Wednesday, November 23, 2011

SENATOR DECRIES UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF ARMS BY YOUTHS

Senator decries unlawful possession of arms by youths
By SAM OTTI
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Akin Odunsi has frowned at the proliferation of arms among youths in several parts of the country. He said a nationwide amnesty programme would help in mopping up the unlicensed guns in the hands of youths in the society, which had brought a regime of fear and insecurity through reports of gun-shooting on the streets and neighbourhoods.

Odunsi expressed this concern yesterday at the flag off ceremony of the Youth/Women Empowerment Scheme for the people of his constituency at the Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC), Lagos . The event, which began with 30 young graduates for the first batch, would be anchored by the EDC, Lagos .

On interrogation by journalists, the Senator said it would be premature to give details of the intended legislative action to be taken against gun proliferation, but he cited the success of the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta as a positive indication that other youths could be persuaded to surrender their guns.

Odunsi called on the government to overhaul the present education curriculum, with its appalling deficiency in entrepreneurship development. He called for the introduction of leadership programmes in the educational syllabus from primary school to the tertiary level to fire the entrepreneurship ingenuity of young people towards self-employment.

“This sort of instruction will inculcate in the students from an early stage in life the qualities required of them, as well as train them for positions of responsibility whether in the formal or informal sectors of the economy,” he said.
The Senator said he introduced the programme to address unemployment and youth restiveness in the area. According to him, ‘some political charlatans’ in Ogun West Senatorial District have turned young men and women in the area to tools of violence for their political misadventure.

The programme, according to him, would empower 100 young graduates in the first year to become future entrepreneurs. He said on completion of the training, participants could obtain non-collaterised loans to the tune of N5million, with single interest digit interest rate and three-year repayment plan.


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NIGERIANS REACT TO CBN’S DEVALUATION OF NAIRA

Nigerians react to CBN’s devaluation of Naira
By AMECHI OGBONNA, KELECHI MGBOJI and CHIMA TITUS NWOKOJI
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Nigerians have been commenting on yesterday’s official devaluation of the naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its implications for the nation’s economy and the citizens.

Commenting on the development which said was long expected, the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Financial Markets Dealers Association, Mr Wale Abe said that the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria was a welcome development. According to him, it was the right thing to do because that is simply a way of reacting to the dictates of the market.

For instance, the interbank market he noted has been hovering around N156 to the dollar. The parallel market hovered around N158 to the dollar while the official rate has gravitated between N150 and N153 to the dollar. “So devaluation of the naira to N155/$ is a way of bridging the gap between these rates. It is actually a way of forcing out the speculators whose activities have been contributing to the mounting pressure on the local currency. So we cannot say the CBN has failed in its attempt to defend the naira, because the bank has successfully managed and defended the naira for the past eleven months,” Abe said; adding that there is equally nothing to fear about inflation. Its effect on inflation will be minimal.

Also speaking on the same matter, Mr David Adonri, Managing Director/CEO of Lamberth Trust and Securities Limited, stated that if the devaluation was material (that is to say if it is devalued by wide margin), it will have a negative impact on the equities market because a lot of investors will shift their assets to hard currency. But if it is not material, it will have no impact.

He said: “Generally when you devalue your currency, the intention is to reduce import and facilitate export. But unfortunately, the Nigerian economy does not have the productive edge to facilitate export. So, it means that it will decrease import, which cannot be decreased and so the effect will be inflationary. It will lead to inflation in the economy. But because the devaluation is not material, the inflation that it will result will be minimal.”
According to him those who have invested in fixed income instrument, they will also suffer some instability because if inflation goes up, it will neutralize what they earn as interest.

He argued also that devaluation affects both equities and fixed income market negatively. But if it is interest rate adjustment, it will impact positively on the fixed income but negatively on the equities market. But exchange rate devaluation negatively affects the financial market.

Meanwhile, former president of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Dr Samuel Nzekwe said the development was long expected since most of the transactions in the economy have long been determined on the basis of N155/6 and above to the dollar.

