation were a violation of the provisions of Section 80(4) of the 1999 Constitution. 

The AuGF also faulted the NNPC (now Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)  for appointing two PIAs and one MEA in 2017 knowing fully well that President Muhammadu Buhari canceled the appointments of all service providers in 2015.

The report which focused on pre-shipment inspection and monitoring of crude oil and gas exports by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has reference number 747/99/CONF/VOL.II/75.

The report was signed by the immediate past Auditor-General, Adolphus Aghughu, and submitted to the Clerk of  the National Assembly on  June 29, 2022.

In the preamble of the report, the AuGF  explained that guidelines for Oil and Gas Export 2017 required “any person intending to export oil and gas and other related product  from Nigeria shall, in the first instance, process the Nigeria Export Proceeds (NXP) Form and any other form so prescribed through an authorised dealer bank irrespective of the value and whether or not payment is involved.”

The report reads in part:  “Audit review of the annual reports of Pre-Shipment Agents (PIA) for the period revealed that some exporters of crude oil exported without completing the required NXP form as stipulated.

“This was further confirmed from an interview conducted with the Pre-Shipment inspection Agents (PIAs) in charge of the Oil and Gas Terminals. Auditor’s review of annual reports of PIAs revealed that the PIAs, on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, submitted their reports highlighting non-completion of NXP forms and the FOB value of such exports to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which is the head of NESS Secretariat and has the responsibility to monitor the repatriation of all export proceeds.

“However, auditors’ review of the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) annual report from 2016 to 2019 neither revealed such non-compliance by exporters nor corrective actions taken by the CBN to forestall reoccurrence.

“Information obtained from the PIAs revealed that during the audit period, a total of 17,877,705 barrels of crude oil valued at $1,020,969,281.12 (One billion, twenty million, nine hundred and sixty-nine thousand, two hundred and eighty-one dollars, twelve cents only) were exported without completion of the required NXP forms.

“It is evidence that crude oil and gas worth $1,020,969,281.12 were exported without completion of the required NXP Forms. This gives rise to either non-repatriation or delay in the repatriation of export proceeds.

“The Nigeria Export Proceeds form is a mandatory statutory document to be completed by all exporters for shipment of goods outside Nigeria. It contains details of the goods to be exported and facilitate tracking of export proceeds into the exporter’s domiciliary account in Nigeria.

“The situation continued as at the time of audit because DPR has not been sanctioning defaulters as provided by section 19(a) of the guidelines and inadequate monitoring by Trade and Exchange Department of Central Bank of Nigeria who has the mandate as stipulated in section 20(c) of the Export Guidelines to monitor Deposit Money Bank (OMB) of Exporters”.

On the non-payment of NESS levy by Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the AuGF said “Audit review of NESS Annual report as compiled by the Technical Committee on Pre-Shipment Inspection for the audit period revealed that Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) default in the payment of NESS levy.

“The report of 2016 indicated that the corporation was indebted to the Scheme to the tune of N26,204,218,007 83 as of 30″ June 2015. The corporation indebtedness increased to N31,215,478,925.36 as reported in the 2017 NESS Annual report. While the 2018 report revealed that it dropped to N27,682,859,799 32. In the year 2019, it further dropped to N13,471,857,145.62.

“Although NESS Annual report for 2020, was not made available to the audit team, a review of NESS correspondence file maintained by FMoFB&NP, specifically a memo from CBN addressed to the  Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning with Ref. Nos. TED/EXP/CON/NES/01/123 of 8″ March 2021, revealed that the corporation’s level of indebtedness increased to the tune of N419,289,911,020.56 being the reconciled value of its indebtedness to the scheme”.

“The Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) has consistently defaulted in the payment of NESS levy due. As at the time of the audit, the corporation is owing the sum of N19,289,911,020.56. This is capable of affecting the effective implementation of Pre-Shipment Inspection and Monitoring if not promptly checked.

“The appointment of the three (3) service providers on the stop-gap arrangement is a violation of sections 44 and 12(1) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and the Pre-shipment Inspection of Export Act, 1996.’’

