VANGUARD
CALL IGP TO ORDER, SARAKI, DOGARA TELL BUHARI, SAY
NASS TO PASS BUDGET NEXT WEEK
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday said he was
embarrassed by the invasion of the Senate by suspected hoodlums, who made away
with the mace, which is the symbol of authority of the upper chambers, and that
proper investigation would be carried out to fish out those behind the
invasion. This came as the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of
the House of s, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, told President Buhari to call the
Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to order and compel him to obey
the laws of the land. They also described the arraignment of the Senator Dino
Melaye, representing Kogi West, on wheelchair by the police as
barbaric and uncivilized, saying it did not give a good image to the
nation’s democracy. Meanwhile, the two presiding officers of the National
Assembly said the 2018 budget report would likely be laid in the two chambers
this week for its possible passage next week.
Speaking after the closed-door meeting with President
Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Senate President said the meeting
was at the instance of President Buhari to brief them on the outcome of his
bilateral meeting with the American President, Mr. Donald Trump. Saraki also
said that issues of the invasion of the Senate by hoodlums on April 29, when the
President was away to London, to attend Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting, CHOGM; refusal of Inspector General of Police to honour invitation
extended to him by the Senate as well as the passage of the budget were
discussed at the meeting
VANGUARD
NIGERIA SPENDS $36.3BN ON FUEL IMPORTATION IN 5 YEARS
— CBN
CENTRAL Bank of Nigeria yesterday disclosed that the sum
of $119.409billion was spent on the importation of commodities into the country
in five years. Of the amount, $36.371billion was expended on the importation of
petroleum products from 2013 to 2017. The Director in charge of Research in the
bank, Mr. Ganiyu Amao also lamented that the huge expenditure had
affected the nation’s external reserve and induced the depreciation of the
naira. He said: “Data from the CBN show that from 2013 to 2017, a total of
foreign exchange committed to imports in the country stood at $119.409billion,
while the total foreign exchange committed to imports in the oil sector stood
at $36.371billion, representing 13.5percent of all imports made by the country.
It greatly exerts serious pressure on our external reserve and depreciates the
value of our local currency.” He revealed that CBN subscribed to policies that
compelled International Oil companies, IOCs, to refine some of the crude for
domestic consumption.
PUNCH
BUHARI CONDEMNS ATTACK, APPROVES NEW BATTALION, POLICE
COMMAND
Following the killings of 45 persons in Birnin Gwari
Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari
yesterday approved the establishment of a new Battalion of the Nigerian Army,
and a new Police Area Command, in the area. The president, according to his
media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, strongly condemned the latest massacre of
innocent Nigerians in the area. Shehu quoted the president as saying that he
was “deeply outraged by this unwarranted, unprovoked and reckless destruction
of lives by bandits who belong to the lowest level of civilization. I feel the
pains and devastation of the families of the victims, and this administration
will do everything possible to ensure we defeat these enemies of humanity.”
NEW TELEGRAPH
GOVT RECOVERS N7.8B, $378M THROUGH WHISTLE-BLOWER’S
POLICY
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday that Nigeria
recovered about N7.8 billion, $378 million and £27,800 through the
Whistle-blower’s Policy launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in December
2016. He also said the Federal Government met no savings in the accounts when
the Buhari administration came on board. Osinbajo spoke at the opening of the
Open Government Partnership (OGP) Week holding at the Nigerian Air Force
Headquarters, Abuja. According to him, the Presidential Initiative on
Continuous Audit (PICA), which oversees the Whistleblower’s Policy in the
Ministry of Finance, has helped the government to save over N200 billion
by eliminating ghost workers. PICA was established to clean up the payroll and
pension system across all the ministries, departments and agencies. Osinbajo
said the government had included recovered assets in the country’s annual
budget since 2017 and invested them in infrastructure as well as in the Social
Investment Programme. “All funds forfeited to the Federal Government are being
included in our yearly budget proposals, for appropriation by the National Assembly,”
he said.
He said that an executive bill has been sent to the
National Assembly for the purpose of enacting a more comprehensive legislation
on proceeds of crime. Osinbajo recalled that on assumption of office, the rate
of corruption was threatening the country’s existence, as the administration
did not meet any savings. Speaking on the topic: ‘The impact of Open Government
Partnership to Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts’, Osinbajo said “for too
long, the resources meant for the majority have been sadly cornered by a greedy
minority”.
PUNCH
BOKO HARAM NO LONGER HOLDS ANY TERRITORY – NIGERIA
TELLS UN
Nigeria told the UN General Assembly in New York that the
Boko Haram terrorists no longer held any territory in the country. Nigeria’s
Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Samson Itegboje,
stated this while presenting Nigeria’s message at the ‘High-Level Meeting of
the General Assembly on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace’ at the UN
headquarters. Itegboje said the meeting was being convened at a time when the
global community was facing unprecedented threats, geopolitical tensions,
social dislocation, cyber-attacks, threat of climate change and terrorism.
“Nigeria has had her fair share of these crises, amongst other vices. Boko
Haram insurgents annexed 14 Local Governments in Borno in the North East of
Nigeria. However, on assumption of office in 2015 President Muhammadu Buhari
ensured the recovery of the annexed territories. Today, Boko Haram insurgents
no longer hold any territory in Nigeria,” he said.
He noted that Resolutions 70/262 of the General Assembly
and 2282 (2016) of the Security Council on the Review of the UN Peacebuilding
Architecture addressed the UN approach to peace, focuses on prevention. He said
since 1960, Nigeria had been an active participant in UN peacekeeping missions,
deploying Military contingents, unarmed Military Observers, Military Staff
Officers, formed Police units, Police advisor and Civilian Experts to over 25
UN Missions.
