Hotteztgizt.com: July 2015

Friday 31 July 2015

Disgraced; Major General Chris Olukolade Fired As Director Of Defense Information

Major General Chris Olukolade TIME

Major General Chris Olukolade has been removed as the Director of Defense Information by the Chief of Army Staff Major General Tukur Buratai. It was also announced by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations Colonel SK Usman that he will be replaced by Colonel Rabe Abubakar.
President Buhari announced during his inaugural speech at Eagle Square in Abuja that there would be major changes to Nigeria’s military, including relocating the Command Center to Borno State. President Buhari also announced top military appointments two weeks ago “because of the merit of their records.” The President made a point to say he did not know any of these appointees, but he chose them on the basis of character and service.
Major General Olukolade has made headlines in recent months for publishing books on the Nigerian military as well as for attacking the military spokesman from Niger on Twitter.
General Olukalade was at one time Commander of the Nigerian Army Information School, Bonny Camp in Lagos. He became the Army spokesman in March 2013.

Chelsea vs Arsenal: A Clash Of Two Age Long London Rivals

This Sunday marks the kickoff of the new EPL season with a crunch Community Shield fixture between Chelsea and Arsenal. These two EPL giants are both from London; west and north London respectively.

The rivalry between these two teams is not of violence but of passion and respect. The rivalry is so strong that it transcends the pitch. The managers are right in the thick of it. The two managers, Mourinho and Wenger have at one point or the other attacked each other frontally; the most talked about is Mourinho calling Wenger a loser.
One fact that remains between the two managers going into this clash is that Wenger has never defeated Mourinho in as many matches; all he has managed to do is get a draw. As much as this is something to be proud of for Chelsea, it is equally something that puts them under immense pressure given that they would want to keep the fairytale going. The last place Chelsea manager would want that record broken is in a fixture that involves a trophy. Well, whatever happens at the end of 90 minutes or penalties.

Wednesday 29 July 2015

Toyin Saraki Arrived At EFCC Unprepared, Left Shocked At How Much They Know – Reports

SaharaReporters has learned from sources within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that Toyin Saraki, the wife to Senate President Bukola Saraki, arrived at the EFCC “totally unprepared” for the questions interrogators were asking.

Senator Saraki and his wife have been the subject of intense pressure over documents which reveal they have been stealing and laundering money from Kwara State and various financial institutions for decades. These documents also reveal that Mrs. Saraki has played a significant role in assisting to launder these funds.
Mrs. Saraki was accompanied by an entourage of politicians and supporters as she arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. Included in her entourage was founder of the Anti-Corruption Network, now Senator, Dino Melaye who has been criticized in recent weeks for flaunting his wealth on social media.
SaharaReporters reported earlier today that Mrs. Saraki arrived two hours late for her appointment. According to a senior agent at the EFCC Mrs. Saraki tried to intimidate the EFCC officials with melodrama and members of her entourage.
The EFCC successfully separated Mrs. Saraki from members of her entourage in order to effectively interrogate her in private, according to an investigator. This same EFCC investigator said that separating her was important because she was no longer able to distract officials.
He also told SaharaReporters that Mrs. Saraki was “thoroughly overwhelmed” by the knowledge of the investigators’ of her criminal acts linked to the laundering of stolen Kwara State funds and misappropriation of bank loans.
The EFCC investigator added that Mrs. Saraki “left shocked after seven hours of interrogation.”
She is due to return to the EFCC for further questioning on Wednesday at 10am

Credit: Sahara Reporters

Arsenal and Chelsea linked with a move for Napoli winger

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Arsenal and Chelsea are keen to secure the signature of Napoli winger Jose Callejon, claim Italian media reports.
The London rivals are understood to be among a number of Premier League clubs who are interested in the 28-year-old and Liverpool are also monitoring the player's situation.
Callejon is reportedly to be open to a move away from Napoli this summer after the Partenopei failed to qualify for the Champions League last term.
And, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Arsenal have edged ahead of Chelsea in the race to land the attacking midfielder, although a deal is not thought to be close.

Former Tottenham flop completes move to Indian Super League champions

Former Tottenham striker Helder Postiga has signed a deal with Indian Super League champions Atletico de Kolkata.
The club, who are owned by former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, have announced the 32-year-old as their marquee signing for the coming season.
Postiga was a total flop at Spurs, scoring just once in 19 Premier League outings in the 2003/04 season.
But he followed up that miserable season by equalising against England in the Euro 2004 quarter final which the Three Lions eventually lost on penalties.
He has since gone on to enjoy spells at Saint Etienne, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Real Zaragoza, Valencia and Lazio.
He spent last season at Deportivo La Coruna, scoring only once in 14 La Liga appearances, but has now moved to Asia in search of a fresh challenge.
A post on the Atletico de Kolkata's Twitter feed read: "Hlder Postiga just signed as Atletico de Kolkata's marquee player for ISL Season 2. Shout out for Postiga!!!"

Mourinho v Mrs Benitez: 'Chelsea boss was rattled by Rafa, now his Mrs has wound him up too!'

The new season hasn't even properly begun and already Jose Mourinho is involved in a war of words.
Chelsea's boss has seemingly accused Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez of being overweight, following comments from Benitez's wife, Montse, that Mourinho leaves his former clubs in a mess.
The Spaniard has now followed Mourinho as a manager at three clubs, with the Real Madrid job joining Chelsea and Inter on their respective CVs.
"We tidy up his messes," said Mrs Benitez, of her husband's habit of managing clubs after Mourinho has left them.
"The lady is a bit confused," Mourinho replied, after Chelsea's International Champions Cup win over Barcelona.
"Her husband went to Chelsea to replace Roberto Di Matteo and he went to Real Madrid and replaced Carlo Ancelotti.
"The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time.
"If she takes care of her husband's diet, she will not have any time to talk about me."

