President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday said that corruption was largely responsible for the inability of the Nigerian military to quickly defeat Boko Haram.
The President spoke during an audience with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said that the loss of 14 local government areas to Boko Haram had greatly tarnished the reputation of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He however noted that with measures taken by his Administration to curb corruption and provide better weaponry, logistics, training and welfare for soldiers on the frontlines, the Nigerian military has now almost totally incapacitated Boko Haram as a fighting force and recovered all territories that were lost to the terrorist sect.
“When we curbed corruption and removed the injustice in the military, we began to make progress,” President Buhari said.
Welcoming the support of Muslims across the world for Nigeria’s war against Boko Haram, the President said that the war against terrorism was also a war against injustice, which is not condoned by Islam and all the major religions.
“You can’t kill the innocent in churches or in mosques and shout Allahu Akbar,” President Buhari said, adding that the visit of Dr. El-Tayeb and his expression of solidarity with Nigeria in the war against terrorism was a clear indication of global Muslim support for Nigeria against the unjust killing of the innocent by terrorists.
The President, who reaffirmed his Administration’s determination to resettle all persons who were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency, thanked the Grand Imam for the donation of scholarships, educational and medical supplies to Nigeria’s Internally Displaced Persons.
Dr. El-Tayeb told President Buhari that Muslims all over the world share Nigeria’s pains from terrorism and will continue to support efforts to ensure the return of peace and unity amongst all faiths in the country.
Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari
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Corruption responsible for military inability to defeat Boko Haram – Buhari
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Youths support fuel subsidy removal in Jigawa
People in Dutse the Jigawa state capital under the aegis of Youths Coalition has today taken to the streets in a peaceful demonstration to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s oil deregulation policy.
The demonstrators whom were mostly youths gathered and started from old police headquarters move to State House of Assembly carrying placards with different statements expressing their supports for the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.
They latter proceeded to the media houses and ended at the government house.
Speaking at the Government House the chairman of the coalition Comrade Musa Gambo Guri said the coalition is fully in support of the deregulation of the oil sector.
He added that the removal will favour the masses in the near future.
Comrade Guri enjoined people to be patient with the government policies adding that strike is not the way out as it cripples the nation’s economy.
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Include free zone in anti-graft campaign: Experts urge Buhari
Experts in the Maritime industries on Tuesday urge the President Buhari-led administration to include the free zones in the anti-graft campaign as part of efforts to unravel the acute illegalities and choking impunity in this critical section of Nigerian economy.
This is as result of a revelation that multi-billion dollar maritime behemoth, INTELS appears to be deeply involved in an illegality and impunity. Three Oil and Gas Free Zones, -the Oil and Gas Free Zones in Warri Port Complex, Eko Support Services (ESS) Lagos and Brass Oil and Gas City, Brass Island, Bayelsa State, all multi billion Naira projects have now been discovered to have been established without the backing of the law. And INTELS is alleged to be the big, unseen hand behind these free zones.
The Oil and Gas Free Zones, Warri Port Complex, ESS and Brass were established by the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) but experts have stated clearly that OGFZA does not have the statutory power to set up a free zone beyond Onne and Ikpokiri area of Rivers State.
This is so because in the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone Act in Section 1 (1) titled Designation and Establishment of the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone, it was stated clearly that “The President hereby designates the Onne/Ikpokiri area of Rivers State as an Export Free Zone (in this Act referred to as the Free Zone”)
By this act, there is only one legally established Oil and Gas Free Zone and that is the one in Onne. And this makes any other purported Free Zone null and void because there is no law to back it up, according to maritime experts.
A maritime insider, stated unequivocally that what is happening today, that is the establishment of Free Zones is a gross abuse and misinterpretation of Decree No. 8 of March, 1996. This Act established the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority. This Oil and Gas Free Authority unfortunately has over the years approved and licenced the operations of illegal oil and gas Free Zones in Warri, Brass and Lagos. Sadly, he says, the immediate past government appeared almost totally ignorant, passive or perhaps in cold complicity with a foreign organization that seems determined to trample our laws for its selfish and monopolistic goals in the maritime industry.