He contended that what the CBN governor had done was merely to formalize the on-going rate.
Nzekwe said he does not expect any significant impact on Nigerian economy since we have lived with the rate for the better part of this year, stressing that the only thing that may be affected was the importation of refined petroleum products which was likely to be based on N155 and above.

He however called on the Jonathan administration to take decisive steps to reinvigorate the real sector so that Nigeria could become an exporter of manufactured goods to other countries .
He said it was wrong for a country that is richly endowed with enormous resources to remain a net importer of fuel from other countries. He called on the government to build refineries so that Nigeria will stop importation of petroleum products.


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CHANGE OF GUARDS IN ITALY

Change of guards in Italy
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Italians might have heaved a sigh of relief when their erstwhile prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, resigned from office due to the acute debt crisis his administration plunged Italy into.

Berlusconi’s unpopularity is likely to have made him lose his parliamentary majority that necessitated his forced retirement from power. Therefore, his fall from power cannot be entirely unexpected because his administration has plunged Italy into deep economic crisis.

Aside from economic crisis Italy suffered under his reign, his administration was rocked by many sexual scandals. Berlusconi has been on trial for bribing a witness, tax fraud and paying for sex with a pole-dancer when she was 17 years and other misdemeanors.

Italians are mostly embarrassed by his numerous sex scandals and alleged racy dinner parties held at his private villa. All these possibly explain why he lost out.

There is no doubt that Berlusconi has never been a good prime minister. Italy did not make any remarkable achievement in his era. The 75-year-old media mogul was accused of muzzling the press and interfering with the country’s parliament. He did badly too on human rights and people’s freedom. His exit is good for Italy.

The newly appointed Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, should work hard to rid Italy of the acute debt crisis which prompted the resignation of his predecessor. Good a thing, Monti knows his onions and appears to have a roadmap and a mindset of where he is taking Italy to.

Shortly after he was announced the prime minister by Italy’s President Giorgi Napolitano, Monti, a former European Union’s (EU) competition commissioner said that he wanted to build “a future of dignity and hope” for Italy’s children. By that, he wants to restore to Italy what has been lost under Berlusconi. It is our wish that he realises his goal for Italians.

Already, EU leaders, Jose Manuel Barroso (European Commission Chief) and Herman Van Rompuy (EU President) have hailed Monti’s appointment and promised to help in monitoring Italy’s austerity measures. Let this assertion be matched with concrete action. It should not end up a mere rhetoric.

The country’s new austerity measures include a pledge to raise 15 billion euros from real estate sales over the next three years; implement a two-year increase in retirement age to 67 by 2026; open up closed professions within 12 months and gradually reduce government ownership of local services.

We welcome the change of guards in Rome and urge the new leader to work hard and establish Italy, once again, as a leading European country with high sense of ethics and morality. It is unfortunate that his predecessor stayed long in office despite glaring misfortune and mounting criticisms against the administration.

It is good that Monti has the required experience to pull his country out of the prevailing economic quagmire. His promise that he will restore Italy to its past glory is commendable. He should work closely with the leadership of EU and other European countries and foreign partners. Monti should try to avoid the mistakes of Berlusconi. His austerity measures should have a human face.

Also, his economic plans should accommodate all classes of people.
Monti’s resolve to build a future of dignity and hope for Italian children should serve as a lesson to African leaders that mismanage the affairs of their countries and maltreat their citizens through inhuman policies and abuse of office. Italians should be made to be productive in order to revitalize their economy. Monti should restore the freedom of the press that was battered under Berlusconi.

We wish Monti and his administration well and hope that his aspirations for his people will be fulfilled. Nigerian government should be interested in seeing that Italy bounces back to its former position.


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SELF-EULOGY: INSIDE OUT

Self-Eulogy: Inside Out
By Acho Orabuchi
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

As we are constantly reminded of the brevity of life, what would you say if you were to eulogize yourself knowing that death is an inevitable occurrence? Oftentimes, we deliberately choose to forget about it or not to discuss it until we lose a loved one. When it occurs, we tend to use euphemism to express it.
Some of us are so engulfed with bitterness toward self and others that we don’t even realize when we cross the line in our insidious quest to eliminate our purported enemies.

