The Nation Newspaper

Tag: hiding

  • Fed Govt to tax evaders: no hiding place for you

    •Tax profiles of major companies reviewed  •Liaison officers deployed to 36 states 

    The Federal Government has warned that there is no hiding place for tax evaders residing in Nigeria or abroad, noting that it had put in place a data mining mechanism to fish out such people.

    Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun issued the warning at the weekend in Lagos at a workshop organised by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Inland Revenue Service and Joint Tax Board for lawyers, accountants and other professionals advising clients on participation in the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS).

    To show its seriousness, it has recruited and trained 2,190 Community Tax Liaison Officers (CTLOs) under VAIDS.

    The minister, in a statement by her Special Adviser, Media & Communications Oluyinka Akintunde, confirmed the review of the tax profiles of companies that received major payments from the Federal Government in the last five years.

    She confirmed that 1,710 CTLOs have been deployed to 33 states, out of 2,190 tax officers recruited and trained to raise awareness about the scheme and taxation in general.

    The CTLOs, Mrs. Adeosun said, are now operating in Adamawa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun and Oyo, among others.

    VAIDS, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the state tax authorities, is a revolutionary programme that provides tax defaulters a nine-month opportunity to voluntarily and truthfully declare previously untaxed assets and incomes.

    The tax amnesty period is expected to lapse on March 31, 2018.

    Job creation is one of the spin-offs of the VAIDS initiative, with the scheme expected to create a total of 7,500 opportunities for Nigerians as CTLOs through the N-Power scheme of the Federal Government.

    The minister said: “The unique cooperation between the various arms of Federal Government, state governments and foreign governments has provided an unprecedented level of data that allows the Nigerian Government to profile taxpayers accurately and identify those whose lifestyle and assets are not consistent with their declared income.

    “A lot of data mining is going on daily, both locally and internationally, on property ownership and other items. Data is an extremely powerful tool that is now being utilised. For instance, we have reviewed all companies that received major payments from the Federal Government in the last five years and found that even those who made money from government, under-declared.”

    Mrs. Adeosun noted that the government’s tax compliance team had looked at import records and compared the value of goods imported to the tax declarations of the importers, but the discovery was worrisome as “the variance was disturbingly wide”.

    “On personal income taxes, we reviewed property and company ownership as well as registration of high value assets and foreign exchange allocations, which gives us a sense of the lifestyles of the persons.

    “But again, we found major non-compliance. In some cases, people declared as little as N10 million as income but purchased expensive property overseas and in Nigeria,  registered high specification vehicles and funded luxurious personal events costing multiples of the declared income.

    “We have blocked a major loophole by using data to profile tax-payers. Thus, someone owning properties across multiple states and overseas can selectively declare knowing that tax authority had no means of cross checking.

    “This is especially the case with overseas assets and income where state governments lacked jurisdiction. But with the centralisation of data under Project Lighthouse within the Federal Ministry of Finance, a major loophole has been plugged,” she added.

    She reiterated the willingness of the Federal Government to prosecute tax evaders after the tax amnesty period had elapsed.

    She, therefore, called on professionals to advise their clients to uphold honesty in the declaration of their assets and income as well as the regularisation of their tax status.

    Mrs. Adeosun told the gathering of professional advisers that the Federal Government had compiled a list of 500 prominent Nigerians with property and trusts abroad in order to determine their tax compliance status at home.

    The 500 prominent Nigerians, according to her, will receive their letters beginning from today, asking them to take advantage of the tax amnesty to regularise their tax status and avoid prosecution and fines.

    The minister indicated that non-receipt of a letter should not be taken as an indication that government had not identified a potential evader.

  • I’m not in hiding, says Abia CJ

    Abia State Chief Judge, Justice Theresa Uzoamaka Uzokwe yesterday denied insinuations that he ran into hiding last week to avoid swearing in Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah who was awarded  certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

    When Dr. Ogah arrived Umuahia last Thursday, the CJ was not available, prompting insinuations that she went into hiding.

