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Senior officials of
the Oyo State government, including Layiwola Olakojo, who is the
Secretary to the State Government, were yesterday quizzed by operatives
of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences
Commission (ICPC) at the commission’s head office in Abuja. Other
officials interrogated alongside Mr. Olakojo are the Commissioner for
Lands, Housing and Survey, Moshood Oyebamiji; the Commissioner for
Finance, Adebayo Bankole; and the state’s Accountant General, Florence
Okeniyi. The officials were quizzed for over five hours over
allegations that they purchased choice property belonging to the state
government in Ibadan, the state capital at “ridiculously low prices.”

Illegally purchased property

Some of the
property allegedly purchased include the state government quarters in
Iyaganku, and other posh areas of Ibadan. The petition against the
officials, NEXT learnt, was sent to the ICPC, by indigenes of the state
last week. The officials, who were accompanied by the state’s Attorney
General, Abdul-Salam Abdullahi, were later granted administrative bail.
Mr. Abdullahi applied for their bail and also stood as a surety for the
accused persons. The involvement of the state Governor, Adebayo
Alao-Akala, and his deputy Taofeek Arapaja, in the said property grab
could not be ascertained. Both men, being immune from prosecution, were
not invited for interrogation by the agency. The officials later left
the ICPC premises at about 3.00pm. The media consultant to the ICPC,
Folu Olamiti, while answering questions on the reason for the state
officials’ presence at the commissions head office stated that “we are
carrying out investigations on a petition we received. We questioned
them over their involvement in allegations of underhand dealings in the
purchase of Oyo State government quarters.”

The interrogation of the officials is coming less than two months
after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) interrogated
Mrs. Okeniyi, three other officials of the state, including the
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hosea
Agboola, over allegations of an N8.2 billion fraud. In that case, the
state officials were alleged to have deducted N250 million each from
the 33 local government areas in the state for the construction of
155km “special roads project.” When contacted, Dotun Oyelade, the media
assistant to the Governor Akala, declined knowledge of the invitation
and interrogation of the officials by the ICPC. “No, I am not aware,”
he said, and asked this reporter to call back by 6.15pm. However, his
number could not be reached by that time.

Determined to address ecological problems such as
flood, soil erosion, desertification, and general environmental hazards
holistically, the federal government is to set aside N30 billion for
ecological projects before the end of the year.

Ibukun Odusote, permanent secretary of the ecological
fund office, disclosed this on Thursday, in Abuja, while briefing
journalists on the ecological fair scheduled to hold next week in the
federal capital.

Environmental challenges

“The federal government is looking at investing N30
billion into ecological projects this year,” she said, adding that
because ecological projects are weather prone, most of the projects
would commence in the last quarter of the year.

This year’s emphasis, according to her, will be laid
on afforestation programme, in which not fewer than 30 million trees
will be planted across the country.

“The afforestation programme covers every part of the
country. For this year, it is in plan that 30 million trees will be
planted. We are developing nurseries for at least 30 million seeds and
based on what we are able to do, we will follow up next year and in no
time, there will be trees planted everywhere in Nigeria,” she added.

While funding for this year’s project is being
processed, the office, according to her, is currently handling about
200 projects left over in 2009, revealing that they are being funded
directly from the federation account.

On how the fund will be disbursed, she said “The
fund, which originally constitutes one percent of the federation
account, was upwardly reviewed to two percent in 1992, and later, one
percent of the derivation allocation was added; making the total
percent of the ecological fund as of today to be three percent.

“Of the amount, 48.5 percent goes to the federal
government, while 24 percent and 20 percent are for states and local
governments respectively.”

The federal government had recently approved a new
guideline for the disbursement of Ecological Funds. Under the new
guideline, drought and desertification control will receive 60 percent;
soil erosion, flood/gully control takes 25 percent; pollution control
has five percent, while administration of Ecological Fund
Office/National Committee on Ecological Problems and other emergencies
will gulp 10 percent, which will be disbursed at the discretion of the
president.

Mrs. Odusote equally hinted that all ecological
projects will be assigned to competent contractors who will deliver
value for money in terms of quality work and timely completion of
projects.

This underscored the need to organise a fair designed
to attract experts, contractors, and consultants with requisite
experience in the ecological sub-sector.

“Eco-Fair 2010 is a further demonstration of the
efforts of the federal government to create awareness among people on
its intervention to alleviate consequences of ecological problems.