Mourinho and Benitez developed a fierce rivalry a decade ago, during the former's first stint as Chelsea manager, when the latter was in charge of Liverpool.
While Mourinho's Blues were the dominant domestic force, winning two Premier League titles in that period, Benitez's Reds knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League in two semi-finals, as well as an FA Cup last four tie.

Ex-President Jonathan’s Minister Stole $6bn – Gov. Oshiomhole

He said the details were provided last week by United States officials during President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit there. Mr. Oshiomhole, who was part of the delegation, did not give the name of the minister.
“We have moved away from a president that doesn’t seem to know his powers to one that understands that he is a president of the country in the continent,” Mr. Oshiomhole said in response to criticisms of the trip by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
He spoke on Monday at the state house where he and the Kebbi State governor, Atiku Bagudu, as members of the APC governors’ forum, briefed President Buhari on the outcome of a discussion held with APC Senators Sunday.
“PDP destroyed the country- I mean from the lips of American officials; senior officials of the state department. They said one minister under PDP cornered as much as $6billion, and the man said even by Washington standard that is earth-quaking,” he said.
He said the country was being very patient with the PDP, otherwise Nigerians would have been “stoning” anyone carrying the badge of the party.
Mr. Oshiomhole said the PDP government plundered Nigeria, destroyed its institutions, damaged the military, converted the NTA to a party megaphone, destroyed the SSS, went after opposition, and compromised even student unions.
“We are a very patient people. If we were not a patient people, anybody wearing the tag of PDP ought to feel very unsafe because you are all victims- all of us here,” he said.
Mr. Oshiomole said under the PDP, there was no law as they were law to themselves. He quoted American officials as saying that Mr. Jonathan was seen as a confused president who did not know what they issues were, leaving others outside the country “frustrated”.
Recalling a chat with the US Assistant Secretary of State, Johnnie Carson, on the difference between the two administrations, Mr. Oshiomhole said Mr. Carson told him that each time they thought that there was light at the end of the tunnel for Nigeria and it is time to encourage them to build on it, “you we would wake up the following day under president Jonathan to find out that even the tunnel had been removed”.
“Now last week, this same Carson cheered the president’s address at the Institute of Peace. And he said ‘we now have a man of enormous integrity; one that has shown so much faith in the democratic process; one that refused to be frustrated even in the face of massively rigged elections,” he said.

Gaddafi’s Son Sentenced To Death

Saif Gaddafi, son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi Telegraph UK
On Tuesday, the son of former dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was sentenced to death by a court in Libya. Saif al Islam Gaddafi, who was present in the court by video stream, was one of nine Libyans sentenced to death during a mass trial in Tripoli. Saif Gaddafi, along with the nine others, were accused of murder and inciting genocide during the country's 2011 uprising.
Muammar Gaddafi's 42 year regime was brought to an end by a six month uprising and a subsequent civil war which saw the US and NATO partners carrying out airstrikes against the Gaddafi regime. Gaddafi was later killed by the Libyan rebel forces after capturing him from a hiding place under a highway.
Since Gaddafi’s death, Libya has been a country in great turmoil and without a central governing authority. Two warring factions each claim to be the legitimate rulers of Libya. An internationally recognized parliament is based in Tobruk, while the capital Tripoli is held by its rivals, Libya Dawn.
Saif Gaddafi is being held in the southern town of Zintan by a rebel group who opposes the government in Tripoli. The Zintani rebels say that they would not execute him or hand him over to the court.
More than 30 close associates of Colonel Gaddafi were tried for preventing peaceful demonstrations during the uprising. Eight other ex-officials received life sentences and seven were sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, according to chief investigator Sadiq al-Sur, four were acquitted.
Saif Gaddafi is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for Crimes Against Humanity. He was educated at the London School of Economics and was once expected to replace his father as Libya’s leader.

Tuesday 28 July 2015

Nigeria's Ministry Of Health Accuses Okonjo-Iweala Of Making Questionable Payment To Global Health NGO

A letter written by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health wondered why Ms. Okonjo-Iweala’s Ministry of Finance rushed to pay the disputed sum to GAVI, a health NGO that had claimed that Nigeria’s health officials had misappropriated the funds between 2011 and 2013.
GAVI had sought the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following disagreements between the NGO and the Federal Ministry of Health, according to a letter written by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health, L.N. Awute.
Specifically, GAVI had accused the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) of several infractions, including failure to pay taxes, failure to make required payments to UNICEF, and failure to supply promised goods and programs between 2011 and 2013.
In the midst of the dispute, the Federal Ministry of Finance made a $2.2 million payment to GAVI to make up for the supposedly misplaced funds.
However, Mr. Awute claims in his letter, addressed to the EFCC and dated July 15th, that all of the funds were properly accounted for by the NPHCDA. The agency’s own report found receipts, confirmations, and other forms of evidence verifying that the money was in fact appropriately spent. The permanent secretary’s letter to the EFCC stated that the discrepancies between NPHCDA’s and GAVI’s accounting were glaring, but accused GAVI of being “evasive to all requests for reconciliation.”
Mr. Awute wrote that, following GAVI’s insistence that the Ministry of Finance involve the EFCC in the issue, the Ministry of Health was under the impression that the EFCC would seek to harmonize GAVI’s audit report and the response from the NPHCDA. Instead, he disclosed, the Ministry of Finance headed by Ms. Okonjo-Iweala paid the disputed $2.2 million to GAVI “without recourse to the Federal Ministry of Health.”
Mr. Awute surmised, wondering whether the EFCC had concluded its investigation and recommended that the Ministry of Finance pay the full disputed amount to GAVI.
“In the light of the foregoing, I wish to seek your clarifications on the issues raised,” Mr. Awute wrote to the chair of the anti-corruption agency.

