The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Senate

  • Chibok girls: Senate summons NSA, other security chiefs

    Chibok girls: Senate summons NSA, other security chiefs

    The Senate Thursday resolved to invite the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno and other security chiefs to brief it on their efforts to secure the release of the Chibok school girls.

    The upper chamber also commended the Bring Back Our Girls group for their doggedness in the campaign for the release of the Chibok girls.

    It asked security agencies to do everything humanly possible to ensure that release of the girls.

    The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) and three others entitled “Abduction of Chibok school girls-two years after.”

    The motion elicited angry reactions from Senators who felt that two years was long enough for the government to have recovered the school girls.

    Senator Melaye lamented the plight of the girls and their parents.

    He insisted that the Federal Government cannot be said to have succeeded until the girls are rescued.

    He said: “We cannot succeed as a government until those girls are released. Getting back the over 200 Chibok school girls into the society is important and a must for our security agencies.

    “The abduction of over 200 girls by Boko Haram has wrongly affected us as a people as could be seen in the international condemnation of the government’s slow reaction to this unprecedented outrage committed against Nigerian womanhood. Never before has such criminal viciousness been perpetrated on Nigerian womanhood.”

    Melaye noted that Thursday “makes it 730 days, 17520 hours and 1,051 minutes that our Chibok school girls have been under captivity. It will be recalled the night of 14-15 April, 2014, 276 girls were kidnapped from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, the responsibility for the abduction was claimed by Boko Haram. Luckily, 57 of the school girls managed to escape making 219 still missing.”

    He said that outside propaganda videos created by the Islamist militant group, none of the girls has been seen and the families of the missing girls have been traumatized because of their daughters.

    Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, in his contribution said that Melaye and some other members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) used the abduction of the Chibok school girls to win last year’s general elections.

    Akpabio wondered why those who led protests against the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan to rescue the girls have suddenly kept mum.

    He said, “I remember in 2014, Dino Melaye used to wear T-shirt and he led the protest to ensure that the abducted school girls were released.

    “He was always at the National Fountain to lead a protest against the government. He eventually cashed in on it and won election to the Senate. Other people in APC also did the same thing.”

    Former President Jonathan came under local and international attack over the way and manner the government handled the issue of the abducted school girls.

    Jonathan was accused of playing politics with the rescue of the girls.

    At last year’s general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari who was the presidential candidate of APC, promised to rescue the girls two months into his government.

    The government has insisted that it does not know the whereabouts of the girls and when they will be rescued.

    Some other Senators, who also supported the motion, asked the federal government to go beyond the yearly ritual of celebrating the anniversary of the abduction of the girls.

    The lawmakers said the government should explore every available avenue to ensure that the girls are rescued.

     

  • Senate begins work on new PIB

    Senate begins work on new PIB

    • To probe NNPC JV cash calls

    The Senate yesterday began legislative work on the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

    Rechristened Petroleum Industry and Governance Bill (PIGB), it passed first reading in the upper chamber yesterday.

    The PIB had been in the National Assembly since 2007 with several versions of the bill making the rounds.

    Senator Donald Tayo Alasoadura (APC, Ondo Central) introduced the Bill said to be  a product of harmonised work by both chambers of the National Assembly.

    Senate Ptresident, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, had at differenct fora promised to ensure the passage of the PIB.

    The Senate and House of Representatives were said to have recently harmonised a new draft of PIB and renamed it PIGB preparatory for presenting in the two chambers.

    The Senate said work on the Bill became necessary following what it called a prolonged silence by the Presidency on the bill and agitation for its passage by Nigerians.

    The seventh National Assembly failed to pass the bill due to stiff opposition from Northern lawmakers especially over the allocation of 10 per cent royalty to oil producing communities in the bill.

    The Northern lawmakers opposed the provision of host community fund in the bill and posited that oil producing Niger Delta region had received more than enough benefits with little or nothing to show for it.

    When the news broke about a new PIB, the Niger Deltans have continued to protest reported plan to remove the 10 per cent allocated to host communities in the former bill.

    Meanwhile the Senate yesterday mandated its Joint Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream and Downstream), Finance and Appropriation and Gas to carry out a comprehensive investigation of the joint venture (JV) cash calls by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    The upper chamber expressed concern over claims that the NNPC had been violating rules governing its JV cash call responsibility.