“It is also intended to draw people’s attention to ecological
problems in Nigeria with specific reference to erosion, pollution,
desert encroachment, deforestation, and flood, and lay emphasis on
prevention and reducing the adverse effect of ecological problems in
the country,” she said. </

The Abia State House of Assembly, on yesterday, commenced impeachment moves against the Deputy Governor, Chris Akomas.

The impeachment notice, which was
brought under ‘matter of urgent public importance’ by the member
representing Aba Central, Uzor Azubuike, was signed by 21 out of the
24-member legislature. The notice accused Mr. Akomas of gross
misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office. In the
six point allegation of misconduct, Mr. Akomas “has since May, 2010,
willfully and consistently absented himself from office and duty
without any lawful excuse or permission.”

Disrespect and fraud

In addition, the petition alleged that
the deputy governor refused to attend the official ceremony held in the
state Executive Council Chambers Government House, Umuahia, in May
2010, for the signing of the Abia State Appropriation law 2010, after
he was invited. He was also accused of failing to show up to receive
the Governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, who was accompanied by
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a respected Igbo leader on July 2 ,2010.

The notice, which was dated July 7, 2010, also accused him of
converting public funds to personal use. “That Comrade Akomas, as
Deputy Governor of Abia State, between January 2009 and March 2010,
unlawfully converted public funds to his personal use by causing and
directing proceeds from official cheques meant for government work to
be paid into his private bank account,” stated the notice. Mr. Akomas
was also accused of stating publicly that the only achievement of the
Abia State government in the past three years was in the field of
cocoa. The lawmakers also stated that he allegedly said that the office
of the deputy governor is only a spare tyre, and also abbused his
office “when as a result of amorous relationships with staff of his
office, his wife, Uchechi Chris Akomas, engaged a female staff in
physical combat thereby bringing the state government to ridicule.” The
legislators prayed the Speaker to direct Mr. Akomas to respond to the
charges brought against him. However, political analysts in the state
say the move is not a surprise considering that Mr. Akomas did not join
his boss, Theodore Orji, in defecting to the APGA. </

EDO

Edo State House of
Assembly has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) to
take immediate steps to stop the oil spill at Urhokuosa N’owa and
Oke-Akhianmwan communities in Uhunmwode Local Government Area. A member
representing Uhunmwode, Amadasun Uwamose, drew the attention of the
House, under matters of urgent importance, to the leak on Monday. Mr
Uwamose said the pipeline that passed through the villages was recently
vandalised by some hoodlums resulting in the spill. He explained that
the farmland and the source of water (Akhianmwan Stream) had been
polluted by the spillage in the last two days. The Majority Leader of
the House, Philip Shaibu, and the Deputy Speaker, Paul Ohonbamu
condemned the activities of the hoodlums. The House resolved that it is
the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety and welfare
of the citizens, adding that NNPC should take steps to stop the
spillage and to avert explosion.

EKITI

The Ekiti State
Chapter of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has suspended
the three-month-old strike embarked upon by members of the union.
Chairman of the union, Michael Ibiyemi, confirmed the immediate
suspension of the strike in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday. Mr Ibiyemi said that
though the state government was yet to fully address their demands, its
decision to call off the strike was informed by the need to allow for
collective bargaining. He said that the state government had agreed in
principle to meet with the union’s demands as soon as its finances
improved, but that the workers resolved to return to work out of
patriotism. He called on all JUSUN members working in various courts
and offices across the state to resume work immediately

IMO

The Court of Appeal
on Thursday, in Owerri, dismissed the application by the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Abia State, Onyema
Ugochukwu, challenging its earlier decision in the state’s governorship
poll in 2007. The court had earlier upheld the April 14, 2007 election
of the serving governor, Theodore Orji, but Mr Ugochukwu filed a motion
praying the court to reverse its decision. It had earlier set aside the
Abia Election Tribunal’s nullification of Mr Orji’s election on the
ground that he belonged to a secret cult; the Okija Shrine. Delivering
judgment, the presiding judge, Suleiman Galadima, said the court
dismissed all the applications for lack of merit and substantial
evidence after thorough examination.

RIVERS

Properties worth
millions of naira were recently destroyed following a heavy downpour in
Opobo, Rivers State on Tuesday. The worst hit areas were Brown
compound, Pombe area and buildings close to Opobo New Layout. The
Chairman of Opobo Local Government Area, Maclean Uranta, who conducted
journalists around the disaster area on Thursday, said that the council
had concluded arrangements to tackle the perennial flooding in Opobo
town. Mr Uranta said the council had engaged experts to study the
causes of the flooding and advise the council on the best approach to
combat it. He sympathised with the victims and assured them that
arrangements were ongoing to assist them. A victim, Clement Daasang,
described the disaster as unprecedented, “I have not witnessed this
kind of flood in this town in the over 30 years that I have lived in
Opobo.”