    But in a statement yesterday, she said she was in her office working at the time she was thought to have gone into hiding.

    The acting Registrar of Abia State Judicary, Mrs. Vicky Analaba, said: “The attention of the Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Theresa Uzoamaka Uzokwe, has been drawn to various spurious and mischievous reports alleging that the Honorable Chief Judge had absconded from her duty post on Thursday 30th June 2016, to avoid swearing in Uche Ogah as Governor of Abia State.

    “Contrary to the allegations of cowardice by mischievous politicians, the Chief Judge, was in her office throughout work time on Thursday 30 June 2016 from 8:30am till 4:30pm.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, on Thursday 30th June 2016, the Chief Judge was in her court room performing her lawful duties, including the delivery of four rulings on that date.

    “The particulars of the ruling in question are: HU/35CM/2015 FRANCIS AKOR vs THE STATE; HU/ICM/2016-JOHNSON ASIEGBU vs. COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, HU/42CM/2016-ONYEKACHI SAMUEL vs. COMMISSIONER OF POLICE; HU/34CM/2016-LUCKY SAMPSON vs. THE STATE.

    “These facts are verifiable and in the records of the court. The various lawyers who appeared in the respective suits listed above are also living witnesses.

    “This press release has become necessary in order to avoid further mischief and to set the records straight.”

    Also yesterday, the Abia State government raised the alarm about what it described as an attempt by some individuals and “desperate politicians” to whisk away judicial officers.

    Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ikpeazu,  Mr. Enyinnaya Appolos,  In a statement titled: “Plot to kidnap judiciary officers in Abia State”, warned those planning to carry out such a “nefarious act” to desist from it or be ready to face the consequences of their actions.

    He warned that the state government would not hesitate to apply the full weight of the law upon such persons.

    While urging Abians to be vigilant while they go about their lawful duties and businesses, he urged them to report suspicious movements to security agencies, which he called upon to increase their surveillance around judicial officers to ensure that their lives were protected.

  • No hiding place

    No hiding place

    Finally Habre gets justice

    For eight years between 1982 and 1990, he waged arbitrary and tyrannical power over his people like some blood-thirsty deity. Among Hissen Habre’s many crimes as President of Chad was presiding over a network of secret police known as the Direction de la Documentation et de la Security ((DSS) reportedly responsible for thousands of executions, enforced disappearances, torture and arrests. Prosecuting judges and investigations by Human Rights Watch estimate that Habre was liable for at least 12,000 victims of cruelty, including 1,200 deaths. His misrule particularly targeted ethnic groups perceived as opposed to his rule such as the Hadejia and Zaghawa. His government dealt with any suspected threat to his personalised power summarily and decisively without adherence to due process.

    After over 25 years following his toppling in a coup by Deby Itno, the long hands of justice and the law are catching up with Habre. He has been picked up from his opulent residence in the suburbs of Dakar, Senegal, where he lived in exile with his family. The case is being tried by the Extraordinary African Chamber (ECA) set up under the auspices of the African Union (AU). The opening of the case at the Palace de Justice in Dakar, has been described as a major turning point in bringing dictatorial African leaders to justice right on African territory. We cannot agree more with the assertion by Reed Brody, senior legal counsel with Human Rights Watch who rightly stated that “ This trial is a wake-up to tyrants that if they engage in atrocities, they will never be out of the reach of their victims”.

    An elated Clement Abaifouta, President of the Chadian Association of Victims of Crimes of Hissen Habre also declared that, “ Finally, finally, the men who brutalised us and then laughed in our faces for decades have got their comeuppance”. Ironically, however, Hissen Habre, seemingly unfazed by the development is still living in denial. This was evident in his histrionics at the opening of the trial. Raising clenched fists he declared “God is the greatest” even as his supporters yelled in the court premises.

