The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rejects

  • Court rejects request to summon Clark on Ibori’s $15m

    A Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday refused the oral application to summon Southsouth leader Chief Edwin Clark for his comment on the controversial $15 million traced to the convicted former governor of Delta State, James Ibori.

    Ibori allegedly offered the money as bribe to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Clark called for the sack of the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, following the “needless controversy” in which the money was shrouded by the suit filed by the commission.

    At the resumed hearing of the suit filed by the commission seeking forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government yesterday, EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) criticised Clark for commenting on an issue that is before the court.

    Ruling on the request to invite the elder statesman, Justice Gabriel Kolawole said the application was diversionary.

    Justice Kolawole said Clark is neither a party nor counsel in the matter before him.

    He, however, said the commission is at the liberty to file a formal application to summon Clark before him.

    Meanwhile, a London lawyer, Mr. John Aina, has filed an application on behalf of an individual, Mr. Olalekan Kayode, urging the court to remit the $15 million bribe money to him on trust for the public.

    Aina urged the court not to forfeit the money to the Federal Government on the grounds that all the looted funds recovered from the families of the former Head of State, the late Gen. Sani Abacha; former Chief Executive Officer of Oceanic Bank Cecilia Ibru; former Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye and Halliburton were “re-looted” by government officials.

    He said he would constitute a trust committee on behalf of Nigerians, which shall determine what projects to execute with it for the benefit of the masses.

    Before adjourning hearing till November 11, Justice Kolawole told parties to serve all pending applications.

    Clark had accused Lamorde of displaying gross incompetence in the manner he was handling the case.

    He said: “Nigerians desire a more serious body to fight corruption and not the EFCC that is being manned by Lamorde.”

    The elder statesman said there was no controversy over the ownership of the money as is being insinuated by the anti-graft agency in the suit before the court.

    He said all involved in the forfeiture suit filed by EFCC should be probed.

    Clark believes the money might have been offered as bribe to former EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu to compromise him in the investigation of the N120 billion supplementary budget fraud allegation against Ibori.

    Justice Kolawole had granted an order forfeiting the money to the Federal Government, following an exparte application by the EFCC.

    Ibori allegedly offered the money as bribe to Ribadu through an undisclosed source in 2007.

    The money had been in the custody of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since Ibori denied offering the money to Ribadu.

    But the Delta State Government filed an application to counter the forfeiture order.

    It said the money belongs to it and should be returned to its treasury.

  • Fasanmi rejects Mimiko, backs Akeredolu

    First and Second Republic politician and Yoruba elder, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, has described Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State as “a make or mar poll in the quest to change the rudderless posture of the national leadership in Nigeria since 1999.”

    The elder statesman said Nigerians, particularly in the Southwest, must see the Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN’s) quest to win Saturday’s poll as a mission to recover “the last of the Southwest’s stolen property from marauders who masqueraded as politicians in the Southwest between 2003 and 2011.

    Senator Fasanmi, who spoke in his home in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, was a parliamentarian who represented Ondo in 1964 and a two-term senator that represented Ondo North Senatorial District in 1979 and 1983.

    He urged ACN leaders to see the election as a rescue mission, adding that the electorate should vote for the party’s standard bearer, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

    The octogenarian said Governor Olusegun Mimiko has failed to deliver value for the “huge” earnings that have accrued to the state in the last three and a half years, adding that the return of Nigeria to the desirable path in 2015 will begin with the victory of ACN on Saturday.

    He enjoined voters to reject the Labour Party and see the PDP candidate, Olushola Oke, as a representative of the failed PDP-controlled Federal Government.

    He said the electorate must reject the PDP before the 2015 elections. Senator Fasanmi said in 2015, it is important for a united Southwest to join other progressive elements in arresting and reversing the downward slide “our country has been experiencing in all indices of human development since 1999.”

     

  • Budget 2013: House rejects Oct. 4 presentation

    Budget 2013: House rejects Oct. 4 presentation

    President Goodluck Jonathan would not be presenting the 2013 budget on October 4 as earlier scheduled before the joint session of the National Assembly, it emerged yesterday.

    Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal had onTuesday read a letter from President Jonathan conveying his intention to present the 2013 budget at a joint session on October 4.

    The lawmakers maintained that it was impossible for them to consider the acceptance of the presentation of the 2013 budget while the 2012 budget is having issues as the President was yet to convince Nigerians on the implementation of the current budget.

    The House of Representatives said it would not be able to complete the scrutiny of the 2013-2015 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy  (MTEFF) paper as well as engage relevant government agencies concerned with the document before the said date.

    According to the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed, (PDP, Kwara), the House has  also suspended plenary for next week to conduct oversight  on physical inspection of infrastructural projects nationwide.

