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- CAN Suspends Planned Protest March
- Active GSM Mobile Lines In Nigeria Hit 162m
- Policeman Benjamin Peters; Dismissed, Charged To Court For Killing Corper, Igwetu Linda
- "I Will End Killings In Benue, Taraba, Zamfara And Pleateau" - Buhari Assures CAN
- Senator Ameh Ebute Writes Saraki To Resign
- What A Suicide Mission? Mother And Child Strap On Her Back Hang On A Moving Truck(Video)
- Reformed APC Faction Are Like Herdsmen – Sagay
- Senate President Hails Supreme Court Verdict - Says Trial Politically Motivated
- Why I Will Not Welcome Buhari To Ekiti - By Fayose
- What Would End APC Crisis – Dogara To Oshiomhole
- INEC Set To Use Enhanced Card Reader For The First Time - In Ekiti Gov. Election
- Buhari Acquires A Big Stick Against Corruption; With Executive Order 6
| CAN Suspends Planned Protest March Posted: 06 Jul 2018 06:17 PM PDT  The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has postponed until further notice its planned peaceful protest march slated for July 11.It said it did so due to some circumstances beyond its control.CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle made the announcement in a statement signed by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji , his Special Assistant, Media and Communication.However, Ayokunle said the three-day prayer and fasting would hold as scheduled from July 9 to 11, 2018 in all churches and state chapters of CAN.He disclosed that the church and denominational leaders would come to the National Christian Centre together with the National Executive Committee (NEC), of CAN on the July 11 at 10am to pray to God for the nation.According to the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), it could be recalled that the leadership of CAN had declared July 9 to 11 as National Day of prayers and fasting programme against the killings across the country. The association also called on all Nigerians, both within and outside the country to take part in the programme. The association said the decision was hinged on the wilful and persistent killings of fellow citizens in general and Christians in particular, mostly in Plateau and Benue states where mass burial has become the norm. " CAN is worried, disturbed and disappointed that despite all the clarion calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to re-organise his security team by replacing all the security chiefs, he has consistently not responded to such calls," the association said. (NAN) Related Topics: #CAN, #PlateauKillings Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| Active GSM Mobile Lines In Nigeria Hit 162m Posted: 06 Jul 2018 06:06 PM PDT
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says active mobile telephone lines in Nigeria has increased to 162 million.It said in its monthly Subscribers Operator Data posted on its website on Friday that the mobile lines figure was as at the end of May, adding that it rose from 160 million recorded in April. With 162, 075,116 lines in May and 160, 081,051 in April, the increase in the number of lines was 1,994,065.However, the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) for active mobile lines had 217,566 users in May, same as in April.The report said that the number of fixed wired/wireless for active mobile lines in May was 137, 010 compared to April, which had 136, 496 lines, indicating an increase of 514 lines.According to NCC, the number of Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) was 93,080 in May compared with 89,477 recorded in April, representing a rise of 3,603. It also revealed that Teledensity rose by 143 in May to 11,609 as against 11,466 in April. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Teledensity is the number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals living within an area and it varies widely across the country. NCC also said that the number of connected mobile lines in May increased to 240,259,751 from 238,032,318 in April, recording an increase of 2, 227,433. "The CDMA for connected lines for May was 3,586,095, the same figure with April,'' the subscribers' data revealed. The report said the number of fixed wired/wireless for connected lines in May was 345,210 compared to April that had 344, 892, an increase of 318 lines. It also showed that the number of VOIP for connected lines in May was 611,376 as against 575,712 in April, rising by 35,644 lines. (NAN) Related Topics: #NCC, #InternetUsers Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| Policeman Benjamin Peters; Dismissed, Charged To Court For Killing Corper, Igwetu Linda Posted: 06 Jul 2018 04:43 PM PDT  Police Inspector Benjamin Peters, the officer who killed a corps member identified as Linda Nkechi Igwetu, a day to her passing out parade in Abuja, has been dismissed from the Force.Confirming that the errant cop is "on remand awaiting commencement of trial", the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Sadiq Bello, disclosed to newsmen that Peters should not have shot at the car, adding that his claim that the corps member was shouting for help was not sufficient ground to fire his weapon.Miss Igwetu, who was allegedly shot in the early hours of Wednesday around Ceddi Plaza by a police officer, was rushed to the Garki Hospital where she eventually died. The FCT Police Command said