  • We will reexamine the budget – Dogara

    We will reexamine the budget – Dogara

    The House of Representatives has resolved to review the controversial 2016 budget.

    This is contrary to the position of the Senate on Tuesday that foreclosed a revisit of the document.

    The decision was announced by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara after a two hour executive session where various opinions were said to have been raised.

    Dogara said the decision of the House was necessitated by the prevailing economic situation facing the country.

    “In view of the prevailing economic situation and in the interest of our people, we have resolved to reexamine the budget with a view of ironing out any differences with the executive.

    “This is for the overall interest of the country in order to have a workable budget that is implementable.”

     

  • Senate begins move to amend CCB, CCT Acts

    Senate begins move to amend CCB, CCT Acts

    THE Senate yesterday commenced the process of amending the Code of Conduct Act, amid the controversy trailing the ongoing trial of Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

    The proposed legislation, entitled: “Code of Conduct Act CAP C15 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (SB 248)”, scaled the crucial first reading seamlessly in the upper chamber yesterday.

    Another Bill that scaled first reading is the “Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 (Amendment) Bill 2016 (SB249).

    Senator Isah Hamma Misau (Bauchi Central) sponsored the amendment bill.

    Informed sources said a group of senators under the aegis of Like Minds Senators, met on Monday in the Maitama house of the Senate President, where the idea to float the bills featured.

    The meeting, which was said to have started around 9pm, according to sources, attracted a large number of Saraki’s loyalists to “strategise on how to handle the fallouts from the 2016 budget and other issues affecting the Senate leadership”.

    A senator from Kogi State, who acted as the convener of the meeting, was said to have circulated notice for the parley.

    There were indications yesterday that the Code of Conduct Act amendment Bill might receive accelerated treatment in the upper chamber.

    Sponsor of the Bill, Senator Peter Nwaboshi (Delta North) and arch supporter of the Senate President, told reporters that the bill aims to save Nigerians from desperate and overzealous politicians.

    Nwaboshi described the bill as “a patriotic” piece of legislation that should be quickly passed to make the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) independent.

    On the timing of the proposed amendment, the Delta North lawmaker said that he was prompted to initiate the bill after reading the judgment of the Supreme Court on the trial of Saraki.

    He added that timing or no timing, his duty is to Nigerians and to Nigerians alone.

    Explaining what he meant that the objective of the bill is to save Nigerians from overzealous and desperate politicians, Nwaboshi said: “The CCB and the CCT are under the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. It is clear to every Nigerian that the SGF is a politician. He can use the organs as a weapon against his opponents.

    “Since the Supreme Court has ruled that the CCT is a court, the CCB and CCT should not report to a politician. It should be made an independent body that should be seen to be neutral and independent of any politician.

    “The original framers of the CCB and CCT Act did not intend to create and institution that should be used as a weapon by an individual.”

     

  • Senate: Presidency can submit supplementary budget on Lagos/Calabar rail

    Senate: Presidency can submit supplementary budget on Lagos/Calabar rail

    It was all noisy yesterday at a closed session of the Senate, The Nation learnt .

    The upper chamber insisted that it would not go back on its position on the 2016 budget.

    The lawmakers also asked the Presidency to submit a supplementary budget to cover the controversial N60 billion Lagos – Calabar railway if it felt strongly about it.

    A source at the session told our correspondent that the heated argument ensued when some senators attempted to make an issue out of the explanation on the Lagos – Calabar railway.

    According to the insider, one of the Senators told his colleagues how he was being threatened over the explanation he gave on the controversial project.

    He noted that some senators felt that they were not carried along “before certain decisions were taken on the budget”.

    He added: “When frayed nerves calmed down, a particular committee chairman of northern extraction was mandated to go and apologise to the senator who reported being threatened.”

    However, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, dismissed the information of wrangling among the lawmakers over their position on the budget

    Abdullahi, noted that despite the row over the budget, “there is no controversy.”

    He said the Senate was guided by constitutional provisions in taking its position on the budget.