Friday 24 July 2015

Prosecute our members if found corrupt, PDP tells Buhari

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh

The Peoples Democratic Party has called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to hesitate to investigate and prosecute any of its members found to have corruptly enriched himself.

The party said because of its integrity, it would neither condone nor albeit corrupt persons.The call followed the statement made by the President in which he said he had started receiving some documents which indicted some former ministers and other top government officials of massive fraud, including oil theft.
The affected ministers and presidential aides were said to have served under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Bayelsa State-born politician is a member of the now opposition party, the PDP, and was also its presidential candidate during the last election.

But in prosecuting the affected members, the PDP however said that the Federal Government must adhere to the rule of law.

National Publicity Secretary of the main opposition party, the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, stated the party’s position in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja.

Metuh said that as a policy, the party would not hesitate to condemn anyone found to have flouted the law of the land.

He said, “They (any PDP members found to be corrupt) should be investigated and prosecuted according to the law of the land. All we want is that the law of the land must be followed.

“We will, however, insist that there must be respect for the human rights and that the rights of the individuals must not be violated.

“The law assumes everyone to be innocent until proven otherwise. With this, the government must not see anyone to be corrupt first. They are innocent until found guilty by court of law.”

He also added that it would be wrong for the government or anyone to see members of the PDP as criminals, even when there was nothing incriminating found with them.

Metuh said everyone, including suspects, must be seen to even be innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Metuh called on the government to also beam its searchlights on members of the ruling APC, adding that the fight against corruption must be holistic.

“We as a party will support the fight against corruption. However, the fight must be holistic and there mustn’t be any sacred cow,” he added.

Meanwhile, governors of the PDP under the aegis of the PDP Governors’ Forum on Wednesday night in Abuja, expressed concern over the current spate of Boko Haram attacks in the North-East and asked the military to wake up.

The governors, after their meeting, expressed concern that in spite of the security measures by the Armed Forces, “the sect seems to be intensifying its attacks.”

The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said even as they met, the Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo, received a call over another attack in his state.

Emmanuel, while calling on the Armed Forces to step up their operations, also lamented the state of the Internally Displaced Persons.

He said, “We actually call on the Armed Forces to step up their security measures to see how they can stem the tide of this menace.

“It is really a thing of concern to the PDP government that in spite of all the efforts in the Armed Forces, these guys are still proving to be more formidable.

“So, we are sure if the Armed Forces step up a little bit, they should be able to curtail it.”

Referring to the situation in Gombe State, he said, “We received another report of another attack. These are things we believe we should rise up as a country and curtail it.”

Buhari Will Probe Jonathan’s Govt Only; Not Obasanjo’s, Others – Presidency

Pres. Muhammadu Buhari Bayo Omoboriowo/State House Photo
President Muhammadu Buhari will not extend his corruption probe beyond the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the presidency has said.
Mr. Buhari, who is currently on official visit to the United States, has consistently vowed to investigate and bring to book, persons who looted the country’s funds.
The president said on Tuesday he will arrest and prosecute past ministers and other officials who stole Nigeria’s oil and diverted government’s money to personal accounts.
But the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Mr. Buhari, Femi Adesina, said the president will limit his anti-corruption war to the immediate past administration in the country.
He said Mr. Buhari will not waste time in probing the administrations of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalam Abubakar, Sani Abacha and Ibrahim Babangida.
He said even before he was sworn in to office on May 29, the president had categorically stated that he would not extend his corruption probe beyond the Jonathan government.
“If you recall, that was already settled before he got inaugurated as president. He has said he will not waste time digging into the far past,” Mr. Adesina said.
“The far past will includes Obasanjo and others. But the president has said he will not waste time to go that far.”
Before leaving office, Mr. Jonathan had said any probe by the new government would be seen as a “witch hunt” if it fails to go beyond his administration.
Speaking on criticisms over President Buhari’s decision to travel to the U.S. with his son, Yusuf, the presidential spokesperson said Mr. Buhari did not breach any rule.
He said it was a normal practice for presidents to travel with members of their families, citing the example of American presidents who travel abroad with their wives and children.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the president travelling with one of his sons. It is an acceptable and standard practice. He could go with up to four members of his family.
“Don’t forget that when former President Bill Clinton visited Nigeria while he was in office, he came with his daughter, Chelsea.
“President Barak Obama travels with his children and so the President of Nigeria can travel out with three or four of his children. Late President Umaru Yar’Adua used to travel with two of his sons and one of his grandchildren,” he said.
Mr. Adesina described the outcome of the president’s official visit to the US as “a roaring success on every side.”
“There are good returns. It is an investment that will yield very handsome returns.”

