Impeachment threat: Jonathan invites Tambuwal for talks

By The Nation: Yusuf Alli 

 

Dr. Jonathan and Tambuwal

•Lobbyists mount pressure on Reps to end cold war •We’re not on witch-hunting mission but to make Nigeria work -Reps spokesman

President Goodluck Jonathan wants an immediate end to the cold war between him and the House of Representatives. 
He has invited Speaker Aminu Tambuwal for peace talks to iron out their differences. 
The duo were scheduled to meet last night at the Presidential Villa for the talks. 
The Presidency and the House are locked in a stand-off over alleged slow pace at which the 2012 Budget is being implemented with the Reps, on Thursday, threatening the President with impeachment for the situation. 
They gave him up to September to implement it to 100 per cent, failing which “we will begin drafting the article of impeachment.” 
Moments after the Thursday session of the House, the Presidency responded to the impeachment threat, saying it was on the same page with the Reps on the budget issue. 
Spokesman for the President, Dr.Reuben Abati, told reporters that his principal was as concerned about the budget’s performance as the Reps. 
However, The Nation on Saturday gathered last night that President Jonathan personally  reached out to the leadership of the House with a view to ending the stand-off. 
Besides, some top government officials, friends and associates of the President have, on their own, launched separate initiatives to stop the situation from degenerating. 
They were said to be lobbying the Reps to sheathe their swords. 
After harmonisation, the Senate and the House of Representatives had, on March 15, passed a budget of N4.88 trillion with a benchmark of $72 per barrel. The vote was increased from N4.65 trillion proposed by the Federal Government. 
The President, however, assented to a N4.7 trillion budget on April 13. 
But the House of Representatives on Thursday expressed displeasure that only 30 per cent of the budget had been implemented. 
Authoritative sources said the President was showing a lot of resolve to close the ‘communication gap’ between the Executive and the House. 
The President was said to have contacted Speaker Tambuwal to hear him out on the grievances of the lawmakers. 
A source said: ”s a leader, the President on Thursday invited the Speaker for interaction on issues raised by the House. I think they were expected to meet yesterday. 
“There were strong signals that the two leaders had opened up discussions on the telephone before the Speaker was invited by the President. 
“Neither the President nor the Speaker wanted the polity to be heated up by the budget palaver. 
“The Presidency had wielded enormous influence to lobby the House members to defer Thursday’s special plenary on budget implementation, but it did not work out at all. 
“Apparently, the Speaker deliberately switched off to also stave off pressure that could heighten the misunderstanding between the House and the executive arm. 
“What I can conveniently tell you is that the leaders have started talking. Apparently, there is a ‘communication gap’ between the two sides and there is need to improve working relationship.” 
Neither the Presidency nor the House was willing to officially comment on the rapprochement last night. 
Besides, some top government officials, associates and strategists of the President have been wooing House members to end the logjam over budget implementation. 
A principal officer of the House, who spoke in confidence, said: “Forces and people around the corridors of power have been calling us to sheathe the sword. 
“We have told them that the issues we raised were not personal. We were concerned about how to move Nigeria forward. 
“It got to an embarrassing level that some of us had to switch off our phones.” 
The Chairman of the House Committee on Media, Hon. Zakary Mohammed, said the House does not rule out dialogue with the Executive. 
“For us, we are after the right thing being done. The appropriation law is being addressed with impunity. We are empowered by the 1999 Constitution to raise questions like we did on Thursday on the floor of the House. 
“We owe our employers (Nigerian masses) a duty to ask questions on their behalf and protect their interest when things are upside down. 
“No one is after President Goodluck Jonathan, but we want the system to work. We are in July and the budget is not being implemented as expected. Even some approvals made for the execution of some key projects had no cash backing. That means, nothing is working. 
Asked if the Executive has reached out to the House, Mohammed said: “It is not impossible, because in a situation like this, they would want to market their position to the House leadership. 
“And going by what the Majority Leader, Mrs. Mulikat Adeola, said that the situation will be addressed before we resume from recess, there could be room for dialogue.”