    Abdullahi said: “You will recall I issued a press statement yesterday on behalf of the Senate to make our position very clear with respect to the issue of the budget and let me make it very clear that we issued that statement simply to clarify the situation and not to confront any authority nor to threaten anybody.

    “We are a democratic institution and whatever we do we remain guided by the grand norm of the country, which is the constitution.

    “Today, we have resumed plenary, having come back from our recess and, of course, we went into executive session, which is the normal practice to welcome one another and discuss issues that we believe pertain to the burning issues on ground in this case the issue of the 2016 budget and the smooth workings of the senate and the National Assembly.

    “What we issued yesterday remains our position; today all we did was to confirm what exactly is the true picture of the situation and in my capacity as a spokesman of the Senate, I did not go to press with falsehood.

    “I have to verify my facts, I have to get my facts and to speak on these facts; and I think we have made that point very clear and we would definitely remain guided by the tenets of the Constitution.

    “One thing that is obvious is that yes we have passed the budget, Nigerians are asking what next for us; what is important now is for the budget to be signed.

    “The constitution has taken note of this kind of scenario where you may have omissions or shortfalls of allocations and Section 81 of the constitution is very clear on what you need to do, which is to sign the budget and then submit a supplementary appropriation.

    “I want to assure you that the Senate is not unmindful of the cries of Nigerians. That we said for example the Lagos-Calabar rail project was not in the budget does not in any way undermine the fact that it is a very, very important project for this nation to embark on and so the National Assembly, the Senate is open, if the executive brings a supplementary appropriations with respect to this and any other issue that they feel very strongly about, we are ready and willing to consider such, but the most important point to note is that we want to remain guided by the provisions of the constitution.

    “I think if we do that, all this raging controversies will be off our back and we can all concentrate and put our energies to begin the process of implementation of the 2016 budget so that those dividends of democracy, the youth unemployment issue, the empowerment of women, the social intervention programme, the infrastructural programmes, the agricultural programmes, and all the other projects that we know will kick start the Nigerian economy can begin to be implemented.”

  • Senate moves to amend Code of Conduct Act

    THE Senate yesterday began the process of amending the Code of Conduct Act, amid controversy trailing the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

    The proposed legislation, entitled: “Code of Conduct Act CAP C15 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (SB 248)”, scaled the first reading in the upper chamber yesterday.

    Another Bill that scaled first reading is the “Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 (Amendment) Bill 2016 (SB249).

    Senator Isah Hamma Misau (Bauchi Central) sponsored the amendment bill.

    Informed sources said a group of senators, under the aegis of Like Minds Senators, met on Monday in the Maitama House of the Senate president, where the idea to float the bills featured.

    The meeting, which was said to have started around 9 pm, according to sources, attracted a large number of Saraki’s loyalists to “strategise on how to handle the fallouts from the 2016 budget and other issues affecting the Senate leadership”.

    A senator from Kogi State, who acted as convener of the meeting, was said to have circulated notice for the parley.

    It was learnt yesterday the Code of Conduct Act Amendment Bill might receive accelerated treatment.

    Sponsor of the bill, Senator Peter Nwaboshi (Delta North), told reporters that the bill would save Nigerians from desperate and overzealous politicians.

    Nwaboshi described the bill as “a patriotic” piece of legislation that should be quickly passed to make the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) independent.

    On the timing of the proposed amendment, the Delta North lawmaker said he was prompted to initiate the bill after reading the judgment of the Supreme Court on the trial of Saraki.

    He added that timing or no timing, his duty is to Nigerians and to Nigerians alone.

    Nwaboshi clarified further: “The CCB and the CCT are under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. It is clear to every Nigerian that the SGF is a politician. He can use the organs as a weapon against his opponents.

    “Since the Supreme Court has ruled that the CCT is a court, the CCB and CCT should not report to a politician. It should be made an independent body that should be seen to be neutral and independent of any politician.

    “The original framers of the CCB and CCT Act did not intend to create an institution that should be used as a weapon by an individual.”

     

  • The Nation vs Senate: CJ directs judge to deliver verdict

    The Nation vs Senate: CJ directs judge to deliver verdict

    Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Justice Ibrahim Auta has issued a fiat directing Justice Mohammed Yunusa to deliver judgment in The Nation’s suit against the Senate.