It is not surprising that in most cases our purported enemies are our fellow brothers and sisters. We oftentimes forget that death is an inevitable end to all the madness in life. Even when we are too busy planning on how to undermine others and or chasing after wealth for ultimate power, the last thing that comes close to our mind is death.

Well, due to scientific and medical advances, some people may now know when, where, and how they will die. Some people are diagnosed with terminal diseases and are given a length of time to live. Also, people facing execution know when, where, and how they will die. However, most people do not know precisely the time he/she will die. Most people do not know how, where, why, and when they will die. The nature of death to most people is still highly unpredictable.

Without a doubt, no matter how much wealth, accomplishments or successes in life or power, we must be conscious of death and no one will be buried with his/her earthly possessions. However, our only consolations are legacies and fun memories we may leave behind. How long those memories will last will depend largely on our work when we were alive. When people are gone, their legacy may or may not live on. I am hopeful that you would join me in agreement with the following statement: “History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity.” –Marcus Tullius Cicero 106-43 B.C., “Pro Publio Sestio”, II, 36.

Let’s contemplate on this—if a body lying in state were to speak, what would it say about itself? Again, if you were to eulogize yourself, what would you say? Ponder for a moment and imagine that you went into rhapsodies replete with veritable statements in self-eulogy; would you quickly run out of good things to say about yourself? If you would take time to write your eulogy and follow the scripts religiously in your daily living, would that make you a better individual? What would you want people to say in your funeral oration? Would you want them to talk about the following qualities of yours: character, your service to humanity and community, and your behaviour and attitude toward the needy?

The first word in the book of character is honesty. Honesty is the most frequently referred variable when talking about one’s character. It seems to stand out in one’s character and it is easily observable and measurable both scientifically and non-scientifically. Other components or traits of character besides honesty are integrity, humility, accountability, transparency, unselfishness, compassion, courage, etc. Zig Ziglar once said that, “The foundations of character are built not by lecture, but by bricks of good example.”

Similarly, service to humanity is another way to evaluate one’s worth when he or she was alive. Some people live selflessly for the most part. They contribute to humanity meaningfully in relation to their possessions. It is amazingly apparent that one cannot give what he or she does not have. A person cannot give peace or love if he/she does not have them. In the same token, hateful and angry people can only sow seeds of disunity because that is what they have. Most often we focus on money as the only thing one can give. Riches are individually and relatively defined based on our respective backgrounds. People are products of their environments.

As a result, our perspectives in life are different. In essence, you can give to humanity other things besides money. We are richly endowed with vast and variety of resources we could share with others if we so desire. It is evident that my spirit was captivated by what was embodied in the content of the words spoken by Leah de Roulet, a social worker, who counsels terminal cancer patients. She said, “I am led to believe that if there is a real purpose for any of us, it is to some how enhance each other’s humanity—to love, to touch others’ lives, to put others in touch with basic human emotions, to know that you have made even one life breathe easier because you have lived.”

Service without reproach is seminal in public accountability. No matter where you are placed in life, it is both your moral and professional responsibility to discharge your duties in an impeccable manner. Those individuals in government should have the courage, the moral, and character to discharge their contractual duties and carry out their societal obligations without blemish.

Most people go into politics to enrich themselves instead of serving the people. The prevalence of venal politicians in Nigeria makes one wonder if there is public aversion of corruption. Our primary focus should be the interest of the people. Many people hold the same view, including Sidney Powell when he said, “Try to forget yourself in the service of others. For when we think too much of ourselves and our own interests, we easily become despondent. But when we work for others, our efforts return to bless us.”

Oftentimes people are engulfed in mad pursuit for wealth that they lose their sense of morality and judgment. In a quest to be “number one”, people would go to any length to acquire wealth; they would not mind stepping on anyone to accomplish their objective. Whatever that is worth! One of the reasons people betray their ethnic group, country, or humanity, is money. In some ethnic groups, the youth are experiencing moral degeneration primarily because wealth has been determined as the only measure of success within these ethnic groups. Education, where people would acquire broad mind and analytical skills, is no longer important.

