On Friday, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the case of alleged N25 billion fraud filed against Former Gombe State Governor, Senator Danjuma Goje from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Reacting to the new development, Reno Omokri says, 'Danjuma Goje withdraws from the Senate President's race in favour of Buhari 's anointed candidate, Farouk Lawan, and the next day the EFCC withdraws from his corruption case. I like the way Buhari fights corruption!'..
Imo: Don’t allow Okorocha
collect Paris Club refund from Buhari govt – Group tells Ihedioha
The Imo Charter
Forum, ICF, has urged the state’s incoming governor, Emeka Ihedioha to ensure
that the balance of Paris Club refund due for the state is not released to the
outgoing governor, Rochas Okorocha, whose tenure comes to an end in less than
two weeks.
The supervising
Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed had last week, on Thursday in Abuja, stated that
states yet to collect their balance of the Paris Club debts refunds would soon
be paid.
She had said about
N649.434 billion has been released for the final phase of the Paris Club debts
refunds, adding that the total sum was verified by the Ministry as the
outstanding balance to be paid to the state governments.
The Minister
assured that states with outstanding balances of the refund would be paid in
due course.
Reacting to the
development, ICF in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Hon. Zebulon
Nwariri, said while it welcomed the “announcement of the refunds with open
arms, if the fund is released to the outgoing governors, they would find
excuses to spend it on frivolities or even divert it to private coffers.”
ICF an umbrella
body of different associations and stakeholders on governance and welfare of
Imo State, stated that the previous releases of such funds have not been duly
accounted for by some of the governors.
The Forum stated
that the “case of Okorocha was peculiar, as the state under his rule presently
owes workers and pensioners, several month salaries and pensions, the same with
local contractors who executed jobs but have not been paid despite many of such
Paris Club refunds and huge internally generated revenue.”
ICF urged the
Federal Government to “wait for the incoming governors to be inaugurated so
that the money would serve as their take-off grant, in view of the fact that
many of them would be inheriting empty treasuries from the out-going ones.”
The statement
reads: “We welcome the news by the Federal Government that the last tranche of
Paris Club refund has been released. For us, this would serve as take-off grant
for some of the incoming governors, most of who would be inheriting empty
treasuries from the out-going governors.
“The case of Imo
state is peculiar because Governor Rochas Okorocha has no respect for
accountability and due process with finances and has always seen the money belonging to Imo State
as his personal resource.
“The Federal
Government may need to be reminded that Rochas is owing workers over six months
of unpaid salaries, the same with pensioners and contractors. This is in spite of the
fact the state rakes in much revenue from internal revenue streams, in addition to the huge releases in the past from the
same Paris Club refunds.
“We, therefore,
urge the incoming governor, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha to do whatever is legally
possible to safeguard Imo State’s share of the latest refunds by making sure
that the money is not released to Rochas before he lives office in a few days
from now. He must ensure that the money does not go into the hands of out-going
governor Rochas Okorocha as they say that prevention is better than cure.”
Between Buhari and Atiku:
Timi Frank backs Adebanjo, reveals why President cannot sack security chiefs
A former
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC,
Comrade Timi Frank, has expressed support for the decision of the leader of the
Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, that President
Muhammadu Buhari should not be recognised as President-elect.
Frank said until the Supreme Court determines the true winner of the
2019 presidential election, the President should rather be seen as “an illegal
President-elect”.
Pa Adebanjo had expressed optimism that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the
presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), would reclaim his
mandate at the court.
The nonagenarian also said the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC), wrongly declared Buhari as winner of the election.
Speaking through a statement he made available to newsmen in Abuja on
Friday, Frank commended the elder statesman for his courage in speaking truth
to power, adding that no matter how long it takes, the will of people would
surely prevail.
“It is unfortunate that Nigeria has very few men like Pa Adebanjo, who
can boldly say it as it is. Even at their very old age, hypocrisy is still a
meal ticket for so many and that is why illegality reigns supreme in Nigeria.
“Under the watch of Buhari, there is no governance and that is why his
appointees are taking advantage of his incompetence to loot public funds. Gen.
Buhari has taken the country from bad to worse, and democracy is now getting
another meaning under the nose of a failed President,” Frank stated.
He also reacted to the worsening security situation across the country
and insisted that all the money meant to buy equipment have been stolen by a
clique inside APC’s administration.
“Where is the motivation? All the money meant to purchase weapons has
been stolen by the APC government. The President cannot sack the tired and long
due for retirement Service Chiefs because the secret of his illegal second term
is in their (Service Chiefs) hands.
“A caring President cannot abandon the country when the nation is on
fire. Gen. Buhari does not care and that is why he chose to travel for a
private matter when his subjects are dying in large numbers to banditry,
kidnapping and hunger.”