that the command would not condone any act of irresponsibility and incivility or outright criminality on the part of officers and men."He (suspect) has been dismissed from the force and arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction and he is currently on remand awaiting trial," he said."It was alleged that the lady, one Angela Igwetu stood up and brought out her head through the sun roof of a Toyota Camry car shouting and calling for help that she was kidnapped," he said. "They have always been admonished to be civil to members of the public and be professional in the conduct of their duties," he said. "Furthermore, I wish to reassure residents of FCT that they should go about their lawful businesses without fear of molestation or harassment, their peace and security is guaranteed at all times," he assured. Related Topics: #PoliceInspector, #LindaIgwetu, #CorpsMember Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| "I Will End Killings In Benue, Taraba, Zamfara And Pleateau" - Buhari Assures CAN Posted: 06 Jul 2018 03:42 PM PDT  President Muhammadu Buhari assured yesterday that he is determined to end killings in Benue, Taraba, Zamafara and Pleateau States.The President gave the assurance when he received members of the Northern chapter of the Christian Association Of Nigeria led by its chairman, Rev Yakubu Pam at the presidential villa.Buhari said no religion or culture accepts the killing of people and Described the killings across the country as wicked and unacceptable.He said, "I thank you very much for taking the time to pay this visit today and for the issues you have raised. The recent killings in Benue, Zamfara and lately Plateau are wicked, condemnable and completely unacceptable acts.Watch video below: "We, Nigerians, are religious people and no religion or culture accepts the killing of people for any reason whatsoever. This is why we must all rise as one to condemn these vile and wicked acts to ensure that all the culprits are brought to justice. "We owe it to the memory of those who lost their lives in the violence in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Zamfara and elsewhere since 1999 to bring the conflicts to a decisive end. I assure you that we will do this". Related Topics: #PlateauKillings, #Buhari, #CAN Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| Senator Ameh Ebute Writes Saraki To Resign Posted: 06 Jul 2018 12:22 PM PDT  Senator Ameh Ebute, a former Senate President and elder statesman, has called on Bukola Saraki, President of the 8th Senate to immediately resign in order to save the image of the entity called Nigeria.Ebute, who was President of the Nigerian Senate during the end of the third republic, in a thought-provoking letter addressed to Saraki and obtained by our reporter on Friday, hinged his reason on the fact that Saraki had succeed in turning the Red Chamber into a combat theatre by protecting the abominable and despising truth.According to Idoma Voice; the Benue-born political leader lamented that the Saraki-led senate also imported what he termed despicable autocracy and despotism into parliamentary engagements, hence, the needless brawls between the senate and the executive arm of the governments.Read the full letter below:Let me begin by extending my greetings to you and other members of the National Assembly. It is exactly eight years since God crossed our path and must be bold to say that knowing you as a friend has been an interesting journey all the way.  We all know that democratic governance rest on the pillars of the legislature, whose main responsibility is to enact legislations that would deepen democratic practices and good governance in any country of the world. A corrupt legislature is a bane to the country; while an upright, focused and virtuous legislature is an asset to Nigeria. The entire wheels of democratic governance are propelled and energized by the legislature. Therefore, those who should populate the hallowed chambers ought to be men and women of proven integrity and trustworthy. The demands of morality and integrity on the Parliament, which is the conscience of democratic governance is very strict. It is no longer in doubt to all discerning minds that your lofty position as the Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigerian places a serious a moral burden on you, which your actions and utterances in the last three years have exposed you as very deficient. Nigerians have watched with utter amazement how you have redefined leadership of the legislature in the negative sense. This to me as your friend is very shameful and immoral to say the least but still not too late. The Senate under your watch has imported despicable autocracy and despotism into parliamentary engagements. And the resultant effects include, the dictatorial muzzling of opposition voices of colleagues during plenary and abusing their inalienable right of freedom to hold and express opinions on the floor of the hallowed chambers. Your leadership of the Senate has shown an absolute proclivity to vindictiveness and witch-hunting of colleagues who share views opposed to your disposition. Such members are goaded to the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee peopled by your acolytes, who have accepted the loathsome job of serving as your hatchet men. They unduly or unlawfully punish