EFCC Arraigns 10 Persons for Illegal Oil Bunkering

Justice Muhammad Idriss

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned 10 persons and a vessel, MV Peace for their alleged involvement in illegal oil bunkering before Justice Muhammad B. Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos on a three count charge bordering on conspiracy and illegal dealing in petroleum products.
MV Peace and its crew members - James Abatan, Wasiu Abdul Owonikoko, Patrick Ameh, Johnson Ademola, Felix Otto, Chigozie Oguike, Olu Salisu, Jomo Gadagbe, Kunle Oba Saheed and Rasheed Adio were intercepted about five nautical miles off Lagos Fairway Buoy by the Nigerian Navy Ship Ikot-Abasi on the 4th of April 2015 on suspicion of illegal dealing in petroleum products.
Count one and two of the charge reads:
Count 1:
“MV Peace, James Abatan, Wasiu Abdul Owonikoko, Patrick Amen, Johnson Ademola, Felix Otto, Chigozie Oguike, Olu Salisu, Jomo Gadagbe, Kunle Oba Saheed and Rasheed Adio on or about the 4th day of April, 2015 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: dealing in petroleum products without appropriate licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section (1) (17) of the same Act.”
Count 2:
“MV Peace, James Abatan, Wasiu Abdul Owonikoko, Patrick Amen, Johnson Ademola, Felix Otto, Chigozie Oguike, Olu Salisu, Jomo Gadagbe, Kunle Oba Saheed and Rasheed Adio on or about the 4th day of April, 2015 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court without appropriate licence dealt with 200 Metric Tons of Petroleum product and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section (1) (17) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge when read to them.
In view of the plea of the accused, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo prayed the court for a trial date and to remand the accused in prison custody.
However, counsel to all accused persons, Dada Awosika said he had filed an application for bail and prayed the court for a short adjournment for hearing.
Justice Idris ordered that the accused persons be remanded in Ikoyi prison and adjourned the case to Monday 27 July, 2015 for hearing on the bail application.

Jonathan's Ministers Are Thieves- Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari

THE near future of some former ministers and top government officials appears to be behind bars as President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday confirmed that he had started receiving some documents, which showed that they were thieves.

The President vowed that the ex-ministers would be prosecuted based on the indicting documents while the proceeds of their fraud would be repatriated to government coffers from their multiple foreign accounts, which he said were opened for the purpose of laundering money.

Buhari said the documents at his disposal indicted some former ministers and other top government officials of massive fraud, including oil theft.

“Some former ministers were selling about one million barrels per day. I assure you that we will trace and repatriate such money and use the documents to prosecute them. A lot of damage has been done to the integrity of Nigeria with individuals and institutions already compromised,” the President said.

He spoke at an interactive session with Nigerians in Diaspora at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC, United States of America, as part of his four-day official visit to the country.

He also said that while many Nigerians had nicknamed him “Baba Go Slow” because of the delay in forming his cabinet, he would prefer to be “slow and steady” in taking decisions.

He said the government officials who had been stealing Nigerian oil also opened as many as five bank accounts abroad for the purpose of laundering the money they made from their thievery.

The President said, “We are now looking for evidences of shipping some of our crude, their destinations and where and which accounts they were paid and in which country.

“When we get as much as we can get as soon as possible, we will approach those countries to freeze those accounts and go to court, prosecute those people and let the accounts be taken to Nigeria.

“The amount of money is mind-boggling but we have started getting documents. We have started getting documents where some of the senior people in government, former ministers, some of them operated as much as five accounts and were moving about one million barrels per day on their own. We have started getting those documents.

“I assure you that whichever documents we are able to get and subsequently trace the sale of the crude or transfer of money from ministries, departments, Central Bank, we will ask for the cooperation of those countries to return those monies to the Federation Accounts.

“And we will use those documents to arrest those people and prosecute them. This, I promise Nigerians.”

Buhari faulted the mode of operation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, saying his administration would check the excesses of the corporation.

The President restated his position that removal of subsidy would bring more hardship on Nigerians.

He however said he would study the debate and take a decision based on his experience.

He said, “Who is subsiding who? But people are gleefully talking ‘remove subsidy.’ They want petrol to cost N500 per litre.

“If you are working and subsidy is removed, you can’t control transport, you can’t control market women, the cost of food and the cost of transport.

“If you are earning N20, 000 per day and you are living in Lagos or Ibadan, the cost of transport to work and back, the cost of food. You cannot control the market women because they have to pay what transporters charge them.

“If there is a need for removing subsidy, I will study it. With my experience, I will see what I can do. But I am thinking more than half of Nigerians cannot afford to live without subsidy.

“Where will they get the money to go to work? How will they feed their families? How will they pay rent? If Nigeria were not an oil producing country, all well and good.

“Our refineries are not working. We have a lot of work to do.”

Buhari decried those he said had started calling him “Baba Go Slow” because he has yet to form his cabinet, weeks after his inauguration.

He said, “Within the past two weeks, I am being asked when I am going to form my cabinet. And in some quarters they are now calling me ‘Baba Go Slow.’

“I am going to go slow and steady. Nigerians should be patient to allow this administration put some sense into governance and deal with corruption.”

He also pledged to study the Diaspora Bill with a view to signing it into law as being demanded by the Nigerians in Diaspora.

The President advised the Nigerians in Diaspora looking for government jobs back home to suspend their ambition, saying the national economy was in a bad shape and that it would take his administration about 18 months or more to resuscitate it.

He, however, promised that some of them would be engaged by the Federal Government as consultants to enable them to contribute their quota to national development.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, later issued a statement quoting Buhari as saying that his administration would trace the accounts of individuals who stashed away ill-gotten oil money, freeze and recover the loot and prosecute the culprits.