On its website, under Our History, the Authority wrote: “The Authority is (also) responsible for registering, licencing and regulating Oil and Gas Free Zone in Nigeria”.
However, findings have it that the Authority does not possess the power it is laying claims to. Under Functions of the Authority, section 5 (1) (b) of the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone Act, it was stated clearly that the Authority has powers to “grant all requisite permits and licences to conduct approved enterprises within the Export Free Zone.” Yes, within the zone. Not beyond,” a maritime expert intoned.
In the three sub-sections of section 5 where the Functions of the Authority are clearly stated, none gave it the power to licence oil and gas free zones in Nigeria, as it claimed on its website.
According to Dede Amos, a maritime lawyer, “From the wordings of that section 5, there is no expression, nothing whatsoever to imply that the Authority has the power to register or licence oil and gas free zones. If it did that in the past, it is a crass violation of the law,” he stated.
The legal practitioner explained further that the power given to the Authority under section 5 (1)(b) is that of granting permits and licences to enterprises that may want to carry out commercial activities at the Onne/Ikpokiri Free Zone. “It was specific and unambiguous,” he stated. The maritime authority added that the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) knows that it is breaching the law but has been goaded by powerful organisations like INTELS which gave them (OGFZA) even the office they use in Onne. OGFZA also knows too well that there is no difference between INTELS and Eko Support Services or between INTELS and those in Warri Port or Brass.
Maritime and legal experts that the government Agency that statutorily has a role to play in the registration/licencing of Export Free Zones, oil and gas or not, in Nigeria is the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA).
Indeed, under the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Decree no 63 of 1992, Section 1 (1) stated clearly that: “The President, may from time to time by order, upon the recommendation of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority established under this Act, designate such area as he thinks fit to be an export processing zone, (in this Act referred to as “a Zone”).”
In the discharge of this function, NEPZA has, over the years, seen to the registration of 32 Free Zones in Nigeria. Nine of these are oil and gas. All the 32 Free Zones are listed on NEPZA’s website. Five others currently awaiting approval were also listed on the site. None of the Free Zones registered by the oil and gas Free Zone Authority is on the website of NEPZA.
Responding to the question of whether there are overlapping responsibilities between OGFZA and NEPZA, another legal practitioner, Barrister Christopher Okoh was emphatic that there are no ambiguities or overlapping responsibilities in the functions of the two Authorities. “Obviously Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority has usurped the powers of NEPZA and by that Act promoted illegality. By the NEPZA Act, all free Zones, whether oil and gas or not, are to be recommended for registration to the President by NEPZA. Any so-called registration or licensing that does not follow the procedure is unlawful”, he added.
Maritime experts and players are now calling on President Mohammadu Buhari to beam his blazing anti-corruption light on the free zones to unravel the acute illegalities and choking impunity in this critical section of Nigerian economy.
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Fuel price hike, tough decision-Osinbajo
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday said the decision to increase the price of petrol from N86 per litre to N145 per litre was a tough one for President Muhammadu Buhari.
Osinbajo spoke at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja, during the public presentation of a book “Anatomy of Corruption in Nigeria, Issues, Challenges and Solution”, written by Alhaji Yusuf Alli (SAN).
He told the gathering that several things that ought to have been done to address the sufferings and pains of Nigerians by the administration of President Buhari could not be done because of massive stealing and the depletion of Nigeria’s external reserves.
He said: “I want to just quickly say that corruption as we all know is not just a social evil, it is an existential threat to our country. There is no doubt at all that unlike in other countries, people say there is corruption everywhere which is true, but I think there is one distinguishing feature for Nigeria and for many other country, it is that it is a threat that directly affects the lives and livelihood of everyone.
“It is not just an evil, it is not just an immorality, it is existential because it could truly destroy lives and it has destroyed many lives and has continued to destroy the Nigerian economy.
“And I think that the reasons are very obvious if you just take a clear example. All through the period when Nigeria was earning huge sums of money as proceeds from oil sales for almost five years, the external reserves of Nigeria remains much the same.
“It did not increase at all despite the high earning, now we know also that we are investigating cases which showed that over $15 billion was lost in one type of contract alone. We are not talking of oil contract, we are talking of security-related contracts, $15 billion. We have not talked at all of oil contracts in several billions.”