    There is no doubt that Hibre, who claims he is not guilty of the charges, is emboldened by the reluctance of African leaders over the years to bring to book their peers guilty of human rights abuses and other crimes against their people. Thus, even though he was sentenced to death by the Chadian government for his alleged role in a 2008 rebellion, Chad never requested for his extradition back to the country to face trial. In a similar vein, Chad continued to resist the request by a Senegalese court to extradite another five persons also indicted for gross human rights abuses during Husein Habre’s rule.

    Equally intransigent was former Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade, who refused to act on an indictment by a Senegalese judge and rebuffed requests by Belgium to have him extradited to that country and tried. However, with the election of Machy Sall as Senegalese President in 2012, the story changed. The latter vowed to take action on pressures from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Senegal meet its international obligation under the United Nations Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman treatment or punishment. The African Union must be commended for encouraging its member states to give their courts universal jurisdiction in addition to initiating a network of prosecutors to work on war crimes.

    With this new attitude on the part of African leaders, the days of African leaders who perpetrate impunity on the continent are clearly numbered. They have no more hiding place. Such leaders can thus be tried in Africa thereby relieving the international community of bearing a burden that belongs to Africa as happened in the cases of Charles Taylor and Laurent Gbagbo of Liberia and Sierra Leone, respectively.

     

  • ‘No hiding place for corrupt officials’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed spoke with reporters in Lagos on efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle insecurity, revatalise the economy and re-invigorate the anti-corruption war. He also reflected on the National Assembly crisis and efforts being made to resolve the logjam. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    Is there any justification for the delay in the release of ministerial nominations by President Muhammadu Buhari?

    A lot of work is been done to ensure that equity and balance are maintained in compiling the ministerial list. I don’t think the government is unduly slow. However, the most important thing is that people have laid emphasis on this appointment to the detriment of whether the government has settled down or not to govern. But, to tell you the truth, this government is on course. Three issues are cardinal and the government has taken them as its priorities. These are security, the economy and the anti-corruption battle.

    Could you shed light on these three priorities and how government has approached them?

    In the area of security, I think he has lived up to expectation. What has been achieved in the last few weeks in the area of security is phenomenal. The President has held meetings with Niger, Chad and members of the Chad Basin Commission-Cameroun, Niger, Chad and Benin-and territories where the Boko Haram has been operating, in an attempt to make sure that insurgency is curtailed. He has moved the headquarter of the military command to Maiduguri. By the end of this month, he will launch the multi-national joint task force. When that is done, it will cripple the Boko Haram insurgency. It would appear that in the last two weeks, the insurgency has actually been on the increase. Because the sect has been dislodged from their forest and their hideout, they are now attacking soft targets, including markets. They have been cornered. They have been dispersed. With the intelligence gathering put in place now by the forces, the base of Boko Haram has reduced. So, I think in the area of security, some efforts have been taken.

    In the area of the economy, he has really settled down. When the government came, a lot of money was owned at federal and state levels. If it was not addressed on time, it could lead to industrial unrest and crisis, not only for the states, but for the nation. When the APC came in, 16 states were owing between three and nine months salary arrears. There should be no blanket labeling. It is wrong to attribute the inability of the state governments to pay to incompetence. What happened was that while the government was getting 720 billion in 2014, it reduced to 388billion by 2015. If on the average, in 2014, 720 billion was disbursed to the three tiers if government, by April 2015, it has gone down to 388 billion, clearly, it is almost 50 per cent decrease. There is no way, even in the best managed economy, without a shock absorber, it will be hard for the state to meet their obligations.

    The President believes that it is scandalous not to pay workers. He believes that workers deserve their pay. You can imagine the damage has been done been done in the last nine months? If someone does not get salary for nine months, how can he feed his children? How does he goes to work? How does he foots medical bills? So, this bail out is being downplayed for reasons best known to them. But, I know it is one single act that has touched the lives of more Nigerians. It is socially and politically important. It is the best way to save the economy. You get more money, you buy more goods. When you buy more goods, you manufacture more goods. When you manufacture more goods, you employ more people.