The statement read in part, “Corruption in Nigeria has virtually developed into a culture where honest people are abused.

“250,000 barrels per day of Nigerian crude are being stolen and people sell and put the money into individual accounts.

“The United States and other developed countries are helping us to trace such accounts now. We will ask that such accounts be frozen and prosecute the persons. The amount involved is mind-boggling.”

One former minister, who served in the ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, in his reaction on Wednesday, said Buhari was not a frivolous person and that his allegations against former ministers should not be trivialised.

The ex-minister however added that it was only former ministers who had access to oil that could have been engaged in the stealing of the product.

The minister, who is from the South-West, but who asked not to be named, told our correspondent that Buhari, being a cautious leader, could not have made a general statement tagging all ex-ministers as crude oil thieves.

“It is only someone who has access to oil that could steal it. I won’t believe that the President made a general statement calling all ex-ministers thieves. The President Buhari that I know doesn’t speak anyhow. This is a serious allegation that we should not trivialise,” he said.

Also a former junior minister, also from the South-West geo-political zone, told one of our correspondents on the phone late on Wednesday that he could not defend anybody because he did not know those that Buhari was accusing.

Thursday 23 July 2015

Alleged Corruption: EFCC Moves Against Saraki’s Wife, Yar’Adua’s Daughter

The daughter of former President Umaru Yar’ Adua and wife of former Kebbi State Governor, Saidu Dakingari, Zaina Dakingari, has been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged fraud to the tune of N2billion perpetrated during her husband’s tenure as governor of the Northwest State.

Toyin Saraki AllAfrica.com
Also invited for questioning for alleged money laundering is Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President and former governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki.
Mrs Saraki, a source at the anti-graft agency disclosed, is wanted in relation to questionable inflow of funds into companies where she has interest. She is expected to report at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on July 28, 2015; where a crack team of investigators have already been assembled to grill her.
Mrs. Dakingari on the other hand was initially expected to report for questioning at the EFCC headquarters today. However, Premium Times gathered that the former Kebbi first lady sent words that she was away to Saudi for Umrah (lesser hajj), and pleaded to be allowed to report on ‎ July 27, 2015.
She is expected to explain to operatives of the anti-graft agency the source of the steady stream of huge cash into her companies, while she held sway as ‘first lady’ of Kebbi State.
Contacted for comments, EFCC spokesp‎erson, Wilson Uwujaren, said, “I’m aware that a new set of suspects w‎ere recently invited,” Mr. Uwujaren said. “It’s not impossible the two women are among them.”

Buhari Shuts Down Question On Gay Marriage At US Congress

President Buhari was in Washington this week for a state visit

President Muhammadu Buhari immediately shut down a question about same-sex marriage in Nigeria during a session with US Congress members in Washington, DC. According to his spokesman Femi Adesina, President Buhari was “point blank” with the American lawmakers.
“Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture,” Mr. Adesina said in a tweet on Wednesday.

“Talks shifted to another matter once PMB [President Muhammadu Buhari] emphatically stated Nigeria’s stand on same sex marriage. The issue was not pushed,” Mr. Adesina said in another tweet.
The exchange took place in a joint session with some members of both the Senate and House of Representatives committees on foreign affairs. According to a high-ranking staffer on Capitol Hill, only select members of the committees were invited to the meetings with President Buhari.
Nigeria’s current laws prohibit same-sex marriage and punish violators with up to 14 years in prison.
The Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, announced last week that the US has incorporated gay marriage into its foreign policy since it was legalized nationwide in June.

Prosecution of Former Oil Minister, Alison-Madueke, Purge Of Corrupt Judges Dominate

The Nigerian president went to the Monday meeting with a delegation that included Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.
High on the agenda was to discuss American support for a vast investigation of racketeering schemes spearheaded by Ms. Alison-Madueke and several of her cohorts in the oil sector who conspired to deprive the Nigerian treasury of billions of dollars that went to private interests.
A source with authoritative information on the meeting told SaharaReporters that the US Justice Department provided President Buhari with a dossier listing numerous participants in the theft of several billions of dollars. US authorities also pledged to offer further documents on condition that Nigerian prosecutors demonstrate a focused and determined effort to pursue ethical and serious prosecution.
Our source revealed that the documents submitted and promised by the US disclose how Mrs. Alison-Madueke and her cohorts used several offshore accounts to move money between Switzerland and Germany.
According to our source, the name of Kola Aluko featured prominently in the discussion and documents. Mr. Aluko, a player in the oil sector who was picked by Ms. Alison-Madueke as a front for some of her more egregious deals, emerged in the last five years from relative obscurity to become one of Africa’s richest people.
Mr. Aluko, who fell out with the former Petroleum Minister after he reportedly started dating former superstar model Naomi Campbell, has acquired a stunningly expensive yacht, a retinue of Rolls Royce cars, other expensive cars well as multi-million homes and apartments in such locations as London, New York, and Dubai.
Our source explained that US law enforcement agents, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), spent more than two years on the investigation that uncovered a pattern of obscene theft of billions of dollars of Nigeria’s oil revenues. An FBI field officer in Abuja reportedly played a key role in the investigation of Ms. Alison-Madueke and her self-chosen collaborators, including Mr. Aluko.
Our source disclosed that the US Justice Department officials at the meeting indicated that they would be reluctant to sustain their collaboration with Nigerian authorities unless the Buhari administration set some process in place to identify and fire corrupt judges from the Nigerian judiciary.
A confidante of Mr. Buhari told SaharaReporters that, after leaving the meeting with the US Attorney General, at the Blair House guest house of Mr. Buhari, the Nigerian president vowed that he would take decisive steps to rid Nigeria of corrupt judges to ensure the success of his anti-corruption agenda.
Last week, during his US visit, Mr. Buhari publicly accused unnamed former ministers of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration of stealing up to one million barrels of crude oil per day from the Nigerian people. In official speeches and media interviews, the Nigerian president also restated his determination to go after corrupt officials, regardless of their political affiliation.