dissenting voices for the audacity of holding an opinion contrary to your thinking. The suspension of Senators Ali Adume and Omo-Agege are some of the few examples of your aberrational leadership of the Senate and the National Assembly. You have turned the Red Chambers into a combat theatre, protecting the abominable, but despising truth. This is the extent of your moral deficit, which has disqualified you from belonging or even leading an assemblage of honourable men and women. Mr. Senate President Sir, you have consistently failed to pass the integrity and morality tests to continue to preside over Nigeria's parliament. Nigerians recall with much sadness, your scandalous alleged purchase of the N298 million bulletproof Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), with fake documents and the evasion of Customs duties, which was impounded by Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). There is also the issue of your alleged false declaration of assets, a case still hanging at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), but you are frustrating judgment with frivolous court injunctions. This again testified to the obvious that you still own the Nigerian people an apology. And your recent alleged shadows in the Offa bank robberies which claimed the lives of over 30 Nigerians, including security agents have cumulatively placed a moral burden on your leadership and disqualify you from holding the noble identity of a Nigerian parliamentarian, much more holding such exalted positions of Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly. Sir, in my humble opinion, you are barren of every essential ingredient and honour to continue to preside over any parliament anywhere in the world. The abysmal performance of the Senate under your watch, the padding of national budget or the simmering regime of corruption your leadership has allowed to creep into the Senate strips you of any qualification to be a member of Nigeria's National Assembly. Nigerians have tolerated your leadership deficit enough and time has come for you to have a rethink and do the needful. We are tired of your scandalous outings at every point. It is either, you are fingered in armed robbery today, or some illicit monies are traced to your account abroad, which are matters the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not approve of any public office holder. My friend Senator, I have no hesitation to say, you have regrettably become an opposite of honour or integrity, both at home and abroad and a shame to Nigeria, a country President Muhammadu Buhari is spending sleepless nights to reposition and rejuvenate on the path of progress and public morality. We cannot allow you to reverse these gains. Though, the mistake was made right from your home state of Kwara, where the people of Kwara Central senatorial district failed to see your odd characters, underserving of leadership patronage and proceeded to entrust you with their mandate. Even this is now questionable having listened to some criminals confess openly how they manipulated your elections to give you victories against the people's wish . These negative virtues are innately part of you, and there are no restrictions. You even irresponsibly besmirched and desecrated, the Elder Olusola Saraki, your own father by shamefully humbling a man that brought you into this world and even politics by extension. Therefore, at the behest of all men of good conscience and lovers of Nigeria, I am advising you to do the needful. Please, withdraw your membership of the National Assembly by resigning your position. And the time to act appropriately is now. It is the collective desire of all Nigerians to see their country progress. We cannot continue to stomach or tolerate a leadership liability like you anymore. Thank you for the patience of reading this open letter and may you be guided accordingly. You may permit me to share this with our friends in the diplomatic circle as witnesses to my call for you to do the needful. This is to put everyone on notice should masses decide to emulate your style of doing things by removing you from office in the days ahead. Related Topics: #BukolaSaraki, #NationalAssembly, #Politics Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| What A Suicide Mission? Mother And Child Strap On Her Back Hang On A Moving Truck(Video) Posted: 06 Jul 2018 11:13 AM PDT  A Facebook user recently shared a breathtaking video of a mother hang on the back of a moving truck with her baby strap to her back!What a suicide mission is this my people? See what the Facebook user shared below: When accidents happen we turn around blame our gods for it, but most of the causes of troubles are pure stupidity and mindlessness. Suppose that cloth used to strap the baby loosens, how would the woman save herself and the baby?This world is full of mindless and reckless people, breathing same air just like the smart ones, I don't get it.Watch video below: Related Topics: #News Sharing is caring. Share this story.  | ||||
| Reformed APC Faction Are Like Herdsmen – Sagay Posted: 06 Jul 2018 10:15 AM PDT