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Buhari, Wike meet in Aso Rock
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met briefly with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The governor, who arrived around 2 p.m only stayed for about twenty minutes at the President’s office area.
At the end of the meeting, he declined to speak with State House correspondents as he quickly walked past the journalists that wanted to know the purpose of his visit to the Villa. -
RMAFC and TSA
•Revenue commission should approach the courts for guidance
THE report that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has adjudged the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the Consolidated Revenue Account unconstitutional, deserves attention from the Federal Government. After all, the RMAFC is a creation of the constitution, and under the Third Schedule, Part 1N, paragraph 32: “The commission shall have power to (a) monitor the accruals to and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account”. So, if the commission alleges that funds meant for the Federation Account are paid into another account, such an allegation should be investigated by the National Assembly, otherwise the commission should approach the courts for an interpretation of the relevant laws, for guidance.
According to the commission, some of the offending agencies over the remittance of their income are the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC). The commission reportedly claimed to have written to the federal executive and the National Assembly to stop the unconstitutional acts. It referred to section 162 (1) and (10) of the 1999 constitution, which provides that the Federal Government shall maintain a special account to be called “the Federation Account” and which defines income to mean “any income or return accruing to or derived by the government of the federation from any source”.
Under the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the commission was always in contention with the Federal Government over federally collected revenue and its appropriation. Similar disagreement was also prevalent in the Jonathan era. Again, the commission has now raised cases of alleged unconstitutional actions by agencies of government, over the remittance of their revenue, with the claim that some of the laws establishing the agencies are in contravention of the 1999 constitution, and referring to section 1 (3) of the constitution which forbade any such inconsistency.
In fairness to the commission, there is the need for clarification between the constitutionally provided “Federation Account”, “the Consolidated Revenue Account” and the new “Treasury Single Account”, introduced presumably to help reduce waste and corruption in our revenue accretion processes. To all intents and purposes, many Nigerians presume that the TSA is merely another nomenclature for the Federation Account, considering the clear provisions of section 162(1) of the 1999 constitution. Indeed, the presumption is that the revenue from the agencies accused by the commission of revenue diversion, actually belong to the federation, and as such their income fall within the contemplation of section 162(1) of the constitution.
While a contrary position has not been proved by these allegations, it is important that the disagreements are laid to rest. If however the parties are uncertain of the interpretation of what the law says, it may be appropriate for the RMAFC to approach the courts for interpretation. In pushing for a resolution, we are mindful that some of the disagreement between the states and the Federal Government also revolve around this issue of what constitutes the revenue belonging to the Federation Account, and what is owned by the Federal Government alone.
In the report the commission was quoted to have said: “The commission has also been discussing with some of these agencies to resolve the issues by trying to convince them to remit their collections to the Federation Account. Some of these agencies relied on the acts establishing them to retain and utilise their revenue collections, while others rely on financial regulations to remit their collections into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.”
Such rule of thumb as reflected in the statement is embarrassing, and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari should not allow that.
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Fuel subsidy: We won’t increase fares- Cab operators
Cab operators at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos have assured commuters that they would not hike transportation fares, following the removal of fuel subsidy by government.
Mr Olalekan Agboola, General Secretary, Airport Cab Operators, gave the assurance while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
NAN reports that the government had on Wednesday announced the removal of subsidy for petroleum importation which increased the pump price from N86.50 per litre to N145 per litre.
However, Agboola said the association had no plan to increase fares, adding that the normal N100 and N150 fares charged for a journey to and from Ikeja would remain.
He said: “we cannot increase our fares because everybody knows how the country is now.
“We have been on ground to monitor the situation and things are still the way they were before the announcement.
“The fare is still the same. There is nothing we can do if the government refuses to revert to the old pump price. We can’t raise our fares over the issue.”
Agboola noted that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had valid reasons for removing the subsidy, but pleaded with the government to consider its impact on the lives of Nigerians.
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Photos: Buhari in London for anti-corruption summit
President Buhari responds to Prime Minister, Cameron’s remarks on Nigeria and Afghanistan in UK.
