Diezani approved $24bn crude swap without contract –Ex-NNPC GMD

                                                                              Diezani Alison-Madueke

A former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Austin Oniwon, confirmed on Tuesday that there was no formal contract between the NNPC and trading companies that lifted $24bn worth of crude oil from the country between 2011 and 2014.

Oniwon told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Crude Oil Swap that a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, merely granted the “extension” of an earlier contract.

He said the extension was not a formal contract before he (Oniwon) left office in 2012.

The committee is chaired by an All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Kwara State, Mr. Zakari Mohammed.

“There was an approval for the extension by the minister; I believe the records are with the NNPC,” he added.

The NNPC began taking 445,000 barrels of crude daily in 2010 for refining in a bid to meet the country’s local demand of petroleum products.

But when the country’s refineries failed to run, the NNPC resorted to exchanging the crude (swap) for refined products through an arrangement with appointed crude trading firms.

Dasuki is avoiding trial to keep his wrongs secret –FG

                                                                                     Sambo Dasuki

The Federal Government has accused the immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, of avoiding trial in order to keep “the magnitude” of his alleged wrongs against the country away from the public.

The Government stated this in a counter-affidavit which it filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja in opposition to an application by Dasuki seeking an order discharging him from further standing trial on charges of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms instituted against him.

The ex-NSA had predicated his application on the grounds of Federal Government’s alleged “brazen” disobedience of a series of orders of court granting him bail.

He urged the court in his application to discharge him and prohibit the Federal Government from further prosecuting him on the grounds that his re-arrest by the DSS was tantamount to Federal Government’s alleged act of assault on the court which had released him on bail.

The Federal Government, through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation is prosecuting Dasuki before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja on four counts of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms.

In its counter-affidavit to Dasuki’s application filed by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Dipo Okpeseyi (SAN), the Federal Government denied the allegation of disobeying the order granting bail to Dasuki with respect to the case.

Customs releases new guidelines on disposal of seized and overtime goods

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has come up with a new procedure for the disposal of seized and overtime goods in its bid to address some of the perceived irregularities relating to the past procedure including fake online auctions.

Consequently, the NCS confirmed that it is setting up four different committees to handle the disposal of these categories of goods. The committees include an Assessment Committee, Disposal Committee, Seizure Committee and Overtime Committee.

According to the new guidelines signed by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hammed Ali (rtd), perishable items with or without defendants are to be properly disposed of by the relevant committee.

For items classified as general goods, the new guidelines state that they are to be disposed of after condemnation by a competent Court of Law: “Condemnation shall be done after 30 days of seizure, so far as there is no notice of claim or litigation,” it says.

The guidelines also stipulated that all overtime cargoes are to be published in the Federal Government’s gazette when they fall due over 30 days.

Under the new dispensation, the NCS will advertise information on seized and overtime goods for disposal with their reserve prices in the media and on its official website.

 The authorities instructed interested buyers to apply online, specifying items of interest to the committee on disposal, adding that applications must be accompanied with an approved means of identification such as a National Identity card, International Passport or Driver’s Licence, in addition to a recent passport photograph scanned onto the dedicated portal on the website.

Why Buhari sacked heads of FG agencies

                                                                                        President Buhari

Just 24 hours after the mass sack of chief executives of some federal agencies, more facts have emerged on why they were removed.

It was learnt that most of the agencies and parastatals whose heads were fired were either involved in corruption during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, or were associated with the recent wadding of the 2016 budget which the Federal Government felt caused it national embarrassment.

It was further revealed that some have carried on their heads series of corruption charges for which investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, ( EFCC) were ongoing.

Such chief executives include the former Director General of Nigerian Broadcasting Commission ( NBC), Mr Emeka Mba, who is under investigation by the anti-graft agency over allegations of a billion Naira contract and controversy over remittances to the TSA.

Former Director General of National Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, who was accused by his Director of Finance and Accounts for awarding contracts running into hundreds of millions of naira to his personal companies and those of his Special Assistant, Dr James Mbachiantim without following due process was among the agency heads sacked on Monday.

Besides, Buhari had recently ordered an investigation into the padding of the 2016 budget after revelations and excesses were discovered by the National Assembly currently working to approve the document into law.

Boko Haram hungry, desperate —Lai Moh’d

                                                                        Information Minister, Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described the spate of suicide bombings and attacks on soft targets by Boko Haram, lately as actions of hungry and desperate terrorists.

His declaration came on a day a document from the United Nations indicated that the global body released  $58 million to assist 2.4 million people affected by Boko Haram-related violence from March 2015 to February 4, 2016.

Borno State government also, yesterday, defied the protest by donor agencies’ and began relocating Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, from public schools to resettlement camps to allow for the resumption of students, after the schools were closed due to Boko Haram insurgency in March, 2014.

Mohammed, who spoke on the spate of bombing while fielding questions at a press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, said Boko Haram sect members were not only venting the anger of their hunger and desperation on soft targets but also trying to demonstrate that they were still relevant.

Their protest was expressed through a representative from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, simply identified as Mr. Victor, to the committee that the donor agencies “are dissatisfied with the arrangements.”

Similarly, the United Nations has released $58 million to assist 2.4 million people affected by Boko Haram-related violence in 2015.

Probe S-Court to save Judiciary, A-Ibom APC tells Buhari

All Progressives Congress, APC, Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Amadu Attai, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the Supreme Court over its verdict which upheld the election of Governor Udom Emmanuel.

In a statement in Abuja, Dr. Attai said that a probe of the apex court over that judgment was the only way to restore the dignity of Nigeria’s highest court.

According to him, “We believe the leadership of the country and indeed all Nigerians should not sit and watch the judiciary collapse under the watch of the current Chief Justice of Nigeria. We, hereby, call on the President to arrest the drift in the third arm of government by probing the rot in the Supreme Court.”

Dr. Attai claimed that the spate of attacks on the Supreme Court following its decisions in some of the governorship election petitions, including that of his state, were indicative of the lack of confidence in the court, by many members of the Nigerian public.

This, he contended, portends grave dangers for the nation as it could lead those who felt they had been denied justice to resort to self-help.

I’m not ready for trial —Dasuki

The former National Security Adviser, NSA, retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, has said he was not ready for trial until the Federal Government complied with an order of the Federal High Court that granted him bail.

In November 2015, Justice Adeniyi Ademola had granted Dasuki bail but the Department of State Services, DSS, rearrested him immediately after his release from Kuje prison.

Counsel to the DSS, Dipo Okpeseyi (SAN), announced to the court, yesterday, that the prosecution was ready for trial to commence. But Joseph Daudu, counsel to Dasuki, said the defence counsel was not ready to proceed with the trial because the Federal Government was still keeping the accused person in detention, despite an order of the court granting him bail.

He said: “We cannot be ready for trial until the defendant enjoys his constitutional rights.  We apply that we should be given time to prepare the defence. The conduct of the prosecution has not enabled him to enjoy his constitutional rights. The worst thing is that for about seven weeks we have had no idea of his whereabouts.”

However, Okpeseyi argued that the prosecution was not stopping Dasuki from enjoying his freedom, saying the accused person was not allegedly held for the charges before the court.

He, therefore, asked the court to reject the request for adjournment and to commence trial. But the court adjourned till March 3 for the hearing on a motion to discharge Dasuki.