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Over 30 die in Port Harcourt vessel explosion

 

Vessel explosion

•Three escape with injuries •Other boats badly burnt •JTF sets five fuel tankers ablaze

A fresh tragedy hit Rivers State yesterday, barely a week after the tanker explosion claimed close to 200 lives. 
The latest incident is the explosion of a vessel leaving 30 passengers dead. 
Three persons were injured and three other vessels were badly burnt. 
The tragic scene was the Abuloma Jetty, Port Harcourt. 
The ill-fated vessel, according to a source, belonged to a private company contracted to supply food and sundry items to off-shore employees of an oil company. 
It was found to be leaking and a group of welders was engaged to seal the leaking points. 
It was gathered that the welders were on the job when the explosion occurred. 
An eye witness said: “One of the welders was blown off by the explosion. He landed in the fire and died on the spot.” 
In the ensuing confusion, three of those in the vessel jumped into the river, despite their injuries, in a bid to swim to safety. They were rescued by sympathisers and rushed to the hospital, although two of them were said to be in critical conditions. 
There are fears that no other persons escaped. 
Most of the dead, a source said, were girls whose mission in the vessel was not immediately known. 
The owner of the vessel also could not be ascertained at press time. 
The Rivers State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Dr. Kayode Olagunju, said of the accident: “An oil vessel, at about 9.45 hours caught fire and exploded at the Abuloma Waterfront in Port Harcourt. The fire was still restricted to water area. FRSC, NEMA, Police, Fire Service and others were the rescue agencies on the ground. Casualty figures not yet known.” 
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Deputy Superintendent Ben Ugwuegbulam, did not respond to telephone calls when The Nation on Saturday called. 
Three other vessels anchored near the burning vessel and other facilities were badly burnt by the raging fire, which could not immediately be confronted in view of the intensity of the heat. 
As the fire raged, men of the Joint Task Force (JTF), code-named Operation Pulo Shield, set ablaze five tankers used by illegal bunkerers for transporting petroleum products. Spokesman for the JTF’s Sector 2, Captain Sunny Samuel confirmed the burning.

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‘Why President declined House invitation’

By The Nation: Vincent Ikuomola 

 

Reuben Abati

Why did President Goodluck Jonathan not honour the House of Representatives invitation for interaction on the security situation in the country?
It is because he was not “formally invited, his spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati said yesterday.
Abati said the President is not averse to the invitation if it is properly channelled.
Abati spoke on a RayPower 100.5FM phone-in programme; Fact File, monitored by our correspondent.
He also commented on why the President has not assented to some bills passed by the National Assembly and sent to his office.
Abati said some of the bills when signed into law, would create additional bureaucracy leading to over-bloated governance that the Federal Government is trying to rationalise.
He cited the National Health Bill and the Biodiversity Bill as some of those bills.
Abati said: “The President does not have any problem with the invitation by the House of Representatives. But there should be a formal letter inviting him to come and address them on the floor of the House. Something will be said on the floor of the assembly and once the President does not have a formal letter inviting him, the President cannot, on the basis of newspapers report say he has been invited. 
“I am very sure that when there is a formal invitation from the National Assembly, the President will honour it. In any case, the National Assembly is dominated by members of the President’s party.
“Mr. President often invites members of the parliament to hold meetings with him in the Villa and they honour the invitation. So, when they invite him formally, he will go especially since the issues are of mutual interest to both arms of government and of interest to Nigerians. It is a procedural thing when the lawmakers ask the President to come and address them. You will remember that every year, he addresses them when presenting the Appropriation Bill. Whenever the President goes to event in the ruling party, he briefs them. When he does Presidential Media Chat, he gives reports to Nigerians. On a daily basis, we report the activities of government online, through newspapers and other possible medium to show that this is a Presidency that is transparent and has nothing to hide. His true mandate is to serve Nigerians. It is not that the President is avoiding the legislature; it is not that the President does not want to go to the National Assembly. Both bodies work together.
“Enshrining the State of the Nation Address into the Constitution is not a problem, what they are asking for is accountability. If there is a law like that, it makes it mandatory for the President to come to the parliament from time to time to give account, that is the law. It is the duty of the President to protect the rule of law and this President has shown in many instances that he respects the rule of law. Even with the just-concluded Edo election, the success was made possible by the President. Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria has commended the President who is of the Peoples Democratic Party”.