ABUJA

Chief Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, on Thursday, announced the
appointment of Sunday Olorundahunsi as the Acting Chief Registrar of
the Supreme Court. Mr Katsina-Alu announced Mr Olorundahunsi’s
appointment at the swearing of eight new high court judges in Abuja. He
said the move followed the elevation of the former Registrar, Usman
Musale, as a high court judge of the Federal Capital Territory. Mr
Katsina-Alu said the appointment is was with immediate effect.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Usman Nafada, on Wednesday, accused the officials of
the Federal Ministry of Works of colluding with road contractors to do
poor jobs, saying it is the major reason why roads fail in the country.
Mr Nafada spoke in Abuja at a public hearing on a bill sponsored by a
suspended member of the House, Austin Nwachukwu (PDP, Imo) alongside 10
others for unruly behaviour on the floor and accusing the leadership of
corruption.

The bill is titled, “A bill for an Act
to Construct, Build and Maintain Roads and Erosion Projects for Five
Years before Handing Over and Other Matters connected therewith.” Mr
Nafada, who represented the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole at the hearing,
said the ministry officials do not carry out proper on contractors
executing government’s job and in most cases compromise standard for
pecuniary gains.

Urgent need for action

“We need to do something on the state
of our roads,” he said. “I don’t want to blame the construction
companies, there are people supervising them. For a certificate of no
objection to be raised, there is someone either in the ministry or
FERMA that would have said the project was satisfactory. Fraudulent
practices by these officials cause roads to fail.” The deputy speaker
regretted that Nigeria spends more money on road than other African
countries but still has more bad roads than those countries.

“The problem of Nigeria is corruption,”
he said. “Neighbouring countries spend less than half of what Nigeria
pay per kilometre for road construction, yet they get better roads
produced for them at the end of the day. Roads in better clime are
constructed to last for at least 30 years but roads in Nigeria hardy
last two years before collapse. Some are even washed away before they
are commissioned. This is not good enough but those saddled with the
task of monitoring the stages of the construction up to finishing are
in most cases part of the problem.”

He did not spare the foreign
construction companies operating in Nigeria either. Mr Nafada accused
accusing them of building substandard roads for Nigerians. “Foreign
companies operating in Nigeria, you know the condition of roads in your
country,” he said. “It is criminal for you to come here and build
sub-standard roads that will not stand the test of time.” However, Mr
Nafada applauded the efforts of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency
(FERMA), stating that the agency has been trying to improve the quality
of the roads they construct.

The works minister, Sanusi Daggash blamed the state of the roads
across the country on untimely and late releases of funds. He noted
that the level of deficits incurred by government on road construction
is high. He called for the establishment of a contingency fund to be
domiciled in the Ministry of Works to deal with emergency maintenance
works that are no budgeted for. The minister added that the operations
of FERMA could be enhanced if the agency is given a free hand in
choosing the roads to be maintained just as he demanded that the agency
should be put on first line charge. Olumuyiwa Ajibola, who stood in for
the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) blamed the state of the roads
in the country on inadequate time for planning and design, imperfect
system of contract award, lack of quality supervision, inadequate
funding and contract administration and inappropriate usage of roads
all contribute to putting the roads in a deplorable condition.

The rebuttals have
been swift and insistent. Barely 24 hours after the Minister of State
for Finance, Remi Babalola, announced that the country’s oil behemoth,
the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), is “insolvent”,
senior government officials have been falling over one another to
disown him.

Minister of
Information, Dora Akunyili, and NNPC spokesperson, Levi Ajuonuma, on
Wednesday, both rose in shrill defence of the corporation’s finances.

“We cannot be
classified as insolvent when we have a healthy cash flow and we can pay
for our crude and product importation obligations,” Ajuonuma said.

Akunyili, on her
own part, said: “NNPC, from the auditor’s account, is a growing
concern, and does not have solvency issue as a corporation. Therefore,
categorically, NNPC is not insolvent.”

It wasn’t the first
time Mr. Babalola would be expressing concerns about the solvency of
the corporation. In January, he told journalists that the NNPC was
owing the Federal Government N450 billion, which it was unable to pay
because “they do not have the cash flow to pay the debt. There is no
doubt in my mind about that.”