Sunday 19 July 2015

Uncovered; Brains Behind Election Postponement

Brains behind poll shift Punchng Pressure mounted by President Goodluck Jonathan’s loyalists and service chiefs on the Independent National Electoral Commission led to the postponement of the 2015 general elections, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.
The polls were billed for February 14 (presidential and National Assembly) and February 28 (governorship and House of Assembly).
Jonathan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, is contesting against retired Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress and 12 other candidates at the presidential poll.
Those who pushed for the postponement, despite the opposition from the All Progressives Congress and many Nigerians, include the Presidency; the Peoples Democratic Party
Jonathan’s loyalists; the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki; the Chiefs of Defence, Army, Naval and Air Staff, among others.
Two weeks ago, Dasuki, while speaking at a forum at the Chatham House in London, asked INEC to postpone the elections, saying the shift would allow for proper preparations and distribution of PVCs by the electoral body.
In an apparent reaction to Dasuki’s call, the United States had on January 25, 2015, advised Nigeria against postponing the elections.
The US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, gave the advice after he met with Jonathan and Buhari.
Kerry urged the Federal Government not to postpone the elections as canvassed by Dasuki.
However, the military chiefs wrote to Jega, informing him of the security implication of holding the elections in February as earlier scheduled. This, it was learnt, what part of what influenced shifting of the polls.
Before the INEC chairman announced the new dates for the elections, the commission had insisted that the presidential and National Assembly elections be held on February 14, while the governorship and states House of Assembly election be held two weeks later.
Jega, however, changed the dates of the elections at a press conference he addressed at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Saturday. He repeatedly held the NSA and security chiefs responsible for the shift.
The press conference came up after he met with representatives of all registered political parties.
Jega was said to have on Saturday told the leaders of the parties, his officers and the civil society groups that the commission was ready for the election as planned, but that he was worried because of the claim by the security agencies that they would not be able to protect members of the staff of the commission and the electorates.
Sixteen political parties led by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party were said to have favoured the shifting of the elections, while nine others led by the opposition All Progressives Congress were against the move.
Jega also had a marathon meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners of all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
At the meetings, Jega was said to have told the attendees that he had received a letter from service chiefs advising that he should postpone the general elections on the grounds that the security agencies were engaged in a renewed battle against insurgency in the North-East.
This, they claimed, would require their full concentration.
In the letter, it was gathered that the security agencies were demanding a rescheduling of elections by, at least, six weeks.
He also told the leaders of the political parties and the Resident Electoral Commissioners that he received a letter on Wednesday from the NSA, informing him that it would be difficult for the security agencies to protect the electorates during the election.
The Council of State had on Thursday rose from a seven-hour meeting, advising the INEC to conduct the elections.
Jega was quoted to have told the council that the commission was ready for the conduct of the election but the military chiefs were quoted to have said they could not guarantee the security of electoral officers, materials and the electorate should the commission go ahead with the earlier schedule.
Same Thursday, Jonathan’s supporters under the aegis of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly led by Ijaw leader and ex-Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, called for the postponement of the polls.
The group, at a press conference, pressed further by asking for the sacking Chairman, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and his arrest for allegedly conniving with some northerners to manipulate the presidential election against Jonathan.
Those in attendance included a former Vice-President, Alex Ekwueme, ex-Minister of Information, Walter Ofonagoro; ex-Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Peoples Democratic Party’s National Vice-Chairman (South-South), Dr. Cairo Ojugboh, and the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee of the recently held national confab, Senator Femi Okurounmu, among others.
Okurounmu, who read a prepared speech jointly signed by him, Clark and Ekwueme on behalf of the group, said the alleged connivance with the Northern Elders Forum was responsible for the near 100 per cent collection of Permanent Voter Cards in the North.
The PDP has also repeatedly called for a shift of the polls in the past two weeks.
An INEC National Commissioner, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH under anonymity after the Saturday meetings, said it was better for the commission to shift the elections in order to protect the integrity of their outcome and those that would take part in the conduct of the elections.
He said, “You needed to be at the meeting and see the mood of Jega. He was not happy because his integrity was at stake and because these same service chiefs had earlier given their words that they were ready.
“Now, if he didn’t listen to their advice, these same security agencies could create scenes (problems) for the elections. They could sabotage the distribution of sensitive materials.
“Apart from that, they could also refuse to provide security for those involved in the elections and could also sabotage the movement of sensitive materials.”
The source said almost everyone in the country was aware that the PDP-led Federal Government was not ready for the elections.
“If the Federal Government that is funding the security agencies and appointed their heads is not ready for elections, how do you compel their heads who are all appointees of the same government to say they are ready,” another INEC National Commissioner asked.

Buhari Threatens Legal Action Against AIT & NTA Over “Hate Broadcasts”

All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Muhamadu Buhari has threatened to file a lawsuit against African Independent Television (AIT) and Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) for airing what he has described as “hate broadcasts” against his personality.

Buhari’s threats comes just shortly after the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) warned all broadcasting stations operating in the country to “adhere strictly to the provisions of the broadcasting code or risk sanctions,” Vanguard reports.

