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Tag: ANEEJ

  • ANEEJ urges Buhari to reconsider decision on Petroleum bill

    The Africa Network for Environment & Economic Justice, ANEEJ, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider his decision not to sign the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, PIGB, in the interest of Nigerians.

    The Presidency on Wednesday explained that assent to the PIGB was withheld on the grounds that what has been permitted as accruals to the petroleum commission has the tendency to reduce what then gets to the three tiers of government.

    In addition, there are concerns within the echelons of power that expanding the scope of petroleum equalization fund conflicts with provisions on independent petroleum equalization fund.

    “But these are tenuous reasons being adduced for Mr. President’s refusal to sign this bill,” ANEEJ stated in a statement by its executive director, Rev David Ugolor.

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    According to ANEEJ rather than dwell on the technicalities inherent in the bill, Mr. President needs to rise up to the occasion and do the needful by exploring other ways and means of resolving these technicalities than an outright dissent.

    “If the bill will effectively checkmate the three tiers of government from the habit of going cap hand to Abuja to pick up monthly handouts from the centre so be it.  In all of the 17 years wherein the bill has been with the Legislature, it has been so balkanized and scrutinized to the extent that it has nearly lost of all its substance and relevance.

    “The broad overview of the Petroleum Industry Bill was essentially to give the Nigerian people ownership of a key extractive sector of the Nigerian economy. The Bill also sought to take into consideration the interests of the local communities that have suffered despoliation, pollution and degradation because of the activities of multinational companies in Nigeria,” ANEEJ stated.

  • FG to name owners of illegally-acquired Abuja property

    The federal government on Thursday promised to release the names of 200 individuals who own property that was purchased with illegally-acquired funds.

    The Chairman, Special Presidential Investigative Panel for the Recovery of Property, Okoi Obono-Obla, said this at the “Tackling corruption through improving transparency in property ownership” project which was held by ANEEJ in Abuja on Thursday.

    Obla, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, also launched ANEEJ’s new online platform ‘Properti Tracka’ which will aid in tracking down these illegal properties.

    He described the platform as being one of the single most important contributions towards the fight against corruption.

    “Anybody who has taken what doesn’t belong to him should return it back to Nigeria or else face being tracked down,” he said.

    “Properti Tracka will expose those who have taken what belongs to the entire Nigerian populace.

    Read Also: Buhari commissions Abuja light rail

    “We will start by making available to the public the 200 names of those who own massive properties in Maitama, Abuja, most of whom are highly placed people in the country, some in the government, some in the past governments.

    “If they cannot explain where they got the money to build such massive properties, they should quietly return it back to the State.”

    Executive Director, ANEEJ, David Ugolor said that the Properti Tracka will help to unveil the owners of these and more properties and find out whether they are actually paying appropriate taxes to the government.

    “The Properti Tracka is a citizen tool to identify these owners of illegally-acquired properties and also to push for clean property in Nigeria.

    “It will also serve to strengthen citizens’ knowledge about using technology to demand for transparency and accountability in the property market in Nigeria.

    “The source of building the property must be from a genuine source. We will be working with the federal government agencies, the tax office, and law enforcement agencies as well.”

  • ANEEJ lauds UK review of anti-corruption laws

    The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, has said  commended  the announcement by the UK government to a review of the legal requirements related to the publication of revenue from extractive industries and paid to governments across the world.

    In a statement signed by the  executive director of  ANEEJ Rev David Ugolor,  the group stated that  UK has proven to be, through a track-record of legislation and policy, a global champion against corruption.

    First, it convened an anti-corruption summit in 2016 leading to a global coalition – the Open Government Partnership, – OGP, which is built on the values of zero-tolerance to corruption, access to information, citizen participation and fiscal responsibility.

    The Director noted that ” the UK also signed an MoU with the Nigerian government on the return of loot stashed in its domains and principalities, helped to convene a Global Forum on Asset Recovery, GFAR, and has put in place institutional mechanisms like the Unexplained Wealth Orders, UWO, to checkmate non-liquid assets accruing from illicit deals in the oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy”.

    ANEEJ stated that what makes this latest review very significant is the fact that Nigeria has been at the receiving end of the monumental fraud perpetrated by international oil companies, IOCs and their cronies’.