The billion-naira
question now is this: who is to be believed? Mr. Babalola, who, six
months after saying he had no doubts about the precarious financial
position of the NNPC, is insisting that nothing has changed (that in
fact, things have grown worse), or Mrs. Akunyili (on behalf of the
Federal Government) and the NNPC, who are telling us that Mr. Babalola
has no idea what he is saying.

If the NNPC’s
reputation – an undisputed status as the headquarters of Nigeria’s
‘rent-seeking’ industry – is anything to go by, whatever its officials
say must be taken with a pinch of salt. Don Etiebet, former minister of
petroleum under the late General Sani Abacha, confessed late last year
that in his position as supervising authority of the NNPC, he found it
impossible to reconcile the corporation’s accounts.

It hardly helps
that the corporation is perennially in a state of flux; a serial victim
of ruthless ‘cleansing’ sprees by successive governments, all in the
name of ‘reform’ – which tragically continues to remain elusive. In the
last year and half alone, the corporation has had three CEOs. Only a
little over a year ago, late President Yar’Adua ordered the sack of six
executive directors.

With this state of
affairs in the NNPC, it appears that Mr. Babalola’s submission would be
much closer to the truth than the strident rebuttal by the government
and the corporation. It is hard to imagine why a serving government
minister would consistently raise the alarm about a government agency’s
finances – especially one that his position compels him to have
dealings with all the time – without being deeply convinced of the
veracity of his position. Crying wolf in this case would not merely be
mischief, it would be madness.

On the other hand,
the NNPC and the Federal Government have every reason in the world to
be economical with the truth. One only need to turn to Greece to see
the severely negative implication of national insolvency on a country’s
credit rating, and its future economic prospects.

For a country like
Nigeria, which depends on oil for 80 percent of its earnings, it is
easy to see why foreign governments, financial institutions, and
potential investors would equate the national oil company’s insolvency
with national insolvency. Fear of such a scenario would be enough to
compel any government to angrily dismiss any speculation that its
cash-cow is broke.

From the foregoing,
it appears that it would be best to conclude that the NNPC remains
broke until proven otherwise. The burden of proof is solidly on the
corporation; Nigerians would need far more than an angry denial as
evidence that all is well.

Africa’s
porous borders mean it will be difficult to prevent attacks elsewhere
in the region like Sunday’s twin bombings in Kampala that killed 73
people, U.S. ambassador to Uganda Jerry Lanier said on Wednesday.

The deadly
explosions in Uganda were claimed by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab
group. If confirmed, it would be the first time the Somali rebels had
carried out a long-standing threat to attack their enemies in other
countries.

“Suicide bombers
are very difficult to stop in any country and we know that African
borders tend to be more porous than other countries,” Lanier told
Reuters.

“The Ugandans, I’m
sure, were taking measures they thought were adequate, but it is just
very difficult to prevent these kinds of attacks,” he said.

Lanier said it was
‘entirely possible’ that other countries in the region threatened by al
Shabaab, such as Burundi, Ethiopia and Kenya, could face similar
attacks.

“It has awakened
the region to the threat. Because of the multiple threats we’ve all
heard in the past … this gives some reality to that threat,” he said.

The ambassador said
Washington was prepared to step up its support for Uganda in the wake
of the attacks, adding that more FBI agents would arrive on Wednesday
and Thursday to join the three already helping the investigation.

“We will see what (Uganda’s) needs are and go from that,” he said, citing financial and logistical support as likely.

Lanier said the
attacks may have been designed to scare off those countries in the
region that have at times promised to increase their role in Somalia
and join Uganda and Burundi in providing troops on the ground.

“It is perhaps what
al Shabaab were seeking, to intimidate countries that might otherwise
be a part of AMISOM (the African Union force in Somalia), who might
want to participate with Uganda in the struggle against al Shabaab.”
The troubled Horn of Africa nation has been brought to its knees by the
three-year insurgency, as Islamist rebels have battled the U.N.-backed
Somali government, which is supported by the 8,100-strong African Union
force.

Last week, the
regional bloc IGAD promised to send an extra 2,000 peacekeepers to help
resist the insurgency in Somalia, where at least 21,000 people have
died in the fighting and some 1.5 million have been driven from their
homes.

Al Shabaab enforces its own strict interpretation of Islam, routinely banning sport, music and dancing.

Reuters

Senate President, David Mark, has
declared that the present National Assembly is ready to make history by
being the first legislature to create states outside the military
regime.

He made this known today when he
received a delegation agitating for the creation of Gurara State out of
the present Kaduna State in Abuja. `

According to Mr. Mark, the Assembly
would break the jinx that states could only be created by the military.
He assured Nigerians that the committee on the review of the 1999
Constitution would be fair to all in the consideration of states to be
created.