    Justice Yunusa adjourned the verdict before he was transferred to Enugu Division.

    Vintage Press Limited (publisher of The Nation), Editor Gbenga Omotoso and a correspondent, Imam Bello, are the applicants.

    Through their lawyer Mr. Wahab Shittu, they sued the Senate and National Assembly.

    A new judge, Justice Jude Dagat, took over the case, but the plaintiffs applied to the CJ for a fiat to enable Justice Yunusa return to Lagos to deliver the judgment rather than the case starting de novo (afresh).

    The applicants are praying for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Senate from summoning them or compelling their appearance over a story.

    The Senate, last August 4, invited Omotoso and Bello over the story: Motion: 22 APC northern senators ‘working against Buhari’, which was published last July 30.

    The Senate wrote again last August 11 threatening to invoke Section 89 (1) (D) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to compel the applicants to appear.

    But Justice Yunusa made an interim order of injunction restraining the respondents from issuing a warrant to compel the applicants’ attendance before a Senate committee set up to investigate the publication.

    He barred the respondents, their members, committees or agents from summoning the applicants or their agents before any Senate committee.

    In the fiat issued on February 10 and signed by the CJ, he directed Justice Yunusa to return to Lagos to deliver the judgment.

    It reads: “In exercise of powers conferred on me by virtue of Section 19 (3) of the Federal High Court Act 1973 and all other powers enabling me in that regard, I, Ibrahim Ndahi Auta (OFR), Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, do hereby order that the judgments in the civil suits listed in the schedule of this order which were pending before Justice M. N. Yunusa formerly sitting in the Lagos Judicial Division, be delivered by Hon. Justice M. N. Yunusa sitting in the Lagos Judicial Division.”

    The four cases listed in the schedule are Alhaji Jibrin Okelewu vs IGP, Vintage Press Limited vs National Assembly, Songhai Energy vs Maersk and Valueline Securities vs Bishop David Oyedepo.

    In an application filed last December 1, the Senate prayed the court not to deliver the judgment but to extend the time within which it “may” file and serve its counter-affidavit.

    The Senate sought an order striking out the suit for want of jurisdiction and prayed the court to set aside the proceedings, its orders and decisions.

    In a supporting affidavit, Clerk of the Senate’s Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee Freedom Osolo said the National Assembly’s inability to respond to the suit on time “is not deliberate but is due to the non-service of the aforesaid process of this court on the second respondent”.

    In its preliminary objection, the National Assembly sought an order striking out the suit for being “premature, pre-emptive and speculative”.

    It argued that the applicants were attempting to prevent the lawmakers from carrying out their constitutional duties by filing the suit.

    But, the applicants said the Senate’s motion was an abuse of court process because it had ample opportunity to defend the suit.

    Shittu averred that the court adjourned the case severally to enable the respondents file their defence, but they “deliberately failed and neglected” to do so.

    Besides, the applicants’ lawyer said the respondents were served with the processes, which were acknowledged with an official stamp, according to affidavits deposed to by the court’s sheriff.

    According to the proofs of service exhibited before the court, the suit was received by the Office of the President of the Senate last September 1.

    The National Assembly was served last August 27 through the Office of the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly.

    The applicants claimed that the National Assembly was attempting to gag the press through intimidation and by demanding that they disclose the story’s source.

    But, in its counter-affidavit, the Senate said the letters to Omotoso and Bello were “mere invitation”.

    It said the National Assembly “is not a law enforcement agency that can impede or prohibit the rights of the applicants”.

    The case has been adjourned till May 5.

  • The Nation vs Senate: CJ directs judge to deliver verdict

    Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, has issued a fiat directing Justice Mohammed Yunusa to deliver judgment in The Nation’s suit against the Senate.

    Justice Yunusa had adjourned the verdict before he was transferred to Enugu Division.

    Vintage Press Limited (publisher of The Nation), Editor Gbenga Omotoso and a correspondent, Imam Bello are the applicants.

    Through their lawyer Mr Wahab Shittu, they sued the Senate and National Assembly.

    A new judge, Justice Jude Dagat, took over the case, but the plaintiffs applied to the CJ for a fiat to enable Justice Yunusa return to Lagos to deliver the judgment rather than the case starting de novo (afresh).