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Senator calls for multilateral approach to loot recovery
As the world converges in London to review strategies to tackle corruption, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Monsurat Sunmonu, has called for a multi-lateral approach to loot prevention and recovery from all nations of the world.
Sunmonu, who made the call in an interview with The Nation, said offering protection for loots from other countries is a strong hindrance to efforts at preventing and recovering looting across the nations of the world. She posited that no single country can fight corruption alone in the face of technology that has changed the world to a global village.
The lawmaker also reiterated the position at the Westminster Community of Practice conference in London last week.
The purpose of the Conference was to build on outputs from the regional workshops to present the International Parliamentarians’ Handbook as a resource for parliamentarians in their engagement with the new Sustainable Development Framework, encouraging parliaments in their role as key stakeholders in the implementation of these targets.
Sen. Sunmonu encouraged countries to come together to help resolve the problem. The Westminster Community of Practice, a collection of organisations working on parliamentary strengthening, met at Canada House for their third meeting with the theme: Curbing Corruption: the role of parliamentarians’.
At the conference, Stephen Twigg MP, Chair of the International Development Committee (IDC), chaired the discussion. Twigg highlighted the importance of the inquiry the IDC are about to start looking into the role the United Kingdom (UK) plays in tackling corruption before the Prime Minister’s expected summit on anti-corruption this month.
“What we do in our own parliament must be assessed first before we develop a policy to tackle global corruption” he said.
A Senior Advocacy Manager at Transparency International, Rachael Davies, reaffirmed the importance of getting the UK’s house in order first to avoid risking a lack of credibility.
“It is great to encourage others, but we also need to clean up our own backyard” she said, highlighting weaknesses in the UK anti-money laundering system. Nigeria has enough domestic focussed legislation to fight corruption.
“As regards this already existing legislation, I believe the role the legislature can play is more review based, to ensure the existing legislation is more robust, by closing loopholes that have been exploited over the years. An important development is financial autonomy and independence of these agencies, so that they themselves are not the subject of corruption.
“I also think that the punishments for corruption need to be made more of a deterrent. This does not however apply only to Nigeria. I often see in the news corruption cases being punished with a slap on the wrists. Yes, each country is to determine its own individual policy as regards punishment, but with the world becoming a smaller place a consensus needs to be reached.
“Where I believe a lot more can be done is in the international sphere. And what I mean by this, is that there is a lot of ill-gotten wealth from Nigeria all over the world. President Buhari has visited many of the countries where investigations reveal this wealth has been stashed. This is where the legislature can really come to the fore.
“You see, any bilateral or multilateral agreement, or MoU signed will be key to repatriating Nigeria’s wealth, and also acting as a deterrent in the future. Simply because when a criminal knows that there is nowhere to hide he or she may not steal. It is the legislature’s role to ensure that such agreements signed by the Executive are domesticated and become law. In my capacity as Chair of the National Assembly Committees on Foreign Affairs, my team and I are currently reviewing existing agreements and pushing for ratification of those that have not been previously ratified.”
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Corruption: Presidency tackles Cameron
The Presidency last night faulted Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron over his description of Nigeria and Afghanistan as ‘fantastically corrupt’ nations.
He made the remark at an event marking the Queen’s 90th birthday at the Buckingham Palace.
Cameron said: “We’ve got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain… Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world,”
The UK will host world and business leaders at an anti-corruption summit in London on Thursday in London, towards galvanizing a global response to tackle corruption.
President Muhammadu Buhari and other world leaders are already in London for the summit.
But after Cameron’s comments at the Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby came to the rescue of President Buhari by saying: “But this particular president is not corrupt… he’s trying very hard,”
Also faulting Cameron’s comment, Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said: “It is certainly not reflective of the good work that the President is doing. The eyes of the world are on what is happening here.
“The Prime Minister must be looking at an old snapshot of Nigeria. Things are changing with corruption and everything else. That, we believe is the reason they chose him as a keynote speaker at the the pre-summit conference.
“Thank you to the Archbishop. We very much cherish the good relationship between our two countries and nothing should stand in the way of improving those relations.” He added