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Tag: Ex-ministers

Probe: Jonathan holds meeting with ex-ministers
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has met with some members of his cabinet in a bid to defend his integrity.

He was said to have told the former ministers that he was “not a thief in office as being portrayed”.

He explained how he met President Muhammadu Buhari for 20 minutes on two issues.

They are:
- advising Buhari against subjecting his person and former cabinet members to “media trial” on alleged corruption and;
- why the Election Petition Tribunals in Rivers and Akwa Ibom should be allowed to work unhindered.
He deplored what he called the involvement of the Department of State Security Service(DSS) on election-related matters in the two states.

According to sources, the meeting was held at Jonathan’s Abuja home a few days ago.

It was gathered that about 15 former ministers (including two who were recalled from London) and some former security chiefs attended.

One of the former media aides in the Presidency attended the “strictly private” session to put issues in the correct perspective at the right time.

But the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is central to the allegations against Jonathan, was absent.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said the session was “a frank and fact-finding” against the backdrop of plans by the Buhari administration to probe Jonathan’s tenure.

The source said: “The ex-President confided in the meeting that he was worried that the gains of his administration were being washed away daily by the allegations of corruption being reeled out by the government.

“He said he called the session to set the records straight and get facts because his administration was not enjoying any benefit of doubt among Nigerians, especially the media.

“At a point, Jonathan, in an emotional manner told the meeting that ‘I am not a thief in office as being portrayed.”

Another source said the former President asked all the ex-ministers to “brace for the probe ahead and keep their records intact to reply Buhari’s administration on issues being raised.

“The ex-ministers unanimously agreed that there were better sides of Jonathan’s administration than being painted as a tenure of graft.

“The key ministries, such as Works, Finance, Health, Aviation, Education and even Petroleum Resources were mandated to produce lists of achievements.

“Some of the ex-ministers lamented that the Permanent Secretaries proving to Buhari as holier-than-thou were part of the Jonathan administration and they even made input into the handover notes.”

Responding to a question, the source said: “Jonathan and the ex-ministers admitted that the administration might have some issues to clear in the management of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

“But they said the situation was not as bad in the oil sector as being alleged.”

A third source said: “I think we should expect some fireworks in the next few days. The meeting resolved to reach out to the public in the same equal weight the allegations of corruption will be released by the Buhari administration.

“But there was a word of caution that any response must not be abusive. The President personally appointed a former Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman, to sign any statement on cabinet issues.

It was learnt that some of the ex-Ministers asked Jonathan what he actually discussed with Buhari.

“The President said he raised two issues with President Buhari within 20 minutes. This border on the need to avoid media trial on any allegation of corruption being looked into. He said he told Buhari that his image and members of his cabinet were being dragged in the mud. He said even in law, an accused person is deemed innocent until proven guilty.

“Jonathan also said he asked Buhari to leave the Election Petition Tribunals in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states to do their work instead of the hounding of some INEC officials and politicians by DSS.”
August 31, 2015
Corruption: Ex-ministers defend ex-president

Some former ministers in the immediate past administration yesterday protested against President Muhammadu Buhari’s style, following plans to probe the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

They accused Buhari’s administration of trying to discredit Jonathan’s government by labelling it as “corrupt” and “irresponsible”.

They said Jonathan’s administration did not encourage corruption, but fought it vigorously within the context of the rule of law and due process.

They urged the President to press on with the anti-corruption fight, but in a fair and non-partisan manner.

They said the Buhari administration should be fair to acknowledge Jonathan administration’s good deeds.

They challenged the administration and the APC to publish the details of the hand over notes they received.

The former cabinet members made their feelings known in a statement signed on their behalf by the ex-National Planning minister Dr Abubakar Suleiman.

The statement reads: “We, the ministers who served under the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration, have watched with increasing alarm and concern the concerted effort by the Buhari administration and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to condemn, ridicule and undermine the efforts of that administration, in addition to impugning the integrity of its individual members.

“While we concede that every administration has the right to chart its own path as it deems fit, we nevertheless consider the vilification of the Jonathan administration to be ill-intentioned, unduly partisan and in bad faith.

“The effort that has been made to portray each and every member of the Jonathan administration as corrupt and irresponsible, in an orchestrated and vicious trial by media, has created a lynch mentality that discredits our honest contributions to the growth and development of our beloved nation.

“We are proud to have served Nigeria and we boldly affirm that we did so diligently and to the best of our abilities.