    The applicants are praying for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Senate from summoning them or compelling their appearance over a story.

    The Senate, last August 4, invited Omotoso and Bello over the story: Motion: 22 APC Northern senators ‘working against Buhari’, which was published last July 30.‎

    The Senate wrote again last August 11 threatening to invoke Section 89 (1) (D) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to compel the applicants to appear.

    But Justice Yunusa made an interim order of injunction restraining the respondents from issuing a warrant to compel the applicants’ attendance before a Senate committee set up to investigate the publication.

    ‎He barred the respondents, their members, committees or agents from summoning the applicants or their agents before any Senate committee.

    In the fiat issued on February 10 and signed by the CJ, he directed Justice Yunusa to return to Lagos to deliver the judgment.

    It reads: “In exercise of powers conferred on me by virtue of Section 19 (3) of the Federal High Court Act 1973 and all other powers enabling me in that regard, I, Ibrahim Ndahi Auta (OFR), Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, do hereby order that the judgments in the civil suits listed in the shedule of this order which were pending before Hon. Justice M. N. Yunusa formerly sitting in the Lagos Judicial Division, be delivered by Hon. Justice M. N. Yunusa sitting in the Lagos Judicial Division.”

    The four cases listed in the schedule are Alhaji Jibrin Okelewu vs IGP, Vintage Press Limited vs National Assembly, Songhai Energy vs Maersk and Valueline Securities vs Bishop David Oyedepo.

    In an application filed last December 1, the Senate prayed the court not to deliver the judgment but to extend the time within which it “may” file and serve its counter-affidavit.

    The Senate sought an order striking out the suit for want of jurisdiction and prayed the court to set aside the proceedings, its orders and decisions.

    In a supporting affidavit, Clerk of the Senate’s Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee, Freedom Osolo, said the National Assembly’s inability to respond to the suit on time “is not deliberate but is due to the non-service of the aforesaid process of this court on the second respondent”.

    In its preliminary objection, the National Assembly sought an order striking out the suit for being “premature, pre-emptive and speculative”.

    It argued that the applicants were attempting to prevent the lawmakers from carrying out their constitutional duties by filing the suit.

    But, the applicants said the Senate’s motion was an abuse of court process because it had ample opportunity to defend the suit.

    Shittu averred that the court adjourned the case severally to enable the respondents file their defence, but they “deliberately failed and neglected” to do so.

    Besides, the applicants’ lawyer said the respondents were served with the processes, which were acknowledged with an official stamp, according to affidavits deposed to by the court’s sheriff.

    According to the proofs of service exhibited before the court, the suit was received by the Office of the President of the Senate last September 1.

    The National Assembly was earlier served last August 27 through the Office of the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly.

    The applicants are claiming that the National Assembly was attempting to gag the press through intimidation and by demanding that they disclose the story’s source.

    But, in its counter-affidavit, the Senate said the letters to Omotoso and Bello were “mere invitation”.

    It said the National Assembly “is not a law enforcement agency that can impede or prohibit the rights of the applicants”.

    The case has been adjourned till May 5.

  • Senate and electricity regulation

    SIR: As the authority in charge of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, part of the duties of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is to ensure that participants and stakeholders in the industry adhere strictly to the rules and laws of the electricity industry. In doing this however, it has to ensure that it creates a fair and competitive playing field. This is a cardinal rule in any game, industry and environment where there are set goals and objectives.

    When goals and objectives in any industry are met, there are rewards and approbations when such achievements are obtained strictly by following the rules as generally expected. That was what was at play when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),   the regulator of the Nigerian banking industry   pounced on, penalized and asked some banks to pay for wrong charges allotted their customers. This in effect showed that such banks have violated the rules of the game or profession of banking and have behaved unethically or unprofessionally. This goes to show that regulation is a game of carrot and stick and the regulator wields   immense authority to dispense justice no matter whose ox is gored. This simple fact of regulation is very much at play in the Nigerian electricity delivery system where electricity distributors called Discos are monitored stringently by the regulator – NERC.