SUN
LOOT IN JONATHAN’S GOVT UNDER PROBE IN UK –PRESIDENCY
Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has disclosed that the
United Kingdom is investigating fraud perpetrated during former President
Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. Osinbajo disclosed this in a statement by
his spokesman, Laolu Akande, yesterday. The vice president’s spokesman
specifically disclosed that Jonathan and two people in his cabinet got N88
billion, illegally, in one day. Akande insisted that Osinbajo was not
lying when he spoke at The Platform, last week, when he (the vice president)
said “grand corruption remains the most enduring threat to our economy. “Three
billion United States dollars was stolen in what was called the strategic
alliance contacts in 2013, three Nigerians were responsible, today $3 billion
is NI trillion and our budget is N7 trillion.” In his reaction to a report
attributed to “Jonathan’s Media Office,” on previous allegations, Akande
disclosed how the looting under Jonathan has been a subject of criminal
investigation and trials, even in the UK. The VP’s spokesman listed what he
called “facts on grand corruption” carried out under Jonathan’s administration,
which he described as a tip of the iceberg.
He stated that the “facts” are “the release of $289
million on February 25, 2015, illegal disbursement of N60 billion…most of which
ended up in the hands of senior members of the PDP–then ruling party, $3
billion stolen in the so-called NNPC Strategic Alliance Contracts, N40
billion from CBN, released for the PDP presidential primary, among
others.” Akande also said the amount released from the CBN, in cash, on a
single day, “that is, $289 million (N88.1 billion) is enough to fund
244,000 N-Power graduates for a year, or pay for 1.2 billion school meals
or complete half of Lagos-Ibadan or half of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano roads.
NEW TELEGRAPH
2019: S’WEST PDP LEADERS ROOT FOR ATIKU
The presidential aspiration of former Vice President
Atiku Abubakar appears to be gaining momentum as some prominent leaders of the
PDP in the South-West have already zeroed-in on him as the party’s candidate
ahead of the 2019 general elections. Sources said that the leaders have been
working together, albeit underground, to galvanize support for the former
number two man in the zone ahead of the party’s presidential primary which is
expected to take place in August. Atiku, who dumped the ruling All Progressives
Congress for PDP in November 2017, served as vice president between 1999 and
2007 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He has been going round the
country in rousing support for his presidential ambition in the 2019 general
elections. The PDP had zoned its presidential ticket to the North and Atiku
alongside former governors of Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna states, Sule Lamido,
Ibrahim Shekarau and Ahmed Makarfi, as well as Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim
Dankwambo, have already declared interest for the race.
According to a source, most of the PDP leaders in the
South-West have secretly been supporting the Turaki Adamawa ahead of the party
primaries. “As we speak, most of the leaders of the party in the zone are
already in sync with Atiku’s ambition and they have settled for him. Two former
governors in the zone are in the vanguard of the support from the South-West.
He has done a lot of underground work even with the socio-cultural groups like
Afenifere, Ohanaeze and other groups. He promoted many of the symposiums on
restructuring and he has been meeting with people. “As we speak; series of
meetings and consultations are ongoing,” he said.
TRUST
CORRUPTION: SECONDUS, OTHERS WILL SOON BE DOCKED —
PRESIDENCY
The national chairman of the opposition People’s
Democratic Party Prince Uche Secondus and all other politicians against whom
the anti-corruption agencies had ongoing investigations will soon have their
days in court, the Presidency said. Reacting to a letter to the United Nations
Secretary General by Secondus, the Presidency said the opposition party was
trying to mislead the UN. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on
Media and Publicity Malam Garba Shehu yesterday said “It is only a matter of
time before the law catches up with them and makes them pay for the grief their
mismanagement of the past has caused and is still causing Nigerians.” The
Presidency said the letter to the UN accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of
several infractions confirms the PDP as a ‘bad loser’ desperate for another
chance after being kicked out for failing the country. Shehu described
Secondus’ letter as preposterous and comical, while blasting the opposition
party for accusing the Federal Government of destroying Nigeria’s democracy.
TRUST
FG TO UNMASK PEOPLE BEHIND COMPANIES, PROPERTY – SGF
The Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr.
Boss Gida Mustapha, has said the Federal Government will soon make dossier of
persons with significant control over incorporated companies available to the
public in order to stop secret ownership of companies and property in the
country. Mr. Mustapha said this is to make investigation of individuals
involved in companies used for acts of corruption easier. “For the first
time in Nigeria, secret ownership of companies and properties will be history
when a public register of beneficial owners of companies will become open and
operational. Government has also received assurances from the Corporate
Affairs Commission (CAC) that in the immediate future, necessary dossier of
persons with significant control over incorporated companies will be generated
and made available on demand. With all these complimentary efforts in
place, I am confident that investigation of individuals involved in companies
used for acts of corruption will become easier,” he said.
NATION
BUHARI OFF TO LONDON FOR MEDICAL
President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to the United
Kingdom today on a four-day medical holiday. The Presidency said yesterday that
the President will honour an appointment having been told to return for a
“meeting with his doctor.” Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity
Garba Shehu, said in the course of the technical stop-over for aircraft
maintenance in London on his way back from Washington DC last week, the
President had a meeting with his doctor. He was requested to return for a
meeting which he agreed to do. He is expected back on Saturday and “on his
return, the President’s two-day state visit to Jigawa (State), which was postponed
because of the All Progressives Congress’s Ward Congresses, will now take place
on Monday and Tuesday..” The President spent 104 days on medical holiday in
2017.
Comments
Post a Comment