As a result, most people are preoccupied with how to acquire wealth at all cost. Our repugnant and indifferent attitudes toward humanity and societal issues or values have permeated the society to the level that individualism has overtaken the virtue of collectivity. Consequently, we are now experiencing the prevalence of cupidity in the Nigerian society. In all of these, most people are now consumed in themselves to the degree that they do not remember death or our creator until they are at the point of death.

It is my observation that everyone wants good things said about him or her in his/her funeral oration. The question is, are we living or did we live up to the funeral oration that we want? Since we are still alive, we have the opportunity to make amends of our lives to deserve a befitting eulogy. Reading and learning the Bible may help us improve on our desired life. We should redefine our individual focus in life. We should not allow wealth or power to be the centerpiece of our life. Let our lives be driven by the mirror image of our creator. Our faith in the Supreme Being should guide all our daily activities.

For me, the fulcrum of my life is Jesus. I concur with Timon (Efthymios) Roussis when he said, “The beauty of tomorrow is that you have today to create it.” No one or community has created a beautiful tomorrow with competing selfish interests at work. In other words, our self-interests should never be in our way to achieving a desired goal. A self-eulogy is a moment each individual should choose periodically to reflect on his/her daily life activities and determine if he/she would deserve funeral oration devoid of dishonesty. It is also a moment when one is mentally scripting words one would like to be incorporated in one’s eulogy. It is our individual responsibility to redirect our life.

Finally, let me conclude with this powerful statement by Mahatma Gandhi that reads, “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world—that is the myth of the ‘atomic age—as in being able to remake ourselves.”

Orabuchi writes from US.


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BANKOLE, NAFADA APPROVED N60.4BN ALLOWANCES ANNUALLY FOR REPS, WITNESS TELLS COURT

Bankole, Nafada approved N60.4bn allowances annually for Reps, witness tells court
By SAM OTTI
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory was on Monday, told how a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and his deputy, Usman Bayero Nafada unilaterally increased allowances of members from N17 million to N42 million per quarter, amounting to N60.480 billion annually.

At the resumed hearing of the case before Justice Sulaiman Belgore, two witnesses, Adeniyi Adebayo and Ibrahim Ahmed led by prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo, gave a testimony explaining how the Bankole and Nafada-led House approved the increment and took a loan of N42 billion from two banks to fund the increment. Besides, the witnesses said Dimeji and Nafada diverted the excess accruing from the loan into their personal accounts.

One of the prosecution witnesses, Ibrahim Ahmed, an EFCC investigating officer told the court that United Bank of Africa (UBA) and First Bank were the two banks that funded the illegal increment. He said the first loan taken from UBA without recourse to due process was a N10 billion, which was rolled over thrice and another N12 billion from First Bank.

Ahmed told the court that upon investigation, letters were written to the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Salaries Wages and Incomes Commission, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, UBA Plc and First Bank of Nigeria Plc with regards to the allegations.

He further told the court that another letter was written to the clerk of the NASS to provide the minutes of meeting held by the principal officers of the House, internal memos between the Clerk and the then Speaker concerning the loan collected from UBA and First Bank, payment schedule sent to the bank from the House, agreement(s) between the House and the banks and any House resolution concerning the loan matter.

Ahmed also told the court that because the tenure of the Bankole-led administration was nearing its end and the facility was yet to be repaid, UBA held unto the allocation of the House from the federation account, which starved the house of funds, a development that led to the last loan of N12 billion taken from First Bank.

Besides, he said that the increment the members unilaterally did was not captured in the 2010 budget and as such there were great discrepancies between figures given by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission and what the House paid members.

Ahmed also said that the decision to obtain the said loan was taken at the guesthouse of the former Speaker (Dimeji Bankole) with him presiding; adding that investigation also established the total lawful quarterly allowance’s accrued to each member from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

Justice Belgore, after listening to the two witnesses, adjourned hearing till Tuesday November 22, 2011.
The duo of Bankole and Nafada were arraigned on Monday, June 13, 2011, on a fresh 17-count charge of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and theft. It would be recalled that the bid by the former legislators to quash the charges filed against them by the EFCC was dismissed by Justice Sulaiman Belgore who ruled that there is sufficient evidence placed before the court linking them to the alleged crime and dismissed all three applications.