    The President has also asked the Central Bank to create a loan of between N250 and N300 billion for them to be able to pay their arrears. But, he has now asked the Central Bank to go and negotiate on long term basis the debt owed to commercial banks by the states. This is as important as the bail out. The states will be able to pay their salaries as at when do and be able to meet other obligations. By restructuring these loans, states will survive. There is a standing order that N500 m should be deducted from the allocations to some states monthly to service debts. With the restructuring of their loans from short-term to long-term, they will have more money to pay salaries and undertake developmental programmes.

    The question is not about where the money comes from and who saved the money. It is about creative ingenuity of the government. The money has been there all along. Why has it not been used for this purpose? If the priority of any government is the welfare and wellbeing of the people, I don’t see any reason why people are not paid their salaries. No penny was taken from the Excess crude Account. The money came from what has accrued to the NLNG. Also, the Central Bank was asked to create the soft loans for banks. The critics do not know the terms of the soft loans. They have also forgotten that, a few years ago, when banks were in trouble, the Federal Government came out and bought the debts of these banks. That was how they created ANCON. Five Nigerians were owing banks in excess of N700 billion. If the Central Bank could buy the debt of five Nigerians to save the banks, why can’t Central Bank buy the debt of 20 states for less than N700 billion? This is a caring government. This is a government that believes that the welfare of the people is important.

    What about the anti-corruption battle?

    In the areas of anti-corruption and transparency, things have changed. It is the first time that they were seen all the figures at the meeting of the National Economic Council. The truth is now coming out. We are now in an era of transparency. The Central Bank governor even aid that, because of the frugal approach to the economy, blockage of leakages, the foreign reserves have gone up by two billion dollars in a month. People are not looking at all these. They are looking at the appointments that have not been made. But, I know that, in the not too distant future, key appointments will be made and thye ministerial list will come out.

    But, the President has got approval for 15 special advisers from the Senate…

    It is part of the key appointments the President will be making. But, the President wants to be painstaking about it. He has gotten the number. The names should be look out for. Normally, these appointment are made within the first six weeks. But, we are not doing too badly. There is the need for balancing, in terms of the diverse ethnic units and religions.

    Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has said that what is being disbursed to them is what is due to them…

    They know that it is not true. What prevented their own government? They only left two months ago. Benue and Kogi states, which were PDP states, have been owing salaries before they left. What prevented them from using the money to help the states? why did not occur to them that they could approach the Central Bank to arrange soft loans. Why can’t they approach the Central Bank to re-negotiate the loans they owe to commercial banks? That is hallow thinking on their part.

    Fears are rife that, if the governors fail to moderate their spending habit, their states may still come back to the same situation they are facing now…

    I don’t want to believe that governors of all the states that are unable to pay salaries are poor. You know if a governor is corrupt, he can only be free for that period he is in office. After that, he will be brought to justice. Look at what is happening today. Ohakim, Nyako, Lamido and their children are answering questions; which means that no governor is free. He may be free when he enjoys immunity. Look at another former governor, Nnamani. He is asked to forfeit property. When you have a regime that is sincere about the anti-corruption war, it will send a signal to the governors that the time for corruption is over. Is that why people who should be paid should be punished? Imagine people not being paid for six months. The President felt that it is scandalous not to pay workers. What is the duty of government? We were worried at the transition level because we knew how much was being owed at the federal and state levels. With the load that has been lifted off the state, the bailout, the loan, you will see that there will be stability in the society. You saw what happened in Osun. As they were announcing the package, people were already demonstrating. If the package has not been announced, they will still be demonstrating by now. It could have become violent. It is very unfortunate that this could happen where Rauf Aregbesola is governor. He is one governor I can attest to his frugality and transparency. From N3.6 billion, the allocation dropped to N1.6 billion. How can the state survive? That is why the relief is a welcome development. The President has not made any distinction between the APC and the PDP. The APC asked for bail out. The President said all governors should go back and enforce fiscal discipline in their states. In the last administration, the former President gave N2billion to each of the PDP states as ecological fund, leaving out the APC states. But, the present governor has genuine intention and it is transparent.

