Subsidy removal: Nwabueze, Utomi, others 48 sue FG

By Vanguard: Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA — Fifty eminent Nigerians led by  Prof. Ben Nwabueze, have approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, asking it to declare the increase in fuel pump price from N65 to N97 announced by the Federal Government on January 15, as unlawful, null and void.
The plaintiffs named President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President, Speaker of House of Reps, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the 36 state governors as co-defendants in the suit.
Other plaintiffs in the suit are Mr Balarabe Musa, Dr Tunji Braithwaite, Kalu Idika Kalu, Prof. Pat Utomi; late Gani Fawehinmi’s wife, Ganiyat; Shehu Sanni, Dr Fredrick Fasheun, among others.

Protesters at Mobolaji Johnson road Ikeja during the peaceful protest, against deployment of soldiers to Lagos state and new price of fuel, by Fed Govt, organised by National Action Coalition of Democracy, in Lagos . Photo; Bunmi Azeez

In their originating summons, the litigants contended that going by provisions of Section 7 of the PPPRA and Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution, the defendants were not empowered to validly increase the pump price of petrol as was done on January 15, 2012 from N65 per litre to N97 per litre.
They stressed that by virtue of Section 81 of the 1999 constitution, the defendants cannot sit as a body or in consultation with one another and validly take any decision affecting the appropriation of revenue accruing to the Federation and, in particular, the removal of subsidy on petrol without a valid appropriation Act.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, has already assigned the case file to Justice Adamu Bello.
Specifically, the plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Festus Keyamo, are asking the court to declare that  the purported increase of petrol pump price from N65 to N97 by the defendants while sitting as a body or in consultation with one another is in violation of Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 7 of the PPPRA Act and, therefore, null and void and of no effect.
“To nullify the decision of the defendants increasing the price of petrol from N65 to N97 on the grounds that the defendants’ action contravened Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution  and section 7 of the PPPRA Act.
Besides, they asked the court to direct President Jonathan to immediately reverse the price of petrol from N97 to N65 per litre.
The case has been fixed for mention on May 22.

Robbery attack: Ekene Dili Chukwu apologises to students, parents

By Vanguard: Theodore Opara EKENE Dili Chukwu Transport Company, yesterday, apologised to the parents and students of Holy Rosary College Enugu, over last Saturday’s robbery attack along Oke-Odo end of Shagamu/Benin Expressway, Ijebu Ode.
The firm, however, maintained that the students were neither hurt nor sexually molested.
The company’s legal adviser, Mr. Frank Obayagbona, while briefing newsmen on the robbery attack said: “Our company sympathises with the students and their parents for the inconvenience, emotional and psychological trauma they may have subjected to as a result of the unfortunate incident.
“We are ready as a responsible corporate entity to work with parents of the children with a view of helping them overcome the traumatic experience medically and otherwise to the best of our ability.”
Maintaining that the children were never hurt or sexually molested during the armed robbery incident, as was widely reported in the press, the legal adviser maintained that their concern was the welfare of the children and how to join hands with their parent to help them overcome the trauma. He added that the interest of the children was very important to his company.
“At the time students were rescued and a head count conducted, we inquired whether any of them (students) was hurt or sexually molested but they all confirmed they were fine and not molested. Even the woman who was a representative of the Parent Teachers’Association in the bus at the time they were all rescued confirmed that non of them was sexually molested.”
Explaining further, he said there was no report made to the police by any of the students or the female representative that they were sexually molested, adding that they were shocked by the unsubstantiated report in the media that the students were raped.

America worried over poverty in Nigeria, says ambassador

By Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and Wale Adepoju

 

•McCulley

The United States (U.S.) yesterday said it is concerned about poverty situation in the country.

Its ambassador in Nigeria, Terence McCulley, said in order to reverse the trend, U.S. would work with government to alleviate poverty.

 McCulley said the U.S. government, through its agencies, would support the energy sector, Niger Delta, education, agriculture and regional security. The ambassador, who spoke to reporters via the telephone, said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to that effect recently. 

McCauley said President Goodluck Jonathan’s economic agenda offered incredible opportunity for poverty alleviation, adding that the U.S. would help to build capacity of Nigerians to curb insurgency in the country. 

He condemned the August 26 bombing of last year and other bombings, which, he added, affected the country and international community.

He said the U.S. was concerned about the extreme ideology of the Boko Haram group, saying it would carry out educational programmes to ensure the development of the North. He identified Bauchi and Sokoto as states which require education and public health programmes. 

He said: “The U.S. government will improve children’s education and restore hope for their future.” 