The presidential candidate’s legal team is insisting that the two stations must not only retract the “hate documentaries,” but must also issue a public apology to Buhari, and have warned that failure to do so would result in swift legal action.

Buhari Wants To Imprison Jonathan – N’Delta Group

Former President Goodluck Jonathan
The VND specifically accused the President and his All Progressives Congress-led administration of “unsavoury and patently repugnant action,” which it said, were anti-Niger Delta and against the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
The group believed Jonathan was the target of the controversy surrounding some alleged missing funds from the nation’s treasury during the tenure of the immediate past administration.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, wondered why people would dwell on speculations when nothing concrete had been established against Jonathan.
He said, “All these are speculations and I cannot react to speculations because there is nothing concrete yet against the former President.”
The spokesperson of VND, Mr. Osaghae Ogiemudia, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, claimed that anti-Niger Delta and anti-Ijaw posturing of the APC government of Buhari had been demonstrated in several ways.
According to him, all Niger-Deltans, especially those from the Ijaw ethnic nationality, should support and rally round Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, “the only Ijaw governor.”
He said, “We, the members of the Vanguards of Nigeria’s Democracy, are aware of some clandestine moves made by the APC-led government to probe, investigate, malign and imprison ex President Jonathan. We are already aware of the trumped-up charges the APC government is leveling against a man who has diligently served the Nigerian state at the highest level of government.
“The APC led government should take notice that the appointments made so far are skewed in favour of the North, as no Ijaw man has been appointed. While an Ijaw President did not discriminate in appointment, President Buhari is implementing a Northern agenda through some of the appointments.”

Obama And Buhari Vs Boko Haram By Chido Nwangwu

I’ll call it the Boko Haram summit in Washington DC! Chido Nwangwu
Why?
It is in the national and international security interests of the two countries to tackle Boko Haram. Especially troubling for Nigeria and the U.S is the operational convergence of the ISIS and Boko Haram.
First, Obama, son of a Kenyan immigrant-scholar, should underscore for Buhari the key point that the former soldier was voted into power at a historic juncture, amidst the dramatic interplay of both squandered and current opportunities for a national rebirth of Nigeria. Buhari must move to a higher purpose, away from the seductions and assumptions of extraordinary power and the trails of nepotism.
Second, it is remarkable that the Islamic group’s response since Buhari announced at his swearing-in on May 29, 2015 he will crush the group has been Boko’s killing of almost 600 persons, destruction of mosques and churches
Third, the defiant escalation by the ISIS-backed terrorists Boko Haram regarding who defines and holds final authority and power over the geo-political integrity of Nigeria cannot be waived away as the misguided acts of a “rag-tag army” of mad zealots. Evidently, if anyone dismisses the Boko Haram soldiers as simply mad, they miss a tactical reality: there’s a method to the Boko “madness.” .
Consequently, Buhari, who has faced the almost daily embarrassment and relative emasculating of his presidency by daily murderous bomb attacks by Boko Haram, will seek an increase of American technical support in order to fight the northeast Nigerian radical Islamists group Boko Haram..
Fourth, issue for the two men is the realistic assessment of the facts that since the price of a barrel of crude oil has dropped by almost 54%, Nigeria depends on crude oil/petroleum sale for nearly 71% of its national income, there will necessarily be, at least, a 48% reduction in funds going to the 36 States of Nigeria and its local government administrations. According to the Deutsche Bank, for Nigeria to balance its federal budget for the 2014-2015 period, it needs a revenue stream pegged at $120 per barrel.
Nigeria’s 1.8 million barrels of oil per day (OPEC’s 7th highest; same as Angola) will need to be increased to at least 2.1 million barrels per day to begin to meet the spiraling bars of expectations awaiting Buhari, the 72-years-old man who ruled the country as a dictator from December 1983 to August 1985. Before then, he ran the national oil behemoth, NNPC without any reported issue of corruption or self-enrichment.
Fifth item which will be raised by Obama, U.S VP Joe Biden and other American leaders is Corruption — especially the oil/gas/petroleum sector. Buhari will offer the assurances of his direct handling of things in that area; reflecting what one of President Buhari’s associates told me “is part of his moves to cut down corruption.” I think that will be a popular move but an avoidable personalization.
Again, I think that Buhari has to profit from the lessons of the mistakes of the previous leaders and presidents from the country. Especially, from one man who is similar to him in some ways. From 1999 to 2007, the presidency of the man, retired General Olusegun Obasanjo rolled like a juggernaut. He, too, kept the oil portfolio and achieved minimal results — with resources squandered in petty fights and punitive expeditions and private appropriations -- all wrapped in his torn and incredible garment of 'Nigeria's National Interest.'
I am hopeful that millions of dedicated Nigerians and Buhari are capable of demolishing the infrastructure and commanders of Nigeria’s Corruption Inc. He has been, literarily, canonized almost as the second coming of a strict “miracle worker” by his supporters and a jaded country.
Interesting, too, that already the captains of corruption who wickedly reduced Nigerians to children of a lesser god are afraid of the emerging Buhari presidency.
No wonder that in the face of a dithering but gracious and younger President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigerians chose to return to the past with a tested, battle-hardened former dictator to fight corruption, deepen democracy, sort out basic electricity and optimize Nigeria’s future before it drowns in its own hideous orchestra of mediocrity and mechanized ethno-religious bigotry.
On balance, I believe Buhari has the capacity to rise to the challenge of history to be recorded as a man who had a rare second chance and truly turned Nigeria away from its depiction, stereotype and realities as a republic of corruption.