  • Hiding behind a finger

    It was a long day not only for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof Attahiru Jega and his team, but also for Nigerians. Throughout Saturday, the nation waited on Jega as he held series of meetings on whether the February 14 and 28  general elections should hold as scheduled. Even before he came out around 11pm to address reporters, who had waited all day in INEC’s press centre, the grapevine had been abuzz with what he wanted to say.

    Since information travels at the speed of light these days, many were already talking about the postponement on social media. So, Jega only came to confirm what people already knew – the shift of the elections to March 28 and April 11. Watching Jega that night as he spoke, I felt for him. Here was a man of principle faced with a dire situation. He and his commission had done everything in readiness for the elections. They were set to go despite the hiccups in the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), which some initially  wanted to use to force its hands to postpone the elections.

    Mind you, it is not that INEC has not been distributing the cards; it has been doing so even though it could still improve on its system to make things less cumbersome. It could ensure that its personnel are at the collection centres, such as polling units (PUs), wards and local government areas, as scheduled so that eligible voters will not be left stranded. Because really, many  went to their PUs, wards and local governments severally without meeting INEC personnel on ground.

    But in many places where INEC officials turned up early for the exercise, the owners were not there to collect their cards. What do we make of that? Do we blame INEC if the owners decide not to collect the cards? With the extension of the exercise to March 8, the collection of PVC would, hopefully,  have long been dealt with before the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections. Those who had other agenda wanted to hide under the collection of PVCs to scuttle the ongoing transition programme.

    It all started as a huge joke when some people began to fly the kite for either  the postponement of the elections or an interim government. The reason, according to them, being INEC’s unpreparedness. The commission has said it repeatedly that it is ready for the elections. Jega has been unequivocal on his stand that INEC is prepared for the polls notwithstanding the PVC challenge. His assurances seem not to cut ice with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has a different motive.

    Although the party is openly  saying that it is prepared for the elections,  it is acting otherwise behind the scene. It is in cahoots with some parties, which only exist on paper, some politicians, priests and former militants to stop the elections. The question then is why is PDP working covertly against holding the elections? Political pundits argue that it is against the holding of the elections because it has no answer to the Buhari challenge. In the political market today, the stock of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhar, is soaring.

    The pundits believe that if the  elections hold today, Buhari will carry the day. It is to avoid its ignominious defeat at the polls that PDP is buying time through the postponement of the elections. “Why will you postpone the elections at the 11th hour despite all the assurances given by the electoral body that it is ready for the exercise?” they wonder, adding : ‘’There is more to it than meets the eye’’. Elsewhere,  governments  move elections forward and not backward once they are sure of sweeping the polls.  Indeed, it is curious that the elections are being postponed now. Left to Jega, the exercise would have gone on until the military threw the issue of security into the mix.

    Insecurity was the latter day excuse, which the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sabo Dasuki, and the military chiefs gave for seeking the postponement of the elections for six weeks. But before looking at the genuineness or otherwise  of this excuse, let us examine what Dasuki said at Chatham House in London last January 22, while campaigning for postponement : ‘’They still have about 30 million cards to distribute. We look at the possibility of shifting this thing (election) and doing it when everybody  has the card because it doesn’t cost you anything.

    ‘’It is still within the law and it is safer for all of us. So, that is what we are encouraging. INEC keeps assuring us that everybody will have his card but I doubt it…there is nothing wrong in delaying it to ensure that everybody who ought to vote gets that card to vote…if you can’t vote without your PVC, what sense does it make to vote three months early when 30 million cards are still with INEC? That is my position’’. As we said in this space two weeks ago, in such a situation, the government should have come to INEC’s aid to ensure a quicker distribution of the PVCs in such a way that it would not affect the election dates. It could have declared public holidays to hasten the process, if it actually wanted the elections to hold as scheduled.