He said the U.S.  plans to extend its outreach to Kano. He said the threat by Boko Haram might stop the US from opening its embassy in Kano.

He said: "We are committed to partnership with Nigeria and we have programmes with the Nigerian Police in various capacities. I think that there would continue to be challenges and Nigeria can count on partners like the United States to help build capacities to address these challenges."    

On the fight against corruption in Nigeria, he said: "We have a variety of programmes to build capacity of the EFCC. We saluted the nomination of Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde. For a year and half, we tried to raise nomination because we recognised that the EFCC had not been able to fulfill its mandate. 

"We have a variety of training programmes in place to build the capacity of EFCC workers. Chairman Lamorde is going to Washington in a week's time to have similar discussion with law enforcement and other agencies. At every opportunity, we talk about the need to address the problem of corruption. It is a dialogue we carry out at the highest level of this government and we recognize there is a problem. But I think we are deploying resources to assist the government of Nigeria to address this problem and it is part of our public diplomacy message."

EFCC uncovers another N9b police pension fraud

By Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, Abuja

 

 EFCC chair Lamorde

THERE seems to be no end to the pension fund scam.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said it has uncovered another N9billion fraud in the Police Pension Office.

The cash was withdrawn between 2007 and 2008. Some of the six suspects standing trial over the N32.8billion police pension scam are said to have been involved.

The six suspects on trial before Justice Abubakar Talba of the FCT High Court in Gudu are the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, John Yakubu Yusufu, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula and Sani Habila Zira.

The anti-graft agency has kept key witnesses who will testify against the six suspects in protective custody.

These facts are contained in a counter-affidavit deposed to in court by the EFCC through one of its detectives, Simon Iorzua, who was a member of the team that discovered the N32.8billion scam.

The EFCC’s deposition reads in part: “That the team is still investigating the accused/applicants on account of other funds allegedly misappropriated by them while at the Police Pension Office.

“That apart from the present charge, our team also discovered that the accused/applicants in the period of 2007 – 2008 withdrew N9 billion with First Bank and there is an ongoing investigation on the involvement of the accused/applicants.

“That our team further stumbled on some other accounts being operated by the accused/applicants in other commercial banks which they did not disclose to our team during interrogation.

“That the Commission is still investigating other complaints against the applicants bordering on money laundering, fraudulent acquisition of properties and misappropriation of public funds.”

The EFCC expressed concern about the safety of some of its key prosecution witnesses.

Although the commission did not give the exact figure of the witnesses in the affidavit, a source said “they are more than 10”.

The affidavit added: “That the accused/applicants corruptly enriched themselves as public servants and diverted the funds of the Police Pension Office to their personal use.

That I know as a fact that the evidence gathered against the Applicants by my team is overwhelming...

“That some of the proposed prosecution witnesses are civil servants who worked with or under the accused/applicants as junior workers at one time or the other.

“That many of the proposed prosecution witnesses are now apprehensive and some of them are in protective custody as a result of continuous threat to their lives by the applicants’ agents and persons connected with them.”

The anti-graft commission gave the details of its investigation and specific findings on how the funds were looted.

It added: “That the EFCC received an intelligence report to the effect that over N19 billion was withdrawn from the account of the Police Pension Office by 5th Applicant (Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula) herein in violation of the e-payment circular and the financial regulation.

“That it was alleged in the intelligence report that at various times, the 1st – 3rd accused/applicants (Esai Dangabar, Atiku Abubakar Kigo and Ahmed Inuwa Wada) in collaboration with the other applicants, authorised the fraudulent withdrawals of the said funds and shared same among themselves.

“That the Commission accessed the intelligence report and found same to be credible. The intelligence report was further referred to my team for further investigation.

“That my team went into action by investigating the case and our investigation revealed the following:

“The 1st accused/applicant (Esai Dangabar) was the director in the Police Pension Office between 2008 and 2009.

“That the 2nd accused/applicant (Atiku Abubakar Kigo) was a director in the Police Pension Office between February 2010 and February 2011.

“That the 3rd accused/applicant (Ahmed Inuwa Wada) was a director in the Police Pension Office between February 2010 and June 2011.

“That the 4th accused/applicant (John Yakubu Yusufu) was an Assistant Director, accounts in the Police Pension Office between February 2009 and September 2011.

“The 5th accused/applicant (Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula) has been with the Police Pension Office since 1999 and she is currently the cashier of the office.”

The 6th accused/applicant (Sani Habila Zira) “is the Head of ICT (Information Communication Technology).