The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay, has said that the Reformed APC members as faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC), are like herdsmen looking for where to 'chop.'Professor Sagay, speaking in an interview with the Independent Newspaper, condemned the rAPC members, saying they have contributed nothing to the development of Nigeria asides claiming assets.Sagay further said, the rAPC members have no right to the use the acronym 'APC' as they are not registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) with the name."The so-called Reformed APC is also the same as the New PDP. These are itinerant characters who are not better than the cattle herders." They move from place to place in search of greener pastures. Once the grass is no longer lush again, they move to another place. "They think they are not enjoying enough 'chop' in APC, so they want to go and look for somewhere else to perch in order to 'chop'. " All they believe in is to live to eat, acquire assets without the interest of the country at heart. How to develop Nigeria and rid it of corruption doesn't matter to them. "These are people who have not made any contributions to national life. So, I am not surprised that they have moved," Sagay said. Related Topics: #rAPC, #ItseSagay, #Politics Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| Senate President Hails Supreme Court Verdict - Says Trial Politically Motivated Posted: 06 Jul 2018 09:39 AM PDT
Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, has reiterated his confidence in the judicial process and the ability of the Judiciary to do justice to all manner of men and in all circumstances.In a statement personally signed by him after the judgement of the Supreme Court which upheld the earlier decision of the Code of Conduct Tribunal discharging and acquitting him of all 18 charges instituted against him, Saraki expressed gratitude to all Nigerians who have supported him since the case commenced three years ago."At the end of a tortuous journey of 1018 Days counting from September 22, 2015 when the case began at the Tribunal, I am happy that I have been vindicated. The Supreme Court has affirmed that there is no evidence of false declaration of assets. The court also observed that certain agents took over the responsibility of the Code of Conduct Bureau in this trial, and one can infer that this was done towards a pre-determined end."This outcome has gladdened my heart and further strengthened my belief in this country and as well as my faith in Almighty Allah, who is the righter of all wrongs. God has vindicated me today before the judgement of man, and I am most thankful and humbled at His grace and infinite mercies."Through it all, I refused to be shaken, knowing, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, that the arch of the moral universe may be long, but it bends towards justice. I knew the day would come when justice would prevail and I would be exonerated. "I have always believed in the infallibility of our Judiciary, secure in the knowledge that our courts – the last refuge of the oppressed - would never condemn the innocent. This outcome is also a vindication of my belief in the rule of law. "As I said in my first appearance at the CCT, this is a politically motivated case. The case was trumped up in the first instance because of my emergence as the President of the Senate against the wishes of certain forces. Ordinarily, I doubt anyone would be interested in the asset declaration form I filled over 15 years ago. "What we have seen is the opposite. Instead of working together in the interest of the nation and to seek to do better for our people, we are fighting one another and using legal instruments to mount baseless accusations against one another. Instead of exhibiting the need for unity and working day and night for that purpose, we are stoking the fire of division and rancour. I maintain that, above all else, my CCT trial has been a flagrant vilification of my person, and shows that some people are after their personal interests rather than the national interest. "As a result of the war of attrition, various arms of government have wasted resources needlessly. It has been three wasted years across board in this country. Three years that would have been devoted to tackling issues affecting Nigerians, including: economic recovery, insecurity, youth unemployment and strengthening national institutions – were wasted on malicious prosecution. People were ready to trade off three years that would have been devoted to fostering cooperation, unity and economic progress for their selfish ends. It is my hope that those who are behind my persecution will see the handwriting on the wall and leave me to do the work for which I was elected, so I can continue to give my all to this great country of ours. "As many have rightly observed, it is plain to see that the anti-corruption fight is being prosecuted with vindictiveness, to target perceived political opponents. I believe in the need to fight corruption, but I will never be party to the selective application of the law or the rhetoric of an insincere anti-corruption fight. "I believe in fighting corruption and I have made my own humble contributions to the fight against corruption in this country. As a presidential aide, I initiated the process that led to the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. I was the first governor to establish the Price Intelligence Unit which later metamorphosed into the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) at the federal