    Since it had its own agenda, it
    was better to hide under in
    security to force INEC to postpone the elections. When did it dawn on the NSA that the prevailing insecurity in the Northeast could affect the holding of the elections? Was it after his alleged shoddy distribution of PVCs by INEC failed to fly? Now that they have had their way, we wait to see how they will  conquer Boko Haram within six weeks as they have boasted. If it is that easy to finish off Boko Haram, why hasn’t the military done so since? What have they been waiting for these past six years? Boko Haram became a thorn in the nation’s flesh in 2009 shortly after the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, and since then the military has not found an answer to this problem.

    Painfully, the Boko Haram insurgency  has spread from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to Yobe,  Adamawa and Gombe states, without the security agencies rising to the occasion. Now, the NSA, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Kenneth Minimah, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Olusola Amosun and Inspector-General of Police Suleiman Abba want us to believe that, at last, they have found the antidote to the Boko Haram insurgency and that it comes at a price – postponement of the much awaited general  elections.

    That, with due apologies to Zebrudaya, is  ‘’fa…faa… faaa…foul’’.  In 61  days, it will be one year since Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped over 200  Chibok schoolgirls. What have our security chiefs done in this past year to bring back our girls? Nothing, but they are quick to use the ploy of insecurity to get the general elections postponed. Tell me, if in six years, they cannot flush out Boko Haram, is it in six weeks they will perform that magic?

  • Nyako’s memo: Fed Govt hiding something, says Ango Abdullahi

    A former Presidential Adviser on Food Security and spokesman of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has said Federal Government’s condemnation of Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako’s memorandum to President Goodluck Jonathan shows the government has something to hide.

    Prof. Abdullahi told reporters yesterday in Kaduna that rather than castigate Nyako for his memo, the government ought to investigate the content of the letter and address the issues raised in it.

    He said: “Just condemning the governor’s memo without probing the allegations raised in it goes to show that the Federal Government probably has something to hide. If not, they should come out and say the facts as they are.

    “To me, as the governor of Adamawa State, Nyako is in a position to have some privileged information that could have made him to make such a statement. But rather than address the serious allegation that the governor has raised, they have resorted to abusing and condemning him. This shows that maybe they have something to hide. If not, they should come out and say the facts as they are.

    “For a governor like Nyako to have raised the alarm, the reaction should not be one of condemnation or criticism. The serious thing to do is to investigate the allegations he has made and not to abuse or criticise him. Those who want to criticise him should come out with evidence against him. He cannot be dreaming.”

    On the call by the Northern Elders’ Council (NEC) on the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to distance itself from partisan politics, the former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, said he doubted if the elders’ council had any alliance with anybody or could dictate to anyone.

    He said: “That’s an opinion, and they have a right to express their opinions. But they cannot dictate what others should say or how others would exercise their powers. They cannot dictate. If they are in alliance with the ACF, then perhaps they can call the attention of the forum. But I doubt very much if they have an alliance with anything except themselves.”

    Meanwhile, Northern Delegates to the ongoing National Conference welcome the resolve of the government to keep aside politics and address head on the current insecurity in the country.

  • Re: What is NNPC hiding?

    SIR: In last four weeks, The Nation has written five editorials, several commentaries, features and stories about the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC, the latest of which is the editorial of Monday December 2, titled: “What Is NNPC Hiding?”

    In the editorial, The Nation made reference to the report of the Berne Declaration whose allegations are wild, baseless and completely unfounded. It will be recalled that upon the release of that report, NNPC had publicly denounced it and gave a detailed account of how government equity crude is sold. For the benefit of those who did not see that statement, the corporation had stated that it sells government equity crude to oil lifters on annual contract basis.