“The improvements that have been noticed today in the power sector, in national security, and in social services and other sectors did not occur overnight. They are products of solid foundations laid by the same Jonathan administration.”

The former ministers faulted Buhari administration and the APC for rating the Jonathan administration as corrupt.

The statement added: “Contrary to what the APC and its agents would rather have the public believe, the Jonathan administration did not encourage corruption, rather it fought corruption vigorously, within the context of the rule of law and due process.

“For the benefit of those who may have forgotten so soon, it was the Jonathan administration that got rid of the fraud in fertiliser subsidies, which had plagued the country for decades. This helped to unleash a revolution in agricultural production and productivity.

“It was also the Jonathan administration that supported the institutional development of strong systems and mechanisms to curb corruption in the public service and plug revenue leakages. These included the development of the Government Integrated Financial Management Platform, The Single Treasury Account (TSA), and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Management Systems (IPPIS), in addition to the biometric registration of civil servants and pensioners which saved the country over N100 billion paid to ghost workers and ghost pensioners.”

They also listed the cleansing of the oil sector , the tarring of 25, 000 kilometres of roads and alleged robust multinational response to Boko Haram insurgency as the highpoints of Jonathan’s achievements in office.

The statement said: “To ensure greater transparency and integrity in the oil and gas sector, the Jonathan administration ordered investigations and put mechanisms in place to check the theft of Nigeria’s crude oil.

“It was also under the Jonathan administration that a Nigerian Content policy was introduced, which opened up that sector to Nigerians in a manner that was not previously the case.

“ It was also the Jonathan administration that mobilised and secured the support of our neighbouring countries to ensure a robust multinational response to the menace of terrorism and insurgency, resulting in notable advancements in the fight against terror. President Jonathan personally initiated the collaboration that led to these advancements and ensured that Nigeria provided the needed financial support for the Multinational Joint Task Force.

“It was the Jonathan administration that repaired and rehabilitated over 25, 000 kilometres of our nation’s roads. Nigeria also became a profitable and preferred investment-friendly destination. It was under President Jonathan, for example, that Nigeria’s electric power sector became more competitive and attractive to local and foreign investments.

“The same administration promoted the rule of law, free speech, fundamental human rights, and a robust freedom of information regime. Women’s rights to participate in public life and the Federal Character principle as well as other Constitutional principles were also respected.

“In every respect, our administration promoted inclusive governance and encouraged all stakeholders, including the private sector to play key roles in the transformation of Nigeria.”

On electoral process, the former ministers said the “chief beneficiaries of Jonathan’s reforms are the most vociferous today.”

The statement said: “It should also not be forgotten that the Jonathan administration strengthened electoral institutions and created a peaceful environment for democracy to thrive. On this score, it is sad and ironic that the chief beneficiaries of that same legacy are the most vociferous today in condemning President Jonathan and his team.

“Perhaps the new administration and the APC would be sincere enough to publish the details of the handover notes they received.

“In addition, the Buhari administration should be fair enough to acknowledge the good works of the Jonathan administration. No administration can be either completely bad or completely good. President Jonathan’s achievements in moving this country to greater heights deserve to be duly acknowledged. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to build on these achievements.

“We also urge him to press on with the anti-corruption fight, but in a fair and non-partisan manner, in line with due process, and not as a political witch-hunt.”

Although they asked the President to continue with the ongoing probe of the administration of Jonathan, they said it must be in strict accordance with his oath of office to treat all Nigerians equally and with the fear of God.

The statement said: “The various lies and fabrications being peddled by some self-appointed spokespersons of the administration may entertain the unwary, but such sensationalism may achieve the unintended effect of de-marketing our country within the international community.

“ All such persons playing to the gallery for whatever gains should be called to order. The name-calling of members of the Jonathan administration and the trial by news media should also stop.

“We encourage President Buhari to continue with the probes, but this must be in strict accordance with his oath of office to treat all Nigerians equally and with the fear of God.

“We have reserved our comment until now, in the fervent hope that once the euphoria that may have inspired the various attacks on the past administration wears off, reason will prevail.

“But we are constrained to speak up in defence of the legacy of the Jonathan administration, and shall do so again, for as long as those who are determined to rubbish that legacy, are unrelenting in their usual deployment of blackmail, persecution, and similar tactics. “

August 31, 2015
Buhari: ex-ministers, others will face trial for oil theft

Accounts with looted funds to be frozen

Oil thieves, including former ministers and some prominent individuals, have been put on notice – the law is coming after them.