On the economy, Frank said the country is now back to recession, adding
that unemployment has hit the roof with 33.5% of the total population
practically begging for daily bread, adding that the government of the APC has
ran out of ideas on how to take the people out of poverty.
“Nigerians should take note that the #NEXT LEVEL Buhari promised the
country is now being implemented fully, where insecurity reigns supreme, where
hunger and poverty stare Nigerians in the face, job loss and begging is the
order of the day, and lack of respect for the rule of law has become the badge
of honour for the government of the day,” he said.
Frank, however, called on leaders of thought, genuine civil society
organisations and all Nigerians to speak up and act before the socio-economic
situation in the country degenerate irretrievably.
Atiku’s aide, Abbas, writes Buhari, APC, issues strong warning to ruling party
Special
Assistant to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Youth and Support Groups, Ambassador
Aliyu Bin Abbas, has warned the All Progressives Congress, APC, that the
younger generation will not sit and watch the ruling party impose a failed
leader on Nigerians.
The former vice president’s aide, in an open letter to the APC on
Thursday from Kaduna, warned the ruling party to desist from desperation to
cling to power.
He said the APC should jettison alleged plans of coercing the judiciary
to favour its candidate with judgment as regards the outcome of the
presidential election, warning that such interference might not go down well
with the youth.
Abbas said, “There’s a limit to what Nigerians can take. The younger
generation of this country will not sit back and watch you desperately forcing
a failed leader on them to destroy their future.
“Millions of Nigerians youth have already lost their jobs in the last
four years, that is the main reason for this increase in crime across the
country. Take heed because Revolution that will consume all of you is coming.
Enough is enough!”
In the letter titled, ‘AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ALL PROGRESSIVE CONGRESS
(APC)’ the special assistant expressed disappointment with the outcome of the
elections as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“I wish to use this channel of communication to write you this open
letter to Atikulate our utter disappointment and continued rejection of the
total mess you called presidential election.
“Recall that in 2015, former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan (God bless him immensely) promised to give Nigerians a free, fair and
credible election that everyone would be proud of.
“He openly stated that election is not a do or die affair and he would
not allow anyone to die for him just to cling to power at all costs. Here is a
man with conscience who kept his words and lived to his promise.
“The 2015 general elections was adjudged by both local and
international Observers as one of the best thing that has ever happened to
Nigeria since June 12,” Abbas said.
The United
Kingdom on Tuesday advised the Buhari government to improve the investment
climate to attract more investors to Nigeria.
UK Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said this at a meeting with
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, during the first Nigeria-UK Economic Development
Forum (EDF), hosted by the Federal Government at the Presidential Villa.
The EDF was signed in August 2018 by President Muhammadu Buhari and
Prime Minister Theresa May in London as a platform to foster economic and
development ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
He noted that Nigeria’s current demographics require government and
other stakeholders to improve efforts and other interventions aimed at tackling
unemployment and other challenges.
Hunt advised the government to adopt steps aimed at improving the
investment climate one of which is the approval of the revised Companies and
Allied Matters Act.
Also speaking, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr
Okechukwu Enelamah said a number of key decisions were reached at the end of
the first Nigeria-UK Economic Development Forum, including work streams on
standards, business to business linkages, clarification of regulatory
frameworks, manufacturing and technology transfer, amongst others.
The highpoint of the event was the signing of the communique reached at
the end of the first Nigeria-UK Economic Development Forum, by Enelamah and
Hunt.
Nigerian Federal Government Set To Resell Yola Electricity,
Afam Power Plc
The Federal Government is set to put up two key
power firms, Yola Electricity Distribution Company and Afam Power Plc, for sale
to new core investors.
This would be the second time the government would
be selling the Yola Disco, which covers Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba States.
It was also learnt that the first core investor in
the Yola Disco, Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company, had yet
to be paid back the $146.8m it invested for 51 per cent stake in the firm,
three years after it exited through the declaration of force majeure.
The Head of Public Communications, BPE, Amina
Othman, told Punch that both the Yola Disco and Afam Power Plc were up for sale
to new core investors.
According to her, the privatisation agency is in the
process of obtaining approval from the National Council on Privatisation for
the appointment of transaction advisers who will be responsible for offering
advisory services towards the sale of the electricity companies.
She said, “We are at the stage of obtaining approval
for the engagement of advisers for both transactions (Yola Disco and Afam Power
Plc).
“On the payment to the former investor in the Yola
Disco, Integrated Energy and Distribution Marketing Company, the former
investor is yet to be paid.”
Following difficulty in running the Yola Disco due
to activities of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, Integrated Energy and
Distribution Marketing Company had asked the government to buy back its 51 per
cent stake in the firm.
The Federal Government is set to put up two key
power firms, Yola Electricity Distribution Company and Afam Power Plc, for sale
to new core investors.