    The selection process is transparent and competitive and involves the publication of advertisements in both local and international media calling for Applications for Lifting of Nigerian Crude Oil on Contract Basis. That traders lift crude oil according to their contractual agreements applicable to all without exception on Free on Board (FOB) basis and all proceeds are paid directly into designated Central Bank of Nigeria Crude Oil Sales Account. Furthermore Nigerian crude oil is sold at published official selling price (OSP) which in not only benchmarked to the internationally recognized pricing institution – Platts – but is regularly subjected to critical analysis of market fundamentals and price determinants at global level. Since OSP differentials are crude stream determined, it stands to reason that they cannot be manipulated to favour an individual or group of traders as being insinuated. NNPC had also noted that at the moment there are 50 subsisting contracts none of which has a monopoly or exclusive right to lift any quantity of Nigerian crude oil.

    As the editorial noted, the House of Representatives has constituted an ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations in the Berne Report. What we expected The Nation to do was to wait for the outcome of the investigation before indicting the corporation if it is found culpable.

    In a failed attempt to make a case against the NNPC, the editorial claimed that the NNPC failed to remit “$13.9 billion representing the difference between $20.9 billion said to have been realized from oil sales between January and August 2013, as against the $7 billion actually remitted to the Federation Account during the period.’’

    The editorial also alleged that the NNPC routinely defies bodies like the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee. But this is not true! This is aimed at creating a negative public perception about the corporation. NNPC has honoured invitations by committees of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Where, due to prior commitments it is unable to go, it has always informed the committees in advance.

    On the alleged differentials in money paid into the Federation Account, what the editorial failed to say was that the figures quoted emanated from the NNPC and were given to members of the House Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) when they came to the NNPC on oversight duties. It might interest Nigerians to know that revenue from crude oil comes from various sources: crude oil sales proceeds, royalty and Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT). These are paid into various accounts of the federation with the Central Bank of Nigeria, by the various agencies responsible for handling oil matters. It is the sum total of all these monies that make up the $20.9 billion. NNPC had explained this process to members of the committee who were satisfied with the explanation.

    Again, since the editorial acknowledged that the House of Representatives has set up a committee to investigate the differentials, we expected The Nation to wait for the findings of the committee.

    Once again, we wish to stress that the NNPC has nothing to hide. The current management of the corporation has been working assiduously to change public misperception about the corporation. And no amount of blackmail would distract it from its objective of making NNPC a global national oil company.

     

    • Adamu Gwazuwang,

    Abuja

     

  • Pension cash scandal: Maina goes into hiding

    Pension cash scandal: Maina goes into hiding

    Security agencies have launched a manhunt for the controversial Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force (PRTF), Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina.

    Maina has reportedly gone into hiding for fear that the “pension cabal” will attack him.

    PRTF officials have vacated their office, apparently for fear of arrest.

    The resolution of the Senate which asked the Executive to choose between it and Maina, led to the fresh manhunt.

    But President Goodluck Jonathan, who denied shielding Maina, was scheduled to meet Senate President David Mark over the matter last night.

    A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: “All security agencies have been mandated to watch-list Maina and bring him to justice as directed by the Senate.

    “As I am talking to you, all police aides, police escort and other security detail attached to Maina have been withdrawn.

    “We gave him adequate security because of the sensitive nature of the assignment given to him. But since he has problems with the Senate, we have withdrawn the guards deployed in his office and home.

    “The last set of three operatives attached to Maina was recalled last week.

    “The renewed search for the chairman of PRTF started on Wednesday after the Senate passed the resolution.”

    The source went on: “We will surely get him; he cannot escape. Already, all banks have been mandated not to honour any cheque or clearance relating to pension funds from Maina’s office, until he respects the law of the land.”

    Asked why it is difficult to get Maina, the source added: “We are suspecting that he might have worked with the secret service during the administration of the late Gen. Sani Abacha. He knows the game very well. I think he has been in the power corridors, including the Presidential Villa, in the last 19 years.”

    But, Maina has given two reasons for going into hiding.

    He said the pension cabal, which he exposed as the chairman of the PRTF, might kill him.