President Muhammadu Buhari did not name them, but he spoke of how they plundered Nigeria’s economy by stealing one million barrels of crude oil daily, selling the stuff overseas and lodging the proceeds in their personal accounts.

Buhari spoke on Tuesday at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington D.C., United States (U.S.) at a parley with members of Nigerians In Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) as part of his four-day visit to the U.S.

He told his audience – NIDO members in America and Canada – that his administration would recover “mind-boggling” sums of money stolen from the oil sector.

“250,000 barrels per day of Nigerian crude were being stolen and people sell and put the money into individual accounts,” he told NIDO members, according to a statement issued yesterday by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Garba Shehu.

The statement reported Buhari as vowing to trace the accounts of individuals, who stashed away ill-gotten oil money, freeze such accounts, recover the loot and prosecute the culprits.

Buhari lamented that “corruption in Nigeria has virtually developed into a culture where honest people are abused”.

On the contentious fuel subsidy on which Nigeria spends billions of dollars in months, the President disclosed that if fuel subsidy was removed; transport, housing and food prices would go out of control and the average worker would suffer untold hardship.

He said the U.S. and other developed countries had agreed to assist in tracking the accounts where looted funds are deposited.

“We will ask that such accounts be frozen and their owners be prosecuted,”, he said.

Buhari told the NIDO members: “The amount involved is mind-boggling. Some former ministers were selling about one million barrels per day. I assure you that we will trace and repatriate such money and use the documents to prosecute them. A lot of damage has been done to the integrity of Nigeria, with individuals and institutions already compromised.”

Citing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), President Buhari said unlike what obtained when he held the forte as Federal Commissioner for Petroleum in the military regime when the NNPC had only two traceable accounts before paying oil proceeds into the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), “now everybody is doing anyhow”.

Agreeing that the “economy is in an extremely bad shape”, Buhari said the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration would fulfill its three-pronged campaign manifesto of providing security, turning around the economy with a major focus on youth employment and fighting corruption.

When asked if the Federal Government will negotiate with Boko Haram to pave the way for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, the President said his administration would only negotiate if genuine and confirmed leaders of the militant sect came forward and convinced the government of the conditions of the girls, their location and the sect’s willingness to negotiate.

“Our objective is that we want the girls back, alive and returned to their families and rehabilitated. We are working with neighbouring countries, if they will help,” he said.

Buhari also said agriculture and mining would receive priority attention as faster job-creation avenues for the teeming unemployed youths, adding that some foreign investors had agreed to take advantage of the immense business opportunities in the country.

Speaking on when he would form his cabinet, the President jokingly observed that the question on the cabinet had been chasing him around the world even to the point that he had been nicknamed “Baba Go Slow at home.”

He, however, noted that not even the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during all the years it ruled the country ever formed a cabinet within the first four months.

“I am going to go slow and steady,” he said, calling for patience to allow the new administration “put some sense into governance and deal with corruption”.

The President promised that his administration would at the right time tap into the enormous talents available amongst members of NIDO, especially as consultants. Their requests for voting right in 2019, a Diaspora Commission and opening of new consulates in parts of the United States and Canada are to be considered.

The President had earlier met at the same venue with a group of young professionals in the U.S. and assured them of his administration’s resolve to fight corruption, remain steadfast and invest heavily in education which he said was the answer to taking the youth out of poverty and ignorance.

July 23, 2015
Jonathan fails to shield ex-ministers from probe

Buhari, Abdulsalami peace panel yet to meet

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan may have failed in his bid to shield some of his former aides and ministers from being probed.

It was learnt that the Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar Peace Committee has been unable to have audience with President Muhammadu Buhari with whom Dr. Jonathan would like the committee to put in a world.

Jonathan had anticipated a peace session between him and the President at the instance of the Abdulsalami Committee, which played a major role in ensuring peace during the general elections.

Gen. Abdulsalami was said to have tried to reach out to the President about five times but state duties did not allow a meeting.

Jonathan, who arrived in the country about a week ago, is said to be worried about the fate of his former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) and detention of his ex-Chief Security Officer (CSO), Mr. Gordon Obuah.

There were reports yesterday that his former Aide-de-Camp, and later Chief Personal Security Officer, Mr. Moses Jitoboh, had been picked up by security agents, but The Nation could not confirm this.

Initially, the arrest of Jitoboh was linked to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but a source in the anti-graft agency denied knowledge of such.

Many of Jonathan’s ministers have relocated abroad.

According to sources, Buhari has decided not to compromise his focus to “retrieve” ill-gotten wealth from some top officials in Jonathan’s administration.