Buhari Vows To Bring Back Stolen Money, Garba Shehu Says

Garba Shehu
In an exclusive interview with SaharaTV correspondent, Adeola Fayehun, Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, discussed a host of issues ranging from Radio Biafra to Boko Haram. In the interview Mr. Shehu said that President Buhari has vowed to the bring back funds stolen by government officials in the past.
When asked about whether former Minister of Commerce Onyaku went to the Presidential Villa to beg President Buhari not to probe members of President Jonathan’s cabinet, Shehu denied that Onyaku asked Buhari to not probe Jonathan.
Mr. Shehu admitted that he is not at liberty to say whether or not Jonathan’s ministers would be probed, he reaffirmed that Buhari administration is commitment to recovering stolen money.
“Whoever has taken money from Nigeria that does not belong to them, Buhari’s word is to bring it back,” Shehu stated.
Fayehun also asked Mr. Shehu about issues concerning the Nigerian military’s fight against Boko Haram. Amongst them was the recent replacement of the nation’s military Chiefs and whether the Hausa tribe was overrepresented in Buhari’s selections.
Shehu responded that “merit was the yardstick that was used to generate these appointments. I don’t think it will be helpful for us to be counting the number of Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo appointments. That’s why the country is in the position where it is today.
“[President Buhari] has over 6,000 appointments to make. Now why would anyone use less than 10 appointments to judge a President on this matter? Again, it balls down to the lack of patience,” Shehu added.
Concerning the recent reemergence of Biafra Radio Mr. Shehu made it a point to say that it was a fringe effort to ineffectively dissolve the country.
”The issue of the oneness of the country had been settled by the civil government, and Nigerians have moved on. I don’t think people should take this fringe group seriously because they do not represent the majority of the country.”
Responding to the rumors that the U.S. will try to push President Buhari a reverse Nigerian anti-gay law and during his visit to Washington D.C. next week he emphasized the importance of the opinion of the country as a whole.
“The president of Nigeria will address the question when it is raised. Even if President Buhari holds a contrary opinion, he is one person, and he cannot ignore the domestic opinion of the country.”

Buhari Turns Down Former Petroleum Minister Alison-Madueke's Offer To Refund $250 Million

Diezani Alison-Madueke TheGuardian
Immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has offered to refund the sum of $250 million dollars to the Nigerian government in return for immunity from further investigation and possible prosecution, SaharaReporters has learned. However, her overture has reportedly received a cold response from President Muhammadu Buhari.
A source in Aso Rock and a ranking member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) told our correspondent that the former minister has been reaching out to influential government and ruling party officials, in and outside Abuja, to prevail on President Buhari to accept her offer and let bygones be bygone. According to our sources, Mrs. Alison-Madueke had enlisted the support of several figures close to Mr. Buhari, including Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, to intercede with the incumbent president.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke was one of the closest ministers to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and is reputed to have anchored and facilitated numerous money-laundering scandals and deals that characterized the era of the just-ended Jonathan administration. The former Petroleum Minister oversaw several oil swap deals, the disposition of oil wells handed over by Shell Petroleum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and the direct looting of funds through the NNPC. Former Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was forced out of office after he revealed that the NNPC had failed to remit more than $20 billion in oil revenues with the CBN.
The former Petroleum Minister is the latest of several officials who served under Mr. Jonathan’s government that are currently negotiating “soft landing deals” with the Buhari administration. The incumbent president, who was sworn in on May 29, 2015, has vowed to probe various questionable financial actions taken by his successor or officials of his government. Mr. Buhari is reportedly determined to recover billions of dollars in stolen funds.
One source said Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s latest offer to refund at least $250 million to the government came after she learned that President Buhari’s scheduled meeting with US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, would include a discussion of ways that the US government could facilitate the investigation, arrest and prosecution of some officials of the Jonathan administration implicated in the theft of billions of dollars and a variety of frauds that resulted in the loss of significant sums of public funds in Nigeria.
SaharaReporters exclusively reported earlier in the week that the former Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been cooperating with the Buhari administration’s ongoing, if quiet, probe of a series of questionable financial transactions by the Jonathan administration.
Our sources revealed that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala had given the Buhari administration documents that expose a number of shady financial deals executed by the Jonathan administration.
Two days ago, we reported that former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, had appealed to Mr. Buhari to halt the ongoing probe of former President Jonathan’s administration. Even though Mr. Anyaoku has denied that he urged Mr. Buhari to stop the investigation of his predecessor’s financial dealings, our sources insisted that the ex-Commonwealth chief executive brought up the matter.
Our sources disclosed that Mr. Buhari was unimpressed by Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s offer. “Mr. President considers the $250 million as ridiculous considering the amount of money Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke is suspected to have diverted into her pocket and those of others,” said one source.
According to our sources, Mr. Buhari is intent on ordering a full audit of deals and transactions done by the former Petroleum Minister and her cohorts in the various agencies that reported to her.
In addition, the new president is reportedly focused on looking further at the extensive embezzlement of security funds by appointees of the former president. Mr. Buhari has approved an investigation of how more than $3 billion in Nigeria’s defense budget was spent. Security agents who searched the homes of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, reportedly carted away some revealing documents.
Earlier today, the Department of State Security (DSS) arrested and detained Gordon Obuah, a former Chief Security Officer to President Goodluck Jonathan. Mr. Obuah is reportedly being questioned over his alleged mastermind of a multi-million dollar oil bunkering deal during the former administration.

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