level. In the history of this country, the highest fraud, the most brazen corruption has been the Fuel Subsidy scam. No one wanted to talk about it or confront entrenched powers. As a Senator on the platform of the ruling party at that time, I sponsored a motion on the floor of the Senate calling for investigation that led to the unprecedented exposure of the massive corruption in the fuel subsidy regime. That was my only point of departure with the former President. My antecedents speak for themselves. "I thank Nigerians for standing by me through the difficult period of this trial. The support of ordinary Nigerians and their faith in me, as well as their sophistication and discernment in seeing this case for what it was, has been a source of strength to me. "I am most grateful for the support of my Distinguished Colleagues and the Honourable Members of the 8th National Assembly for their unflinching support and regular attendance at the various proceedings. They were unfairly criticised for accompanying me on court appearances, but it is now clear that they did so because they believed that injustice to one, is injustice to all. They have been the true embodiment of esprit de corps. I thank them for banding together in the face of an unconscionable attack on the institution of the legislature. "I thank my legal team for their determined and principled stance, and for their knowledge and diligence, which saw this case to its just conclusion. My gratitude to all my friends, political associates, supporters and the good people of Kwara State – all of whom have been solidly behind me. "I thank my family for enduring this trial with their usual grace and fortitude. My immense gratitude also goes to the international community for their interest in this case. The Nigerian press have kept watch and I appreciate their vigilance in ensuring that all the facts were held up to scrutiny. "To my supporters, yes, there is a reason to rejoice, but our celebration must be tempered with the sobering lessons of the attempted injustice from Day One of this trial. We all have to canvas for fairness in the fight against corruption. We should see this verdict as an inspiration to champion the rule of law, promote democracy and its institutions as well as tolerance of divergent views. "The overwhelming support of so many, and the insistence on ensuring that due process and truth prevailed, has made this verdict possible," he stated. SIGNED: Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE Related Topics: #Saraki, #Politics Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| Why I Will Not Welcome Buhari To Ekiti - By Fayose Posted: 06 Jul 2018 09:02 AM PDT  Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has stated that he will not as a Governor welcome President Muhammadu Buhari and his entourage to Ekiti as requested in a letter to him.He explained that the Federal Government under President Buhari did not deem it fit to construct even a 100-meter road in the state since they came into office.Gov. Fayose made the disclosure yesterday at a rally in Ado-Ekiti,According to the Guardian Newspaper, the governor however expressed optimism that the party's candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola Eleka, would be the governor-elect on July 14, adding that the president and his entourage would be disgraced in the state.He said:"I am not going to receive the president. If they think that they can use the police to intimidate us, it is a lie. This government is undemocratic, why did they close Akure Airport yesterday, when they knew that we would be receiving our party members. "They have been arresting members of the PDP, but we will not be provoked. We will disgrace all of them on June 14. If you vote for the APC, you are voting for Boko Haram and Fulani Herdsmen. But PDP believes in the sanctity of human lives." He said he was aware of plans by the INEC to rig the poll, adding that they will follow them anywhere they go, even as: "we are not interested in violence. "When I saw the President of France, Emmanuel Macron and Nigeria President, I was ashamed. This country does not deserve an old man, we deserve the younger generations," he said. Party leaders at the rally said: "PDP has been rebranded and repositioned to gain the lost grounds. We will rescue Nigeria from all sorts of inhuman treatment meted out by the APC. Related Topics: #Fayose, #Buhari, #APC, #PDP, #EkitiElection Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| What Would End APC Crisis – Dogara To Oshiomhole Posted: 06 Jul 2018 08:11 AM PDT  Mr Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Thursday said only the enthroning of justice and equity in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would end crisis in the party.Dogara disclosed this at a meeting between APC members of the House and the National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party led by the Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, at the National Assembly.The speaker said that APC lawmakers only expect justice meted to all members equally.Dogara said: "In every family, whether it is a nuclear, extended or an organisation, there is bound to be problem and that is because we, humans that are running those institutions are not perfect ourselves."So, we don't expect perfection from any quarters."Our only expectation is the issue of justice and justice is indivisible. What is justice to the executive should be justice to the legislature and it should be justice to the judiciary. 