The Nation Newspaper

Tag: threaten

  • 1500 council workers threaten to leave NULGE

    1500 council workers threaten to leave NULGE

    Local government workers of Umuahia North local government, totalling over 1,500, have threatened to withdraw their membership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in protest over the alleged imposition of union chairman by politicians in government.

    Speaking with journalists in Umuahia, spokesman of the aggrieved workers, Comrade Dick Nwosu, and a chairmanship candidate, said the situation was worsened by the inability of the state leadership of NULGE to resist the pressure from politicians to take over union leadership.

    Nwosu said that the leadership of the union in the state has been under immense pressure to allow politicians take over the union while he had been approached and threatened to either step down or have himself to blame.

    He said, “Let the politicians steer clear of NULGE elections and allow workers to choose their leaders, and that the state leadership of NULGE had confessed that they were “in a tight corner” to the interested politicians who are bent on having their way.”

    The workers had on Monday boycotted the NULGE poll after the popular candidate was prevented from contesting the election through what they described as “spurious transfer” four days to the election.

    However, about 126 workers had participated in the contentious poll supervised by the state NULGE secretary, Comrade Peter Ene, during which the alleged “government candidate”, Comrade Chukwuemeka Iruoma was declared elected unopposed despite the mass boycott of the poll.

    Despite his alleged wining of the election, he was never sworn in as the chairman of the union in Umuahia North council, Ene and said there are still things to sort out before he could be sworn in to take charge.

     

  • Reps threaten Aiga-Imoukhuede with arrest

    The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions yesterday said a warrant Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Aighoje Aig-Imoukhuede.

    This followed his continued absence at the hearing of a petition filed against him and the Chairman of Coscharis Ltd, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, by Managing Director of Capital Oil & Gas Ifeanyi Ubah.

    Aig-Imoukhuede is also the Managing Director of Access Bank.

    The bank’s Legal Adviser, Oladipo Fatai, said: “There were “fundamental drawbacks” and “insurmountable obstacles preventing Aig-Imoukhuede from appearing before the committee.”

    He said: “At the last sitting, we got no invitation. Even the petition filed by Capital Oil, we are not aware of it.

    “This is a matter that we would have loved to open up and tell the whole truth.

    “But the facts of this case are before the courts and as a result of that we will not be able to make a submission or presentation before the committee.”

    He said the bank had submitted some documents before the committee to show that the case is in court and that hearing it would be subjudice.

    But the committee disagreed with him, saying it has powers to investigate the issue.

    It said a case of business transaction had been established between Capital Oil and Access Bank and there were also issues of non-payment of Capital Oil’s subsidy claims and conflict of interest concerning Aig-Imoukhuede.

    Members noted that it was his absence and that of the Minister of Finance that stalled the hearing last week.

    They warned that if the bank MD refused to show up at the next hearing, a summons would be issued for his arrest.

    But the committee was a little lenient on the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala who was also absent at the first hearing “because she is still searching for her mother.”

    Prof Kamene Okonjo was kidnapped last Sunday in Ogwachiuku, Delta State.

    The Chairman of the committee Uzor Azubuike, however, said the minister would be sanctioned if her ministry does not appear at the next hearing on the issue.

    The Navy said the assertion that they were denying Capital Oil some subsidy payment “is a lie.”

    Page 21 of the committee’s report states: “Transaction 6, NPA and NIMASA records showed that the vessels arrived in Nigeria, but no records of the arrival exists in Navy records.”

    The Task force report also indicted the Navy in three other transactions involving Capital Oil, saying the Navy did not provide records of the transactions.

    But Cmdr John Clement Isong, who represented the Chief of Naval Staff deried the allegation.

    He said: The person who signed this (the report of the Presidential Committee) is lying.

    “For 2011 all the documents have been forwarded to the Presidential Committee.The records were not given to them in spirit but in hard copies.”

    Maduka said: “It will be my pleasure to tell you my part of the issue but am constrained because of the various cases in court and I will therefore let my counsel speak on my behalf.”

    The Nigerian Customs Service, represented by Jubril Musa of the Import and Export Unit ,said it has a list of all the vessels used by Capital Oil from January to December last year,which obviously qualifies it for subsidy payment.

    The Customs confirmed to the committee that Capital Oil imported oil and that they made the facts available to the Aig Imoukhuede Presidential Committee.

    But Azubuike said: “If the investigation is still ongoing then the chairman of the Presidential Committee cannot stand on the claim of subjudice.”

    According to him, a case of conflict of interest has been established.

    “You are the complainant, you are a member of the Presidential committee that laid the complaint and you are also the investigating officer.

  • Oil barons ‘threaten Okonjo-Iweala’s life’

    Oil barons ‘threaten Okonjo-Iweala’s life’

    THE used to be as free as the bird of the air. Not for her a well dressed policewoman with a pistol strapped onto her waist and madam’s handbag in her hand.

    Times have changed for the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – no thanks to alleged threats from indicted oil barons.

    Now, there is a tight security shield around her.

    Also, there were indications yesterday that extra security might be provided for other members of the presidential task force on subsidy payments.

    The Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payments initially indicted 21 firms for fraudulent claims that cost the nation N382 billion but the list was later increased to 25 by the Federal Ministry of Finance, based on fresh evidence.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said of the N422 billion scrutinised, N18 billion was found to be duplication; N21 billion was cleared.

    But following investigation of the indicted marketers by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Minister of Finance had been under threats.

    No fewer than a dozen armed anti-terrorism squad agents, policemen and State Security Service (SSS) operatives have been deployed in the Federal Ministry of Finance to protect the Minister.

    The Minister’s residence is also under 24-hour surveillance.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Some of the indicted oil marketers and barons have been threatening to deal with Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala for insisting that those behind the fuel subsidy scam must be punished.

    “The reality is that the Coordinating Minister has stepped on toes by being adamant on allowing justice to run its full course on those who amassed ill-gotten wealth through the fuel subsidy scam.

    “Her major sin was the publication of the list of the indicted firms by the Ministry of Finance instead of other relevant organisations.

    “Besides elaborate character assassination, planting seed of discord within the cabinet, there are fears that these oil thieves might engage in ‘physical harms’, if all other options fail to get her out of the way.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “What we have done so far is to beef up security around her in the office and at home. Also, her itinerary is now a jealously guarded secret.”

    Some of the indicted oil marketers are believed to be under watch by security agencies. One of them is said to have been isolated for championing anti-Okonjo-Iweala campaign and threats. Security agencies may prevail on the court to revoke his bail anytime from now, it was learnt.