Describing the demand for Gurara State
as genuine, the senate president noted that it was a clear
demonstration of their desire to bring the people closer to the
government, and urged them to unite and eschew religious or ethnic
sentiments.

The leader of the delegation, Bawa Magaji, said the creation of the
proposed Gurara State was approved by the Kaduna State House of
Assembly in its resolution on Nov. 18, 2009. “The proposed Gurara
State, with headquarters in Kachia, has a population of 3,383,207 and a
land mass area of about 28,393 square kilometres,” he said.

The Executive Council of the Federation, yesterday,
approved the downward review of the contract for the extension and
resurfacing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.

The contract was reviewed from N3.56billion to N3.32billion.

Briefing reporters after the closed door session,
Dora Akunyili, the Minister of Information and Communications, said,
“With the modification, the contract sum was downward reviewed from the
initial sum of N3.56billion to N3.32billion, thereby saving government
N249.37million.”

Fidelia Njeze, the minister of Aviation, who was also
present at the briefing, said “the modification became necessary so as
to accommodate the resurfacing of the second central parallel taxiway
and associated links which have failed at several portions and very
vital to the entire project”. Ms. Njeze noted that these were omitted
in the initial scope of works.

She said the project has a completion period of six months.

Other decisions

At the meeting, the executive also approved the award
of contract for the execution of Zobe Water Supply project phase II in
the sum of N9.96billion, with a completion period of 18 months. It also
approved the contract for the consultancy services for the Zobe project
in the sum of N253.26million.

Officials said they considered the positive impact
the project will have on the lives of the people around the area where
the project is located before approving the contract.

The minister of agriculture, Ahmed Abdullah, also
briefed the council on the comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development
Programme (CAADP) process in Nigeria and West Africa sub-region, which
was adopted in Maputo in July 2003 by Africa Union heads of state and
government. CAADP is seen as the action plan that guarantees a bright
future for Africa especially in achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).

Also, the minister of Tourism, culture and national
orientation, Abubakar Sadiq A. Mohammed, briefed the council on the
need to ratify the new charter for African cultural renaissance adopted
by the heads of state and government of the AU at its 6th ordinary
session held in Khartoum, Sudan in 2006 to replace the one adopted in
January 1976 by the defunct OAU.

The formal launching of the charter would be
performed in October during the 3rd session of the AU ministers of
culture conference in Abuja.

The council directed the Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke, to commence
preparation of the instrument for ratification of the new charter.

Nigeria and the United Nations Security Council were also discussed.

The Presidency of the UN Security Council rotates in
an alphabetical order amongst the five permanent members and 10
non-permanent members of the council and Nigeria has been a
non-permanent member for two years since October 2009.

On July 1, Nigeria assumed the chairmanship of the UN
Security Council. Mrs Akunyili said “accordingly, Nigerian permanent
representative to the UN Professor Joy Ogwu will chair the council
meetings. On July 16, 2010, Nigeria is introducing a debate in the UN
Security Council as part of the tradition of the council. Nigeria’s
foreign affairs minister, Odein Ajumogobia, will chair the debate which
has the topic: The use of preventive diplomacy as a tool: the
challenges for Africa” she added.

A Nigerian, Alache
Ode, who is an aide to the Minister of National Planning, has been
awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE), by Queen Elizabeth. The
OBE is an equivalent of Nigeria’s Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).

Minister of State
for Information and Communications, Labaran Maku, who spoke to pressmen
at the presidential villa after the weekly federal executive council
meeting, said Ms. Ode was honoured because of her humanitarian services
to the UK communities. “She committed nearly 18 years building the
capacity of over 50 organisations to become effective,” he said. “She
also developed a programme that attracted three million pounds sterling
to send to over 600 skilled UK Diaspora professionals to work in about
18 countries of Africa and Asia.” He also said Ms. Ode developed the
capacity for “funding and building framework for an 18 million pounds
(DFID) grant to small and Diaspora organisations, and that she has been
advocating at over 30 international conferences perspective and
approach to development to become mainstream.”

The minister said the federal government is touched by the woman’s
passion for service and urged other Nigerians to emulate her spirit. He
added that the intriguing thing about Ms. Ode’s work was that it was
done for free as inspired by her passion for service for global
inclusion of disadvantaged personsl; and that she dedicated it to all
the unsung heroes of Nigeria, her native Benue State, the people of the
Middle Belt, and to God Almighty.