    One of his aides, who pleaded not to be named, said: “Two reasons make it difficult for the PRTF chairman to make any public appearance and possibly defend himself over allegations by the Senate.

    “Maina, who has maintained a low profile since the Senate caused him to be declared ‘wanted’, cannot come out because he fears that the pension cabal is actually after his life and not his mere sack by the President.

    “The Task Team leader seems to have ventured where angels fear to tread in an attempt to expose the pension cabal that has been pillaging pension funds for the past 44 years.

    “Maina dares not venture out of his hiding, given the fact that the powers that be may have sacrificed him to cover up the 44 years of fraud in Nigeria pension system, and the cabal that has been behind it is bent on eliminating him physically.

    “With guards completely withdrawn, and the seeming involvement of the Senate and the police in the alleged plot to get at Maina, it will be suicidal for him to show up or even appear in the public for whatever reasons.

    The aide said Maina, who spoke from his hideout said he was “fast losing confidence in the Nigerian state, as he has suddenly become a villain for saving the country billions of naira, being stolen daily by pension thieves.”

    Police Chief Mohammed Abubakar yesterday urged Maina to give himself up.

    Police spokesman Frank Mba, who spoke on behalf of the Inspector-General said: “We are irrevocably committed to arresting Maina as soon as we lay our hands on him. We will arrest and take him before the Senate.

    “He was declared wanted by the police because he went into hiding and that made it difficult for the police to execute the warrant of arrest that was legitimately issued against him.’’

    On the allegation that Maina was being guarded by the police, Mba said “he has no police officer in his entourage, to the best of my knowledge.”

    “Even in the press release that we gave, we did say that any citizen who has any information that could help us in finding and executing that order should please pass the information to the appropriate authorities,’’ Mba said, adding:

    “If anyone has the information on how we can get him, we will be pleased to have it.’’

    According to him, the police will not allow themselves to be pulled into unnecessary controversy.

    “The only thing is that the Senate has issued a warrant of arrest on Maina and that is where we come in,’’ Mba said.

    Mba added: “The media who keep publishing press releases from the chairman of the pension task team should ask him why he is in hiding. If he says police have abused his rights by declaring him wanted, the least he could have done would be to appear at the Force Headquarters where he can query the police for declaring him wanted.”

     

  • Police chief to Tokyo: come out of hiding in your own interest

    Oyo State Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu yesterday urged the embattled former chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (aka Tokyo), to report himself to the police for interrogation.

    The police chief alleged that Tokyo needs to answer questions on several cases, adding that there was an open warrant for his arrest anywhere, even outside Nigeria.

    Mbu told The Nation that Tokyo’s utterances against the police have raised the suspicion that his predecessors treated him with kid gloves.

    The police chief added that the former union leader would soon realise that he is not above the law.

    According to him, Tokyo has other cases to answer, apart from last year’s June 6 murder of innocent students at the Iwo Road, Ibadan interchange.

    He vowed to arrest him even if it meant engaging the International police (INTERPOL) outside Nigeria.

    Mbu said: “I am begining to believe that my predecessors were handling him with kid gloves. His utterances against a CP should be considered as the highest display of indiscipline and disorderliness.

    “He is a common tout who, fortuitously, came to limelight. I am not an honourable commissioner. I am a police commissioner by rank. I am a CP in charge of the Oyo State Police Command by appointment. This appointment is very clear in the Constitution and it appears he (Tokyo) does not know the power of a constable, let alone the powers of a CP.

    “Tokyo is not having only one case but many other cases to answer – from June, last year, till now. The order is circumscribed only to that matter referred to. He has other matters pending till date since the murder of those students.”

    Mbu added that there is no court in Nigeria that would restrain the police from arresting the former union leader on all charges.

    “That would mean that we are going back to the state of nature, according to Thomas Hobbes,” he said.

    The police chief expressed his willingness to conduct a new election and the determination of the command to deal with “any recalcitrant and lawless group”.