    It was therefore a great surprise to industry watchers in the electricity delivery system that the Senate has interrupted the march of the electricity industry in Nigeria to modernity and world standards and quality by asking NERC to stop the announced increase in electricity tariff. The Senate’s order was predicated ostensibly on its perceived exploitation of Nigerians by the operators. But  can this be right or does it make sense  and more importantly, is it fair to the statutory regulator, NERC? Definitely the answer is no.

    As already pointed out, the duty of NERC is to administer justice and mete out punishment to those who violate the rules of the industry and so far this body has done very well to deter violators or potential violators of its rules. Indeed, in the electricity industry, one can boldly state that the fear of NERC is the beginning of wisdom for practitioners and stakeholders in the electricity and power sector in Nigeria today. So, how come the Senate has taken over the responsibilities of NERC as if the regulator has abandoned its responsibility to protect the Nigerian electricity consumer?

    The Senate by overruling NERC on the tariff issue is unwittingly or deliberately accusing NERC of negligence and lack of patriotism and those are grievous charges that must put NERC in a very tight corner indeed. But is that conclusion correct or deserved by NERC? That is something that NERC itself would have to defend.  The senate too must show its locus in interfering in the price regime of tariff allocation, which is the purview of NERC according to our statutes.

    If the Senate felt aggrieved by the tariff increase for whatever reasons, it should have raised its concern earlier or called NERC to face the appropriate Senate committee to explain the rationale or reason for the tariff increase announced over a year ago for implementation this year in February. That is the fair and reasonable thing to do. For now, what the Senate has done is to throw away the bath tub with the baby. That is not fair to NERC  and it is not fair to the long-suffering Nigerian electricity consumer waiting to get his direct billing meter from the Discos scattered all over the country  poised  to move the nation out of the present darkness.

     

    • Segun Onifade,

    Ondo.

  • Buhari vows to scrutinize 2016 Budget before assent

    Buhari vows to scrutinize 2016 Budget before assent

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday vowed to scrutinize the 2016 Appropriation bill before assenting the bill.

    The National Assembly that passed the bill last week only forwarded the bill without its details.

    When the President insisted that he will not sign the bill into law until he receives the details, some National Assembly members pointed out that it will not be out of place to sign the bill into law without the details.

    They cited instances under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

    But Buhari on Thursday in Washington DC replied them that he will thoroughly scrutinize the passed bill before assenting to it.

    He spoke during a meeting with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry.

    According to him, in view of the controversial alteration and padding of the budget proposals, he needed to review the appropriation bill to be certain that its contents tallied with the authentic budget proposal presented to the National Assembly.

    “Some bureaucrats removed what we put in the proposal and replaced it with what they wanted. I have to look at the bill that has been passed by the National Assembly, ministry by ministry, to be sure that what has been brought back for me to sign is in line with our original submission,” the President said.

    Declaring that his administration will continue to vigorously prosecute its war against corruption, President Buhari sought and received an assurance from Mr. Kerry that the United States Government will facilitate the repatriation of all stolen Nigerian funds found within the American banking system.

    “It will greatly help our country if you assist us to recover all our stolen funds which we can establish to be within your financial system,” the President told Mr. Kerry.

    Acknowledging that the United States has been of great help to his administration in the retraining and re-equipping of the Nigerian Armed Forces that has resulted in the significant success already achieved against Boko Haram, President Buhari said that the Federal Government was now working very hard to restore full normalcy in the North Eastern states.

    “Boko Haram no longer holds any local government area. We are reconstructing damaged facilities and preparing the police to take over and reassert civilian control over areas affected by the insurgency,” the President told Mr. Kerry.

    Responding, the Secretary of State said that he has been told that the stolen Nigerian funds were in “billions of dollars”.

    “It’s not easy to hide that amount of money and we are pretty good in tracing them,” Mr Kerry assured President Buhari.

    He said that relevant United States Government Officials will meet with the Chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to discuss further cooperation in that regard.

    Mr. Kerry applauded the Buhari Administration’s success in rolling back the Boko Haram insurgency, saying that the United States will continue to give Nigeria all possible support to ensure that the terrorist sect is finally eliminated as a threat to national and regional security.

    The Secretary of State also praised President Buhari’s clear order that Nigeria’s Armed Forces must show greater regard for the human rights of persons in the theatre of operations against Boko Haram.