The three grounds contained in the applications filed by the accused persons before Belgore are: an order to quash the 17 counts charge against them; an order to disqualify the prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo from prosecuting the case and another one querying the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.

Justice Belgore had in his ruling, also frowned at the application of the accused persons challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case. On this, he said: “This prayer amuses me. The Speaker never enjoyed immunity when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Even now, he enjoys no immunity as a former speaker; so it really amuses me when he talks of lack of jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.”

Count one of the charges against Bankole and Nafada reads, “That you Dimeji Sabur Bankole and Usman Bayero Nafada, being Principal Officers of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on or about the 12th day of May, 2010, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, did agree amongst yourselves to commit a felony, to wit: criminal breach of trust by agreeing to approve the allowances and/or “running costs” of Members of the House of Representatives in violation of the approved Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the extant Revised Financial Regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2009 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 97(1) of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 315 of the same Penal Code Act.

Count two reads: “That you Dimeji Sabur Bankole and Usman Bayero Nafada, being Principal Officers of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, sometime around January 2011, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being entrusted with House of Representatives’ Account No.

00390070000018 with the United Bank of Africa, Plc, property of the Federal Government of Nigeria, dishonestly used that account to obtain a loan of Ten Billion, Three Hundred and Eighty Million Naira (N10,380,000,000.00) from the United Bank of Africa, Plc, to augment allowances and “running costs” of members of the House of Representatives in violation of the extant Revised Financial Regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2009 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 315 of the same Penal Code Act.”


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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

TIRED OF LIVING IN EXILE: WARRING COMMUNITY THREATENS TO RETURN HOME AT ALL COST

Tired of living in exile: Warring community threatens to return home at all cost
From: JOE EFFIONG, Uyo
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Senator Smart Adeyemi receives National Honour from President Jonathan

Everybody appears to have been tired. The security agencies, the youths, the elders and even children appear to have given up hope of ever living in peace. The only entity which seems still strong is the crisis itself; making the people of Ikot Akpan Udo in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area and Amazaba in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area all in Akwa Ibom State continue to live like cat and dog.

But even some cats and dogs these days have found reasons to live together in peace. However, don’t mention the word “peace” when people from these two communities and around, as it appears they have vowed to fight till they eventually liquidate themselves and become modern day Carthage.

The crisis which The Sun had reported several times in the past, erupted in 2008 when the neighbouring communities, which hitherto had not been very friendly anyway, decided to start killing people from the other community. Each community always described the other as the aggressor.

By the time they came to their temporary senses, several people had been killed, scores of houses, including churches, schools and business premises had been torched; and the living had to run away from their homes and communities in order to live and fight another day.

The return of that fight now appears imminent, and maybe, it would come in a larger scale as the people of Amazaba say they are tired of being refugees in a strange land and have threatened to return home to live or die if the state government fails to stop the people of Ikot Akpan Udo from further vandalising their abandoned homeland.

The youths of the community, speaking through their president, Mr Joseph Elisha, told Daily Sun on Wednesday that they had obeyed the instruction of the state government to vacate their community but that they had turned out to be the losers as their cantankerous neighbours had capitalised on their absence to wreak more havoc on their deserted community and destroyed their means of livelihood.

While appealing to the government and other relevant authorities to come to their aid, Elisha stressed that their willingness to remain law-abiding did not in anyway mean that they could not fight for their right.

“Government advised us to remain peaceful and we heeded the advice but all we see is looting and vandalism of our property without any intervention from the state government or security agencies. If government cannot do anything to address the situation before December, we will pack our things and go back and be ready to face any consequences,” Elisha threatened.

The head of Ayama, one of the seven villages displaced by the crises, Chief Christopher John, expressed his regrets that though the Eastern Obolo/Ikot Abasi crisis is not the only communal clash the state is experiencing in recent times, theirs has taken a peculiar dimension as the only one the state government appears to take side.

While the state government, according to him, is providing Ikot Akpan Udo community with adequate security, the Amazaba people on the other hand, have been exposed to risk, threats, losses, vandalism and insecurity.