A source said: “Jonathan had approached the Abdulsalami Committee to intervene and prevail on Buhari to stop scandalising his administration and haunting his former aides/ ex-ministers.

“Jonathan has been saying that Buhari’s attitude so far was not yet in line with the peace agreement the two leaders entered into before the 2015 general elections.

“But the committee members, especially Abdulsalami, have not been able to have audience with the President due to the President’s tight state duties or commitments.

“The President hosted ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to a dinner to break the Ramadan fast. But the two leaders could not talk much on the state of the nation as Obasanjo insisted on going back to Abeokuta at 9pm, The Nation learnt.

“So, Jonathan has really run into a brick wall in his plans to seek soft-landing for some of his aides and ex-ministers,” the source said.

The pre-election agreement between Buhari and Jonathan does not cover shielding corrupt suspects from prosecution, the source added.

A source in the Presidency said: “We really do not know what agreement Jonathan and his group are talking about. The Abuja Accord and the Peace Agreement border on peaceful conduct of the 2015 elections, free and fairness of the process, acceptance of the outcome and the preservation of the nation’s unity.

“There is nowhere it is stated that those who looted the treasury should either not be questioned or legally arrested by the relevant agencies.

“It is important to clear the air on this matter. What the President promised was not to witch-hunt. And he even said ex-President Jonathan had nothing to fear.”

It was learnt that some former ministers with sensitive portfolios where funds were mismanaged have relocated overseas.

Although most of these ex-ministers promised to return home any time they are invited, only two or three of them have been coming to Nigeria.

A former minister said: “I have been around. I have not gone anywhere. I am trying to earn my legitimate living.

“The former President said he was in a cage while in power. I have also realized that we were all in a cage. We have to support the present administration to succeed.”

Another former Minister said: “Some of us have tried to lie low because we have paid our dues. We only need to rally round the new government.”

The March accord, which was fostered by the National Peace Committee on 2015 Elections, was read by Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah at Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

The joint statement by Jonathan and Buhari, said: “You may recall that on 14th January, 2015, both of us, along with nine other party leaders, signed what has now come to be known as the Abuja Accord.

“The substance of that Accord was our commitment to free, fair and credible elections in our dear country.

“In the accord, we agreed to, among other things, run an issue-based campaign and pledged that our electoral campaigns will not involve any religious incitement, ethnic or tribal profiling, both by ourselves and all agents acting in our names.

“Now that the campaigns have come to an end, we meet today to renew our pledge for peaceful elections.

“We therefore call on all fellow citizens of our dear country, and our party supporters, to refrain from violence or any act that may in any way jeopardise our collective vision of a free, fair and credible election.

“In addition, we call on INEC and all security agencies to ensure strict adherence to their constitutional roles.

“We also pledge to respect the outcome of free, fair and credible elections.

“Today (Thursday), we again renew our commitment to a united, democratic and prosperous Nigeria. We want to urge all Nigerians to stand together at this critical phase of our nation’s history.”

July 22, 2015
I didn’t bar ex-ministers, from travelling — Buhari

MINISTERS and other officials in the immediate past administration are not to be “subjected to any undue harassment and intimidation at the airports or at other points of entry and exit,” President Muhammadu Buhari warned yesterday.

He declared that his government has “not banned anyone from travelling.”

In a statement in Abuja against the backdrop of cases of ‘V.I.P stoppages’ at airports in the country, President Buhari asked “all agencies under the government to run their affairs in full compliance with extant rules, regulations and the constitution of the country.”

“Unless otherwise directed by the courts, no law-abiding citizens should be barred from travelling abroad,” he said in the statement signed by the head of his media team, Mallam Garba Shehu.

“We must treat fellow citizens with courtesy and respect. Officials at the borders and other points of entry and exit should conduct their affairs in strict compliance with due process. No one has my permission to bar anyone from travelling abroad.”

Many former governors, ex-ministers and others have already left the country, some shortly before Friday’s swearing in of the new President.

In this category are the immediate past Petroleum Affairs Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and former Governors Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Usman Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi) and Bala Ngilari (Adamawa).

President Buhari in his inauguration speech on Friday had advised those in fear of his coming after them to stop nursing such thought.

He said: “A few people have privately voiced fears that on coming back to office I shall go after them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying off old scores. The past is prologue.”

He said there is need for Nigerians to be united now more than the case in the past because of challenges at hand.