'What is justice to the President and the Vice President should be justice to the Governor and it has to be justice for the members of the National Assembly, because you can't divide justice. "Once you begin to divide justice you don't have justice, and once we are able to get these things in their proper perspectives to some extent, we will be able to silence the voices of dissent within the party. "We have problems, it's perfectly okay but we mustn't allow our problems to define us rather we should define our problems as a party," he said. Dogara further expressed hope in the capacity of Oshiomhole to tackle the challenges confronting the party. "I know that you came well prepared; we can only wish you well and pray for God's additional wisdom because human wisdom won't be enough as you navigate very treacherous terrain. "We pray God wisdom for you." On his part, Oshiomhole told the lawmakers that "every person matters in our party because all party members voluntarily moved from various political platforms and dissolved those platforms in order to give birth to the APC. "Delivering greater good for Nigerians held the APC together and defines us in spite of the teething problems we were bound to experience that every new organisation goes through." Related Topics: #YakubuDogara, #Politics, #AdamsOshiomole, #APC, Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| INEC Set To Use Enhanced Card Reader For The First Time - In Ekiti Gov. Election Posted: 06 Jul 2018 03:39 AM PDT
The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmoud Yakubu has disclosed that Enhanced Card Reader will be used for the first time in Ekiti election.The INEC Boss revealed this at a consultative meeting with media Managers in Abuja.Professor Yakubu said there was no difficulty in the terrain in Ekiti and assured of a free and fair poll in the state.The Chairman, however, called on the media to cooperate with the commission to ensure the success of the forthcoming Ekiti Governorship election on the 14th of this month.Professor Yakubu stated that INEC is not a political party and will continue to maintain its integrity as election managers; unbiased.He further urged the media to help mobilize Nigerians to participate more in the ongoing Voter registration exercise. Related Topics: #INEC, #EkitiElection, #Politics Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||||
| Buhari Acquires A Big Stick Against Corruption; With Executive Order 6 Posted: 06 Jul 2018 01:55 AM PDT
On Thursday, the Presidency sent a warning signal to the opposition that the government will wield the big stick against those that indulged in corrupt practices.This was demonstrated as Buhari on Thursday signed an Executive Order to improve his administration's fight against corruption.See full details as released by the The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu:Nigeria's widespread corruption, which has been eating the eco-system like termites, met on audacious response from President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday afternoon with the signing of a new Executive Order No.6 on preservation of assets connected with corruption. President Buhari holds the view that after three years in office it was another good time to further review the achievements of the administration and set goals in a key policy area, the anti-corruption war.On the basis of the re-appraisals made, the President said that it had become "necessary to re-kit and re-tool our arsenal to be able to affectively tackle corruption's perilous counter-attack against the Nigerian State." As a result, the Federal Government of Nigeria had "declared a national emergency to deal with that crisis." President Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to fight corruption which had been undermining the country's economy, politics, governance and entire society.The government is of the understanding that corruption is one of Nigeria's major challenges; one that had obstructed the country's drive to realise its full potentials. Most citizens believe that corruption is holding the country by the jugular and must be tackled if we are to make progress and make meaning of our lives. Since the war against corruption unleashed by President Buhari took hold, significant strides had been achieved. Vehicles of fraud and embezzlement have been stopped dead in their tracks; enabled with the implementation of the Bank Verification Number policy and signing the Open Government Partnership and rebuilding the anti-corruption institutions, and generally the country's highly improved corporate governance. Fifty thousand ghost workers were deleted from monthly payroll, saving an annual N200 billion in payments; ghost pensioners have in their thousands been fished out and with vigour and precision, millions of bank accounts with suspicious cash deposits are being investigated. A large number of senior public officials are being investigated and a huge sum of money including buildings, estates, ships and automobiles have been seized. Former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha's money, USD326 million was recovered and will be distributed to the poor.