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    Prior to this review on the UK laws guiding monies paid to governments by extractive companies, modalities for the remittances of funds to the Federal  the IOCs are laden in obscurity and opaque practices. The case for Nigeria was particularly worrisome and this was because very senior officials who connived with the IOCs often pocketed the proceeds from such unholy alliances.  But while foreign government officials who colluded with the IOCs to defraud Nigeria have cooled their heels in jail, those from Nigeria are currently exploiting loopholes in the legal system against their own country.

    Ugolor, therefore called on the Nigerian government to key into this review so as to carry out a re-assessment of its own legal frameworks and mechanisms to plug the loopholes within our laws.

    He assert that Nigeria must pass the Proceeds of Crime Bill into law with post-haste speed. Doing that ensures that  current negotiations between Nigeria on the one hand, and the US, the UK and France regarding the return of the $500million Abacha loot will speed up processes leading to the utilization and management of the returned loot.

    He also called on stakeholders  to  abide by Article 13 of UNCAC treaty of 2003 to ensure that there is enhanced transparency of and promoting the contribution of the public to the decision-making process, ensuring the public has access to information concerning assets being returned and undertaking public information activities that contribute to zero tolerance to corruption.

  • ANEEJ’ Director invited for UNCAC panel

    Her Majesty the Queen’s Government and the United States government have invited ANEEJ executive director, the Rev David Ugolor to the UN Convention against Corruption Asset Recovery Working Group, June 7, 2018 in Vienna, Austria.

    A letter from the Office of Anti-Crime Programs of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, the US Department of State, said that in building upon the outcomes of the inaugural Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR), this side event will focus on how countries are promoting transparency and accountability in asset recovery processes through successful implementation of the GFAR Principles for Disposition and Transfer of Confiscated Stolen Assets in Corruption Cases.

    A panel of experts, to include the Rev David Ugolor, will focus on several of the GFAR Principles and share experiences and good practices on how their countries have put them into practice through concrete examples to ensure transparency and accountability in the repatriation of recovered assets.

    In addition, the Office of Anti-Crime of the UD Department of State said that ‘given ANEEJ work and broader engagement on this issue through the UNCAC Coalition, the United States and the UK governments said they decided to invite the Rev David Ugolor to participate on a panel to share lessons learned and best practices from the perspective of civil society’.

    Other panelists will include representatives from the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. A representative from the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) will moderate the panel.

  • Kachikwu’s petition: CSO seeks conclusion of PIGB

    Kachikwu’s petition: CSO seeks conclusion of PIGB

    The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), on Thursday, called on the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari to conclude the passage and assent of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill.

    A conclusion of the enactment, according to the Civil Society Organization, will forestall the reoccurrence of the issues in the oil and gas sector that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu alleged against the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru in his petition to President Buhari.

    The petition was on the arbitrary award of $25 billion contracts, insubordination, among other infractions of the NNPC boss.  

    ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor made the call for the enactment of the PIGB  in a statement to journalists in Abuja yesterday. 

    He applauded the Senate for moving quickly to unravel allegations of inappropriateness levelled by the Minister of State, noting that the response of Mr President concerning the allegations of disregard for due process in the award of contracts by the NNPC GM, would define the perception of the reforms which have been going on in the oil sector.

    Ugolor said that “Since the Senate has waded into the matter, we suggest that Mr President as well must invite the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, NEITI, to carry out a comprehensive and forensic audit of the allegations. 

    “Among statutory functions of the NEITI include the regulation of matters related to the due process in the award of contracts in the extractive sector of the Nigerian sector.

    “We believe that the inconsistencies being thrown up by the startling revelations from the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources include some of the issues which the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill seeks to address and redress’, the Rev Ugolor has pointed out.”

    The statement noted that in anticipation of such a rift in the industry, ANEEJ anticipated wrote an online petition. 

    The statement reads in parts: “The present administration since inception has defined itself first through its corruption stance, and more by the reforms it has introduced in the oil sector. It scrapped the opaque oil swap which made it possible for individuals within government to line their pockets with millions of dollars and has replaced it with the Direct Sale, Direct Purchase scheme.

    “That lofty plan of Direct Sale, Direct Purchase stands in jeopardy if all the contracts that have been awarded and the companies they have been awarded are not subject to thorough vetting and investigations by both the Senate and the NEITI.” 

  • ANEEJ want German President to urge Buhari over Human Rights Defenders’ vote

    ANEEJ want German President to urge Buhari over Human Rights Defenders’ vote

    The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rescind the Nigerian government’s nay vote at the United Nations of November 25, 2015.

    The Network made this known following the visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck to Nigeria.