“The present government has allocated security agents to them but the reverse is the case in our community; we had made effort to go back but we had to run back because even the uniforms of the few police officers posted to the area, were burnt and our protection ended in fiasco. Please, tell the state government that we are eager to go back home.”
Chief John, who expressed regrets that two neighbouring communities, which had hitherto been living peacefully, intermarrying and co-existing over the years could suddenly rise against each other, still lay the blame on the state government for displaying some lukewarm attitude to the issue.

“A panel was set up to look into the crisis about three years ago but till now, nothing has been heard about such a panel and the delay is greasing the elbow of the other community. The government must come to our rescue because I believe that if government is interested in our going back, no Ikot Akpan Udo person can stop us.”

Everyone who spoke with our correspondent in some of the settlements where the seven villages have been taking refuge, appealed to the state government to come to their aid so that they could return home.
The displaced children, who appear to have been rigged out of the state government’s free education programme by the crisis, have to make do with whatever sounds like education under any condition; sometime under trees. But they never forget to pray for their parents to see reasons to talk peace so that they would return and live in their homes and continue their education in peace.

A tour through the deserted community revealed some evidence of fresh vandalism of property; some houses were demolished or roofs of some houses were removed, glass shutters removed and the demolition seen even being carried out in broad dayl ight on Wednesday last week. It could not be established whether those involved were from Ikot Akpan Udo or from any other community even though Amazaba people said the havoc was effected by their warring neighbour.

Daily Sun learnt that Amazaba community had made several efforts to the state government and the security agencies to help them return home, yet no positive result has been received. For example, on March 3, 2009, the community wrote to the state commissioner of police and the state director of state security service (SSS), pleading with them that they wanted to return home. One September 17, 2009, the community had a meeting with the former deputy governor of the state, Obong Patrick Ekpotu, and pleaded with state government through him, to assist them to return to their homeland.

The meetings and letters had been continuing ever since, the latest being a series of meeting with their representatives in the state House of Assembly and the House of Representatives. Ironically, the two communities, though situated in two different local government areas, are represented by one person in the House of Assembly and one person in the House of Representatives as they belong to the same IKot Abasi/Eastern Obolo State Constituency and Ikot Abasi/Mkap Enin/Eastern Obolo Federal Constituency.

But the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Aniekan Umanah, while debunking the claim that the state government was taking sides, told The Sun that even the Ikot Akpan Udo people were also agitating for the penal report to be made public. He said government could not take sides with any community to cause insecurity in any part of the state, promising to look find whether the report of the panel was ready and released accordingly.


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JEGA SLAMS GOVS OVER LG CARETAKER COMMITTEES

Jega slams govs over LG caretaker committees
From IHEANACHO NWOSU, Abuja
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega yesterday condemned the continued appointment of Local Government Caretaker Committees by state governors, saying the act was negating democracy in the country.

He said democracy in the country would stabilise when those at the grassroots were given the opportunity to properly elect officials, who represent them at the councils.

The INEC boss stated this while addressing a delegation of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSEIC) led by the Chairman, Prof Nimi Briggs at the commission’s headquaters, Abuja.
Describing the caretaker committee as an aberration, Jega said it was wrong and totally unconstitutional for governors to appoint caretaker committees instead of conducting local government elections that would produce elected officials .
He advised that the issue of caretaker committee at the councils should be a thing of the past if solid democratic foundation would be laid in the country.

Earlier, Briggs, who said he was at the INEC headquaters to submit the report of the LG elections conducted by his commission in 2010, charged Nigerians to show interest in the nation’s democratic process.
The former vice chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology stressed that the responsibility of conducting credible and acceptable elections was for everybody and not that of INEC alone. “Nigerians must be part of all that is going on in the country, we must play a part in resolving our problems,”s he said.

He explained that the decision to document the council elections conducted by his commission in 2010 was to help in strengthening the electoral process in the country. He regretted that most Nigerians were yet to imbibe proper electoral culture. This he said had continued to affect the conduct of elections by INEC or SEIC.