It is an established fact that, all over the world, deep-rooted corruption is always difficult to deal with. It is mostly hidden. It is hard to detect, and as we have seen in dealing with the world's economic powers, they love, cherish and nurture it in countries like ours by holding onto stolen assets against all efforts to retrieve them. But there are signs that things are changing. Every day, harsh words against the government are all that the President gets from Wadata House, the Head Office of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, because their leaders, as do some other Nigerians are already feeling the heat. To say the truth, I am not sure if there are many of our citizens who expected any PDP support for the President in his war against corruption. In spite of all the achievements recorded, you still hear complaints that the anti-corruption isn't as dramatic as Nigerians wished it to be. Some want the country to do it the Chinese way. Others say the government is not arresting the powerful people. For the Buhari administration, concern lies in the fact that corruption has become a big problem because investigation, prosecution and trial in courts are made harder by persons accused of crimes relating to it. They are using the enormous resources in their possession to thwart the system. The President's view is that, it is only a clean Nigeria that can attract foreign investment, free money for more of the capital projects the administration is executing and creating jobs for our teeming population of young men and women. The President says in the interest of justice and the welfare of the Nigerian state, persons accused of crimes relating to corruption must be prevented from utilizing the proceeds and dissipating such assets suspected to be proceeds of corruption (or associated with corruption) pending final determination of any investigation or legal actions related to such assets or owners thereof. In signing the new Executive Order, he said: "I'm bound to restrict dealings in suspicious assets… to preserve same in accordance with the rule of law and with guarantee and safeguard of fundamental human rights." A person who feels that his rights are infringed is free to go to a high court. To understand the threat posed to our democracy and economy by unchecked access to stolen or illicit funds, the President cited the large volume of cash government is fight to retrieve through the legal system. The aggregate value of those funds involved in some of the on-going prosecution of high profile corruption cases is N595,409,838,452.25k. This amount is more than what has been budgeted this year for the all-important Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (N344 billion) and social Investment (N500b), intended for millions of Nigerians through programs such as the N-Power Graduate Employment Scheme, the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT to the poorest of the power and GEEP (Government Economic Empowerment Programme). The 2018 budget which has made the highest appropriation ever in the sum of N344 billion to the Ministry of Works is to be spent on the following roads: - Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Dual Carriageway - Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani Road - Kano-Maiduguri Road - Enugu-Port-Harcourt Dual Carriageway - Odukpani-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene Road - Sokoto-Tambuwal -Jega-Kontagora-Mokwa Road - Dualization of Ojabana to Benin Road - Calabar-Ugep-Katsina-Ala Road - Onitsha-Enugu Dual Carriageway - Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway - Benin-Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele-Sagamu expressway phase III - Kontagora-Bangi Road The amount of money voted this year for these roads therefore translates to about 57% of the monies recovered by the on-going high-profile corruption cases. The defendants in these cases have unrestricted access to these funds using it as a war chest. They have used it to stall administrative and judicial processes. No gainsaying that it is impossible to achieve any meaningful progress in the fight against corruption where there is no effective law enforcement and prosecution of offenders via an effective justice system. In simple terms, the idea of the new Executive Order is to ensure that criminal elements are prevented from using their illicit resources to "allure, pervert and/or intimidate the investigative and judicial process." The purpose of the Executive Order is not to forfeit peoples properties but rather temporarily deny access which can be used to corrupt or interfere with the investigative and judicial processes. Equally, it is not intended to, and cannot take over the powers and functions of statutory agencies with prosecutorial powers or create new ones. Rather, this is designed to activate existing provisions of the law on freezing of assets and to establish a system of coordination under the office of the Attorney-General, who has constitutional powers over all prosecutions. Henceforth, it will be a criminal offence to violate the Executive Order. Prosecution authorities will, in all future prosecutions, file application to freeze the assets implicated before, or alongside the charge information sheet. For cases that are on-going, such application shall be filed within seven days of this Executive Order. As provided by the law and the constitution, the President is empowered to "abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power". It is in his determination to fully execute this function that he declared a national emergency to deal with the threat posed by corruption. While it will definitely take a while for the President Buhari war against corruption to penetrate the lower rungs of government and society, a pervasive canker that had been a part of daily working life of the nation for so long, there is no doubt that the daring response through this Executive Order will go a long way in fast tracking that process. Finally, then, is to state that a win for President Buhari in 2019 in next year's general elections is the best way to provide a good and stable leadership for tackling the problems of corruption in Nigeria. Garba Shehu is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity. Related Topics: #Buhari, #GarbaShehu, #Politics Sharing is caring. Share this story  |
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