    ANEEJ recalls that while addressing the EU Parliament on February 3, 2016, President Buhari reassured the International community of his commitment to free the Chibok Girls, reform the Nigerian armed forces and provide an atmosphere conducive for German investors to Nigeria.

    The group in a statement on Tuesday reiterated that while it appreciates the Nigerian government’s commitment to human rights, a free press and poverty reduction, it needs to join progressive members of the UN such as Germany and Norway in their quest for a global instrument to protect human right defenders across the world.

    “During a UN General Assembly Vote taken on November 25, 2015, to protect human rights defenders, Nigeria aligned with Russia, China, Myanmar and South Africa to vote against the resolution.

    “We call on Mr. President Gauck to use the opportunity of his visit to engage with the Nigerian government to rescind that vote against human rights defenders,” ANEEJ Executive Director, David Ugolor said.

    Ugolor further called on the Nigerian government to take steps to reverse its position in subsequent UN meetings.

    “Our position is informed by the fact that there has been increasing pressure on human rights globally and on human rights defenders in particular. It is pertinent to further note that Human rights defenders are a resource for all societies, not a threat.  Human rights defenders in Nigeria should be allowed to carry out their work safely and without risk,

    “ANEEJ believes that if lasting peace is to be achieved in Nigeria, and if the challenges posed by international terrorism, together with issues of poverty reduction and economic development are to be dealt with, the role of civil society and human rights defenders in contributing to sustainable development must be respected.

    “Over the years, ANEEJ has enjoyed considerable support and funding from German institutions like Bread for the World, Henrich Boll Foundation and the Goethe Institute.

    “We wish Mr. President Gauck and his delegation fruitful deliberations,” Ugolor said.

  • Group tackles shady oil subsidy regime

    THE Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) and other stakeholders in the industry have gathered in Lagos to drive increased monitoring of the oil subsidy regime to ensure transparency and accountability in the business.

    At a town hall meeting tagged Advocacy against impunity in the oil subsidy regime in Nigeria,held in  Lagos, the group’s Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor, said the purpose of the project iwas to raise public awareness about corruption and malpractices in the sector and mount pressure on the government to do more to hold perpetrators and government to account.

    He also said the project was a major effort to end impunity in the management of oil subsidy funds, where contractors acting in connivance with some ‘unseen persons’ in the government collect huge sums from the government as subsidy to import refined products.

    Ugolor said: “This project is to promote greater enforcement of anti-corruption laws, public awareness of enormity of the problem, reduce corruption among citizens and government agencies, greater transparency and accountability in oil subsidy regime.”

    He said in January 2012, the Ad hoc Committee of the House of Representatives found out that payment of fuel subsidy to oil marketers was inflated and several marketers got paid for doing nothing and expenses charged to the subsidy account. The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency (NEITI) audit report 2009-2011 made more startling revelations as it uncovered a disparity of N175.9 billion between the subsidy claims paid from the Federation Account and the one made by the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

    The Accountant-General of the Federation reported to NEITI auditors a total subsidy payment of N2.825 trillion while the PPPRA disbursed N3 trillion to marketers during the period. While some marketers disagreed with the amount ascribed to them by the PPPRA, especially in 2010, when a marketer claimed N2.56 billion. The PPPRA recorded payment of N1.5billion, leaving an un-reconciled difference of N1.04billion. These are serious issues that nobody is being punished for and the impunity appears to be soaring with latest kerosene subsidy saga for which key agencies of the government have been trading words to the detriment of the ordinary Nigerians, Ugolor said.

    He also noted that when fuel price was increased, it was talked everywhere and there were a lot of comments from the public but with time people suddenly forgot about it. I expect people to speak up to the government because it is our right, in fact, it is a God’s given right. I also expect the media to help inform the public and act on it so that the government will take actions, he added.

    “It is not clear whether any of the suspects charged to court relating to fuel subsidy corruption has been convicted and most Nigerians appear to have forgotten about the issue in their parking lots. The corrupt characters are the major donors anytime there is fund raising. We hope that this project will be used to reawaken our memories and put pressure on our government to ensure that those subsidy cases and other related corruption cases in the oil sector are given due attention and concluded with those found wanting duly punished to serve as deterrent to others,” he said.

    The meeting reviewed how the anti-corruption agencies and the Judiciary have failed in the prosecution of indicted suspects in the fuel subsidy regime and also reviewed the implications of fuel subsidy malpractice on livelihoods of Nigerians.

    They agreed to put pressure on the Federal Government to bring indicted persons and firms to justice.