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Mandela at 94, 12million pupils sings

 By The Nation: Reporter

 

•Mandela with his family during the celebrations…yesterday

South Africans rose in salute to their legendary former president, Nelson Mandela, who turned 94 yesterday, celebrating him with “67 minutes of good deeds”.
Leading the celebrations were no fewer than 12 million school children, who sang a specially composed birthday song for Madiba as Mandela is popularly known.
Each minute of the “67 minutes of good deeds” marks each year of Mandela’s struggle against white-minority rule. He was in prison for 27 years under the apartheid regime.
Mandela regained his freedom in 1990 and led the African National Congress (ANC) to victory in 1994 in elections that followed the post-apartheid years. He left office in 1999 after serving for one term.
Mandela marked the birthday quietly in his ancestral village of Qunu in the remote Eastern Cape province.
He spent the day with close family, friends and former United States (US) President Bill Clinton.
Clinton, accompanied by his daughter Chelsea, opened a new library for the No-Moscow Primary School in Qunu, ahead of his meeting with Mr Mandela. 
He told the children - believed in the future and not the past. 
“When I think about Mandela I always think about someone committed to the future,” Clinton said.
US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, also paid tributes to Mr Mandela. 
The US first couple hailed Mr Mandela’s “extraordinary life and steadfast commitment to the principles of democracy and reconciliation”. 
Mandela’s birthday is traditionally celebrated with the poor communities receiving help from those who are more fortunate. 
To celebrate the number of years Mr Mandela spent in public life, people are encouraged to spend at least 67 minutes of their time helping those who are less fortunate. 
The guest list for a private lunch with Mr Mandela was kept a closely guarded secret. 
South Africans celebrated with giant cakes, mass renditions of “Happy Birthday” 
But beyond the mawkish tributes to South Africa’s first black president, the day revealed the unseemly scramble among companies, politicians and charities for a slice of the reflected glory of “Madiba”.
The ANC released a 1,450 word eulogy to its totemic former leader, exhorting the country’s 50 million people to “continue to build the South Africa of Madiba’s dreams”.
Yet only last week, anti-apartheid heroine and Mandela ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was accusing the ANC in a leaked letter of “shabby treatment” of the family and wanting to wheel them out only “when we have to be used for some agenda”.
The “67 minutes” Mandela Day charity push has also re-opened old wounds amid criticism it is merely a vehicle for whites and the newly rich black elite to assuage the guilt of living at the top of what remains one of the most unequal societies, even 18 years after the end of apartheid.
Leading the charge was Luther Lebelo, head of an ANC branch in Johannesburg, who wrote an article in the Sowetan newspaper suggesting the day was about “little cosmetic charity activities” that only served to perpetuate class divisions.
The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, as the official guardians of his image are known,
hit back in the same paper, taking particular exception to Lebelo’s reference to the “so-called Mandela Foundation”.
The jibe reflects a view widely held among South Africa’s overwhelming black majority that whites have managed to co-opt Mandela and his image since the first all-race elections in 1994.
The Mandela centre has also become embroiled in a commercial battle with members of his family over the selling of Mandela-branded clothing via its ‘46664’ fashion range, named after the number he was given during his 27 years in prison.

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N32b pension fraud trial: EFCC seizes 45 mansions

By The Nation: Yusuf Alli, Abuja 

 