May 31, 2015
Ex-ministers: Their time in office

erhaps the most controversial of all the ministers ‘excused’ from the cabinet yesterday is Ms Stella Oduah. The Minister of Aviation, not a few will argue, scored some points with the remodeling of the airports. For a long time, the airports were eyesores. Even services that were supposed to make aviation good were lacking.

Her greatest undoing is the controversial purchase of bulletproof cars at over N200m. Though she denied such cars were bought and added that the cars bought were not for her, many had become incensed and the call for her exit from the cabinet assumed a life of its own. It finally ended yesterday.

Her colleague, the Ekiti-born Caleb Olubolade, hardly had any controversial moment in office as Minister of Police Affairs. How well he performed in the ministry will remain a subject of debate. What is clear is that the welfare of policemen, especially regarding where they live, did not improve much under him. Now, he is out to seek a greener political pasture in Ekiti State.

Also seeking such pasture is Dr. Yerima Lawan Ngama, who was appointed Minister of State for Finance in 2011. He appeared unassuming but what was obvious to watchers of the ministry was that he had his work cut out for him, given that his performance would be judged in comparison to the performance of the immediate past Minister of State for Finance, Mr Remi Babalola.

He started well but midway into his stewardship, his desire to become governor of Yobe State, it was alleged, took precedence over his duties.

In October 2012, for daring to declare his ambition to rule Yobe State in 2015, Ngama, came under fire from angry youths who picketed the ministry under the aegis of Nigeria United for Transformation demanding that “Ngama Must Go.”

The protesting youths called for Ngama’s resignation on the grounds that “his ambition to become the governor of Yobe State in 2015 has stopped him from discharging his duties as a minister”.

Ngama described the protesters as a bunch of miscreants, who were protesting because they were jobless.

As the chairman of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), Ngama had problems with commissioners of Finance on issues bothering on non-remittance of funds to the Federation Account by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

In April 2013, the 36 commissioners of finance and their accountant generals stormed out of the meeting of FAAC on the grounds that Ngama was always late to the meeting, thus forcing them to hold the meeting late at night and up till the time they stormed out, Ngama had not arrived.

It was rumoured that Ngama’s ambition to be governor of Yobe State on more than one occasion had forced the technical session (the gathering of the accountant-general of states, the accountants-general of the federation and some employees of the Federal Ministry of Finance) and the commissioners’ forum (the gathering of Finance commissioners, the Minister of State for Finance and revenue generating agencies), to hold on the same day. Ordinarily, the technical session is supposed to hold a day before.

The Chairman of the commissioners’ forum, Timothy Odaah, told reporters that they took the decision to walk out because of the attitude of the minister.

“All finance commissioners are unhappy with the development. The minister has breached the FAAC Act of 1992, which says that the technical session must hold a day before the commissioners’ forum; that is not happening,” he said.

The spokesman for the minister’s office, Mallam Mohammed Nakoji, said the minister was absent at the meeting “due to other pressing engagements”.

Unlike Ngama, Godsday Orubebe came into the Goodluck Jonathan cabinet as a controversial figure. At the time he was cleared for ministerial appointment, he was in court against the Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). And this explained why he was not sworn-in alongside other ministers then. He was already seated at the council chamber for the inauguration before he was asked to go and resolve his issue with the state government first.

He was later inaugurated after mending fence with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. He was appointed minister of Special Duty and later moved to the Ministry of Niger Delta as Minister of State. He later became the substantive minister in the ministry in 2010 after a major cabinet reshuffle.

Orubebe struck a bond with Jonathan and his loyalty was not in doubt. In fact, he was regarded as one of the most trusted foot soldiers. He ran errands for Jonathan during the 2011 presidential election. Orubebe was also an active member of the neighbour-to-neighbour, one of the major groups that worked for Jonathan’s election.

Besides, he was a well known member of Jonathan’s kitchen cabinet and shared the same political godfather with the president in the person of Chief Edwin Clark, until recently. His political interest is believed to be the cause of the rift between him and Clark, who is strongly against his ambition. What followed was mudslinging between political father and son.

His exclusion from the cabinet might not be unconnected with his political ambition. It is not a secret that Orubebe wants to rule Delta State in 2015.

As a minister, Orubebe did not perform poorly. He had been able to tackle major issues in the oil-rich region. Under his watch as the minister of Niger Delta, the East-West road which was abandoned as a result of insecurity has resumed and work is in advanced stage. There is also the skills acquisition projects scattered across the nine Niger Delta states. The projects, which are due for completion this quarter, he had argued, were part of the empowerment projects for the youths within the area.

February 13, 2014