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BANKOLE, NAFADA APPROVED N60.4BN ALLOWANCES ANNUALLY FOR REPS, WITNESS TELLS COURT

Bankole, Nafada approved N60.4bn allowances annually for Reps, witness tells court
By SAM OTTI
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory was on Monday, told how a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and his deputy, Usman Bayero Nafada unilaterally increased allowances of members from N17 million to N42 million per quarter, amounting to N60.480 billion annually.

At the resumed hearing of the case before Justice Sulaiman Belgore, two witnesses, Adeniyi Adebayo and Ibrahim Ahmed led by prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo, gave a testimony explaining how the Bankole and Nafada-led House approved the increment and took a loan of N42 billion from two banks to fund the increment. Besides, the witnesses said Dimeji and Nafada diverted the excess accruing from the loan into their personal accounts.

One of the prosecution witnesses, Ibrahim Ahmed, an EFCC investigating officer told the court that United Bank of Africa (UBA) and First Bank were the two banks that funded the illegal increment. He said the first loan taken from UBA without recourse to due process was a N10 billion, which was rolled over thrice and another N12 billion from First Bank.

Ahmed told the court that upon investigation, letters were written to the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Salaries Wages and Incomes Commission, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, UBA Plc and First Bank of Nigeria Plc with regards to the allegations.

He further told the court that another letter was written to the clerk of the NASS to provide the minutes of meeting held by the principal officers of the House, internal memos between the Clerk and the then Speaker concerning the loan collected from UBA and First Bank, payment schedule sent to the bank from the House, agreement(s) between the House and the banks and any House resolution concerning the loan matter.

Ahmed also told the court that because the tenure of the Bankole-led administration was nearing its end and the facility was yet to be repaid, UBA held unto the allocation of the House from the federation account, which starved the house of funds, a development that led to the last loan of N12 billion taken from First Bank.

Besides, he said that the increment the members unilaterally did was not captured in the 2010 budget and as such there were great discrepancies between figures given by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission and what the House paid members.

Ahmed also said that the decision to obtain the said loan was taken at the guesthouse of the former Speaker (Dimeji Bankole) with him presiding; adding that investigation also established the total lawful quarterly allowance’s accrued to each member from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

Justice Belgore, after listening to the two witnesses, adjourned hearing till Tuesday November 22, 2011.
The duo of Bankole and Nafada were arraigned on Monday, June 13, 2011, on a fresh 17-count charge of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and theft. It would be recalled that the bid by the former legislators to quash the charges filed against them by the EFCC was dismissed by Justice Sulaiman Belgore who ruled that there is sufficient evidence placed before the court linking them to the alleged crime and dismissed all three applications.

The three grounds contained in the applications filed by the accused persons before Belgore are: an order to quash the 17 counts charge against them; an order to disqualify the prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo from prosecuting the case and another one querying the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.

Justice Belgore had in his ruling, also frowned at the application of the accused persons challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case. On this, he said: “This prayer amuses me. The Speaker never enjoyed immunity when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Even now, he enjoys no immunity as a former speaker; so it really amuses me when he talks of lack of jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.”

Count one of the charges against Bankole and Nafada reads, “That you Dimeji Sabur Bankole and Usman Bayero Nafada, being Principal Officers of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on or about the 12th day of May, 2010, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, did agree amongst yourselves to commit a felony, to wit: criminal breach of trust by agreeing to approve the allowances and/or “running costs” of Members of the House of Representatives in violation of the approved Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the extant Revised Financial Regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2009 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 97(1) of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 315 of the same Penal Code Act.

Count two reads: “That you Dimeji Sabur Bankole and Usman Bayero Nafada, being Principal Officers of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, sometime around January 2011, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being entrusted with House of Representatives’ Account No.

00390070000018 with the United Bank of Africa, Plc, property of the Federal Government of Nigeria, dishonestly used that account to obtain a loan of Ten Billion, Three Hundred and Eighty Million Naira (N10,380,000,000.00) from the United Bank of Africa, Plc, to augment allowances and “running costs” of members of the House of Representatives in violation of the extant Revised Financial Regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2009 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 315 of the same Penal Code Act.”


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