 •One of the seized houses

Anti-graft agency gets court’s nod to freeze six suspects’ bank accounts

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)  has received an interim order from the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Lawal H. Gumi, to take possession of 45 assets of all the six persons who allegedly defrauded the Police Pension Office of N32.8 billion.
The order also covers the freezing of the accounts of the suspects.
The six suspects are Esai Dangabar, a suspended Permanent Secretary, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, John Yakubu Yusufu, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula and Sani Habila Zira.
 All the suspects were arraigned on March 29  on  16 criminal charges bordering on conspiracy and criminal breach of trust before Justice Mohammed Talba of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory , Gudu, Abuja.
According to a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujiaren, the EFCC had sought the leave of the court to seize the assets - in line with sections 28 and 29 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004.
Section 28 reads: “Where a person is arrested for an offence under this Act, the Commission shall immediately trace and attach all the assets and properties of the person acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from the Court.”
The EFCC said the judge ordered the freezing of the bank accounts of all the accused persons, pending the hearing and final determination of the corruption case against them.
The EFCC gave the breakdown  of the assets as follows: Dangabar(15), Mrs. Onyegbula(11),  Wada(six)  Kigo(five),  Yusuf(four) and Zira(four).
The statement said: “According to the order, all the bank accounts currently being operated and maintained by Inuwa Wada at Keystone and Zenith Bank, all totalling 11 in number, are hereby temporarily frozen until the determination of the charge Number FCT/Cr/64/2012.
“Similarly, all the bank accounts presently being operated and maintained by Esai Dangabar, Atiku A. Kigo and Veronica Onyegbula in the following banks: EcoBank, FCMB, Access Bank, Skye Bank, Fortis Micro Finance Bank, Aso Savings, GTB, Mainstreet Bank and Wema Bank are hereby temporarily frozen pending the hearing and determination of all the said criminal charge No. FCT/64/2012 presently pending before this court,” the Judge is quoted as ruled.
“The 15 property belonging to Esai are: Block of three bedroom flats at Gwarinpa (six units), along EFAB Estate, Life camp; a Block of  three-bedroom flats (six units) at Mabushi District, beside Ministry of Works; Estate of four-bedroom duplexes (16 units) behind Wuye Modern Market, Abuja; a mini estate at 19, Ukpabi Asika Street, Asokoro, Abuja; 12 units of two-bedroom flats at 1, Waziri Ibrahim Crescent, Gudu District, Abuja; five-bedroom duplexes at 1, Waziri Ibrahim Crescent, Gudu District, Abuja; four-bedroom bungalows at 1, Waziri Ibrahim Crescent, Gudu District, Abuja;  two-bedroom flat at Zone C, Apo Resettlement Layout. Others are: five blocks of one-bedroom flats at Zone C, Apo Resettlement Layout, Abuja; twin duplex of five-bedroom & three rooms, 33, ML Wushishi  BQ 1 Crescent, Utako, Abuja; two blocks of three bedroom flats,  Area 3, former NYSC Office, Abuja; two-bedroom, Area 2, Abuja, behind Shopping  Complex , three-bedroom flats , 2 Goran village, along Adi Farms Ltd, Abuja-Keffi Road,  180,000 litres storage facility on a land of about  5,000sqm, with office building, workshop and 20 loading bay 1 Suleja,  Niger State.
“The 11 property belonging to Mrs. Onyegbula are: four-bedroom duplex  at No.3, Andorra  Street, Sun City, Galadimawa, Abuja; Building Housing Ulover International Resources Ltd, Kechis Bottling Company, Plot 140 - 142 Ehinmiri Housing  Estate, Umuahia, Abia State; Building (six-bedroom duplex), Housing Somadok, 14, Ola Adeshile Street, Ajao Estate, Oshodi-Isolo, Lagos; large plot of land for International Primary & Secondary School, Ehinmiri Housing Estate, Phase 2, Umuahia, Abia State;  a mansion with a BQ at Umugbalu Village, Oboro, Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State. 
Others are: two-storey building with shops and flats at No.l03, Ozuitem, Street, Enugu Road, Amuziukwu, Umuahia, Abia State; One, two-storey building with shops and flats at No. l04, Ozuitem Street, Enugu Road, Amuziukwu, Umuahia, Abia State; two-storey building of six flats at Ukaegbu Street, Aba, Abia State; Student Hostels at Michael Okpara University of Agric, Umudike, Oboro, Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State; three bedroom duplex at No.1, Tola Adewumi Street, Off. Folarin Hospital, Maryland ; three-bedroom duplex at No.2, Tola Adewumi Street , Off Folarin Hospital, Maryland.
“The six property belonging to Wada are: four-bedroom duplex  at Block B4, Finance Quarters, Wuye, Abuja; house at Gwale, Kano;   house at Filling Mushe, Gwale Local Government Area, Kano; duplex at  Saudauna Crescent, Nassarawa Kano;  duplex at Dorayi Karshen Waya, behind Old BUK, Kano; house at  Unguwa Uku, Kano.
“The five property belonging to Kigo are a three-bedroom bungalow at 18 Uruguay Street, Panasonic Estate, Wuse 2; four-bedroom duplex at Gudu New layout, Abuja;  four-bedroom duplex at 35, Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja;  a 4 bedroom duplex at FHA, Gwarinpa new Extension beside COCIN Church and  an International Secondary and Primary School (under  construction) at Kuje, Abuja.         
“The Four property of Zira are: Concept College London, Gwarinpa, Close to Ecobank, Abuja; block of flats at FCDA Quarters, Phase II, Block J, Flat 1 & 2  Garki, Abuja ; hotel (aka Habila Hasike’s Hotel) beside Yasekule Primary School, on the same street with Michika Local Government Secretariat, Adamawa State;  A House at No.36, Malamre Wark, Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State.
“Yusuf’s property in Gombe and Abuja are: hotel (under construction, finishing level) behind Gombe State Investment Property Company Housing Estate,       Gombe State ; three-bedroom semi-detached bungalow at UU1, A&B, Sunny Homes, Dakwo District, Abuja ; three-bedroom semi-detached bungalow at U20, A&B, Sunny Homes, Dakwo District, Abuja .”