    The indication of the imminent postponement  was dropped by the Chairman, House Committee on Finance,  Abudmumin Jibrin (PDP, Kano), who also doubled as the  Chairman of the Joint Committee saddled with the responsibility of scrutinising the document at the plenary yesterday.

    Saying that though the preliminary  process of detail examination of the document has commenced, Abudmumin Jubrin informed the floor that “Knowing the implication and importance of the document to the presentation of the budget by Mr. president, it is practically impossible to engage all the relevant government agencies involved with the document.

    “We have to invite agencies like the Ministry of Finance, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and several others”.

    Jibrin stressed that considering the limited time interval before the Presidential presentation, more time would be needed by the Committee in order to be able to do a thorough job on the document.

    The Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal asked the Committee to continue with it’s work on the basis that the passage of the MTEF  is a prerequisite for the presentation of the Budget by the President.

    The House Spokesman, at the weekly media interaction said the importance of the oversight function cannot be overemphasized, while  pointing  out that the stance of the lower chamber was not a muscle flexing against the executive.

    “The question of Mr. President coming to present the budget on 4th is ruled out because by next week  we are not going to be available. Also, the MTEF must definitely be looked into first, by law and convention before the budget for the incoming year is considered.

    “These are issues of law, it is not about the House trying to flex muscles. Maybe later, a letter of convenient  day would be fixed for Mr. President to come and present the budget.

    “We are considering an aspect of the 2012 budget and not yet completed, yet another one is coming. 4th October is just not realistic, we are going on the oversight and be back  on 9th,” he said.

  • Anxiety as Saudi rejects 1,500 Nigerian pilgrims

    Anxiety as Saudi rejects 1,500 Nigerian pilgrims

    A diplomatic row is likely between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia over the rejection of some Nigerian women pilgrims.

    Yesterday, 159 would-be pilgrims from Katsina, Taraba and Oyo states were returned to Nigeria from Medina — Saudi Arabia’s second holiest city.

    The National Hajj Commission (NAHCOM) has suspended the airlift of Nigerians for 48 hours, following the incident.

    The pilgrims were returned to the country because the Saudi authorities barred them from the pilgrimage.

    Pilgrimage to the Holy land is the fifth pillar of Islam.

    A Muslim must undertake the journey, at least once – if he is financially capable of doing so.

    The Senate and the House of Representatives have urged the President to intervene in the matter.

    Those returned are not part of the 1,000 Nigerian pilgrims, mostly women, already stranded in Jeddah.

    They were refused entry because they were not accompanied by their husbands or family guides.

    They were among the 500 would-be pilgrims airlifted by three airlines but who were prevented from entering.

    Vice-President Namadi Sambo has intervened in the brewing diplomatic row.

    NAHCON Head of Media Mana Uba said last night that the suspension of flights became necessary to allow the Federal Government and Saudi Arabia resolve the impasse through the ongoing diplomatic consultations.

    Uba said: “We are suspending flights to Saudi Arabia for the next 48 hours to enable the Federal Government consult with the Saudi authorities.

    “There will be no airlift of pilgrims. But we are positive that the discussion will be far-reaching.”

    Uba also confirmed that 159 pilgrims had been brought back to Nigeria after the Saudi authorities refused them entry for not having Muharrams (male guardians).

    He gave the breakdown of the pilgrims as follows: Katsina (84); Taraba (62); and Oyo (13).

    He said: “These pilgrims arrived in Medina on Wednesday but they were disallowed from entering the city because of the same factor of Muharrams (male guardians).

    “In order not to leave them stranded at the airport, we decided to bring the pilgrims back to Nigeria pending the time we will resolve the issue.”

    A government source said: “The Vice-President is already leading talks with Saudi government in Riyadh and through the Embassy in Nigeria.

    “We hope that in the next 48 to 72 hours, the two countries will reach amicable resolution on the areas of disagreement.”

    The source added: “The Federal Government is seeking a waiver, although the Saudi authorities appear not ready to bend their regulations.

    “But in diplomacy, nothing is impossible. We are optimistic that this matter is resolvable.”

    The NAHCON spokesman explained that the women were not deported.

    He said if they were deported, their passports would have been stamped and they will not be able to return to Saudi Arabia in the next five years.

    He could not, however, ascertain if the returnees would still be able to observe the pilgrimage before the end of the operations.

    He said: “They were not deported. What happened was that we had an experience in one of our destinations in Saudi Arabia; Medina. For your information, we also land in Jeddah. Our pilgrims arrived there and until this morning (yesterday), they were never detained. None of them was detained in Medina.