All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) on Sunday said former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of Labour Party (LP) flagbearer, Peter Obi, was inconsequential.

It described Obasanjo’s decision as worthless and of no political value.

The former President endorsed Obi in a six-page January 1 letter titled “My appeal to Nigerians, particularly young Nigerians”.

He wrote: “When one compares their character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge, discipline, and vitality that they can bring to bear and the great efforts required to stay focused on the job, particularly looking at where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a mentee has an edge.”

But the APC-PCC said Obasanjo’s endorsement was not a political currency the LP candidate can spend anywhere in Nigeria because he is not a political force.

The APC-PCC, in a preliminary response through its Director, Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, said neither the party nor its candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move.

It insisted that “Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993”.

The statement reads: “We read with amusement the endorsement of Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his New Year message on Sunday.

“Following calls by journalists from various media houses who asked for our reaction, we decided to make this preliminary statement, though we didn’t consider the so-called endorsement to be of any value.

“We respect the democratic right of former President Obasanjo to support and endorse any candidate of his choice in any election.

“Except that he made it known formally in his new year message, any discerning political watcher in Nigeria knows that Chief Obasanjo’s preference for Peter Obi is expected.

“He had earlier stated his position at various public events, the last being at the 70th birthday anniversary of Chief John Nwodo, former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Enugu.

“We make bold to say that our party and candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move, as Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993.

“The endorsement is worthless because the former President does not possess any political goodwill or leverage anywhere in Nigeria to make anyone win a councillorship election let alone win a Presidential election. He is a political paperweight.

“He is also not a democrat anyone should be proud to be associated with.

“In 2003 and 2007 general elections when he was a sitting President, Obasanjo used all the coercive instruments of state at his disposal to railroad people into elective offices against the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls.

“In 2007, he declared the polls a do-or-die affair after he failed in his bid to amend our constitution to have a third term.

“From our records, President Obasanjo has not successfully made anyone win an election in Nigeria since then.

“Not even in Ogun State can anyone rely on his support or endorsement to become a governor or Councillor.

“We pity Peter Gregory Obi as we are confident that Chief Obasanjo can not win his polling unit and ward in Abeokuta for Obi in the coming Presidential election on 25 February 2023.”

Tracing the political antecedent of the former President, the APC-PCC recalled that Obasanjo similarly endorsed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party candidate in 2019 against President Muhammadu Buhari.

Atiku was walloped by Buhari with a wide margin in the election.

“History will repeat itself in February as our candidate Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will equally beat Obi by a large margin.

“We take particular notice of the part of the endorsement statement where Chief Obasanjo said none of the presidential candidates is a Saint.

“We want to state here that Chief Obasanjo is not a good judge of character.

“He is a man who considers only himself as the all-knowing Saint in Nigeria.

“Over the years, Chief Obasanjo has also convinced himself that integrity, honesty and all good virtues begin and end with him.”

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a credible general election this year.

This, he said, will promote unity .

In a statement by his Director of Media, Moses Olafare, Ooni said whoever wins based on the will of the masses should be magnanimous in victory.

He urged the winner to make life comfortable for the poor masses.

Whoever losses, he said, should be supportive of the winner.

Ooni said: “This is a year that we will enthrone our leaders that will rule us for another four years.

“While we enter another electioneering moment, we beseech INEC to conduct a free, credible and fair election.

“Our youths remain the future and the glory of our dear nation.

“Therefore, they should desist from taking part in commiting any illicit electoral acts, frauds, thuggeries and carrying ammunition for any politician as the case may be.

“Our politicians should endeavor to run a peaceful campaigning that is devoid of shedding of blood as no ambition of any politician is worth the life of any Nigerian.

“Let the will of the people prevail by allowing them to exercise their franchise on the election day.

“Allow their votes to count as they make decisions in electing who controls their resources for the next four years.”

The presidential flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (middle), Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State (left) and former presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Malam Nuhu Ribadu performing Umrah (Lesser Hajj) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia at the weekend