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Jonathan lists challenges as CJN takes oath of office

By The Nation: Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

 

 •Justice Mukhtar...yesterday

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday urged the judiciary to join the fight against corruption and terrorism.
He also called for a speedy judicial process because “justice delayed is justice denied”.
Dr. Jonathan spoke at the swearing in of Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, the 13th Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Justice Mukhtar, who was cleared by the Senate last week, is also Nigeria’s first woman CJN.
She took over from Justice Dahiru Musdapher on Friday.
The President said: “Your lordship will preside over the judiciary at a time of profound changes that demand united response. We believe that judiciary can play a crucial role as we confront critical challenges.
“We are dealing with security challenges occasioned by sporadic act of terrorism in some parts of the country. The three arms of government must work cooperatively to overcome this terrorist threat and act in the country.
“The war against corruption is another endeavour that calls for concerted action by all arms of government. I am confident that the judiciary under your able leadership will rise up to the challenge and provide the most needed support for government to address these challenges. Our citizens complained of delayed trial particularly in cases of corruption, terrorism and other matters of serious concern.
“These complaints have led to frequent calls for special courts or designation of special judges to handle them with the required experience and speed. It will be your prerogative to consider and decide on this call. But I am sure that the entire country is in agreement that justice delayed is justice denied. I believe that an independent judiciary remains the final hope of our citizen. The independence of our judiciary is critical to our development and survival. Every bold and positive step you take in our march to nationhood is important. 
“Your lordship should apply the instrument of your hallowed office to ensure timely justice delivery to make manifestly claim that substantive justice will never be sacrificed on the altar of procedural technicality. Impunity must have no place in progressive Nigeria.”
The President also assured the CJN of the government’s cooperation in the discharge of her duties.
He praised the immediate past CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher for his effort within the short period he stayed in office.
 Jonathan said: “I will like to place on record our immense gratitude to the immediate past CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher. Despite his short tenure, he made spirited efforts to restore public confidence in our courts. We wish Justice Musdapher a well deserved retirement and hoe that he will avail his wealth of experience in the continued service of our nation, especially as he is now a member of Council of State.”
Describing Justice Mukhtar as a woman of destiny, he said she owes her rise to her brilliance, resilience and hard work. 
The President said: “Today, we are witness to history with the swearing in of Justice Aloma Murkta as the first female CJN. I join millions of our country men, female and youths in congratulating the Nigerian judiciary and your lordship as we record this important milestone in the annals of our nation’s judicial history. Although this administration has remained focused in projecting women, the learned CJN achieved this outstanding feat on account of her brilliance, resilience and hard work. 
“Our administration will continue to accord excellence and give it its deserved place in the service of our nation.  Ladies and gentlemen, there is the hand of destiny in the life of this distinguished jurist. From the records, her lordship has always been a trailblazer in her judicial journey. She was the first female lawyer of northern extraction, the first female High Court Judge from the North, first female second in-command, Kano State judiciary, the first Nigerian female jurist to be elevated to the Court of Appeal where she served for over 17 years at the appellate court.”
“The honourable CJN now joins an eminent and exclusive list of achievers recognised throughout the world as beacon of hope in this century. She will after leaving office become a member of our nation’s highest advisory council, the Council of State. Here again, she will make history as the first female permanent member of that council.”
Justice Mukhtar was conferred with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Nigeria (GCON) award.
Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker,  Emeka Ihedioha, Governors Rabiu Kwankwanso (Kano) and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa) were among the dignitaries at the ceremony.
Speaking to State House reporters at the end of the ceremony, Justice Mukhtar re-iterated her stand during her screening at the Senate that there was no need for a special court to try corruption cases.
She said: “I think I talked about that at the Senate that there is no need for a special court. A judge, two or three in the states, can be designated to take care of that. I will again go back to what I said in the Senate - that I will lead by example and I will hope and pray that the others will follow.”
On security challenges, Justice Mukhtar said: “I did say during my screening in the Senate that we will partner with the authority to ensure that we curb this menace.”
On delayed trials, she said: “That one is not the fault of the judges alone. We have counsel to contend with, bringing various applications. We have the Constitution also to contend with. Witnesses will not be available and there is a whole litany of reasons for this delay.”

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