    “What happened was that Medina is a very small airport just like our local airport here without enough facilities. So when they got there, NAHCON decided not to leave anybody there because they could not be cleared by the airport authorities and we decided to return them to the country and they were brought with the same aircraft that took them to the country.

    “The reason is that if they were to be deported, they enter Saudi Arabia in the next five years. So, the commission knowing well that there was inadequate facilities, decided to bring them back, pending when the issue would be resolved between the two countries.

    “Yes, they are all women. The reason is because they didn’t have a guide like a husband or a blood relation. So, if you are to travel for a pilgrimage like this, you need to go with a guardian and the Saudi authorities are saying these 159 pilgrims had no guides.

    “They were from three different states with three different aircraft that took them there. There were pilgrims from Oyo (13) taken there by Medview Airline about 62 from Taraba State taken by Max Air and another 84 from Katsina who also travelled on Max Air.

  • Assembly rejects impeachment petition

    The Niger State House of Assembly yesterday threw out the petition by a pressure group, Concerned Citizens, which called for the impeachment of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu.

    The lawmakers also passed a vote-of-confidence in the governor.

    The Chairman of the group, Alhaji Mohammed Maude, vowed to challenge the decision of the Assembly “through all legal means.”

    Adopting the report of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Ethics and Privileges, the Assembly threw out the petition for lack of conformity with the Standing Orders of the House.

    Presenting the report on the floor of the Assembly, the Chairman of the committee, Mohammed Nazeer Abdullahi, said in reaching its decision, the committee considered the House rules governing petitions as contained on the Standing Orders of the Assembly and found that the petition fell short of the rules.

    He said the committee was guided by Order II Rule 3 pages 13 and 14 of the Standing Orders in recommending that the petition be thrown out. According to him, the petition failed to conform with Rule 3 Paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Assembly Standing Orders.

    The chairman stated that Section 101 of the 1999 Constitution empowered the House to regulate its own procedure and that since the Standing Orders were made by the Assembly, it would be unconstitutional to violate them.

    The committee argued that “non-conformity with the Standing Orders amounts to non-conformity with the constitution and any action as regards to petition which is not in conformity with the Standing Orders of the Assembly becomes unconstitutional.”

    It recommended that “any action taken on this petition is unconstitutional and should be thrown out.”

    On the presentation of the report, the Assembly adopted the recommendation of the committee and the Speaker, Adamu Aliyu, said the decision of the House was guided by the constitution, adding; “Nobody can intimidate or blackmail the Assembly into taking decisions. We are guided by the constitution in every decision we take.”

    Immediately the petition was thrown out, Yusuf Paikoro moved a motion calling for a vote-of-confidence to be passed in Governor Aliyu for his foresight and commitment to improving the state. It was seconded by Jumai Jafaru Mairiga and the House endorsed it.

    Alhaji Maude said the decision of the Assembly was tainted with bias, “as it failed to invite us before taking the decision.”

    He said the group would challenge the decision through legal means.

  • Fayemi rejects NULGE’s ‘secret’ apology

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has rejected a secret plea by the state branch of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

    The union was seeking the governor’s pardon over its allegation that he was deducting N1billion monthly from local government allocation.

    Fayemi spoke yesterday on Focus Nigeria, a current affairs programme on Africa Independent Television (AIT).

    Then governor said the NULGE had written him that the allegation was not true.

    He denied allegations that he had been tampering with local government funds.

    Fayemi said he would not admit anything else except a publicised apology from the NULGE leadership because the allegation was publicised.

    The governor said the ongoing staff audit of the local government system in the state would be completed before the payment of the new minimum wage to council workers.

    NULGE state Secretary, Mr. Adebayo Victor, yesterday spoke with reporters in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

    He said the union did not accuse the governor of deducting council funds.

    Victor said: “Nobody would ever thought of or imagine embarrassing his governor in whatever way. What are we going to get by doing that?”

    According to him, NULGE could not have apologised for what it did not do.

    The union leader explained that NULGE did not oppose the staff audit, because same took place in Kwara and Oyo states, where union members were involved in the processes.

    “In Oyo State, some members were even laid off,” he said.

    Admitting that the union wrote a letter to the governor, Victor explained that the letter clarified that he (the governor) was never accused of any shady financial dealing with the council allocation.

    Fayemi also absolved his administration of blame on the non-conduct of the local government election.

    The governor said the election was initially scheduled for February 4 before the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured a court injunction stopping the poll.

    He warned against classifying Ekiti as one of those deliberately halting democracy at the council level.

    Fayemi said he is a believer in the rule of law and that he would not disobey a valid court order.

    The governor said he has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal to upturn the verdict of the lower court on the council election.

    He added that his administration was ready for the election once the case in court is settled.